Rav Yitzchok Berkovits, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah and rosh kollel of the Jerusalem Kollel, has issued a strong statement regarding the current World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections, emphasizing the critical importance of participation for the Torah community.
“The election is not about us becoming Zionists,” Rav Berkovits clarified. “They are to prevent the Reform from siphoning off money and using it to bring Reform to Eretz Yisroel. They openly say it is about undoing all the accomplishments of [Eretz HaKodesh].”
WATCH:
The WZO elections is a battleground where the allocation of significant financial resources is determined. The Reform movement has been transparent about its agenda—to channel these funds toward promoting Reform Judaism in Eretz Yisroel, thereby weakening the foundations of authentic Torah life in the Holy Land.
For years, Reform activists have sought to use the WZO as a tool to influence the religious and ideological landscape of Eretz Yisroel, undermining the traditional values that have sustained Klal Yisroel for generations. The stakes in this election are clear, explained Rav Berkovits: either these funds will be directed toward supporting Torah institutions, mosdos chinuch, and kehillos dedicated to preserving our mesorah, or they will be used to fund efforts aimed at reshaping the religious identity of Eretz Yisroel in a way that is antithetical to Torah values.
The above is provided for informational purposes and does not necessarily reflect the stance or values of Matzav.com.
We will not fall into the Zionists trap, we cannot participate
If you vote, you’ll have to do jury duty, and that’s not tznius.
Rav Shternbuch’s opinion might be valuable…
He is the Gaavad of Yerushalayim after all.
There are many more Gedolim who support WZO voting
including the Zekan Rosh Yeshivah Harav R Shmuel Kaminetzky Shlita.
All the Gedolim say that it’s assur to vote in the WZO.
you know thats not true. Some gedolim say not to vote. Many gedolim say to vote. My Rebbi (who is very well known) said vote. I proudly voted as soon as I recieved the email.
So now I really don’t know what to do.
Rav Dov Landau and Rav Aharon Feldman advise me not to back Eretz Hakodesh but Rav Yitzchok Berkowitz advises the opposite. Whom do I follow??
stop trying to use news as a ad
stop trying to use news as a ad, its an opinion that wzo is paying matzav a lot of money for
What about Aish’s Aish Ha’am slate? (https://vote.aish.com/)
To vote you need to first give them money. Last time was $7.5 per vote. If they got 25,000 votes then the WZO was first given 7.5 x 25,000 = $187,500 so that they can “take” it away from reform people.
(Reform trying to get the people who might vote for them scared that the orthodox are going to take away all their money is the exact ploy any smart person would do in an election campaign to get people fired up and excited to get the vote out. In fact, thats exactly Eretz Hakodeshe’s tactic in reverse…)
For some reason this idea was only thought of 5 years ago.
No other person since 1897 thought about this idea? Or did people ask Gedolim through out this century? Oh they did? The Chofez Chaim said it wasnt worth it? oh…
Well maybe for some weird reason things “changed”, so what happened in 2010 when someone else tired doing the same thing? Oh Rav Eliyashiv was against it then also? Hmmm.
Have things really changed since then?
But who cares what we think, lets just see what the majority of the gedolim right now say.
Oh they’re against Eretz Hakodesh? … I guess I should just ask MY Rebbi then…
It was 5 dollars this time. Which I happily paid
Apparently many of the gedolim in America say the ends dont satisfy the means.
Apparently many of the gedolim in America say the ends dont satisfy the means.
This marks a significant shift from what Rabbi Berkowitz, shlit”a, stated last time.
Previously, the argument was that all Gedolei Yisroel in the last 100 years opposed this (except for two gedolim who were misled according to Rabbi Feldman), but due to financial necessity, we must support it for the sake of yeshivos. “We can’t not take it”—if I remember correctly. But the video where this was stated? Nowhere to be found.
And now, the emphasis has shifted yet again. Suddenly, it’s not about supporting yeshivos but about “siphoning off” funds from Reform movements.
I ask a simple question: Where did the money go last time, and how much?
According to their own advertisements last year (yes, I saved it!), here’s where the money went:
• ₪20 million – Activities for “teens at risk” through the KKL-JNF Education Department.
• 110 yeshivos – Assistance with visas, passports, and “army-related issues.”
• 35 community events – Held for American families in Eretz Yisroel.
• 3,000 students from Chutz Laaretz – Participated in 170 trips and activities in the Galil and Golan.
