Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe, 68, and Rabbi Shabtai Weintraub were indicted in 2009 after they encouraged IDF soldiers to refuse orders dealing with removing Jews from their homes. The SOS Israel organization, run by the rabbonim, even bestowed the Heroes of Israel Award on those who defied orders, and were given a cash prize for each day they sat in prison.
Soldiers Achiya Ovadia and Aryeh Arbus received the award for displaying a sign during a Shimshon unit swearing-in ceremony at the Kosel, that they would not evacuate Jews from their homes.
Jerusalem Magistrate Court Justice Joya Skappa-Shapiro ruled in her verdict that their calls were protected under freedom of speech, which maintains a special place under the law. The court added freedom of speech is protected “Even when the expression irks or offends” as in this case.
Rabbi Wolpe is a respected rov in Chabad and at the forefront of the battle for a Greater Israel via his SOS Israel organization.
Defense attorney Yitzchak Bam is quoted telling Ynet the court’s ruling is an “Extremely significant one for freedom of speech”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Nice to know that there is freedom of speech for dissident opinions and not just the “approved” ones. The unJews who control Israel’s unJusitice system can not tolerate dissident opinions and have always done everything possible to suppress them. I would be surprised if this is not appealed to the supreme cult.
Prosecuting people for disagreeing with the government is usually a very dumb idea. It makes no difference whether it is fanatical zionists wanting to transfer Palestinians out of homes they have lived in for over a century at the least (and often much longer), or hareidim refusing to participate in the war as a matter of conscience.