Many experts in Israel blame the recent revival in the movement by Jews to visit and daven on Har Habayis for the latest wave of Islamic terror. Counted among those who blame the pro-Har Habayis activists are many chareidim, who feel those who continue eliciting the ire of the international community are responsible for the current security crisis. They continue shouting that Gedolei Hador throughout the generations prohibited visits to Har Habayis.
By and large, visitors to Har Habayis do not include chareidim, although there are exceptions, albeit few in number.
Journalist Aryeh Erlich in his column in this week’s edition of Mishpacha Magazine in Hebrew addresses the Arabic population. He explains the chareidim are not among visitors to the holy site, leading many to question if Erlich is sending a message to attack non-chareidi Jews only. Erlich explains leaders of the chareidi community are united in their opposition to visiting Har Habayis.
The following paragraph appears in the weekly edition as part of the column in both Hebrew and Arabic. “We the chareidi tzibur have no issue about visiting Har Habayis during these times. We oppose this vehemently. More than this, Jewish Law prohibits this – a prohibition of Karess. You will never see chareidim among those visiting. With the exception of one family, a family that acts on its own and this was widely condemned. So even if you have concrete information of Israeli intentions to change the status quo regarding al-Aqsa, which to the best of our knowledge is not the case, the chareidi population has no connection to this so please stop murdering us!”
Veteran Hebron resident and activist Baruch Marzel accuses Mishpacha of being “a villainous traitor of the Torah”, adding “HKBH will bring down the wicked newspaper”.
There are many more responses on social media networks, understandably none referring to chareidim in a positive light.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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36 Responses
Its been a long time since i let mishpacha magazine into my house after seeing countless shameful article and totally false stories now we can officially change their name to neturei kartah magazine
What a disgusting article! So is he saying, don’t murder us Chareidim, but others who do go onto the Har Habayis, are legitimate targets? Also, the Arabs themselves know that Israel is not trying to take the Har Habayis away from them or change the “status quo”. It’s just an excuse for the Pereh Adam to murder. It’s ludicrous to give these murderers the decency or reaching out to them!
WOW!
Some people are dangerous with weapons. Others are dangerous with word processors.
Hello, did anyone actually READ the article before posting this inflammatory story? I am surprised that YWN jumped on this without checking it out. The article in Mishpacha was frankly quite unsuccessful, but the paragraph you quote here is taken out of context–it is meant to be satire. The article goes on to describe the terrorism as a religious war of Arabs against Jews–ALL Jews. While I think Aryeh Ehrlich showed poor taste in framing his column this way, he did NOT do what the entire Internet seems to be accusing him of doing. The anti-charedi comments posted on several anti-charedi news outlets in response to stories like this have been hateful and very painful. YWN should have taken the opportunity to correct the false story on this instead of passing it along without investigation. Chaval. Please read the original story and correct this highly inaccurate and inflammatory one.
There is no kares for going on har habayis (not azarah) even if one is tamei meis. only a bal keri would be assur but for that tevilah bimikvah (a real tevilah) would suffice.(We are not choshesh for zav.) Still one has to be dumb to go at a time like this since the Arabs are using it as an excuse for terror. Most of the terrorists are not even religious muslims, but rather are fighting Israel’s occupation of the west bank as a political agenda. The Arabs are using har habayis to influence world opinion and the columnist fell for it head over heels.It is the equivalent of telling Iran I am happy with your nuclear weapons program so dont nuc me.
Who are these many experts?
Very sad that the secular Israelis understand that this has nothing to do with Al alkasa they understand that the reason is simple anti Semitism at its best but he frum do not get it Listen to lapids interview
Stupid! Is he Crazy?! He’s justifying killing Jews who go on the הר הבית!
By and large, visitors to Har Habayis do not include chareidim, although there are exceptions, albeit few in number. —— There are many individuals dressed & looking like Charedim in videos showing groups on Har Habayit.
What a horrible post!!!! and who shall the Arabs kill instead of the passive Charedim who are pro-an irrealistic peace plan and believe that before the Medinah that life in Eretz Yisroel was heavenly and peaceful.???
The letter is shameful. I of course agree that going to Har Habayis is assur, and cannot be tolerated. This letter however legitimizes the terrorists claim that it acceptable to kill jews for going to har Habayis.
How about this guy writing:
“Dear Mr Hitler.
Please don’t murder us, we love Germany.
Ps. It’s those other Jews who are ungrateful for your hospitality – it’s ok if you murder them…”
If it is true that the people going on har habies are causing all that’s going on (which I don’t necessarily think is true) then why should the ones that are against going not argue why should I be killed if you doing what I think is wrong? I see nothing wrong with what they wrote.
I don’t know whether or not Erlich’s public message to the Arabs was a good idea or not, but I do know that what Erlich wrote is 100% the truth.
Those so-called “experts” are nothing more than ignorant fools, as is Mishpacha magazine. Every wave of Arab terror is always blamed on something idiotic.
