I lie ( ;iii;i(Ji;iji Jewish News. Iriclay. Myrcli f.. l'>7()- I'jge .1
PROFILES OF OUR CONGREGATIONS
Interview with Rabbi David >Monson
TORONTO'S BETH SHOLOM
Interviewing Rablii David Munson of f(jrt)iilu'.s Beth Shalom synagc>i;ue can bo .a forniidahle ex{)erit?nee. When I had that pleasure recentl.\ •ttie rabhi did his best tu answer tlie various queries put tu him w!iiie he was busily involved in handliiii; a score uf synat;ogue-related problems.
In fact when 1 entered the rabbi was speakm. nn the phone to one of iiis con-i^reu'ants (in impeccable Vid-disii, uf course) and pleadiiiL; with his caller to accept a
tree ticket to Israel from him. "The man has adau,;h-ter in an Israeli kibbulzp^, the rabbi whispered to m.'. •'and I thoui'.ht it wjuld besu nice fur hini to hop over tu Israel with me and see her."
Durim; the course of our iliscnssiun Habbi Munson had occasiun tu use his phuiu' many times and he remarked tu mc liizht-heartedly that his answ^rini; service had unce awarded him a special plaque for tiavins: achieved a record in calls received. "On an average day,'" he
said, ■•_its not uncommon for III.' tu receive as niach as 57 I'lu^ne calls.''
The siib)ect matter of those calls Is closely related to Habbi M.'lis,Ill's definition of his function and role as a-rabbi. _
He leels that there are four basic areas m which he tries to expii'ss himself in his rabbinic vo atuui.
The fust area he referred to th.' routine, traditional one in which all rabbis involve them.selves. This includes the organization of
EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS AT EL AU-lsrael's national airlines announced this week that it was moving its executive offices in Canada from Tofonto to Montreal. Jorani Kjgan (left) leplaces Phillip Harris as genoial manager lor Canada and Dan Pavell (center) transfers to Toionto as distiict manager. Simon Finctand. who established. El Al offices in Canada continues an generalsales agent. Thii summer El Al will have .''4 transatlantic flights via New York. 9 v^ill be non stop New York-Tel Aviv, a distance ol 'j,/00 miles.
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and participation in tiie various religious functions of the synagogues. "I anmneof those rabbis wlio makes it a . point to attend m .'rning services regularly," he observed; "this sounds like an obvious thing but in our day regretably there art- rabbis who no longer see this as part of their duties."
Working with the individual Jew is an integral part of Rabbi Monson's religious concern. "You know/' he said, "there are a lot of "little" Jews around today who have problems with things that we wouldn't even think of..There are Jews who speak little or no English ■ and who have enormous problems in filling our application forms for such things as welfare and unemploynu'nt insurance. I see it as a sacred vocation to help these people. In a wiy I serve as a kind of ombudsman."
Shortly after this portion of our conversation 1 wis to see Rabbi Monson put another aspect of his philosophy to work. The phone rang and the young man at the other end informed him that he w.is a bachelor and had just .moved to Toronto from theLnitedStates.Could the rabbi put iiim in touch . with some eligible young ladies? At this point Rabbi Monson pulled out a loose leaf notebook and ran his finger dow.-i the page until he found the appropriate nanip and gave his caller the requisite information.
"This is a very large, im-, personal city in many ways. There are a lot of people in this tow'.i that are lonely, - single people, divorced people, widows. 1 am proud to act in the ancient and tloble role of shadchan (matchmaker) in trymg to get people together. As a matter of fact I often refer them to the classified section of the CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS when I am unable to furnish them with any inform&tion at the moment."
Among his myriad activities Rabbi Monson is especially well known for his energies and activities on behalf of Israel The Jewish state had been an all consuming preoccupation of his since the thirties. He mentioned that under his aegis his synagogue in 1953 was among the first to use the occasion of Kol Nidre to have a bond appeal from the pulpit. Since that time the practice has become virtually universal. The former Chief Rabbi of Israel, the late Rabbi Her zog, had aw.'irded him a special citation in recognition of that activity.
