Monday, March 18, 2024

Ignorant Comments that are Gospel to the Left

New York Times columnist, Tom Friedman (Ha'aretz)  
I can’t think of a more damaging Jewish ignoramus than New York Times columnist, Tom Friedman. And I don’t use the word ignoramus lightly.

That he is an ignoramus is plainly evident by his complete lack of Mitzvah observance. Unless the lack of observance is intentional. Which makes it even worse

As is the case with senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, other then Tikun Olam he wouldn’t know an authentic Jewish value if it hit him in the face. 

What is so troubling about Friedman is that his open identity as a Jew gives his left leaning opinions on Israel - Jewish gravitas. Thus giving him immunity from being called an antisemite. 

His ‘keen perceptions’ of the realities of the Middle East is, however, done with a jaundiced eye. And taken as gospel by the left leaning media, the left leaning Democratic party. And the current president of the United States.

It is no small wonder therefore, that he is called the Biden whisperer. It also helps to explain why the president and Senate majority leader have been talking about a two state solution as the only viable option for the two peoples to live in peace. Which anybody with a half a brain would realize is a complete absurdity at this point in time. And probably for generations to come as things stand now.

A particularly ugly comment is what he said about Israel’s current leaders: 

'I would not let this Israeli cabinet be waiters at my grandson's bar mitzvah,' 

As if he has a clue about what becoming a Bar Mitzvah really means. My guess is that his grandson’s ‘Bar Mitzvah’ will have little if anything to do with actually observing Mitzvos - if it is anything like they typical Conservative Jewish Bar Mitzvah party But I digress. 

Friedman is about as much of a Jew of Chuck Schumer. Their views should not necessarily be considered valid expressions of Jewish values. 

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care what some ignorant Jewish journalist says about Israel. But Friedman has been given near icon status with respect to his views on Israel. He is seen as a font of wisdom on the subject. So when he expresses an opinion, it is considered near gospel by the left. A left that includes the President. As noted in Haaretz - Friedman has been called the Biden Whisperer.

It’s not that everything he says is wrong. On the contrary. In many ways he makes some salient points: Such as the following:

(If) Israel was to partner with the Palestinian Authority "to form two states for two nations, it could solve three of its current problems: changing the narrative, changing the Gaza options, and cementing a regional alliance with its Arab allies.

That is very true. But it would be suicide if they were to create a Palestinian state in partnership with the PA. What happened in Gaza will almost certainly happen in the new Palestinian state. They will overrun  by Jihadist groups with the same agenda as Hamas. With Iran right beside them leading the charge.  

This is why Friedman’s constant refrain about a 2 state solution is so stupid. He ought to know better – if he is the ‘expert’ he thinks he is… that the left thinks he is… that the mainstream media thinks he is... that the President Biden thinks he is.

Friedman says that Netanyahu is the worst leader in Israel’s history. Maybe even in all of Jewish history. I know a lot of  my friends on the left strongly agree with him. 

While I agree that the coalition Netanyahu formed with right wing extremists was not good for the country, to say he is the worst leader in Israel’s history casts Israeli voters into being the worst electorate in Israel’s history. And Israel as the worst country in the developed world. 

It’s not like Netanyahu is a one term prime minister. He is the longest serving prime minister in Israel’s history. If he is so terrible, how could that have possibly happened? How could he have possibly become the prime mister for so long?

The answer is that he was elected and re-elected because he did a lot for his country. Changing it from a socialist economy into a free-market economy. Israel’s economy has boomed as a result. It is one of he most stable economies in the world. All of which happened under Netanyahu’s watch. If that’s that's  worst, I’ll take it..

Of course if you are a leftist you will say that all that is overridden by his arrogance, his egregious conduct of the war, his disagreement with the current administration and by what happened on October 7th under his watch. But I would strongly disagree. Israel would not have the strong economy it has today if not for Netanyahu.

Fortunately the Friedmans of the world will likely disappear.in a few short generations. While it is a terrible tragedy to see what is happening to the bulk of American Jewry, with respect to this guy, I say good riddance.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Despising Netanyahu is No Substitute for Common Sense

Netanyahu and Biden (PBS)
I hate to keep harping on this. But it is a subject that depresses me and it won’t go away. 

I don’t ever recall a time when Jews have been so divided. When the State of Israel was founded in 1948 until the 6 days war 1967 support for Israel was near universal. Since then support has been steadily waning. There are many reasons for that which are beyond the scope of this post. But no event has divided the Jewish people more than the war against Hamas.

On the surface Jewish opposition to the war makes eminent sense. The number of Palestinian civilians being killed, maimed, and starved is shocking. Under normal circumstances it would be a no brainer to stop the war. And to allow these people who have been under siege for over 5 months some badly needed relief. How can any human being worthy of the name ‘human’ not feel otherwise? 5 months of carnage is enough! Everyone should be calling for a cease fire now and allow the full and free flow of humanitarian aid to get through immediately.

There is no question that (aside the overt or closet antisemites) this is the motivation of the vast majority of those that oppose Israel’s continued prosecution of this war. It is also the reason that the President has changed course with respect to supporting the war. Although he has not actually said that Israel should not attack what remains of Hamas in Rafah, he may as well have. Since his ‘red line’ is the over one million Palestinians that would presumably be subjected to massively more deaths, serious injuries, and starvation. This is also why Chuck Schumer - the highest ranking Jew in the government  has expressed similar sentiments.

What is forgotten in all of this is the existential nature of this war. Ending the conflict before finishing off the remnants of Hamas in Rafa will have made the entire war a complete waste of time - and Palestinian and Jewish lives. Without eliminating Hamas, they will retain full control over Gaza and go full steam ahead with their plan to  exterminate the Jewish people of Israel. 

While screaming Alahu Akbar they will continue to massacre and kidnap Jews . There is no 2 ways about it. The prime minister knows that. His unity war cabinet knows that. And the vast majority of Israelis know that.

What is Netanyahu supposed to do? Would any sane leader just say, OK. Well stop an existential war because of the increased Palestinian casualties that will result? I think we all know the answer to that.