Arabs use every excuse imaginable, except though, that it’s just excuses. Their theology is to kill all Jews wherever we are. Falling into their trap by accepting their phony excuses just justifies their behavior and makes one a fool and an accessory to a degree. You just enable them. Wake up.
Without discussing the issue of Jews going up to the Har Habayis, shouldn’t we be incensed with what the Arabs are doing in and to the Holiest place in the world to us?
Our lack of Achdus and sinas chinum is the real problem. Going up to the Har Habayis isn’t the real problem, we are.
The ones going on the Har Habayis (Glick and his buddies) are murderers. I believe sir moses montefiore was brought onto the har habayis and even that was considered assur by the rabbis.
Ehrlich’s article is so shameful and a chilul Hashem. How can Mishpacha publish such an article?
There are many more responses on social media networks, understandably none referring to chareidim in a positive light.
Did you think anyone was going to like this?
and when are they going to visit Iran?
Arabs just adore Haredim, especially in Jerusalem. Here, see for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_azJVj-zFQU
Excuse me Mishpacha, but why should only Charedim be involved? Don’t kill any JEW!! PERIOD!
But it is OK to murder everyone else?
Hey folks, we’re all in the same boat!
Do you really think that a potential Arab terrorist will go to a newsstand in Geulah, buy Mishpacha and be able to read the Arabic (many residents of Muslim countries are illiterate)– and then decide not to go on a murderous rampage?
What’s more, the article states that Chareidim aren’t to blame. Thus, the “illogical” conclusion is that it’s “okay” for Arab terrorists to murder everyone else, chas ve’shalom.
Really bad timing, to say the least.
This article is a bad idea. To me, and nearly everyone who has seen this, this article is directing Arabs that – if you want to attack a Jew, just make sure it isn’t one of us.
I have spoken to many rabbanim about this article, as it has bothered me a great deal. None of them understand what the author is thinking, or how making such a statement is “smart”. They aren’t saying it’s assur, but that it just makes no sense – and implies that the author endorses non-Torah values.
You fools this has nothing to do with visiting Harabayas it’s just an excuse to kill Jews……..
Fool! he thinks their murdering because of al aksa they murder because they don’t value life. Their religion is one of hatred and violence to all those who don’t follow their stupidity
I cant imagine what the editor was thinking. Bli soffeik they didn’t think this will cause an Arab to reconsider stabbing a chareidi. Surely the newspaper knows that the stabbing has nothing to do with the Temple Mount as the first stabbings happened in a chareidi shul long before the Temple Mount became an issue. So they were trying to do something. What we don’t know but it sure came out tactless.
It seems that Baruch Marzel and the like, are trying to use the chareidim as human shields. Isn’t that a rodef?
What an utterly horrible, disgusting message. It is essentially saying ‘Go ahead and murder other Jews just leave us alone’.
Erlich’s absurd request is analagous to a non frum jew asking hitler to spare him bec hes secularized. And will likely be as well received.
He’s mistaken if he thinks the terrorists won’t harm Jews if we stop visiting Har HaBayis. They are attacking Jews because they hate all of us and want us out of Eretz Yisroel – Chareidim and everyone else.
None of the people commenting on this have read the actual article. In fact Aryeh Ehrlich’s article — if you actually READ it — makes the point that the terrorism is of course NOT caused by people going up on Har Habayis, since davka the terrorists are often targeting people who don’t go up on the Temple Mount. This article is being reported all over the web totally out of context, and it is inflaming a lot of really hateful comments against charedim. People, before you make the hateful comments, READ the actual article by Aryeh Ehrlich.
Here we go, the Getto mentality. Just like Hitler YS couldn’t care less if your grand grand grand father/mother was a Jew the Arabs YS don’t care whether you go to Har Habite or not. Plain and simple they hate Jews. So instead of being a coward and asking for mercy stand up and fight. We only ask Hashem for mercy , not some uneducated,violent perea adam, animals that they are. The Getto mentality is why so many died , we never fought back. Shanda.
Mishpacha and all the so called kosher newsrags are responsible for so much bittul torah. I understand its an unintended consequence but when guys sit down for hours on end over shabbos to read through an issue instead of learning theres something really messed up there.
It is clear that mishpacha did not actually intend to portray such a message , it is just that they did not think that some people could accuse them of advocate the killing any Jews .They should have re read it and not given an opportunity to be accused
TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING FOOLS! THEY ARE NOT KILLING BECAUSE OF HAR HABAYIS THATS JUST THE ESXCUSE….GUESS WHAT FOOLS THE POINT IS TO STOP GIVING THEM AN EXCUSE…..Any person who walks an incites is as if he himself put a knife into any of the victims. The reason the gedolim assured Har habayis (or one of the main ones) was so exactly what is happening now doesn’t happen….but to all the proud tough jews who have nothing better going on that stroke their egos and show the world how courageous they are the child who no longer has a father, a brother, a mother will have tons of respect for you
I’m all in favour of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let’s start with typewriters.”
Frank Lloyd Wright