In the wake of the public uproar surrounding the World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections — and amid recent shocking revelations that the Conservative movement covertly ran a campaign within the chareidi community to undermine the Eretz HaKodesh slate — a recording has now surfaced documenting Rav Gershon Edelstein’s explicit directive encouraging American talmidim to vote for Eretz HaKodesh. Matzav.com has obtained this exclusive recording.
The publication of this recording comes just as the window to vote in the WZO elections is closing. Its release also follows revelations that Conservative figures Yizhar Hess and his assistant Eyal Ostrinsky financed a large-scale operation, allegedly compensating chareidi go-betweens to stir opposition to the Eretz HaKodesh slate within the chareidi world.
The individual who had been in possession of the recording told Matzav.com, “All this time, I chose not to share the recording, even as tensions around the issue escalated,” he said. “I kept it to myself out of deference to the directive from the gedolim that any encouragement to support Eretz HaKodesh be handled privately — passed discreetly from one person to the next, rather than promoted through public campaigning. But now that it’s evident that outside players have intentionally created turmoil and dragged this into the public arena to harm our efforts, I was given direct instruction, rooted in daas Torah, to release the recording openly.”
The recording opens with a brief introduction by Rav Gershon’s grandson, Motty Paley, who presents the matter to his grandfather.
Here is the full audio with sub-titles, followed by a transcription:
Grandson: “There’s a question — there’s this matter of the World Zionist Organization in America.”
The rosh yeshiva expresses surprise at the very existence of this body, which for years was not publicized and operated far from public view, and asks: “There is still such a thing?”
The grandson answers and explains why the issue is significant despite the fact that the body itself is almost irrelevant to any public matter.
Grandson: “There is still such a thing. It’s not active in anything significant, but there’s one thing — there is a lot of money there. Their annual budget is a billion dollars.”
Rav Gershon: “What do they do with it?”
The grandson answers and explains in detail all sides of the issue.
Grandson: “Over time, control over this body and its money lies in the hands of 250 people who are elected once every five years. It is divided — 150 of these people are from America. According to the rules, that’s how it’s set up. Anyone who wants can vote online — just one click, and he votes. Now, what’s happening is that Reform Jews have taken over this body, and they are taking this money and channeling it into battles over issues like giyur, the Kosel, and various matters against Yiddishkeit. They are investing the money for these purposes.
“Now, this issue came up among the American rabbanim because there are elections for this body, and there’s an opportunity to get our people into it. It’s simply a matter of two parts — there’s the sur meira [turning away from evil], and there might also be an aseh tov [doing good].
It involves several organizations — there’s the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemet L’Yisroel, various bodies that are involved. And of the 150 people, they form the majority of the American representatives. Every American citizen can vote. Now, the question is like this: that’s on one hand. On the other hand, it’s the Zionist Organization — are we telling our people to vote for the Zionist Organization? They have to pay membership dues — five dollars — and become members of the Zionist Organization, and then they can vote. That’s how it works.
“This question was actually brought to the rabbanim in America — whether to do it or not to do it. And they said very clear words — that it’s halacha v’ein morin kein [the halacha is yes, but it should not be publicly disseminated]. They would not issue a public letter to the public to go and vote, but they themselves send emissaries — including Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky — all of them quietly send people to vote and act on it.”
The grandson continues: “There was someone here a year ago — Yisrael Friedman (editor of Yated Ne’eman in Eretz Yisroel) — who came to speak to Saba [grandfather] about the issue, regarding the many Americans here in Eretz Yisroel, what to do with them, whether to tell them to vote or not to tell them, to remain silent or not. In practice, Saba said that it is forbidden for an official instruction to come out from the gedolim of Eretz Yisroel on the matter. Because we… Saba and Rav Chaim [Kanievsky] are not in favor of the Zionist Organization, to become members in the Zionist Organization? Even though it doesn’t have real significance for anything nowadays, nevertheless, the Zionist Organization was once a problematic body. I don’t know exactly what it was — Saba surely knows it from many years ago — the Zionist Organization and what it represented.”
The grandson then poses the immediate question: “Now the question is like this: They are avreichim, he [Rabbi Nechemia Malinowitz] is managing all the English-language advocacy for Degel HaTorah. They are asking whether they really need to help and act in this matter quietly — without a real formal instruction — quietly to work on it. Is it permissible for them?”
Rav Gershon: “Do they have a ruling (hora’ah) from America?”
Grandson: “Yes.”
Rav Gerson: “So what’s the problem? They are Americans.”
Another speaker participating in the conversation details and explains that the talmidim in Eretz Yisroel are asking for an answer from the gedolim in Eretz Yisroel and not to rely solely on the ruling from the gedolim in America, since this is Eretz Yisroel and there are American bochurim learning in yeshivos like Mir and Brisk.
To this, Rav Gershon responds: “There is benefit (to’eles) in this. There is benefit in this.” (He repeats this a number of times.)
The grandson tries to summarize the response.
Grandson: “The rosh yeshiva is saying that since they have an instruction from their rabbanim in America, that is sufficient.”
Rav Gershon: “And there is benefit in this. There is spiritual benefit in this.”
Rav Malinowitz: “Indeed there is benefit — one can save the Kosel, and save giyur, and save other things…”
The Rosh Yeshiva again repeats (in a soft voice): “There is benefit in this. There is benefit.”
The grandson requests a bracha for success for their activities in the election campaign.
Grandson: “They want a brachah.”
Rav Gershon: “Amein.”
{Matzav.com}
