Shielding the Daughters of Yisroel

In 5731 (1971) the Steipler was shown a report in the journal Hapeles that the government meant to bring back a law making national service compulsory for all girls. He wrote at once to a rav in America, pleading with him to do anything that might help, perhaps an influential delegation to the consul, perhaps an article in a widely read paper, so that the daughters of shomrei Torah umitzvos would be spared.

The letter made a deep impression. Its recipient passed it on to a friend, who asked the Steipler for permission to post it in the batei medrash. The Steipler hesitated. His wording, he explained, made it sound as if he were testifying that a decree was being planned, while he was “a dweller of tents” who knew only what others told him. The year before he had heard of such a plan, and then heard that the aim was only to stop irreligious girls from passing themselves off as religious; he did not know the true facts.

He had written, he said, in shock at the Hapeles report of erev Shavuos, which made the decree seem very near with no one acting to stop it, and he had never imagined the letter would be publicized. Anything made public needs very careful wording, and its source should be given rather than appearing as his own testimony.

Two days later he wrote to the same person again. There was now a persistent rumor that the danger was very great, and he renewed his plea that every possible effort be made. The rav could use the earlier letter as he saw fit.

In 5732 (1972) the law came back with new force, and the Steipler acted again. He first drafted a declaration that the prohibition against conscripting girls in any form, which all the gedolei hador had proclaimed with trembling some twenty years before because it leads to immorality, was still fully in force. In the end he chose instead to republish the original ruling of Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, Rav Zelig Reuven Bengis and the Tchebiner Rov, with a few lines explaining why it was being publicized and that it still applied. He then decided that his own opinion should appear explicitly, and he asked Rav Shach to sign as well, so that it would be clear that both of them agreed.

The announcement was signed in that form on the 20th of Cheshvan 5732. Two days afterwards the decision was made to send it on to Agudas Yisroel's Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. A small change was made, and four of its members signed it, Rav Shach among them. Since the Steipler did not sit on the Moetzes, his name was left off that letter and appeared instead on a second version printed beside it. A month later the Steipler and Rav Shach wrote jointly to Britain's Chief Rabbi and asked him to step in.