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November 12 Le vin casher Mevushal peut-il etre de qualite ?Rappelons que le vin Mevushal permet à juifs et non juifs d'être à une même table, tout en étant en accord avec les fondements de la cacheroute. Le vin casher Mevushal étant "Flash Pasteurisé", il est alors considéré comme "cuit" et n'est alors plus du vin mais une simple boisson cuite. Tout le débat concerne donc la notion de "Flash" pasteurisation, qui dans certains cas peut réellement altérer la qualité du vin. Il est entendu que ce principe fige le vin et arrête donc son évolution, sa bonification : un sacrilège pour les grands vins dont la qualité repose sur le temps de maturation. Toujours est-il que certains vins cacher Mevushal s'en sortent correctement me direz-vous ? Pourquoi ? C'est très simple, le vin doit être monté à une température de près de 85° quelques secondes et redescendu ensuite à une température normale. On imagine très bien une grande cuve qui chaufferait doucement doucement et tuerait complètement le vin. Non ? La qualité d'un vin Mevushal dépend du procédé utilisé et de la vitesse d'exécution de ce procédé. Plus le procédé est mener à bien rapidement, moins le vin en souffrira. Pour votre culture, ci-dessous un camion de flash pasteurisation dont le procédé repose sur l'envoie du vin non pasteuriser vers une source de chaleur très puissante pour finir sa course dans une cuve plus froide.
November 10 Antisémitisme, encore et encore
Conversion with confusionMany converts wishing to get married face objections by chief city rabbis, religious councils who refuse to register them, claiming they 'do not observe mitzvot'
Nissan Shtrauchler Maksim and Alina were due to exchange their wedding vows in 10 weeks, but instead of being busy preparing for the joyful event, they have been going through a nightmare – Their marriage was not approved by the Chief Rabbinate clerks in Ashkelon, where the couple resides.
"You do not keep mitzvoth, and therefore we cannot marry you," was the Rabbinate's explanation.
Maksim and Alina are not alone. Dozens of couples are victims of the religious councils and chief city rabbis' objection to the mass conversions that followed the conclusions put forth by the Ne'eman Committee on the conversion law.
The committee was established some seven years ago in order to find a solution to the hundreds of thousands of immigrants that are not defined as Jews.
Following the committee's recommendations, thousands of immigrants went through an expedited conversion process, many of them during their military service, with the intent to bring them closer to Judaism and the Israeli society.
Although the conversion was done in an Orthodox manner, the haredim did not see eye to eye with the committee's decision.
Back in 2008, High Rabbinical Court judge Avraham Sherman retroactively annulled thousands of conversions executed by the state's conversion administration.
Don't observe mitzvoth? register elsewhereMaksim and Alina met 17 years ago when they were second grade students at the same school. They were just friends for a long time, until four years ago their relationship turned romantic and love blossomed.
A year ago the couple decided to tie the knot. Because Alina's mother is not Jewish, and because of her strong bond to Israel and Judaism, Alina decided to go through the conversion process during her military service.
Following a year of Jewish studies and strict Halachic guidance, Alina was recognized as a Jew by the State of Israel, finally clearing the path for proper Jewish wedlock.
Two weeks ago, after setting the wedding date, Maksim and Alina went to the Rabbinate in their hometown to open a file with a marriage registrar. To their surprise, Ashkelon's chief Rabbi Haim Bloy told the couple he will not approve their marriage, and suggested that they get registered in a different city.
"The rabbi explained that because Maksim only observes some of the mitzvot, we will have to register in a different city," said Alina, explaining that "meanwhile I met with a different rabbi that agreed to register me, but not in my city, because in Ashkelon 'they don't register converts for marriage'."
The couple decided to fight the decision, and presented all the paperwork proving they were indeed Jewish. However last week they were informed by the secretary of the local religious council that "the rabbi investigated and found out that you do not observe mitzvoth, so you are better off registering some place else."
Some three months ago a special convention hosting dozens of cities' chief rabbis took place in Jerusalem. Sources from organizations who assist converts claim that during the convention rabbis were enticed not to approve marriages of converts who do not observe the Torah and Mitzvot.
In the passing weeks since the conventions, many couples found themselves facing the same problem as Maksim and Alina, especially those trying to register with the Ashkelon and Rishon LeZion religious councils, despite such restrictions being forbidden by law.
"Although they offered us help registering someplace else – something that is forbidden by the regulations – we decided not to give up and register in Ashkelon, without any shady business," said Alina.
"It hurts. A person converts out of his own free will; wants to get married in his country which he served, and then has to face such a phenomenon," said Maksim.
"The country pays money for these conversions and recognizes them, while the rabbis abuse the power given to them," he added.
Rabbi Shaul Farber, director of the Jewish Life Information Center (ITIM), said on Thursday that "it is not plausible that marriage registrars who are employed by the country and are getting paid by the Chief Rabbinate will make up their own mind whether to recognize documents issued by their employers."
"Registrars who distrust the Chief Rabbinate must resign from their positions. If they don't do it themselves, the state should do it," Farber added.
Following this recent phenomenon, ITIM institution opened a hotline that will guide converts and help them bypass the rabbis. The hotline number is 1-700-500-507.
Ashkelon's Chief Rabbi Haim Bloy reponded by saying: "I am a haredi rabbi who follows the ruling of haredim halachic leaders. They ruled that only those who received the burden of the Torah upon themselves will not be questioned.
"90% of converts in the IDF or elsewhere do not observe the mitzvoth after their conversion. I am not a man of conflict. If the Chief Rabbinate demands that I open marriage files for them, I will consider it," he said.