The Jews who feel the pain of suffering Palestinians have forgotten why Israel has no choice but to finish what they started, The President and his men seem to have forgotten that too. What they refuse to recognize is that Hamas themselves does not feel he pain of their people’s suffering. They rejoice over their martyrs. They desire them. They correctly surmise that world sympathy - including that of the US - will force Israel to cease fire - permanently. They are succeeding in that goal. This is why they purposely use their own people as human shields - preferring women and children.

As I have said many times, good people everywhere do not want innocent people being killed in war. That includes Israel. It includes Netanyahu. It must not be forgotten that Israel tries mightily under the most impossible of conditions to spare Palestinian lives Hamas on the other hand  tries mightily to create as many Palestinian martyrs as possible. Hamas is winning that contest!

And yet no one has said a word about Hamas’s responsibility other most Republicans and a few courageous Democrats (like Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman). They understand this unassailable fact. Which is why they have have continued to give their unequivocal support to Israel. Without the slightest reservation.

It should also not escape anyone’s attention that - even though Israel has not revealed what they are - they said they have a viable plan to relocate Gaza Palestinians to safe locations.

And yet there are Jewish voices - among them the most powerful Jewish Democrat in congress - suggesting not so subtlety that the US ought to use its leverage on Israel to condition further military aid.. 

If Israel is somehow forced into a permanent cease fire, they will lose the war against the most savage human pieces of garbage since the Nazis of the Holocaust. They will then proceed to finish what Nazi Germany started

Let us even assume for a moment that Israel has no viable plan to evacuate Palestinians. What are they supposed to do? Just give up? 

I don’t know. maybe they should. Maybe the 7 million Jews living in Israel now should just relocate to Miami Beach. There are  lot of kosher restaurants there. A great climate. And best of all - no Hamas.

I am so sick of blaming Netanyahu for the conduct of the war. It wouldn’t make any difference who the Prime Minister is. It's too bad that so many Jews don't realize that. Sadly the visceral hatred of Netanyahu by so many Jews has blinded them to from that simple reality. 

To say that I am disappointed in what all these well meaning Jews are saying would be an understatement. How about we all focus on who the real enemy is and win this war! That is what the Israel people want. That should be what we all want.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Ignorance of Jewish Values

Shas Party Chairman,, Aryeh Deri (Arutz Sheva)
Unbelievable! In a shocking development in Israel, Shas party leader Aryeh Deri took to the Knesset podium yesterday and called for the resignation of President Biden. Although he gives him credit for supporting Israel, he believes that Biden's advanced age has caused him to go astray with bad policies for Israel, the US, and even the free world. Which could end in disaster of global import!

That of course never happened. Deri would never say anything like that in public even if he believed it. It would be a Chutzpah of major proportion to suggest that the freely elected leader of major ally resign from office, No matter how noble were Deri’s intentions.  

But this is almost exactly what happened here in reverse from the podium of the Senate chamber:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish lawmaker, levied some of the harshest criticism yet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a top U.S. official, calling on Israel to hold elections for a new government to deal with the threat of Hamas.

Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer (ABC)
Calling for the resignation of the freely elected leader of the closest ally the US has in the Middle East is an exercise in politics motived by willful ignorance and the optics of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. What Schumer said was no different than had Deri said the same thing about Biden. And just as condemnable. In fact there was near universal condemnation of Schumer’s remarks by Republicans. Starting with Minority leader Mitch McConnell who said the following:

“It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans who hyperventilate about interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of Israel,” McConnell said, calling Schumer’s remarks “unprecedented.” 

How ironic it is that the non Jewish McConnell and his non Jewish Republican colleagues were disgusted about the lack of support expressed by a Jewish Democrat who has always been one if Israel’s strongest supporters. And Schumer is not the only Jewish Democrat that has criticized Israel’s conduct in the war. 

Surely his open criticism will give cover for other Jewish Democrats to do more of the same. The left might be cheering Schumer on. They might argue that Schumer is not criticizing Israel. Only Israel’s current leader - adding that the vast majority of Israelis agree with him abut Netanyahu. But there is a difference between people criticizing their own leader and outsiders doing it from the safety of the Senate chamber floor. Especially in the middle of a war.

What is Schumer so upset about? First it is the high number of ‘innocent civilian’ casualties. Which he blames on Netanyahu's lack of concern for Palestinian death, destruction, and human suffering. And calling Netanyahu’s opposition to a 2 state solution an obstacle to peace. Problem with that is the vast majority of Israelis are with him on that issue. No sane Israeli - even on the left - believes a 2 state solution will bring peace. They rightly believe it will bring more terror.

Schumer also charges that Netanyahu’s conduct of the war will generate even more terrorism. 

Seriously? After October 7th?  And their promise to do it over and over again? What kind of additional terrorism is he talking about? Is he not aware of Palestinian cradle to grave ‘education’ about Israel (read  Jews)?  Does he not know about the popularity of books like Mein Kampf or Protocols?

Allow me to speculate a bit about the reasons behind Schumer’s outburst. It is a. combination of the optics in Gaza, his left leaning constituency, and  ignorance of Jewish values. While it is true that Netanyahu is wildly unpopular since the events of October 7th, (and for many on Israel’s left, well before that) his prosecution of the war with Hamas is not at all unpopular. 

To the contrary. The vast majority of Israelis know that Hamas must be eliminated. Even though their own children are fighting and dying in battle trying to do so. Even though there are so many ‘innocent civilian’ casualties.  

It is oh so easy for a politician 7000 miles away to pontificate about Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war. He doesn’t have to worry about his throat being slit in his own home by a marauding group of Hamas terrorists.  It’s easy for him to say that Netanyahu’s opposition to a Palestinian state bordering Israel is obstacle peace. No sweat off his back!

I am 100% convinced that the more Palestinians that are killed, the better Hamas likes it. Their goal is to turn world opinion against Israel and they are succeeding. Overjoyed to provide as many ‘martyrs’ as they can toward that goal. 

Meanwhile they are biding their time until the world forces Israel to stop. They will then regroup; rebuild; and continue to terrorize Israel as a religious obligation. All with the substantial help from and encouragement of Iran.

