Ahead of the admorim of the Agudas Yisrael Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael traveling to the United States, Yisrael Eichler agreed to be interviewed on Galei Tzahal (Army Radio). Eichler was firm in his tone, explaining that if need be, the chareidi tzibur will leave the country for there will be no compromise regarding the planned drafting of bnei Torah into the IDF.
“The chareidi tzibur feels choked by the situation, to the point many are contemplating forfeiting their Israeli citizenship”, explained the Yahadut Hatorah MK. Eichler added “If you want to rule over us then do so but regarding education and culture, we must maintain our autonomy, as it has been for the last 3,000 years”.
Eichler was invited by the station’s manager, Yaron Dekel, who wanted to hear his criticism regarding the draft issue first hand.
Eichler added “One of the biggest fallacies in the world is an objective journalist. One who is a journalist is not objective and an objective person cannot be a journalist. It’s not like being an electrician. Therefore, I do not expect to hear objectivity and I don’t expect to hear one legitimizing views that are contrary to a reporter’s.” Taking all of this into consideration he accuses the state-run media of being way out of hand in its anti-chareidi agenda.
Eichler, a former Israeli journalist and TV news show personality is well acquainted with the Israeli press. He added “The Israeli media by and large portrays chareidim as posing a danger to the state. In Egypt that said regarding Bnei Yisrael הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה ונוסף גם הוא על שונאנו ונלחם בנו. In Egypt there was slavery and people starved while the royal message was heard from the palace, that the Jews are the foreigners and squatters. Here to in Israel today they give the feeling to many that the Jews pose a danger. Every report pertaining to one includes the words ‘the man who wore a black yarmulke’. Therefore, when one sees a chareidi man in the street that has absolutely no connection to that report, he is assumed to be guilty.
“If the public is not convinced that private [chareidi] stations are reliable, then there is even more responsibility on the state-run stations that are expected to be neutral. These stations are funded with our tax funds and therefore they betray their mission as a state service.”
Eichler continues by explaining how stories are reported by the media. He explains that if there is a protest it depends who is involved. If it is left-wing organized, then it is a “legitimate protest event”. If it is involving illegals from Africa, then it is reported as a “freedom march”. If it is by workers then the story involves the plight of those losing their jobs and their frustration over the situation. If it involves residents of Yehuda and Shomron about to be ousted from their homes, then it is reported as “right-wing extremists” and if it involved chareidim, it is “chareidi violence” and “rock-throwing against police.”
Eichler explains the state-run news is well calculated towards influencing national opinion.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
So 70 years after the Hareidim (Satmar, Eidah hareidis) split off from Agudah, a leader of Agudah is getting ready to say “okay, we were wrong”????????
If the parties that are all descended from that split were back together, they would be strong enough to derail the zionists. While Israel can survive assimilated Jews who aren’t zionists, it will be seriously weakened by clearly unassimilated Jews questioning the zionist narrative that Judaism requires the medinah.
I think it would be most interesting if he would share his detailed plan of where they all will go and how this mass exodus will be funded.
As Yosef Mendelovitch once said, “The future of every country is in the hands of the Media”
Counterproductive argument. Do you think, for one moment, that the Israeli public will shed one tear if many chareidim leave the country ? They will say, goodbye and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
It is much too late for these threats. The fact that there is such a draft law is indicative that the Israeli public at large has come to the end of its patience.
Eichler Tells it Like it Is: the chareidi tzibur will leave the country…
What kind of BS is this? To think that we charadim who live, work, own apartments, have invested long years of our life in living here are just going to pick up and leave because of a problem is super duper over exaggeration.
It is bad enough that he actually said this (?) but that you print it believing someone (a yeshiva man who learns to think) will read it and believe it? come on now!!
No chareidi will leave the country but will fight against the draft gezeirah until the very end. In another few weeks we’ll have another haman mapalah to celebrate be-ezras Hashem.
Eichler is very right about the racism in the media however he forgot to mention that Israel’s democratic state outlaws chareidi media on air. Thanks to the internet and newspapers where we have a chance to know what’s happening.
awesome!
Leave Israel? That is beyond idiotic. No one is going any place. Does he think that the People’s Republic of New York is going to be a friendlier place? Maybe he would like us to regroup in Poland or Russia? We are here to stay and the ones who need to leave or change their ways are the unJews.
