More Geula-Related Stuff

Rav Zwiebel from the Aguda, speaking at their annual dinner:

Making clear from the start that it is imperative to take steps to ensure that the law of the land is respected by members of the Orthodox community – and noting Agudath Israel’s “numerous concrete steps” of late, specifically a series of dina d’malchusa dina symposia in the New York areas and across the country, “to bring about improvements in this area” – the Agudath Israel leader asserted that “distancing ourselves from criminal activity does not mean distancing ourselves from the plight of a precious member of Klal Yisroel… who has been pursued by the government in this particular case with a zealousness that borders on vindictiveness, with a harshness that borders on viciousness.”

After cataloguing some of the outrages in the Rubashkin saga – which would be covered in even more detail by Mr. Cook later in the program – Rabbi Zwiebel noted how no less than seven former Attorneys General of the United States, representing a broad spectrum of political views, “wrote a letter to the judge expressing their horror at the prospect that Sholom Rubashkin would be sentenced to life in prison.”

“If they can speak out,” intoned Rabbi Zwiebel, “can’t we? Shouldn’t we? Mustn’t we?”

The Agudah executive vice president lamented that “One gets the sense that things are changing, in a dangerous direction. Even here in this benevolent malchus shel chesed, dark clouds are beginning to hover on the horizon.” And he extended that observation to U.S.-Israel relations.

“When our governmental leaders,” he observed, “at the highest levels, make an international incident out of a mid-level bureaucratic approval of plans to proceed with building housing units in Ramat Shlomo, an almost exclusively Charedi stronghold, there’s something troubling afoot.”

Geula Perspectives issued part 6 of his supercommentary.

Rabbi Lazer Brody warns us with some scary news and how to counter it.