Kollel America and Va'ad HaKlali: Collection of Rare Letters and Documents

Kollel America and Va'ad HaKlali: Collection of Rare Letters and Documents

Important historic collection of documents, certificates and manuscripts about legendary Jerusalem institutions: Va'ad HaKlali and Kollel America. Jerusalem-USA, 19th-20th centuries.

* Letter from the gaon Rabbi Mordechai Feinstein,  av beit din of Nowy Alexandrowsky, to Rabbi Ya'akov Yosef - Rav HaKollel of New York, who was one of the biggest supporters of Va'ad HaKlali, about excommunicating Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Hochstein, rabbi of the Zichru Torat Moshe congregation on East Broadway, New York. Rabbi Hochstein had opened an office for Kollel America-Tiferet Jerusalem with the goal of raising funds for American Jews who moved to Jerusalem. The Rav HaKlali firmly opposed establishing this office and demanded that all the funds be collected only through the Va'ad HaKlali's offices. He even released a psak din regarding this. Yet Rabbi Moshe stood his ground and continued to speak negatively about the Va'ad. It was for this refusal that the Rav HaKollel released the excommunication letter for Rabbi Hochstein!

Jerusalem rabbis turned to the leaders of communities abroad to not support the new kollel that threatened the existence of the entire Yishuv, and indeed several European rabbis responded favorably. The Rav HaKollel warned him that if he continues his activities he will excommunicate him. It was regarding this act, apparently, that Rabbi Ya'akov Yosef shared his woes with Lithuanian rabbis - that Rabbi Moshe Tzvi opened a front against him, and he had no choice but to excommunicate him! In his response, R' Mordechai encourages him. Having vehemently condemned the moves of the new office, he is adamant that he has done so lawfully by warning of the excommunication if he continues his plans. Most important letter regarding the Kollel America controversy.

Rabbi Mordechai Feinstein was a son of Rabbi Shraga Feivel, who was a rabbinic authority in Slonim, served as a  dayan in Lida, and beginning in 1886, served as rabbi of Nowy Alexandrowsky, where he served until his passing in 1903.

* Letter from the Va'ad in New York for the poor of the Land of Israel to American citizens who settled in Jerusalem, to for Hashem's sake not get involved in the controversy regarding Kollel America.

The attendants beg them: "Do not separate yourselves from the community to support the new kollel to the chagrin of all residents of our Land, the rabbis, the geonim, and the volunteers among the people ..." At the end, it even threatens: "And if [you do not heed us], we will order the directors of 'Beit Va'ad HaKlali' to end the possibility of giving any support or assistance to Americans, until they submit themselves to the path of peace, and cease the the shouting and fighting." Signed by the attendants: Menashe Fleksfander - first gabbai, DovBer Silverman of the Tiferet Sofer community and secretary, with the institution's official stamp. Nissan, 1897.

This certificate reveals for the first time that New York activists as well, who devoted themselves to the poor of the Land of Israel, turned to the immigrants from America who had just settled in Jerusalem to not get involved in the conflict, and to even attempt to douse the flames that are only causing damage to the Yishuv.

* Promissory note from Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai Eisenstein, one of the directors of the Va'ad HaKlali

Handwritten letter dated 1902, from the directors of the Talmud Torah Etz Chaim and the Bikkur Cholim Hospital: "It is in his best interest to remit to the directors of the General Committee the sum ... which is to be sent to them by the enterprises ..."

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai b"r Avraham Eisenstein.

What is interesting about this item is that he granted a loan from the Va'ad's funds and the members of the Va'ad ordered him to see that the debt is paid, despite his being the Va'ad's director!

* Five pages of the "income" records 1893-1895.

Reports with a list of donors from Washington, Rochester and Pittsburgh. The leaves from 1855 are from the fundraising efforts of Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Eliach, who set out for the first time to America that year as an emissary of the Va'ad HaKlali. Appearing in the back of the leaf from 1803 is "Mizrachi'im"!

* Letter detailing the names of donors next to the sums donated, with a 'Va'ad HaKlali' stamp on the back: 'Receipts sent' with the date - Kislev 1900.