“Eichler was firm in his tone, explaining that if need be, the chareidi tzibur will leave the country for there will be no compromise regarding the planned drafting of bnei Torah into the IDF. “The chareidi tzibur feels choked by the situation, to the point many are contemplating forfeiting their Israeli citizenship”
Please don’t let the door hit you in the backside on your way out.
Who is this clown threatening? Does he really think anyone would care? On the contrary it would lift a huge burden from us all.
Zeyer gut gezuct.
And go where? Germany? Austria? Hey maybe they can try going to live amongst our “cousins” in Syria or Iraq.
That is an empty threat
And childish
But it might be the best thing for chareidim
Because in america they will have to work
He eichler is paranoid to the angst,he thinks that other are out to get the chareidim it is nonsense
It is unlikely hareidim will leave and threatened with death, and even then. The hareidim have been in Eretz Yisrael continuously except when the government made killing them state policy. If the government does go to mass arrests and other penal sanactions, they will seriously harm the state through relatively non-violent protests, and perhaps sabotage. Remember that it is the zionist hareidim (such as Eichler, at least as he was a few years ago) who supported military service, but regarded learning as more important — anti-zionist hareidim (what Eicher will become if persecution increases) hold that military service in no more permitted in the IDF as it would be in Red Army or the Wehrmacht.
Remember that what triggered the crisis is the hilonim realizing they faced a demographic time bomb due to the high hareidi birth rate and the disinclination of most zionists to have children. If the hareidim are treated even worse than Arabs, they will be forced to ally with the Arabs – and that will destroy zionism.
Eichler has always been an extreme spokesman.
Bias is part of the media whether it is secular, Religious or Charedi. When speaking to people and hearing their opinions you can bet correctly on what papers/radio station/online sites they frequent!!!
Au contrare, Eichler is looking at the matzav very realistically. The Torah vet nisht banrupteern. Nor will the Torah velt. The chareidi population will learn to adapt. One way or another, Am Yisroel will continue to be bound with with their soul to the learning of Torah.
If that means that draft-age bochurim will leave the country to learn in other countries, then it will surely happen. It doesn’t mean that their parents will follow, any more than when American bochurim now go to Israel to learn. We’ve come too far thru this golus, to now be forced by our fellow Jews, to abandon our life’s commitment.
As far as Apukerman’s comments, he relishes lecturing the Torah-world; He relishes equating non-satmar chareidim to zionists; and he relishes denigrating non-satmar gedolim. I’m not sure who hates the Chareidi olam more – He, with his cynical comments, or the Chilonim.
A little more achdus among shomrei Torah u’mitzvos, would add a lot of strength to our ‘am oni v’dal. Ad bis goel tzedek bb”A.
While you, Rabbi Eichler, may have a point about media portrayal of Chareidim, please understand that the Chareidi- media portrayal of secularists has for years and years been negative, inflammatory, provocative and downright nasty no matter what the issue.You can’t have it both ways. Chickens always come home to roost, don’t they?
My takeaway is that the Chareidiim are mis-represented. A vote for Likud and giving Neranyahu’s party mire power vis a vis Bennett, Lapid, and Labor, would advance the interest of the Chareidim far more than Degel, Aguda, and Shas. Boogie Yaalon will do a lot more for Torah than Eichler, porrush, litzman, gafni and Deri. The latter are responsible for Lapid the minister of Finance.
In a murky situation such as this, the best policy is “Shev Ve’al Taaseh.”–Sit tight and don’t follow the government’s instructions.
This is known as “Civil Disobedience.”–Non-violent refusal to follow an evil law. It is the most effective method in a case such as this, where morality is clearly on our side.
As the Baal-Shem-Tov explained: No Gezeira lasts forever. The evil decrees are eventually overturned.
Eventually, the Reshoim will get tired, split-up, and disappear from the political scene.
#18 SO right you are…Boogie Yaalon has been a supporter for years without veering left or left.
“If the hareidim are treated even worse than Arabs, they will be forced to ally with the Arabs – and that will destroy zionism”…..
WHEN THEY ALLY WITH THE ARABS, it will be time to say GOODBYE to Beitar, Ramat Shlomo and all the other kehillos on ARAB SOIL. Remember the words of the non-flinching ABBAS…”No Jews will ever be allowed on Palestinian land”
Left wing marches don’t usualy include rock throwing and burning garbages. The standard kikar shabbos demonstration does. Eichler should stop whining about his perceived victimhood and instead have the moral courage to speak out against chareidi violence.
He would also sound more credible if he could explain how he expects an entire society to survive without working. Claiming that he is preserving a 3000 year old torah only heritage for the masses is pure nonsense.