O


P “Although agreement was quickly reached on most


of the treaty, several issues remained in dispute.” Just prior to his visit, Dayan briefed the Foreign Min-


istry staff on why Carter was coming at that time. “I think that for Carter this is a political necessity.


The United States has a major need to stabilize the situation in the Middle East after Iran,” he said, re- ferring to the fall of the Shah and the arrival in Iran of Ayatollah Khomeini. According to the archivist, Carter apparently thought


he would be able to get the treaty signed during his visit, and was frustrated and angry when — soon after arriv- ing in Israel on March 10, 1979, and meeting Begin — he understood this was not in the works. Begin said he would have to discuss the autonomy plan first with his cabinet, and take the treaty to the Knesset for its approval. Carter wrote in his diary: “I couldn’t believe it. I


stood up and asked him if it was actually necessary for me to stay any longer.” According to the archives’ blog, “Carter asked Be-


gin if he really wanted peace. The prime minister in- sisted that he did, but Carter was convinced that he was trying to block a treaty. His only hope was to ap- peal above Begin’s head to the government, the Knes- set and the Israeli public.” The next day, March 11, Carter and his delegation met


with Begin and some of his senior ministers to discuss proposals for overcoming the impasse with the Egyptians. Carter pressed Begin at the meeting, saying that


signing the treaty was a “now or never” proposition. Carter spoke about how he would like the treaty to not “be just a piece of paper that both have signed reluc- tantly” with “remnants of animosity and distrust,” but rather something to revive the feeling of genuine friend- ship engendered by Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem in 1977. The Israeli government met into early the next morn-


ing, and accepted some of the Egyptian conditions, but rejected others. Carter did not think Israel was forth- coming enough, and at a meeting with Begin and his entire government asked for more, and at one point said “your response has not been adequate.” Begin stood his ground, and responded at the meet-


ing, “Mr. President, we shall sign only what we agree to and we shall not sign anything to which we do not agree.” That tense meeting was cut short as both had to go address the Knesset. After those speeches, Begin met alone with the


cabinet and discussed the negotiations, including the American demand that Israel make public its sched- ule for withdrawal from Sinai. “This is nothing but chutzpah,” Begin fumed, as re-


corded in the protocols of that meeting released Sunday. Carter then flew to Egypt and presented Sadat with


Israeli proposals, while Begin held another govern- ment meeting and discussed understandings Carter had received from Sadat. When Begin called Carter on March 14 to tell him that the government had accept- ed the proposals, Carter responded by saying, “this is the best news of my life, wonderful news.” Carter ended the conversation by saying to Begin,


“G-d bless you and goodbye.” Twelve days later Begin flew to Washington where he signed the accords with Sadat. —Jerusalem Post


day, after Obama returned from talks with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank. “So I’ll see you this evening?” Obama asked Peres. “Yes, don’t eat too much in Ramallah,” retorted Peres,


prompting Obama to laugh. n In the most emotional moment of the tech tour, Obama


and Netanyahu encountered a Druze Israeli war veter- an and a U.S. army veteran, both paralyzed from the waist down. Both demonstrated how they were able to walk with the help of crutches and a computerized exoskeleton that supported their legs as they moved. The army veteran, Theresa Hannigan, a 60-year-


old from Long Island, N.Y., was learning how to use the motorized aides, called the ReWalk. She implored Obama to help the device obtain FDA approval. Her voice breaking, Hannigan stood straight and hugged Obama. The system is made by an Israeli company called Argo


Medical Technologies. Its exoskeleton suit uses com- puters and motion sensors to allow paraplegics to walk with motorized legs that power knee and hip movement. Obama offered a personal reflection. “Michelle’s fa-


ferent life.”


ther had MS, so he used crutches until he was probably 45, 50, then got a wheelchair.” Netanyahu replied: “This would have given him a dif- o


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10 The Jewish Herald • Friday, March 22, 2013 11 O


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Wanted: Chief Rabbis, Down And Dirty R


Stewart Weiss


abbi Shlomo Goren, the first chief rabbi of the IDF, served with dis-


tinction as Israel’s chief rabbi from 1973 to 1983. As his term was ending, he petitioned


that he — as well as then-Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef — be per-


mitted to serve another 10-year term as Israel’s spir- itual leaders. When that petition was turned down, Rabbi Goren was said to have remarked, “You may as well abolish the office itself, because there will never again be a chief rabbi as great as Ovadia or myself!” Rabbi Goren may have been just a tad too out-


spoken but, alas, he was quite correct. Few chief rabbis in the three decades since have approached Rav Goren or Rav Ovadia in either scholarship or spiritual courage. Indeed, Rav Ovadia remains the Sephardi “go-to guy” in virtually all religious mat- ters, far overshadowing whoever happens to hold the official title at that moment. And the gap becomes even more glaring when


