Yad Vashem and Rabbi Elyashiv get it about rabbinical racism


By joemillis
December 9, 2010
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The Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial on Thursday decried a religious ruling signed by dozens of prominent Israeli rabbis forbidding Jews from renting homes to gentiles, deeming it a "severe blow to the values of our lives as Jews and human beings in a democratic state. Past experiments have taught us just how important, and at the same time how fragile, these basic values are to coexistence and honoring the other. We know that the Jewish people, that knew suffering and persecution and experience ostracism and the revocation of basic rights, has expressed its stance on matters such as these with voices different than those we have heard today with this [ruling]".

The leading rabbi of Israel's non-Hasidic Orthodox sector, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, also denounced the religious ruling. "I've said for some time that there are rabbis who must have their pens taken away from them," Elyashiv remarked.
"It's interesting that these same Zionist rabbis support symbolically selling their land to gentiles during the shmita year," he added referring to the seven-year cycle when agricultural fields in Israel must lie fallow.

COMMENTS

Advis3r

9 December, 2010 - 15:15

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Hmm interesting but then this is also what Harav Eliyashiv Shlita has previously written regarding the sale and rental of homes to non-Jews in a predominantly Orthodox Jewish area of new Jersey:
“BSD: Due to the Hachlata of Gedolei Yisroel in Golah (outside of Eretz Yisroel) regarding the city Lakewood, to prevent the renting of homes to individuals who are causing damage and pain to the Tzibur (community) – both physically & spirtually – I too join with them, Bnei Yisroel should not do “an avlah”, and should listen to words of Rabonim and in turn be blessed.”

Please provide your source for Harav Eliyashiv's denouncement of the ruling.


Advis3r

9 December, 2010 - 15:20

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BTW ad hominem = marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made.
Saying I go under a pseudonym because I may have something to hide is an attack on my character calling you an Ashamed Jew is with respect not an attack on your character in fact it is not an attack at all.


joemillis

9 December, 2010 - 15:21

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Have you ever heard of J Maynard Keynes? He once said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" Maybe Elyashiv found that the facts had changed.
Also, in his statement to the good burghers of Lakewood, he doesn't actually say anything about non-Jews. He refers instead to "to individuals who are causing damage and pain to the Tzibur (community) – both physically & spirtually". There are plenty of Jews capable of that.


joemillis

9 December, 2010 - 15:30

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My source regarding Rav Eliyushiv is here


Advis3r

9 December, 2010 - 15:30

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I'd still like the source of your attribution to haRav Eliyashiv. Until then I'll reserve my comment.


joemillis

9 December, 2010 - 15:31

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Crossed in the post. It's also on Kikar Hashabat, that well-known, left-wing, anti-Chareidi, anti-Jewish website.


joemillis

9 December, 2010 - 15:33

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Kikar Hashabbat piece is here


Advis3r

9 December, 2010 - 15:42

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This is from what I quoted I do not think he is referring to unsavoury Jews!http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=20416

One thing that does excite me is that you accept HaRav Eliyashiv's halachic rulings so you do not really accept mixed gender or mixed religious marriages despite what you have said previously.


joemillis

9 December, 2010 - 15:48

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Did I say I accepted his rulings, Advi3er? No, I was showing that he -- and probably some other rabbis whoperhaps prefer to keep schtum -- grasped the racist folly of the 50 or so state-employed rabbanim.
More interesting was Yad Vashem's response. When it comes to racism and the appalling treatment of Jews, I suspect you'd agree with me that they know their onions.


Advis3r

9 December, 2010 - 15:54

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Having gone to the site it also says the following:

עם זאת, הרב אלישיב, כמו גם מרבית הרבנים החרדים והדתיים-לאומיים, משוכנעים כי ההלכה אוסרת על מכירת קרקע או בית לנוכרי, בהסתמך על האיסור התנ"כי של "לא תחונם", שמשמעותו היא מניעת אפשרות של חנייה והתמקמות לצמיתות של נוכרים בארץ ישראל.

אולם, לדעת הרבנים הצהרות מאין אלו גורמות לאנטישמיות בעולם ולפגיעה בתדמית של היהדות ושל הציבור הדתי והחרדי בארץ

Which briefly and loosely translated says haRav Eliyashiv and including many ultra Orthodox and national Religious rabbis confirmed that halachically it is forbidden to sell land or a house to a non-Jew. However they were concerned that the ruling would engender anti-Semitism and would impinge adversely on the status of judaism and the religious and ultra-orthodox communities in Israel.
So what Harav Eliyashiv was saying was not as you portray he objects to the ruling being published because of the consequnces not its contents with which he agrees. Good try!


joemillis

9 December, 2010 - 16:06

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Strange that they didn't give a direct quote from the Grayish saying what they put in indirect quotes. Perhaps a little prejudicial editing there. Ho well, at least Yad Vashem got it right.


jose (not verified)

10 December, 2010 - 06:46

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Religion or not religion, racism remains racism. The civil servants who signed such illegal discriminatory document towards part of the Israeli population should be sacked, and viciously. We'll see then if their religion is where their bank account is.

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