Menachem Porush died at the age of 94

B"H

Some people may have got confused when they heard that Menachem Porush passed away. When we hear the name "Porush" today, everyone thinks of Me'ir Porush who is the son of Menachem Porush.

I wasn't planning to write about Menachem Porush, as I hardly know him. In the middle of the research concerning Purim and Parashat Tetzaveh / Zachor came the request to post something.

Most details about Menachem Porush are on Wikipedia, however, one incident is not mentioned there. One usually doesn't write this in order to commemorate a person; nevertheless, when you start reading Amnon Levi's book "HaCharedim - The Haredim", you find one famous story about Menachem Porush right on the first page:

I think it was in the 70ies or very early 80ies. At the time when Menachem Porush was still a Knesset member. He said something against the Gerrer (Gur) Rebbe in those days. Only a day or so before Shabbat. It wasn't really against the Gerrer Rebbe but rather a certain remark which Chassidut Gur took too seriously.

Menachem Porush said something like "the Gerrer Rebbe is so old and, therefore, it is not certain how much longer he would live".

Chassidut Gur saw this remark as a total offense and went berserk.

Menachem Porush spent the following Shabbat in one of the hotels near Jerusalem's Central Bus Station. When the hotel guests where still praying downstairs, some Gerrer Chassidim stormed into the hotel, pushed away the Arab receptionist and jumped onto Menachem Porush. They broke some of his rips and I don't know what else.

Just note that at that time, Menachem Porush was not the youngest guy himself but this didn't bother the Gerrers.

The result was that Menachem Porush had to stay in hospital for several weeks and I don't know if the whole fight between his son Me'ir the the present Gerrer Rebbe doesn't have its roots in the beating more than twenty years ago.