A word about left leaning Jewish angst over the carnage in Gaza. No one wants to see innocent people die. Not even people that hate us. But it is no coincidence that Jews like Schumer seem to be more concerned over Palestinian casualties than they are over Jewish casualties.  I believe it has to do with the values of knowledgeable observant Jews versus the values of non observant Jews ignorant of their own Judaism.

Chuck Schumer brags about being a Jew when he doesn’t have the slightest idea what that really means. Either that or he chooses to ignore it.  Which is even worse.

He may be ‘proud’ to be a Jew. But being proud of something you have no clue about  makes you stupid. He should be embarrassed about his ignorance. Not proud.

The values of knowledgeable observant Jews are biblical. The values of non observant Jews are not. They are mostly liberal humanistic values. I believe there is a correlation between those values and how one sees Israel’s conduct in the war. The one Mitzvah  non observant Jews do know about is Tikun Olam. Known to them as social justice. 

Which is what they mean when they talk about the injustices they say Israel commits against the Palestinian people. This is why they call concern over the human suffering in Gaza a Jewish value. 

Sad to say - other than Tikun Olam - people like Schumer wouldn’t know a Jewish value if it hit them in the face. In their ignorance they believe they are following God’s will. And if they see Jews being responsible for the suffering underdog. They are going to say so and call their concern a Jewish value. Regardless of the actual reasons for that suffering.

On the other hand the vast majority of observant Jews tend to reserve their sympathy and caring mostly for fellow Jews that are suffering at the hands of the very ‘underdogs’ they pity so much. 

Orthodox Jews have been increasingly supporting Republicans because their polices tend to be more supportive of Israel and biblical values. Their biblical values also accounts for their greater support for Israel.  

To an Orthodox Jew Israel has religious value. To a secular or heterodox Jew there is little if any religious values to the state. The secular and heterodox Jew believe that  purpose of Israel’s creation was as a haven for Holocaust refugees who had nowhere else to go.

That was surely true. But for the Orthodox Jews it is more about our belief in our God given rights to that land. We are connected to Israel for religious reasons much more than we are for pragmatic reasons. (Whether Israel should ever give up land for peace is a debate within Orthodoxy. But that is currently a moot point and outside the purview of this post.)  

For all of my fellow Jews on the left that might be applauding Schumer and agreeing with what he said, they should consider how damaging his views are with respect to Israel's existential goals. Because with respect to the conduct of this war it would make little if any difference who would take  Netanyahu's  place.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

A Seismic Shift in Charedi Policy - Will it Happen?

Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch (VIN)
In what seems to be a shocking change of course, Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch - 2 of the most respected Charedi leaders in Israel have agreed to allow Charedim to be drafted into the IDF. YWN reports the following:

(For) the first time in history and with the approval of the Gedolim, the Chareidi parties (UTJ and Shas) have agreed in principle to a law outlining quotas and targets of the number of Chareidim who serve in the IDF, a measure that was rejected by the Chareidim in the past. Sanctions will be imposed on yeshivos that don’t meet the recruitment goals.

This is a monumental change in attitude. Apparently they now agree to a change in policy that  I have long ago suggested. That not all Charedim should be exempt from serving in the army. I am, however, disappointed at their motives for doing so: 

The (Charedi) MKs told the Roshei Yeshivos their fears that if the draft law is too extreme, left-wing groups will grab the opportunity to incite against the government in an attempt to topple it altogether, possibly creating a crisis that could harm yeshivos and kollelim. 

In other words they are not doing it for the altruistic reason of sharing the burden with the rest of the country. They are doing it for the pragmatic reason of protecting their turf. Be that as it may I still think it is something to celebrate.

That being said, they do want to limit army service to those that who choose not to learn full time.  That may not be enough to satisfy the IDF’s needs during a time of war. Nonetheless it is a start and a major shift in their anti army policy. Which was based on their view that the IDFis little more than a government social engineering tool to disabuse religious Jews of observance.

That argument never held water in my eyes for the most obvious of reasons. First - the fact that sincere committed religious Jews in the army never succumbed to such dangers in the relatively rare instances where they appeared. Second -  the fact that Hesder Yeshiva students whose valor in combat is legendary rarely if ever gave up their Torah study or Mitzvah observance. Third - the creation of several different types of Charedi military units (Nachal Charedi) that catered specifically to Charedi needs.

In the past Charedi leadership had always doubled down on their view that the IDF was all about social engineering - and accused the IDF of not fulfilling the promises they made about Charedi units.

Those fears seem to have disappeared. This is good news. 

On the other hand,  I don’t think the concessions the Charedi world wants to make go far enough. The choice of learning full time as an exemption should not be made solely by potential Charedi recruits. It must also include a provision that will not allow draft dodging – in which some of their youth choose learning full time specifically to get out of the army.  

There needs to be some way of determining who is sincere  and who is just dodging the draft using this convenient loophole. Quotas may be  a way to at least partially solve that problem.

If there is a minimum number of Charedi recruits required in order to keep the army viable, it will surely mean that some of those who choose to learn full time won’t be able to. As always, the devil is in the details. It will be difficult at best to know who is sincere and who isn’t. Hard as that may be, if there is a will there is a way. I’m sure it can be done in a more or less equitable way.

What those quota numbers will be remains to be seen. My guess is that there will be a lot of discussion about the size of the quotas. But people of good will can negotiate and eventually come to a meeting of the minds. On the other hand this may be the sticking point that will torpedo the entire thing. I sure hope not.

There is another wrinkle to consider. What will the rejectionist Peleg Yerushalmi faction do about this? They are opposed to the draft law even as they stand now. Where Charedim are required to register for the draft but not required to serve as long as they are learning full time.

Their view is in direct opposition to acceptance of that law by the  2 most recognized religious leaders of the Yeshiva world, Rav Aharon Leib Steinman and Rav Chaim Kanievsky (both of blessed memory). Their view was not accepted by the founder of Peleg, Rav Shmuel Auerbach. He instead opted for disruptive (sometimes even violent) protests in the streets of Jerusalem. 