The Rishon LeZion religious council said in response: "Everytime we are faced with this issue we do our best to resolve it before the convert is wed. These days we are contemplating how to solve the problem of those rabbis that do not accept conversions of official rabbinical courts." Yehuda Shochet contributed to this report November 08 Une unité spéciale de Zaka au sein d'El Al
Une grande cérémonie s'est déroulée début octobre dans le QG d'EL AL à l'aéroport Ben Gourion, afin de marquer la création d'une nouvelle unité d'urgence de Zaka au sein de la compagnie aérienne. Cette unité spéciale, créée à l'initiative du rav de la compagnie EL AL, rav Yohanan 'Hayout, fera désormais partie des effectifs d'urgence dépêchés en cas de catastrophe aérienne en Israël ou dans le reste du monde. Une quarantaine de volontaires de Zaka, sélectionnés parmi les plus expérimentés de l'association, ont suivi durant plusieurs semaines une formation complémentaire très poussée dans les locaux d'El Al. Les volontaires ont enrichi leurs connaissances dans le domaine spécifique des secours à fournir lors des catastrophes de l'aviation civile. Le commandant de l'unité d'urgence internationale de Zaka, Matti Goldstein, a été nommé à la tête de cette nouvelle unité spéciale intégrée désormais dans les forces de secours d'El Al. Matti Goldstein a déjà participé à plusieurs opérations de secours et d'identification de victimes à l'étranger, notamment lors du sanglant attentat contre le Beth 'Habad de Bombay. Parmi les personnalités présentes lors de l'inauguration de cette nouvelle unité de Zaka se trouvaient le PDG d'El Al, 'Hayim Romano, ainsi que le ministre des Services religieux, rav Ya'aqov Mergui (Shass). «Ancien volontaire de Zaka, je connais fort bien les activités de l'association et je suis convaincu que cette nouvelle unité sera d'une grande utilité pour El Al et l'Etat d'Israël en cas de besoin», a déclaré le ministre Mergui lors de son allocution. «Les volontaires de Zaka sont de véritables Tsadiqim», a souligné de son côté 'Hayim Romano. Le PDG de la compagnie El Al, autrefois à la tête d'importantes unités de la marine de Tsahal et du Shin Beth, a longuement salué l'efficacité de Zaka et la grande responsabilité assumée par les volontaires de l'association. «Grâce à l'expérience acquise dans de douloureuses circonstances dans le monde entier, l'unité de Zaka au sein d'El Al devrait pouvoir répondre de façon professionnelle et halakhique à tout incident» a conclu Matti Goldstein, le commandant de la nouvelle unité. Chlomo Geller November 07 10,000 guests attend massive Hasidic weddingUn petit mariage, entre amis :-)) When groom was two-years-old, he fell out of third-storey window and fully recovered against all odds even though doctor expected irreversible brain damage. Now, at age 19, son of grand rabbi of Sanz Hasidism, Klausenberger Rebbe of Netanya, gets married. Groom and father ride in on horse-drawn carriage in elaborate celebration
Kobi Nahshoni It was the wedding of the year in the Hasidic world. More than 10,000 guests arrived at the Sanz Hasidic headquarters in Netanya to celebrate the wedding of Meir Meshulam, son of Sanz Grand Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Halberstam, the Klausenberger Rebbe of Netanya, to his cousin, Bracha Unsdorfer. The groom, 19, was critically wounded at the age of two when he fell out of a third-floor window. Doctors predicted he would suffer from irreversible brain damage. Against all odds, the boy completely recovered and, over the years, became one of the prodigies of Hasidism's Torah academies. The groom's doctor, who did not give the boy a chance, was invited to the wedding to witness the occasion up close. Groom and father ride in on horse and carriage (Photo: Moshe Goldstein) In the past few days, massive tents were erected for the guests. Among the many guests who attended the wedding were grand rabbis from other large Hasidic sects, such as Ger and Belz. The groom and his father, the grand rabbi, were escorted into the ceremony on an ornate horse-drawn carriage accompanied by Hasidic notables, who rode in on horses. Before the meal, 1,800 chickens, 800 kg (1,764 lbs) of beef, 1.2 tons of carp, and a 30 meter (30 yard) challah were prepared – for the men only. Kitchen manager and Sanz Yeshiva chef, Aharon Levinstein, reported that he worked for a month straight preparing some 19,000 dishes for the wedding and the surrounding celebrations. He said he hasn't been home since last Shabbat.
 Notables brought in on horseback (Photo: Moshe Goldstein) Lots of eating took place in the women's tent as well. The womens' dishes were supplied by an external catering company from Bnei Barak.
The Sanz-Klausenberg Hasidic dynasty, considered one of the largest today in Israel, was started in Europe by the author of "Divrei Chaim," Grand Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz. The dynasty in Israel numbers a few thousand households, most of which are located in Netanya's Kiryat Hahasidut. Acting Netanya Mayor Rabbi Shimon Sher, a Sanz hasid, told Ynet that this is the largest event the Hasidic movement has ever known, indicating the groom's childhood injury, which he himself witnessed, and the fact that he is the grand rabbi's son as explanations for the phenomenon.
Another hasid told Ynet of his feelings for the rabbi on the happy occasion: "The relationship between a student and a rabbi is often just as strong as the relationship between a son and his father… I feel elated and excited when the man who nourishes my entire spiritual world marries off his last son." Bill: If most hospital patients Jewish, food must be kosherC'est tout de même la moindre des choses... Knesset passes in preliminary reading bill stating all hospitals with mostly Jewish patients must serve kosher food. MK Orlev: Initiative aimed at preserving State's Jewish character
Amnon Meranda A bill stating that any licensed hospital with a majority of Jewish patients must serve kosher food passed its preliminary reading on Wednesday. Twenty-four Knesset members voted in favor of the bill, with only one – Labor's Ophir Pines-Paz –opposing. Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), who initiated the bill, said it was "an inseparable part of the State of Israel's identification card as a Jewish state. "Anyone who is admitted to a hospital in the State of Israel must be assured that he is eating kosher food, just as every soldier is served kosher food," he said.
