Sometimes
you have to think very carefully whether or not to react.
The
picture above is one such instance. At a Hafganah (demonstration) last week in Jerusalem to which over 1500 persons attended, Chareidi children were seen
dressed up in concentration camp uniforms wearing the yellow star.
The
charge was against the Israeli
State. It was if to
suggest that the Israeli
State acts and mistreats
elements of Chareidi society in some type of oppressive way comparable to
Nazism.
I
have to say it. This accusation by sectors of the Chareidim, of victimisation by
the Israeli State brings the memory of the six
million into shame.
Orthodox
Jews have never had it so easy. Look at the faces in the pictures of the
Chareidi men and you see everybody looks happy and well, and they are supported
by the State. The ones who should be accused of intolerance are the Chareidim
from Ramat Bet Shemesh who spit and abuse young girls on their way to school
and harass women on the buses, readily supported by their champions in Jerusalem.
Shame
on them.
It's also up to the police and authorities to bring down the full weight of the law to bear on these criminals.
Instead
of placing a ban on the innocuous Mishpacha magazine, perhaps the Rabbanim ought to have banned this mad group of Sikrikim and its bunch of thugs.
The Orthodox world needs proper leadership.
The so-called leaders of the Ashkenazi religious sect are not its actual leaders. Not for lack of ability or merit. Rather the culture that surrounds them heralds them as such and groups of ill-intending hoodlums create statements and positions on their behalf, receiving no actual approbation from the rabbis themselves. In other words, Ashkenazi Haredi leadership has been hijacked. Rav Elyashiv probably doesn't even know what the Mishpacha magazine is. The scenario is most likely as follows: Someone approaches Rav Elyashiv/ Wasner et al, and asks, "Is it true that one shouldn't spend time reading periodicals instead of learning Torah?" The rabbi gives an obvious, "Yes". "And isn't it true that the Torah says that sinful behavior elicits the wrath of God (as per the tochacha)?" Again, "Yes". Next thing you know Rav Elyashiv is quoted as saying that Mishpacha magazine causes cancer. You can go into the Meah Shearim print shops and they have stamps of all the signatures of the rabbis. You can order any poster with any message and get Rav Elyashiv's signature just by asking the printer and assuring him that the rabbi agrees. Again, the absurdity lies in the small group of people who actually believe these "statements" and the community that continues to allow the misrepresentation of Talmidei Chachamim. There's also the problem of the media who publish these moronic articles making it sound like the posters in Meah Shearim represent all Haredi thought and action. Anyone can print and post a sign. It is the self-serving fanatics who compose these ones, and the content is hardly an accurate representation of any truly religious demographic.
ReplyDeleteThank you Elie for your comment and it boils down to distortion of the truth. What is needed therefore is a strong leadership that is able to control the thugs from inside and out
ReplyDeleteLong time no speak! Remember me? I am on the front line! See my recent piece on Jewish Weekly - http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial_opinion/opinion/beit_shemesh_dialogue_only_solution
ReplyDeleteBy the way - well said!!! You are welcome in Free Beit Shemesh anytime!!
Daniel- thanks for your link. Wow-an excellent article.
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you. I hope you are all well.
I think it is very important to recognise that the majority of Chareidi Jews do not act in this way and want to live in a peaceful co-existence with their fellow Jews. It is vital that rabbis throughout the world and especially in Israel speak out against violent and aggressive behaviour . In the words of the gemara: shtika kemodah dami- if you are silent then you acquiesce.
Agreed that most Charedim are neither violent nor support violence. The problem though is deeper. There is a great passisivity amongst the Rabbis at the community or institutional level for various reasons and the Gedolim are surrounded by askonim (not a good thing!) this leaves a terrible vacuum, and vacuums do not last very long. Secondly this violence has existed for a long timr, paradoxically within the Charedi community, but has not been dealt with. It is hard for them now to say ידנו לא שפכו את הדם הזה.
ReplyDeleteThey need to be much more מעורב עם הבריות and prepared to make a stand. Daniel again from my PC at home
I've just signed this link below:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.unitedsilentmajority.org/index.php
I hope you saw my other post on Ramat Beth Shemesh-
ReplyDeletehttp://machshavot-ruminationsofarabbi.blogspot.com/2011/12/madness-in-ramat-beth-shemesh.html