If the new draft paradigm is implemented, there is no telling what this faction will do. One thing is certain, It won’t be pretty. It will probably cause even greater resentment of the Charedi world. Which is at unprecedented levels now because of the lack of Charedi sacrifice being made by everyone else.

Leaving this faction aside, this is a golden opportunity to change the way the rest of Israel views the Charedi world. Let us hope that the Charedi leadership and the IDF don’t blow it by making unreasonable demands of each other.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The Antisemitism of Animal Rights Activists

When I was a boy (about 10 or 11 years old) my father (who was a Shochet in Toledo), took me to the slaughterhouse to watch him do a Shechita (ritual slaughter). The steer was a bit feisty so the gentile workers told him ‘Don’t worry, rabbi. We’ll take care if it for you. My father protested saying that he has it handled. But in the blink of an eye, they placed the steer into a pen and banged its head with a huge mallet. A process called stunning.

My father then proceeded to slaughter it and then he put it in the Treif pile.  When an internal organ is damaged in any way, that animal can no longer be considered Kosher. Kosher slaughter does not allow for stunning. Halacha requires that all the animal’s organs to be undamaged if the Shechita is to be effective – making its meat kosher for consumption.

The laws governing Kosher slaughter are biblical, discussed extensively in the Gemarah, and codified in the Shulchan Aruch - our code of Jewish law. While this is a bit of an oversimplification, it is nonetheless basic Halacha.

Kosher slaughter has been challenged many times in recent years by animal rights activists like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). They insist that the most humane manner of animal slaughter is when stunning is done before the kill.  The animal is thereby rendered unconscious and won’t feel the pain of the slaughter.  That has motivated some European countries to outlaw Kosher slaughter for ‘humane’ reasons. (Or so they say. In my view it is at the core antisemitic.) 

Which brings me to the following story in the National Post about one of the most developed, enlightened, and progressive western democracies on the planet, Canada:   

Jewish organizations are taking the federal government to court to challenge new rules they fear spell the end of kosher animal production in Canada.  

In a statement of claim filed earlier this week in Federal Court, the applicants seek to strike down new Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) rules requiring that non-stunned animals be subjected to cognitive tests to ensure they’re irreversibly unconscious before being processed.  

Jewish organizations are taking the federal government to court to challenge new rules they fear spell the end of kosher animal production in Canada.  

In typical non-kosher abattoirs, cattle are usually rendered unconscious via a powerful blow to the head from a bolt gun, then are hung up and have their necks slit, and are drained of blood until dead.

 In kosher slaughter, or shechita, animals are killed by trained Shochetim who use smooth, razor-sharp knives to sever the animal’s throat in a single, uninterrupted motion before letting the animal bleed out. It is commonly believed that the method is painless and at least as humane as the stunning technique, although Jews believe it is the more humane method because the animal is rendered almost immediately unconscious.  

Why does any government legislate a law based  on the assertions of animal rights activists? Do they really believe it is more ethical than a procedure that has been used for millennia by the Jewish people? A procedure widely regarded as one of the most humane ways to kill an animal? The only answer that can explain this law is that it is based on a view that religious laws are archaic and even dangerous. They ‘know’ that stunning an animal before slaughter is more humane way to kill it. 

Really? Well here’s an idea then. Let us first stun a death row inmate before we execute them!  

Think about that for a minute. How many people think a strong blow to the head before an instant death caused by a slit to the throat is a good idea? I sure don’t.

I am so sick of culturally defined ethics. Especially when those ‘ethics’ are framed by people that see a human being as just another animal and not entitled to any more rights than a rat. It  is people like this that call the mass slaughter of chickens for human consumption a ‘Chicken Holocaust’! 

That is the  kind of thinking that can only exist in the mind of people that deny the existence of God.  As such they see religion as an impediment to the advancement of progressive ideas. Especially a religion with so many rules and rituals like Judaism. Rules and rituals they believe were developed by ancient man and labeled godly in order to make those rules stick. Ethics based on ancient  rituals are therefore considered primitive and inhumane. 

They do not want to be confused by the fact that. Kosher slaughter is recognized as one of the most humane methods of animal slaughter. Since it is based on a religious ritual it is invalidated and discarded by the progressive mindset of our day. Which they say is ‘obviously more ethical’

This is a special kind kind of antisemitism. Biased against  the ethics and morality of a bible that would deny them the freedom to imbibe in all manner of immoral behavior because some nonexistent god said it was immoral. Reasoning that now that we are more enlightened; our values are more progressive and  purer that the driven snow. Religion, especially Judaism is the opiate of the masses and the more knowledgeable progressive society in which we live needs to eradicate any vestiges of it. So that we can be freed. to live as we choose. That is what ethics are all about to them. 

What about religious freedom? To the contrary. They consider religion a prison from which we should all finally be liberated.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Wisdom Does Not Always Come With Age

Image for illustration purposes (Cross Currents)
Daas Torah is the sine qua non of the Charedi world. But Daas Torah is not the sole province of that world. Throughout Jewish history there have always been rabbinic leaders to whom we turned for guidance. It may not have been called Daas Torah. But that is what it is.

I think that the proprietary attitude of the Charedi world of that term is why there is such a wide chasm between them and the rest of the religious world. They have so strongly believed in their Daas Torah that when a rabbinic leader of another religious segment disagrees with their it, they do not say Elu VeElu. They instead completely reject it as invalid. This is not the way the rest of the observant community looks at their Daas Torah. We respect it even when our leaders disagree with it.

That attitude is precisely what was expressed by a comment at Cross Currents. It was in a reply to an open letter from Rav Yitzchak Sheilat Rosh Yeshiva of the Hesder Yeshiva of Ma’aleh Adumim. Translated from the original Hebrew it was republished on CC by Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein. 

In that letter that Rosh Yeshiva respectfully suggested a modest change in attitude in the Charedi world with respect to army service. Espeicaily at this time of war when the need is so great. He peppered his argument with biblical and rabbinic sources (both ancient and recent) to make his point. 

