Bidspirit auction | Historic Letter from Rabbi Chaim

Historic Letter from Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski on Preparations for the First Worldwide Assembly of Agudas Yisrael * An important and fascinating letter, written entirely in the handwriting and bearing the signature of the leader of the generation, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski of Vilna, the President of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. The letter deals with decisive steps in the development of the Agudas Yisrael movement: the signatures of the rabbanim on the regulations of the Moetzes HaAgudah, and the setting of a date for the assembly of the council. From the timeline it is clear that this council was intended to deal with preparations for the very first worldwide assembly of Agudas Yisrael, which ultimately never took place. The letter was written on Erev Pesach 1914, in which Rabbi Chaim Ozer expresses his desire to convene the gathering after Shavuos. Yet on 2 Iyar 1914, the activist Rabbi Yitzchak Eizik HaLevi, who had been the driving force behind its establishment, passed away suddenly. The first worldwide assembly was scheduled to open on 3 Elul 1914, but on Tishah B’Av 1914 the First World War broke out, making any such gathering impossible — both because borders were sealed, and because many activists were drafted into military service, including Rabbi Yaakov Rosenheim himself (until he managed to obtain an exemption). As is well known, Agudas Yisrael included many communities and chassidic groups from across Europe and beyond, each with its own inclinations. More than Rabbi Chaim Ozer wrote explicitly, he hinted to this reality within the letter. At the conclusion of his letter, Rabbi Chaim Ozer blesses: “May you celebrate the upcoming holy festival with great joy, and may the Almighty bring us to future festivals, joyful and rejoicing.” Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, Av Beis Din of Vilna (1863-1940), was the leading posek and spiritual leader of the pre-Holocaust generation. He fielded halachic questions from all parts of the Jewish world and was consulted upon every communal issue. He strove with all his might to strengthen the standing of Torah-true Jewry through gatherings of the Gedolei Hador and the establishment of public bodies true to ways of traditional Judaism. Vilna, Erev Pesach 1914 . Entirely in the handwriting and with the signature of Rabbi Chaim Ozer, on official stationery. Size: 13 x 20.5 cm. Condition: Good, with a small marginal loss. Stains. The letter was printed in Iggros Rabbi Chaim Ozer, vol. 3, pp. 244–245, letter 177.