About 350 people staged a noisy protest yesterday against an anti-Israel religious group whose members – among them a Monsey rabbi – attended an Iranian conference that questioned the Holocaust.
Targeted by the protest outside the Neturei Karta synagogue at 102 Saddle River Road were scores of the group’s members who had gathered on the lawn. Neturei Karta is an organization that opposes Israel because it believes that only the biblical Messiah can bring about a Jewish homeland.
Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, a member of the group, was among several Neturei Karta members who attended the conference hosted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last month. At the conference, Weiss affirmed that the Holocaust did happen.
Protesters came from Rockland, Westchester, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Connecticut and other parts of the metro area.
Carrying signs that read “Neturei Karta, U R traitors,” and chanting “Screwballs, leave Monsey,” “Neturei crackpots, leave Monsey” and “Go to Iran,” protesters used microphones and a loudspeaker to hurl insults at the organization’s members.
Protesters accused Neturei Karta of being supporters of Islamic terrorists and pawns of anti-Semites.
Neturei Karta members responded to the invective by praying, using their own microphones, chanting, “We want to live in peace with all nations,” and “Judaism, peace; Zionism, war,” and displaying signs that read, “Let’s Talk, Not Vent” and “Judaism Rejects Zionism and the State of Israel.”
They also waved American flags. When they brought out a torn Israeli flag, many in the crowd became incensed.
Several people surrounded Rabbi Hilel Deutsch, a Neturei Karta member who went across the street to talk to the protesters.
He attempted to shake hands with some of them, saying the Neturei Karta group had gone to Iran to confirm that the Holocaust did happen and to try to effect a peaceful solution to the lack of peace in the Middle East. His offers of literature and explanations were rejected by protesters who were overcome with anger.
“I was in Auschwitz!” shouted Eli Stern of Monsey. “I was in Auschwitz. You would have been the first one in line to go into the gas chambers. I was in Auschwitz, and I was in Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen. You have no right to talk in the name of the Holocaust survivors.
“You’re a hillul Hashem,” he added, using a Yiddish phrase that refers to an action so cruel it makes the world seem empty of God.
Several other Holocaust survivors were among the protesters. The crowd included a contingent from Brooklyn, which traveled to Rockland in buses arranged by the protest organizer, the Jewish Defense Organization.
Mordechai Levy, head of the JDO, said over the loudspeaker that Weiss and other Neturei Karta members should be driven out of the community.
“We know where you live. We know where you daven,” he said, using the Yiddish word for “pray.” “We know where you work. And we’re going to get you fired from your jobs, thrown out of shuls (synagogues) and driven from Monsey. Neturei Karta are traitors to the Jews.”
Neturei Karta members said the protesters were victims of Zionist propaganda.
Deutsch’s daughter, Miriam Pollak, said the protesters were entitled to express their opinions.
“I understand their outrage,” she said. “They were brought up differently. They have different beliefs, and they just don’t know. Not everybody knows everything, but I feel that if they would understand the other side, maybe they would change their minds.”
Benjamin Sherr of Monsey said he wanted people to know that Neturei Karta did not represent the majority of Jews.
“They wear the clothing of Jewish people,” he said, but they are “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
Several protesters said that even though Jews might disagree on certain topics, including the state of Israel, they should remain united in the defense of one another. Weiss’ participation in the Iran conference was reprehensible, many felt.
“It’s very painful, having these people call themselves Jews,” said Linda Brown of Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Some minor shoving incidents were quickly broken up by Ramapo police, with 11 officers patrolling the area, said Capt. James Quinn. The town police had assistance from the Rockland County Sheriff’s Patrol. There were no arrests during the protest, which lasted just under two hours.
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29 Responses
only 350 people showed up?!!! This is not going to do it…..What are the Rabbonim in Monsey saying? Are they keeping them out of the Shuls? Yeshivos? Stores? etc….If the community itsef does not create a situation that makes it impossiboe for the NK members to live in then nothing will happen.
Like I said last night (see “what should be done with NK”), in short, resorting to a demonstration strugle with them, when there’s so much we can do which they can’t, is exactly what they want us to do.
Most people are apathetic, you would get more demonstrators coming to protest ELAL, Meat Scandal, or a zoning ruling—since it affects their $$$.
I would reccomend that Miriam Pollack learn about other people’s beliefs and then she can help her father understand where other people are coming from. Start by reading the writings of the “Netziv”.
The community itself had to have organized this, and it had to have been done right after the clowns came back. That is what was done in Manchester, and Cohen, who is in full cherem there, went into hiding for a while. Mordechai Levy means well, but he is also non compos mentis and people do not want to associate themselves with him.
Where was the yeshiva world during this protest???? is it cuz the jdo organized it they didnt show up? they are so lame, we needed all the real jews from monsey and surounding areas to show up and protest against these N.K. nutjobs. That would have been a kiddush hashem, sometimes u need to put the gemara down and support your fellow jews.
