Chief Rabbi: Stop Reform Jews

"They're responsible for this terrible treachery and are supporting it openly without being ashamed, and now they are sticking their claws into the people residing in Zion and trying to dictate our lifestyle."

Rabbi Amar: Stop Reform Jews
Chief Sephardic rabbi urges Israel's religious leaders to pressure government to prevent involvement of non-Orthodox movements in state and religion affairs. 'They are sticking their claws into the people residing in Zion and trying to dictate our lifestyle'
Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar is intensifying his battle on Reform and Conservative Judaism: In a letter sent Thursday afternoon to Israel's rabbis, Amar urges them to pressure government ministers and Knesset members in a bid to stop the involvement of non-Orthodox movements in state and religion issues and prevent any influence they may have in this area.

At the start of his letter, Rabbi Amar describes a difficult situation the people of Israel are facing in terms of materialism and spirituality, and rules that "the most difficult thing is the plague of assimilation, which is eating up our pure and holy nation."

According to the rabbi, "There are countries in which it has reached terrible dimensions, and now this horrible disease is being spread in our holy country as well and no one pays attention."

The chief rabbi blames "those who call themselves liberal and reform and their friends and supporters" for the situation. "They're responsible for this terrible treachery and are supporting it openly without being ashamed, and now they are sticking their claws into the people residing in Zion and trying to dictate our lifestyle."

According to Amar, the representatives of these movements are "spreading fear in various and diverse ways and have established legions of fighters within the Land of Israel with the sole purpose of uprooting the Torah from Israel and undermining the religious courts and anything holy, in any way and with all measures, by threatening and influencing the ministers and the Knesset members and through the courts, etc, going from bad to worse."
 
Response: Orthodox monopoly irrelevant

Rabbi Amar rules that it is every Jew's duty to act against this trend and calls on the rabbis to "evoke and encourage" their community members to do so, "in writing and by heart," particularly those with access to ministers or MKs. He also recommends organizing prayers on this matter, especially during the holiday season.
 
The rabbi concludes his letter in a softer tone, calling for the return of Reform and Conservative Jews to religion. "They are our brothers and our flesh and blood," he writes. "And even if they have distanced themselves from the road of Torah and tradition instilled by our forefathers, they are still our brothers and we love them truly and pray for God to guide their hearts in the right direction."

Executive Director of the Masorti movement in Israel, Yizhar Hess, said in response: "Rabbi Amar is right. The non-Orthodox Judaism, both the Masorti and Reform, has already established a real position among the Israeli society.

"The hundreds of communities across the country show us that the Orthodox monopoly will collapse not just due to its corrupt conduct, but mainly because it has become irrelevant in the eyes of a growing public. Amar's hateful remarks speak for themselves."

Comments

[seymour]

me think he needs to get out more and read the news and see how many Orthodox are in the news for fraud, stealing, violent protests and molestation.

Oh he from shas he should know that since that is what the do (no molestation)

[Doctor Memory]

Fine. We'll stop meddling in Israel's affairs. We'll also stop sending money, and stop pressuring congress to support Israel diplomatically and militarily. Deal.

What's that, you don't like that deal? Weird.

[Pierre]

The albatross around both Israeli Progressive and Masorti Judaisms is their political allegiance; those significantly secular Israelis, as well as homosexual Israelis, who might dabble in Progressive will be turned off by it's political allegiance with Masorti - who are NOT as liberal as American Conservative Judaism, and contain a number of serious, religiously-committed Jews. And from the other side, many "Massorati" jews who might find a seat in Masorti synagogue will be un-pleased with the stands of Israeli Progressive.

[Althelion]

"They're responsible for this terrible treachery and are supporting it openly without being ashamed,"

I wonder what bothers Amar more - That non-orthodox Jews don't interpret Judaism the way he says to OR that non-orthodox Jews are not ashamed of not agreeing with him.

It seems that reb Amar got some ego issues.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

This guy is a freak and monster.
No more and no less.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Rabbeh Amar's recycled neshuma was sent into his body by Ha'shem that once belonged to a Cohen Godol who was in on the deal to bribe a yiddeleh over 2000 years with 30 pieces of silver by the name of Judas Iscariot who was also instructed to rat out Yosseleh to Pontius Pilate.

Should you have a problem with the above scenario please be advised that I am only a um haratez paraphrasing the concept of Neshuma from the genius written down in deh Tanyah for all to read and learn from.

Oomain.

