Haredi Belz community threatens mass exodus if draft law passes
The Belz Hassidic community, one of the largest hareidi communities in Israel, is threatening a mass exodus from Israel should the new draft law pass in the Knesset, the Maariv daily reported on Thursday.Seriously? The Senate wouldn't be helping by giving "refugee status" to people with no love for their country. Yet some people here will doubtless be fine with their making a grand exit from a country they supposedly love, then abandon because they supposedly consider Torah study more important than the arguments of one of the most prominent people appearing in the Torah, biblical Moses. Besides, there are classes for history in the army, and they could arrange for the same if it's that vital to them. But I figure that despite their defenses, it's not.
According to the report, Thursday’s main headline in the Belz community’s newspaper Hamachane Hacheredi said there were “initial preparations for mass emigration from Israel."
The newspaper further claimed that American senators have already promised assistance in obtaining refugee status for every hareidi family that chooses to leave Israel.
The paper stated that despite the "pain of abandoning the Holy Land," if a law forcing hareidim to enlist in the army is passed, the "emigration offices will open for registration."Based on the following, I'm skeptical they find it painful to leave:
A senior member of the Belz community told Maariv that the background to the announcement in the newspaper was a meeting between the Belzer Rebbe and the Satmar Rebbe, who lives in the United States and follows anti-Zionist line, calling on his followers in Israel not to vote in elections, among other things.Oh, it's thriving alright, in a superficial way with extremely tenuous connections to the real deal. How very much like the Satmar to agree to lend a hand to Haredi communities going by socialist leanings with no love for their homeland.
The Belz community and the Satmar community are related by marriage, being married to sisters.
“The Satmar Rebbe promised our rebbe that the American Satmar community will help us if we decide to move to the United States,” the source told Maariv, adding that the Satmar Rebbe “described the world of Torah as thriving abroad, and it seems that the situation for us is better there than it would be here.”
Still, if the Belz decide to split, nobody with a head on their shoulders is going to miss them.
Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, Knesset, military, Moonbattery, United States, US Congress