In His Final Kol Koreh, Harav Mazuz, zt”l, Calls for Ban on Visiting Museum that Promotes Assimilation
Less than a month ago, just a week before the Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon Harav Meir Mazuz, zt”l, fell seriously ill, he received a delegation of Yad L’Achim leaders at his home, where he signed an important kol koreh that turned out to be his last • Full Story
Less than a month ago, just a week before the Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon Harav Meir Mazuz, zt”l, fell seriously ill, he received a delegation of Yad L’Achim leaders at his home, where he signed an important kol koreh that turned out to be his last.
The fateful meeting was held against the backdrop of a shocking display at the ANU museum (formerly “Beit Hatfutsot”) in Tel Aviv, at which mixed marriages are presented as legitimate. Yad L’Achim’s appeal to the museum’s management to remove the offensive display was dismissively ignored. “Compounding the offense is the fact that the museum, by definition, is intended to deal with the Jewish people and its identity, and was established under a special law with the aim of presenting the story of the Jewish people,” Yad L’Achim stressed in its letter to museum officials.
Harav Mazuz expressed shock at pictures of exhibits encouraging assimilation and said that it pained him to see such things. “Assimilation? G-d forbid,” he proclaimed. “It is forbidden to do this! It is forbidden! For 2,000 years we have not assimilated except for a few who went and converted.”
In light of the publication of Maran’s words on Erev Pesach, many religious families stayed away from the museum. Yad L’Achim officials expressed confidence that with the Rav’s passing, most religious families would follow suit.
“Yad L’Achim has in the past asked the public to absent themselves from facilities that directly or indirectly support missionaries or assimilation, and the religious and chareidi publics heeded the call until the facilities realized their mistake and withdrew,” the organization said in a statement.
Yad L’Achim recalls that Harav Mazuz always supported its activities to save lives and redeem captives and received its delegates with warmth and kindness. Just recently a Yad L’Achim delegation visited his residence with a young boy born to a Jewish mother and a gentile father who had been chozer b’tshuva and wanted a bracha before entering yeshivah.
Maran received them warmly, and, deeply moved by the young boy’s Torah knowledge, gave him a bracha that he grow to become a great scholar. He also praised the mother for returning to her people and raising a ben Torah.
The Rav went out of his way to bless all the donors to the organization’s Pidyon Shvuyim efforts. “I have been privileged to see the sweet fruits of the organization’s sacred activity,” he once said. “I am sure that those who support and participate in the mitzvah of redeeming captives and returning the children of G-d to their Father in Heaven will be blessed with great abundance.”
One erev Rosh Hashana he gave a bracha to those taking part in Pidyon Shvuyim, saying: “He who blessed our holy ancestors should bless all the donors to Yad L’Achim for saving souls that strayed, and grant them all good things – blessings and success, an abundant livelihood, happiness from all children and descendants, complete recovery from illness, good marriages and success in all matters.”
Photo Credit: Yad L’Achim
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