A group of inhabitants of the town of Slobodka, near Kovno, where the famous Slobodka Yeshiba is situated, has lodged a protest with the Central Committee of the Federation of Lithuanian Rabbis, against the conduct of the recent election to the Rabbinate of Slobodka, which resulted in the return of Rabbi Zusmanovitch, the son-in-law of Rabbi Epstein, former Principal of the Slobodka Yeshiba who is now head of the Slobodka Yeshiba at Hebron in Palestine. The protest alleges that there were many illegalities committed in connection with the election. The envelopes in which the ballot papers were placed, it is said, were so flimsy that it was possible to read for whom the electors had voted; improper influence and pressure, it is further said, was brought to bear on many electors to induce them to vote in a certain way and many electors were actually bribed. The Central Board of Rabbi is asked to annul the election.
Rabbi Zusmanovitch’s election as Rabbi of Slobodka has nothing to do with the Slobodka Yeshiba, it is pointed out, and Rabbi Scher, who has been Principal of the Yeshiba since Rabbi Epstein went to Palestine remains the head of the Yeshiba. The Central Board of Lithuanian Rabbis, it is stated, has notified Rabbi Zusmanovitch that unless he signs a declaration that he will make no attempt to conduct a rival Yeshiba in opposition to Slobodka, it will refuse to recognise his election to the Slobodka Rabbinate.
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