Haredi MK Says Reform Jews “Bribe” Israeli Politicians

“It is astounding that just a few days ago, MK Maklev was decrying incitement against the Haredi community, and now he does not even think twice about leading a new wave of incitement against millions in Israel and the Diaspora. It is a shame that such inciting words were said within the walls of the Knesset, and even worse, in the name of the Torah.”

MK Rabbi Uri Maklev

Haredi MK Says Reform Jews “Bribe” Israeli Politicians
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Member of Knesset David Rotem of the joint of Likud-Beiteinu list, the chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, attacked the Reform movement last week, calling it “another religion” that is “not Jewish.”

Rotem was sharply criticized by Diaspora Jewish leaders, some of whom called for him to be removed from his Knesset leadership position, and he quickly walked back those remarks.

Then, at the start of the committee’s meeting today, Rotem reportedly read a written apology.

“I had no intention of hurting anyone or the Reform movement. There were those who tried to twist my words into meaning that I did not believe that Reform Jews are Jewish. For me, any Reform Jew born to a Jewish mother is a Jew like any other. My intention was that I have deep differences with the Reform movement about practical matters related to Judaism. At the same time, considering that we are all Jews and members of the same religion, we need to solve these differences in discussions and conversations around the table. I apologize to anyone who may have been hurt,” Rotem reportedly read.

But, Ha’aretz reported, a haredi Member of Knesset, Rabbi Uri Maklev of the Ahskenazi haredi United Torah Judaism Party, refused to let the matter die.

Just minutes after Rotem read his apology, Maklev – who just days ago was lashing out at what he called secular “incitement” against haredim – lashed out at Rotem, insisting Rotem should not have retracted his statement and should not have apologized, especially because members of the Reform movement “put pressure on and bribe politicians,” Maklev averred.

This prompted the head of the Reform Movement in Israel, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, to call  Maklev’s statement “libelous” and “inciting.”

“It is astounding that just a few days ago, MK Maklev was decrying incitement against the Haredi community, and now he does not even think twice about leading a new wave of incitement against millions in Israel and the Diaspora. It is a shame that such inciting words were said within the walls of the Knesset, and even worse, in the name of the Torah,” Kariv reportedly said.

Yizhar Hess, the director of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel who was stoned by haredim at the Kotel (Western Wall) several months ago, also lashed out at Maklev’s remarks, reportedly calling them “an incitement to kill.” He also reportedly urged the Knesset Ethics Committee to sanction Maklev unless Maklev issues a retraction.

Comments

[jancsibacsi]

This guy looks like he is mentally ill .

[Jeff]

So, Reform Jews bribe politicians. What is taking place, then when backroom deals are conducted between secular politicians and Haredim?

Meanwhile, Maklev has the facial expression of someone who is cognitively impaired.

[JekyllJacobson]

I thought that speaking the truth should be commendable...
Reform IS a different religion.
Process:
Orthodoxy is based on: ועשית ככל אשר יורוך; the reform movement practices: איש כל הישר בעיניו/איש הישר בעיניו יעשה.

[Jeff]

And again, Jekyll, if that is the case, then you should go away and leave us to our apostasy.

But you won't, will you?

[jancsibacsi]

JekyllJacobson---"Orthodoxy is based on: ועשית ככל אשר יורוך; the reform movement practices: איש כל הישר בעיניו/איש הישר בעיניו יעשה".
Tragically orthodoxy goes to the other extreeme, bayneni is the between that is what jewish religion should be what is going on in orthodoxy today is an abomination destroys everything that is good in judaism everyday we hear about another theft or molestation among the orthodox its sickening.

[JekyllJacobson]

No, I won't. Why should I? Afraid to debate? Christians and Jews debate quite often.

[Jeff]

"No, I won't. Why should I? Afraid to debate? Christians and Jews debate quite often."

Debate? Don't make me laugh. You don't debate. You don't even argue. You sneer.

You're a petty little man with a petty little worldview. You're also a lying, manipulative sack of shit - in other words, a typical Haredi.

[JekyllJacobson]

Jancsi
1) I said that Orthodoxy is BASED on ועשית ככל אשר יורוך.
Our problem is that all too many are following charlatans. I propose simply following Shulchan Aruch... Until one can find a true scholar - one who has not bastardized our Torah. If and when one finds such, s/he shall go in his footsteps and consult him in Halachic matters.
2) The criminals amongst us are just that: CRIMINALS.
3) איש כל הישר בעיניו is a whole different approach and has different principals. It is therefore safe to call it a different religion.

[rebitzman - $101 to read my posts]

Liberal US Jews have long provided a huge bucket of dollars for the State of Israel. That we are now expressing that our interests as Jews need to be taken into account in exchange for those dollars is rather refreshing.

You want to call that bribery..........OK.

[Jeff]

"Liberal US Jews have long provided a huge bucket of dollars for the State of Israel. That we are now expressing that our interests as Jews need to be taken into account in exchange for those dollars is rather refreshing.

You want to call that bribery..........OK."

Yes, good point.

[S M L]

"...It is therefore safe to call it a different religion...."

Hm. Interesting. Christians pretty much consider anyone accepting Jesus as savior to be a Christian - from the hardest of hard-shell Baptists, the usual crowd of fundamentalists, Catholics right up to the most liberal Protestant sects - a very very wide spectrum.

On the other hand the Jewish tent isn't large enough to include Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Haredim/Hasidim? How's that work?

