We’re all haredim now
November 30, 2008 Haredim, Israel
In the aftermath of the terrible tragedy by anti-Semites, we must unite and speak out against evil.
I am, of course, speaking about the tragic blood libel by the anti-religious Zionists against Reb Yisroel Vales.
Most of you may are probably aware of the tragic case where a haredi father is being blamed for the suicide of his infant son who shook himself dangerously and then slammed himself into the wall—out of the arms of his father – to his untimely death. And you may be aware that the secular “Jewish” government of the Zionists used this as pretense merely to persecute a ben Torah. Now, however, the Anglo-haredi community is itself organizing to save this holy, wonderful yid from jail and debt. BUT THEY NEED YOUR HELP!
The Yated properly noted that with this incident “the government’s latest outrage would make Stalin blush. In fact, the case bears remarkable resemblance to the infamous Beilis trial of Kiev in the early 1900s.”
Or even worse.
Then, in a scene reminiscent of Communist Russia or maybe Nazi Germany, R’ Yisroel Asher was beaten mercilessly in an effort to extract a “confession” that he had intentionally killed his own child.
Just another Zionist blood libel
One of the signatures of the call for donations to the Vales for support against this “virtual blood libel” along with a Lakewood rabbi was RABBI YISROEL S. SCHORR, whose brother is the spiritual leader of Ohr Somayach, Monsey.
Won’t you please show your own solidarity, and send a check to those who fight this and other blood libels?
28 comments
Hey man-
This is horrific and these people should have their heads examined. However there is no connection to feeling for a family that we some how are closer to than the other 180 or so people who were killed.
I was watching CNN and some ignorant news guy asked a modern Jew, most likely Reform or Conservative, who escaped Mumbi unharmed, how he felt about the attack on the “Habad Jewish Center” (it was spelled right but that is how he said it)
The guy who was there didn’t identify with the Chabanics. He was there so he could connect. We were not so we need to feel somehow connected. So we were Chabanics for a day. (I just felt bad for the kids)
Kelsey, don’t be heartless. CK has a valid point, and your personal venom against Charedim only feeds the point he was making: it matters not which sect of Judaism (if at all) a Yid affiliates himself with. In such matters of life and death, a Jew, is a Jew, is a Jew. The ignorant mob you’re contending with is only a very small portion of that equation. Is an innocuous call for unity too much for you to comply with for one day?
What I find reprehensible is that the news media here in the US is doing such a poor job of covering this that I had to tell my mother-in-law two days after the fact that it had happened. I mentioned it to her expecting that she saw, and she had no idea.
You honestly believe better dead then frum dont you?
ddc and Halfsours,
I do not dispute ck’s or anyone else’s position. My issue is that taking on Muslim fundamentalist violence is not really OUR challenge. It is taking on Jewish fundamentalism. That is harder. And here, the sites I linked to — including Jewlicious — are so far silent.
You won’t find any disagreement on fundementalist Islam. Where you will find disagreement is on willingness to tackle Jewish (so-called) quiescent fundamentalism. And that is much harder. And Jewlicious is more culpable than Beyond BT or Likelihood of Success, precisely because they do know better.
What are you really asking me? If I approve of killing Chabadniks because they are Jews? Is that seriously what you are asking me?
Shlomo asked,
You honestly believe better dead then frum dont you?
Better dead than frum? No, Shlomo, I don’t. Better dead than haredi? It depends how. Do I think people can be killed because they are haredi? No, Shlomo, that is pure evil. Such people who would force that choice on others should be locked up forever, or better yet, hung.
But personally — if you put a gun to my head, and could seriously enforce the choice that I either live as a haredi or get shot, the answer, Shlomo, is that I would prefer death. for me personally, better dead than haredi, Sholomo. I would personally rather die than live as a haredi. I want nothing to do with that lifestyle. I would rather die. I would rather my descendants be liberal Christian than haredi. I would rather that. That is my choice. If the haredim ever take over, that is my choice. Death.
So on a personal level, better dead than haredi.
“My issue is that taking on Muslim fundamentalist violence is not really OUR challenge. It is taking on Jewish fundamentalism.”
What specifically offended you so much about these posts? Why use them as the launch-pad to draw out those points? I understand the mission of your blog, and to a limited extent support you in it despite my own convictions.
But this is going too far. You are mocking people for expressing sorrow over the horrendous deaths of fellow Jews. You make no mention of the slain themselves; just stack the posts together to make a communal outpouring of grief, and grapple for meaning, into something trite and valueless. Congratulations David: you’ve definitely managed to avoid being trite.
You are mocking people for expressing sorrow over the horrendous deaths of fellow Jews.
This post is not about them.
You make no mention of the slain themselves
Because this post is not about them. It is about the “blood libel.” The call of blood libel and of the innocence of Reb Yisroel comes from the highest levels of Israel’s haredi leadership.
I haven’t heard much about this. Was the Chabad House the target of the attack? I was under the impression that it just happened to be in the neighborhood, and was one of three properties that was occupied.
For the record, I would also rather be dead than Hareidi – or any kind of fundamentalist, for that matter. Of course, in my case, that isn’t saying much!
Yes, Jeff. The Chabad house was targeted for attack. As were Israeli citizens. In fact, the coroner recently released a statement lamenting the especially horrific torture inflicted on the Israeli victims in the hotels. The Indian’s also confirm that the Chabad house was targeted.
“This post is not about them.”
