Deputy Minister of Health (Yahadut HaTorah) Yaakov Litzman caused a stir on Tuesday night while attending a dedication at Kaplan Hospital in Rechovot. During the event, a choir including female vocalists performed, at which point the minister walked out in an obvious act of protest.
When challenged to explain his decision by the media, he stated “I do not care to apologize. I do not have to. I can do what I want,” leading to a political stir as the national climate is not very chareidi-forgiving these days.
He told Kol Berama Radio’s Moti Lavi “you can check what happened. I don’t care to explain. It does not matter what took place. I can do as I please and no one will make me compromise Halacha for at the end, they will try to get me to adapt to their lifestyle”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Chazak V’ematz
Given the opportunity to respond to the media, I suggest a good response might have been…
“We ALL have one Torah. So, the question is NOT why did I walk out, – the question IS, why didN’T every man walk out.”
You know, each side really must learn to be a little more tolerant of the other. The chilonim KNOW the religious will not listen to a woman singing. Why do they persist in getting upset when the religious walk out of these meetings?And the religious MUST stop haranguing the secular! Leave them alone. The situation is just too volatile!
Great KIDDUSH HASHEM! Finally, someone NOT afraid, nor ashamed to stick to his principles. And not trying to appease the CHILONIM.
“Tofasta Meruba Lo Tofasta” – It is only because Chareidim try to force so called “chumrahs” of seperate buses, seperate sidewalks and seperate checkout lines that the chilonim revolt against real Halacha.
#5 – crazykanoiy…
I’m not so sure that it’s “ONLY because Chareidim try to force so called “chumrahs”…” that chilonim revolt against halacha, but I do agree that it definitely contributes to it, – and NOT only do chilonim rebel, but even frum Yidden that are made to feel that they are not “really” frum because they don’t accept EVERY chumra that becomes accepted as the norm instead of as a chumra.
Yasher Koach!
Someone with a pair to act according to halocha. BH!!
# 3 ,5 ,6 yes its starts with the Frumkiet of the extreemists whis IS NOT YIDDISHKIET ,not real Torah its A.H dressing up like “real” Jews.We go b’ahavah ull see the difference ——DIVREY CHACHAMIM BENACHAS YISHMAUH.
Baruch Hashem!
Kedoshim ti’hiyu (see RaMBa”N). Kadesh atzmecha b’mutar loch is a mitzvah also (not just a chumra or inyan shel musar). B’chol dakrachecha da’aihu – even in divrei ha’reshus.
#5, When have charedim ever tried to force these chumras on other people? All they have ever wanted is to be allowed to practise them for themselves, but the chilonim refuse to allow it, and keep deliberately intruding where they have no business.
BTW, the only sidewalks that have been segregated are the ones that are so crowded that basic halacha demands it. This is not a chumra!