The Chareidi sector, including senior politicians, have called for a boycott of Angel Bakery following the bizayon haTorah due to the protest outside the home of HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein on Thursday morning as part of the nationwide protests for “National Equality Day.”
Former Labor politician and public security minister Omer Bar-Lev, who is now the chairman of the board of directors of Angel Bakery, took part in the protest. He then published a photo of himself: “I’m now in Bnei Brak with Brothers In Arms. And what’s the connection between the coup d’état and equality of the burden? Beyond and in addition to the importance of the security service for all, the no equality in the burden law that the coalition intends to enact is Netanyahu and [Justice Minister] Levin’s bribe to the Chareidi parties so that they’ll vote in favor of the coup d’état.”
In response, Chareidim of all stripes, including Sephardim, have called to boycott Angel Bakery, which sells huge amounts of products to the Chareidi sector, until Bar-Lev is dismissed from his position. Senior Chareidi politicians, including UTJ head Moshe Gafni and Shas head Aryeh Deri, called to join the boycott.
Beitar Illit Mayor Meir Rubinstein said: “The serious affront to Gedolei Yisrael, in the form of that former minister, who stood as the last of the anarchists in front of the home of Maran Gadol Hador, is chutzpah of the first degree. We have no expectations from such a man, who serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the Angel company. But a company that the Chareidi sector is one of its biggest consumers is expected to announce the removal of the man from his public position today, and if not – we will promote the boycott of the company with all our might. We will not support those who harm the kavod of Torah! We will not turn the other cheek! The Chareid public is ending its silence.”
A number of yeshivos, including one of the largest Israeli yeshivos – Chevron, which alone has over 1,000 talmidim – canceled their Angel contracts. Other yeshivos that canceled their contracts include the yeshiva of Posek HaDor HaGaon HaRav Shternbuch in Beit HaShemesh and Toras Ze’ev in Beit Shemesh and Nachlas Leviiim in Haifa. Even a Dati Leumi yeshivah canceled their contract with Angel. In addition, the Tamid Zul supermaket in Neve Yaakov announced that they will no longer be selling Angel products.
UTJ MK Yaakov Asher slammed Bar-Lev: “Omer, you must have gotten confused again [a reference to his many bloopers during his recent term as minister]. You’re not a politician anymore. As someone who represents a public company, you’re obligated to act with respect to your clients and not infringe on their feelings.”
“If Angel decided that its Chareidi clients aren’t wanted, it’s invited to publicize this on the bread shelves in the supermarket and not in a shameful protest opposite the home of the leader of the Olam HaTorah.”
Kikar H’Shabbat reporter Yishai Cohen wrote: “Chareidim don’t have a problem with Bar-Lev demanding equality. Gantz is also demanding it. They have a problem with him protesting…in choosing to attend the provocation in Bnei Brak, in disturbing the rest of a 100-year-old spiritual leader. When you insult one of the Gedolei HaDor – you insult all of us. There’s no forgiveness for that. That’s the reason for the consumer boycott against Angel.”
One social media user even posted a video of himself in the bread aisle of the supermarket refraining from buying Angel rolls.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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41 Responses
Are we embracing cancel culture as well? This isn’t the Charedi Judaism I grew up with.
Touche’.
lakewhut, what’s your issue against the boycott. I seriously want to understand your stand!
Ashkenormative yiddishkeit in all its glory
I don’t know the story of the protest, but It seems to be that a legitimate machooh for kovod hatorah is an age-old mesorah, that has nothing to do with cancel culture or not cancel culture of modern parlance.
@lakewhut
this is the real judaism we grew up with. ask your grandparents how hecksherim started.
I’m not saying the boycott is wrong. However, the blue paper sign makes me crack up laughing: “בהוראת גדולי ישראל..” Not one single godol endorsed this boycott besides charedi politicians. Everything in Israel has to be yehoreg veal yaavor, there is so much lying lshem shomayim, it’s unbelievable.
lakewhut:
You have it backwards.
Machaah is a concept in halacha.
The “cancel culture” is a pathetic corruption of that.
Lakewhut, are you serious?
@lakewhut – I am sure that you have forgotten the example found in our Gemoros of the use of precisely such boycotts (i.e. to protest price gouging). Offending Gedolei Yisroel is a far greater concern than inflation.
lakewhut
IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND KAVOD HATORAH PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF A MAVEN ON JUDAISM
What’s everyone gonna eat?
lakewhut
whats your problem? this has nothing to do with cancel culture and everything to do with derech eretz kudmo latorah
which by the way is stickered on every egged bus in israel מפּני שׂיבה תקום stand up for your elders
yes we are standing up for the zkan hador and the godol hador if you have any issues with that
your missing the BASICS this isn’t about polotics its about standing up for human decency theirs a line that was crossed a RED LINE! as much as we choose to ignore sometimes we need to get out their and SCREAM!
