Personal Visits at Homes of HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, Shlita and HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Shlita

It was an unprecedented experience and an unprecedented kiddush Hashem! The US Ambassador to Israel visited the two senior Gedolei Hador of Bnei Brak, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka and HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka. Without a doubt, the fascinating visits led to an enhanced understanding by the Ambassador and by extension the American Government of the unique qualities and needs of the Chareidi community.

At the meeting with Rav Landau, Ambassador Huckabee asked Rav Dov, “Is there any message that the Rabbi would like me to relay to the President of the United States?”

Rav Dov replied, “It is very important for me to express my pain over the difficulties plaguing the Chareidi community here in the Holy Land. We are in a very difficult position as a result of the grim decrees that the government has enacted against yeshiva students. The entire judicial system has turned against us and wants to jail yeshiva students for the ‘terrible sin’ of learning Torah!”

Rav Dov continued, “It is Torah and only Torah that has preserved the Jewish Nation throughout our various exiles. It is only in the merit of the Torah that we are able to survive.”

Rav Dov then invested great effort in emotionally appealing to the Ambassador exclaiming, “Any decree against those who learn Torah is not just a decree against them but rather it is a decree against the entire Jewish Nation! Not only is it a decree against the Jews living in the Holy Land but it is also a decree against Jews who live throughout the world. The world only exists in the merit of the Torah and those who learn Torah….”

It was clear that Ambassador Huckabee was deeply moved by the passionate words of the nonagenarian Gadol.

The History Behind the Meetings

The meetings between Huckabee and both Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel, were facilitated by Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi of Dirshu. Dirshu and Rav Hofstedter have a previous relationship with Mr. Huckabee and indeed, several years ago, Ambassador Huckabee wrote an op-ed for Fox News, praising Dirshu for their initiative to make a “Day of Jewish Unity” on the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim to highlight the importance of refraining from gossip and other sins that cause strife between people.

More recently, after President Trump nominated Ambassador Huckabee to serve as the US Ambassador to Israel, and before he was confirmed by Congress, Rav Hofstedter met with him while he was still in America. At that time, they discussed the importance of Torah learning for the future viability of the Jewish people. During that meeting Rav Hofstedter offered to take Mr. Huckabee to meet the senior sages of the Jewish community. Mr. Huckabee said he would welcome the opportunity to meet with such prestigious sages.

The meetings this past week were the fulfillment of that desire.

Not Divided by a Language Barrier

Although Rav Dov Landau does not speak English and Ambassador Huckabee does not speak Hebrew or Yiddish, they both clearly understood each other’s words through the translation of Rav Hofstedter.

With great emotion, Rav Dov Landau invested tremendous effort into conveying to the Ambassador how much he values and recognizes the efforts of President Donald Trump and the American Nation for standing strongly and faithfully as a malchus of chessed, a government of kindness. Rav Landau said that this was especially evident in the way the United States stood at Israel’s side during the recent war with Iran.

Ambassador Huckabee than thanked Rav Dov deeply for his words and responded to his pervious request regarding the Israeli Government’s efforts to make decrees against those that learn Torah. He told the Rosh Yeshiva, “Please allow me to explain that as the ambassador I cannot intervene in a matter that is the subject of an internal debate in Israeli society.

“What I can say, however,” Ambassador Huckabee continued, “is that I understand that just as it is important to have soldiers in the army it is also important to have scholars, scholars who remind you who you are, why you are here and soldiers to protect you on the land that G-d has given to you.”

Rav Dov replied with a smile, “Halevai that others would understand this the way that you do…”

Upon hearing Rav Dov’s words, a big smile spread across the Ambassador’s face.

Mr. Huckabee told Rav Dov, “Yes. I agree with you. Without Torah and without scholars and without the biblical laws it is impossible to reach the truth.”

“I Must Return to the Safety of Jerusalem!”

The meeting at the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch was a remarkable meeting. Whereas at the meeting with Rav Dov, every sentence had to be translated from Hebrew to English and then from English back to Hebrew, the meeting at the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch was free flowing as the Ambassador and the Rosh Yeshiva engaged in an important dialogue.

When they arrived, Rav Hofstedter told the Ambassador that Rav Moshe Hillel speaks English and is American born. Ambassador Huckabee said that he was aware of that and had even spoken with Rav Moshe Hillel on the phone before the outbreak of the most recent war. “It was an excellent, important and helpful conversation,” said Rav Moshe Hillel.

At the beginning of the conversation, Rav Moshe Hillel and Mr. Huckabee exchanged greetings and discussed the recent war with Iran. Mr. Huckabee related that he had been in Eretz Yisrael throughout the war and there were times when he was forced to go down to the bomb shelter several times during the same night.

“We slept very little,” said Huckabee, “but I must tell you that I never felt that I was in danger. I knew that I was in the most important city in the entire world!” Huckabee quipped that recently he spent two weeks in America where he met with both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu who was in Washington at the time. Mr. Huckabee said, “Do you know what I said to all the people who were with me in America? I told them, I must get out of this crazy city of Washington, DC, and return to the safety of Jerusalem!”

“You Were Chosen, So Those Who Hate You, Hate G-d”

The conversation then turned to antisemitism. Rav Hofstdeter introduced the topic relating to Rav Moshe Hillel that Ambassador Huckabee has a very interesting take and understanding on antisemitism. He explained, “Ambassador Huckabee maintains that if a person is an antisemite, that person is really against the Ribbono Shel Olam. We, the Jewish nation are the representatives of Hashem, and they hate us because they hate Him.”

