Right Wing Zionist Orthodox Rabbis Lash Out At Government That “Does Not Have A Right To Exist”

The government “does not have a right to exist!” Levanon reportedly said to a gathering of senior Zionist Orthodox rabbis held in Jerusalem on Thursday. “The party capable of passing the conversion bill into law has no right to exist and the Bayit Yehudi Party must leave the coalition. I the interim, we must awaken and fight to apply the brakes to stop these civil laws and to push the Knesset to sop the processes. I call to stop these draconian civil laws,” Levanon continued.

Rabbi Elyakim Levanon

Right Wing Zionist Orthodox Rabbis Lash Out At Government That “Does Not Have A Right To Exist”
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

The Zionist Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the West Bank region of Shomron, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, and other right wing Zionist Orthodox rabbis lashed out against the government in response to the new conversion bill that, if passed, would allow local rabbis to perform conversions rather than forcing prospective converts to go through the centralized state rabbinate, Yeshiva World reported.

The government “does not have a right to exist!” Levanon reportedly said to a gathering of senior Zionist Orthodox rabbis held in Jerusalem on Thursday. “The party capable of passing the conversion bill into law has no right to exist and the Bayit Yehudi Party must leave the coalition. I the interim, we must awaken and fight to apply the brakes to stop these civil laws and to push the Knesset to sop the processes. I call to stop these draconian civil laws,” Levanon continued.

At the same gathering, the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba and Hebron Rabbi Dov Lior called on Members of Knesset not to cooperate with the government and to fight against the legislation.

“We are witness to rocket attacks that include laws that are more inclined to impair the status of the rabbinate and the religious character of the state,” Lior reportedly said.

The Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har HaMor, Rabbi Mordechai Sternberg, also spoke out harshly against the new laws and the government.

“There is a Torah in Israel and there is a rabbinate. There cannot be any other religious legislation under any circumstances. The Ministry of Religious Services is subordinate to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and not the other way around. One does not ‘consult’ with rabbis – one asks [rabbis what to do],” Sternberg said.

“The laws are a symptom and the root of the problem is religious identity. There are those who do not view the Torah as the source for our entire lives and culture. Therefore, the same problematic laws are consistent with their worldview,” Rabbi Baruch Efrati added.

If passed, the bill would increase the number of rabbis who can perform conversions. Additionally, conversion would be decentralized. Now there are four conversion courts in the entire country, each under the direct control of Israel’s haredi-controled chief rabbinate. If the law passes, 30 new conversion courts would be created.

The new courts will not be tied to geography, meaning that a potential convert could approach any of the new conversion courts, no matter where in the country the potential convert lives.

The bill is strongly opposed by the Chief Rabbinate.

Comments

[S M L]

This is what has come of Israel allowing these people to run the show. Once they've tasted power they want to keep wielding it. I wonder if the younger Haredim coming of age are as maniacal as their elders. Israel will either have to corral them in some corner of the Negev or become a failed state despite the best efforts of non-Haredim. These people seem capable of selling the country out to its enemies.

[Jeff]

"I call to stop these draconian civil laws"

Right, it's the Israeli government's rules that are draconian. These people have no self-awareness.

I agree with SML. They've been allowed to run the show for FAR too long.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

this shmuck, a rabbi? looks to me like haman. no? alas, it's often the case with settler dati leumi rabbis.
besides, how come his yarmulke isn't tilted?

[Franklin Clinton]

I am surprised to see Rav Lior defending the rabbinate, he knows firsthand how corrupt the rabbinate is. He caught the current chief rabbi cheating on his ordination exams, he was one of the few rabbis in the world who were brave enough to defy the Haredi darling, rabbi Leib Tropper and convert the girl he was abusing.

On another level, by uniting with the Haredim against the secular Israelis they will be surprised (again) when the time will come to evacuate parts of the west bank, of why the rest of the Isarelis do not support them.

[jancsibacsi]

Oh THEESE LOWLIFE TRASH RABBIS NOW HAVE THE CHUTZPAH TO SAY THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXIST ,IF ANYONE DOESNT HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXIST ITS THEM,THEY PLAY GOD AND WANT IT ALL AFTER 65 YEARS WHAT OTHERS FOUGHT FOR WHAT NERVES THEY HAVE UNBELEIVABLE.

[Jeff]

"I am surprised to see Rav Lior defending the rabbinate, he knows firsthand how corrupt the rabbinate is."

No matter how "liberal" a face they present to the frei yidden, when they feel their back is against the wall they always side with the Haredim. This is the reason that, although I admire those on the leftmost fringe of Orthodoxy, I don't entirely trust them. Ultimately, no matter how much they've been reviled by their right wing brethren, they always end up pandering to them.

No one does "circling the wagons" like the frum.

[Alter Kocker]

Since the Israeli government has no right to exist, then this lowlife trash should be asked to leave the country and cut off welfare. Immediately. Lets see this stupid fuck-head try to feed his family without the good graces of the Israeli taxpayer funding everything from his torah study to his bowel movements.

I just love how these mentally deranged pieces of human filth think they actually have a say in matters.

[jancsibacsi]

Alter Kocker--NOW THATS WHAT I CALL TELLING IT AS IS, LOWLIFE TRASHES IS WHAT THEY ARE, ALTER YOURE THE BEST HAVE A WANDERFULL PURIM INCLUDING EVERYONE ELSE HERE.

[Sarek]

>"...One does not ‘consult’ with rabbis – one asks [rabbis what to do],” Sternberg said.

And there you have it.

WE are the source of all knowledge. WE tell you what God wants. WE know everything. YOU are scum. Trust us. Would we lie to you?

[David]

Conversions are a joke these days and quite likely being done in violation of Halacha. There are thousands of cases where orthodox rabbis have converted people and then the conversion has been annulled, even after marriage and children. In traditional Halachic conversion you cannot be unconverted - conversion is permanent. In addition, getting a conversion is close to impossible and way harder than it could be or should be bringing upon much misery for nany people. Of course, the rabbinate these days is mistly lacking in humanity and compassion and simply does not care.

[David]

Corrections above: nany = many; mistly = mostly.

Any law which helps break the monopoly on conversion in Israel has to be a good thing.