[Avodah] Rabbi Eliyahu's holocaust comment was nothing new. A letter in the LJN

[jameshanley39 at yahoo.co.uk]

Rabbi Eliyahu and the holocaust comment. A letter in the LJN . 3rd May
2007, from Joseph Feld (remember that name!)

" .............Unfortunately Boyden {somebody a that wrote a letter the
week before} connects what happened to him with former [sephardi] Chief
Rabbi [Mordechai] Eliyahu's 'ignorant' comment linking the holocaust to
the rise of reform judaism in Germany. Far from being 'ignorance' or
even original, Rabbi Eliyahu's remarks are part of the long rabbinical
tradition. The maggid of Kelm (who died in 1899) said, "because of the
sin of Geiger's reform code of jewish law, another law will come from
Berlin. It will say that every Jew without exception, must die"
Rabbi Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk (who died in 1926) writing in his
work Meshech Chochma on Leviticus Chapter 26, spoke of a cycle of jews
trying to become to oassimilated and their host society rejecting them. he
refers to the last stage before the destruction as the generation that
"thinks of Berlin as his jersualem", He aded "the fierce storm of
detruction will emanate from Berlin and leave but a scant remnant. The
survivors will disperse to toher ountries and Torah will strike new
roots". In 1929 the Chofetz Chaim ( who died in 1933) , spoke of
the twelve million who died worldwide in the Great War of 1914 to
1918. "Twelve million? that's child's play! The real thing will begin
in ten years" These rabbis merely alluded to the opinions of rabbici
giants of earlier generations. "
by
Joseph Feld

(in the british jewish press, letters from Joseph Feld and Amnon goldberg
are v interesting)