A controversy surrounding a letter circulated against the Vizhnitz-Merkaz community has taken a dramatic turn, with a number of prominent rabbonim publicly distancing themselves from the document, saying they either never signed the version that was published, did not intend their signatures as an attack on the Chassidus, or are now formally withdrawing their endorsements.
The clarifications were collected in a special notice distributed in Chareidi communities, accompanied by reproductions of handwritten statements and signatures from the rabbonim involved.
Among the strongest denials came from Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, who wrote explicitly, “I did not sign a letter against the Vizhnitzer community.”
Rav Sariel Rosenberg similarly stated, “My signature was not on the letter that was published.”
An especially forceful clarification was issued by Rav Shmuel Dovid Hakohen Gross, who said his signature had been obtained improperly.
“The signature was obtained from me through deception,” Rav Gross wrote, adding that his earlier signature is “null and void.”
Rav Azriel Auerbach also distanced himself from the implication that he had intended to condemn an entire Chassidic community, writing, “It was not my intention [to speak] against a Chassidic community.”
Rav Moshe Sternbuch, after reviewing the subsequent explanations issued by the rabbonim, confirmed that the signature should be considered withdrawn. In a handwritten addition, he stated, “According to what is written, so are the facts.”
Rav Pinchas Shuv said that what had previously been written was a mistake and explicitly expressed regret over his involvement, stating, “And I hereby regret it.”
Rav Nosson Hakohen Kopschitz likewise added his agreement to the clarifications.
Rav Amram Ofman, a moreh tzedek of the Eidah HaChareidis, wrote that he had not signed the document in question and consequently withdrew his signature.
“And I did not sign this… therefore my signature is nullified,” he wrote.
The notice accompanying the rabbonim’s statements said members of the Vizhnitz-Merkaz community had deliberately refrained from publicly responding to the controversy for an extended period. That approach changed, it said, after what community representatives described as an attempt to mislead leading rabbonim and invoke their names in a campaign against an entire Chassidic community.
According to the announcement, the decision to publicize the handwritten clarifications was intended to establish precisely what the rabbonim had — and had not — endorsed.
The notice, which was posted in Chareidi population centers, stressed that its purpose was not to intensify the dispute. Rather, its authors said they hoped to bring an end to what they characterized as an ongoing campaign of attacks and to make clear that the names and signatures of leading Torah figures should not be used to target an entire community or its attachment to the Vizhnitzer Rebbe and his path in Chassidus.
With the Yemei Hadin approaching, the notice also issued an emphatic call to distance oneself from the dispute.
“Our hands did not spill this blood, and we have no portion or share in these lies,” the announcement declared, while firmly rejecting what it described as “acts of fighting and machlokes.”
Sources within Vizhnitz-Merkaz said the newly released statements demonstrate that the controversial letter, as presented to the public, did not accurately represent the positions of several of the rabbonim whose names were associated with it.
They pointed in particular to the varying clarifications: Some rabbonim said they never signed the published text, others formally withdrew their signatures, and still others stressed that they had never intended to issue a condemnation of the Vizhnitz-Merkaz community.
Community representatives expressed hope that the publication of the rabbonim’s own handwritten statements will finally bring an end to what they described as a prolonged campaign against Vizhnitz-Merkaz, its community and its rabbonim.
{Matzav.com}
