Objecting to a proposal by the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee that would allow Israeli couples to register for marriage anywhere in the country and proposed amendment that would mandate the inclusion of a woman in the committee that selects rabbinical judges, MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) harshly criticized committee chairman, MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beytenu), saying "the messiah will see what this committee is doing and he won't come!"
"This committee has become the garbage can of Judaism. All the anti-Jewish laws find you," Gafni told Rotem, himself an observant Jew. "You have always been anti-religious! You are a big hero, you talk the talk, and that is why you cannot be a representative on the Judicial Selection Committee -- that committee needs strong people."
Apparently only haredi men qualify as "strong people." All others, it appears, equate to Oscar the Grouch of Sesame Street (ר''ח שומשום) fame.
Last month, Gafni said because Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid started pushing to draft haredi males into the IDF or for national service (שרות לאומי ), Israel's security situation has drastically worsened and Syria is aiming missiles at Tel Aviv. Gafni also blamed Israel's credit rating downgrade on Lapid's "infringing on the Torah" according to Israel HaYom (http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=9893)
I'm confidant that Gafni is correct that the meshiach will delay his arrival, but not because of any decisions to which haredim might object but because of the vitriolic senat henam (לשון הרע ושינאת חינם) spewing from the likes of Gafni and his fellows in the UTJ and Shas parties. I would encourage the haredim to go back and read the works of R. Yisrael Meir (Kagan) Poupko, the Chafetz Chayim (חפץ חיים), on lashon harah and baseless hatred (לשון הרע ושינאת חינם). If the meshiach thinks twice about coming to Jerusalem - and G-d knows we need mashiach now, with the world in its precarious condition - it's because of those Jews who think only they have a direct line from HaShem. Seems to me they are modeled after Korach and Company.
A democracy, even an "Israeli-style" democracy demands respect for - and by - all citizens. It demands participation by all citizens in all aspects of the government.
After Moses died, two people led the nation: Yohasua ben Nun and Pinchas ben Afunah. Yohasua was the political leader and Pinchas was the religious leader and, unlike the politicians of today, these two apparently (there is no indication in Torah (תורה שבעל-פי) of anything otherwise) worked together. The cohanim took the field with their brothers to conquer the land. The only exceptions were for cowards. newly weds, owners of new houses and people too young or too old. Perhaps today's haredim who dodge both the IDF and national service are one of the three exempt groups.
Likewise, according to the Torah, everyone except leviim and cohanim had to support both the state and the Temple; in truth, I'm not sure the leviim and cohanim were exempt from taxation to support the state's needs (army, judges and courts, etc.).
The "bottom line" is that when we came into Israel from Egypt, everyone - without exception - participated in the conquest; everyone did their part.
If the haredim complain that the IDF is "not kosher enough" then their presence would enhance the military's kashrut. (One hopes it would reach the level of Bet Yosef/Halak vs. "just glat.") Apparently the IDF IS kosher - when last in Israel and riding cross-country buses, I noticed a number of "modern Orthodox" - male and female - in uniform and, by their gear, some in well-respected combat units.
While I don't have a lot of respect for politicians - Israeli or U.S. - I think Gafni's remark that a Knesset committee is the "garbage can of Judaism" goes to far; that suggests, at least to me, that this representative of the haredim considers all non-haredim as "garbage." He's telling us that "if you are not like me, you're garbage." Today the "garbage" is any non-haredi, tomorrow the "garbage" will be anyone not aligned with his party (UTJ), and the day after, the "garbage" will be anyone who follows any rabbi but Gafni's.
It is because of MKs such as Gafni that the political-religious parties are today in the opposition and continually losing support from the non-haredi sectors. There are political parties that are populated by observant Jews, by Jews who believe in inclusion rather than haredi's exclusion mentality.
"Garbage" MK Gafni? That's pure hutzpah and a disgrace to Judaism.
After thought Another article from Israel HaYom is headlined "Thousands of haredim protest against IDF draft in NYC" and reports on New York's Satmar haredim hitting the streets to protest a draft in a place they don't live, a place where a Satmar admor once said was not a place for (his) Jews.
( http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=9867)
I can recall a rally for Israel in Washington D.C. a few years back. As I was making my way back to the Metrorail station I saw a cluster of Satmar "hasidim" waving not an Israeli flag but a "Palestinian" flag. These are the people who have the nerve to try an tell a government they don't recognize how to deal with its population! They may be the only group of people with more absolute hutzpah than the haredi politicians in Israel.