I’ve been boycotting Angel’s Bakery since they put sesame seeds on their Rugelach.
What did the gadol say? Knowing his ahavat Israel, I don’t think anyone should be “punished” or “boycotted” using him as the “cause”. He cares for everybody, even those who are protesting in front of his house.
whoa whoa!
everyone calm down…
Areivim
Did you read the article? Rav moshe shternbuch’s Yeshiva probably follows his directives
Why couldn’t they get the rabbi a better apartment?
It’s unbelievable how a person hundred years old is feeling
Is dealing with people that there grandfather was a small petty baby to
Maybe he is just a mofis
Angel bakery is public traded company, that has employed Omer Bar Lev the former minister as their CEO.
The CEO doesn’t go protest against one of their biggest customer base .
And as long as they haven’t fired him , it means that they are against their own customers.
Simple as that .
That is all before he insulted Rav Gershon
Im gonna go against the grain and call bs.
Israelis love protests, they live for this most of them are doing this for their kicks and giggles. Using kavod Hatorah as an excuse.
it’s important this gains tractions so all the major consumer brands will know to stay out of politics
Zetruth
I DIDNT REALISE YOU WERE “THAT” IGNORENT. THIS IS SOMETHING WE ARE MECHUYAV WETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT. NOTHING TO DO WITH AHAVAS YISROEL OF THE ONE ABUSED.
Terribly sad that they trampled on the Kovod HoTorah and Kovod of the Zkan Harosh Yeshivos. Bh those that understand the sanctity of Torah are standing up for his Kovod – both in Eretz Yisroel and most people on this forum. Kol Hakovod. Veyekayim bonu Chachmei Yisroel.
I didn’t say it was right, I’ve asked what did he say?
The chazon ish was quoted as saying “sometimes a Yeshiva bochur feels that he doesn’t want to argue back with a taxi driver who is trying to cheat him because he doesn’t want to create a chilul Hashem. But the truth is that allowing yourself to be cheated also creates a chilul Hashem because the taxi driver thinks that a Yeshiva bochur is a fool”
I think that the chareidi community is so strong and powerful that turning the other cheek and allowing ourselves and our gedolim to be disrespected in any way, will itself create a chilul Hashem
I’m proud of this boycott. It will teach a lot of people a lesson hopefully.
It reminds me of the huge lesson learned by corporate America of the power of social media back when the United breaks guitars song wiped out 180 million dollars of United’s stock value
Similarly, companies in Israel will recognize the danger of getting involved in politics. That’s a really important lesson in a country that is heavily political
Wacky; thanks for the laughs 😀😁😂
On a bit more serious note: let’s see what Kanoisdiger Eida will do about their hecsher now.
I doubt anything…
Yabia Omer, cut it out. Positively.
A year of sherut leumi is also derech eretz kadma le torah
To Get-r-dun
Just because someone loves playing baseball does not excuse using a baseball bat to bash in a person’s skull.
Literally the victim here is 100 years old, and the perpetrator is so proud of himself that he posts his own ignorance (or more probably the disdain he has for the public by openly lying).
> areivim
You are talking as if the politicians in question had not received their instructions (or at least implicit approval) from their rabbis. But the rabbis themselves will not come out openly with such a declaration so as not to impose undue hardship on those who are not able to join such a boycott (and even so as not to give the impression that R. Gershon Edelstein is to blame for the boycott).
Zetruth I love your post, it came from zedeep of your neshome
Get-r-dun, you are a 100% right, Israelis love protests. These left wing morons are protesting for their kicks and they know that the Supreme Court is the dictatorship, not Netanyahu’s government. And they know that “Chareidim” have way more of their “share of the burden” of having zechusim to keep the yishuv in Eretz Yisroel alive. But games might be fun and if this is their kicks let them do it and ignore them, who cares, but if they are pogea in kovod haTorah that’s where the game ends. Until they fire the bum or he does teshuva and gives a public apology a boycot is 1000% what should be done.
Ever heard of “Cheyrim”? We literally INVENTED cancel culture
I bought some Angel’s bread earlier this week, and I’ll continue to do so. Insisting on a boycott is not “daas Toirah.”
מי שעובר על חרום דרבנו גרשום הוא משחק עם מלאך אנג’ל המות
cobycom1:
You mean it’s yehareig viAl yaavor according to all the Torah sages.
This isn’t about the Kavod of the Rav but Kavod HaTorah. Let them say their own bread. They can even sale it to the idf or women of the wall or to the reformi.
“The Chareidi sector, including senior politicians, have called for a boycott of Angel Bakery following the bizayon haTorah.”
The bizayon haTorah is a terrible thing. However, as a result, hundreds of frum storekeepers suffered a big hefsed this past week due to the boycott. Did anyone ask a Gadol – who looks at the big picture – if this was the proper response? Perhaps daas Torah would have suggested a different response.