Support and love of Israel make up the third sector of Rabbi Monson's JDhilosophy of Judaism. At the present time he is expressing that support by acting as chairman of a local committee to facilitate the relocation of the Sha'arei Tzedec hospital in Jerusalem. He is involved deeply in raising funds for the . Ontario pavillion which will bfe across the road from the Herzog academy in Jerusalem.
I asked the rabbi about his close association with the childrens' village in Israel at Or Yehudah. how did this project get started?
"Several years ago during orie of my frequent visits to Israel I happened to pass through a settlement of Jews who had conifi recently from Iraq. Their living conditions
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cimld unly be descrilMid as depl"i''ii)le. They had no fa-cilitifs for recrealiou .ur sport. I resold then and there to return to Canada and raise money to Iniild a center "Tor tliese people."
• • Ipoii ret urnin-; to Canada 1 succeeded in rounding up $150,000 and with money we were atile to construct a Youth Centre at Or Yehuda. It now bears the nanif of my wife and myself, it is a coni'jlete center with rooms for sp')rt, recreation and club activities."
•'A Sephardi synai^ogiie Wis still lacking; 1 approached members of my c.ongre-•;ation and Mr. Louis Cadesky responded generously by providing the funds to erect a beautiful synago;4ue building. It IS called the Isaac and Ksther Cadesky Memorial Synagogue."
I queried the rabbi as to his present association with the childrens' village and he HKntioned that hehasabatch of correspondence with the kids there and has been deeply involved in their lives. Just recently he had .ist'd liis energies in helping one of the m-^nihers of the Youth village gain entry to medical school.
What about the current political situation in Israel.' l^abbi Monson acknowledges the seriousness of the problem. But his approach is basically an optimistic one. From the logical point of view, he admitted, things look gloomy. Logically a hundred million Arabs should be abloto dispose of two millionTSraelis easily. But Jews have never accepted the canons uflogic, because in that light tlie Jews shouldn't be alive even today.
•i have alwasy been impressed," he said, "by the examiile of i-iabbi Arieh Levin of the Irgun. He alwiys stated that salvation came from Gtxl like the twinkle of the eye. That's my feeling too."
But what does annoy Rabbi Monson is the callous indifference towirds Israel on the part of many Jews. Jews in Canada and in Toronto, he feels are simply not doing enough to support the cause of Israel. How can Israel be expaoted to present its case to the world when it is so harrassed by military, economic and social problems'.' It is up to the Jews here to. assume a great part of that responsibility.
One way in which the rabbi tries to help the cause of Israel in a very specific way , is assisting Israelis in Canada to return to IsraeL He showed me a sheaf of letters written to him by grateful p3ople in Israel who had benefited from the rabbi's help. "1 even tried to get EL AL to let Israelis occupy empty seats on their return flights to Lod. I haven't as yet succeeded in this endeavour."
I suspect that the latter is one of Rabbi Monson's very few failures in the domainof tzedeakah (charity). He is currently involved in per;^ suading people to coiitfibute to a fund to help defray the defense expanses of Chief Murray, currently under investigation , in a police inquiry. "Chief Murray is a wonderful m<<n," said the rabbi, "and he deserves our strongest support. He has showa understanding and mercy on any number of og-casiohs."
T,h^ . topic returned to Israel and Rabbi Monson told, mo with obvious pride of his ; work on behalfof the His-tadrut. In fact he had just been appointed chairman of the Histadrut Golden Jubilee committee. His : American counterpart is Arthur Goldberg,, formerly of the United States Supreme Court and the United Nations.
"We have got to get Jewish people to support Israel ; more and more --through tourism, for. Qxample. Thour ■ sands ..of; our people spend their money on trips to Portugal, Spain andMajoircalLet them go to Israel instead."
Rabbi Davbd Monson be - . lieves that one of the best ways : to build' brotherhoOd between Jews and Christians is to become active in fa-
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brie of the Canadian community at large. This is the forth pillar in the structure he recognizes as the rabbi's obligation.
To this end he has worked to promote a free bloo.i-pr-o-gram all across Canada. He regularly visits factories and businesses in an effort to persuade people to part with sonif blood for a worthy cause. His concern for the health of people is also recognized in his service to the Northern General Hospital where he acts as treasurer.
Rabbi Monson is a director of the St. Alban's Boys'Club and also of Street Haven. He. is on the executive as well of University Scholarships Inc. Just recently he was appointed to the chairmanship of the Medical Services Insurance Council, OSIP's administrative arm.