The explanation to the bill notes that similar regulations have already been instated in drug treatment centers and the army. November 06 La Tsniout, ou les règles de pudeur de la femme juive"Trois catégories de vêtements de sont pas conformes à la Halakha (la Loi juive): les habits incorrects (du point de vue de la Halakha) ; les habits ostentatoires; les habits négligés. -Enfin, s’habiller de manière négligée traduit un manque de Tsniout. Un habit négligé est le signe d’un manque d’estime et de respect de soi alors que la Tsniout nous demande de réaliser combien la Bat Israël est importante et combien il est nécessaire qu’elle soit toujours protégée." Rav Ron CHAYA et Leava vous présentent "l'histoire du jour" : Plus de 300 tonnes d’armes lourdes saisies…
November 04 Parashat Lech Lecha: Answer the door to those who knock"And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and the souls which they made in Haran, and they came to the Land of Canaan" (Genesis 12:5). One of the major challenges facing the State of Israel today - specifically in terms of its future as Jewish state - are the close to 400,000 Israeli citizens from the former Soviet Union who are not halachically Jewish. These people were granted automatic Israeli citizenship under the law of the Right of Return for a compelling reason: since the Nazis' definition of a Jew to be murdered in Auschwitz was someone with one Jewish grandparent - even if it was on the paternal side, those same criteria were adopted for anyone seeking refuge in Israel. Hence, our society is faced with a large influx of non-halachically Jewish citizens who are fighting and sometimes dying for us in the IDF. Their children are attending kindergarten, school and university with other Israeli children, but they cannot be married in a religious ceremony and cannot even be buried in a Jewish cemetery. This opens the door to a massive problem of intermarriage and countless desecrations of God's name as bereaved parents ask why their beloved children were Jewish enough to sacrifice their lives for the Jewish state, but not Jewish enough to be buried with other Jews. The obvious solution lies in "conversion" - a procedure first described in the Book of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite, and the Pentateuch forbids Moabites from "entering into the congregation of the Lord" (Deut. 23:4). Nevertheless, she forsook her family and culture, committing herself to the faith, fortune and nationality of her beloved mother-in-law, Naomi, saying "wherever you go, I shall go, where you sleep, I shall sleep, your nation shall be my nation, your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). The Midrash explains that a religious court determined that the ancient Pentateuchal law only prohibited male Moabites from conversion. Ruth is praised as an "Abrahamic" figure, who married the prominent Judean leader Boaz, and became the great grandmother of David, King of Israel and fore-runner of the Messiah. The Talmud (B.T. Yevamot 45, 46) sets down the fundamental procedures for conversion, which are codified by the Shulhan Aruch to include acceptance of the commandments, ritual immersion, and circumcision for males. The Talmud maintains that while general acceptance of commandments is mandatory, the would-be convert need only be informed of: "some of the more stringent laws and some of the more lenient laws" (specifying only Shabbat, aspects of kashrut, and the charitable tithes). While another Talmudic passage (B.T. Shabbat 31) suggests in the name of Hillel that as long as the conversion candidate has embarked on a positive process of Torah study, he/she is to be accepted immediately. Unfortunately, however, the religious courts in Israel - and especially the ultra-Orthodox religious community - have established much stricter standards, which is hardly conducive for the large numbers of converts which our present national situation so desperately demands. I believe that whether or not we apply a user-friendly attitude towards potential converts depends upon how we see our Jewish mission, especially now that we have returned to the Land. Many Talmudic commentaries actually count conversion as one of the 613 commandments. The Raavad (12th Century) derives this command from our biblical portion, which mentions the "souls [Abraham and Sarah] made in Haran" (Genesis 12:5). The Midrash, cited by Rashi, says Abraham converted the men while Sarah converted the women. Maimonides goes one step further (Book of Commandments, Positive Command 3), citing the Sifre that "the command to love the Lord means to make Him beloved to all of humanity, like Abraham your father, as it is written, 'the souls they made in Haran… who sought out people for our faith because of the great love he felt for God…' As the Mishna in Avot (1, 12) teaches us, 'love all humanity and bring them close to Torah.'"
The writer is the founder and chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, and chief rabbi of Efrat. Questions et réponses Par le Rav Chlomo Aviner
Réponse: Non. Les non-Juifs ne décident pas pour nous de ce qui est authentique ou non, pas plus qu’ils ne définissent si un film est bon ou non. Nous avons reçu la Torah et ce sont ses critères qui différencient entre bon et mauvais film, si un film est sain, cacher (agréé par la Torah) et porteur de bénédiction. Bien qu’il soit écrit: » N’accorde pas de foi a la Torah des goyims, mais croit en leur science » (eicah raba, II, 13). En effet les non-Juifs sont érudits dans les matières scientifiques comme la chimie. Réfèrez vous au Maharal dans « Netivot Olam, Netiv aTorah châpitre 14″ , qui examine longuement les différences entre Torah et sagesse. Les scientifiques se préoccupent de découvrir la réalité. Par contre la Torah définie ce qui doit être et ce qui est bon qu’il soit. Dans ce domaine nous faisons référence et il nous incombe de fixer la justesse de tel ou tel sujet. — Réponse: Bien sûr qu’il faut s’en réjouir. Bien que de nombreux Juifs aient déjà étés honorés par un prix Nobel il s’agit ici de l’Etat d’Israël. C’est un signe que le peule d’Israël revient sur la Terre d’Israël. Nous nous renforçons dans l’étude de la Torah, et aussi dans les matières laïques qui ont-elles aussi leur importance. D… a décidé du renouveau de son peuple, Nous avons été témoins du retour à Zion, de la construction du pays, de l’établissement d’un Etat et de son armée. Nous avons donc besoin de nous préoccuper de sujets laïcs. Sans se contenter du laïc car le Saint est placé au dessus, le laïc est important et nécessaire. La relation entre laïc et saint est parallèle à la relation entre corps et âme. Les deux dépendent l’un de l’autre, l’âme est la plus importante, mais il est nécessaire de renforcer l’aspect matériel et concret dans le renouveau de la nation. — Question: Pourquoi est ce que Caïn dit à D… qu’il craint d’être tué pour le meutre d’Abel ? en ce temps il n’y avait sur terre que Adam, Eve et Caïn ? Réponse: Il y a deux réponses possibles: 1. La peur des générations futures, des descendants de Abel. 2. Il existait sur terre d’autres créatures qui n’étaient pas comme nous façonnés à l’image de D… Commentaires du Sforno : sur le verset de Béréchit (II,7): Et » Il insuffla dans sa face un esprit de vie et l’homme devint une âme vivante » (traduction Elie Munk) – Il existait antérieurement des hommes mais qui n’étaient pas à l’image de D… De même sur le verset : »Faisons l’homme à notre image » (Béréchit I, 27). De même le Rav Kook rappelle dans ses épîtres qu’il existaient d’autres espèces d’hommes en dehors de Adam et dans « Les huit mendiants » qu’ils existaient d’autres hommes en dehors de Adam mais qu’ils n’étaient pas à l’image de D… November 02 Rendre hommage aux Juifs d'Ethiopie
L’Amérique à la rescousse des Juifs du Yémen
Rabbinical ruling causes havoc on elevatorsJewish day becomes a bit more labor-intensive for Orthodox Jews, who no longer use lifts custom-built for Shabbat since they were outlawed by rabbi
Associated Press The Jewish day of rest has become a bit more labor-intensive for Yosef Ball.
The Orthodox Jew and his wife are no longer using elevators custom-built for the Jewish Sabbath, ever since a rabbinical ruling last month outlawed them. Instead, they have been hiking up seven flights of stairs to get home each Saturday, lugging with them their five young children and a double stroller.
"It's been very hard, but we're walking up the stairs slowly and with a lot of patience," said Ball, 29, pushing a baby carriage with two toddlers in tow on a recent day.
Jewish law, or Halacha, forbids the use of electrical items on Shabbat. But for decades rabbis have allowed special elevators that automatically stop at every floor without the riders pushing any buttons, permitting Orthodox Jews to ride them and live in high-rise buildings.
