WEINBERG, YECHIEL YA’AKOV.
(Rosh Yeshiva of the Hildesheimer Seminary in Berlin, Author of Seridei Esh ...

WEINBERG, YECHIEL YA’AKOV.
(Rosh Yeshiva of the Hildesheimer Seminary in Berlin, Author of Seridei Esh, 1884-1966).


Three letters, comprising: Two Autograph Letters Signed written in Hebrew. One Typed Letter Signed written in German. All on Rabbiner-Seminar letterhead and all addressed to Rabbi Dr. Yitzhak Unna of Mannheim (1872-1948). On the matter of Stunning prior to Shechita, proposed due to the restrictive mandates enforced by the new Nazi regime in Germany.

Berlin: November 20th, 1933; 44th Day of the Omer, 1934; 47th Day of the Omer 1934
These unpublished letters concern the rabbinic response to the Nazi ban on Shechita in Germany. Rabbis Weinberg and Unna, as well as several other German rabbis, hoped they could reach an accommodation with the Nazi regime by proposing that kosher slaughter would be allowed with the additional stage of stunning the animals prior to Shechita. This followed a pattern of opposition to Shechita previously trod in Europe, and Germany’s rabbis hoped that this would mollify the Nazi regime as well, despite their ferocious anti-Semitic appetites. The two German rabbis sought to enact this novel and unusual leniency in order to enable Jewish life to continue functioning. They also wanted to obtain broad rabbinic consensus permitting this, due to the extraordinary circumstances. However leading rabbis, such as Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski of Vilna, were vigorously opposed to allowing such a consensus to occur, for he feared that the stunning requirement, highly problematic in his view on halachic grounds, would soon become the norm in Europe. R. Chaim Ozer pointed out that no rabbi had permitted it before, and there really was no reason to believe that the Nazis would permit it anyway. The tension in the other two letters is palpable. Rabbi Weinberg complains to Rabbi Unna of the latest letter he had received from Rabbi Grodzenzki which stated that it would be impossible to make any decision on this crucial matter without a rabbinic conclave - a meeting which R. Weinberg realized R. Grodzenski wished to prevent from happening. At the end of the letter R. Weinberg writes: “Before anything else, it is incumbent upon us to reverse the evil decree… In a place where there is danger to our holy religion, we do not bestow honor upon any person.” Hence R. Weinberg decided to assemble a meeting of just German rabbis in order to reach a consensus that allowed for the lenient ruling in regard to Shechita. In another letter, written three days later, R. Weinberg deals with the matter of Rabbi Jonah Zvi Horowitz, leader of a separatist German Orthodox community, who sided with Rabbi Grodzenski against what Rabbis Weinberg and Unna were trying to do. He also complains about intrigues behind his back: “If they have something to say about this, say it in an open letter…” In the German letter which is part of this group, written six months prior to the Hebrew ones, Rabbi Weinberg urges the continuation of experiments which would demonstrate that stunning prior to Shechita would prove to be permissible - both Halachically and by government fiat. In contrast however, Rabbi Esra Munk of Berlin who was proving to be a thorn in the side of Rabbi Weinberg on this issue, was hoping to only perform these experiments after a rabbinic consensus was reached. Rabbi Weinberg’s position is that proving that such a procedure can produce kosher meat was a necessary prior step. Important, first-hand insights concerning the Orthodox rabbinic response to Nazism in Germany.
These unpublished letters concern the rabbinic response to the Nazi ban on Shechita in Germany. Rabbis Weinberg and Unna, as well as several other German rabbis, hoped they could reach an accommodation with the Nazi regime by proposing that kosher slaughter would be allowed with the additional stage of stunning the animals prior to Shechita. This followed a pattern of opposition to Shechita previously trod in Europe, and Germany’s rabbis hoped that this would mollify the Nazi regime as well, despite their ferocious anti-Semitic appetites. The two German rabbis sought to enact this novel and unusual leniency in order to enable Jewish life to continue functioning. They also wanted to obtain broad rabbinic consensus permitting this, due to the extraordinary circumstances. However leading rabbis, such as Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzenski of Vilna, were vigorously opposed to allowing such a consensus to occur, for he feared that the stunning requirement, highly problematic in his view on halachic grounds, would soon become the norm in Europe. R. Chaim Ozer pointed out that no rabbi had permitted it before, and there really was no reason to believe that the Nazis would permit it anyway. The tension in the other two letters is palpable. Rabbi Weinberg complains to Rabbi Unna of the latest letter he had received from Rabbi Grodzenzki which stated that it would be impossible to make any decision on this crucial matter without a rabbinic conclave - a meeting which R. Weinberg realized R. Grodzenski wished to prevent from happening. At the end of the letter R. Weinberg writes: “Before anything else, it is incumbent upon us to reverse the evil decree… In a place where there is danger to our holy religion, we do not bestow honor upon any person.” Hence R. Weinberg decided to assemble a meeting of just German rabbis in order to reach a consensus that allowed for the lenient ruling in regard to Shechita. In another letter, written three days later, R. Weinberg deals with the matter of Rabbi Jonah Zvi Horowitz, leader of a separatist German Orthodox community, who sided with Rabbi Grodzenski against what Rabbis Weinberg and Unna were trying to do. He also complains about intrigues behind his back: “If they have something to say about this, say it in an open letter…” In the German letter which is part of this group, written six months prior to the Hebrew ones, Rabbi Weinberg urges the continuation of experiments which would demonstrate that stunning prior to Shechita would prove to be permissible - both Halachically and by government fiat. In contrast however, Rabbi Esra Munk of Berlin who was proving to be a thorn in the side of Rabbi Weinberg on this issue, was hoping to only perform these experiments after a rabbinic consensus was reached. Rabbi Weinberg’s position is that proving that such a procedure can produce kosher meat was a necessary prior step. Important, first-hand insights concerning the Orthodox rabbinic response to Nazism in Germany.