The Holy Letter from the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam

Regarding the attitude required from heads of state towards American politics in all its aspects, the letter has special significance for our time, and in honour of the Rebbe’s yahrzeit (anniversary of passing), we present its contents with a little background.

B”H, Kiryat Sanz, Av 6, 5724 (July 15th, 1964)

To Mr. Abba Eban, Deputy Prime Minister, Jerusalem

My Dear Man,

This appeal comes not as a citizen of the United States, nor as a Rebbe and rabbi, but as a simple Jew and a man who saw his people face the wrath of His staff and sacrificed his family on the altar of the nation’s destruction. –

I cannot refrain from expressing my heartfelt feelings of sorrow and horror, seeing that in our country, a small country and one sheep among seventy wolves, there will be short-sighted blunderers who will dare to provoke the United States; in the great and mighty nation, a large part of whose inhabitants, besides millions of good Jews whose hearts and souls are tied to our country – are sympathetic to us; to interfere in its internal affairs over a quarrel that is not theirs and to grossly slander a candidate of a major party for president of the United States, calling him “evil” and so on.

And what will the gentiles say: Where is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations? And is the existing hatred of Israel not enough, and is it necessary to add fuel to the fire of enmity that is growing every day?

And finally, many times the elections in the United States have surprised many, especially in this generation, where issues are born without a vision in advance and estimate that it was one in a thousand. And perhaps, they will go astray in their judgment, and that man who is slandered as “evil” will be elected president – will they assess the loss and damage to the country, its residents, American Jewry, and all of the Jewish People scattered among their enemies?

And even if that party loses – does it not have any power in its hands, with all its leaders and heads, to cause various troubles for a small and poor people, G-d forbid? And what is the benefit that they – the country, its residents and all of Israel – will gain from this intervention and provocation? Do they really think that the Israeli newspapers have the ability to decide the fate of the elections in the United States one way or the other?

Have we not had enough of the quarrels and the gratuitous hatred between one man and another, which we live in, and which causes us, with our many sins, quite a few mishaps? Hasn’t the indignation yet reached such a pitch that we now have to enter into the quarrels of other nations?

Is it not within the power of the authority to restrain the base desires of a lawgiver who wants to show off his “strength and valour”?

I thought a lot in my heart about whether to approach you in this letter, but the pain of my people and my country did not allow me to be silent in a place where there is desecration of G-d’s Name, the consequences of which are unknown. I was forced to decide to come before his honour – to whom the international situation, and in particular in the USA, is clear to him – and offer him my ideas and thoughts.

G-d will have mercy on us and say to the destroying angel, enough is enough, and Israel will surely dwell safely and alone as Jacob (the forefather) blessed them. Amen, may it be His will.

Sincerely and with much respect,

Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam

Background:

This fascinating letter, which was published in Torah pamphlets, was written in the summer of 5724 (1964) by the Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenburg, Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam z”l, and it represents a fascinating political historical moment in which the Rebbe – a Holocaust survivor who lost his entire family and found refuge in the USA before immigrating to Israel – felt obliged to call on the top of the Israeli government.

The 1964 American Presidential Elections

That year, two candidates ran for president of the United States: the incumbent president from the Democratic Party, Lyndon Johnson, and his Republican opponent, Senator Barry Goldwater.

Goldwater was an extreme conservative, and he had very strong positions on foreign and security matters (he was considered a political “hawk”). The Israeli media and some of the world press often described him in a harsh, frightened, and even offensive manner, as someone who could lead to a world war or harm the interests of various countries, including Israel. Some of the liberals (journalists) in Israel used particularly harsh expressions against him (and, as the Rebbe notes, even explicitly called him “evil”).

The Perspective of the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe

The Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenberg, who at that time founded Kiryat Sanz in Netanya and the Laniado Hospital, also held American citizenship (after living there for several years after the war) and was well acquainted with the mentality and political system in the United States.

In the letter, he expresses deep anxiety for several reasons:

One sheep among seventy wolves: The Rebbe is shocked that journalists in Israel allow themselves to interfere in the internal affairs of the world’s greatest power, on whose kindness and assistance the young State of Israel depends.

Fear of political revenge: The Rebbe warns of the possibility that Goldwater will indeed win (as often happens in elections, contrary to the press’s predictions), and then he or his party will harbour resentment towards the State of Israel and American Jewry for the crude slander against him. He asks cynically: Do journalists in Israel really think they are the ones who will decide the US elections?

Gratefulness to the American public: He notes that a large portion of US citizens are supporters of Israel, and such provocation could turn them into haters and ignite the “fire of enmity.”

The Recipient: Mr. Abba Eban

The Rebbe chose to send the letter specifically to Abba Eban, who at the time served as Deputy Prime Minister (under Levi Eshkol).

The choice of Abba Eban was not accidental. Eban was Israel’s most senior diplomat, had previously served as Israel’s ambassador to the US and the UN, and was highly respected in the international arena. The Rebbe addresses him as someone whom “the international situaion, and particularly in the US, was clear to,” in the hope that Abba Eban would use his influence to curb irresponsible speech and writing in the official or partisan Israeli press of those days.

The bottom line: In the end, in that election (November 1964), Lyndon Johnson won by a landslide, and Goldwater lost. Nevertheless, the letter remains a fascinating historical testament to the controlled political vision, public responsibility, and anxiety for peace with Israel that the Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenberg demonstrated.