Harav Avrohom Ravitz. Photograph: Flash 90

In one of the Hareidi forums, in an unnoticeable cluster, one of the writers wrote the following remark, a minute after the news of the turnabout in Yated Neeman was published: "If only Harav Ravitz could get up from his grave…"

Without the matter being publicized until now, M.K. Harav Avraham Ravitz z"l sat about six months before his decease, and worded with the blood of his heart a heartrending letter, in which he claims that the newspaper Yated Neeman disgraced him in public and shed his blood for no reason.

It was when Harav Ravitz worked in order to pass the "Law of Education" which was meant to regulate the budget of the Hareidi education. The group in Yated Neeman accused him in vain that he supports a change in contents of the Hareidi educational system, and that he is not acting according to the instructions of Gedolei Yisroel.

Harav Ravitz then sat to write a letter to Hagry"s Eliashiv, in which he unfolded the saga. The things speak for themselves. The pain is interwoven into the lines.

He carried the letter by himself, knocked on the door of Hagry"s Eliashiv and walked in.

This was the last time he managed to go into the house on 10 Chanan st. The next time he asked to come in – he was refused by the people of the house. Nu, what, should he bring another such a letter?

The letter is quoted here for the first time, word by word, exactly as it was written.

Things were taken out of context
לכבוד מרן רבינו הגאון הגדול
Hagry"s Eliashiv. Photograph: archive

To Maran our great Rav Hagaon R' Yosef Shalom Eliashiv shlit"a", he opens, "after requiring about his wellbeing as befits the honor of his Torah, shlit"a.

"I know that they have brought before Maran shlit"a things which I said regarding the newspaper Yated Ne'eman as well as things which were, as if, said by me regarding the issue of the Law of Education.

"It pained me greatly that they did not bring before Maran shlit"a the reasons for the matter, and so things were taken out of context, and thereby the impression was formed that chas veshalom I said criticism which is improper.

It has been a while that I feel a great obligation to explain the chain of events as they occurred, and thereafter it will certainly become clear that I acted properly, and most certainly there was no intention chas veshalom to offend Gedolei Yisroel.

"In the month of Av 5764, when the Shinui party was in the government and the Prime Minister at that time, Arik Sharon, had to widen the government as a result of the Mafda"l leaving, he then turned to Yahadut Hatorah in order to ask us to enter the government. At that time, the Shinui party was in the government, and in no way did it want to leave knowing that by its leaving the government, it would cause the crumbling of the party (which actually happened eventually) and on the other hand it could not be in the government together with a Hareidi party, since its entire being is based on banning the Hareidi parties. Therefore, the head of Shinui, Tomi Lapid, said that together with Sha"s they will certainly not sit in the coalition, but with Yahadut Hatorah they will, since they are not taking any ministerial positions, and therefore he gathered the management of his party in order to take such a decision.

"A day before the gathering of the Shinui party, I announced to the media that this time Yahadut Hatorah is considering to take ministerial positions. The purpose of this announcement was to cause great confusion in Shinui, and force them to leave the government, and B"H that with Siata Dishmaya I was successful in this move, and within a short while they left the government and thereafter they disappeared completely. It is clear that there was no intention on our part to take positions of ministers, and as was already fixed by Gedolei Yisroel, but as aforesaid, this announcement to the media was meant to push Shinui to leave the government, and indeed, anyone who is familiar with the details testifies that bs"d this move is what caused Shinui to leave the government, and thereby their final disappearance, with the help of Heaven.
"To my
great sorrow, our own people who have been waging a personal war against me which started already at the time of Maran Rosh Hayeshiva zt"l, and time after time would come and tell Maran Harav Shach zt"l stories which never were, and in the same way today as well, have taken things out of context and told Gedolei Yisroel that seemingly I am causing that Yahadut Hatorah for the first time will take for itself positions of ministers. While this was a complete lie, and these people did not bother to clarify the matters with me and understand that this is a calculated political move, whose purpose is to push Shinui out of the government, and my pain is especially great, that true friends of mine, Talmidei Chachomim, were taken astray unknowingly after this.

"Things reached a point that they placed an announcement on the first page of Yated Ne'eman, in which there were words of protest against me, from which one could understand that I seemingly don 't go in the way of Gedolei Yisroel zt"l and יבלחט"א shlit"a.

"In this announcement there was a very severe disgrace, and a complete lie, and Shfichus Domim to which there is no liking, and at a time when there was a possibility to check what I had said and what my intention was. All that, besides the fact that they almost harmed the issue of the move of driving Shinui out the party.
"How did they dare disgrace me in front of tens of thousands of people who did not hear my side, and there was no effort on their behalf to talk with me and clarify the matter.

"Until this very day they have not come to apologize for the Shfichus Domim which they caused me in front of all, for no reason at all.

"And how do they expect me to identify with the newspaper, at the time that this newspaper shed my blood in public without any investigation beforehand?

"One cannot fathom the great sorrow and pain which this matter caused me, and my family, and all my friends and acquaintances, when they presented me as if I go in a way which is contrary to the way which our Rabbonim have paved for us.

