Oversight: The Week in Review

Sunday: Arab MKs attend Hamas victory rally

Haneen Zoabi and two other Arab MKs joined in the singing of the Palestinian national anthem at a victory rally for Hamas, held near Acre. This behavior is consistent with Zoabi's unabashed, continuous anti-Israel incitement and other traitorous activities, including her presence on the Mavi Marmara. At the rally Zoabi lamented the 2,000 Hamas martyrs of 'her people' that were killed by the IDF. Much to Zoabi's mortification, she and those 2,000 martyrs will be barred entry into Paradise, because that is strictly reserved for the truly righteous people of the world and for the millions of history's genuine Jewish martyrs. Zoabi and friends will be most chagrined when confronted at the Heavenly gates by a sign that says OCCUPIED!

Monday: Haredim continue protests

The small group of followers of hard-liner Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach and some Eda Haredit elders are ostensibly protesting the arrest of Yeshiva students who fail to report to IDF enlistment offices. Far more serious is their readiness to embrace the utterly mendacious claim that the government is intent on removing any semblance of Judaism from Israel. As one youthful protester declares,"The haredi world is at war with the state, and needs to fight for its values." Why is it, that those who profess to be the most religious are seemingly unable to acknowledge God's daily miracles and the Divine Hand that shapes Israel's destiny? What a shame! What a pity! What a waste!

Tuesday: Britain to strip passports of jihadi fighters

The growing Islamization of Europe is now beginning to be viewed by Britain, France, and Germany as posing a clear and present danger to their western way of life and culture. Research in Britain indicates that more than 30% of its Muslim students favor the establishment of a world-wide caliphate. An ISIS video that vividly depicts the decapitation of an American journalist by a person with a British accent raised the concern that radicalized Britons who were trained by terrorist forces could upon their return commit attacks against Britain itself. PM Cameron felt that the best way to keep his head would be to submit legislation that would prohibit their reentry.

Wednesday: Indictment of IDF chief Ashkenazi

The charge of breach of public trust against any individual is an extremely serious one, and much more so when the accused are all senior members of the nation's defense establishment. From its very beginning, with the introduction of a forged document, the Harpaz Affair had a stench about it, and seemed to be based on petty rivalries among significant people, whose actions clearly demonstrated their inability to put aside considerations of personal ego and ambition even for the sake of the national interest. Nothing about it was in the least bit gallant.

Thursday: Obama vows to destroy Islamic State

The horrific beheadings of two American Journalist by ISIS terrorists have prompted Pres.Obama to forcibly declare his intent to destroy the metastasizing Islamic State "so that it is no longer a threat, not just to Iraq but also the region and to the United States." Could it be that Obama is beginning to awaken to the threat of fanatical Islam and the unholy relationship between Iran, Qatar, ISIS, the  Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Fatah? If so, he and the world's democracies must take determined immediate action to annihilate these forces of evil, and they must come to the belated realization that their only reliable ally in this battle for safeguarding Western civilization is the State of Israel.

The Sins of Satmar

Sir, - One of the cardinal challenges with which Judaism confronts Man is the dictate of imitatio dei: to serve God by imitating His ways. The Psalmist describes Him as "Healer of the broken-hearted and the One Who binds up their sorrows."

As one who purports to be a rabbinical leader of a large Hasidic sect, not only has the Satmar Rebbe failed to follow these rather clear postulates, but he has chosen to add grief and pain to the shattered hearts of those holy and awesome families in the midst of their mourning by ascribing to them the blame for the death of their sons.

Instead of calling on these princely couples to do tshuva for sending their sons to learn Torah in the heartland of Jewish history, it would behoove the Rebbe to consider his own need of tshuva for pursuing a warped and decayed doctrine that denies sanctity and merit to God's miracle that is the State of Israel due to its not being established by the Messiah.

