Breathless Haredi Election Reporting Volume 1: Haredim Gather To "Safeguard" Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's Honor

In a breathless writing style that only a haredi mother could love, we learn that "[h]undreds of Ashdod and area residents turned out on Monday, the eve of 12 Teves 5773 for an Asifa to decry election campaign events in which the kovod of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita is being compromised."

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

Asifa to Safeguard Maran R’ Ovadia’s Kovod
Yeshiva World - Israel

Hundreds of Ashdod and area residents turned out on Monday, the eve of 12 Teves 5773 for an Asifa to decry election campaign events in which the kovod of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita is being compromised. The event was held in a local facility and the message attracted many as it was attended by most of the city’s prominent rabbonim, including roshei yeshiva and kollelim.

The event began with an address from HaRav HaGaon Aaron Butbul Shlita, who quoted a Mishnah from Sotah which addresses the עקבתא דמשיחא and the lack of Derech Eretz that will be evident (“Cutzpah Yazgir”) during that time against talmidei chachamim.

Another speaker was HaGaon HaRav Shimon Badani, who explained to the tzibur that he felt compelled to speak to condemn the lack of Derech Eretz, the assault on the kovod of Gedolei Torah. The rav explained that during our time, the סטרא אחרא is out there and doing his utmost to prevent talmidim from studying Torah as they should.

What, you may wonder, is compromising Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's kavod, honor? And how many people actually attended this event held in a "local facility"? And what was this local facility, anyway? An auditorium? A wedding hall? A public restroom? A kindergarten classroom? What was the point of this gathering?

The Yeshiva World reporter is American-born and American yeshiva-educated, so this convoluted, bizarre and unclear reporting style has nothing to do with ESL skills.

This is a problem of propaganda and and lack of mental clarity.

Shas, the political party Rabbi Ovadia Yosef founded, is has two defectors.

One, Rabbi Haim Amsellem, is a moderate voice politically and religiously who is well respected across the political and religious spectrum in Israel and abroad. He has recently published a book claiming that the aged Rabbi Yosef is being manipulated by his handlers, especially by two of his sons and one of his daughters-in-law. Amsellem also favors full haredi participation in the military and in the workforce. Amsellem formed his own political party, Am Shalem, and is running for Knesset in the upcoming national elections scheduled to held at the end of January.

The other, Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak, is a Yemeni kiruv (missionary) rabbi who is widely regarded as half huckster and half televangelist. Yitzhak makes the same claims about Yosef's handlers that Amsellem does, but he also claims that Yosef told him he should form his own list and run for Knesset – something Yosef's handlers vehemently deny, and very few sane people outside of Yitzhak's followers believe to be true.

The "compromising" of Yosef's honor is that these two men are running in the elections against Shas, and the gathering Yeshiva World is reporting on is really a haredi election rally in support of the Shas Party's ticket – which is, of course, endorsed by Shas' founder and spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

In Ashdod, local Sefardi haredi heavy hitters showed up to stump for Shas and attack Amsellem and Yitzhak, and that meant that some – how many is not clear – local haredim showed up to hear them speak.

Why don't we know how many showed up or where the event was held?

It might just be an oversight by Yeshiva World's Israel reporter, whose American yeshiva education really hasn't served him well.

Or it could be that the number who showed up was small, or that the hall was not prestigious.

Like in the old days of the Soviet Union, reading the haredi press takes skill. It isn't what is printed on the lines that matters as much as what isn't printed there.

It's often the spaces, not the words, that really tell the story.

Comments

[SkepticalYid]

Why do you assume that an "American born and american-yeshiva educated" reporter wouldn't have problems with ESL skills? There are many American born and american-yeshiva educated Jews who are deliberately deprived of fluency in English throughout their education.

[Mendel Baumgartner]

How come you are always bashing on the chareidim for how we choose learning Torah above secluar subjects firstly and second its not like we aren't incapable of articulating ourselves quite well despite this choice of religion over secularism. Your college education has only given you an entry into the social norms of universal acceptance among the educated as you are but you aren't still able to see yhe frum prospective from your vantage there. Pathetic.

[Yochanan Lavie]

If a small quiz is called a "quizzical" what do you call a small test? (humor)

[Yochanan Lavie]

Sorry, the above post was meant for the other thread.

[ah-pee-chorus]

Mendel Baumgartner -

How come you are always bashing on the chareidim for how we choose learning Torah above secluar subjects firstly

adults can choose for themselves whatever they wish to study. but to deny children the opportunity to learn enough math, science, english and even hebrew to compete for employment opportunities when they become adults is child abuse. the gemara requires a father to teach his son a trade (amongst other things). the charedi world doent even do that.
next, the charedi schools receive govt. funding which stipualtes the bare minimum of secular subjects which must be taught. and charedim dont stick to that either.
furthermore, it would be one thing if charedim chose to learn torah only and denied their children a proper secular education while finding ways to SUPPORT THEMSELVES. but quite the contrary, charedim TAKE monthly handouts and support for food and rent. they also refuse to share the burden of the country's defense. THEY are pathetic!

its not like we aren't incapable of articulating ourselves quite well despite this choice of religion over secularism.

i dont normally point out the grammatical and syntactical errors of the charedi commenters. here, however, it is appropriate to note that in your sentence defending your "articulating" abilities, you used a double negative thereby refuting your own assertion.

but you aren't still able to see yhe frum prospective from your vantage there.

quite the contrary, i think shmarya and many of us see the charedi perspective perfectly and judge it to be inauthentic as well as selfish.

[ah-pee-chorus]

in keeping with the fundie/charedi theme of 'one-way streetism', its ok for the rebbeim to say whatever evil and hurtful things they like about anyone who disagrees with them. and yet they enter into the political arena to gain what they can for themselves and their voters and are then shocked and offended when the rules of politics allow their opponents to speak about them.
put on your big boy underpants, rabbis. if you dont like politics stay out of it. and if you dont like being offended, dont offend others.

[Lubavitchers are Christians]

I always wondered about the writing skills of YWN's Israeli reporters. The English is so poor that I've always assumed it was written by an Israeli who then used Google Translate.

Shmarya,
Everything in your article is correct except this: Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak never claimed that Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef told him to create his party. He claims that Rabbi Steinman told him to create his own party, which has never beed denied by Rabbo Steinman himself.

Both Rabbis Amsalem and Amnon Yitzchak make the claim that Rabbi Yosef's handlers (specifically his daughter in law) do not allow access to the big rabbi. Other rabbis claim the same thing. This is what Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef's followers are so upset about, and this is why they are making all these demonstrations all over the country "to protect the honor of the rabbi."

[S M L]

He offered his honor
She honored his offer
For the rest of the night it was honor and offer

It's something about the costume that brought that to mind.....something very Three Musketeers about it.