Here in part is the not so respectful – in fact arrogant and insulting (!) reply from someone who is clearly Charedi:

Why don’t you go meet with Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch? Rav Hirsch speaks a fine English. They aren’t afraid to engage and answer the tough questions. Instead of serving as a useful idiot for those who seek to conform chareidim society to their own ideals get the truth from the leaders of the Torah world. Honestly, what’s stopping you. Rav Sheilat may be a great scholar but he’s not a man d’omar in this discussion. Societal change will be led by chareidi leaders, not soapbox lecturers. If you’re passionate enough, you’re not too old to clean the latrines or work in intelligence, go sign up. 

Rabbi Adlerstein is too much of a gentleman to respond in kind. Although he did respond to his challenger with the following: 

Great idea! But I beat you to it. I did have the private conversation. Weeks ago.

I don’t know what transpired between Rabbi Adlerstein and the Charedi ‘Gadol’ he spoke to. But my hunch is that this ‘Gadol’ was unmoved by what Rabbi Adlerstein had to say.

If that is indeed the case that this Gadol rejected any change in the Charefdi attitude about army service, he is certainly not alone. The Sephardi Chief Rabbi just expressed a similar attitude in the most hyperbolic way: 

Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef warned Saturday that ultra-Orthodox Jews will leave Israel en masse if the government ends exemptions of mandatory military enlistment enjoyed by the community.

“If they force us to go to the army, we’ll all move abroad,” Yosef said during a weekly lecture. “We’ll buy a ticket… We’ll go there.” 

If there is a better way to alienate the non Charedi public (both secular and religious) I don’t know what that would possibly be. The lack of sensitivity to the masses of those serving, dying, or injured is so disturbing, that I can’t believe anyone that is considered a dispensor of Daas Torah would ever say such a thing. It’s an affront to every mother that mourns the loss of a son or daughter fighting in the current existential war.  An insult to every parent that can’t sleep because they are filled with worry whether a son or daughter will ever be coming home. It think it is an affront to every single Jew in the world that is not Charedi. Religious or not. I wouldn’t even be surprised if there were more than  a few Charedim that were disturbed at these comments as well.

Unfortunately this comment continues to show the intransigence of Charedi leadership on this issue. Even as a disproportionate number of religious Jews have been killed during this war.

First I want to briefly  respond to Rabbi Yosef’s biblical argument that: 

The [biblical] tribe of Levi was exempted from the army,” he noted by way of comparison, referring to the biblical tribe from which the priesthood was drawn in Temple times. “They didn’t take them; absolutely not.”

If I recall correctly this exemption does not apply to a Michemes Mitzvah (an existential war). But even if it does, it only applies when there is a Beis HaMikdash. But let us even say that it always applies. Then fine .Let us exempt the Leviim and require every other Jew to serve.

True - Gedolim – from whom Daas Torah emanates - are not a monolithic group from which all decisions for the entire Jewish world are made.  Chasidim have their Chasidic Rebbs to look to. Sephardim have their their Chacham. And even modern Orthodox Jews (Centrists) have our own.

But the term Daas Torah is used almost exclusively by the Lithuanian Yeshiva  world whose numbers have exploded exponentially over the last few generations. And it is the Israeli Gedolim who are considered the most authoritative in that realm. (I believe the deference for Israeli Gedolim began in the Rav Shach era and continues to this day.)  

How does one become a Gadol in the Lithuanian Yeshiva world? Of course it begins with a lifetime of Torah study and being reconized for it.  In most cases they become Rosh Yeshiva and/or a Posek . But I also believe that age has very much to do with that. The older they are the more deference they get from their community. That is why the aforementioned Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch are so widely seen as the new purveyors of Daas Torah

I do not believe that being in one's nineties makes someone a Gadol. Even though they might  otherwise qualify because of their Torah knowledge. Not when their ‘logic’ is so harmful to the fabric of the Jewish nation. Not when their logic tends to save their community’s own skin while others sacrifice theirs. 

It cannot be the case that all Charedim must be exempted for army service. Any Gadol that says that under current conditions has in my view lost the right to be considered a purveyor of Daas Torah. It cannot be that such a divisive and even destructive stand is Daas Torah. Not when so many religious Jews are dying on the battle field. It cannot be Daas Torah when Charedi mothers do not have to worry about a son or daughter coming back alive from battle while the majority of non Charedi mothers do. 

It’s not that Torah study isn’t as important as they say it is. It’s just that their intransigent attitude about army service doesn’t contradict that. I don’t see how anyone can accept that as Daas Torah. In fact I have to believe that in their heart of hearts neither does the typical  mainstream Charedi. Except for people like the abovementioned commentator on Cross Currents. Hopefully he is in the minority. Probelm is that it wont really matter how the majority feels since no one will chalengre the view of the Daas Torah of newly minted elderly Gedolei Hador.

Just telling it like it is.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Why Context Matters

"The Zone of Interest" director Jonathan Glazer (JTA)
It was unexpected and disappointing. And yet not all that surprising. At last night’s Academy Award ceremony, Jonathan Glazer took home the ‘Best Foreign Film’  Oscar for Zone of Interest - a wonderful film that demonstrated the sheer banality of evil. Which was part and parcel of 1940s Germany. The film depicted the typical ‘care free’  upper middle class lifestyle of a German military family living next to a wall separating them from a Nazi death camp. Upon accepting the Oscar, Glazer, who is Jewish, said the following

“Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present,”

“Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza,” he added. “All the victims of this dehumanization. How do we resist?”

After making these comments, some of the audience applauded rather exuberantly. 

I am not surprised because taken out of context his reaction was that of a man who sees a people suffering oppression at the hands of a mighty occupying military force. Same for those applauding. The assumption being that if Israel were not occupying the West Bank, none of this would be happening. That the decades long occupation has dehumanized the Palestinians - eventually causing them to delegitimize us and react with violent resistance. 

That’s what it seems like on the surface. Not an unreasonable response.

This event was not about antisemitism. Although there are surely plenty of antisemites that have come out of the woodwork since Israel’s war with Hamas, this was not that. This is about compassion based on ignorance. The kind of ignorance that motivated UN Secretary General, António Guterres to express sympathy for the victims of the Hamas massacre and kidnapping which was followed by his apologetic comment that it didn’t happen in a vacuum. I don’t think Guterres is an antisemite either. He is probably a caring human being that tries to explain the ‘why’ of the massacre.

