Not everyone lauded the White House Chanukah candle lighting in the White House attended by President Reuven Rivlin and representatives of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jewry. The president came under attack in chareidi media including Yated Neeman for daring to take part in such an event in an official capacity.
Yated Neeman attacked Mr. Rivlin using harsh words including “the Hellenist trend” of Israeli leaders, accusing them of preferring to fly to the United States to attend functions rather than remaining at home to address the ongoing wave of Islamic terror.
The column speaks of the senior Israeli official who chose to take part in the “Hellenist act” and thereby crossing a “red line” in his official capacity. It speaks how he stood alongside a “Reform rabbi” and by doing so, undermines the ongoing struggle to prevent the movement from gaining a foothold in Israel and doing so in a Chanukah ceremony which represents Am Yisrael’s victory against the Greek effort to compel Jews to abandon their Orthodox lifestyles.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Yated should have done its research. Rivlin is hardly a friend of Reform. After visiting Temple Emanuel in NYC in 1989, he said the following, according to the Forward:
“I was completely stunned,” Rivlin said in an interview published in Yediot Acharonot. “This is idol worship and not Judaism. Until now I thought Reform was a stream of Judaism, but after visiting two of their synagogues I am convinced that this is a completely new religion without any connection to Judaism.”
One thing we all know. Obama isn’t doing this with any ‘respect’. He afterwords goes upstairs and laughs away at how stupid these Jews are. – and he’s right…
The critics don’t realize who came out of the Chashmanaim. King Yanai & King Hordos & other similar kings, who were not at all fond, of our way of keeping Yiddishkeit.
How pathetic is it when the President of Israel doesn’t even know how to light a menorah properly? Goes to show you just how little Yiddishkeit there is in the “Jewish” state.
This is the kind of sinas chinam that was the cause of the churban. The editors of Yated Neeman are a much greater threat to am yisroel than the conservative and reform rabbunim who attended the WH ceremony and themselves are big supporters of EY.
The chareidim seem to forget that Mr. Rivlin is the President of the State of Israel, and as such, he represents all Israelis (including the majority that are not observant), not just a segment of them. Why they think that President Riviln should stay in Israel “to address the ongoing wave of Islamic terror”is beyond me, since the President of Israel is a figurehead position, not one that carries any weight in the Israeli political world.
It didn’t seem to bother some Hasidic and other Orthodox bearded men in the room.
It speaks how he stood alongside a “Reform rabbi” – I didn’t know that N. Obama Esq is also a Reform Rabbi!
What fools. What if goyim read or hear about this? They need more ammunition to be anti-Semites? The real anti- Jews are those behind Yated. No doubt about it. Always looking to expose rifts within Klal Yisroel to the reading public.
The criticism of Mr. Rivlin is both mean and unwarranted.
He is not Charedi and represents ALL of EY (80% of which is NOT Charedi)).
The are only Jews and non-Jews. Some Jews keep more mitzvoth than others but that does NOT make them either better or more Jewish than any other Jew.
If the Macabis were still around today, the Yated would be angry at them as well.
This “Hanukkah” celebration in the WH is one big Hilul HaShem and insult to Jewish People. Unfortunately Hellenists have won.