Grapevine: They’ve been riding on the railroad

By Greer Fay Cashman

Published April, 6, 2010 (Jerusalem Post)

Link to original article

(The following is a brief exerpt from Ms. Cashman’s article. )

“IN 2008, Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, who lives in Alon Shvut, teaches at the Migdal Oz yeshivot in Har Etzion, and who is frequently consulted by evacuees of Gush Katif, was awarded the President’s Prize for Volunteerism for having established JobKatif, which has so far assisted 1,250 people to rejoin the work force, has helped to create 160 businesses to enable evacuees to recover their self esteem and economic independence and has provided guidance and career counseling for hundreds more. In 2009, the government, in appreciation of what JobKatif is doing, agreed to provide matching funds for each donation made to the organization.

JobKatif is only one of Rimon’s activities. During Operation Cast lead, he was a frequent visitor to the Gaza border to pray with soldiers, to offer them encouragement, to distribute gloves and thermal shirts and to answer halachic questions. It was on this aspect of his work that he spoke in Jerusalem to a large group from Kehilath Jeshurun, New York. Praising Jeshurun’s Rabbi Haskel Lookstein for immediately understanding the problems of the Gush Katif evacuees and for doing much to help them, Rimon was equally lavish in his praise of Rabbi Zev Reichman of the East Hill Congregation in Englewood, New Jersey, who had instantly responded during Operation Cast Lead to the soldiers’ need for warm clothing and within a day of speaking on the phone to Rimon, arrived with sufficient funds to purchase 3,000 pairs of battle gloves and thermal shirts.

Rimon also spoke of the urgency of having to answer halachic questions in wartime. There is no time to think or do any research. A soldier going into battle needs an instant answer. While it is accepted that religious soldiers can carry their kits into battle on the Shabbat, there is a big question about what they can take with them, particularly with regard to items never used on Shabbat, such as tefillin. When a soldier put the question to Rimon, he rabbi realized that the soldier would fight with greater focus and confidence if he had the tefillin with him – aside from which there are certain religious authorities who say that there is no prohibition against putting on tefillin on Shabbat – so he told the soldier to take them with him. The soldier’s joyful reaction assured him that his assessment had been correct…”