I fear that the dreadful and divisive statements of the Satmar Rebbe, when the entire nation is prayerfully weeping over its fallen sons, will give cause to the Messiah to further delay his long-awaited arrival.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: Flickr user diluvi]

Toxic Remarks: Tzipi Livni and Rabbi Nissan Kaplan

Sir, - Readers of the Jerusalem Post were confronted with two disturbing headlines on Sunday May 18 and in fact both reflect a venomous posture towards the state of Israel and its people. The first headline relates to the unauthorized meeting that took place in London between Tzipi Livni and the PA's Mahmoud Abbas; the second cites a repulsive and toxic statement from a rabbi of the Mir Yeshiva who declared that "government officials should in theory be killed."

It appears to me that Naftali Bennet's comments about Livni that describe her as a "satellite lost in orbit, with no connection to the planet earth" can unhesitatingly be applied to the Yeshiva scholar Rabbi Nissan Kaplan as well. The physical disconnect that Bennet describes is, however, unfortunately inadequate to fully portray the depth of their folly. They both seem to lack a basic appreciation or understanding of the 'heavenly miracle' that is the State of Israel or the real concerns of its people and their core values.

Tzipi Livni, in her desperate pursuit of an Israel-Palestinian peace treaty, is evidently willing to ignore the real danger that is inherent in meeting with a unified Hamas-PLO entity, wherein Hamas insists on its intention to annihilate the Zionist state. Their continuing rocket attacks against Israel and attempts to kidnap soldiers clearly demonstrate an implacable intent to unite their words of enmity with murderous deeds. She needs to understand that her primary obligation is to the security of the people of Israel with absolutely no room for compromise or weakness. 

The words describing the Israeli government as 'Amelekites' and therefore worthy of being killed borders on pathology no matter if it emerges from Rabbi Kaplan or any so called 'Gedolim,' be they Ashkenazi or Sfardi. His pathetic remarks and inane games played with his children are both symptoms of the terrible growing divide that separates the Haredi world from the rest of Israel, and worse is the Haredi world's ingratitude for the fact that currently there is more Torah being learned in the state of Israel with the support of the 'Amelikites' and the security provided by the IDF than any other period of Jewish history. It is time that these facts were honestly recognized by the Yeshiva world, and that they gather the courage to thank the Almighty for His daily miracles even when they come dressed in non-velvet kippot.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: WEF and Wikimedia user yoavlemmer]

Mis-God-ed Haredi Values

Sir, - Rabbi Berel Wein succeeds in presenting us with a most insightful and robust analysis of some of the important tensions and contradictions that plague the Lithuanian Haredi community. He succeeds in doing so by employing satirical humor and thus is able to some degree soften the portrayal of the often very sharp conflicts that exist in that very distinct community. He is further aided in his coherent analysis by a sensitivity that stems from a sense of identity (since he identifies himself as belonging to this community) which serves to endow his critical remarks with not only a profound sense of poignancy but also with the ring of truth and accuracy.

He correctly points to some of the crucial matters in which the Lithuanian Haredim have adopted customs that intensely highlight the dissonance between their present communal practices and the desired righteous path expounded by our Prophets and prescribed by our sages. The dignity of labor that enables economic sustenance and the avoidance of becoming a burden to others, alongside the proud participation in a military that defends the Jewish people and the state of Israel, are two of the most important of these divisive issues. The ambiance within which these pivotal attitudes find expression is pervaded by a deeply felt sense of distrust of the entire Zionist enterprise and of all its institutions based on an attribution of illegitimacy to any major development in the story of our people that has not yet won the imprimatur of those who see themselves as God's spokesmen. This is especially so in their view of the fact that many of the State's founding fathers were visibly secular.

Unfortunately, their extreme misguided and mis-God-ed outlooks have also succeeded in influencing and misshaping the values of other segments of the Haredi community. The former Poale Agudath Israel, with its healthy positive outlook toward the nobility and importance of labor, and favoring of the full participation in the economic and military life of Eretz Yisrael within a framework of diligent observance, has slowly witnessed the erosion of those values and their substitution by a separatist orientation. The former Shas MK Rabbi Chaim Ansalem has bemoaned the negative and alien inroads made into the mores and values of the traditional Sephardic community regarding attitudes toward the Zionist program and the necessity to maintain a vibrant work ethic and a vigilant security structure.

