Posted on 04/03/2003 11:10:47 AM PST by Alouette
The largely religious city of Bnei Brak is mourning today for five Torah Scrolls that were torched last night in a local synagogue. In accordance with tradition, the ruined sacred scrolls will be buried in a funeral-like ceremony, probably tomorrow. Anti-religious and anti-Ashkenazi graffiti was scrawled on the walls of the synagogue, and police are investigating.
The synagogue is of Tze'irei Agudat Yisrael, headed by Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, father of the city's mayor Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz. Rabbi Chaim Brilant, Chairman of the Union of Agudat Yisrael Synagogues, told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson today, "People don't understand what happened until they see it - and then they start crying like babies." He said that allegations that the arsonists wanted to harm Rabbi Karelitz are unfounded, "as his large chair that stands next to the Ark was purposely moved away; the fire was clearly started under the Holy Ark." Asked if he meant to imply that anti-religious Jews intentionally burnt Torah Scrolls, Rabbi Brilant said, "I know it sounds terrible… We don't accuse anyone of anything; the police are investigating, and hopefully they will find the perpetrators."
Rabbi Brilant said that one of the destroyed Torah scrolls was rescued from the Holocaust and brought to Israel around 30 years ago. "How ironic it is that it survived the Nazis, but was burnt here in Israel," he said sorrowfully.
Any chance that this is an Arab provocation, or are there hilonim who are actually capable of this kind of sacrilege?
This is too trivial a target for Arabs.
Look in the mirror before you accuse others. You need to grow up. Why don't you condemn this outrage instead of attacking me?
Someone trying to cause the rift between Separdics and Ashkenazics to grow, perhaps?
No matter who did this, it is horrible and very sad.
'Seems an odd distinction for Islamists to make.
All one can do is cry, and read some tehillim.
Now, let's think about this a minute: the biggest suspects are Arabs, Sephardic Jews or secular Jews. Which camp has most to gain by burning these Torah scrolls and vandalizing the synogogue?
Sephardic Jews? No. Even Ashkenazi Torah scrolls have HaShem's name within. They wouldn't do such a thing as to descrate His Name.
Secular Jews? Possibly, if they think such an act would divide the religious Jewish community and gain some political points. Although I think this is unlikely as most secular Jews claim to be tolerate people and descrating Torah scrolls like a bunch of Nazi hoodlums doesn't become them.
Arab Muslims? Probably. Afterall, they have descrated the tombs of Rachel and Joseph in the recent past. They also desecrated the Christians' Church of the Nativity (an equal opportunity offender). They would have the most to gain if either Sephardic or Secular Jews were blamed. Divide and conquer.
This whole event sickens me.
You forgot non-Jewish ethnic Russians who emigrated to Israel under the "Law of Return" by claiming a fictitious Jewish grandparent. There is no love lost between them and the Jews of Bnei Brak, especially because the Russians operate pork stores.
Three years ago (before the Arab "uprising of annihilation"), a Masorti (Conservative) synagogue was vandalized. It was alleged that the "ultra-Orthodox" had committed the damage, although the destruction was vigorously condemned by the entire religious community. Eventually the perpetrators were found--a gang of secular hoodlums. Police arrested one of them for a different crime, and in order to cop a plea he dropped the dime on his buddies. They thought it would be great sport to fire-bomb a Conservative temple and then sit back and watch while the Hareidim took the heat.
Sounds like the `Eirev Rav all over again.
Yet when mere translations of the Holy Torah are burned in America (as when some chr*stian bibles were burned by homosexual thugs in the Seventies) it is precisely because the burners are "tolerant" types who object to the Bible's "intolerance." Why is it that secularist Jews with the same mentality are written off as suspects because of their "tolerance?" Why should secularist Jews in Israel manifest their militant opposition to "intolerance" any differently than secularists in America--especially considering that the kosher scrolls used by Orthodox Jews represent the purest form of the "intolerant" Bible?
And if leftist Jews in Israel (or leftists in America) indeed are so "tolerant" that they would never desecrate a Torah scroll, then why are they so intolerant of those who obey it? If they respect it so much, why don't they give it and its claims a hearing in their own lives???
There is an article dealing with the inconsistencies here posted on my web site.
On a minor note, the association of anti-'Ashkenazi with anti-religious sentiment certainly flies in the face of the beliefs of those naive souls who hold that the Sefaradim are the religious fundamentalists and that 'Ashkenazim are a force for secularims (or perhaps "khazars").
HUH? Why would non-Jews want to emigrate to Israel as Jews? Couldn't they emigrate by telling the truth, that they were either Christian or secular people?
As for the pork thing, yuck!
They are economic opportunists looking for a way out of the shambles of the former Soviet Union, and not having to pay their own way. The Jewish Agency, which is ultra-secular, imports them for cannon fodder, and to keep the Orthodox, who have a birthrate equal to the Arabs, from outvoting the controlling secular elite.
The Russians are Christians or atheists and have no interest in Judaism, even if offered "easy" conversion.
Since the old Soviet Union crumbled, Russian Jews are free to practice their religion, and there is less open anti-Semitism there than in France. My son in Moscow is the public relations director for the Chief Rabbi.
Why would a Jewish state want "jews" emigrating under false pretenses? I would rather have a Russian emigree state unequivocally that he/she is a Christian rather than lie and say they are a Jew.
The Russians are Christians or atheists and have no interest in Judaism, even if offered "easy" conversion.
What do you mean by "easy conversion"?
Since the old Soviet Union crumbled, Russian Jews are free to practice their religion, and there is less open anti-Semitism there than in France.
Then why is there this organisation I see adverisements for on tv all the time called the "Fellowship of Christians and Jews" run by a Rabbi Eckstein claiming to raise money to evacuate Russian Jews from the former Soviet union due to "intense persecution."?
The only reason I can think of is to import voters for the secular parties. "Easy conversion" is what is offered by the non-Orthodox clergy.
Then why is there this organisation I see adverisements for on tv all the time called the "Fellowship of Christians and Jews" run by a Rabbi Eckstein claiming to raise money to evacuate Russian Jews from the former Soviet union due to "intense persecution."?
They should really take their act to France if they are worried about "intense persecution." Otherwise this is a very good organization.
I didn't think non-Orthodox conversions were accepted as valid in Eretz Yisrael.
Maybe they figure that France is a first world country and most people who live there would be able to afford the airfare themselves if they wanted to leave, whereas most Russian Jews live in poverty (as do most Russians in general).
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