we compare modern holders of the office to the gi- ants of the past, most notably Rav Kook, Israel’s charismatic first chief rabbi who set the standard for all to follow, and Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog, an out-and-out genius and recipient of the Israel Prize who held several PhDs in addition to his encyclope- dic knowledge of all Jewish subjects. In fact, the decline in stature of Israel’s chief rab-


bis has led many, both without and within the ob- servant community, to question whether Israel re- ally needs the office at all. Why this precipitous decline in caliber and capa-


bility of the chief rabbinate has occurred is a sub- ject of much debate. After all, we in the Jewish State certainly have


no lack of serious scholars studying today in the hundreds of yeshivas that dot the land. And mod- ern technology has made it infinitely easier to ac- cess text and responsa in order to more seamlessly navigate the vast sea of rabbinic literature. Some have suggested, ironically, that it is precise-


ly because Talmudic study is so widespread and “en- trance requirements” so attainable that the bar has been significantly lowered, resulting in fewer out- standing scholars emerging from the halls of study. Others point to a more cynical — even sinister —


reason why we are in such a state today. They claim that the hierarchy of the ultra-Orthodox communi- ty works specifically against the most outstanding candidates, so as to prevent the State of Israel from having a person at the helm whose spiritual excel- lence threatens their authority and advances the Zi- onist cause, making the Jewish State look good. For this reason, they insist, the best and the brightest rabbinic figures — from the late Rabbi Chaim David Halevi (chief rabbi of Tel Aviv) to Rabbi Yaakov Ar- iel to Rabbi Simcha HaKohen Kook — were passed over, despite their stellar résumés and reputations. And now, come June, it is time to elect new chief


rabbis. The expectation is that, at long last, the chief rabbis of the State of Israel will subscribe to State institutions, sending their children to serve in the IDF and study at Zionist yeshivas. This has fueled speculation that Rabbi David Stav


of Tzohar fame will be elected, as he already is re- ported to have the backing of both Bayit Yehudi and


Yisrael Beiteinu. Rabbi Stav, who is chief rabbi of Shoham, has made a name for himself by offering a “kinder, gentler,” rabbinic approach to the wider pub- lic, specifically in the area of marriage registration. While I, too, pray that the next chief rabbis will


have solid Zionist credentials, what really matters is not the label they wear, but what they do with their position. Despite the unprecedented access to Jewish learn-


ing, Israel today is a nation that seeks its soul, both on a national and individual level. The chief rabbis must help to guide and facilitate that search. They must be men of the people, willing to “come


down” from their high position to meet the masses where they are — spiritually — at the present moment. They must be willing to tackle the really hard issues,


from the conversion quagmire to charedi (ultra-Ortho- dox) participation in national service to social justice. They must be open and available to any and all


who seek their guidance, and they must travel far and wide across the country — like the “circuit rab- bis” of old — to visit every town and moshav, not in pursuit of “photo ops,” but to personally transmit his message of hope and to offer spiritual guidance. There are a lot of people in this nation who are


suffering, be it the poor, the bereaved or the disen- franchised. The chief rabbi-elect must seek them out and inspire them, rejuvenate them and instill in them an unshakeable belief in G-d and country, in themselves and in the bright future of Israel. On a personal note, one of my great disappoint-


ments is that when our beloved son fell in battle in defense of the nation 10 years ago — generating an avalanche of faith issues within our family — neither of the chief rabbis bothered to contact us, let alone come and visit. While then-President Moshe Kat- sav, IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon, Natan Sha- ransky and Ehud Olmert — among many others — reached out to us, the rabbis were nowhere to be seen. I later learned, from our many contacts within the


bereaved community, that this was unfortunately the norm; few, if any, of them had received consola- tion from the rabbis when their loved ones perished. We persevered, thank G-d, but the bitter taste


of their dereliction of duty remains in our mouths and hearts. The story is told of Rav Kook, who one Tu Be’shvat


visited a kindergarten. The teacher took the children out into the adjoining field, and brought a chair for the rabbi to sit in. He watched as the youngsters, each having been given a small plant, dug holes in the dirt and lovingly planted their seedlings in the earth. Suddenly, Rav Kook began to cry. “What is the matter?” asked the shocked teacher. Rav Kook replied, “Everyone has something to


plant, but I have nothing!” The teacher was taken aback. “But we didn’t think the great rabbi would want to get his hands dirty,” she said. Rav Kook then bent down upon the ground and


helped one of the children smooth out the ground and carefully place the seedling. “If you want to build a country,” said Rav Kook,


looking up at the teacher, “then you had better be prepared to get off your chair, and get your hands dirty.” It is no easy task to be the rabbi of this diverse,


demanding, distinctive community of Israel. But if you dare run for the office, you had better be pre- pared to meet that challenge.


o


Illustration Neil Nakahodo


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