The story related by Rabbi Wein about the Haredi professional engineer who sought his counsel about making a trip to America in order to "schnorr" funds for a child's wedding, when questioned if it was not more desirable to work in his profession rather than go begging, replied that in the milieu in which he was living a father who worked (and did not spend his full time learning) would have a negative effect on the Shidduch prospects. This extreme anecdote, while inviting both pity and revulsion, also serves to illustrate the extreme problems within the Haredi community.

Above all, one would expect from those who claim to value Torah to be first in their ability to discern the Divine Presence that accompanies Jewish History and that endows the life of Am Yisrael and its reborn sovereign State with distinctive majesty and eminent religious significance.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

Haredim Fighting the Draft

Sir,  - The unsightly scene captured by the photograph on your front page showing ultra-Orthodox men protesting outside a military prison is in reality depicting a phenomenon far more ugly and perilous than appears at a first glance. In fact your underlined caption "Fighting the Draft"  that appears beneath the picture is itself quite misleading.

A deeper understanding of what is taking place can be found in the sign that appears in the center of the photograph and reads "It is better to die than to enlist in the Zionist apostasy army." This frenetic fringe group is without either hesitation or subtlety, publicly declaring their opposition not only to the drafting into the army but opposition to the army itself. For them the army is 'apostasy' and 'impure' and it expresses a complete detachment that forbids entrance into its satanic and sinful clutches under any circumstances be they benign or enforced. The army for them is tarfus and they proclaim their willingness to die rather than being part of it.

Unfortunately, the above extreme fanaticism, while it is being expressed by a minority of Haredim, is a reflection of a more widely held attitude that views the entire Zionist enterprise, including the establishment of the State of Israel and all of its institutions, as illegitimate. The only hope of altering their position would be the (admittedly unlikely) condemnation and reeducation of this group by the respected sages of the Haredi world.

In the meantime. they will continue to desecrate God's name and invite the growing resentment of most Israelis, secular and religious, who are able to see and appreciate the Divine Hand that was responsible for the miracles involved in the establishment of Israel and its glorious army.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: Nir Hason]

The True Religious Jews of Beit Shemesh

Sir, -  My focus on Beit Shemesh, I must admit, stems from the fact that my son and his family are residents in Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph. Although they themselves are religious Zionists and totally observant, they have chosen to live in a religiously pluralistic community comprising Haredim, Religious Zionist, and Secular. They felt that it is important for the building of a healthy Israeli society wherein the various components may learn to appreciate and respect one another and thus strengthen the ties that bind us all.

Sadly, now 14 years later there is almost no one left of the secular segment, mainly due to the unfortunate fact that the Haredi world does not view this goal as being of paramount importance and in no manner does it encourage the tolerance necessary towards its realization.

The usual meticulous standards of Haredi religious observance seem to totally disappear when engaged in a bitterly contested mayoralty election. Ethics, morality, civility, truth, and honorable behavior can be easily exchanged by deception, lies, name calling, and totally irreligious behavior -- and this is done despite Harav Ovadiah Yosef's ubiquitous portrait. Is not the portrait of this Torah giant being debased when exploited for partisan political purposes?

The incumbent mayor had signs stating that "True religious Jews vote Abutbul." Who are these true religious Jews? Are they dressed in black garb, getting themselves arrested for the use of fraudulent identity cards in order to elect a 'religious' candidate, or is it rather my son -- the graduate of a Hesder Yeshiva and a practicing attorney who while strict in his religious observance continues to serve in the Army Reserves even though he has long finished with his reserve obligations, and in all his endeavors strives to bring honor to God's name?

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petach Tikva

[Image credit: צביקי ולדמן]

J.Post June 14: What Would Moses Say to Haredi Protesters?