[Yogev]

Rabbi Amar has a right to be concerned. Non Orthodox streams of Judaism are gathering a following among secular Israelis who are looking for something spiritual. The Orthodox establishment offers them nothing. Indeed Amar and his kind take their tax money to support their lifestyle and then spurn the secular taxpayers who support them. Rabbi Amar has a good deal to worry about. He may have to go out and get a job one day.

[who knows]

Rav Amar the crook is angry - somebody is doing something right.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Hallevai the Mitkadmim("Reformim") and the Masorti'im were as powerful as the haredim fear. The secularist Israeli attitude is "the synagogue I don't go to is Orthodox."

At least Amar didn't brand them as "rodfim" which would encourage murder.

[JTSgrad]

Last week he tells the New York Times that non-Orthodox streams are irrelevant in Israel (and therefore we should have no say in "internal" policies of the Jewish State). This week our claws are deep in Zion. And we (and not the Rabbanut that has been running religion in Israel for the past sixty years) is responsible of the assimilation of Israelis.
So, non-Orthodox Jews are a foreign and minuscule element with animal qualities ("claws") which somehow is endowed with awesome power to destroy and polute "the holy country." Rabbi Amar should be more original when he writes libels. This has been overdone.

[Pierre]

Office of the chief Rabbi;

http://www.pjvoice.com/v41/41000israel.aspx

[Commentator]

"Stop Reform Jews" -- a little late, no?

Part of the problem is that the ignorance of Israelis - from the top to bottom - of Diaspora Jewish affairs is so huge as to be unbelievable.

[effie]

The Israeli government will keep offering them bribes until they run out of money. There is no reason for the haredi to modify anything they do if the status quo not only doesn't change but they are mostly rewarded for their bad behavior.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Pierre,
Merci.

I didn't realize that there was a Phila alternative to the Exponent, the federation paper, where freedom of the press doesn't exist if you want to criticize the Federation macher.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

There is no doubt that Conservative and Reform in Israel are definitely benefiting and increasing in numbers because the secular Israelis disgust with the Orthodoxy and the disappearance of the dati-leumi component of am-israel.

However, I think the growth is confined to Anglo Saxon communities and upper-middle class neighborhoods and they are not a part of the main street Israel the Amcha people, but I might be wrong.

[Rabbi Andy Sacks]

Rav Shlomo Amar, Israel’s Sefardi Chief Rabbi, the very same rabbi who slept quietly as his son pummeled and beat boyfriend of the Rabbi’s daughter in the very next room, has now attacked the non-Orthodox streams in an official letter sent out of the stationary of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate.

In the past Rav Amar stated,” Israeli laws should be determined by residents of Israel who defend its security and bear its burdens.”

Rav Amar has failed to call upon the zealously Orthodox Haredi community to serve the State of Israel either through military or through volunteer national service. Apparently he leaves this as the obligation and burden of the very same non-Orthodox Jews whom he attacks and disparages.

Rav Amar’s letter again raises the question of the relevancy of the Chief Rabbinate in our Modern State. Israel is a homeland for all members of the Jewish people and if the Chief Rabbi can not respect this principle then it is time to put an end to this farcical office.

[Alter Kocker]

Rav Amar fears that the political clout of the orthodoxy will be diminished. He should be; for too long secular and non-orthodox Israelis have knuckled under to the whims of the orthodoxy. No more! When a group does nothing to contribute to a society by means of working and paying taxes or serving in the military rather than taking welfare, refusing military service and then wishes to dictate policy and recognition, they need to have their power removed.

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

n the past Rav Amar stated,” Israeli laws should be determined by residents of Israel who defend its security and bear its burdens.

That's hilarious, because that is the job of the American taxpayer.

[Maskil]

Executive Director of the Masorti movement in Israel, Yizhar Hess, said in response: "Rabbi Amar is right. The non-Orthodox Judaism, both the Masorti and Reform, has already established a real position among the Israeli society."

Hess's version of: "We're here, we're queer, get used to it!"

[Alter Kocker]

R. Amar:
Take off the ridiculous hat. Put on a business suit or work clothes. Go find a job.
You and your kind do nothing but leetch on Israeli society. You state that Israeli laws should be determined by residents of Israel who defend its security and bear its burdens.
Well the last time we looked, you and the Haredim do not work and do not serve in the military. Therefore you do not defend Israel's security and you do not pay taxes so you do not bear any of its burdens.

I guess you should have no say in the country's laws.

[Alana]

Chief Sephardic rabbi urges Israel's religious leaders to pressure government to prevent involvement of non-Orthodox movements in state and religion affairs. 'They are sticking their claws into the people residing in Zion and trying to dictate our lifestyle'

Irony anyone?