However I read something this morning that I cannot ignore.
Arutz7 had an article today about how Barkat is supporting a lawsuit filed by the "Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah" movement with the Supreme Court "against a committee that selects rabbis in Jerusalem, charging that it is biased in favor of the hareidi-religious."
My immediate reaction was:
- How can an "Orthodox" Jewish organization file suit in a secular court against the Rabbanut. Moreover, not just any secular court, but the "bastion" of the Eirev Rav
- Doesn't the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel have enough trouble with the Supreme Court trying to help the reform and conservatives from undermining and breaking the monopoly of the Rabbanut.
Now we have an "Orthodox Jewish" organization actively helping the Supreme Court to interfere with the inner workings of the Rabbanut. - Imagine the repercussions if the "Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah" movement succeed in helping the Supreme Court get involved in deciding what "type" of Rabbis may or may not be appointed by the Rabbanut.
- Who says that the Rabbanut appointments should be democratic. Democracy is NOT a Jewish value. If there happened to be more reform Jews in Jerusalem, does that mean that a reform "rabbi" should be appointed
- This also reminded me a little of how the sons of Shlomtzion HaMalkah approached the Romans to arbitrate between them about who should be her rightful successor. This set the ball in motion for Roman rule over Am Yisrael
The "Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah" movement and the New Israel Fund
However a quick view of the "Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah's" Website shows that they are hardly "Ne'emanei Torah" - Faithful to the Torah.
I guess it should have come as no surprise to find that the "Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah" movement, that is undermining the Rabbanut, is funded by the Anti-Israel/Anti-Semitic New Israel Fund
It seems that the "Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah" movement gets more funding ($50,000) from the New Israel Fund than the Israel Masorti (Conservative) Movement ($39,000)
I was a little shocked therefore to see that Rabbi Shlomo Riskin sits on the Board of Governors of an organization that is funded by the New Israel Fund and by extension, the Anti-Semitic Ford Foundation.
Any regular reader of Arutz7 or Jewish pro-Israel blogs know exactly who the New Israel Fund is.
As a reminder, here are some results of a random search of articles from Arutz7 on NIF:
- 'New Israel Fund' Training Israel's Future Supreme Court Justices
- The Ford Foundation, the NIF and Bashing Israel
- Bishara represents the kind of "New Israel" that the New Israel Fund seeks to create.
- The New Israel Fund funds several left-wing and Arab organizations in Israel like Adalah, Mossawa, the Arab Human Rights Association
- New Israel Fund and Pro-Divestment Groups
- Anti-Semitism Free
- Funding Your Enemies
The story is not without a precedent. Recall the giyur courts and haredi/Shas legal clashes over the Rabbanute appointments.
ReplyDelete"Who says that the Rabbanut appointments should be democratic. Democracy is NOT a Jewish value."
ReplyDeleteOf course not, but for that reason we, as a jews, should reject democracy???
And stop putting "orthodox" with quotes, they are jews who practice judaism in the halachic way.
Well, the right-wing neo-zionist movement have created a jewish islamism...what a shame for both, zionism and judaism
See Rabbi Lazer Brody
ReplyDelete"Much effort is required if we want to be Bnei Torah and ehrlicher yidden - children of Torah and G-d fearing Jews. We must cleanse ourselves of any influence that is foreign to Torah.
Once, while saying his morning blessings, the "Chafetz Chaim" stood in silence for ten minutes before reciting the blessing, shelo asani goy - thank You, Hashem, for not making me a gentile. When asked why he hesitated so long, he answered, "I had to first check myself and make sure that I am free of any gentile influence; only then, did I proceed to make the blessing...""