Hamodia urged its readers to honor the sirens because “we do not have to fall prey to the hostile media” that will report on our refusal to honor the sirens.
Honor Memorial Sirens – But Only For Appearances Sake, Haredi Paper Says
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The haredi daily Hamodia, which is controlled by the Gur hasidic sect and the Agudat Israel political party, reportedly published a column today urging haredim to stand silently if they are outside in public when the memorial siren for fallen Israeli soldiers sounds tonight at 8 pm Israel time.
But Hamodia does not make this recommendation because it accepts tonight and tomorrow as Memorial Day or because it wants to honor fallen Israeli soldiers in unison with the rest of the country.
Instead, Hamodia urged its readers to honor the sirens because “we do not have to fall prey to the hostile media” that will report on our refusal to honor the sirens.
Hamodia goes on to point out that the Israeli public only knows about the haredi community from media reports which are often biased, and the wider public is unaware that mishnayos and psalms are recited by haredim to honor the dead.
Haredim have repeatedly publicly desecrated Holocaust memorial Day and the Memorial Day for Fallen Israeli Soldiers that follows one week later.
This year, a haredi yeshiva held a public barbecue on Holocaust Memorial Day and dozens of other haredim held barbecues and other public celebrations, a violation of Israeli law.
While Hamodia urged its readers to honor the sirens for appearances sake, it also insisted that haredi leaders will never allow the government to dictate the lifestyle of the haredi community.