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On the Warsaw Kolel and Gerer Hasidim and a dispute over funds R. Abraham Mordecai ben Judah Nahum ha-Levi Engel Horowitz. Koved Yerushalyim includes a history of the charitable organizations and holiness of the city of Jerusalem. The book has prefatory and introductory material, and then, from pp. 19-86, a long introduction addressing the history of the support for kollelim, particularly that of Warsaw, particularly the התמיכה, from its beginning until the present. The book begins with the preface (responsa) of R. Solomon Eliezer Alfandari, with a particularly attractive vignette of the coming of the Messiah and the wall about and Temple mount at the bottom of the page. The author’s genealogy is given (9-18) the history of the kollel and then a long responsum, addressed by R. Horowitz to his brother concerning the dispute between the Warsaw Kollel and the son-in-law of the Gerer rebbe, R. Jacob Meir Biderman who took upon themselves the distribution of funds.
A kollel, in the recent usage of that term, described, in this context, a group of Ashkenazi Jews in Erez Israel all originally from one country or from one district, the members of which received allocations from the funds collected in their countries of origin for their support. The leadership of the kolelim was composed of rabbinical personalities. Abroad, a president, who was generally the most prominent rabbi of that country, was the head of the kolel. With the hasidic kolelim, it was the rebbe of that trend. Wealthy volunteers worked under the guidance of the president; the kolel leaders in Palestine, also prominent rabbis, were appointed by the leaders abroad, as were the communal workers and officials. The kolel, which functioned according to set regulations, was in close relationship with the country of origin of its members. The leadership of the kolelim was composed of rabbinical personalities. Abroad, a president, who was generally the most prominent rabbi of that country, was the head of the kolel. With the hasidic kolelim, it was the rebbe of that trend. Wealthy volunteers worked under the guidance of the president; the kolel leaders in Palestine, also prominent rabbis, were appointed by the leaders abroad, as were the communal workers and officials. The kolel, which functioned according to set regulations, was in close relationship with the country of origin of its members. |
