“Demonstrations with yellow badges with the word ‘Jew’ written in German are appalling and shocking... crossing the line,” according to Tzipi Livni. Others, from across the spectrum, echoed her view. Reading this, I was sure that it's the first time this happened.
So these photos caught me in total shock!
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A JTA report, dating back over 12 years, showed Yarmulke-clad protesters outside a theater on Manhattan’s Upper West Side wearing the striped suits and yellow stars of concentration camp inmates.
Washington DC based Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld - who is known to be as (or more) enlightened as an Orthodox Rabbi can become, and he also spoke out against the extremists in Israel - was among those donning the Holocaust-era garb. “Yes, this movie can inspire the type of anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust.” He justified it: “We are so concerned about this movie — we want people to be concerned.”
Herzfeld used the badge when protesting a perceived threat, so according to his logic, this garb is clearly a legitimate mean when protesting an actual incitement campaign against religious Jews.
Avi Weiss, Amcha leader, said the uniforms were intended to dramatize the issue and provoke a response. “I take responsibility for this. It was my concept,” he said. “When you’re outside, it is street theater. You’re going for the point of tension.”
True, some criticized it then. But the fact that I and most you never heard of it, shows that this went mostly unnoticed and un-condemned.
This line was breached before. But this time it was crossed by Ultra-Orthodox.
BTW, I fanaticized in an earlier post about Mrs. Margolis' plot to run for Labor party Knesset seat, and several comments on Matzav (the whole post was subsequently removed...) criticized me for entertaining such a possibility. Today, I saw in theIsraeli Bchadrei Charedim blog that the Margolis family spokesperson, Libi Beikin, was representing several Labor officials, including the present Labor party leader. Her current campaign against the Haredim is paid by leftist interests. I came pretty close.
Amcha's disgusting antics did not go totally unnoticed at the time. To quote Yonason Rosenblum's coverage of "the passion":
ReplyDeleteA group of demonstrators led by Amcha’s Rabbi Avi Weiss managed to infuriate both Christians and Jews by trotting out their tired gimmick of picketing in concentration camp garb. Christians who experienced the movie as a profound religious experience were enraged to find themselves compared to Nazis, and Jews were similarly offended by the trivialization of the Holocaust for the purposes of street theater.
The fact that "they do it too" (and they do!) is no excuse to avoid doing all we can to get and keep our house in order.
I haven't said that it was ignored, but it didn't draw even a fraction of the courrent outcry. According to my view, the house is now engulfed in flames. Frum Jews are arrested and their houses searched without the minimal due process. Now is not a time for housekeeping, but to fight the flames. Will get to housekeeping later.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I'm afraid idiots like these (holocaust garb stunts) help fan the flames rather than fight them. Of course, our enemies will use such idiots to their advantage - but why should we help them?
ReplyDeleteIf "housekeeping" had been attended to, I think the fires blazing now would be a lot less bright. Idiots amongst our own ranks are our own worst enemy.
It's true that this may not be helpful, but I don't think that current fire have much to do with Housekeeping. In general, those condeming this stunts, are condeming the Haredi was as a whole. Very few (the only ones that I found are Yated and Matzav) are striking a balance between the two.
ReplyDeleteCorrect, there are plenty of people who would love to destroy every last shomer torah u'mitzvos. As an analogy, think of the "amoleki" anti-semite. He longs to destroy every last jew, even if it involves getting himself destroyed in the process.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in both the cases of the "sonei hadass" and the "amoleki anti-semite", negative elements within our own ranks help them in pitching their appeal to the (less extreme) rest of the non-religious / non-jewish world, and getting them (or at least some of them) to jump on board, or turn a blind eye. We need as many allies and as few enemies as possible if we are to survive, thrive, and attract more secular jews to the beauty of yiddishkeit. I wonder how many people have been deterred from learning more about their yiddishkeit by watching such behaviour. Kol yisroel areivim zeh lo'zeh - we can't wash our hands of it, unfortunately.
Elyohu, thanks for your toughtful and sincere comments, and you are definitley right that we should be more careful to spread love to Hashem's name:
ReplyDeleteI must point out that I find shocking that those in the so-called Haredi blogsphere seems to the most turned off by the zealots, while in the secular media one cand find more understanding and down-playing the Haredi action. I don't want to label the former with the names your listed, but the trend is really troublesome. We have more enemiews within. The outside world, where I see, points more to general religious observabnces, like soldiers leaving Kol B'isha events etc.
We should definitley be careful with our deeds, but the outrcy here seem more artificial and from those who want to liberate themselves from the old ancient religion they are born into, and feel threatened by those reminding them iof the ways judaism once looked. You are an exception, by showing real concern of the image zealotry create to Judaism, and if we should have more like you it would be easier to reach a middle ground and strike a balance.