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| Matan Kahana (Arutz Sheva) |
Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana (a Religious Zionist) responded to the motion of no confidence submitted against him in the Knesset plenum by the haredi parties and criticized MKs from the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, who repeatedly interrupted his remarks.
"The truth has been revealed. The last conference organized by the haredi MKs against me explained everything to me. I understood who you are fighting against: not against the Reform [Movement], and not against me. You are fighting against my rabbis and against the study halls where I and my friends grew up," Kahana began…
"For you, there are no Orthodox study halls of religious Zionism. There are either Reform or haredim. You are fighting against the right of religious Zionism to self-determination. You want religious Zionism small and submissive. You are willing to accept the 'haredi-lite' ... but the mainstream rabbis of religious Zionism do not exist for you. Our rabbis are Reform to you and our public is Reform to you.
"I wasn't the one who said that. MK Deri said this: In the [High Holy]days of mercy and forgiveness, Deri took the trouble to slander religious Zionism and accuse it of spending Shabbat at the club and in the sauna. MK Deri does not believe that it is possible to be Orthodox and not haredi.
I wish I could say he’s wrong about what the Charedi world thinks of Religious Zionists. But I think he’s right. I have seen this attitude expressed many times by my friends in the Charedi world in Israel. Although not quite to this extent. I have never heard them go as far as Deri has – accusing overtly observant Jews of being Mechalel Shabbos.
Their anti religious Zionist attitude has always troubled me. As I constantly say the fact that we are all observant should unite us. Not divide us. Keeping Shabbos, Kashrus, and Taharas HaMisphacha are observed the same way by each of us. And yet Religious Zionist Jews are treated like they are Reform?! What is the matter with these people?! They have really gone too far.
The issue generating all this animosity is what the new government in Israel wants to do. They want to take away power from the Charedi parties and allow heterodox movements some wiggle room to live by and preach their own religious standards.
I get why the Charedi parties don’t want to do that. I even agree with their reasons… and trying to fight it. But a righteous goal (if that is even the case) should not be done in an unrighteous way.
Kahana is right to be outraged. It is one thing to fight for what you believe. It is another to smear your opponents in the process. And that is what the Charedi parties are resorting to right now.
Judaism will not be destroyed if the government makes these new changes. It will survive and continue to thrive. Charedim are overblowing the consequences if these changes occur. Which is fa from certain.
It would be nice if a compromise could reached. But even if it isn’t, accusing observant Jews of not being religious is a pretty low blow. All they accomplish is creating more enemies. Not just the Religious Zionist the members of the Keneset, but to the people they represent. It is the wrong way to promote religious values and counter productive to their goals