A Revolution In Israeli Politics?

“Rabbis will say we’re treif and horrible people. But we know there are haredim on Facebook. Some are afraid to press ‘like’ on our page, but we are still able to get information to them.”

Rabbi Haim Amsalem, head of the Am Shalem social movement Rabbi Dov Lipman works for

Rabbi Dov Lipman, the Beit Shemesh activist who has led the fight there against haredi extremism there, is also the Director of the English Speakers Division of the Am Shalem social movement (soon to be a full fledged political party) led by moderate Sefardi haredi maverick Rabbi Haim Amsalem.

Lipman (who also wrote an op-ed calling on all haredim to become Zionists) spoke to the Jerusalem Post about Am Shalem:

…“Rabbis will say we’re treif [not kosher] and horrible people,” Lipman said of the movement, an NGO that has yet to officially register as a political party. “But we know there are haredim on Facebook. Some are afraid to press ‘like’ on our page, but we are still able to get information to them.”

The party’s internal polls have shown that 40 percent of its support comes from people who identify as secular, 40% from religious Zionists and 20% from haredim.

Lipman attributes the party’s support from secular Israelis to a search for something new in politics, with a focus on internal issues.

In fact, Lipman added, there are many similarities between Am Shalem’s goals and those of Yair Lapid, such as requiring all haredi schools to teach the Education Ministry’s core curriculum and having most haredim serve in the IDF.

He did, however, deny rumors that the former Channel 2 news anchor has asked Amsalem to run for the Knesset with his party, though he opined that it would be a good idea.

Meanwhile, several other parties have asked Am Shalem to run with them.

Amsalem is seriously considering these offers, one of which is from Habayit Hayehudi, as long as he can maintain Am Shalem as a separate party within a faction.

Lipman said Am Shalem is looking to do what it can do “within reason” to get into the Knesset. This way, Amsalem can meet his ultimate goal of being religious services minister, so he can reform rabbinate services such as marriage, divorce, conversions and burial, so they can be friendlier to the average Israeli, while staying in the confines of Halacha.

According to the party’s polls, Am Shalem is likely to get two to three seats in the next Knesset, while Shas will probably drop two seats.…

Am Shalem continues to recruit support outside the Sephardic-haredi box, with over 43,007 “likes” on its Hebrew-language Facebook page, far more than the party it broke off from, which has only 565 fans, its leader Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who has 5,666, or even Yosef, who has 10,758 fans on two unofficial Facebook profiles.

Lipman was quick to clarify that 90% of Am Shalem’s Facebook fans live in Israel, since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s profile was shown to be “liked” mostly by people abroad after his office bragged that he was the most popular Israeli politician in Israel.…

Comments

[Yaakov]

Lipman and Amsalem, and people that listen to them, are the hope for bringing orthodoxy back from the brink. I don't know what their chances of success are, but they are, in my view, heroic.

I certainly don't share their hashkafa, but I think that if they represented the right in Israel, sanity would reign. It is a shame indeed that they appear quite left.

[Leibel Schenkel]

To the best of my knowledge, Chareidim pray three times a day to see the return to Zion. If that isn't Zionist, what is?

On the other hand, if they don't agree with the current Israeli political situation why can't they voice their opinion? It's a free country, ins't it?

[who knows]

LS, Haredim don't say prayer for the state of Israel, haredim walk out of the shul when prayer for fallen IDF soldiers is said, haredim morn on Israel Independence Day, haredim don't serve in IDF, haredim organize demonstrations demanding dismantling of the state of Israel, haredim don't pay taxes to the state while getting benefits from the state....

Prayer 3 times a day for return to Zion while they already live there does not cut it Leibel Shenkel.

[heshyfriedman]

Chareidim are the reason Israel is a Jewish state. I continue sitting when I am out of town in a modern orthodx shul and they make a blessing of the medinah. Sometimes I'm the only one sitting in a crowd of several hundred. Some people give me a dirty look but if they have any comments,I respond accordingly. Never should a chareidi community water down their standards and beliefs otherwise they will end up going down like the modern orthodox. You need to emulate the first Jew Abraham. Extreme is the only way to go. All our real leaders were uncomprimizing when it came to Torah. If failure happens its because of comprimize. Raising kids must be with extreme. Extreme means extreme joy of Torah not just extreme on dress or traditions. Speaking yiddish,wearing a streimel and eating chulent is Not enough. We must realize the world has a Creator and that we are His agents. If you wish you were born not Jewish or instead of a human you were a cat,something is wrong with you. A Jew means your soul is vastly different than the rest of society. A jew is of inifinite royalty. When I check into a hotel the first thing I do is check the cabinet draw for the Gideon bibles. Most hotels out of Ny seem to have it. I tear out the new testament and put it back leaving our Torah and dump the NT into the trash. Imagine no one puts history of others into hotels. Why. We r the center of the world.

[JK2]

heshyfriedman, you know that the order of the books in the Christian OT is not the same as in the Hebrew Bible, don't you? So you're not leaving "our Torah" behind, post-vandalization.

On topic, I wonder if these people could be more effective in the long run by staying out of direct politics for a few more years.

[Yaakov]

JK2:

The order of the Chumash is the same as is used in Christian bibles. There are differences in Nevi'im and Ketuvim, but not Chumash.

[Yaakov]

heshyfriedman:

Your behavior is a chilul haShem. Your actions are those of an idolator, not a Jew.

[jancsibacsi]

Yaakov -This bozo heshy friedman is definitly mordechay satmar no doubdt about it his whole attitude is identical to his

[Yaakov]

jancsibacsi:

I don't think that's true. Mordechai has a very particular agenda and it doesn't include the same stuff as Heshy. Also, Heshy Friedman has a vey public reputation, and it all matches up wit the one here. He is certainly not Satmar, and far more bizzare than anything mainstream chassidish.

I don't think your are right, but I could be wrong.

[who knows]

HeshyF, are you humoring us or are you a crazy in need of psychiatric care?

[Jeff]

Also, Heshy Friedman has a vey public reputation, and it all matches up wit the one here. He is certainly not Satmar, and far more bizzare than anything mainstream chassidish.

I don't think your are right, but I could be wrong.

Posted by: Yaakov | April 24, 2012 at 12:22 PM

Heshy is not Mordecai. I don't believe he's Hasidic; just another frum lunatic. He used to march up and down Manhattan with signs denouncing homosexuality. Online, he'd erupt with gems such as his threats to break his son's legs if he found out he was gay, and his boasting that when he'd serve wine to the large numbers of people he supposedly had at his home each Shabbat, he'd reserve the good wine for frum Jews and give secular Jews the cheap stuff. He was proud of it. We were also treated to his opinions about evolution, which were as profound as the opinions he's expressing here.

Yet another frum psychotic; they seem to have a surplus of them. He's incapable of understanding you, Yaakov. I say it again - you're far too inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[David]

@who knows. How dare you malign a whole group of pepole granted there is the neturei karta that dont support the state of Israel. Most charedim do support the state of Israel even (and this might come as a shock to you ) some in the satmar community.

[Steven W]

Say, Heshy... ever stay at a Marriott?