Sir, – The challenging retort of Moses to the tribes of Reuben and Gad in regard to their request to settle on the east of the Jordan while the remaining tribes were to be engaged in the battles necessitated by their entrance into the promised land, should serve as a most appropriate rejoinder to those haredim in New York who were protesting against Israel’s drafting of yeshiva students for military service (“Thousands of haredim in lower Manhattan protest IDF draft,” June 11).

“Shall your brothers go out to war while you sit here?” (Numbers 32).

 Is there a need for any more to be said?

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petah Tikva 

Manhattan Haredi Protest: The Ugly Truth

Sir, - I was both profoundly grieved as well as deeply angered when reading about American haredim who planned a major rally in Manhattan to protest the draft of Israeli yeshiva students. The planned rally was canceled before it was held. I would like to address my thoughts about the rally and its subsequent cancellation and how it reflects an ugly, growing and misguided gap between that group of American haredim and the God-fearing, Torah observant, Zionist community in Israel.

 

Although the Almighty's thoughts are beyond our mortal comprehension, I would venture to say that He desired the cancellation of the rally, because if it were held the Desecration of His Name and that of the State and people of Israel would have been beyond his sufferance. A number of glaring aspects of the portrayal of the reasons for the rally and its cancellation testify to its being conceived in sin and motivated basically by ill-will toward the State of Israel and its glowing accomplishments.

 

Unfortunately Agudath Israel still is unable to embrace the reality of the sovereign State and is thus forced into the tortured casuistry expressed by its executive vice president who states that "while Agudath Israel was not a sponsor [(why not?)] of the rally it nonetheless enjoys the strong backing of Agudath Israel's rabbinic leadership." It is important to note the anonymity of the rabbis in support of the rally, while the only named rabbinic luminary, Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, who assumed the mantel of world Torah leadership upon the passing of Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv, was reported to be against the event.

  

Agudath Israel spokesman Rabbi Avi Shafran, usually an intelligent and well-balanced presenter, is evidently forced into the unenviable comical position of trying to explain the patent absurdity of the reasons for the cancellation. He offers that "the senior ultra-orthodox rabbis felt that now [(i.e. during the wake of the Boston marathon attack)] would not be an appropriate time to gather masses of visibly Jewish Jews into one area for such an event." We are compelled to ask Rabbi Shafran how this rally is any different from the tens of rallies held by visibly Jewish haredim -- and this rally was

scheduled for Manhattan, which is a fair distance from Boston.

 
However, the most troubling question is what was the initial purpose of the rally and how that relates to the Torah-committed and army-serving community in Israel. We are informed that it was intended as a forum for prayers for "heavenly mercy" in the face of the ''possibility" that full time yeshiva students may be required to serve in the Israeli army. It is again worthy of note that there are far more efficient ways to evoke heavenly mercy, such as declaring a day of fasting and prayer, that do not require the presence of screaming masses.

The biggest violation of truth and self deception took place when the formerly quoted Agudath Israel executive vice president emphasized that the rally was not meant to be "a demonstration or protest against the State of Israel, or an effort to enlist the American public or the American government in a campaign to fight the proposed new law." I am sorry to say that anyone with a minimum of intelligence and integrity, including the anonymous rabbis themselves, would understand that a visible mass demonstration like the one planned was designed to accomplish exactly that.

 The important truths concerning this issue may be summed up as follows. The draft laws in the state of Israel are not those of Czarist Russia which meant being drafted into a hostile environment. There are tens of thousands of Hesder Yeshiva students that willingly and proudly study Torah and combine it with army service vital to the security of Israel and the continued existence of the Jewish Homeland. Instead of organizing massive protests against the State, any rabbi worthy of the title should positively embrace the state of Israel and the fact that here, where we are surrounded by major hostile forces, God has enabled and blessed the State of Israel with the ability to engulf in its midst more Torah learning and learners than any other period of Jewish history, while at the same time enhancing His name by the state's achievements in science and technology, agriculture, medicine, and all worthy areas that can alleviate suffering, and help make His world a better place.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: IDF spokesperson]

Ultra-Orthodox Chutzpah Won't Appreciate IDF

Sir - The ugly and irresponsible statements made by self-styled ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student Doniel Hool provide stark evidence that the curriculum of his yeshiva is heavily weighted toward teaching ingratitude, resentment and hate, while leaving little time for the actual study of Torah or the meaning of "Ahavat Yisrael." 

