In the Tuesday Hamodia, affiliated with Agudas Yisrael, senior columnist Yisrael Hershkowitz under his nom deplume of Meir Gold addresses the split between the dati leumi and chareidi communities. He feels that cannot be any doubt that Bayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett’s move of making his entry into the coalition conditional on leaving the chareidim out will boomerang back at him big time.
Gold explains that one mustn’t chalk this up to naiveté, for Bennett is not a rookie but rather an astute politician and realizes full well what he is doing. There can be no doubt that Bennett emerged successful in the election, and now he strives to build a coalition that reflects his philosophy, both political and economic, and on that route he hopes to possibly fulfill some of his other dreams including the draft of chareidim, taking over the Chief Rabbinate, and bringing the power base back to the hands of the dati leumi tzibur. To set the stage for this, he must oust the chareidim from the playing field.
“It will not take too long to see if his is successful in achieving some or all of his visions, or alternatively it will all melt and the yishuvim will pay the price for the costly arrogance.”
Gold then moves on to address the economic concerns of the businesses in yishuvim, facing a growing boycott of their goods in the international marketplace, with a growing number of nations unwilling to purchase goods originating over the Green Line. The continued use of these products by the chareidim is the “oxygen lifeline” for these companies, Gold believes, for at home there is no concern regarding the origin of the product vis-à-vis the Green Line, at least not among the chareidim. In Tel Aviv for example, the settlers realize they cannot market their goods. Now if the chareidim decide to launch a boycott against products from yishuvim or from the dati leumi tzibur, it will only be a matter of time until some of these companies fold as a result.
Calling for such a move is not an easy task for much of this community are persons who are shomer Shabbos and mitzvos, and they too are probably dissatisfied with Bennett, but such a decision should be made when the serious decisions surrounding the chareidi community are made.
If such a decision is made, one that has proven itself effective time after time, even a partial boycott or an unofficial boycott, the impact would be realized in a very short time period. The organized chareidi consumer might is known and several large companies can show their scars from such actions in the past.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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24 Responses
As a subscriber to Hamodia in Israel for many years, if Hamodia continues with a line of boycotting Yehuda and Shomron companies I will cancel my subscription and so will many other people.
This is NOT how G-D fearing Jews behave… It’s shameful!
I think that would be a huge mistake on the part of the Chareidim to boycott products of the yishuvim. It would majorly hurt the entire economy of Israel and would seem like only a vendetta and wouldn’t do anything about Naftali Bennett
This is insane, evil and the ranting of an Am Haartz. Even suggesting such a thing should be reason enough for him to be publicly censured by any loyal Jew. Boycott Torah Jews, never!
Such people are quick to criticize the Kippa Seruga politicians because they act on their own without consulting Daas Torah. Which Gadol beTorah did this political journalist consult with prior to suggesting such a disgusting idea? No Gador or even Katan beTorah would sanction a deliberate action of Machlocus. Because that is what such a proposal means: a pointless fight that will only cause harm and public disgrace to the Torah community.
Fight Bennett and all the other megalomaniacs that place themselves above the Torah but make it a direct fight, a public fight. Go on the offensive and show the emptiness of what they offer and the damage their proposals will do. Do not turn this into an infantile “food fight.”
What a stupid article.
Avoid all attacking of the ‘big srugot’(i.e.Mc”H ,settlers),they were misled as well
The wretched was ,is and has been for a long, long time, the ’small srugot’
The problem is that YWN only scans the frum press for juice. Imagine what the viewers would glean if they scanned say, Makor Rishon?
1. There are hareidi settlement, though they tend to be adjacent to the green line, unlike those that are stuck in the middle of Arab areas. It is true that hareidi settlers are living in the West Bank due to the need for cheap housing rather than for nationalistic motives.
2. Boycotting Dati Leumi goods is a problem in Israel since in spite of the differences in ideology and clothes, the Dati Leumi and Hareidim are very integrated economically, especially in terms of food.
3. It’s enough that the Hareidim can ally with Labor on matters pertaining the West Bank (the Hareidim have always been “left” on economic matters).
And Mr. Bennett wakes up to find he lives in a glass house.
Bayit Yehudi Party emphasize that they want a party and country that is: #1 secular friendly, THAT DOESN’T TOLERATE RELIGIOUS COERCION and that embraces all Jews. They hold that ”A united Israel includes military national or community service for every citizen”.
