An Open Letter

With God’s help, may the Lord order blessing, life, and peace for the leaders and fine men, preeminent individuals, etc., and for their head, the Great Rabbi, etc.

Hear, congregation of the Lord and holy community, words of truth spoken by the undersigned. We hereby announce what has already been publicized, that certain men from the community in Uyhel [Sátoraljaújhely] have published an open letter inciting and misguiding the Jewish public and ensnaring them in the trap of the notorious congresses. The content of the open letter from Uyhel concerns three matters:

The first: to commit slander against the precious man, our teacher and rabbi Itzik Reich, may he live long, and against all those who help him, making statements that must not be heard and that have no substance, as if all their actions are only undertaken out of greed, and suchlike matters. This is an absolute lie (and the Reformers have always used their defamations of the acts and conduct of Rabbi Reich as an excuse for not joining Orthodox Judaism). One who knows this man and his character can attest that there is no room at all to suspect him of such things, God forbid, and well-known matters do not require evidence. The Holy One has performed many miracles and wonders through him, and He does not perform a miracle for false purposes.

The second: in their above-mentioned letter, they promote the idea of organizing a new “congress,” as elaborated in that letter itself. Now, this idea leads to the complete destruction of all the law-abiding Jewish communities. It is meant to revolutionize them, to cause us and our offspring to decline, to undermine the constitution that has been agreed upon by eminent rabbis and has been observed by the emperor, may he be exalted, and the ministers, thanks to the miracles and wonders of the Holy One. This [present letter] is a firm fortress against the foes of our people. The aforementioned men of Uyhel, due to their hatred for Shomrei ha-Dos, thereby seek to cause the greatest trouble for the Jewish people. From a halakhic perspective, too, we must say: Since that event was attended by eminent rabbis who are no longer alive [and their resolution cannot be reversed, because according to halakhah] a later court may not nullify the decision of a previous court that was greater than it. May the Lord save us from the snare they set for us in the above-mentioned letter from Uyhel.

The third: They blame the “constitution” for destroying the peace in the Jewish communities. This too is a distortion and a lie. Before the “constitution,” those who headed the people were powerful yet dishonest. They had the power to impose on the laudable individuals in their community unfit customs and unreliable slaughterers and teachers. They used force to impose their will, and it was not peace that prevailed in the communities. But now, thanks to the “constitution,” if the leaders wish to do something improper, it is possible to separate from them, so that each group may live in peace, according to its views and customs. Accordingly, each group can find its place in peace. Indeed, this is truly the desired peace—as the prophet Zechariah said: Love truth and peace (Zechariah 8:19)—and not the false peace, for truth comes before peace.

Therefore, I have come to implore and request all the holy communities not to let themselves be incited and thus bring themselves down along with their offspring. Leave those people who are blinded by hatred and who call evil good and good evil, and who do not suffice themselves with their own evil, but wish to have others join them. May the Lord have mercy on His people and enlighten them to recognize the truth and the good that is desired by our holy Torah, Amen. These are the words of the guardian of your good and the good of all Israel, here in Huszt, on Sunday of parshat Deuteronomy, in the year 5638 (1878).

Moses Schick of Brezová

The great rabbis of the districts of Hungary then sent a statement to all the holy communities to hurry to accept the constitution and join the Shomrei ha-Dos organization so that we might gird ourselves to fight against breachers of the Law. Their words are copied here letter by letter.

With God’s help. May the great rabbis, leaders of the thousands of Israel and their elders, the luminaries, all those who sit on the chairs of teaching, and all Jews, dear householders who adhere to the holy Torah—may the Lord’s blessing be upon you and may He guard you from all sorrow, and may you be lighted by the sun of righteousness, as it is written: Let those who love Him be as the sun when it goes forth in its might (Judges 5:31).

O House of Jacob, recipients of the inheritance, listen please to our voices. We have known the great sign the Lord showed us by breaking the authority of the Congress after the Minister of Culture attempted to achieve its validation by our lord, the pious king, may he be exalted. And even then the Lord showed us greater grace when our pious king confirmed and validated our Organizational Statutes,¹ through which we secured the liberty to regulate all the affairs of the community in accordance with the Torah, uprightness, and justice, so that the law-breachers of our people can no longer rule over us and our children. Let each man set these matters in his heart to understand the scale of the miracle.

And so let each Jewish man who has the fear of the Lord in his heart go forth to help the Lord in fighting to have the Organizational Statutes accepted in his community, as the executive commission wrote. And thereby he and his house shall be blessed and he shall have the merit of being one of those who lead the many to righteousness.

By no means may anyone be derelict on this matter or refrain from action, for if we are tardy in joining together to accept the Organizational Statutes upon us, the men of the Congress will soon again raise their hand against us and will return to rule over us and attack us. For there is no escape from the Congress except through the adoption of the Organizational Statutes. And if we fail to adopt the Organizational Statutes, God forbid, the Jewish people will not be saved, heaven forfend. It is useless to add words about this. Therefore, each community should hurry to bring a blessing on its house by enacting particular statutes [in addition to the general Organizational Statutes] according to its particular needs. These local regulations will serve as a shield and shelter in order to prevent our complete destruction, God forbid. They will be valid and firm, since their authority is based on the Organizational Statutes which have been confirmed and validated by the king, may he be exalted.

And of those who listen to our words it is written: And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, etc. (Psalm 1:3).

We beseech the Lord that He might, in His mercy, awaken the heart of His holy people, so that they might recognize the truth of our words, and rush, each one, to give his hand to the Lord, and bring blessing upon himself. May the Lord speedily bring him unto peace and calm.

[The thirty-seven undersigned are] those who stand on guard for the service of the Lord.