My response to always ask questions is until told otherwise my assumption is Rav Landau assumes Rav Chaim Kanievsky was asked the wrong questions the same way Rav Aharon Feldman does since he never claims to have clarified the issue with Rav Chaim Kanievsky. The reason for my assumption is Rav Berel Po Povarsky wrote a letter which my Rosh Yeshiva read intently which makes it clear that he personally was mevarer the issue with Rav Chaim Kanievsky personally with all the pertinent details including all the potential reasons not to be permitted to vote in the w.z.o. elections and he still supported voting for Eretz Hakodesh. Rav Yosef Efrati did the same thing as well. The son of my Rav just spoke to Rav Yosef Efrati’s son Rav Moshe Efrati and he confirmed his father being mevarer with Rav Chaim Kanievsky as well. This is in spite being Rav Elyashivs main gabai (since Rav Elyashiv had stated in 2010 that it was forbidden for Shas to do similarly. Rav Chaim Kanievsky told Rav Efrati he wasn’t arguing on his severe but rather it was a different shayla. Another important point someone else said Rav Aharon Feldman said that he checked with Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky twice and was told by him that he’s against voting. 1st of all that wasn’t Rav Aharon Feldman’s claim. What he actually said was he checked with his gabai twice not Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky himself but more importantly my brother spoke to Rav Shmuels oldest son in Eretz Yisroel and Rav Shmuel’s gabai who both said Rav Shmiel very much supported for Eretz Hakodesh 5 years ago and never retracted from his opinion and now does not have the koach to deal with the issue. My brother then actually was able to reach Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky himself last week who told him to follow his personal posek. Bottom line it’s true that Rav Shmuel does not have the strength to personally deal with the issue now but he certainly supported Eretz Hakodesh in the past and contrary to what some have stated never fell off his original position.