The Ambassador interjected, saying, “Yes, otherwise antisemitism has no other rational explanation.”

Rav Moshe Hillel added that “another component is that people don’t like the fact that we are considered ‘The Chosen People.’ They think, ‘Who do you think you are to have the audacity to claim to be the Chosen People?’”

The Ambassador acknowledged the Rosh Yeshiva’s point but explained that they are all really part of the same point. “You were chosen. Thus, you are G-d’s representatives, and thus those who hate G-d hate you.

“That is why,” the Ambassador added, “people hate Israel too. The Chosen People were given a chosen land for a specific purpose. That is why one cannot separate antisemitism from its spiritual component. It is a spiritual malady,” Mr. Huckabee emphasized.

Two Gezeiros of Conscription

Another fascinating part of the protracted conversation was Mr. Huckabee’s interest in the Slabodka Yeshiva. He wanted to understand the history of the yeshiva, its roots in Lithuania and its establishment in Eretz Yisrael.

Rav Moshe Hillel explained the yeshiva’s roots and ethos. He said that the Chevron Yeshiva was founded in the 1920’s because at that time the government in Lithuania wanted all yeshiva students to be conscripted in the army. The yeshiva understood that army service would be a spiritual death sentence, and they decided to move. By the time half of the yeshiva moved, the conscription decree was nullified and thus half of the yeshiva remained in Lithuania and the other half remained in the land of Israel.

Rav Hofstedter pointed out the irony of the fact that the Slabodka Yeshiva originally moved to Eretz Yisrael as a result of a gezeirah of conscription and now, here in Eretz Yisrael itself, there is a gezeirah of conscription looming over the yeshivos!

Rav Moshe Hillel then cited a pervious telephone conversation that he had with Mr. Huckabee in which the Ambassador told him, “The army is very important, but the spiritual realm is even more important.”

The Ambassador agreed, and although, as he said previously, as an ambassador for an outside country it would not be diplomatically correct for him to intervene in an internal Israeli matter, it was clear to all that the Ambassador understood the issue very well.

Rav Hosftedter emphasized this when he told Rav Moshe Hillel that Ambassador Huckabee was unique in the fact that he believes what makes Eretz Yisrael and the Nation of Israel unique is the Torah.

“How do You Explain Such Growth?”

Another fascinating component of the conversation was the discussion between the Rosh Yeshiva and Ambassador Huckabee about the miraculous rebirth of the Torah world in the aftermath of the Holocaust. When the Ambassador learned that after the war, the numbers of yeshiva students engaged in full time learning throughout the world could be measured in the low hundreds while today there are perhaps more than one hundred thousand, he was flabbergasted!

“How do you explain such growth?!” he asked.

Before answering, Rav Moshe Hillel added that in Lakewood, NJ, alone there is a yeshiva that has more than 10,000 students. “In addition, in Lakewood, there are over one hundred smaller yeshivos for younger students,” Rav Moshe Hillel told the Ambassador.

“We can see,” Rav Hofstedter explained, “that the answer is not rooted in the natural. Such growth has a spiritual component.”

“After the war,” Rav Moshe Hillel continued, “G-d, in His kindness, left us a few great rabbis whose spiritual stature was far above and beyond the generation in which they found themselves. With the power of their spirit and their determination to rebuild, these rabbis were able to elevate the entire generation to levels that had theretofore been unimaginable. It was the spiritual force of these great rabbis that served as the catalyst to accomplish the fantastic things that they accomplished.

“We see from here,” Rav Hofstedter added, “how G-d worries about the Jewish People in mysterious ways. He gave us leaders that really belonged to a bygone era in order to rebuild the Jewish nation in the aftermath of the Holocaust.”

With a sense of wonderment, the Ambassador commented, “The survivors emerged from the Holocaust with barely the shirts on their backs. They came to America and to Israel and within just one generation they became the great scholars, the rabbis, the surgeons, the doctors and the greatest scientists. It is just amazing. There are more Nobel Peace prizes proportionally to Israeli scientists then any others.

“The only explanation for this,” emphasized Ambassador Huckabee, “is the spiritual explanation. There is no rational, natural explanation. Israel is unique. It is not just another place on the geopolitical map!”

“Fortunate is He Who Helps the Jewish Nation!”

Before taking leave of each of the Roshei Yeshiva respectively, Rav Dov and Rav Moshe Hillel, the Ambassador asked each one of them individually if they have any specific message that they would like to convey.

At the end of the visit, Rav Dov Landau told the ambassador, “I convey my deepest thanks to the honorable Ambassador for all that he has done and continues to do, and I say, ‘Fortunate is he who helps the Jewish Nation learn Torah, because Torah is the essence of the Jewish nation.’”

Before taking leave of Ambassador Huckabee, Rav Moshe Hillel said, “The first thing I want to convey is how much we value and appreciate what the United States is doing for us. We are aware of what they are doing, and it brings us great joy. We hope that this close friendship will continue, and we will do our best to facilitate peace and prosperity for all.”

Rav Moshe Hillel then blessed Ambassador Huckabee with a heartfelt blessing that he should merit the best possible good and he should continue to perform good things and accomplish great things in his lifetime.

The Ambassador was clearly very moved.

As he exited the yeshiva’s campus, the Ambassador met with a number of American talmidim of the yeshiva and asked them about their experience in yeshiva and what made studying in Israel unique.

The historic meetings between Ambassador Huckabee and the two senior Gedolei Yisrael were clearly permeated by kavod haTorah. It was evident that the American Ambassador to Israel, the representative of the most powerful country in the world tremendously values and respects the Gedolei Yisrael and what they represent.