An obscure title I came across recently held within some interesting information. Yosef Moshe Krumer was one of the most curious characters of the old yishuv in Jerusalem, and published several pamphlets in 1934 titled “Hatsofeh Lebet Yisrael,” prophesying the coming catastrophes to European Jewry and admonishing the Jews for their sins. Rav Kook gave him an interesting haskamah, writing that the author deserves moral support for his intent of bringing the Jews to Judaism.
The author had messianic ambitions and the book contained many prophecies and doomsday projections of what will befall world Jewry if they do not repent. He writes of his discussion with Dr. Breslauer of Germany, and that he (Krumer) feels obligated to crown Hitler as ruler in order that the punishment of the Jewish sinners in Germany shall be imposed, just as Eliyahu Hanavi crowned Yehu as king so he can destroy the family of the wicked Ahab. Krumer offered to perform miracles in public, to encourage the Jews of Germany to repent and come to the realization that there is only one G-d. Krumer also made this suggestion to Rav Kook, who responded that even if Krumer were to make the sun stand still in the sky as Yehoshua had done in Biblical times, he would not be interested in seeing such a miracle.
On page 6, he describes the practice of the meshulachim of Kollel Hungariah who traveled to America to collect money. “They take advantage of the holy name of the Chatam Sofer. These schnorrers, when they leave to America, they cut their beards…and before their return trip to Jerusalem, they let it grow back. And how much they cheat other people throughout their lives, for who is left today that gives charity, but poor people?… On the stories of trickery of well-known people of the kollelim we can write many books….”