The ruling last month by one of Israel's leading rabbis, calling the elevators a no-go, has reignited a vigorous debate over the lifts, forcing Orthodox Jews living on top floors to decide if they're up for the steep hike home from synagogue on Saturdays.
The Orthodox community has long been divided over the elevators. Opponents say that the riders push no button, the weight of the passengers still increases the amount of electricity required to power the lift, thus violating Jewish law.
Still, the elevators, in use for some four decades, have opened the door for large numbers of Orthodox Jews to dwell in modern skyscrapers.
"No young couple is going to move into a ninth or tenth floor building if it becomes a prison for them," said Jonathan Rosenblum, an ultra-Orthodox commentator in Jerusalem.
Waiting for 'kosher elevator' (Photo: AP) Lila Lowell, a Bronx native now living in Jerusalem, installed a Shabbat elevator to access her second-floor apartment and won't stop using it despite the decree.
"My elevator is kosher," she said. And she added, "My husband and I have difficulty with the stairs, so we need the elevator." Her young grandchildren also use the lift.
The ruling, decreed last month, is the latest in a series by Israeli rabbis on the minutiae of applying Jewish law to daily life. Top rabbis can count tens of thousands of followers who abide by their rulings.
Nose-picking allowed on ShabbatRabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the revered 99-year-old scholar who signed the elevator ruling, has been behind other controversial decisions before. In September, he proclaimed Jews could not wear Crocs shoes on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, because they were deemed too comfortable for the somber fasting holiday.
In 2004, Elyashiv prohibited religious women from wearing Indian-made wigs because the hair may have been used in idol-worshipping ceremonies, which are forbidden under Jewish law. Religious women cover their heads with wigs or cloth as a sign of modesty.
A debate a decade ago by another leading rabbi concluded that nose-picking was allowed on Shabbat. It was under discussion because nose hairs may be plucked out in the process, and cutting hair on Shabbat is outlawed.
The elevators are just one of several electric devices that rabbis have found loopholes for, allowing their use. Religious families can use timers for their lights and special hot plates to warm food as long as those hot plates were not switched on or off during Shabbat.
Hospitals and hotels catering to Orthodox Jews have also had to weigh how to address the elevator decree. The plush David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem said it will leave it up to visitors to decide whether to use one of the four Shabbat elevators, but expects religious guests to request rooms on the lower of its 10 floors.
Jerusalem's 10-floor Shaare Zedek hospital said it has not received any directive on the matter and will continue operating its Shabbat elevators as usual. Proponents of the lifts say followers need not change their habits. "I think people understand nothing has changed technologically," said Rabbi Israel Rozen, head of the Zomet Institute, which specializes in Shabbat-appropriate electrical equipment. He supports the use of Shabbat elevators.
"But if people decide they want to climb 10 floors because of this, that's their choice." Orthodox Jewish family waits for an elevator. Ruling calls lifts a no-go Photo: AP October 30 Des habitants de l’ancienne capitale impériale chinoise font leur aliyahSept descendants de l’ancienne communauté juive de Kaifeng viennent en Israël pour étudier l’hébreu et se convertir au Judaïsme. Il serait probablement difficile de faire la différence entre les sept jeunes qui viennent d’arriver à l’aéroport de Tel-Aviv, mardi et les milliers d’ouvriers chinois du bâtiment qui vivent en Israël. Cependant, les jeunes chinois âgés de 19 à 23 ans sont les descendants de l’ancienne communauté juive de la ville chinoise de Kaifeng. Immédiatement les sept jeunes ont embrassé le sol de la terre d’Israël. Yaacov Wang, 23 ans déclare : « Mon rêve est d’achever le processus de conversion au Judaïsme et de devenir rabbin après quoi je retournerai dans ma communauté et servirai comme premier rabbin depuis la dissolution de la communauté, il ya environ 150 ans », et il ajoute « Je suis très heureux d’être sur la Terre Sainte, c’est un rêve qui devient réalité ». Leur première destination a été le mur occidental devant lequel, ils ont prié. « Je ne peux pas croire après tout ce temps que je me sois rendu au mur, j’en ai rêvé pendant des années et l’ai dessiné un grand nombre de fois » a dit Hang Shir, âgée de 24 ans. Ce voyage en Israël a été facilité par l’organisation Shavei Israel qui est en contact avec le gouvernement israélien depuis deux ans et vient de recevoir l’autorisation du ministère de l’Intérieur de délivrer aux sept jeunes chinois un visa d’un an grâce auquel ils pourront apprendre l’hébreu et accomplir le processus de conversion au Judaïsme. Michael Freund qui a fondé Shavei Israel avec ses propres deniers a déclaré jeudi : « C’est un projet expérimental, et s’il réussit nous ferons venir en Israël d’autres descendants de la communauté de Kaifeng, dont un peu moins de la moitié des membres souhaite faire son aliyah. » Cependant, selon la théorie qui prévaut parmi les scientifiques comme parmi les descendants de la communauté de Kaifeng, leurs ancêtres étaient des marchands en provenance de Perse qui se sont établis à Kaifeng, alors capitale de la Chine sous la dynastie Song, par la route de la soie du 10ème au 12 ème siècle. Bien que les juifs de Kaifeng ont été presque complètement assimilés, leurs descendants continuent d’observer certaines traditions comme ne pas manger de porc alors que c’est la viande principale en Chine, ils cuisent les matzots durant la Pâque, peignent la poutre haute des encadrements de portes en rouge en lieu de mezuzah et allument les lumières de Hannucah. Dernièrement trois jeunes Juifs de Kaifeng ont fait leur Aliyah avec l’aide de Shavei Israel, ils ont terminé leur processus de conversion et sont devenus des citoyens israéliens. Cette fois le groupe de sept vivra dans le kibboutz religieux Sde Eliyahu, dans lequel il étudiera l’hébreu durant 5 mois et achèvera sa conversion. October 29 le Rav Adin Steinsaltz, une personnalité inclassable
 Le Rav Adin Steinsaltz est connu à travers le monde pour son édition traduite du Talmud de Babylone. D'abord en hébreu (le Talmud étant majoritairement en araméen), puis en anglais, russe, espagnol et bien sûr français.Il était à Paris cette semaine à l'occasion de la sortie d'un nouveau volume traduit en français: le traité Makot. Dimanche 25 octobre, il a participé à un débat avec Jacques Attali modéré par le rabbin Josy Eisenberg.
