Important Letter about Public Leadership, Handwritten by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer to Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld ...

Important Letter about Public Leadership, Handwritten by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer to Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld - The Controversy regarding Participation of Women in the Elections - Jerusalem, 1926
Letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer. Written on official stationery.
Some of the rabbis of Jerusalem, headed by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, gathered a protest meeting against the referendum regarding the participation of women in the election for the Delegates' Convention of the Jewish population in Jerusalem. They asked Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer to take part in the meeting.
Feeling sorrow for "the sons" who had moved away from the Torah, Rabbi Melzter responded by protesting strongly against the referendum and supporting the protest meeting: "surely the protest against the referendum should not be kept silent and a rabbinical protest is required…"

The controversy regarding the participation of women in elections began in 1920, during the early days of the British Mandate, during the elections for the first elected assembly of "Knesset Yisrael". The Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Ha'Cohen Kook, together with most of the prominent rabbis of Israel, objected to women's participation in the elections, for reasons of modesty. In 1926, the public controversy reawakened during the elections for the second elected assembly.
In an attempt to reach a compromise, Haredi activists of the "Ha'Mizrachi" movement suggested to conduct a referendum on women's right to vote. After many arguments, it was decided to conduct the referendum under two conditions: a. "Ha'Mizrachi" movement was committed to its results; b. in contrast to the original proposal, women were given the right to vote in the referendum.

The letter before us reveals the fierce objection of Rabbi Meltzer and Rabbi Sonnenfeld to this initiative for a compromise. Consequently, "Agudat Yisrael" called to ban the referendum and eventually, it was not carried out.

Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer (1870-1954), was one of the prodigies of Volozhin, the rabbis of Slutsk and head of its yeshiva. After his immigration to the Land of Israel, he served as head of the "Etz Chaim" yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was the head of Mo'etzet Gedolei Ha'Torah of Agudat Yisrael. Authored the book "Even Ha'Ezel" on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah.

27.5x21.5 cm.
Condition: Very Good.