You could have fooled me with the three consecutive links, and the evocative title.
http://www.cross-currents.com/.....-shluchim/
And here, the sites I linked to — including Jewlicious — are so far silent.
*cough, cough*
DK,
? What are you trying to point out to me?
Jeff,
Here’s a link to a JTA story on the targeting of Jews by the terrorists :
http://jta.org/news/article/20.....or-capture
The whole thing is evil. All those Indian deaths are incomprehensibly tragic. But lets not forget that we were their special targets.
Look further into the story of how the attacks unfolded starting with the takeover of a fishing vessel and the murder of its crew and captain and you’ll see that the people who carried this out were total slime.
Was that ever a question?
SP,
Are you saying that’s what DK’s point was, or just still in shock and disbelief? I know I am.
No, it wasn’t a question but a point as to why some people are going to be enraged, some in shock, others numb and not thinking (right now) that they feel a whole lot about it.
And a point as to why it wasn’t just Jews, but Indians, Hindus, and the west in general as well who were being struck at, and if we don’t do something soon as a species to get a bandage and tourniquet on the hemorrhaging hate spilling out of us as a species, we’re headed nowhere good.
I know people believe the outrageousness of it means one shouldn’t hesitate to be hate filled towards those who did this, but should we hold on to the hate, sooner or later, somehow, we will be as slimy and infected. I don’t want to see that. Like DK and charedism, I draw the line at this. I’d rather be dead than let that hate fill me. I refuse to go from victim to victimizer. It stops with me. A sentiment I believe the entire human race needs to embrace.
It seems as though the JTA article is saying that Westerners in general were targeted, but that they killed the Israelis up front. I’m don’t doubt their antisemitic/anti-Israeli sentiments, but I’m questioning whether this was meant as a blow against Israel, or against “Western values” in general.
I think the one report I heard, two days ago, said something about three locations being occupied, one being identified as belonging to a “New-York based Orthodox Jewish sect”.
if we don’t do something soon as a species to get a bandage and tourniquet on the hemorrhaging hate spilling out of us as a species, we’re headed nowhere good.
We’re headed nowhere good.
And I agree with suitepotato about our species, although I’m less than hopeful about our prospects.
We’re headed nowhere good.
Yeah.
Count me out of the solidarity for a day as well.
“Better gay than haredi” I always say.
There are so many non-reported cases of “shaken baby syndrome ” and “sudden infant death” that go uninvestigated because of their public protests against autopsies, that they might as well just put out garbage cans for their infant’s bodies to be dropped in. They are going to be pregnant again in a few months anyway.
Missionaries of any religion know they are at risk of harm when they choose to go out and prostelyze. Is that heroic? How you answer that question depends on whether or not you agree with the brand of religion they are preaching.
“Missionaries of any religion know they are at risk of harm when they choose to go out and prostelyze. Is that heroic?”
That’s pretty callous, chutzpah.
Yeah well, that’s why they call me “Chutzpah”. You try to Get a get during your last child-bearing years and see if you’re not callous afterwards.
I would go further and argue that the presence of the Chabadniks in the financial center of Mumbai resulted in the death of secular and non-Jewish people, but even I think that’s pushing it. They have minyan in Jersey City Financial Center which I have complained about as creating an unsafe terrorist attraction.
I just finished reading “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe and I can’t distinguish between the Chabadniks and Mr. Brown, the benevolent Christian missionary whose presence in the protagonist’s tribe in Nigeria eventually caused it’s destruction.
Maybe you can explain the difference to me.
I’m sincerely sorry for your personal problems. In addressing your points:
“Maybe you can explain the difference to me.”
Um, I haven’t read the book so I can’t. In any case, it’s irrelevant. Whatever sophomoric conclusions you may draw from a compelling piece of literature need have a practical application for the purposes of this discussion. The practical applications of what you are suggesting — I think — are that Chabad shouldn’t be able to practice their religion anywhere that there are other people, lest they put them at risk. Well that’s just silly. Why stop at Chabadniks? Why not members of any religion, since every religion in the world has had violent opposing factions at one point or another? Why not tell Westerners not to travel in certain areas, lest natives get hurt in their path.
The answer has to be to impeding the evil-doers (I’m taking back the phrase!), not the innocents. How we do that can be a constructive, and ongoing dialogue; what you are suggesting can not.
Sophomoric*
Just as an aside:
I just spoke to my sister about the author you referred to. Her reading of “Dead Man’s Path” by the same author, is that tradition and modernity are best managed through coexistence.
They dont try and get people who arent jewish to convert. They only “preach” to people who are already jews. THAT is the difference
There is very little distinction between ” “kiruv” and the “outreach” work of other religious groups. Both involve trying to increase their numbers and finances through education. However, many christian missionary groups go into impoverished areas to bring the residents aid in the form of food and medical care, whereas Chabad goes into affluent areas
like the Hamptons, Wall Street, and Tenafly, so that their “newly educated” jewish friends can finance their lifestyle and contribute to their organization.
The internal riffs they cause in Jewish families after convincing a person in a slow and patient manner to “do tshuva” are the same as those caused by any other religious group that preaches repentance to their own or outsiders.
They should be allowed to set up their Missions, oh excuse me, “Jewish Centers” or “Chabad Houses”, where ever they want, but others have the right to find it undesirable and unsafe to be around in a world filled with hatred and terror against Jews. Of course impeding the terrorists is vital.
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