Dear Rabbi Lamm, I met with Dr. Burg on Erev Shabbat concerning your letter to Golda Meir. In between his various jokes and stories, I managed to learn that a committee composed of members of just about every party has been formed to oversee the Shapiro project. Burg, therefore, called the project "non-political." However, in subsequent meetings with the Ministry's spokesman Yaakov Agassi (Shapiro’s ex-otzar) and a few other insiders I was able to piece together the following. The "committee" is a collection of names but in actual practice it is a Mafdal directed affair. The Shapiro project, it seems, will after all be Gush Ezion, but not the kibbutz Kfar Ezion but the Mercaz Aizori (the hill on which the Yeshiva stands—where you slept the night you attended seminar). They plan to develop that hill—or Yad Shapiro as it is slated to be called—into a large educational center to the tune of IL10 million. The Rothschilds are throwing in the lion’s share (here's where Kav Amital got his money), the government will give another large chunk and private donations will complete it.Now \_\_\_ has been informed that if he agrees to move his Bet Sefer Sadeh and proposed Medrashiat Har Chevron to the Mercaz Aizori he can share in the kitty, however, \_\_\_ has stubbornly refused. He is interested in Kfar Ezion and that's it. Despite the many logical reasons other than financial presented to dissuade him (e.g. a kibbutz is a community and not the place where you want groups of visiting kids floating around all day), he has stubbornly refused.Agassi and Moskovitz of Misrad Hapnim have told me frankly that if we can convince \_\_\_ to make the move and join him in his Medrashiat Har Chevron there can be quite a bit of money for Gesher in the deal. However, I know well and he will not budge. No amount of money will lure him from furthering the development of his precious Kfar Ezion in the direction that he wants.And so this is the situation. Naturally, I will have a long talk with …

Dear Danny: Many thanks for the copy of Shaki's speech in the Knesset and the report on it in Hatzofe. Yes, I do type out my sermons, strange and superfluous that that might seem. I am not sure I know why I do it.... By now you have received a cable from Chaim about supplying the material for Golda Meir, to follow up my letter to her and Burg. It is a long shot, but I pray that it will prove fruitful. Warmest regards to your wife and child and keep in touch. Cordially yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Enclosed are a few copies of our new magazine, Keshet B’Anan. Designed to maintain closer contact with our seminarians and participants in the chugim, and to broaden our base among high school youth, this magazine is the first to include both dati and lo-dati youth on its editorial board and to be geared to all Israeli youth. We printed 1500 of the first issue and are distributing them to all Israeli high schools. In reference to your letter to the Prime Minister: I’ve scheduled an appointment with Dr. Burg for next week, will discuss the matter with him, and will keep you informed. It is indeed a long shot, but, then again, one of these long shots are bound to come through. At your suggestion, I’ve taken an interest in the "hippie kibbutz" Kedma, and we are helping to get them started. My experiences there have been, to say the very least, different! I see a great future for them, if they can overcome the initial hurdles which the Agency is placing in their way. I've arranged for shiurim, for a rotating sy^yem among the Americans at Kerem B’Yavne to spend Shabbat there and conduct services, etc. As a matter of fact, the Mandels offered me the position of rabbi, but it’s not quite the sort of "shtele" I'm interested in... Our next youth seminar will be held Choi Hamoed Pesach, and registration is extremely high. Our limit of fifty youngsters will probably compel us to reject at least a similar number. Projected deficit: $1000. Best regards to Mindy and the children. Sincerely, Danny

