Amram Blau

Amram Blau (1894–1974) was a Haredi rabbi from the Hungarian community of Jerusalem. He was one of the founders of the fiercely Anti-Zionist Neturei Karta.

Blau was born in Jerusalem, and grew up in the Meah Shearim neighbourhood. Like his brother Rabbi Moshe Blau who was a leader in the Agudat Israel movement, he was also active in the Aguda during the British Mandate era and was the editor of its newspaper, Kol Israel (Voice of Israel).[1] But when the Aguda began to lean towards a modus vivendi with the Zionist leaders, Blau claimed that the Aguda had sold out to the Zionist movement and in 1937 broke away and founded Neturei Karta.[2]

Anti-Zionism

After the establishment of the State of Israel, Neturei Karta continued its staunch opposition to a Jewish state, in agreement with the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, author of the anti-Zionist Vayoel Moshe which advocated non-recognition of the State of Israel on theological grounds. Blau ran in the 1949 Knesset elections as the second-placed candidate on the Traditional Judaism list,[3] which failed to win a seat. Prior to the Six-Day War, Blau even went so far as to propose moving to Jordanian controlled East Jerusalem to avoid the secular temptations of modern Israel.[4]

He was imprisoned many times for demonstrating against public violations of Shabbat, the conscription of religious women, the opening of a mixed-sex swimming pool, and other government policies. Most of his sentences were served at the Russian Compound, but he also did a five-month stint at Ramla prison. On two occasions he went out in public wearing sackcloth as a sign of protest.[5]

Controversy on his second marriage

Blau's first wife, Hinda (née Weber), died in 1963. In 1965 he married Ruth Ben-David, a convert 26 years younger than he. Born Madeleine Lucette Ferraille (1920-2000) to a Catholic family in Calais, France, she had married her first husband Henri Baud in France on 5 September 1939. They had one child, Claude. They divorced on 31 July 1944.[6] She and Claude converted to Judaism in 1950 and went to Israel. She became interested in Judaism and then in Orthodox Judaism, but eventually embraced the anti-Zionist views of Satmar and adopted the way of life of the Neturei Karta group. She was involved in the Yossele Schumacher affair. Ruth met Amram Blau in Israel via a shidduch.[7] The match was opposed by Blau's two adult sons[2] and by the rabbinical court of the Edah HaChareidis, so the couple had to move to Bnei Brak,[8] but a year later they returned to Mea Shearim.[2][9][10]

Blau died in 1974. He was interred at Har HaMenuchot. Ruth Blau continued to act as an independent wing of Neturei Karta.

References

  1. ↑ Zimmer, Uriel. "The Guardians of the City". Neturei Karta International. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  2. 1 2 3 Odenheimer, Micha (Spring 2006). "We Do Not Believe We Will Not Follow". Guilt and Pleasure (2).
  3. ↑ Traditional Judaism list Israel Democracy Institute
  4. ↑ "Fifty Years Ago in the Forward". The Forward. 2006-09-22. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  5. ↑ 1974 interview with Yitzchak Kahan, published in Sha'ah Tovah, 10 July 2009.
  6. ↑ Blau, Ruth. Les Gardiens de la cité Histoire d'une guerre sainte. Paris, Flammarion, 1978.
  7. ↑ Cashman, Greer Fay (3 March 2000). "No stranger to controversy". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 19 January 2001.
  8. ↑ "The Lost Leader". Time. 1965-09-10. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  9. ↑ "Neturei Karta Leader Adamant to Marry the Convert Ruth Ben David". Davar (in Hebrew). 14 July 1965.
  10. ↑ "Amram Blau Married to Ruth Ben David". Davar (in Hebrew). 3 September 1965.
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