Bnei Brak, Israel – Although the death of a revered religious leader can often spark squabbling over his successor, the funeral of Rabbi Avraham Kahaneman, president of the renowned Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, actually served as a high point of unity amid a long-standing power struggle.
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All the rabbis involved in the bitter conflict were invited to eulogize Kahaneman at his funeral, just as family members who hadn’t spoken for years gathered around his deathbed to recite the Shema Yisrael prayer.
The many police officers dispersed among the thousands of mourners in and around the yeshiva, the flagship institution of Lithuanian-style ultra-Orthodoxy known by some as the Cambridge of the Torah world, did not need to restore order.
But it’s clear to members of the two clashing factions, each led by one of Kahaneman’s relatives, that the truce is only temporary.
Kahaneman, who died Monday at 97, was the son of Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, who founded the original yeshiva in Ponovezh, Lithuania, and reestablished it in Bnei Brak.
Avraham Kahaneman took over the yeshiva, but despite his title as president, he has had little involvement in the past decade due to serious illness. That absence left a power vacuum that essentially split the yeshiva into two institutions in the same building.
Now Kahaneman’s son, Rabbi Eliezer Kahaneman, and his son-in-law, Rabbi Shmuel Markovitz – both of whom hold the title of rosh yeshiva and are fighting over the authority that each says the elder Kahaneman gave them – are waiting to hear the contents of Avraham Kahaneman’s will, which followers hope will shed light on his position over the protracted dispute.
The will is expected to be read in the next few days, but it may not bring peace to Ponovezh.
Markovitz’s followers, who are in the minority, said they expect the will to reinforce Eliezer Kahaneman’s position. “This will has no halakhic validity, because it’s forbidden to dismiss a sitting rosh yeshiva,” one of them said.
The clashes between the two groups have extended to criminal acts. Markovitz’s followers accused the rival group of cutting off the loudspeakers during the rabbi’s class Sunday, and responded by overturning the car of the Kahaneman follower they accused of the sabotage. Police detained two of Markovitz’s followers for questioning.
A rabbinical arbitration panel decided in 1999 that Kahaneman and Markovitz would both continue to hold the position of rosh yeshiva (a title also held by three other rabbis, all of whom support Kahaneman). The panel assigned Kahaneman to take care of administrative matters while Markovitz, who is younger, was assigned educational duties, though at a lower level than two of the other yeshiva heads.
In an unusual move for the ultra-Orthodox world, Kahaneman went to a civil court, hoping it would reach a different conclusion; that proceeding is still underway. In the meantime, Markovitz has been taking on authority beyond that granted him by the arbitration panel.
Mit aza shalom ver darf machlokes
These Lithuanians are a bunch of clowns and really an embaressment to klal yisroel There was another story on VIN earlier today where one Lithuanian rabbi was blocking another from coming to the only minyan in town because of some other dispute. Why are Litvashe yiddim incapable of treating one another with respect. They should get rid of the all these guys who claim to be “rosh yeshivas” and bring in some new leadership. That would be a greater kovod to the memory of Rav Kahanaman.
Disgusting.
To have a machlokes over the fundraising power of a yeshiva.
They should be ashamed of themselves and form a compromise for the sake of torah.
behind the scenes they are still killing themselves . dont believe me? go see it for yourself
what would aharon hacohen do here?
The problem is not that there are disagreements or even machloikas it is how do these kehelias deal with them is it thru din torah as in bobov or vishnitz or thru fighting in the street and in secular court
Its all l’shem shemayim. You don’t understand what the gedolim are doing
Litvishe rebbes and chasidishe rosh yeshivas – this sounds like a pre-purim adelo yada bein boruch and arur.
Its something that I just don’t understand as to why there are so many machlokesim amongst certain chassideshe sects and within certain yeshivas. I mean they know what machlokes is they know what machlokes could do and yet………..
I know this sounds a bit presumptive but there should be “term limits” on rabbonim and roshei yeshivot. After a certain number of years, they “burn out” like any other profession and we need to weed out the deadwood and let younger and more dynamic leadership to evolve. Its sad watching these almost comic antics of rabbonim, often from the same family, suing each other in civil courts or even worse. We should give them a modest retirement stipend and send them off to Miami Beach or Eilat.
one good thing about Litvishe is that they don’t participate in machlokes in the masses. example ponyevitz is down 75% from the days of Rav Schach. everybody knows Mir took over.
to 25 its very simple, people think different and when it comes to kovod and power almost nobody is immune.
The machlokes in Ponovezh is all about Lubavitch. Everything is always the fault of Chabad.
Kahaneman should stay Rosh Yeshiva and Markowitz should put on a gold Frak and Call himself Ponovitcher Rebbe, and give a Shiur Klali once in a while to prove that he is a Yodea Sefer. The Roshei Yeshiva should also learn to make peace like in Bobov, Satmar, Meshichistim, Zionim etc….
Why is it ok for Rabbis to go to civil court but if any layman tried it he would be branded a goy? If the Rabbis dont trust the Bais Din approach why should any one else. THat goes for Satmat, Bobov, Chaim Berlin and all the other Holy People. Feh, feh, feh. They will get their just rewards in Heaven for this desecration of Hashem. Meanwhile, we suffer from their aealousness in guarding “Kovod Hatorah” which is Rebbe speak for their own lofty egos.
what goes around comes around
if I remember corectly. by the levaye from the Samarr rebbe zz”l (beirach moishe). there was unity by the hespeidem.
ehrliche and respected yidden are not availabe to do this type of job because thier families ae threatened by the some other rabbis who are thugs . Dont you remember a few years ago when the fights broke out in ponovitch? fist fights and food throwing were aimed at the rosh yeshivas . some were even hurt . if we had people like rav shach maybe we wouldnt have these issues . we are living in a dor yasom .
There are Chasidishe Talmidey Chachomim & Litvishe Talmidey Chachomim.
There are Chasidishe fools and Litvishe fools.
Each group thinks the other is inferior.
The point is that a true Talmid Chochom (from any group) behaves like one and acts like he is expected to act.
Rav Avrohom Pam zTz”l guarded his tongue and respected everyone. The same goes for the earlier Satmarer Rebbi (Reb’ Yoel zTz”l) and for the earlier Klausenburger Rebbi and Rav’ Yaakov Kamenetzky; just to mention some at random.
That’s why they were respected all over. Everybody should take an example from all of them.
In an unusual move for the ultra-Orthodox world, Kahaneman went to a civil court, hoping it would reach a different conclusion; that proceeding is still underway. In the meantime, Markovitz has been taking on authority beyond that granted him by the arbitration panel.
civil court ,when lubavitch won didan natzach in civil court the head of ponovitch wrote a letter against the lubavitchers for going to civil court so what changed now did it become mutar
As an orthodox jew who went to Yeshiva, I am disgusted to read this story. Why should the “hamon am” act like bnei torah when this goes on at the roshei hayeshiva level?
I am absolutley disgusted to have read this story. Somebody set me straight, if you can.
Any movement which allows sinas chinam towards another group, will find that midah boomerangs back and causes its followers to fight with each other.
This yeshiva denigrated the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and now its members are fightng each other.
Satmar fought against the Zionists, and now it is torn apart by infighting.
It is obvious midah kneged midah.
The answer is ahavas chinam towards all groups, as Rav Kook taught, and then these problems will go away.
Milhouse, that is a very good point.
The klal needs to make it absolutely clear that we won’t tolerate any more negative talk against any other group, unless it is to speak out against sinas chinam, period.
Let us focus on the positive qualities of each group, and there are many.