רב הראשי נורמן לאם בית הכנסת היהודי 131 רחוב 86 מערב ניו יורק, נ.י. 10024 כ"ד שבט תשכ"א 19.2.71 לכבוד ראש הממשלה גברת גולדה מאיר הקריה ירושלים גברתי ראש הממשלה: נודע לי לאחרונה שלפני זמן מה, בישיבת הוועדה להנצחת זכרו של מר משה חיים שפירא ז"ל, הציעה ראש הממשלה שיוקם מוסד מיוחד בגוש עציון לשם קירוב הלבבות בין הדתיים והחילוניים. אין כבוד ראש הממשלה צריכה לסיוע או לעצה מיהודי פשוט, בפרט אחד שמתגורר (עוד) בחוץ לארץ. אולם, בתור יהודי שנפשו קשורה בנפש המדינה ואשר עשה שם כמה חדשים שנה זו, יורשה-נא לי להציע תכנית שהיא כבר קיימת ופעילה, ודוקא מתרכזת בגוש עציון. שם התנועה – "גשר", תנועת צעירים וצעירות שמטרתה לעודד ולעזור לקירוב הלבבות בין שני המחנות ללא פוליטיקה וללא מפלגתיות. מגמת ה"גישור" – הכבוד ההדדי ואחווה יהודית. "גשר" נוסד על-ידי צעירים דתיים בארה"ב, נוער עצמאי הנאמן למסורה והמסור למדינה, שקיבל על עצמו שתי משימות: עלייה לארץ והבאת שלום בין המחנות. דרך עבודתה היא לא לבוא מן החוץ עם כל התשובות והפתרונים באמתחותיהם, אלא לעורר ולעודד את פעולת הקירוב בין אזרחי ישראל – ועל-ידיהם. בחול המועד סוכות ש"ז, סידר "גשר" סמינריון בכפר עציון לקבוצה מעורבת של נוער דתי וחילוני. זכינו להצלחה מרשימה, בלתי-צפויה, והתחלנו לתכנן סדרה של מפגשים כאלה בגוש עציון באופן קבוע. אנו משוכנעים שבהשקעה מועטת נזכה להשגים חשובים במידה שהצדיקו את כל תקוותיה של ראש הממשלה. נוכחנו לדעת שדעת הקהל היא סימפטיה לפעולותינו, וששיטת עבודתנו יש לה הדים טובים בקרב כל ההוגים. ביקשתי ממשרד "גשר" בארץ לספק לכבודה את החומר הדרוש בכדי להכיר ולהעריך את התנועה ואת פעולותיה. בקשתי היא איפוא שכבוד מעלתה תסמוך ידיה על מפעל זה ותמליץ על "גשר" כמוסד המוכשר למלא את התפקידים אותם הזכירה בישיבת הוועדה הנ"ל בכנסת. נחום לאם

Dear Rabbi Lamm, I met with Dr. Burg on Erev Shabbat concerning your letter to Golda Meir. In between his various jokes and stories, I managed to learn that a committee composed of members of just about every party has been formed to oversee the Shapiro project. Burg, therefore, called the project "non-political." However, in subsequent meetings with the Ministry's spokesman Yaakov Agassi (Shapiro’s ex-azaer) and a few other insiders I was able to piece together the following:The “committee” is a collection of names, but in actual practice it is a Mafdal-directed affair. The Shapiro project, it seems, will after all be Gush Etzion—but not the kibbutz Kfar Etzion, rather the *Mercaz Azori* (the hill on which the Yeshiva stands—where you slept the night you attended the seminar). They plan to develop that hill—or *Yad Shapiro* as it is slated to be called—into a large educational center to the tune of IL 10 million. The Rothschilds are throwing in the lion’s share (here's where Rav Amital got his money), the government will give another large chunk, and private donations will complete it.Now \_\_\_ has been informed that if he agrees to move his *Beit Sefer Sadeh* and proposed *Midrashiat Har Chevron* to the *Mercaz Azori*, he can share in the kitty. However, \_\_\_ has stubbornly refused. He is interested in Kfar Etzion and that’s it. Despite the many logical reasons other than financial presented to dissuade him (e.g., a kibbutz is a community and not the place where you want groups of visiting kids floating around all day), he has stubbornly refused.Agassi and Moskovitz of Misrad HaPnim have told me frankly that if we can convince \_\_\_ to make the move and join him in his Midrashiat Har Chevron, there can be quite a bit of money for Gesher in the deal. However, I know \_\_\_ well, and he will not budge. No amount of money will lure him from furthering the development of his precious Kfar Etzion in the direction that he wants.And so this is the situation. Natural…

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Gesher’s Seminar #2 ended last night and was, believe it or not, even more successful than #1. Despite the worst weather all winter, and the most rainy Pesach on record (it rained all or parts of every day, temperatures dropped into the 30’s) Gesher pulled off another one. The truth is that due to the cold I was unable to be at Kfar Etzion most of the time (couldn’t possibly expose the children to it) but from what I saw and heard it was a gem. First let me provide you with some of the essential data and then I can relate a few ‘human interest’ stories which capture the essence of the experience. There were 44 participants (of the 48 who registered – which astounded us, since flood warnings went out that morning on the radio, for the Kfar Etzion area), 6 madrichim (of whom four were from the Bet Sefer Sadeh, including Chanan, and two whom we brought ourselves) and Yakov Boyar supervising and organizing. The seminar began on Tuesday Chol Hamoed Pesach, and lasted five days, till Motzaei Shabbat. The students were representatives of 12 schools from the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheba areas.

