Israeli President Reuven “Ruby” Rivlin was supposed to go to the Kehillat Yaakov haredi school in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem this coming Sunday to open the school year. But Rivlin’s visit to the school had to be cancelled after the school’s rabbis became enraged with Rivlin because he spoke out against Jewish terrorism and against homophobia.
Above: Reuven "Ruby" Rivlin
Report: Haredi School Disinvites Israeli President Over His Support For Tolerance For Gays
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israeli President Reuven “Ruby” Rivlin was supposed to go to the Kehillat Yaakov haredi school in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem this coming Sunday to open the school year. But Rivlin’s visit to the school had to be cancelled, Army Radio reported, after the school’s rabbis became enraged with Rivlin because he spoke out against Jewish terrorism after the murderous knife attack by a haredi man on marchers in the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade late last month and an a firebomb attack on a sleeping Arab family in the West Bank the day after allegedly committed by Zionist Orthodox West Bank Jewish settlers.
A haredi source in the Jerusalem city government told Army Radio the incident with the haredi school was worse than it had first heard. According to this source, Rivlin did not cancel the visit – the haredi school did because Rivlin is persona non grata in the eyes of its rabbis because of his remarks in support of tolerance for the LGBT community.
Update 10:54 am CDT – Ha’aretz is reporting that the school sent a letter to to Rivlin via the Jerusalem city government – apparently because its rabbis viewed Rivlin which such contempt and revulsion, they refused to directly address him after he called the knifings at the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade a “terrible hate crime."
“Flames have engulfed our country,” Rivlin also said. “Flames of violence, flames of hatred, flames of false, distorted and twisted beliefs. Flames which permit bloodshed in the name of the Torah, in the name of the law, in the name of morality, in the name of a love for the land of Israel."
In the letter, the haredi school's rabbis wrote that Rivlin's remarks could be understood as being supportive the LGBT community, and that would offend the sensibilities and contradict the religious beliefs of the students and their parents.