On Tuesday morning 1 Rosh Chodesh Elul, Tzohar Rabbonim organization reacted harshly to the statements made by the Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri on Tzohar Rabbis.
In an interview with Reshet Bet Radio, Tzohar founder and Chairman Rabbi Stav said that he “should not respond to any nonsense that an askan convicted criminal-convicted says,” referring to the fact that in the past Deri was convicted of bribery and even sat in prison.
However, he later said that “a criminal-convicted askan dares to cast blame on entire populations and in the organization containing hundreds of rabbonim.”
He claims that despite the words of the Shas chairman, who he labels “an ignorant person who does not understand neither the Torah nor Halacha nor the Reform”, he adds “dati leumi rabbonim follow the path of HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L more than those who presume to follow his path.”
Channel 2 News reported earlier this week that in a closed forum, Deri said harsh things about some of the dati leumi rabbonim and rabbonim affiliated with Tzohar. “Even [those who wear] knitted kipot today, in very large communities, mainly in the center of the country, are already on the edge of reform,” Deri said. “Those who know how synagogues and prayer services are run there see very big changes….it is on the edge of reform.”
Regarding Tzohar Rabbonim, Deri is quoted saying “the greatest fighters against this law were the Tzohar rabbis, together with the Reform Movement, because they knew that the goal was to destroy them, they enjoyed the leniency of others, to slander the rabbinate, to search for all the faults.”
In a related matter, former Shas MK Rabbi Chaim Amsellem turned to Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennet demanding he defend his constituents against the harsh allegations leveled by Deri.
“Rabbi Aryeh Deri is unprecedentedly hostile to religious Zionism, and Rabbanei Tzohar,” said Rabbi Amsalem, adding “while the religious Zionist party, Bayit Yehudi remains silent.” What happened to Naftali Bennett? Are you so close to the convicted Deri?” he said stingingly against Bennet.
In his words, “Is it difficult to respond to him because he accuses the religious Zionists of being the most disgraceful title in the chareidi arsenal of ‘reformists’, and here you are silent?”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Its really bizarre how an ignorant convicted felon who mocked the memory of R’ Yosef, ZTL (remember the” onion tears video”), is allowed to continue in a leadership position of the Sephardeshe tzibur in EY. Apparently, the system is so rigged (to quote our favorite political leader) that these hacks in the Knesset and Rabanut need to cover the backs of one another.
So, after prefacing his words that he “should not respond to any nonsense that an askan convicted criminal says,” “Rabbi” Stav proceeds with his own nonsense. And quite obviously, the Sage of Tzohar paskens that it’s OK to call Deri names in public, although Deri condemned in a private forum what he felt are the deviations of the Tzohar group. Rav Ovadia zt”l himself, on at least one occasion, condemned Stav using rather strong language.
And by presenting the entire radio interview on the website, YWN is again “subtly” demonstrating where its sympathies lie. Those altruistic Tzoharniks are again being maligned by that nasty ex-con Deri. The fact that it’s now Ellul makes it even more important to mention Deri’s past. Quality objective journalism at its best!
You don’t need to know much about the Reform, or have davened in many Dati Leumi shuls to realise that in many ways they are getting very close to certain ideologies of the Reform. I’m not labelling all Dati Leumi shuls or people as such, but let’s be honest, there are many areas where differences are becoming increasingly blurred.
One major is example is tznius – many married Dati Leumi women don’t cover their hair at all, nor do they cover the lower legs or upper arms. Another area is davening with a minyan, or even itself, which is unfortunately seen as optional by many Dati Leumi (at least in my limited experience).
I think those could fairly be classified as being ‘on the edge or Reform’.