Empathy for human suffering is also the reason why so many good people are calling for a cease fire. They in fact want what I want. We all want. an end to all the violence and killing on both sides. Looked at in this light, it should be more than understandable why the death of 30,000 Palestinians upsets a lot of good hearted people. Even good hearted Jewish people like Glazer.

I don’t now what it will take to get these good people to understand that Guterres is right. What happened on October 7th did indeed not happen in a vacuum. There is a reason that Israel was attacked and why they had to respond. But the vacuum is not what Guterres was referring to

What all these good people don’t realize is that we Israel is not ‘occupying’ the West Bank in order to subjugate the Palestinian people. It does not treat them harshly for no reason. Israel has no choice in executing hash measures because of it own need for security. Need I remind people about all the suicide bombings that took place before those ‘harsh’ security measures were implemented? The ‘harshness’ is mostly about inconveniencing Palestinians at checkpoints because of suspicions that they might be terrorists. (Based on a history of many Palestinians from the West Bank who committed suicide bombings)   A wall was erected along the border of the West Bank to make it more difficult for a terrorist from the West Bank to get through.

These good people believe that a two state solution would end all that. and, Had there been 2 states all along, none of this would have happened. What they forget or don’t realize is that Israel had accpeted a two state solution at their very founding. It was the Arabs that rejected it. They did not want a Jewish state at all. Then they went to war to eradicate the Jewish state. 

After the war for independence ended, the West Bank remained in Arab hands (Trans-Jordan) and became a refugee camp for Palestinians that fled Israel during the war for independence. Whether they were chased out or left out of fear that was exploited Arab nations is beside the point. Had the Arab nations accepted a two state solution then, there would be no refugees today. 

During the 19 year period of Jordan’s occupation of the West Bank, the Arab world did nothing to alleviate their status as refugees. Using them as pawns to show the world what the existence of Israel has caused. The Arab nations never gave up on the goal of driving the Jews into the sea and finally decided to do something about it in 1967. Long story short Israel did not allow that to happen. and six days after the was broke out, Israel recaptured the West Bank. Those refugees were now Israel’s problem.

The idea of restoring all of Israel to its ancient glory by annexing the West Bank was not an unreasonable position for a nation victorious in war to take. But it eventually became an unachievable goal because of those refugees and world opposition.. 

Refugees were thatwere used as pawns before 67 were still being used after 67. The purpose of which was eventually liberating all of Palestine. The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded on that principle.(Think about what the word ‘liberation’ means’) The PLO was founded in 1964, 3 years before Israel had anything to do with the West Bank. It has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks against Israel before and after 67.

The PLO (now the PA) has never disavowed its goal to free Palestine form the river to the sea.and has rewarded the families of terrorists who died trying (Pay for slay). While still harboring the belief belief that some day, they will get it back. 

In that vein they continue educate their kindergarten children to hate us. And to consider killing us when the can.(I’ve seen the video).  

This is where Hamas comes in, They do not take their mission lightly. Which is why they have built a literal fortress of underground tunnels from which to attack Israel and hide. They will brook no compromise on the goal of destroying us. Doubling down on educating their children to kill us. There is no stopping them. There is no convincing them about the immorality of their massacre and kidnaping  on October 7th. They consider it a religious duty to keep doing it.  One can hear declarations of Alahu Akbar (God is great) in videos of that event taken by Hamas. 

One cannot ignore the real source of the conflict. It is not because we don’t want a state. Its because they don’t. 

Israel does not want to be occupiers. But they have no choice considering all these facts. That Palestinians are dehumanized may be true. But not because Israel wants to dehumanize them. But because it is the consequence of protecting its citizens.

That good people like Glazer might want a two state solution is not a bad thing in and of itself. But considering the above-mentioned context Israel’s security would be at serious risk if it came to pass. 

As it would if Israel loosened its security measures. As it would if they were to agree it a cease fire. 

As much as good people like Glazer thinks that Israel’s occupation and the attendant dehumanization of  Palestinians is the direct blame...  that a cease fire would end the hostilities... and a two state soultion would end the hostility on both sides, I don’t think he realizes that it would be a one way cease fire. Hamas will rebuild and reconstitute their forces and do it al over again. As they promised they would. Nor does he realize that a two state solution would multiply those odds exponentially.

If only they would agree to sop hating us... to stop teaching their children to hate and kill us, then a two state solution would be possible.

I know that there are right wing extremists in Israel that would never agree to a two state solution – even if it would truly bring peace. But I also believe that the vast majority of Israelis would agree to it if it were only possible. Not without Palestinians abandoning their antisemitic curriculum.  

Without that, anyone that believes that a two state solution - thinks that way out of ignorance and wishful thinking.

I don’t believe it is possible to change the  minds of those wishful thinkers. Because I don’t believe they are actually thinking. They are blinded by the daily carnage and don't know the context or refuse to consider it. 

 I just wish that they would..

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth

The Ideology of Hesder (Tradition)
I have to take issue with Rabbi Natan Slifkin’s recent post. It’s not so much that I disagree with him. On the contrary, I have said many of the same things he has. My problem is with his taking a positive development and spinning it negatively.  

As noted, Mishpacha Magazine featured an article by columnist, (Rabbi?) Gedalia Guttentag. He is clearly in the Charedi camp and yet took to task that world for not fully recognizing what the Dati world is doing for the Jewish people. After describing the ultimate Kiddush HaShem of Yedidiah Eliyahu, a long time Hesder Yeshiva student, Guttentag made the following observation: 

Yedidiah Eliyahu’s story is just a drop in the ocean of the spiritual strength that has poured from the dati-leumi public over the last five months. They have volunteered and died in disproportionate numbers. At their levayos, the bereaved have repeated the same message over and over again: that their sons and husbands died fighting to defend Klal Yisrael.

These are men like Yedidiah who willingly gave themselves up al kiddush Hashem. They’re a generation of soldiers who stole time in Gaza to keep up with daf yomi and daven Shacharis, and fought as they lived — to bring honor to Hashem’s name.