 

He describes the State of Israel (of which he feels no part) as the biggest freeloaders in the history of mankind because it receives large sums in military and hospital aid. If Doniel was to remove the blinders from his eyes, he would appreciate the fact that it is the men, women and children -- including tens of thousands of haredim -- who constitute "Klal Yisrael," that are the beneficiaries of this largesse when they receive the protection provided by the IDF or, when ill, fill its hospitals.

When Doniel relates the story of Ben-Gurion and Hebron as told by Rabbi Sarna to his father, he seems to be unaware that Rabbi Sarna himself begins with "when Jewish soldiers captured Hebron" and an appreciation of that fact is lost on Doniel. Ben-Gurion may have indeed expressed willingness to acknowledge the contribution of the Hebron bocherim and their spiritual input to the final outcome, but in no way did he imply that Hebron was won due to the sole effort of those bocherim. We are sadly left with the irony of Ben-Gurion's granting recognition to the spiritual side, whereas according to Doniel's understanding there is no recognition or appreciation that is due to the heroic fighters of the IDF.
 

Doniel describes his father as a most worthy man who volunteered to come to Israel during the Six Day War, and I say therefore with a degree of certainty that he does not seem the type that would besmirch the good name of Israel by repeating the malicious blasphemies and falsehoods about those "who want to close down yeshivot and other houses of ultra-Orthodox study."

 

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

Ponevezh Time Movie: A Disturbing Glimpse

Sir, - 'Ponevezh Time,' the film made by Yehonatan Indursky, provides us with an intimate, yet obviously caring look into one of the haredi world's most prestigious bastions of study. Indursky, who from the age of 16 spent three years at the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, brings an insider's knowledge to his portrayal, together with a great measure of empathy and understanding. However, his film alerts us to a number of serious concerns that are common to huge institutions, be they haredi or secular. 

 

click here to view full trailer

The most blatant of the concerns begins with the circumstances that caused Indursky himself to feel compelled to leave the Yeshiva that he so much admired. He relates the feeling of being "utterly at sea there" and "on your own, with no one to turn to." Did this most respected institution maintain an atmosphere that valued excellence in Torah studies above the emotional health and well-being of the individual student? 

In view of the fact that most of those who enter Ponevezh are of adolescent age -- and are thereby afflicted and conflicted with much inner emotional turmoil regarding their religious, theological, sexual, economic, social, and military behavior -- it would seem that a major priority would be a staff that combined great Torah knowledge with a warmth of personality to provide a responsive ear and understanding for their concerns.

 

The great Torah sages throughout Jewish history knew how to combine their brilliance in Torah with brilliance of character -- along with a deep understanding of the human condition -- so they were successful at imparting their love of learning to their disciples with warmth, acceptance, and love. 

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

Naftali Bennet and Yair Lapid: Not Haredi-Haters

Sir, - Shas's labeling of the Bennet-Lapid ties as a "bond of hating ultra-Orthodox" is utterly reprehensible. Besides being completely false, it appears to be maliciously slanderous. It most unfortunately and gratuitously injects the element of hatred where it is not present, and it thus further tears asunder the national cohesiveness that we so desperately need.

Not having participated in the convoluted political maneuvering of coalition building, I cannot and will not attempt to rationalize or justify any of the machinations involved, but I most assuredly assert that they are not at all grounded in hatred. The contrary seems to be closer to the truth. Both Naftali Bennet and Yair Lapid have clearly stated and demonstrated their respect for Torah Learning and have stressed its importance in our national calculus. They do have differences with the Haredi parties on plans for trying to find solutions to the very real problems of equitably sharing in the national burden of military and civilian service. My impressions are that they are sincere and not in the least motivated by hatred of Haredim. In fact, it was the Shas mentor who was first to introduce contempt for the other side by labeling the 'Bayit Yehudi' membership as "goyim."