L'idée étant de réflechir à l'avenir du peuple juif et de l'Etat d'Israël. Devant cette gigantesque question, on retrouve d'abord la touche d'humour malicieuse qu'on connaît chez Adin Steinsaltz: "Finalement, il n'y a que deux endroits où le peuple juif a des problèmes à résoudre: en Israël et en Diaspora !" Mais on reconnaît également son audace lorsqu'il ose parler de la disparition de l'Etat d'Israël: "Il y eut dans l'histoire de nombreux cas d'indépendance politique juive en terre d'Israël. Les royaumes de Juda et d'Israël, qui ont tous les deux disparus. Aujourd'hui l'Etat d'Israël est une nouvelle forme d'indépendance politique juive. Personne ne souhaite sa disparition. Mais si cela arrivait, l'important c'est de préserver l'avenir du peuple juif. C'est cela qui importe et de tous temps."Je qualifierais cette sortie de Leibowitzo-Habadnik. Proche de Leibowitz qui, s'il attachait une grande importance à l'existence de l'Etat d'Israël, n'en faisait pas une valeur sacrée qu'il faudrait idolâtrer sans recul critique ni analyse à froid. Et quand on veut sauvegarder quelque chose qui nous est cher, il devient fondamental d'imaginer que ce quelque chose peut disparaître un jour si nous ne créons pas les conditions requises à sa pérennité. Habadnik (du mouvement Habad, Loubavitch, duquel le Rav Steinsaltz est très proche), parce qu'il met l'accent avant tout sur l'existence du peuple juif et sur la conviction que chaque Juif compte, quel que soit son niveau de pratique religieuse ou de proximité avec la tradition. Sur les conversions, la sortie d'Attali a été moins remarquée que celle sur l'antisémitisme mais elle est peut-être plus cruciale: Attali pense que pour que le peuple juif s'en sorte, il faut atteindre une sorte de masse critique qu'il évalue à 200 millions de personnes. Une seule solution pour y arriver: la conversion massive.A cela, le Rav Steinsaltz répond de différentes façons. D'abord par une petite parabole: "Lorsque vous voyez un chat, vous reconnaissez un chat. Si vous lui coupez les oreilles, vous avez quand même toujours un chat devant vous. Si vous lui coupez les pattes, c'est encore et toujours un chat. Et ainsi de suite. En revanche, quand on vous demande de dessiner un chat, vous ne le dessinez pas sans pattes, sans oreilles et sans moustache. Pour un Juif c'est pareil. Vous ne pouvez pas demander à un quelqu'un qui veut devenir Juif de s'affranchir de toutes les caractéristiques qui s'appliquent à un Juif, quand bien même de nombreux "Juifs de naissance" s'en seraient affranchis"
 Lundi 26 octobre, le lendemain donc, le Rav Steinsaltz était à la synagogue de Boulogne pour le premier dîner organisé par la toute nouvelle Association des amis du Rav Steinsaltz. Soirée très sympathique, ponctuée par plusieurs interventions, dont celle du Rav à propos du nouveau traité traduit en français, le traité Makot. Il ne fallait pas se méprendre: malgré l'ouverture évidente du Rav Steinsaltz, son intérêt pour mille choses et sa propension à communiquer sur le judaïsme avec pédagogie, Adin Steinsaltz ne perd pas de vue le caractère subversif du Talmud et ça c'est une très bonne nouvelle.
Un petit exemple: le traité Makot parle notamment des punitions qu'un déclaré coupable est censé encaisser. Outres les amendes et compensations pécuniaires, le Talmud connaît la peine de mort (même si dans les faits, sa mise en pratique est quasiment exclue) et la flagellation.
En droit pénal, le Talmud ne connaît pas la prison. Et Adin Steinsaltz de justifier cela: "A quoi sert la prison ? A ce qu'une personne ne recommence pas son crime ? Mais si quelqu'un tue sa belle-mère, il n'aura aucune raison de recommencer ! A ce qu'il devienne une personne meilleure ? Pas gagné vu que les plus grands bandits ont fait leur principale formation en prison au contact d'autres détenus. Les coups de bâtons, c'est plus rapide et certainement plus efficace".
 Evidemment, tout cela dit de façon humoristique mais montrant bien que l'étude de Talmud ne supporte aucune évidence, même pas celle consistant à refuser les châtiments judiciaires corporels au nom d'une certaine "dignité" de l'homme. Et de se rappeler que plus de 30 ans après la parution de Surveiller et Punir de Michel Foucault qui a été fondateur en la matière, les lieux d'études du Talmud sont encore des endroits où on réflechit à ce que veut dire "punir". Ainsi qu'à la façon dont la prison et plus généralement la volonté de surveillance généralisée de nos sociétés modernes ont privé de liberté non seulement les prisonniers mais également chacun d'entre nous.Le Rav Adin Steinsaltz est inclassable mais après l'avoir écouté on se dit que deux choses le font véritablement "vivre": l'avenir du peuple juif et la capacité qu'a l'homme d'être libre.
Publié par Le Monde Juif Gunman wounds two in attack on L.A. synagogueA gunman shot and wounded two men in the parking garage of a San Fernando Valley synagogue early Thursday, shortly after which U.S. Jewish schools and temples were put on alert in case it was not an isolated attack.
Two men in their 40s were shot in the legs near the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Orthodox synagogue in North Hollywood, Deputy Police Chief Michel Moore said.
The men, both members of the synagogue, had arrived in separate cars for the morning service shortly before 6:30 A.M. when the gunman approached one and, without speaking, shot him and the other man, Moore said. The men were hospitalized in good condition.
But the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles said the gunman had had an argument with the men in the parking lot before shooting them. Rabbis: Pricey kosher food facilitates assimilation in EuropeKashrut conference in Brussels discusses prohibitively high prices of kosher food in Europe, damaging implications for uniqueness of Europe's Jewish population. Rabbi: Failure to eat kosher erodes insulation from non-Jewish community
Ynetnews The third conference of kashrut organizations in Europe, organized by the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE) and sponsored by the Matanel Foundation, came to a close in Brussels on Monday. Over 100 rabbis and representatives of the world’s most prominent kashrut organizations participated, including many leading experts in this field. Besides the dozens of pertinent topics discussed, great emphasis was placed on the question of finding ways to lower the prices of kosher food in Europe. For example, the British company Tesco sells a whole chicken at 2 pounds sterling (about $3.25). A kosher chicken of similar weight costs five to six times more than that – between ten and twelve pounds (about $16.30 to $19.60). This is basically the situation throughout Europe, although the continent may be divided into two categories: those countries where it is not possible to obtain any kosher meat whatsoever and those where the prices of kosher meat are prohibitively high.
