In a dramatic move by the Eidah HaChareidis on Thursday evening at an event for the first yahrtzeit of the previous Gaavad HaEidah, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Tuvia Weiss, z’tl, an announcement was made that HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shternbuch will serve as the Gaon Beis Din of the Eidah.
The announcement was made by Zakein Rabbanei HaEidah, HaGaon HaRav Elyakim Schlesinger, at the yahrtzeit event held at the Beis Hamedrash HaGadol of the Dushinsky chassidus in Jerusalem.
Following the main speech at the event by HaRav Shternbuch, who spoke about HaRav Weiss, z’tl, HaRav Schlesinger announced in the presence of the members of the Badatz that HaRav Shternbuch is now the Gaavad of of the Eidah.
“Yerushalayim needs a Rav,” HaRav Schlesinger said. “And Baruch Hashem, there’s a Rav in Yerushalayim, HaRav Moshe Shternbuch, who is known worldwide. Whether it’s official or unofficial, it’s accepted throughout the world that he’s the Rav of Yerushalayim on behalf of the Eidah HaChareidis.”
The dramatic announcement was made on the background of the fact that in the year since the petirah of HaRav Weiss, z’tl, a new Gaavad was not appointed due to an internal dispute in the Eidah, with the kitzonim (extremists) fervently opposed to the appointment of HaRav Shternbuch.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
A worthy replacement
ירושלים already is blessed with 2 competent Rabbonim:- Rav Aryeh Stern שליט”א & Rav Shlomo Amar שליט”א, so actually was never bereft of Rabbinical leadership, as insinuated in this article
He has not been officially appointed by the committee of the eida
This was an a announcement made by HaRav Schlesinger and no one else
With all due respect and kavod, isn’t Rav Shternbuch nearing 100 years old? When Rav Weiss was appointed, he served nearly 40 years, which contributed to his role in shaping the Eida. I’m just questioning the reasoning if b’drech hateva, we’ll need a new appointee in the next few years. I hope this shows the proper kavod to the posek hador.
Perhaps to be more informative the article should explain the difference between gaavad and raacad and why it is so bold a move to switch from one position to the other. There are always hot heads on any side but what issues do the extremist have with Rav Shternbuch shlita? Is there anyone bigger with more of a mesora being meshamesh the gedolim of the previous generation than him?
“….anew Gaavad was not appointed due to an internal dispute in the Eidah, with the kitzonim (extremists) fervently opposed to the appointment of HaRav Shternbuch….
Given that R’ Shternbuch is generally regarded as fairly conservative, its hard to imagine that there was a segment of the Eidah who apparently felt he was not conservative enough
Rav Sterbuch is a nin vi’neched shel ha’GR”A.
Something perhaps not well known, but the “Old Yishuv” was significantly influenced by, and still is, by the Talmidei HaGra / Perushim. Rav Shmuel Salant, MaHaRI”L Diskin, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, were not chasiddim. Yisroel Yaakov Fisher zt”l used to remind his Kehillah every year before Pesach to burn their HAND matzos with their Chometz! It is no secret that minhag Yerushalayim and Minhag HaGra share much. I am not 100% sure, but think that the Talmidei HaBesht moved primarily to Tzefas and Teveriah while the Talmidei HaGra – eventually – settled in Yerushalayim.
The reason for my previous post was to clear the misconception that the Aidah is some far right-wing, anti-Medinah, chasiddisheh group. The Eidah, for example, always receives permits from the government if any sort of protest is to be held. The Eidah, for example, works very closely with some of the largest Israeli food manufacturing companies providing top hashgachah. The Eidah, for example, is very involved in many chesed organizations which aid all sectors of the population. Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, as is well known, travelled the entire country TOGETHER WITH Rav A. Y. HaKohein Kook to encourage farmers to keep the mitzvos ha’tiluyos ba’Aretz. The citizens of Meah She’arim were those who directed the IDF in ’67 to the old city on their way to recapture it and the Kosel.
Something to think about.
shuali: No one ever thought the Eida was an exclusively Chasidushe group. Even though the Satmar Rebbe zt’l was the head of the Eida until his petira in 1979. Everyone knows the Eida was always a mixed, with both Litvish/Talmidei HaGra and Chasidishe/Talmidei HaBesht components.
By the way, the Neteurei Karta is also like that. NK was started by Litvish/Talmidei HaGra. In fact, the Nusach davened in all NK shuls is Nusach Ashkenaz.
Both the Talmidei HaGra and the Talmidei HaBesht live in Yerushalayim. Originally and now.
That all said, the Eida absolutely IS anti-medina and anti-Zionist. That is indesputible and has always been the case.
As far as hand matzahs, I’m not sure what you are trying to communicate. For the 3,000 years before machines existed and there was never such a thing as machine matzahs, are you saying all those thousands of years of doros of our zeidas and babbes were eating subpar, less than ideal hand matzahs, since there were no machines? Or that they should have burned it in the chometz since it is chometz!?