The Slonim grand rabbi
Photo: Moshe Eisenbach
Emmanuel parents in front of jail
Photo: Ohad Zoigenberg
Emmanuel mothers pray outside courthouse
Photo: Noam Moskowitz
Emmanuel rabbi: We won't compromise even before firing squad
In potent letter distributed to Hasidic followers, Slonim dynasty's grand rabbi ups battle against High Court, calls it 'a struggle between faith and heresy, between power of holiness and power of impurity of Other Side, a struggle we always knew would come at the End of Days'
The rabbi of the Emmanuel parents who are non-compliant with High Court orders has stepped up the intensity of his statements against the authorities over their ruling that the parents be imprisoned.
In a letter distributed Wednesday to his followers, the grand rabbi of the Slonim Hassidic dynasty declared, "In the struggle over the sanctification of God, even if they stand us before a firing squad, we will not cave in and will not compromise! God is our King, and we are his slaves until our last breath."
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In his letter, the rabbi explains insistently that the Emmanuel dispute is not a question of discrimination, but "a struggle between faith and heresy, between the power of holiness and the power of the impurity of the Other Side, a struggle that we always knew would break out in the End of Days."
The grand rabbi also doubts the integrity of the High Court justices: "If I were to think that the court justices believe in what they say, that the school in Emmanuel is based on racism, I think I would behave otherwise. However, I have no doubt in my mind that they know the truth, that all they say are blatant lies."
The Slonim grand rabbi concluded his letter with a call to the general public: "To all the believers in Israel, I call upon you: 'Please join us in this lofty struggle, the struggle for which generations have awaited and hoped.'"
The grand rabbi
The grand rabbi of Slonim lives in Jerusalem and is the head of a community of 1,200 families from Jerusalem, Beitar Illit, Elad, Kiryat Gat, and Emmanuel. He typically evades involvement with the leadership of the haredi public, and is perceived to be a moderate, except in areas that he views as the heart and soul of Judaism, such as education. In such instances, the grand rabbi is seen as a zealous and uncompromising leader.
The last time he expressed an unequivocal opinion in public was before the disengagement plan. Then, he beckoned the haredi Knesset members to resign from the government, and was known as one of the most vocal haredi opponents of the evacuation as other haredi leaders remained silent. On this backdrop, he instructed his followers not to vote for United Torah Judaism in the last elections.
Haredi politicians also stepped up their fight against the imprisonment of the Emmanuel parents on Wednesday. Members of the UTJ faction called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene in order to solve the dispute.
