According to a Channel 10 News report on Sunday evening, a letter presented by Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger and Rishon L’Tzion Shlomo Moshe Amar Shlita stated that Maran HaGaon Ovadia Yosef Shlita has given his permission to exhume the bones at Barzilai Hospital to clear the way for construction of the hospital’s fortified emergency room.
According to numerous reliable but yet unconfirmed reports, the work is scheduled to be completed on Sunday night or during the early Monday morning hours, clearing the way for laying the foundation of the new hospital unit.
Officials involved in the removal of the bones state they have not seen any signs pointing to the fact that the bones are those of Jews. Israel Antiquities Authority experts involved in the work on site insist the kevarim are undoubtedly of non-Jews.
Close to 50 people have been arrested in Ashkelon since motzei shabbos, 11of whom were remanded as police requested they remain in jail to face charges for their criminal actions. Police remain on high alert as they expect sporadic violence during the night.
Yahadut HaTorah officials are planning to meet on Monday, signaling a coalition crisis. MK R’ Eliezer Menachem Moses told members of the chareidi media that the party is extremely disappointed, and a message was sent to coalition chair Ze’ev Elkin. Moses confirmed the party is convening on Monday at 3:00pm to weigh its future in the coalition.
“If you ask me personally, I am opposed to giving the government the power to slap me in the face, especially here where there were several alternate solutions which were all rejected”.
In Tel Aviv’s Jaffa area, where excavations are also ongoing, 50 chareidim were arrested in protests throughout the day. 23 of them were released and the remainder remain in detention, possibly to face criminal charges.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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11 Responses
2 questions.
1)Should it be that there’s a psak from R’ Ovadia Shlit”a, why didn’t the authorities contact a chevra kadisha to transport the atzomes. secondly, will the atzomes be transported to a chevra kadisha at once or will they first do DNA tests and experiments?
2)By not seeing signs that the bones are from Jews we still are not definite that they are not. We need to prove that they are from non-Jews, which I am in doubt that the Israel Antiquities Authority can be trusted on this.
Kol Hakoavod to these prostester for standing up for what they beleive!
But why are they so vocal about remains of bodies that may or may not be Jews, while they were silent 5 years ago when the buried remains definate Jews of Gush Katif were exhumed during the disengagement?
Why didn’t that bother them?
I Dont believe it. Not until I see it with my own 2 eyes. Who would believe a tv station?
EH,
Of course there are situations that the halacha permits or perhaps even requires to be “mefaneh” the atzomes. Even in Europe when the Batei chaim were at risk due to different reasons they were forced to be mefaneh the kevarim to another place. and alot of times even to E.Y. and so I guess was the case in Gush Katif. Without going into politics, the fact of the matter is that the kvarim were in danger and were forced to be transported. In our case,however, according to those involved there are other options for an emergency room, and even if more difficultly, it doesn’t allow the authorities to desecrate the Atzomes. This is a very serious halache that are in the eyes of the poskei hador to be machlit.
Frumladygit:
do you believe the tv station that this story (of exhuming the bones)is actually happening???
maybe this whole exhuming and protesting is just a fable?
Response to Pinny Gold :
Of course I believe that the grave exhuming is happening, how UNLIKELY is it that Secular ZIONIST Israelis would leave the dead, in peace, respectfully? How many times before have we seen this, look at their track record?
However I doubt R’ Ovadia Shlit”a a respectful posek rule such a thing.
Everybody is missing the point here, what is more important according to the Torah, Saving Jewish lives or no disturbing a pile of bones that are not even jewish? this is a no brainer, of course Saving Jewish lives, even we are allowed to mechalel Shabbat in order to save a Jewish life, so kal vaChomer, is better to remove this bones with all due respect to a better place, and the build this life saving facility for Am Israel.
I found out that the American government is funnelling millions of dollars to various protest groups to bring down Natinyahu and his right wing government. Now it makes sense why the Chareidim are willing to risk losing Israeli financial support. Who needs the Israeli pennys when you can get American dollars.
cdkra says “This is a very serious halache that are in the eyes of the poskei hador to be machlit.” I am an Ashkenazi and Rav Ovadia Shlita is not my posek nor would I personally ask him a sleila. However he most certainly is one of the greatest poskim of our generation. To suggest otherwise is the height of dispespect. If he has ruled that these bones may be removed, there is without doubt what to rely on. We do not have to agree but this psak should certainly put an end to the violent demonstrations.
The protesters should not be wasting their time and energy, which would be better spend learning in yeshiva or kollel.
If they are not into “leren”, then they should get a job and support themselves and their families.
Their violent actions both in Jerusalem and on the hospital site are a Chilul HaShem
To Avreimi,
Thank you for maiking me aware of that, and chas vesholom I didn’t mean to desecrate the kovod of great posek. But I’ll try to repeat myself again. Firstly, should that be the psak, how come the authorities didn’t call any chevra kadisha who know the halachot on how to be mefaneh’ for them to do the transport kehalacha? Secondly, was there shmira that the bones won’t be taken for experimental causes and ALL of them be reburied at once?
Also please explain, why should an Ashkenazi be forced to accept a psak, even from a godol hador, if the entire Ashkenazi rabbonim don’t agree and hold the opposite?