There is more to this than simply making food kosher – the situation has grave consequences for the uniqueness of the Jewish population among their non-Jewish neighbors. A significant facet of the halachic rules of kashrut is the principle of preventing Jews from associating socially with non-Jews, fulfilling the verse, “I have separated you from the nations.” Conference's participants (Photo: Meir Dahan) “The current prices of kosher food in Europe make it extremely difficult for tens of thousands of Jews to obtain kosher food,” said Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg, Director Deputy of the Rabbinical Center of Europe. “Their failure to eat kosher erodes their Jewish identity and their insulation from non-Jewish society.” At the conference, a special panel consisting of representatives of the Manchester Kashruth authority (MK), the Federation of Synagogues in London (KF) and others, examined the causes for the inflated prices. There are factors that affect the prices of kosher food in Europe that do not apply in other countries. For example, in many European communities there is a special tax imposed on the purchase of meat to help support the community’s educational institutions. The panel decided to lobby to lessen these taxes. The rabbis explained that the high food prices often place them at a disadvantage when they attempt to present Torah Judaism in a positive light. Many of the members of the Orthodox communities in Europe are not Torah-observant in their personal lives. When a rabbi attempts to persuade a member to begin purchasing the kosher meat made available by his kashrut organization, he is often confronted with the question, “Why should I pay five times as much for identical meat?” Rabbi Y. Reuven Rubin, rabbi of South Manchester and an excellent purveyor of authentic Judaism to the public, gave the participants a number of pointers to help deal with these challenges. The Rabbinical Center of Europe represents over 700 rabbis and Jewish communities throughout the continent. It works to improve religious functions and services, such as providing financial and professional assistance for the construction of mikvehs (ritual baths), offering halachic guidelines and advice. October 28 'A Serious Man' - The Coen brothers' most Jewish film to dateThey weren't as bored and uninterested as they were when they won the best picture Oscar for "No Country for Old Men," but Joel and Ethan Coen weren't exactly thrilled to be part of a roundtable interview about their latest movie, "A Serious Man."
In the 25 years since their startling film noirish debut with "Blood Simple" in 1984, they may have gotten a little more serious, but not much - especially on a late Sunday morning when the Coens, who seem tired, submitted to questions from journalists about their 14th movie, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The dark comedy revolves around one Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a nebbishy professor in Minnesota, circa 1967, whose life is starting to fall apart. His wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), wants to leave him; his bid for tenure is being endangered by poison pen letters, and he's being driven crazy by his family, including his eccentric brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), who has nowhere to live and is sleeping on his couch, and his argumentative kids, Danny (Aaron Wolff) and Sarah (Jessica McManus). Undeserving of his bad luck, the Job-like Larry searches for answers by seeking advice from three respected rabbis, who are not exactly, this being a Coen brothers film, founts of Talmudic wisdom.
Though the film's press kit only cagily locates the movie in an unidentified Midwestern city, the St. Cloud calendar and other clues place "A Serious Man" firmly in Minnesota, the Coens' birthplace. This is Coen country around the time Joel would have been the same age as Danny, who, as the film begins, is nervously preparing for his bar mitzvah. So how much of the movie is autobiographical? Not much, Joel insisted:
"It's semiautobiographical, I guess, you could say, in the sense that the context for the story is that it takes place in a community very much like the one we grew up in...and also there are a couple of very superficial similarities to our family, but actually, really, the only one is that the father is an academic and our father was a university professor, but beyond that, he wasn't really anything like the character in the movie and the story...didn't have anything to do with anything that happened in our family." "A Serious Man," though, is clearly the brothers' most Jewish film so far. Judaism has been something that only occasionally pops up in their oeuvre - and then, usually not in a flattering light. The Hollywood Jewish caricatures in "Barton Fink" and the whining, cringing Jew played by John Turturro in "Miller's Crossing" are the Coen brothers' norm in such matters. "A Serious Man," however, dials down the Jewish self-loathing. Or, rather, even though the rabbis are portrayed as fools, the filmmakers' contempt for their characters (one of their frequent failings as filmmakers) doesn't relate to those characters being specifically Jewish. They even open their film with a shtetl fable, told in Yiddish, no less. The point of the fable is deliberately obscure, but to the Coens, the snowy plains of the Pale are a direct link to the prairie Jewish community at the center of "A Serious Man." Ethan noted that the film depicts "the whole incongruity of Jews in the Midwest...a subculture, and a feeling, that is different from Jewish communities in New York or Los Angeles. Joel said: "What seems incongruous to us about it is the nature of the landscape, with Jews on it; it's funny. The whole shtetl thing, maybe this is part of why we put the little beginning story in there, to kind of frame it. The whole shtetl thing, you go, right, Jews in a shtetl, and then you look at the prairie, in Minnesota, and...we kind of think, with some perspective, having moved out, what were we doing there? It just seems odd." The brothers were asked if those feelings of being like strangers in a strange land affected how they approach their storytelling. That, Joel said, is "an interesting but very difficult question to answer. I guess everything having to do with your background has some influence on how you tell stories, but it's hard to parse, I think, how growing up in a Jewish community in Minnesota really affected it. There were other things which were probably much more culturally influential on us than that in particular, things like television, pop culture that other kids are exposed to at the time, if you want to sort of look at things that were probably most...formative, but I really don't know." The Coens, while pointing out that they believe "A Serious Man" has commercial appeal beyond Jewish audiences, admit to having wondered how their community would react. "We were probably curious about whether there would be hostility [toward it], but Jews who've seen it, religious Jews who've seen it so far, have been surprisingly open to it," Ethan said. "A lot of Jews see things through the prism. Is this good for the Jews? I must say we haven't encountered any negative pushback [to the film]. In fact, it has been just the opposite, which is very gratifying because, obviously, the sprit in which it was made was as an affectionate representation of something we were very