This is the great hour of the national-religious world, but, on the defensive yet again about the draft law which threatens the yeshivos, the chareidi world in Israel and beyond has been slow to recognize the unfolding story. We should call it what it is: authentic Jewish heroism, both physical and spiritual. 

That is quite the statement coming from a card carrying Charedi in a magazine that caters specifically to the Charedi world. A prominent Charedi columnist praising the Dati world while criticizing his own world is not something you hear every day. 

My reaction is to give him tremendous credit for having the courage to call a spade a spade in world where criticism of Daas Torah is tantamount  heresy! I have had my disagreements with Gedalia in the past. But for this I give him my sincere appreciation. He deserves noting but pure credit.

What, one may ask could Rabbi Slifkin possibly have possibly found  wrong with that column? It is the what Gedalia added: 

Acknowledging that does nothing to alter the fact that the Torah learned in yeshivos and kollelim is the guarantor of Jewish national survival. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week that “without physical existence, there’s no spiritual existence.” It’s a materialistic worldview that we’re taught to see in reverse. Without the Torah, there is no Jewish People. 

It’s not that I disagree with Natan’s criticism. But to water down an amazing expression of Hakoras HaTov to the Dati world and recognizing the level sacrifice and Kiddush HaShem they are making - is  not only wrong but counterproductive. To the best of my knowledge Guttenatag’s comments were most pro Dati comments ever written by a card carrying Charedi columnist. It should be recognized that way and fully applauded. 

I agree with Natan that the original Achdus we experienced in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th massacre is no longer the same. And for good reason. Mostly over the utter lack of Charedi sacrifice during this war compared with the rest of Israel.

But that should not diminish the great change of heart about the value of the army and the recognition of the sacrifices being made by those who serve in it. Gedalia’s comments and those of other prominent Charedi journalists testify to that new recognition. It should not be minimized.

I would be remiss, however, if I did not make my own observation here. Which is that Guttentag’s strong heartfelt words have yet to be uttered by any of the Charedi rabbinic leadership.  

Yes, there have been cries about ‘storming the heavens’ asking for God’s mercy on this war. There has been a lot of prayer and extra Torah study towards protecting the soldiers. But to the best of my knowledge there has not been a single world of praise from any Charedi leader about the contribution, dedication,, and inordinate sacrifice being made by the Dati world. The focus has been inward. 

It’s nice to read these unprecedented words of praise about the Dati world from a Charedi columnist. It is also nice to hear prominent Charedi columnists and politicians changing their tune about the value of the IDF. But where is the Charedi leadership? Why the silence?

Friday, March 08, 2024

Germans of WWII and Palestinians of Now

WWII era German citizens knew - and did nothing
What part did the typical German play in the Holocaust? How many of them were in the army? How many were in the SS? How many were dirrectly involved in the genocide of 6 million Jews? How many were antisemitic but not participate? How many were just plain apathetic to our fate? And how many tried to actively save Jews from that fate? 

I’m not sure we can know what the exact  numbers were. But my guess is that the latter very heroic category was very small. The rest of the German people of that era shares culpability (to one degree or another) for what happened to us.

The German attitude of banality towards evil is one of the reasons Hitler was able to exterminate so many of our people. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

I would suggest that it wasn’t just apathy. I think they actually bought Hitler’s racial theories about Jews being an inferior race and evil people out to dominate the world. Hitler was surely a hero to the German masses. 

Most Germans of that era were not all that unhappy about what was happening to us. They were not unhappy that their government was doing their dirty work for them. Not unhappy to occupy Jewish homes from which Nazis extracted us. Not unhappy to receive valuable Jewish possessions looted by their government as they rounded us up and sent us to the ghettos and camps.  

‘The Zone of Interest’ is a movie that illustrated that point.  It focused on the family life  of a high ranking Nazi officer that implemented Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’. 

Living right next to a death camp at the height of the Nazi mass murder, his family could see the smoke coming from the crematoria, smell the burning flesh, hear the random gunshots on the other side of the wall separating his family from all that.  They knew what was going on but were living quite normal upper middle class lifestyles in a beautiful environment filled with children, relatives, and friends. Right next to where genocide was taking place every day. 

The father figure went to work every morning and returned every night for dinner to a loving and happy family. His job was mass murdering Jews on a daily basis on the other side of the wall. Without any guilt whatsoever. He saw it as a job - his obligation as a military officer carrying out his duty to his country. 

His family was depicted as mildly antisemitic. That Jews were being killed was  a phenomenon that didn’t concern them. It had no bearing on their lives.  

If one didn’t know they were living next to a death camp one would see a normal family. But they are nearly as responsible for the Holocaust as the Nazis that actually perpetrated it.

This was probably the attitude of the actual townspeople that lived near the death camps. They too must have seen the smoke coming out of the crematoria and surely smelled the burning of human flesh on a daily basis. And yet they went on with their lives as tough nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

When Eisenhauer visited one of those death camps immediately after his troops liberated it, he was aghast at what he saw. He  went into those nearby towns and forced the Germans living there to witness what their country had done. And then forced them all to bury all the dead bodies strewn all over that camp. 

These Germans were not just good people that did nothing. They were evil to the core. True they didn’t personally participate in the genocide, but it didn’t bother them. And in some cases benefitted from it.

How should we feel about a people that embraces a leader who is openly determined to exterminate us? Many Germans like this were killed as collateral damage by the Allies during the war, should we have sympathy for them? 

I sure don’t.

Palestinian indifference to what happened to their Jewish neighbors on October 7th parallels the German indifference to their Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust.

I have heard very little if anything from Palestinians about what Hamas did to us then. Other than cheering every time a Jew gets killed or hurt by one of the terrorists.  Videos taken by Hamas as they were taking Jewish hostages into Gaza show Palestinians  jeering at the hostages as they were being dragged through the streets of Gaza.

I don’t see the difference between the typical German of WWII and the typical Palestinian of today. They celebrate our misfortune. The greater the misfortune the more they celebrate.