One of the proudest moments of his life, the rabbi related, was when he appointed to serve on the Canada Council, the federal
by Uri Jacobson
agency which distributes millions of dollars annually to universities and individual' scholars. During his tenure on that council, he along with the distinguished Leonard; Brockington, succeeded in persuading the organization to reverse itself on several occasions.
"The Council was not always willing in the early days to look favourably upon requests from the newer universities. On one occasion it rejected an application from an outstanding linguist. The latter was a'rabbi and newly arrived in Canada. Through my efforts the Council reconsidered its decision and awarded a grant. 1 was later vindicated when this man's work w^is ■published--and acclaimed as major work of scholarship."
In the last moments of our interview I asked Rabbi Monson if he had any pet peeves about Jewish life today.
He replied that the most painful thing about organized Jewish life wus that the prob-
RABBI DAVID MONSON
lem of the little Jew was being ignored. Ttiere were many in that later category whose salaries were meagre and because of that could not afford to send their children to Hebrew schools.
Habbi Monson was quick to point out that he was not
placing the blame on the school system which has its owa financial problems. But he said that something must be w.-ong when Jews cannot join synagogues they canhot afford the fees. "We have got to be concerned with the little man," he repeated.
NETUREI KARTA IN UPROAR
by MOSHE RON
Tel Aviv - Tweaty-tw'j years ago when the State of Israel was established certain members of the Naturei Karta faction considered leaving Israel to find a place where they could live according to their religious spirit. There wore opponents to such a radical solution.
Today the same differences have arisen among leaders of Naturei Karta in Jerusalem. One camp, headed by Habbi Amram Blau, advocates leaving the Zionist state, whereas the other camj), headed by the head of Y'eshiva "Tora \Ve-zira", Rabbi Ahron Kazen-elenbogen, opposes such a step.
The dispute between these two camps had been punctuated by stormy meetings and pamphlets. Rabbi Blau, whose influence has lately grown stronger after years of embarrassment caused by his marriage to the converted Jewess. Ruth Ben David, has started a campaign urging his followers to leave Israel. He even has succeeded in convincing some that such a step is prescribed in the Torah.
. Habbi Blau warns that because Israel is threatened by a holocaust it is a life-saving mitzva to leave Israel. He maintains that the Zionists are in complete control of the country. They have created a great danger to the Jews by wiging wars with the Arab neighbors who
number tens of millions and who are peparing for the »annihilation of the Jews of Israel.
The Zionists are not only ready to fight against the Arabs, says Blau, but also against the Russians and in this way they cause great damage to the Jewish people all over the world.
Rabbi Blau cites the Ram-bam, who favored leaving the country under certain conditions. He cites three passages from the"YodHaz-aka" in which permission is granted to those who flee from sinful people.
Habbi Blau appeals for mass emigration to any country which will grant asylum to those Jewish refugees wtio wish to maintain their religious spirit.
The opponents of evacuation, headed by RabbiKazen-elenbogen, maintain, that they must not handover the domicile of the Naturei Karta in Jerusalem, the Mea Shearim Quarter, to the Zionists. "Mea Shearim has become our last bastion and a symbol, of the religious Jewish people and must not be deserted." .
Rabbi Kazenelenbogen • feels that the world would not understand an appeal for leaving IsraeL Mea Shearim leads the struggle against participation inKnessethand . municipal elections and other Zionist institutions. Jewish children in Israel must not be abandoned to the secular Zionist education.
The first "idealist" has already left Israel. Rabbi Moshe Dov Beck has emigrated with his family to England and has established an extreme circle of Naturei Karta, which supports Rabbi Blau's campaign. Rabbi Beck is a Hassid of Vishnicz. The Rabbi of Vish-nicz expelled him from his community because of his extreme opinions. Since then he has become a fanatic, a foe of the State of Israel, and partisan of Rabbi Blau.
Rabbi Blau, his wife and anottier leader of Naturei Karta, Lebele Weissfish, have started a bi^ political campaign against the State of Israel in the wake of the recent verdic,t of the High Court of Justice ontheques-• tion "Who is a Jew:*" They have sent a petition to the United Nations charging that the State of Israel does not represent the Naturei Karta and the Jewish people. It is a State of anti-Jews, they claim, who wish to annihilate the Jewish people.
