These are recently released photos of
Harav Kook's (יא"צ ג' אלול) visit to the US and Canada in 1924. He was accompanied by the
Kovner Rov, the
Dvar Avrohom, Reb Avrohom DovBer Kahana Shapira, as well as
Rav Moshe Mordche Epstein of
Slabodka's Knesses Yisroel Yeshiva. RAYHK was already back in the Holy Land since 1919 or so, yet he made the long journey to America to help the
Yeshivos in Europe. It's ironic that many of those
Yeshivos, including
Slabodka, are quite unaware of the great help he was in saving their
Yeshiva. I would imagine that none of his
seforim and writings can be found in any of the many branches and satellites of
Slabodka, both in Israel and abroad. Yet, despite the badmouthing and brainwashing that has been going for generations his writings have enjoyed a tremendous renaissance among many
Haredim, who see him as a great visionary whose only crime may have been that he has slightly ahead of his time...
His teachings are quoted, at least verbally - we have yet to reach the stage where he'd be quoted in a Haredi sefer - and if you repeat a vort from him you may not even get a "gasp!" from the man listening to you... Rav Kook's Chabad connection is well known; his mother was a
Bas Chassidei Lubavitch, and many of his writings are based on
Chassidus Chabad, as well as
MaHaRaL. His adversaries also knew about it too, as
mentioned here many years ago. Despite the differences in opinion that he had with him and even the
Agudah, the
Frierdige Rebbe visited him - twice, I believe - when he visited
Eretz Yisroel in 5689.
with RMM Epstein and an unknown figure of authority. Wiki says that it was the Mayor of NYC that he's pictured with. Yet, According to Wikipedia, John F. Hylan was mayor of NYC at that time, and this is not him. So either I'm confusing the dates of the trip or they got it wrong. click on photos to enlarge!
On the porch of the Yeshiva D'Montreal with the Kovner Rov and RMME listening intently to RK's words.
With the KR and RMME. Note that they wore their top hats while RAYHK wore his Rabbonishe Shtreimel the whole time. I wonder if that was some kind of arrangement that they made between themselves...
A "צאתכם לשלום" poster from his Yeshiva "Mercaz HaRav."
Closeup of the porch at Yeshiva D'Montreal
with Rav Hirsh Pesach Frank, member of his Rabbinate and later Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim. This picture is unrelated to the rest and was taken in the Holy Land.
Photos from Here and
Wikipedia
