Tel-Chai Nation

The Satmar have been up to their old tricks again, villifying Israel for belief that Haredis also have responsibility in defending the country:

On Sunday evening, a sea of men wearing black hats and cloaks flooded Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. They bore signs with Hebrew and English lettering, and conversed almost exclusively in Yiddish. Women, what few were in attendance, were given a wide berth. Three hundred rabbis and elders gathered onstage and led the crowd in a series of prayers before the formal protest against Israel’s policies began.

Two weeks ago, the Israeli government approved a proposal to phase out military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who have traditionally been excused on religious grounds. Sunday’s demonstration drew between 20,000 and 30,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters opposed to the new law, according to the event’s organizers.

“Basically, they want to integrate us into their society,” Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro, who leads a congregation in Far Rockaway, said to The Observer. “They want to turn a nation of scholars into a nation of warriors. … We will not go like sheep to the slaughter from our yeshivas to their indoctrination camps.”

Gee, you'd think he never read the passages from the Torah on how Moses wanted Aaron to lead the military force the ancient Israelites were forming to defend themselves and the country. How strange that they read the Torah - or so it seems - and aren't inspired by anything told inside. I'd suggest he also ponder their very own indoctrination yeshivas before accusing Israel of running the same.

According to the World Jewish Congress, Sunday’s demonstrators hailed mainly from two factions of Satmar Hasidism, an ultra-Orthodox and traditionally anti-Zionist sect of Judaism. The formal speeches attempted to steer away from anti-Zionist sentiment, and protesters were asked to put away signs bearing messages against the State of Israel. The Rabbinical Council of America, which represents mainstream Orthodoxy, had condemned the protest in advance, saying that it was anti-Israel.

And alas, it was, even if the protest leaders asked not to carry anti-Zionist picket signs. If the Satmar are opposed to defending Israel via army service, then they are not only leading an anti-Israel platform, they're betraying the Torah's history and beliefs as well.

Chaya Gottesman, a pediatric occupational therapist from the Upper West Side, happened by the protest after visiting the Egg Rolls and Egg Creams festival on Eldridge Street, just a few blocks away. There, Jewish and Chinese cultures merged, with craft projects like making kippot adorned with Chinese lettering as klezmer music played. Ms. Gottesman, who was brought up in an ultra-Orthodox family but practices a less strict form of Judaism, said she was “saddened” by the demonstration, which she viewed as staunchly anti-Israeli.

“If they don’t like Israel, don’t live there,” she said. “Stop taking advantage of Israel’s social services. Don’t benefit from it.“

They shouldn't benefit from or be allowed to exploit America's welfare either. Nor should they be permitted to exploit other western nations' taxes, for that matter. The Satmar are a shame to the Jewish community and have only managed to dumb down everything great about Judaism.

Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, Judaism, military, Moonbattery, New York, United States