The most important point on their platform is to please the secular as well as secularizing “religious coercers” by having them join the secular military. This is why they prefer collaborating with Yesh Atid who has the same anti-chareidi agenda than with chareidim.
shameful is the least what one can call this article. It reflects an egoistical, selfish, megolamaniac view, centered on Bnai braq and let the rest of the country disappear ….Does this egotistical columnist realize that the chareidi zibbur will be the most affected by a weakenening of the so-called yishuvim in Judea veShomron? Where does he think Beitar Illit, Immanuael and others are located? Does Chevron and Kiryat Arba qualify as one of those yishuvim he wants to weaken? Scandalous is the most kind comment on this disgusting column.
The Hamodia & Yated are worthless rags that should not be brought into a Torah home! If an individual has to read ANY newspaper to get chizuk or Yiras Shomayim, they are a lost cause! When you get your weekly “inspiration” from reading some silly editorial instead of your Rov, you’ve got bigger problems.
Ridiculous.
Hope it doesn’t affect the settlements of Beitar, Kiryat Sefer, Emanuel and Modiim Illit and their industries and produce.
“taking over the Chief Rabbinate, and bringing the power base back to the hands of the dati leumi tzibur” AND WHY SHOULDNT THE CHIEF RABBINATE and other religious personel be from the Dati Leumi world that has been boycotted for the last decade by the Charedi parties.
When a Leftist suggests something like this, he is immediately labeled a Sonei Yisrael.
No more hamodia in this house
The D”L and Charda”l communities believe, and have always believed, that serving in the IDF is a mitzva and that working for parnassah is an halachik obligation. The machloket is leshem shamayim, not lehachis, and it is not based on hatred.
One Frun Jews boycoting another Frum Jews whos only fault is that they live in Yehuda and Shamron, trying hard to get these lands back to Jewish hands. This is the HaKoras HaTov to them, for sometimes even risking their lives?
Wow, I tought only the Jew haters boykot Israel and Yehuda and Shamron in particular, but aperently there are jew haters from within the orthodox comunity as well.
Was this written for the american English addition or just the hebrew one? I know they’re affiliated but I dont think the hebrew version always reflects the opinion of the english one. At least I hope not….
actually a boycott of this kind is 100 percent correct. The DL want to hurt the way of life of the Chareidi instead of working with them.. maybe this will convince them that they need the Chareidi.
Can you imagine how Yisrael Hershkowitz would have reacted should Satmar declare a boycott against those who don’t follow their political or religious belief? this is disgusting….
#3 You say that Bennett is a meglomaniac who places himself above Torah. I agree, but there is a problem in your analysis. His positions and intentions (along with his “alliance” with Yesh Atid) were all known quantities BEFORE the election and still the D”L voted for him. Are they not, therefore, responsible for putting this man in the position of power he is in??
#8 You say “Bayit Yehudi Party emphasize that they want a party and country that is: #1 secular friendly, THAT DOESN’T TOLERATE RELIGIOUS COERCION and that embraces all Jews. The most important point on their platform is to please the secular as well as secularizing ‘religious coercers’ by having them join the secular military.” Would you be so kind as to explain to me how a policy of forced SECULAR COERCION “embraces all Jews”?
To yagel:
What exactly is this machloket? I’ve never heard any charedi Rav or layman object to the need for the army or or the need for working. Just many want that it should the other guy doing and not me.
If the hilonim are in charge, and are trying to destroy us, and the Dati Leumi are for their own reasons assisting them, now are they any different the Jews who collaborated with the Nazis (for their own reasons, which I’m sure they considered to be valid).
To akuperman;
Sounds to me like you actually agree to such a boycott in principle, but you feel it’s not really practical. I hope for your sake my understanding is wrong
Hershkovitz should be fired !
#15 aouman: wrong, wrong and wrong. The “fault” is NOT that they live in Yehuda and Shomron, it is that they wish, as pointed out by #8, to secularize the chareidim by forcing them to serve in the secular army (little different from what the Russians did in the 1800s). Reb Hershkowitz is merely suggesting that if they want to hurt us, we need to show that we can hurt them too. I am NOT saying I agree (or disagree) with this approach but I AM saying, midah knegged midah, it IS fair.
I might also ask, since this was instigated by the D”L party’s decision to align itself with one of the worst Torah haters in the country (Lapid) in an effort to “secularize” the chareidim, exactly who the REAL Jew haters are.