• 30,000 dunam of KKL-JNF land – Kept the laws of Shemittah for the first time in history.
• 3,500 students in U.S. camps – Received an Eretz HaKodesh-sponsored education program about kedushas Eretz Yisroel and mitzvos hateluyos ba’aretz.
• 150 mothers of children with special needs – Enjoyed a two-day getaway, in conjunction with Chaim V’Chesed.
• 13,000 seminary students – Participated in a tefillah rally to “preserve the sanctity” of the Kosel.
• 4 Eretz HaKodesh-sponsored kollelim – For American baalei batim (some connected to Rabbi Berkowitz).
So last time, the excuse was “we need it for yeshivos”—and now it’s “better us than Reform”?
For this, we should ask Bnei Torah and Talmidei Chachamim to show allegiance to the kefirah of Zionism against the will of ALL GEDOLEI YISROEL?
All this for passports, retreats, and bureaucracy?
History will judge otherwise. When the last vote took place, COVID followed the next day…
against the will of ALL GEDOLEI YISROEL? My godol said to vote as did many others.
My Rosh Yeshiva Rav Meir Stern shlit”a (may he have a רפואה שלימה0 Rosh Yeshiva of Passaic came out vehemently against it to his talmidim.
I don’t get it. He says that he had a talmid doing kiruv but WZO ruined it. It would help to clarify because Eretz Hakosesh had our vote in 2020 yet this still happened. What exactly has EH done?
The intentions are good, however the ends do not justify the means
Assur lehishtateif pe’ula im reshaim
vekofrim!
kach horanu rabboseinu gedolei olam
Save the money you can buy yourself a crispy hot pizza roll and a fountain soda.
It’s not a she’eilah that voting is the right thing to do, as all the Gedolim have stated numerous times.
“All the gedolim”? Name one…..
This question is not new…..it is actually over 100 years old.
Here is a partial list of gedolim that signed against it (not in any order – copied from letters)
Rav Chaim Ozer
Rav Elchanan Wasserman
Rav Meir Shapiro
Rav Meir Karelitz
Rav Reuven Groszovsky
Rav Elya Weintraub
Rav Elyashiv
Rav Moshe Shternbuch
Rav Dovid Soloveithchik
Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel
Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva
Letter from dozens of Talmidei Rav Aharon
Novominsker Rebbe
Rabbi Meiselman
Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsh
The only two recorded gedolim for it was Rav Chaim Kanievsky and Rav Shmuel Kamentzky.
Rav Feldman in his famous letter from a few years ago, explains how they were misled……עיין שם.
So basically it’s a hundred years of mesora and gedolei yisroel vs Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz…..
It’s actually humorous that on their website there is a tab of gedolei yisroel with no letters – not even from Rabbi Berkowitz but plenty of pictures – even from those who came out against them.
The whole thing is one big חילול השם and chas veshalom any ben torah should sign their name to kefira as per the directive and mesora of ALL GEDOLEI YISROEL.
Our job is to follow our mesora and gedolim, and let Hashem worry about the rest.
As the brisker rov once said: even if had to transgress the smallest drabanan for Moshiach to come, we would chas veshalom not transgress it.
Thanks so much for this genuinely useful information.
Stop lying the rav of bialstock who rav chaim brisker wanted to be maspid for rav shmuel mohilever was a delegate at the first Zionist congress.
There were numerous gadoli Yisroel on both sides. It seems that the marcheshes supported voting for mizrachi in these elections. Not a single living rabbi comes to the marcheshes ankles in Torah. For those who don’t know, The marcheshes was the undisputed leading rav in Vilna after ran chaim ozer died.
BRUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH, Are you for real? Rabbi Marcus, please go back to the Reform Temple Emanu of Greater Toronto..
You are knowingly trying to mislead the public.
A letter was published by Gedolei Roshei Hayeshivos and Poskim in America vehemently opposing it (can be seen on EMES website), last month.
Gedolei EY too (Rav Landau) wrote a letter against it.
Who can disagree?
The WZO’s databases will be leaked, revealing the names and addresses of voters. We’ll be able to see on Google who the Zionists are that ignore the gedolei hador, ensuring we know whom to avoid for shidduchim.
No no no. The Shidduch crisis is strictly a numbers game. It has nothing to do with being picky or owning a smartphone.
Why doesn’t UTJ send delegates to the WZC? Why is it only a mitzva for chutz laaretz?