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Rare Letter Handwritten by the Gaon Rabbi Yaakov David Wilkovsky the Ridbaz on the Kollelim Polemic of Jerusalem - Safed, ca. 1900s - Rare and most personal letter handwritten and signed by the Gaon Rabbi Yaakov David Wilovsky - the Ridbaz, dealing with the famed controversy between Kollel America and the Vaad Haklali. The letter which, based on its postmark, was sent from Safed during the years ca. 1900-1910, is addressed to the Rav of Kollel America, the Gaon Rabbi Dov Ber Abramowitz. It is written with utmost respect, friendship and appreciation.  This is a document of special importance since it reveals an almost unfamiliar aspect of the controversy. It is not another public letter or Psak Din but rather, a personal correspondence indicating the Ridbaz knew how to distinguish between the respectful attitude he maintained toward the heads of the Kollel and his opposition to some of the maneuvers by the activists acting behind the scenes. Short background : until the establishment of Kollel America, the donations of USA Jews went through the Vaad Haklalli, which distributed them to all the needy people of Jerusalem. American immigrants, who claimed discrimination, estanlished in 1896 an independent Kollel to manage their donations. The management of the Vaad Haklali, headed by Rabbi Shmuel Salant, claimed that American Jewry is not a ”Kollel” in and of itself but a group of immigrants from varied countries; therefore, the donations belonged to all the poor of the Yishuv.  The Ridbaz was one of the central figures in this controversy. When he served as Rav of Chicago, he supported the right of American Jews to an independent Kollel. However, after he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael, he realized that the existence of the Vaad Haklali was essential for the existence of the thousands of poor of Jerusalem. Therefore, he adopted a balanced stance: he acknowledged the right of American Jews yet also defended the existence of the Vaad Haklali.  This position did not sit well with some of the directors of Kollel America. It appears they sought to pressure him specifically by leveraging his personal situation. If indeed, as the Va'ad Haklali argued, the people of America are not considered a separate 'Kollel', but rather each individual belongs to the Kollel of their country of origin - how should the Ridbaz himself be viewed as he was born in Lithuania and had resided in America for only a few years? By this logic, he too would not be eligible for support from Kollel America, but would instead be counted among the beneficiaries of the Lithuanian Kollel or the Vaad Haklali.  The Ridbaz clearly understood this was no innocent Halachic question but an attempt to influence his stance by threatening him personally. Yet, instead of  being dragged into an argument, he responds to them with subtle irony and characteristic sharpness. Despite being neck-deep in the controversy, signing compromises and public letters, and being counted among the prominent rabbis dealing with the matter, he writes with what seems like absolute simplicity: ”וכאשר אין לי הבנה מהו כולל אמעריקא ומהו ועד הכללי, על כן לדעתי שאני שייך לאנשי אמעריקא”. [And as I have no understanding of what Kollel America is, nor what the Vaad Haklali is, therefore in my opinion, I belong to the people of America]. In this brief sentence, he refuses to legitimize the debate itself, responding to his questioners in the exact same coin with which they attempted to taunt him. Immediately thereafter, the Ridbaz adds with his well-known assertiveness:  ”ואנא לשלח לי בכל חודש, ולא יפול טעות לעולם, יען שבכל חודש אשלח מכתב אודות זה...”. [And please send [it] to me every month, and let there never be an error, since every month I will send a letter regarding this...] [1] postcard, approx. 9X13 cm.  Good overall condition  *** The Gaon Rabbi Yaakov David Wilovsky, the Ridbaz (1845-1914) the son of Rabbi Zeev Wolff. Was one of Gedolei Hador. Served as the Av Beit Din of Slutzk. Later, he emigrated to Chicago, USA, yet left for Eretz Yisrael after realizing he could have no influence in material USA. In Eretz Yisrael he was appointed Av Beit Din of Safed, where he was also the Rosh Yeshiva of the Torat Eretz Yisrael yeshiva. He authored many books including the well-known commentary on the Talmud Yerushalmi, and the Migdal David, Nimukei HaRidbaz, Shut Beit Ridbaz, Kuntres Ha Shmita, and more. The Gaon Rabbi Dov Ber Abramowitz (1865-1926) an American Rav and Rosh Yeshiva of a Lithuanian descent. When he was approx. ten, his family immigrated to Eretz Yisrael, where he studied at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva and gave lessons on Halacha and Aggadah. In 1892, he moved to the USA. Was one of the founders of the Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchonon Yeshiva in New York and one of the founders of the union of rabbis of the USA and Canada. Author of Dat Yisrael, Ketav Hadat and Sefer Ketubah.