The relationship between R’ Kotler and R’ Soloveitchik was much more complex than some of the foregoing commentary might suggest. While R’ Kotler was clearly the more “conservative” of the two on giyus banos and most other issues of the time and passionately opposed to the MO/Zionist REITS hashkafah, they were still able to cooperate on a subset of of issues (e.g. fundrasing for Chinuch Atzmai) where such cooperation was of critical importance to the more broadly defined Yeshiva velt. But even to the end, the optics seems to overtake the substance of such cooperation. When R’ JBS was niftar, BMG was not represented at the levayah in Boston. Nonetheless, for all of R Aharon’s skepticism about YU, Zionism and Mizrachi, he still greatly respected R; Soloveitchik as a great talmid chacham and individual of great personal stature.
