Channel 13 News aired a clip of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu comparing the actions of the Peleg Yerushalmi group to those of various cults around the world.
One of the defining characteristics during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Israel was the absolute refusal of certain elements within the Chareidi world to follow the instructions of Israel’s Health Ministry which included the prohibition against davening in a minyan.
The refusal to adhere to the rules originally began among the extremist groups within the Chareidi world such as the Peleg Yerushalmi, but dragged the entire Chareidi public down with them, leading to a public discourse of hatred against the Chareidi public in the mainstream and social media.
In a Zoom call that was held between the Health Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Yakir Kauffman from the Health Ministry said: “These are the most densely populated areas in the entire country, and it is there where the infection rate is the highest. If we do not solve this problem, we will be creating our own ‘coronavirus ship’ inside Israel.”
Later, while former Health Minister Yaakov Litzman was not on the call, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “This is absolutely crazy. The unsupervised, crazy actions, that also occur in the secular community, in much smaller quantities as you have seen… I’m talking about the actions of a cult, let’s call it that. It’s a joke.”
“If a person sacrifices themselves, that’s one thing. But a person isn’t just sacrificing themselves here. He is sacrificing everyone around him.”
Following the publication of the conversation, the Prime Minister’s Office stated: “The Prime Minister was referring to the actions of the Peleg Yerushalmi who did not follow instructions and not to the Chareidi public in general.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
wrt peleg yerushalayim violating rules against COVID 19, the halakha requires they be placed into a small confined cage, with only enough food, with standard hashgakha, to survive.
I quit letting Peleg bother me. They aren’t Shomer Torah V’ Mitzvos.
Sadly they have no guidance from anyone.
Yes but when Natanyahu was speaking in America he lauded Israel in the same speech he mentioned Moses, and toeiva. Who is he kidding. He is the joke. Making a joke out of the Torah.
Heroes against reshaim
He’s one to talk about cults. What’s a crazier cult than Zionism? Peleg is just trying to keep the Torah and is brave enough to face the wicked Zionists.
Peleg has leaders..and their prerogative is to Destroy Israel.
Frumshmurda: Netanyahu just discovered what many have known for a long time, These mindless zealots represent a small segment of the Chareidi tzibur but their insane behavior poses a threat to the lives of much larger numbers. Not too many tears would be shed if their own behavior leads to their own demise. Sadly, though, its unlikely to stop at the boundary of their neighborhoods given the high density and integrated housing patterns they could spread the infection across much large areas. Unfortunately, there seems to be much rhetoric but little political backbone to confront and isolate them.
The machlokes is over! They’re finished. There may be Gedolim on both sides but Bibi was Machria. Yay!
Anyone who knows the facts knows that the Gadol who said to continue the chadorim and the Yeshivos against the rules of the misrad Habriut has no shaychus to the peleg hayerushalmi.
Rav Shmuel Deitch the senior Rav of the Peleg was and is the most machmir about listening to the rules. There were other Rabbonim who have to do with the Peleg who said that one should not go shopping unless realy really needed and minyonim should be held only with many restrictions etc. but that Doctors have to be listened to and not the exact guidlines of the misrad habriut. In the Yated Neeman a few days ago was a long article about how ridiculous the guidlines of the misrad habriut are when it comes to the chareidy community. Netanyahu knows what happened and he was not reffering to the peleg but since he was attacked for attacking his fellow chavrei kneset his advisors said he was reffering to the Peleg. But the truth is who the cares what this Ochel neveilos and trefos said.