Right Wing Zionist Orthodox MK Rips Up New Testament, Drawing Condemnation – And Silence

While the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the head of the Conference of Presidents of Major America Jewish Organizations condemned the public destruction of a New Testament by a prominent Israeli lawmaker, the Jewish Federations of North America refused to condemn Ben Ari or comment on the incident.

Michael Ben Ari

Right Wing Zionist Orthodox MK Rips Up New Testament, Drawing Condemnation – And Silence
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

While the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the head of the Conference of Presidents of Major America Jewish Organizations condemned the public destruction of a New Testament by a prominent Israeli lawmaker, the JTA reported that the Jewish Federations of North America refused to condemn Ben Ari or comment on the incident.

Orthodox Jews have assumed a prominent role in Federation life during the past decade, especially in the two largest American communities, New York and Los Angeles.

At he same time, Evangelical Christians have become the strongest supporters of Israel in America outside the Jewish community.

MK Michael Ben Ari, an Orthodox Jew who is a member of the right wing National Union Party and a former follower of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, had pictures taken of himself tearing up a New Testament and throwing the torn bits into a trash can. He then sent the pictures to the Israeli daily Ma’ariv, which published them.

A Hebrew Christian messianic group called the Bible Society in Israel reportedly sent a copy of the New Testament to lawmakers.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Ben Ari’s actions as did several prominent Knesset members, including Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin.

Jewish law generally mandates that books of minut, heresy, be burned.

At one time, much closer to the split between Judaism and Christianity in the early centuries of the Common Era, the New Testament would have been considered such a book.

That is less true today, except in situations when it is meant to be used to convert Jews to Christianity.

Even so, other halakhot, Jewish laws, governing the need to keep peaceful relations with the non-Jewish world, would usually make the public destruction of a book like the New Testament forbidden.

Israel has Christian citizens whose rights to worship are protect by Israeli law, and Ben Ari’s actions as a member of Israel’s parliament will almost certainly be viewed by many Israeli Christians with great negativity.

Comments

[Mike]

I think he should be forced to buy a new one to replace the one that he tore.

[Moshele]

To mike: Take one from the closest hotel room
On a serious note it's almost like the victim turning to be the aggressor it's uncalled for.........

[Korbendallas72]

It wasn't actually The New Testament, it was a book based on teachings in the New Testament which contained valuable information from our Christian friends who are gently trying to get us to commit spiritual suicide... you know, for our own good. In the name of peace and tolerance. Because we should be so glad they're not joining the Muslims this time. But OK.

[spacedout BT]

Right now looks like a contest between political factions as to who is more embarassing.

[A Yid]

>>>
Israel has Christian citizens whose rights to worship are protect by Israeli law, and Ben Ari’s actions as a member of Israel’s parliament will almost certainly be viewed by many Israeli Christians with great negativity.<<<

MK Ben Ari's rights to worship Hashem according to the Torah are also protected by the same Israeli law. This includes a right to fulfill a rabbinic injunction to burn/destroy the unsolicited heretical missionary literature sent to him thru the mail. As an MK from a religious party he wants to show an example of a proper religious behavior to his constituents thus it is understandable that he did this in public.
The Christian friends of Israel must remember that it is their privilege to support the restoration of the holy land to the people of Israel it is a source of blessing for them to do this.
They should also respect our feelings and avoid trying to tear us away from the Torah.

[A. Nuran]

That was really stupid for a public figure.
Bad for the Jews.

[Garnel Ironheart]

Not a photogenic moment but people who want to condemn this should first issue official statements for every Chrisian slaughtered in Nigeria, evey church bombed in Iraq, etc.
What, he only tore up a book? And that makes the news when those things don't?

[TheRealJoe]

@Shmarya this is the most boring story u have posted in months. Ben Ari is one of the last politicians to not be a sell out. Also he honestly couldn't give a crap what's posted about him on this site.

[zur]

the reason he did not do this with a koran is because he does not want to be murdered. This in itself speaks volumes about what he really thinks of the new testament. He knows it followers will do nothing to him.