* Ten pages of a ledger detailing the names of those being supported, with the stamp 'Receipts sent'  with the date: Tevet 1903.

Background: In 1896, the Va'ad HaKlali - Knesset Yisrael was established, a body that brought together all the kollels who were active in the Land of Israel until then [except Kollel Hungary], and in effect served as the official representative of the Ashkenazi community and was authorized to address all their needs, including supporting the poor, establishing tzedakah organizations, establishing Torah and Chesed institutions, and later on also the expansion of the Yishuv. The active core and initiator of the committee was Rabbi Yoshe Rivlin, and the spiritual supporters were the two rabbis of the community: Rabbi Shmuel Salant and Rabbi Meir Auerbach. The position of these personalities at the head of the Va'ad lent it prestige and status and attracted many donors from around the Jewish world, who donated large sums.

However, after the arrival of the rabbi of Brisk, the gaon Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin in Jerusalem, something befell the fabric of Jerusalem public activism. He established the orphanage named after him in 1880, which angered the members of the Va'ad HaKlali, out of concern that an independent institution would harm the donations to the Va'ad. In 1892, when the members of the Va'ad sent a report to America about their institutions, they completely ignored the Chassidic institutions and those of the Rav of Brisk. When Rav Yehudah Leib in turn tried to raise money in America for the benefit of his institutions, Rav Shmuel Salant came out against him, claiming that this harmed the Va'ad's income. Mahari"l's response was that the committee, despite its huge revenues, is not functioning properly.

In 1896, a report of donations coming from America was published for the first time. These data led to a demand by a group of American immigrants, led by R. Elazar Shapira, to receive a larger sum from the distribution funds than did the European immigrants, as they were technically the 'poor of your city' ['עניי עירך']. Unanswered, they established their own kollel, with the support of Rav of Brisk to establish this special kollel for American immigrants who settled in Jerusalem, known as 'Kollel America.' The establishment of this kollel caused a deep controversy in the city, due to the concern that it would cause the destruction of the Va'ad HaKlali, most of whose revenue came from America. For the purpose of establishing the new kollel, Rabbi Elazar turned to the Rav of Brisk who would head it. For this purpose he even obtained American citizenship, and a letter of support from the American consul. He had the help of his devout disciple - Rabbi Yaakov Orenstein, who was appointed 'secretary of the kollel'. The Kollel America rift ignited the city, the heads of the Va'ad HaKlali and along with them the heads of all the kollels, who fiercely fought the "America Group" program, and even in America itself there was opposition to the establishment of the kollel. On Tu B'Av 1896, Rabbi Shmuel Salant published a proclamation announcing "that the destruction of the Va'ad HaKlali is the destruction of the entire settlement." This position was supported by all the leaders of the settlement.

At the end of Iyar 1877, Rabbi David Leib Heller, who served as a rabbi in New York, published the following regarding the internal dispute between the rabbis of New York regarding this matter:

The controversy between the Va'ad HaKollelim and Kollel America has not yet subsided. And if before Pesach it was forgotten, it is now revived, because its savior and preacher in the "Zichru Torat Moshe" synagogue, Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Hochstein, has brought it up again, and his name is great among his admirers. This rabbi was summoned for hearing before the Rav HaKollel and before four other rabbis. And the ruling was that he not intervene with Kollel America. This ruling was printed in hundreds and thousands of leaflets. Before Pesach, he did not disobey the Rav HaKollel for fear of the kosher certificate he produced for matzah and wine in honor of Pesach being dropped, but after Pesach, without the concern for the Rav HaKollel, he did as he pleased. This was also specifically because he had someone to support his position - the gaon from Brisk. A telegram came from Jerusalem declaring that peace was made between the sides. And yesterday, Rabbi Moshe Tzvi received a telegram in the name of the gaon from Brisk: Do not be afraid and do what your heart dictates. As for the truth - Only G-d knows. Up to this moment there has not even been a single letter from the gaon of Brisk that he agreed to Kollel America.

Overall fine-very fine condition. One of the documents is framed.