A man was once walking with his son through a dangerous pass. The road through the forest was known to be swarming with bandits and criminals. Seemingly from nowhere, a Cossack appeared. A solider meant protection against the lower elements of society. The child was relieved and immediately took hold of the Cossack’s outstretched arm. The father, with his life experience, told the child, “Yankel, Yankel let go.” The child in turn replied, “No, you don’t understand, the Cossack will protect us.”
Again the father begged, “Yankel, please leave go now.” Again, the son replied that he was in good hands. Finally the father implored and demanded a third time that his son let go.
This time the son mournfully replied, “Father, until now I thought that I was holding his hand. Now I see that he is holding my hand.”
(Vaad from R’ Kalman Krohn זצ"ל)
Throughout history, when shtadlanus was needed, tried and true methods were used. These were spelled out to us by Yaakov Avinu when he met with Esav. Gifts, Prayer and War. Prayer is something we should all still do, but war at most times is ill advised. The most effective method for finding favor was the age-old bribe.
Bribes come in many forms and fashions, but the method always involved providing the ruler with gifts and/or taxation.
Taking money or grants, however, was never even a question. Receiving funds would obviously foster an inverse relationship that aside from the government having legislative powers, it would also create a behemoth that would control the purse and hence, would leave no recourse to true advocacy.
All this changed in the 1960’s.
In 1963, the first edition ever of the Jewish Observer was published. Authored by R’ Moshe Sherer zt”l, it was written to counter “anti-funding” people.
To be sure, it seems that these “anti-funders” seem to have been the conservative and reform segments, but it’s worth it to see the redeeming qualities that Rabbi Scherer puts forth as a reason to accept federal dollars.
The first point he makes is a poignant one, but it no longer applies to our day. At that time, many would send their children to the well-funded public schools and the Jewish schools simply couldn’t compete on an academic level. The Frum community as a whole did not experience the wealth we have today, and the situation was unsustainable for a continuation of a frum Klal Yisroel in the United States. Many who wanted to provide a stellar secular education for their children so that their children would live a better life than they had experienced, understood that they would not realize their dream in a Jewish school and instead opted to send to public school.
Rabbi Scherer also dismisses the notion that the federal government will impinge on our religious rights, a concern that evidently many were worried about. He notes that the Federal government has never, and is constitutionally restricted from inhibiting our religious rights.
The above may have been true at the time but is hardly the case today. Today we don’t run the risk of alienating our base, and Baruch Hashem the financial situation is much better today than it was in those early days. Additionally, Rabbi Scherer noted that the state already does enforcement regarding secular education, even though money is received from them. He does ruefully point out that obviously, the federal funds will come through the State. Latent in this admission is that once the State will control the funds, we can only expect the State’s involvement to intensify, something which unfortunately has come to pass.
In hindsight, it’s hard to believe that any of the gedolim of the yesteryear would sanction accepting funding were they to be apprised of the situation today.
In the book “A Fire in His Soul”, it is likewise stipulated By R’ Ahron Kotler Zatzal that accepting funding is contingent on the above precepts and more. It remains as clear as day, with the relentless interjections that the government seeks to intrude into our chinuch, that R’ Ahron Kotler would not have approved of it today.
This fatal conflict between advocating for a cause and lobbying for money couldn’t have been more deadly for us as a nation. It has hamstrung all possibilty to fight the unending and frontal attack on religion and morality.
At this point, it’s readily apparent. Agudah isn’t holding the Cossacks hand, the Cossack is holding their hand.
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Thank You!
Very interesting