"And all that could have been prevented if those people would come and clarify matters with me, but all their purpose was to gore, and searching for the truth is not their motive.

"From then on matters took on a path that anything I said or did not say, and every thing I did or did not do, those people made sure to blacken my name in every place and also before Maran shlita.

"And when I said things regarding the newspaper Yated Neeman, they took things out of context and exaggerated in things which they brought before Maran shlit"a.

"It is true that I have criticism on the newspaper in things which they wrote about me or their ignoring my activities in the Knesset and government.

"And in addition, when Yated Neeman expresses a stance or rages a battle against a group or party which has public political implications, this is identified in the general public as the stance of Degel Hatorah, since they all know that they are both under the same leadership. Therefore, many times, we as the representatives of the public are at a loss when the paper rages a battle and this was not in coordination with the members of the Knesset and without their knowledge, and at times in contrast to the directions we received in our political dealings. And since it is our role to explain the stance of the Hareidi Judaism in face of the general public, and therefore it is natural that when it says in Yated Neeman something which lacks sensitivity to how these things will be accepted by the general public, that it would be hard for us to explain the matters and identify with them.

"And in response to the fact that I had criticism on the form of things as they appeared in Yated Neeman, on Sunday the 9th of Cheshvan 5768 a very sharp article against me was written in Yated Neeman that seemingly I do not belong to t he camp of Hareidim.

Is there a way to understand the pain to me, my family, my sons, my sons-in-law, my grandchildren, who are all Bnei Torah, Talmidei Chachamim, Marbitzei Torah, and Yated Neeman writes that I do not belong to the camp of those who fear Hashem?
Does it then surprise that I would have rightful words of criticism for this Shfichus Domim?

Harav Ravitz continues in his letter to explain t he matter of the Law of Education, and writes:

"And regarding the Law of Education, I would like to clarify matters.

"I received all of Maran shlit"a's istructions regarding the Law of Education, how to behave, what to do and how to act, and everything I received from Maran shlit"a, so I did. To my sorrow, in this matter too, people tried to undermine my efforts to solve the problem of the educational institutions' budget for once and for all.

All that under the cover of a war for the sake of guarding the sanctity of the camp, and throughout the way I acted only according with the instructions I received from Maran shlit"a, and even sat a few times with the committee of Rabbonim, as Maran instructed me.

"I do not know what they told Maran shlit"a how I behaved, but may Hashem be my witness, that I acted exactly according to the instructions I received from Maran shlit"a without any qualms.

"My sorrow is great that perhaps things were said to Maran shlit"a regarding me which are not correct, and maybe because of that there is any pain or qualm against me. But things are not so. For tens of years I have had the merit of being a faithful messenger of Gedolei Yisroel zt"l and shlit"a, and I fulfill their mission with faithfulness and devotion.

My prayer and request is that chas veshalom there should not be any anger or qualm against me from Maran shlit"a, and that the matter will be clear that chas veshalom I never did anything which could hurt Gedolei Yisroel and I always fulfilled the instructions fully.

With great honor and as a Talmid infront of his Rav,
Harav Avrohom Ravitz".

For a long while, the members of Harav Ravitz's bureau used to send continuous items about his workings in his different tasks in the Knesset, to the newspaper's desk. Most of these items were thrown into the garbage pail in the newspaper's editorial, as something useless. Harav Ravitz's heart absorbed and absorbed, until it could no longer withstand the pain.

It was at that time that the newspaper Yom Chadash was started. Under the heading "I prayed for this paper", Harav Ravitz spilled forth his thoughts and pain, while explaining why the new newspaper is close to his heart, unlike Yated Neeman.
"A newspaper is not parchment, a newspaper is a paper which has no kedusha and no tum'a. Just a paper. Parchment could be fake. A paper which tells the truth is a proper newspaper. A parchment which pretends to give over spiritual messages with preferences and distortions and uses tags, disappeared", he wrote then.

If he was with us among the living today, he would have probably sent us an article of his writing. "We have B"H had the merit to go back to the old days, to turn the newspaper from a paper which has no kedusha and no tum'a, to the Shofar of Gedolei Yisroel shlit"a".

One of the members of the family from who I requested a response to the letter, refused. But the voice and tone were enough to understand that I had stepped on a callus which is hard to bear. Did the behavior of the Yated Neeman staff contribute to the untimely death of Harav Ravitz, did he have to bear this pain with him to his grave?

Will the members of the family renew the subscription for Yated Neeman? I wanted to know. I did not get an answer. The topic is too painful for them to speak about. I can only guess that they will renew it.

Yesterday, at the room of Hagray"l Shteinman on 5 Chazon Ish St, the document of the new organization which will manage the newspaper, was festively signed.

Great changes will not be seen in the near future, but if the bloodshed of even one Jew, one Rav, one Gadol Batorah will be spared – Dayenu.

The response of the previous Yated Neeman editor, Nati Grossman, has not yet been received. It will be published as soon as it will be received.