Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday denied rumors that he was close to religion when he served his sentence in jail for the bribery charge in which he was convicted. Rumors stated that he had become frum and put on tefilin.
In an interview given to journalist Menachem Horowitz at a conference of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Eilat, the former prisoner said: “I heard that they said that I had become a chareidi who was putting on tefilin. No such thing occurred. What occurred is there were some chareidim in prison, and for them, davening with a minyan is important. Therefore, I made sure that they had a minyan out of respect for them.”
Olmert addressed other issues on the agenda, including current events, commenting on Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. “I’m not sure he has the spinal cord, the determination and the strength that are required by the role he plays,” Olmert said, “I’m not impressed that he has the ability to make the decisions he has to make, and because it concerns the affairs that are going on now. I cannot say more than that – even though my impressions are not based on rumors.
“Yesterday, I celebrated my one-year release from Massiyahu Prison,” Olmert said with a smile, and received loud applause from many of those present in the assembly hall, continuing his attacks on law enforcement.
I do not retract my criticism of the State Attorney and the former State Comptroller,” Olmert emphasized. “Every word is true, I do not retract it, no matter what, if Dor wants me to sue me tomorrow morning. I said he is a criminal and I do not change a word. I explained why, and I do not change the facts.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Wow, I was terrified for a moment… the former PM of the “Jewish” state put on Tefilin!?!?
That would be terrible… BH that he refuted that claim, & clarified that he is 100% secular… as fitting to the head of a state bent on uprooting Torah & mitzvois.
I’m not a chossid of Olmert, but the fact that he was considerate of the others’ need for a minyan in prison probably qualifies him at least to some degree not to be 100% secular. Such a person wouldn’t have cared one iota if the others needed someone to complete a minyan. It’s an entirely different question if a mechalel Shabbos can in fact complete a minyan; but that doesn’t mitigate the considerate gesture Olmert made in prison toward the others.
First of all, he never denies putting on tefillin. He denies having become chareidi. And admits to helping with a minyan. In a sense he is a modeh b’miktzas.
Secondly, and far more important, is that NO Jew is inherently secular. EVERY Jew is less observant than some, and more observant than others. ALL Jews are byshonim, rachmonim, and gomlei chasadim. Former PM Olmert, and many others, have proven that to be true.
Finally, may I suggest, that many so-called secular Jews would be less so, and more committed to the Torah if the Torah observant community would get the message out that we are all Jews and all observant (on some level), and that there is no mitzvah which does not accomplish and no Jew who is not priceless and loved by HKB”H,and needed by the entire world.