Dear YWN,
I hope you will publish this letter, as I find the situation deeply disturbing.
Recently, someone sent me a letter that was signed by dozens of baalei batim, with an effort underway to collect even more signatures. Part of the letter reads as follows (quoted verbatim):
“Therefore, we make our position explicit. We remain wholly committed to the support of Torah, Yeshivas, Kollelim and Talmidei Chachamim — the very life force of our holy nation. And because of that commitment to the Torah Chaim, we cannot in good conscience support institutions whose public posture undermines those charged with defending Jewish life. Accordingly, we will only provide financial support to Torah institutions that do not publicly speak against, protest, or delegitimize the IDF while they bear the burden of defending Jewish lives. This policy will remain in effect until such positions are reconsidered in a manner consistent with the defense of Jewish life.
This stance takes no position on the current debate regarding the draft. It addresses only the propriety of public opposition to the IDF during an ongoing defense of Jewish life.
We state this position in unity and responsibility, confident that the strength of our people lies in the alignment of Torah, security and mutual commitment. Through achdus, may we merit the geulah sheleimah, b’karov.”
It is not my place to personally attack those behind this letter, despite what I view as breathtaking audacity — publicly threatening Torah institutions and, by extension, Gedolei Yisrael, over matters of hashkafah and public expression. But Chazal already warned us what the period before Moshiach would look like. “Chutzpah yasgeh” is not a metaphor. It is a reality we are living through, and this episode feels like a textbook example.
What shocked me most was seeing the names of two close friends of mine on the letter. I reached out to them directly. Both told me the same thing: they were misled. They were not shown the final text, nor were they told clearly what the letter would actually say.
That raises serious questions about the integrity of every single signature on this document.
Ironically, these are often the very same baalei batim who habitually question kol korehs issued by Gedolei Torah, asking whether the Rabbonim truly signed, whether they were misled, or whether the wording was altered. Yet here, the same tactics appear to have been used — only now in reverse, by private individuals seeking to leverage money and influence.
Is there truly no limit to the chutzpah of this generation, where a small group of people with financial means feel empowered to pressure, threaten, and attempt to silence leading Torah figures by dangling funding over their heads?
I am a real person. I am signing this letter sincerely. I am choosing to remain anonymous — not because I lack conviction, but because I genuinely fear being bullied or intimidated by some of those involved.
That fact alone should trouble anyone who still believes we are having an honest, respectful discussion within the Torah world.
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
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9 Responses
I wouldn’t want to be part of such a letter that directly spits in the eyes of so many gedolei yisrael, better to not give and at least shut up. Let’s not forget that the state is already funding those places plenty because of its alignment with military service
a few points;
1. this is the first i hear of this , but since im also a shtikel mechutzaf ; i will comment on what i think is going on ( do we need the facts to comment??)
2. its no secret that there has always been some distance between supporters of torah and the yeshivaleit themselves , even 50 years ago most baaalei batim didnt support rav aron , rav moshe, rav gifter, ytv etc. most shuls boards didnt let them make appeals.. and they were giants-
3. whatever we have today is because of a few handfuls of donors , who saw this as the only hope for a future
4. its no secret that the ey roshei yeshiva and fundraisers are deeply disappointed with US IN AMERICA, they feel that this is the biggest gezaira facing bnei yeshiva in 60 years and most of us DONT GET IT!
5.keren olam hatorah was a handful of donors with ruvain wolf carrying the brunt of it and many saying we will give but “this” really bothers us and most yidden agree at least partially
6. the chidush is that they are even giving at all , so this letter didnt come out of chutzpah its saying i have the right to give everywhere i will prioritise those that are more balanced
quetion if i ask u would you give to the peleg yeshivas? what about the kanoim in beit shemesh, how about the gruss kolel at yu, toldos aaron .. so u too make choices on who to give and how much
Not to mention the tremendous chilul hashem of deliberately releasing something to hurt many rabbi’s feelings, and to get many Jews to question where they send donations, and also to give ammunition and Fire to the many haters like we have here that we shouldn’t respect charedi rabbanim . Whoever was behind it and it’s manipulation will be paying severely
Certainly people have the right to decide which institutions and causes to support financially. With Hashem’s help the IDF is our defense against those who want to murder all the Jews in eretz yisrael, charedim, dati leumi, and chilonim alike. Any institution that comes out publicly against the IDF is showing a lack of gratitude and no hakaras hatov for the yeshuah that Hashem sends through the IDF and which protects them daily. People are free to decide not to support such institutions and there is nothing wrong with that. People who think that the actions of such institutions are correct are certainly free to support them and to answer for their actions after 120 years.
What a well written letter! What clear and Torah-true hashkafah! What balance! Thank you for expressing this.
Unbelievable the chutzpa that even after learning that without a doubt some of the names are there as a result of being lied to and misled, still people run to give honor to those who just called for a rebellion against many charedi rabbabim. The same ones that even the secular hostages after their release ran to to say thank you and cry
Did you ask your two friends what they thought they were signing? What did they disagree with in the final version? Sounds like there could be more to the story.
>>>What shocked me most was seeing the names of two close friends of mine on the letter. I reached out to them directly. Both told me the same thing: they were misled. They were not shown the final text,
Why am I supposed to believe an anonymous claim about what two other anonymous people said?
I’ll stop there.
Really???
1. Everybody that signed saw the letter .. the technology used to sign forced you to read the letter before signing
2. All the people openly put their name as signees … the person writing you doesn’t even mention its own name ….
Is this news ? Journalism? Or Stam trying to create a machloikes … whilst the letter published by as one of unity and kavod Hatorah at once