familiar with. We'll see, because it hasn't really been out there." And though Larry fears his redneck neighbor in the movie, the Coens insist they never personally experienced antisemitism growing up in Minnesota. Ethan said, including himself in the answer to whether this character truly related to the Coens': "I assume all Jews are fascinated by antisemitism. I don't know why." Considering how culturally specific "A Serious Man" is in its Jewish and Minnesotan milieus, was it harder to create than their other movies, which, with the exception of "Fargo," don't relate to their lives or origins at all? "Maybe even a little easier," Joel said, "because we sort of had so much personal knowledge of the details, we were familiar with it, we wanted to put in, it might have been the opposite." "A Serious Man" is emphatically not a primer for the Coens' adaptation of "The Yiddish Policemen's Union," Michael Chabon's alternate history story of a Jewish state in Alaska. No, Joel said, "we actually had written this and finished the script and actually had a deal to make it before we were even offered 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union.' He doesn't yet know if that film actually will be in Yiddish, as some have suggested it should be, to be faithful to its source material, or even whether it will end up being a Coen brothers directed film. "We're writing the script. We always approach these things incrementally when we're given things to adapt," he said. "We write the scripts, and then sometimes we do the movies and sometimes we don't. We'll see; it's a complicated process. By Shlomo Schwartzberg, The Forward October 26 Traces d'un départ de feu relevées sur le mur de la synagogue de Perpignan
L'histoire du Krav-MagaLe Krav Maga est une discipline de self-défense créée dans les années 40 par Maître Imrich Lichtenfeld, dit Imi, un Juif tchécoslovaque né à Bratislava. Fils d’un inspecteur de police spécialiste en techniques de soumission, Imi pratiqua très tôt différents sports, avec une prédilection pour la gymnastique, la boxe et la lutte, disciplines dans lesquelles il se distingua au niveau national et international. Lorsque le fascisme commença à gangrener la Tchécoslovaquie au cours des années 30, Imi constitua un groupe de jeunes athlètes chargés de défendre la communauté juive. Il participa alors à de nombreuses bagarres qui aiguisèrent sa prise de conscience sur les différences essentielles entre les compétitions sportives qui lui étaient familières et le combat de rue. C'est à ce moment que les principes essentiels du Krav Maga commencèrent à se cristalliser. La situation devenant intenable en Tchécoslovaquie, Imi quitta Bratislava en 1940 pour le Moyen Orient. Après avoir servi dans la Légion tchèque aux côtés des Anglais, il rejoignit la Palestine et intégra la Haganah, organisation paramilitaire juive, où, en 1944 on lui demanda d'enseigner sa méthode de self-défense. Après la création de l'état d’Israël, Imi poursuivit son activité au sein des forces de défense israéliennes (IDF). Le Krav Maga devint alors, le système officiel de combat à mains nues de l'armée, de la police et des services de sécurité israéliens. Imi est nommé Instructeur-chef de l’école militaire de culture physique et de Krav Maga. Pendant vingt ans, tout en développant et améliorant son système en fonction des résultats sur le terrain, Imi forma personnellement les meilleurs éléments des unités spéciales et les instructeurs de Krav Maga. En 1964, le Krav Maga a été déclassifié "secret défense". Maître Lichtenfeld s'est alors consacré à adapter son système aux besoins des civils. Le Krav Maga s'est répandu dans toutes les couches de la population avant de franchir les frontières nationales. Dans les années 80, il a commencé à être enseigné aux Etats-Unis, puis en Europe grâce à Richard Douieb, directeur technique de la Fédération européenne à laquelle nous sommes affiliés. Maître Imrich Lichtenfeld, père du Krav Maga, s’est éteint en 1998, à l'âge de 87 ans. October 25 Des excavations de grande envergure sous l’esplanade du Kotel
Jeudi, des responsables israéliens ont annoncé que le pays prévoyait de lancer des fouilles archéologiques de grande envergure sous l’esplanade du Mur occidental face au Mont du Temple. Ces excavations mèneront alors à la création d’un parc archéologique directement sous l’endroit où les fidèles prient actuellement devant le Kotel. L’esplanade où se recueillent les fidèles restera ouverte, soutenue par des piliers, tandis que le nouveau parc sera ajouté au sous-sol, au niveau où se tenaient les Juifs à l’époque du Temple. Les fouilles risquent fort de provoquer de violentes réactions auprès des Musulmans et des leaders arabes israéliens et de l’AP. Ces derniers ont déjà accusé Israël d’essayer d’abîmer la mosquée Al-Aksa sur le Mont du Temple. Récemment, des émeutes arabes ont eu lieu dans la Vieille Ville de Jérusalem, les Arabes souhaitant empêcher les Juifs de prier sur le Mont du Temple. Les Musulmans étaient prêts à s’en prendre à tout ce qui bougeait, au point de jeter des pierres sur des touristes chrétiens français, qui ne ressemblaient pourtant pas trop aux « fidèles du Mont du Temple ». En attendant, le Bureau de presse du gouvernement a présenté le secteur où auront lieu les excavations à des journalistes étrangers. La visite, une parfaite occasion pour admirer des découvertes archéologiques d’une valeur historique indéniable, avait apparemment aussi pour but de contrecarrer les critiques des Musulmans contre les excavations. Le rabbin du Kotel Rabbi Shmouel Rabinovitch s’est entretenu avec les journalistes et a critiqué les leaders religieux qui font des excavations au Kotel un prétexte pour s’adonner à la violence. Interrogé, le rabbin a déclaré qu’il faisait allusion, entre autres, au Sheikh Raed Salah. Ce dernier, leader du Mouvement islamiste, est impliqué dans de nombreuses émeutes contre Israël autour du Mont du Temple. Rabbi Rabinovitch a informé les journalistes que la loi juive interdisait la tenue de fouilles directement sous le Mont du Temple, là où se trouve en fait la mosquée d’Al-Aqsa. Il a souligné que toutes les excavations avaient toujours lieu autour du Mont et jamais sous ce dernier. Les reporters ont également rencontré des ingénieurs et autres experts participant aux fouilles archéologiques. Ces derniers leur ont expliqué qu’en dépit des accusations des Arabes, les excavations menées par Israël n’avaient en aucun cas porté préjudice aux structures situées dans le secteur. En fait, ont-ils précisé, les travaux ont au contraire amélioré la stabilité du Mont du Temple, car ils ont permis de découvrir et de renforcer plusieurs endroits qui étaient sur le point de s’écrouler. To be Jewish, even without GodOn ne pourra pas dire que je ne suis pas tolérant ;-)) Why does Leonard Cohen know Balaam's blessing and masses in Ramat Gan stadium do not ? How do we return to ways of Jabotinsky and Brenner? In a paper drawn up for Presidential Conference, Prof. Ruth Gavison urges us to develop Judaism's cultural side and ignore the divine element. Is there such a thing as a Jewish identity?
Efrat Shapira-Rosenberg Several weeks ago, just between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, I too sat with the multitude of Israel in Leonard Cohen's unforgettable concert. Much has been written about him and his performance and who am I to add upon it. Nevertheless, I would like to explore the Jewish angle, if you will.