[Ron]

Shmarya, if you were an MK and some missionary from a Jewish sect sent you a likutei moharan, and you decided to tear it up publicly to make the point that you dont want them to send you what you regard as worthless shit, the most Id say is that you were a jerk, but Id leave you alone.

Similarly, if you want to tear up a watchtower, a pamphlet or any other drek that some missionizing (jewish or otherwise) group is sending you, its a legitimate act of protest. This includes aish hatorah materials, spam divrei torah that you never asked for, etc.

Its probsbly not very nice, I would say you should show more respect to the holy writings of your people, but Id recognize the protest you were making.

[Lo K'darkah]

What was it Shmuly Boteach said: that Jews don't destroy books?

[A Yid]

>>>the reason he did not do this with a koran is because he does not want to be murdered. This in itself speaks volumes about what he really thinks of the new testament. He knows it followers will do nothing to him.

Posted by: zur | July 22, 2012 at 03:12 AM<<<

If the Muslims would send unsolicited copies of the Koran thru the mail in an attempt to convert Jews I am sure he would do the same thing to the copy sent to him.

[Jeff]

...the JTA reported that the Jewish Federations of North America refused to condemn Ben Ari or comment on the incident.

Orthodox Jews have assumed a prominent role in Federation life during the past decade, especially in the two largest American communities, New York and Los Angeles.

This surprises me. Federations always pander to the money source, and evangelicals have been giving Israel huge amounts of monetary and political support in recent years - and the Orthodox have become their lapdogs.

[the usual chaim]

in response to those defending the MK:

it may be a rabbinic requirement to destroy such books,if it is, but photographing the act and publishing it in a newspaper are certainly not part of that requirement. he could have done what he felt he needed to do without making it a public event.

[Stanley Heller]

In response to tearing up the Christian book a Palestinian member of the Knesset tore up a picture of Ben Ari's idol, Kahane

http://youtu.be/kxWTgX2Bvxk

[Flatbusher]

The concept of Chilull Hashem, the concept of thinking through the consequences of one's actions, seems to be lost on many people, including otherwise good people.

There are many Jews living as a minority among Christians, who by and large after the war, have been leaving Jews alone.

One can understand though his outrage, having a "Messianic" cult send him --- a member of a Jewish Assembly --- the "New" Testament , where they say man becomes G-d and which every Jewish child knows is BS, and on account of its perfidious content, we have been accused of Deicide and have paid in millions murdered.

The best possible action: throw it in the round file in the privacy o your office with no publicity, and say a kapital Tehilim for these Jewish Apostates.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Oh! Herr Benari!
Sohn des Löwen
Nazism becomes him!

[Rebitzman]

It was a book (not new testiment) sent to him unrequested and was a less than subtle attempt to proselytize.

I'd have shredded it as well. In fact I have.

And Yosef - you tear up all the books, you might be a nazi. You tear up a singe book that you own, you are a recycler.

[Lo K'darkah]

and say a kapital Tehilim for these Jewish Apostates.
Posted by: Flatbusher | July 22, 2012 at 08:19 AM

Which one?

[alice]

I love the way that you hide the real story five paragraphs in.
The real story, in context, is that thousands of well financed xn missionaries target Jews in Israel for conversion, following the xn failure over more than a thousand years to either forcibly convert or annhilate Jews. As part of their tactics they sent every Jewish Knesset member a copy of their missionary narishkeit, which is both a public act and highly offensive. In response to this act of provocation, one Knesset member had the guts to stand up and show these missionaries what he thought of their provocation.

FM: you are simply a self-hating Jew. Why don't you find something more productive to do with your life. What a waste.

[Yoel Mechanic]

alice: it's fascinating how one can put such different priorities on the parts of a story. I guess you can call this spin.

And I guess patterns in spin from story to story can reveal overall objectives. I guess you can call this advocacy journalism.

Anyway, back to the JTA article if you want to examine some internet journalism. I would just say "shrug".

