LOT 58:
The Historical Meeting between Chaim Weizmann and the Rabbis of Jerusalem – the Original Notice that was Given to ...
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The Historical Meeting between Chaim Weizmann and the Rabbis of Jerusalem – the Original Notice that was Given to Rabbi Yitzchak Yerucham Diskin
An official notice by the Jerusalemite branch of "the Israeli Office" to Rabbi Yitzchak Yerucham Diskin, regarding a meeting that will be held in his house tomorrow, the 27th of Tamuz 1918, with Professor Chaim Weizmann. Signed most likely by the well-known Zionist activist Mordechai Ben Hillel, the representative of the Office.
21x13 cm.
Historical background:
With the release of Jerusalem from the Turkish and during the first days of the British mandate, Zionist leaders came to Jerusalem wanting to become involved in the maintaining and also in the educational decisions of the Torah institutions of Jerusalem.
After a series of contacts mediated by Rabbi Ya'akov Moshe Harlap, an important meeting was held on the 27th of Tamuz 1918 between Professor Chaim Weizmann and the most prominent rabbis of Jerusalem. The meeting was held at the house of Rabbi Yitzchak Yerucham Diskin with the participation of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Rabbi Harlap, Rabbi Ze'ev Shachor and Rabbi Dobver Epstein as well as rabbi Diskin's secretaries, including Rabbi Moshe Blau. It was a most heated meeting, which reflected the large gap between the Zionist approach to the image of the yeshivas and the conservative approach of the rabbis and heads of yeshivas. Weizmann explained in detail his plans and explained the need for adjusting the image of the yeshivas to modern times, emphasizing that he was interested only in what was best for the yeshivas and in improving their image. He even quoted the verse "Ki Mi'Zion Tetze Torah" (For out of Zion shall go forth Torah) as a reason for it being essential that Torah scholars have general knowledge as well.
During that meeting, Weizmann also introduced his plan for founding a "continuing education yeshiva" for talented students, which will be under supervision and for a predefined amount of time. Such a yeshiva will receive the full support of the Zionist Federation and will serve as a model for all other yeshivas. He added that the Zionist Federation saw it as its duty to increase and glorify Torah study and to support Torah institutions. Therefore, it had decided to found the aforementioned yeshiva.
However, the rabbis of Jerusalem rejected Weizmann's plans altogether. Rabbi Diskin asked Rabbi Sonnenfeld to respond to Weizmann's words and he indeed responded, making a deep impression on Weizmann. Rabbi Diskin himself responded to Weizmann's "generous" offers to fund the yeshivas by saying: "Don't do me any favors".
Before and after this meeting, additional meetings were held between Weizmann and the rabbis of Jerusalem, which eventually were in vain and the rift between the worlds only expanded.
Before us is a nice, special item from those days.
Condition: Good.
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