Dear Danny: I received your letter on Erev Pesach and was sorry to learn of [redacted]’s stubbornness. Of course, I admire it – but regret it. I hope you can move him at least somewhat, in order that both he and we benefit from the funds available for the Etzion project. Maybe you can persuade him that memorials to the past are meaningful only if they produce something for the present and the future, and that otherwise we mortgage the future to the dead hand of the past. I talked to Chaim who seemed very, very inspired by his visit, but I have not yet had the opportunity of getting details from him. I look forward to getting that in a couple of weeks. My warmest good wishes from household to household.Cordially yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Danny: The enclosed letter to Jakob Michael was sent along with a Xeroxed copy of your letter to me. The "season" is now beginning and the frightening crush of work is beginning to pile up. So forgive me for my brevity and do keep me informed about developments in Gesher. One favor: I have been sending you a good deal of my correspondence concerning Kedmah. I just received a letter from Rabbi Kirshblum, in response to my request to him, informing me that Jewish Agency support would continue until the end of the calender year, and would I try to prevail on Mandel to be more flexible and cooperative. I hesitate to put everything on paper in my correspondence with Kirshblum, so please call him and tell him that I have been in touch with you and requested of you to inform him of my gratitude for his help in extending the date. Also, tell him that I have been writing voluminously to Mandel, especially sug-gesting that a public committee be formed. My suggestion to Kirshblum is that he, on behalf of the Jewish Agency, demand that one or two of his people be appointed to this public commission. Just for your information, and your eyes only, I am enclosing the latest letter from Mandel to me. Frankly, I don't know what to believe any more and I wish I could somehow get out of the whole situation gracefully. Let me know what has happened, and give my warmest good wishes to your wife. Mindy joins me in wishing the two of you and your family a happy, healthy, successful New Year. Cordially, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear All, Its been a while since I've written and seen cabinet members and I have quite a bit to report: 1. On Monday Yaakov, Chanan, a few selected madrichim and I sat down for a six hour meeting (to be continued this Tuesday) reviewing the summer seminars and planning coming steps. It was a very healthy and important meeting and a few small but significant changes will be made in the future seminars as a result. 2. On Friday we met once again with the architect Shaked. All final changes were made and now he's beginning the drawing. Since Moshko is still in England and a final choice of a site cannot be made, Shaked will not draw the exact institution but something more or less similar to what he has in mind. Should be ready in 2 weeks. 3. Now a very important item: There have been two developments which have greatly combined to point a slightly new, but very exciting direction for Gesher: a) We have spoken of Gesher thusfar as a program to foster unity within Israel, with the stress on the dati-lo dati problem. However, in recent months the Sefardic-Ashkenazic scism, or better the economic class differences which run roughly along "racial" lines has erupted into a major crisis. Now this issue is very interrelated with the dati problem for many reasons and you can no more speak of unity while ignoring this issue. In addition, a great deal of $$ is being allocated, fer and in long range terms a great more will be, for work in this area. We must get involved. b) Gesher was formed to change attitudes. Theoretically, it would be better to run scores of seminars, each time for new people, however, the seminar kids refuse to let us do this. In 2 recent meetings with the kids we have heard bitter cries that we are ignoring the veterans in favor of expansion. Their claim is that we cannot ignite a new dimension in their life and immediately abandon them. They are right. Willy-nilly, like it or not, Gesher is slowly developing into a youth movement on the line of NCSY. How…

Dear Rabbi Lamm, I have received the copy of your letter to [redacted] and as you requested will use it only with the greatest of caution. Frankly, I have not visited [redacted] in quite a while and am somewhat on the outside at present. There have been a great many developments in Gesher recently. We have had two radio shows on Gesher (Galei Zahali 7 minutes and Kol Yisroel, ½ hour) and an excellent article on Gesher appeared in last week's Maariv lanoar. As our seminars expand, more and more people are beginning to hear about and talk about Gesher. The most exciting thing, however, has been the internal developments within Gesher. Under separate cover I am sending you a carbon copy of my latest "Dear All" letter, i.e. my letters to the newly formed Gesher cabinet. This letter, I believe, will give you a fair idea of where we stand and what we're doing. My very best wishes are extended to you, Mindy and your children for a כתיבה וחתימה טובה. Yours very truly, Danny