Netanyahu has a lot of political connections with Xtian groups. There are numerous Xtian Zionists, and it is a really long story (perhaps some day a real, authentic journalist will write about it)

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Jesus Christ, what's wrong with writing the words Jesus Christ, Christianity, and Christians?

Maybe some Christians should burn a Torah as part of their right to free speech.

[Yoel Mechanic]

WSC: Xtian is a standard abbreviation for Christian. the X is the Greek letter Chi. Have you seen the greeting cards "Happy Xmas?"

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Yoel, you're just trying to be cute.

The frumma here aren't abbreviating the word out of expediency, and you know it.

The fact is that frumma cannot bring themselves to say or write the word Christian, or Jesus Christ, or Christmas, or even 'Saint', as in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Some frumma will not even say or write 'San Francisco', and instead they say or write 'S Francisco'.

It's all part of the ongoing never-ending paranoia that is a requirement in the frumma velt. The frumma need to feel like victims. They can't stand it when they aren't. Somebody always has to hate you. If not, then just dredge up old hatreds from the past.

[Yoel Mechanic]

>Yoel, you're just trying to be cute.

Well, I *am* cute. However, looks aside, your comment was right after my post. I looked at what I wrote, and answered your comment. My answer was accurate, and grammatically correct too (I capitalized proper nouns... which isn't really a big deal for internet lingo, but I did capitalize)

>The frumma here aren't abbreviating the word out of expediency, and you know it.

Apparently your comment was a general comment. I thought it directed specifically at me.

[Jake]

If it wasn't the xtian bible then I have no problem with him making a anti missionary statement in this way. Should be done more often.

If it was their bible he probaly just have thrown it in the trash.

Other the n copies of their bible that I studied to anti missionary stuff, I throw out.

As far as messianic Jews,xxxxxxxx!

As an employer in Israel I did not hire them.
And once I discovered someone was one cause they started in a covert way to. Bring up the religion of the dead decomposed heretical Jew.

The person was fired the next day.

Although the money the evangelicals give is nice, it is a drop in the bucket of Israels gdp and a fraction what Israel spends in social services.

Their political support is nice.

But have no doubt about their beliefs , we are needed to be there for the shmorgasbord of Armageddon.

Remember the 144,000!

[Yoel Mechanic]

In academia they will always say "Jesus of Nazareth" to avoid saying anything that takes a position on whether he should have a religious title of Messiah, (eg. Christ, which is Greek for Messiah) attached to his name. This is done to be neutral, and no one minds.

In a similar vein,
I am quite happy to allow someone to avoid making declarations as to whether Paul, or Fransisco is a saint, or anyone particular person is any sort of messiah.

As for paranoia, That seems a separate issue, and I do not feel equipped to say anything insightful on something that I find so hard to get a clear focus on. Perhaps that is just a problem on my part. As Steve Martin would say:
Excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse Me.

[Jake]

Yoel,

Correctomundo.

I generally refrain from saying new testament for it makes a presupposition that it is replacing a old testament.

Interesting that Catholics who believed in replacement theology rarely taught Tanach to their flock. Well the new testament according to them replaced the old testament as they the new covenetal people replaced the Jews who were the old covental people..

[Yoel Mechanic]

Yoel,

Correctomundo.
------------------------------------

It's nice to be correct once in a while. Thanks!

[Shmuley O'Hanrahan]

Hey, the Christians got the ideas about talking snakes and hacking off bits off babies' penises to please God from you guys. Don't act so high and mighty.

[Friar Yid]

What, he only tore up a book? And that makes the news when those things don't?

The fact that he photographed himself doing it (explicitly as part of a PR move) may have something to do for it.

Personally, I think it's a hillul hashem given his status as an MK and an identifiably religious Jew. A simple, " No thanks" and donating it to a church would have sufficed. No reason to be a jackass about it.

Oh wait, then he wouldn't be following in the footsteps of his mentor, The Jackasser Rebbe himself. Never mind.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4259615,00.html
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