To the best fo my knowledge not a single one of them has demanded that Hamas release the hostages. All they do is blame Israel for their misfortune when they must know that had Hamas not attacked us that day. none of thiswould be happening.

If on the other hand they would organize a major demonstration demanding their leaders release the hostages I might feel differently. But they haven’t and they won’t.  Not in Gaza, the West Bank or in their protests here. 

30,000 dead human being killed in a war is hardly anything to celebrate. But the truth is that (according to Israeli officials) most of them were Hamas terrorists and most of rest were the result of being used as human shields.   

I do have sympathy for those that actually cared about what happened to us on October 7th. But I don’t think too many of them do. 

They are not just good men who do nothing. They are men that celebrate our downfall. We need not celebrate theirs. But neither should we have any more sympathy for them than we did for the good man of Germany that did nothing in WWII. 

Yesterday, during his State of the Union address, President Biden reiterated his deep support of Israel’s war against Hamas. But then he rebuked Israel for the high number of casualties - speculating that most of them were not members of Hamas.  And then rebuked Israel for not allowing enough humanitarian aid to get through to Gaza.

I understand his concern. But I’m sure he was equally motivated by the concern that he will lose the progressive left wing vote of his party. They have all been clamoring about the ‘genocide’ going on in Gaza. (There is no genocide going on in Gaza – even according to the antisemitic UN.) But I have to wonder if thoughts about just how ’innocent’ they really are - entered his mind? My guess is that they didn’t.

Thursday, March 07, 2024

Fetterman, Netanyahu, Gantz, and the American People

Pa Democratic Senator John Fetterman
It’s complicated. If I had to reduce my Centrist ideology (both religious and secular) to a single phrase, that would be it. 

The question at hand is how do Americans view Israel and the Jewish people since the October 7th Hamas massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza.  Well… it’s complicated.

It’s important to note that the American people are not a monolith. Americans are as divided as ever on many important issues. Including this one.

Until the Gaza war, the vast majority of Americans had favorable views about Israel and the Jewish people. Increasingly among Republicans and decreasingly among Democrats. But favorable just the same.

But after daily images of death, destruction, and starvation, resulting from Israel’s defensive actions in Gaza, the typical American cannot be blamed for being critical of Israel and by association - the Jewish people that tend to support Israel.

But that criticism does not mean they do not support Israel’s goals in this war. A recent poll suggests that they do, even with all the carnage in Gaza they witness  every day on TV:

 A new ​​Harvard CAPS-Harris poll …found that 80 percent of respondents said they support Israel over Hamas in the current war.

So in spite of their legitimate concern over the massive number of Palestinian casualties and sympathy for what surviving Palestinians are going through, the American people understand the evil that Hamas represents and supports Israel’s goal to eliminate them.

On that score, the President has not withdrawn his support for Israel’s mission. Despite his calls for Israel to be more careful about civilian casualties and insistence that Israel open up more corridors for humanitarian aid, he is still calling for congress to approve $14.3 billion aid package for Israel’s fight against Hamas. His ill advised call for 2 state solution at this time did not change his support of Israel’s mission.

And he is not the only Democrat that supports Israel. In fact there is one Democrat whose declared support for Israel is strongest - it would be the former darling of congressional progressives, Pa Senator John Fetterman. His vocal and strident support for Israel at this juncture rivals that of Republican Nikky Haley: 

Clad in a dark hoodie and shorts and holding a miniature Israeli flag, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) emerges from his office to engage with a small group of anti-Israel protesters. The first thing he does, in video footage that circulated widely on social media, is direct activists to the offices of colleagues.

“We’re not changing, so there might be more different people that you may want to [be] protesting around,” said the senator, whose speech has been imprecise since a May 2022 stroke. “I’ve been very clear. Very clear.”

On Sunday, Fetterman posted on social media repeatedly about Israel.

“At any point, Hamas could have ended this burgeoning tragedy to surrender and release every hostage. Now, they’re unwilling to provide a list of any surviving hostages,” he wrote. “Hamas is anathema to peace for Gaza. Hamas instigated and owns this humanitarian catastrophe.”

“Demand Hamas to surrender. Demand release every hostage. Demand to seize billions of dollars Hamas stole from Gaza,” he added. “Demand those stolen billions to rebuild Gaza and compensate true victims- Israelis and Palestinians. Demand Hamas eliminated or permanently exiled.”

The reaction by these protesters was both predictable and disgusting:

“I’m a Palestinian,” one woman says. Another says to the senator, “That’s an inhumane view.”

“I’m a Palestinian. Why can’t you look me in the face?” a woman asks.

“I’m a constituent,” another woman insists.

“Pro-genocide is not a view,” a man says as Fetterman walks away, closing the door to his office.

A woman calls him a coward.

These protestors make a lot of noise and use the images of Palestinian carnage in Gaza to vilify Israel and the Jewish people. That resonates with some non Palestinian that have chosen to join them in protest. Most of whom are young people that have not done any research on why this is happening. They too see the carnage and blame the ‘the man with the gun’. Without acknowledging that the man with the gun is acting in self defense and that the casualties are the fault of Hamas. 

Fortunately they are in the minority as are the progressives (deluded Jewish progressives among them) that are calling Israel's defensive war - genocide. 

Minister Benny Gantz
There are unfortunately many people both here and in Israel that blame Netanyahu for all the negative PR. Seeing his determination to win the war as little more than a ploy to salvage his political career. And consider his decision to push into Raffah despite US objections  - Chutzpah of the highest order. That he is in biting the only hand that feed Israel.

It's time to disabuse people who harbor this notion: It isn't just Netanyahu that wants to take out Hamas in Raffah. It is his chief political rival Benny Gantz who said the following:

If hostages held in Gaza are not freed within the next few weeks, Israel will broaden its offensive in southern Gaza and push into the city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, war cabinet member Benny Gantz warned on Sunday.

“The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know — if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, to include the Rafah area,” Gantz said. 

Israel has a right to exist. and a right to defend itself toward that end. They must not allow themselves to be intimated by a small but vocal minority that paints them as virtual Nazis with words like genocide. No matter how much they try to paint Israel that way, most of the American people aren’t buying it.