MK Rav Chaim Amsellem faced off against journalist Avishai Ben-Chaim of Channel 10 regarding the recent remarks made against the chareidi tzibur by former Mossad Director Ephraim Halevy. In a surprise move, the chareidi MK supported Halevy, blaming the chareidi community for becoming too fanatic. Amsellem has become an outspoken advocate for moderation in the chareidi community in Eretz Yisrael.
In his remarks. Halevy stated the chareidim pose a bigger threat to Israel than Iran. The remarks resulted in a wave of condemnatory statements against Halevy by chareidi lawmakers, with some askanim calling for a police investigation against him for violating laws prohibiting incitement.
Amsellem explains that we must come to the realization that the chareidi community is moving too far to the right, citing a number of examples such as the stepped-up intolerance on buses, demanding total segregation, and the most recent incident, the minister of religious affairs disqualifying Tzohar rabbonim from performing marriages. Amsellem stated that anyone with any knowledge of Tzohar is aware of the wonderful work the organization does, it work in the area of kiruv, towards bringing people closer to Yiddishkheit and adherence to Torah and mitzvos.
Amsellem:
Ephraim Halevy is basically doing what I have been doing for some time. Take a mirror and place it in front of the chareidim and look. What do you see? The image in the eyes of a non-frum person is not a pleasant one.
Channel 10:
Avishai, you heard the words of Amsellem, a rav, a chareidi. What is your opinion? What is taking place with the chareidim? We, the non-frum look at them and see fanaticism and more extremism. What is taking place in that community?
Avishai Ben-Chaim: (not frum)
First of all, we must relate to Halevy’s words. They are severe, out of place, and definitely a challenge to the chareidi community. He could have made his point in a more acceptable fashion. But the point is we must ask how does someone of the caliber of Halevy arrive at this point. Secular people hear his words and many are saying ‘wow, he is right. There is something to this’.
Then we hear analyst Avi Bloom speaking on Kol Chai Radio’s Mordechai Lavi show and he says ‘yes, we are more of a threat to ourselves than the Iranians’. We cannot ignore this reality.
For me, I make a differentiation between the extremism that the chareidi community imposes on itself and the regulations it seeks to impose on the general public.
My approach differs from Halevy. We look at them from the outside and say they are a good group. The damage to the Jewish People from a strategic point of view is they cause the hatred among their own community. Because the chareidim are perceived as representative of yiddishkheit, people hate religion. They are doing it.
Channel 10:
In essence, there are two tracks that conflict with one another. On the one hand, there are more chareidim calling for an academic degree to enable them to go out and work. Women are working as well.
It appears there is more integration, a larger number of chareidim joining the mainstream workforce. On the other hand, inside the community there appears to be a large ghetto if you will.
Ben-Chaim:
Listen, you are straying from the main point. We look at them and want to educate them. That is not our job. I look at them from the point where our lives interact, such as when we come to the Rabbanut. Don’t bring people to hate the Rabbanut. END
Amsellem is on the ‘outs’ with many chareidim, particularly with his home base, Shas, for publically going against rulings of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita and being the moderate, the outspoken lone voice that often publically criticizes the chareidi tzibur, as in this case.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
You call amsallem moderate? Someone who says that the chareidim are a bigger threat then iran is a moderate? Anyone who ever respected this man hopefully has now lost their respect!
Rav Ovadia himself condemned Amsalem in an unprecedented letter for his anti Torah views, in the strongest possible terms. The problem is not just that he goes against his rulings, it is He has a chareidi in appearance only. Nothing he says should be surprising. The article is misleading, since he is not a moderate by any stretch. Rav Ovadia clearly feels thar he is an apikores, and not one Rav has defended him since Rav Ovadia came out against him.
Rav Ovadia himself condemned Amsalem in an unprecedented letter for his anti Torah views, in the strongest possible terms. The problem is not just that he goes against his rulings. It is that he has a chareidi in appearance only. Nothing he says should be surprising. The article is misleading, since he is not a moderate by any stretch. Rav Ovadia clearly feels that he is an apikores. Not one Rav has defended him since Rav Ovadia came out against him
We have the Torah and the g’dolim with Daas Torah to interpret the Torah for us. Anyone who is outside these gedarim, doesn’t speak for us. This holds true for MK Chaim Amsellem, Avi Bloom, Mordechai Lavi, Avishai Ben-Chaim, and Ephraim Halevy.
The Rambam says we should all strive to be “middle of the road” in many of our character traits.
I think Rabbi Amsallem is correct in his assertions and may he have the courage to continue his important work
What about the non religious being very extreme to the left and immodesty- obviously there is going to be a balance- that is a bigger problem than the right going to the right!
Using the Rambam to call somene middle of the road is silly. Everyone thinks they are in the middle of the road. They look at those to their right to their left and say “too exteme” and “to moderate”.
The bottom line is, this guy’s views have been declared out of the fold by Rav Ovadia, and no Rav has come to defend him.
Middle of the road?
So perhaps we should not be Orthodox.. that’s too extreme. Reform… that’s too lax. The Rambam says middle.. I guess that’s consevative!
So perhaps we should not be Orthodox.. that’s too extreme. Conservative… that’s too lax. The Rambam says middle.. I guess that’s Conservadox!
We should not be Satmar, thats too extreme. Belz… that’s too zionst. Rambam says middle, guess it’s Bobov.
Neturei Karta, that’s too exreme. Ageeedah (aka agudah).. that’s to moderate. We in Satmar are smack in the middle.
Bottom line. The Rambam would tell you to listen to the rabbonim of your day, not distort his words to defend Amsalem.
I don’t want to get into the “fracas’ about Rav Amsellem’s words because we all have our biases. I do want to remark to “rivka brocha cohen’ who maintains that the Rambam “would tell you to listen to the rabbonim of your day” that the Rambam’s writings were banished (put into cherem) by the rabbis of that day……sometimes, it takes years and decades forf the truth to emerge…
rabbiofberlin: Actually even during the Rambam’s day it was a machlokes between rabbonim regarding the Rambam. It was never universally against. Mr. Amsalem not only has been declared an apikorus by the rov of HIS OWN party that appointed him to the kenesset list, but no rabbonim have defended his apikorsus.
Argument that’s called a Machlokes if some am haaretz disagrees with Rav Ovadia and no Rabbanim are on Amsalems side then Amsalem is just a mechutzaf as well as whatever Rav Ovadia calls him.