Immediately after the first song he looked at the thousands sitting before him and said the most appropriate Jewish phrase for the moment: "How goodly are your tents, oh Jacob; your dwelling places, oh Israel." The masses clapped in excitement but it was obvious to me that the excitement mostly stemmed from the revered figure mumbling some words in the local language making us feel proud, similar to Clinton's stammered "Shalom, haver." But Cohen didn't learn to memorize a random Jewish text written in Latin letters to impress the Israelis (and I do beg Clinton's forgiveness). No, he knew and understood exactly what he was saying and why. He knew that when Balaam stood on top of the mountain with the intention of cursing Israel by the order of the reigning tyrant Balak, the king of Moab, he was so overwhelmed by the people of Israel's massive presence that he broke into song and coined this monumental phrase for generations to come. Cohen also knew, at the end of the concert, to bless the audience with the traditional Priestly Blessing, being a cohen himself, and not conclude with a random meaningless quote.
But I doubt, and pardon the generalization, if most members of the audience, which was mainly comprised of Ashkenazi seculars, comprehended the context beyond the actual words. And why is that? Why should he – a secular Canadian Jew who spent five years in a Buddhist monastery know it, and they shouldn't? The answer is painfully simple – because he has a rich profound Jewish identity, despite being secular.
Jewish identity, Gavison's versionThis issue, the question of the existence of a Jewish secular identity is one of the most important and painful issue the Israeli society faces today, in my opinion. Not just me, it appears that other more important people than I feel the same way and are hardly religious, such as President Shimon Peres and Professor Ruth Gavison. On Tuesday the second Israeli Presidential Conference organized by President Peres will begin, one of the topics on the agenda being Jewish identity. I spoke to Prof. Gavison, who was asked to write a position paper ahead of the conference, on the subject. In the paper, Gavison discusses the question of Jewish identity, the nature of Judaism in the present day and the extent of its importance for the existence of the Jewish people, while debating fundamental dilemmas which define the Jewish identity, including the role of religion in shaping Jewish identity, the State's role and even the role of the Holocaust.
Aside from being a legalist of the highest order and one of the leading Israeli public figures on matters of law ethics, the court's role and more (and also my teacher in the Hebrew University's Faculty of Law over a decade ago..), in recent years Gavison has been addressing the issue of the line between state and religion, among others, in the framework of the Gavison-Medan covenant, the editing of Haim Cohen's book on who is a Jew, and more.
I asked her whether she thinks there is such a thing as a Jewish secular identity. She replied an unequivocal yes, but added that it is not a coherent or stable identity and more importantly isn't passed on to future generations in an orderly way. She believes that the secular society needs to put in great effort into dealing with these questions – how does one form this identity? How does one impart it to future generations? How does one make it dynamic, evolving and relevant ? There is no solution, she says, but to acknowledge the fact that Judaism is a religion + culture + civilization and that, for the sake of the argument, we need to neutralize the element of God from it and in fact develop the cultural aspect - yes, it is possible to disregard the Godly aspect in the bible on the sublime-religious context and remain with the literary, moral, principled, legal, level. This also applies to the Talmud, the answers and questions literature and the entire Jewish religious world. Obviously the term "to neutralize the God element" bothers me as a religious person, but neither I nor the likes of me are at the center of the issue, and in this context it is also obvious to me that she is right. Didn't the founding fathers of Zionism and the new "Israeliness" do just that – Jabotinsky, Ben Gurion, Brenner and others? Where have they failed? In imparting it onwards. Today, those figures' third generation has no knowledge and awareness but it does know, as Prof. Gavison said, that "they threw the baby out with the bathwater." When they wanted to eliminate God, pardon me, they eliminated everything and were left without an alternative in the Jewish context. Therefore, in order to sustain the Jewish-particular identity, alongside a cosmopolitan, democratic and humanist identity, it takes thorough and profound work common to seculars and religious alike who need to understand that our togetherness here cannot be dictated by one side or one opinion. The conversation with Prof. Gavison dealt with much more that what has been described, it was rich and fascinating and left me with many open questions. I am glad to be part of a community which deals with these questions so intensely and holds deep, piercing and times painful and extremely controversial discussions on it. But as we in our community - on the "micro" level, like Prof. Gavison and the organizers of the Presidential conference - on the "macro" level, believe: We don't have, nor does the Israeli society as a whole has, the privilege of not discussing it, because it concerns us directly.
_wh.jpg) Cohen. Has profound identity Photo: Yaron Brener October 23 Yishai: Reform Jews to blame for assimilationInterior minister booed by audience of American Jews after telling Israeli Presidential Conference, 'We are losing the Jewish people in the United States', pointing finger at Reform Judaism
Ronen Medzini Interior Minister Eli Yishai referred Thursday evening blamed Reform Judaism for the assimilation among Jews.
"Look what is happening with the Reform Jews because of the assimilation. They are disappearing," Yishai told the Israeli Presidential Conference. He was booed by the audience, which was mostly comprised of American Jews.
After hearing the audience's response, Yishai said, "These are figures I've received. I am not making it up. There is a lot of serious assimilation. We are losing the Jewish people in the United States.
The Shas minister called on the Jews of the US and the Diaspora to immigrate to Israel immediately in order to prevent further assimilation. He made the remarks after the moderator, Attila Somfalvi, asked the panel whether Reform and Conservative Judaism should receive equal rights.
When the panel members were asked whether there was room to appoint a Reform or Conservative chief rabbi in Israel, Yishai responded, "What I am hearing here is incitement. To the case in question, as part of the Halacha (Jewish Law) there is a long list of alleviations, there is no objection to alleviations, but we must not break the rules and values which have been here for years, crush them and set up new ones which will lead to assimilation. This will only double the assimilation."
Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed the hardship of 300,000 non-Jews who have immigrated to Israel. "A person willing to sacrifice his life and defend the State of Israel is worthy of being Jewish, even if his grandmother wasn't exactly on our chain."
Rabbi Gilad Kariv, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said in response to the Yishai's remarks that "the boos the minister received are an appropriate response to his groundless statements. Reform Judaism in the Diaspora has been at the forefront of the battle over the people's continuity for 200 years, and without the thousands of its communities the extent of assimilation would much higher.
"Instead of dealing with US Judaism's affairs, Minister Yishai should deal with the huge damage his party is causing to the image of Judaism in Israel and to its incorruptibility, and to the desire of millions of Israelis to become familiar with their culture and tradition. We are calling on the president, who is hosting Minister Yishai at his conference, to firmly voice his objection to these remarks."
Kobi Nahshoni contributed to this report October 22 Les champions juifs dans l’histoire - des sportifs face à l’antisémitisme, par Philippe Assoulen (*)
October 20 Israël face à l’Iran : quelles alternatives ?
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