The leaders of Naturei Karta want to establish a special committee, including Arab notables from the Old City of Jerusalem, who oppose the State of Israel. The former Jordanian Minister of Defence, Anwar Nusseiba, was invited to take part in, this Conmiittee.
The Committee made contact with eht famous opponent of Zionism, GotfriedNeu-berg a few months ago wlio had accompanied the Chief Rabbi Of Moscow, Yehuda
Leib Levin, during his visit in the u.s. neuberg prepared the receptifjn for Rabbi Levin. Neuberg's mother is the sister of the late Professor of Mathematics in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Levi FraenkeL Slit had lived during the mandatory period in JerO-salem and propagated peace between Jews and Arabs.
Rabbi Blau, Weissfish and their partisans • have over-looked one fact: their own children and grandchildren are already remote from their fanaticism. In the Mea Shearim Quarter in Jerusalem there. are today many Hassidic youngsters, who do not agree with the anti-Israel policy of the old leaders. They are rebelling against the extreme attitude of their fathers and grandfathers.
Many of them are serving in the religious Nahal or even in Zahal. This fact .clashes with the politicaL campaign of the fanatical leaders of Naturei Karta and their call to emisrate from IsraeL
Among the parachutists who occupied the area of the Wailing Wall were heroes of veshivot and also members of Naturei Karta. These Hassidic youngsters do not boycott tlie Wailing Wall like the leaders of, Naturei Karta and one can see them often coming to the Wailing Wall to prav. The pamphlets and appeals of Rabbi Amram Blau and his partisans do riot affect the. They will not leave the State of Israel.
PASSENGERS SWITCH TO EL AL
(JGNS) As, angry ground crews and anxious airmen threatened this week to disrupt flights to the Middle East, El AlI reported an increase both in passengers and in freight as a result of a ban imposed by BE A and _ BOAC at London airport.'
El Al's deputy manager in Britain, Mr. M. Nachtomi said:"The future looks as good as it-jvas before,Saturday's incidet, even a little, better".-,- . \
The compaiiy's normal load of 80 per cent of freight and cargo destined for Isr aej. had been boostedby a further. 5 to 10 per cent,:with the reniaining 10 per cent lying idle until tne other carriurs reversed their ; ban/Mr. Nachtomi stated..
In addition, many travel agents had informed El Al tliit a large number of passengers had cancelled bookings oh other airlines and liad switched to El Al, bothoutof solidarity for Israel and in protest against the ban. N o E1 Al passengers had cancelled their bookings.
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COUNCIL OF CHURCHES: ; ■ (JCNS) in a message to heads of member-Churches in Egypt, Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, the secretary-geimral of the World Council of :Churches, expressedv tlie profound dismay of the ex-. ecutiye at the. "death and in- . jiiry to'ciyiliahs in thepres-r*-ent hostilities". -
Dr; Carson Blake was re-spbiidirig to a protest from tlie"'^ Egyptian Churches oil the Israeli bombing of a metal
factory near Cairo, in which . more than 70 civilians died. He said the Council's international affairs comliiis-sion liad been requested "to make the strongest representations to all parties concerned against indiscriminate, attacks and bombing which increasingly threaten innocent civilians".
"DEATH TO PALESTIN-llNS^'--:: .
(JCNS)While the Swiss criminal police have yet to confinti that an Arab terror ist bonib caused the explosion on the Swissair Cor-onado. Officials and public have no doubL^^where tlie blanie lies and have.reacted with an miparalleled show of bitterness and.anger. .
No Arab will henceforth be allowed inttMwitzerland without a visa and no visas will be issued unless the intending visitor can prove that,he is engaged in legitimate business or some other officially approved pursuit,
Arabs already living, in Switzerland are. to be thoroughly checked.
Many walls in cities and' towiis in Switzerland have been daubed with slogans such as "Death.to the Palestinians" and a "League to Keep Lucerne Free of Arabs'-, has Spontaneously sprung up among citizens ■ there- :u■' . Many people interviewed , by the press and radio voiced the opinion that Switzerland isbould reintroduce the death penalty specifically for the criiiie of terror ism in the air.
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