Try to keep in mind that to antisemites and to the people stoking the ovens we all look the same. That in a nutshell is what galls me about Haredim and about Israel which is in the grip of the Haredim from a religio-administrative standpoint. As far as I'm concerned anyone who'd be persecuted as a Jew in his home country should be considered one with or without his great-great-grandmother's Ketuba handy and whether or not some Haredi or Hasidic sage isn't satisfied as to his or her bonafides.

[JekyllJacobson]

SML
Christianity has its set of rules... Good for them!
Judaism is defined by Halakha; NOT by what YOU FEEL.
However, some provisions be given to those you mentioned would be acceptable to me. You have apoint.

[JekyllJacobson]

SML
Christianity has its set of rules... Good for them!
Judaism is defined by Halakha; NOT by what YOU FEEL.
However, some provisions be given to those you mentioned would be acceptable to me. You have a point.

[nachos]

How is Halakha different than a set of rules?

[jancsibacsi]

JekyllJacobson--You fail to take into consideration that todays wrold is much more complex then it was in shtettels not everyone can follow halacha it is too much to ask in todays world to follow the challacha that is why we have so many molesters theifs and other terrible things happening among the orthodox,how much rules can one person take its always this or that someone reprimanding you fro absolute nonsense people give up it is living with rules of challacha like living in a mad house everyone is trying to bug into others life this is american not europe in the 18 or 19 century enough is enough .

[MM]

"Hm. Interesting. Christians pretty much consider anyone accepting Jesus as savior to be a Christian - from the hardest of hard-shell Baptists, the usual crowd of fundamentalists, Catholics right up to the most liberal Protestant sects - a very very wide spectrum."

Actually this is not entirely true. Many Christians, particularly fundamentalist evangelical Protestants do not consider Mormons Christian, even though they are the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. Interestingly I just googled Mormon, and the first thing that came up was a sponsored listing linking to Mormon.org that was headed "Mormons believe in Christ." The second (sponsored) listing linking to a site firstthings.org says "Is Mormonism Christian? A look at the Mormon obsession with Christ." SO Mormons think they are Christian, but a lot of others don't agree. Also there are Protestants of the far-right sort who don't think Catholics are Christian, and indeed think the pope (whoever he happens to be) is the anti-Christ.

[(The other) Eli]

Not taking money from the government =/= giving bribes

[JekyllJacobson]

Jancsi
Misfits are misfits regardless of what they keep or don't. Obviously halachic lifestyle was too difficult for you; sorry to here that. If anything changed since the shtetl, it is only for the better. We now have all the comforts and live in a free and tolerant society. No anti-semites are oppressing us and we're free to practice our religion as we please. Unfortunately, some people had a difficult upbringing and dark childhood. They blame "halacha" for their problems rather than the individuals who wronged them. A simple analogy: you watch a murderer pull the trigger while chewing gum so you go all out against chewing gum... You may even push the envelope a bit and claim that it is the gum that caused the bum to act the way he did when in fact there is no proof of such (other than a study that found that x amount of murderers had chewed gum some time in their life...)
Get my drift?
BTW: it's not challacha; it's halacha.

[JekyllJacobson]

Jancsi
Misfits are misfits regardless of what they keep or don't. Obviously halachic lifestyle was too difficult for you; sorry to hear that.
If anything changed since the shtetl, it is only for the better. We now have all the comforts one can possibly ask for and live in a free and tolerant society. No anti-semites are oppressing us and we're free to practice our religion as we please. Unfortunately, some people had a difficult upbringing and dark childhood. They blame "halacha" for their problems rather than the individuals who wronged them. A simple analogy: you watch a murderer pull the trigger while chewing gum so you go all out against chewing gum... You may even push the envelope a bit and claim that it is the gum that caused the bum to act the way he did when in fact there is no proof of such (other than a study that found that x amount of murderers had chewed gum some time in their life...)
Get my drift?
BTW: it's not challacha; it's halacha.

[jancsibacsi]

JekyllJacobson--"They blame "halacha" for their problems"
I am not blaming halacha i am saying a human being can take only so much before he starts cracking from too mucg pressure,the reason that there are so many misfits among the orthodox is the exact reason i am mentioning loss of freedom of choice meaning you must conform or be thrown to the wayside its like survival of the fittest,how can so many people learning toyreh and halacha go so wrong can you answer me that if,i am much older then you i went through things and always wanted to very religious but the same people from whom i was supposed to learn how to live my live destroyed it as far as being religious i still dont travel on shabbas but i dont see things the way i used an innocent child which you seem to see things,i guarantee you if you go through the same traume in life as i did you would be in the same situation it is lifes experience that steers us and not halacha

[nachos]

Posted by: JekyllJacobson | February 09, 2014 at 12:56 PM

Once again:
How is Halakha different than a set of rules?

Posted by: nachos | February 09, 2014 at 01:14 PM

[Rodin]

Hey, everybody. Doesn't this guy look like that hillbilly retard boy in 'Deliverance' playing the 'Dueling Banjos'. I reckon he's all growed up now, you hear!

[D]

@jancsibacsi:

I know what you are referring to. When traumas in life hit you, you are forced out of your lifestyle and when things settle down you seek to express yourself in another way. So some people abandon halacha. I, too, abandoned my innocent, strict halacha in my heart, and after a while a giant trauma got me to abandon it in practice. However, being in the right company I got to find new ways of observing Judaism and now my commitment is more meaningful. It could also happen to you. I hope you found a good way to live, religious or not. However you should not say that everyone is forced out of halachic practice by traumatic events