Jerusalem Chief Sephardi Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shlomo Amar’s remarks against the toeiva community last week have led to protests and demands to fire him from his civil service post. In his weekend interview with the Yisrael Hayom newspaper, Rav Amar referred to the toeiva lifestyle as “evil” and a “toeiva cult”.
Members of the city’s Yerushalayim party on Sunday 19 Cheshvan promised to take to the streets in protest against the rabbi, demanding his immediate dismissal. His opponents explain that his hateful words have rendered him unsuited to continue serving in his position, adding his words will lead to additional hate crimes against members of the toeiva community.
On the other hand, Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King plans to lead a counter protest to show support for the rabbi and his values.
A grandchild of the rabbi is scheduled to get married on Sunday night and there will be increase security at the event.
Protestors during the night Motzei Shabbos hung a toeiva community flag on the wall of the Jerusalem Rabbinate on Chavatzelet Street. Police launched an investigation, concentrating on the photos of the activists who were included in the photo, proud of their protest against the rabbi, using Facebook to track them down.
When asked to comment on calls to fire him, Rav Amar explains “Do you think I am afraid to be fired…let them fire me in the name of Hashem. I already have served in all the Rabbanut posts. נער הייתי גם זקנתי. Their words are meaningless”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Seeing the stupid leftist liberals losing their minds here in America, it’s clear these guys have lost all sense. The Rabbi quoted a Halacha – he didn’t say anyone should kill anyone. Ironically, the same Muslims, most leftist would like to give their land to, would swiftly behead any of these Toieva people.
More secular coercion from these abominable immoral low-lives who wouldn’t dare hang their rainbow flag – how appropriate for their to’eiva – on the door of an Arab leader and wouldn’t dare pass Arab neighborhoods with their to’eiva.
Where is Ariel King’s counter protest to support Rabbi Amar and uphold Torah??
I can’t understand why there is this sort of attitude towards this עבירה to the exclusion of other עבירות. No other group of sinners gets this sort of title like, Toeivanikes, like those who violate the prohibition of משבב זכר. Not מחללי שבת, or בועלי נדה, get our sharp condemnation, and disdain the way gays do. I think we ought to ask ourselves if the sort of rhetoric we espouse is because of Kavod Shamayim, or maybe just a discomfort with a different sort of lifestyle… Yes yes, I know that the Torah calls it תועבה, but do we really have the honor of הקב”ה in mind,with our harsh categorization??
Why is it that the loony left think that they can promote whatever values and causes they want with impunity, such as abominable life styles, but that those who promote healthy lifestyles in accordance with the Torah, and it should be noted lehavdil all other religions genuine values, should be fired etc.
It is not enough to be a pervert, but they want the rabbi to pervert the Torah to be like them?
I think it is hard to define 4 college kids with nothing better to do with their time as a “protest”. I would think that for something to be newsworthy you would need more than a minyan of mishugaim.
With all do respect to R’ Amar shlita, his words seemed to be insensitive.
” [R’] Amar said he declined to attend a memorial service for a teenage girl stabbed to death by an ultra-Orthodox zealot during last year’s Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem, after her family declined to read aloud his condemnation of homosexuality.
“When Shira Banki was killed, they commemorated the thirtieth day of her death. They asked me to attend, and I would not. I wrote to them a letter expressing great sadness and opposition in the strongest terms to the deeds” of her killer, Yishai Schlissel,” he said.
“On the other hand,” he said he wrote to Banki’s family, “‘I call on you, if you want to elate her soul to the heavens, to repent from your evil ways. It is forbidden by the Torah.\ I gave them a condition that they read my letter in full [and then I would attend]. They wanted to read half. I did not agree [to attend].”
I don’t know, a commemoration for a murder victim doesn’t seem to be the right place to rebuke. I don’t know, he could have attended and than made some sort of statement afterwards saying his appearance was not condoning that lifestyle. I don’t think it needed to be stuck down the bereaved family’s throat.
@Simcha613- Because you dont understand RABBI Amar doesnt give you the right to question him. We cant shine his shoes when it comes to anything especially ahavat yisrael. I am not writing to rebuke you specifically just to give kavod to a gadol.
@faithandreason No other group of people parade to show their “pride” in being involved in such aveiros
And no other group revel in such toveivah, and make it the core of their lifestyle.
And no other people insist the rest of the world accept their perversions and rain fury on anyone that questions their lifestyle.
And no other aveira is such a perversion that anyone with a neshomo feels revolted at the concept. There only aveirah which caused two churbans of mankind (mabul and sedom).
YWN has broken many boundaries but bh still have enough perspective to call it toevah and nothing else.