At a time when our country is surrounded by increasing hostility and hatred it is of the utmost importance that we do everything possible to establish a completely unified sense of national purpose.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: Wikimedia]

J.Post November 27: Words Better Said

Sir, – I begin this letter with a great deal of trepidation. It is essentially being written in reaction to statements made by two men, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, both saintly Torah giants for whom I have the utmost esteem and reverence.

I feel compelled to respectfully differ with their joint response when asked during Operation Pillar of Defense whether people from the South who were under bombardment should leave their homes. Both answered in the affirmative, saying these people should go to Bnei Brak, where they themselves reside. In a place where Torah is studied, they said, damage cannot be inflicted (“Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: May our enemies fall by the sword before our soldiers,” November 16).

Unfortunately, their explicit promise of safety cannot find support in the historical record – the martyrdom of Rabbi Akiva and the plague that decimated thousands of his pupils; the annihilation of entire Torah communities by the Crusaders; and the Holocaust’s extermination of Europe’s greatest Torah centers together with six million of our brethren.

I am troubled as well by the obvious impracticality of the suggestion.

Is the city of Bnei Brak in fact able or willing to accommodate an influx of a large group of outsiders? Most troubling, however, is the negative and divisive implications in the worthy rabbis’ advice (perhaps unintentional) that separated those who might choose to make the move and the many left to their fate.

Would it not be far more appropriate for the rabbis to have issued a declaration that all of Israel is worthy of the Almighty’s favorable countenance, without distinction of location? Should they not have been among the first to acknowledge with pride that in fact there is more Torah learning by more Torah learners in the State of Israel today than in any other period of Jewish history? Finally, should rabbinical leadership not be offering a message of encouragement and solace to the myriad of people whose lives and well-being have been shattered by years of constant terrorist violence? Should they not be the leaders who joyfully point to the daily miracles that we witness in our relatively few casualties, and the miracles being performed through the Iron Dome defense system? Should they not be involved with urging and beseeching the general populace to listen to and obey the safety instructions of the Homefront Command? And should they not be praying for and thanking the Creator for his care for all those who participate in the defense of our beleaguered country, and joyfully and publicly proclaim that the “Guardian of Israel neither slumbers or sleeps?” 

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petah Tikva

Perplexed: Yona Metzger on Israeli Conscription

Sir, - After a careful reading of the interview with Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, I feel much in need of a guide for the perplexed. I found his answer to the most crucial question posed to him as a Chief Rabbi, namely "What do you think should replace the Tal Law?" to be most problematic.

After describing his own service as a gunner in the IDF's 7th Armored Brigade, his convoluted response "Unfortunately, there is a relatively large number of boys officially registered or partially registered at yeshivot, and some of them aren't registered at all, and they wander around, and sometimes become involved in crime and drugs. There are said to be more than 10,000 such youths today. They could fill several brigades in the IDF." This reply gives the impression of an attempt to avoid a direct and clear response, and is both confusing as well as bordering on the deceptive.

Are we to understand that Rabbi Metzger is "donating" ten thousand delinquents for service in the IDF? What about the tens of thousands of  haredim that were exempted by the Tal Law? Why indeed does Rabbi Metzger not propose their conscription for army service combined with Torah study, similar to the program he himself participated in with apparent great success?

Isn't it about time that a Chief Rabbi in Israel declares, that just like Torah study is an obligation for every Jew, so too is service to the country and the security of its people no less an obligation, and incumbent on all its citizen?

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: Lior Golgher]

J.Post May 20: Haredim and Zionism

Sir,– [My initial impression from reading Martin Stern's "Why haredim should not be Zionists", was that it was written by a haredi living in Manchester trying hard to present himself with the most fragile excuses why not to make Aliyah. A deeper analysis, I feel unfortunately, indicates a far more serious misunderstanding of the meaning of Zionism and its pivotal role in Jewish history.]

