Bidspirit auction | “The Rabbinic Ruling of Our

“The Rabbinic Ruling of Our Sages in the Diaspora – Leaders of the Jewish Nation” — Rare Broadside Opposing Women’s Participation in Elections. Signed by Leading Torah Authorities. Tel Aviv, 1926 - A large and impressive broadside printed in Tel Aviv in 1926, containing a rabbinic ruling issued by the foremost Torah leaders of the generation under the heading: “The Rabbinic Ruling of Our Sages in the Diaspora – Leaders of the Jewish Nation”, addressing the question of women’s participation in elections. The broadside bears the printed names and signatures of many of the most prominent rabbinic authorities and Jewish leaders of the early twentieth century, including: Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin (the Chafetz Chaim) Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk Rabbi Yosef Rosen (the Rogatchover Gaon) Rabbi Menachem Mendel Zak Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Breuer Attached to the broadside is a second section containing a lengthy and reasoned letter signed by Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, one of the most influential leaders of the Lithuanian Torah world, elaborating upon and reinforcing the position of the rabbinic authorities on this issue. This is an important public document reflecting one of the major social and communal debates that engaged the leading rabbis during the formative years of the renewed Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. The broadside provides rare testimony to the direct involvement of the foremost Torah authorities in contemporary social questions and brings together, on a single sheet, an extraordinary array of rabbinic leadership. Public broadsides of this nature, intended for posting in synagogues and public spaces, survived only in limited numbers. Their survival is particularly uncommon when printed on large-format sheets, which were generally damaged through use and prolonged exposure. 31 × 48 cm. Condition: Good. Restored tear along a fold.