The Hiddush organization has undertaken to wage an unrelenting war against chareidi Jewry in Eretz Yisrael. Armed with a budget and a state media willing to be partner to such a noble cause, the organization can boast success in fueling the anti-chareidi sentiment in Israel, from championing the battle for equal rights for women to anything else that challenges the life style of the frum tzibur.
MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Rav Moshe Gafne decided he has had more than his dose of the organization’s hypocrisy, deciding to probe just who and what makes Hiddush tick. Truth be said, Gafne himself was surprised to learn just how much of the donor funds collected are earmarked for salaries, salaries of two people in particular, Uri Regev, a well known spokesman for the Reform Movement in Israel and his associate Shachar Ilan.
Regev reportedly earns a cool 661,579 NIS annually, about 55,000 NIS monthly, while Ilan makes do with a modest 347,290 NIS, 28,940 NIS monthly.
Gafne explains that he is fed up with the chareidim being the national scapegoat in every corruption, fraud and scandal. Gafne began with Hiddush, which of late has been playing a more conspicuous role in the chareidi bashing, using the organization’s non-profit 2010 annual report to gather his facts and figures. According to the report, submitted to the Justice Ministry in 2010, total donor income that year for the organization amounted to 1.5 million NIS. That means over two thirds of the organization’s total donor income went to pay the salaries of two noblemen, Regev and Ilan. The report adds that most of the donor funds came from a man by the name of Stanley Gold, from his family trust in the USA. Therefore, between salaries and office operational expenses, the two more or less exhausted all the money raised by the organization.
In response, Gafne stated, “It is amazing that in the State of Israel, an organization recognized by the Ministry of Justice operates exclusively to denigrate and entire section of Israeli society towards creating hatred and division among the people and give salaries to two people whose only task is to vilify, incite and defame chareidim. This is an unparalleled disgrace. The frum tzibur which is targeted by them anew each time has learned to settle for less and not ever dream of ever receiving such salaries”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Got to get ALL the organizations that are against Torah Jews (including Arab & leftist peace groups, Neutrai Karta,and others) prohibited from receiving funds from overseas.
After sixty-four years, this whole experiment (there’s no other word for it) isn’t working. All “reishit geulatainu-niks” have oceans of Yiddishe blood on their hands. It’s time for a bloodless dis-assembly.
locknload, I’m new here and a bit of an ADD-nik, so please help me to understand you. How did you get from the shenanigans of the Reform cleric Regev (“clod” in Hebrew) and the veteran Haaretz Judaism-basher Shahar Ilan to “oceans of Yiddishe blood” on the hands of “all” religious Zionists?
This is plain and simple sick. How dare a foreign organisation cause so much animosity, you have an agenda do something with it in your own country, don’t come to Israel. Pick with you own people first. I suppose Americans simply wouldn’t stand for it. In a Democratic country you can’t deprive anybody due to their beliefs.
The powers and forces of evil are so strong. This shows us how the powers of holiness must be equally strong if not stronger.
#2 You sound like Hanna Ashrarei, the PLO spokeswomen. When asked about the weather in Israel, she replies, “Due to the occupation forces, the sun is shinning over Damascus Gate”. When questioned about unemployment among Arabs, she responds, “The only jobs the occupying forces offer in Palestine, such as Haifa and Jaffa are for college graduates”. IOW whatever the question or issue is, her AGENDA is spoken of LOUD & CLEAR.
Do you even know who the “Reishit geulatainu-niks” are? Surely you are not refering to either the REFORM or the STATE in charge,,neither are.
I wonder how much a MK makes. Because I pay Gafni’s salary, but not Regev’s or Ilan’s.
MK salaries are quite high, the envy of the town and include numerous benefits, pensions and educational fringes.