Failure in Brussels • "Israeli government probably does not get excited"

After the impressive demonstrations in Jerusalem and New York against recruitment decree, was held yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon in Brussels the capital of Belgium a rally outside the offices of the European Union. However, unlike its predecessors, it has failed, mainly due to minority participants.

Those who initiated the rally, were a number of avrechim at melaveh malka, which was held after the Great Assembly in Manhattan, and decided that a demonstration in Belgium should be held too. After several conversations with local activists, mainly associated with the Satmar factions and Pshavarsk, it was decided: We are going demonstrate.

To stimulate the required resonant, it was decided that the General Assembly will be held in Brussels Schuman Square, outside the offices of the European Union. It also holds demonstrations and rallies of ethnic groups and various minorities, especially on days when the EU meets for discussions on global issues - seeking to protest the phenomena, events and various laws, occurring in Europe.

It is not so clear why there was no demonstration against the Israeli Embassy, and why it was established on July 1, the day the offices were closed due to the International Freedom Day, on the day the students worldwide leave the educational institutions for the summer.

Activists sought to recruit as many as possible. First they received the approval and blessing of members of the Badatz Eideh Charedi, who sought to open another front view against the recruitment decree. They also added their signatures to Hgr"s Auerbach and Hgrm"d Soloveitchik. They were later joined by some rabbis in England, led by Hgr"a Padwa, Av Beit Din Association of Orthodox communities.

In Belgium they were joined by many community rabbis, but not all. Local communities such as Rebbes of Gur and Belz did not join the signatories. On the other hand, some rabbis, including even those who signed the Call, were absent to the actual assembly. Hgr"a Schiff, Av Beit Din of Antwerp, did not sign. Also Hgra"d Dunner from England who attached his signature - did not participate, as he flew to Israel to attend a rally in memory of Rav Elyashiv.

In practice it was attended by only a few hundred people. This is probably due to the large differences between Gedolei Yisrael on the usefulness of these protests. A large part of the residents fled Antwerp, and an attempt to 'import' protesters from England, did not succeed.

Conversation conducted B'Chadrei Charedim with local activists, it appears that if the General Assembly was held in London, in front of the Israeli embassy there would have been a much larger number of participants. "Because the public is divided here as to support such rallies, many refrained from participating in it," they say.

Summary: crushing failure

So who did participate?

The Rebbe of Pshavarsk, Rabbis and dayanim of communities, Hgr"a Padwa and Hgr"a Schlesinger who arrived from London and many others. The speakers spoke about the terrible decrees occurring in Israel, and spoke about the attempt to enforce upon the Torah world the recruitment in various ways.

Unlike the relatively large echo created by U.S. and Israeli rallies in the general media, the Belgian did not address the event in the media, due to small number of participants.

B'Chadrei Charedim has learned that activist Rabbi Pinchas Kornfeld, secretary of Machzikei Hadas complained that the organizers of the rally violated the understandings with him. "While we were promised that the demonstration will not be directed against Israel collectively, only in the specific field, the cry at the attempt to recruit the yeshiva student, in practice messages dispatched to the media - exceeded organizers understandings, and spread their views through the denigration of government entirely, and a challenge against Zionism and its satellites in general.

It should be noted; Machzikei Hadas community seriously addressed the rally. Community has released a rather laconic style which asked residents of Antwerp, "Following the troubles hovering on the inhabitants of the Land of Israel, every one sifts through his actions and will do whatever it takes to bring about the cancellation of decrees." In this way the community kept neutral and did not get involved in the dispute.

"They are talking here in terms of the failure of a major embarrassment. In general we are talking about no more than a thousand people, and to be precise we are talking about seven hundred, while the majority was Satmar community. Part of the rabbis who signed did not come. In brief, it was an embarrassment, and it seems that the Israeli government will not panic at this point..." Summarize local officials in Antwerp.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!