In contrast to Martin Stern, I would have proposed the following title: “Why every Jew must be a Zionist.”

Stern himself adopts the secular Zionist narrative that relates its beginning, with Theodor Herzl in the 19th century. I posit that Jews have “yearned” for and dreamed of Zion for well over 2,000 years.

[Psalm 137 states very poignantly how at the rivers of Babylon Jews wept when remembering Zion and pledged their hearts, minds, and right hands, to not permitting Jerusalem to fade from their memories. This yearning and desire for Zion has been incorporated in the Jewish psyche throughout the vicissitudes of our history and most certainly did not originate with or was it dependent on their persecution. The Land of Israel provides the most natural, nutritive, and supportive environment, where the Jew can utilize the latent gifts of his genius to the benefit of all mankind, and it calls out to him to come home.]

Religious Jews were at the forefront of the moves to return to Zion, and many individual luminaries, Hassidic groups as well as followers of the Vilna Gaon, made their way to the Holy Land despite its desolation and depopulation.

The grievances cited by Stern about the army or the Supreme Court pale in significance when one understands the meaning and challenges of Jewish sovereignty in our own homeland.

God works in mysterious ways and the fact that secular Jews were the prime movers of the return to Zion in the 20th century should disturb us no more than His choice of Gideon or Yiftah to come to the aid of His people in time of need.

The Jew must recognize that miracles take place for Israel every day. The miracle of our army; our achievements in the in-gathering of the exiles while maintaining a robust economy; our hi-tech world leadership; our yeshivot and our universities all serve to glorify and enhance His name.

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petah Tikva

[Image Credit: Effi B.]

J.Post May 6: More Than a Definition

Sir, – In his edifying article “Who is ‘haredi’” (Comment & Features, May 3), Haim Amsalem identifies himself as haredi but wants the term to be inclusive of all who “tremble” to fulfill God’s word. This, according to Ansalem, can encompass Zionists, people who work, those who “receive a well rounded education” and those who wear a “knitted kippa and colored shirts!” While I wholeheartedly subscribe to his message, I would like to emphasize several additional factors that are worthy of consideration.

Torah learning must be an important element in the description, as well as military or national service. I would recommend that haredi yeshivot initiate a hesder program that mixes service with study where one can serve both God and country [see my Feb 27, 2012 letter to the editor].

Of course, if one adopts the above programs while accepting Ansalem’s inclusive parameters, we end up with a very worthy description of the national-religious ideology with a well established hesder program that permits us to hold our heads up with pride.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petah Tikva

[Image Credit: IDF spokesperson]

J.Post July 7: Haredim Should Condemn Protests

Sir, - As a religious Zionist citizen of Israel, I call on the haredi leadership for an unequivocal condemnation of the atrocious demonstrations that are being organized by the Atra Kadisha about the so called 'desecration' of Jewish cemeteries ("Haredim to demonstrate in DC against Israel's 'policy of desecrating holy graves," July 5).

I demand that the united haredi leadership impose the same discipline and rules of conduct that resulted in the remarkably impeccable behavior of the hundreds of thousands who participated in the Emmanuel protest.

The denouncements by the Atra Kadisha and their Satmar cohorts of the government of Israel and their willingness to do so in Washington D.C. at a time when critical talks are taking place smacks of treason.

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petah Tikva

J.Post May 26: Inconsistent Haredi Extremists

Sir, - The attack against Shas chairman Eli Yishai by haredi extremists should fill us with dismay and anger ("Yishai pelted with stones, eggs," May 25).

There is no more conclusive evidence of the gross hypocrisy and self-serving interests of these extremists than a comparison of their fury over the bones at Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital and their deafening silence about the removal of graves from Gush Katif. The removal of entire Jewish cemeteries from Gush Katif not only dishonored the dead, but also shattered our national integrity.

The continuing criminal behavior of these extremists, coupled with an apparent indifference among their rabbinic leadership, make them all party to the grievous sin of desecrating God's name.

ZEV CHAMUDOT
Petah Tikva