Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai stirred up a storm online after he said on Nadav Perry’s podcast that anyone who is religious is opposed to democracy.
Perry: “You’re saying something harsh that I don’t accept. Are you saying that anyone who believes in a supreme being cannot accept democracy in the same breath?”
Huldai replied without hesitation: “No. Because if you believe in Him, it means He is supreme. It can’t be that the Supreme Court will decide against what is written and what you believe in. Therefore, religion, by its very nature, is anti-democratic.”
“Those who are religious go to the Rav for everything. It’s already determined and written and the Rav tells you if something is according to Halacha or not. If Halacha is the law – then we are Iran,” Huldai added.
Channel 14 journalist Yinon Magal responded to Huldai’s remarks by stating: “Ron Huldai is so anachronistic that he still lives in a world where a religious soldier was asked if he’ll listen to his commander or his Rav. As if we haven’t been through the show of refusal of all those who ‘listened to their conscience’ and announced that they ‘will stop volunteering for the IDF, because they are ‘loyal to the kingdom and not the king,’ and object to the public influencing the identity of the judges through their elected representatives in the Knesset (like everywhere else in the world).”
“And he is so ignorant because he has no idea what it is to be a religious person and he has no idea what democracy is. For him, democracy is when his values rule – even if it means that the minority rules over the majority. In short, another ‘enlightened’ dinosaur,” Magal concluded.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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13 Responses
This idiot/fool forgot that we can choose which Rabbi/Mentor we wish to associate ourselves with, hence his assertion that being Religious precludes democracy, is a fallacy & full of utter Rubbish [as is Ron Huldai]
Americans define “democracy” as government of , by and for the people.
In Israel, at least among the ruling class, “democracy” means “secularism” and government by the secular elites, to the exclusion of Yiddishkeit, and requires restricting civil rights of frum Jews (regardless of whether they wear a kipah srugah or a streimel).
Now you wonder why Israel has so many enemies from within and without and why even in America the latest poll shows more than half of the Americans oppose Israel. It’s Divine.
He needs to learn the Gemora in Bava Metzia in Perek Hazahav about “לא בשמים היא”
He happens to be right.
ה’ ימלוך לעולם ועד.
ניבא ולא ידע מה ניבא
Mayor Ron Huldai is right.
Judaism and democracy don’t mix. Jewish law prescribes the death penalty for violating Shabbos. Judaism appoints a monarch. Judaism outlaws non-kosher eating.
Zionism is so corrosive to the soul. And his idolatry of Zionism is so stark here.
The premise of normal democracies is that they do not conflict with religion. Very much unlike the Zionist paradise whose very purpose is to destroy the Torah and Judaism, normal democracies actually respect G-d and even legislate in support of religion.
Zionism has an additional disadvantage, however, in its fake claim of being Jewish. Jews do indeed have an obligation to deal with one another in accordance with Torah laws. But gentile-wannabe Zionists replace Torah laws with their gentile-like laws, which is yet another severe chilul Hashem.
In a way he’s right but I think he’s deluded about how democracy practically works. Being a socialist, which I assume he is, is also anti democratic
Well, David Hamelech wasn’t democratically elected. He’s not far from the truth in that regard.
Huldai – a goy who speaks modern Hebrew.
Democracy is the least of the modern evils of government until Massiach Tzikanu comes and then Malchus Beis David will rein with the Kohanim and the Levium in the Beit Hamikdash, Bimhera Bayamenu. חג כשר ושמח
“If Halacha is the law – then we are Iran,” He should try Iran .Maybe it would “Put the Fear of G-D” in him !!!!!!
The Mayor is actually correct. We believe in a Melech—a King—who instructs us how to live every moment of our lives. And we yearn for the day when a Melech from Malchus Beis Dovid will once again lead us.
We’ve been in galus for a long time, and over the years, we’ve become accustomed to viewing “democracy” as a positive value—and in galus, it is a positive thing. History has taught us what the alternatives can look like (think Achashveirosh, v’chulei). Democracy has given us freedom of religion, and for that, we’re grateful. But we must not forget: we are not inherently pro-democracy. What we truly want is a Melech who enforces Torah, as Chizkiyahu HaMelech once did.
There’s something deeper here. We believe the Torah was written by a perfect, all-knowing G-D. Democracy only becomes necessary when there is no perfect, objective system of law and morality. In such a vacuum, freedom is needed so that no flawed human being becomes the ultimate authority. But this mayor—udi’imei—either doesn’t believe that the Torah is Divine and perfect, or may believe it and still prefer to be “free” of its boundaries. In all likelihood, it’s a mixture of both (v’huvin).
And since it’s almost Pesach, we can bring in what the Baalei Mussar point out: freedom, in the secular world, often means freedom for the yetzer hara to do whatever it wants. But we believe in a higher kind of freedom—freedom for the yetzer tov, which by definition requires boundaries and the curbing of the yetzer hara.
Vayimaen recently had a powerful video on this topic—highly recommended:
https://www.torahanytime.com/lectures/362409
Democracy in Israel (founded by tzionim) means being free from religion and free to do as you please that’s why in Israel believing in a g-d and following him is anti democratic.. in Israel only
As the saying goes only in Israel