My Gosh what a chillul Hashem! I dont wanna be a ‘downer’ but according to what I am reading, the NK apparantly came across as the peace lovers whereas the opposition seemed like haters! CAN WE DO ANY DAMAGE CONTROL AT THIS POINT???? MAY G-D HELP US ALL!
26 estates, actually the daily news reported 250 showed up. And the so-called NK side had 75 folks. Most of the protesters were bussed in by the JDO.
for some reason, this demonstration doesn’t seem to be the Torahdik way to make a “machaah” against the NK’s. Is there any Gadol that approved it? It definately did not turn the chillul Hashem into a kidush Hashem, seems like the opposite…. does anyone know what the Gedolim are saying ( if they are) abt what shold be done?
It is a waste that 350 people even showed up and recognized the NK as human beings.
Enough already! Yidden, we have made our point that these shagatzim don’t represent us. Letters and rebuttals to the media were appropriate responses, inasmuch as these dangerously misguided people who claim to be “ultra-orthodox rabbonim” stood up on the world stage and gave interviews which would be interpreted by the uninformed as the “orthodox” view of Israel. (chas vecholiloh!!!!)
But PROTESTING!!! Really, when has ANY media Yid “represented” us? It’s always at least half sheker. We should be encouraging our rabbonim to shun them, not coming out in public like a bunch of vigilantes!!
Yes, we want them out of here — I can’t forget what a shonda these same shagatzim created when Reb Aharon Leib Shteinman spoke at the Atrium. Our young yeshiva bochrim thought it was a “mitzva” to try and rough them up in the parking lot!!
In short, public and private violence against even bad Yidden is not what our avodas Hashem is about. If our rabbonim can’t get them out of here, we’re we’re stuck. (We have plenty of laundry to wash in our own lives.)
>>>>>>
“You’re a hillul Hashem,” he added, using a Yiddish phrase that refers to an action so cruel it makes the world seem empty of God.
>>>>>>
“hillul”? I’ll appraise that as a word with a laughable omission. The word, of course should be chillul.
Regardless, someone mistranslated the word. Chillul does not means hole (or hollow), it is the opposite of kodesh. Kodesh is something separated and designated for a specific purpose (whether good or bad), so chillul means not-separated and designated, or “common”.
A kiddush Hashem is when people (including ourselves) are impressed with G-d’s name (the way He relates to the world) that they move closer to Him (in major, or even minute ways). A chillul Hashem is when people are impressed with G-d’s name that they move further from Him.
It is also neither a Yiddish phrase, or an action. It is something present with everything we do. Everyoplace, everywhere, and for everybody.
I thought Neturei Karta was originally an organization in Eretz Yisroel that did not hold from the Israeli gov’t. and wouldn’t take any funding or services from the Israeli gov’t. I think these people in Monsey are not real Neturei Karta, but are misguided anti Zionists.I think they are somewhat confused as how to show their anti Zionist feelings. Most frum people would consider themselves anti zionist, as I do, but wouldn’t get buddy buddy with our enemies who really don’t differentiate between Jews and Zionists. They really want to kill all Yidden, Zionist or not. I am definetely anti the anti religious, anti Torah government of Israel, but, I don’t want any harm to come to Yidden any where.I do not support the Israeli gov’t. at all.
Chacham;
People of HungarianLINEAGE, dont pronounce the ‘CH’ but pronounce it as ‘H’.
for instance CHANA would be HANAH….
“Chacham” sounds like a sephardic jew (other wise it should be “chochom”), so “hilul” should be exactly what you want to see.
Again, protesting with them, in this case, is a sign of weakness, and a misrepresented one. There’s so much the community could do effectively. It’s stooping to a strugle on their low level, with their only weapon, when there’s no need to.
That’s why all you heard from the Rabbonim was a ‘cherem’. Since in this situation a properly practiced ‘cherem’ by a strong community is the right response.
basmelech, so it seems you are anti the antis. Use your energies to be thankful for the greatness that hashem does for us, in so many ways, even in allowing us an opportunity to daven at kverei tzaddikim, learn torah, walk dalet amos in that Anti Country, with the Anti government, and the Anti Religious.
I was at the protest yesterday and recognized two pro-NK demonstrators as being two chasidishe fellows who learn in my shul every night. I immediately informed my Rov who authorized that they be thrown out last night when they came to learn. Which, of course, they were. One for the good guys!
how does anyone have a question what the gedolim feel? they’re totally silent. maybe we should follow their example.
That’s a lie. NK never said the Holocaust didn’t happen. Go to their website, you will see exactly what they DID say.
ikzalbys:
WOW, A POINT FOR THE NK. THEY ACTUALLY ACKOWLEDGE THAT THERE ‘WAS’ a HOLOCAUST!!!!!!!
There’s a rumor in monsey that NK is coming out with a new hashgocho on HALAL MEAT.
Sorry, i was just trying to make a couple bad puns with my hillul comments.
bklynmom:
I don’t understand. Isn’t “Using your energies to be thankful for the greatness that HASHEM does for us” the same as being “anti zionist”?
at least in my mind it is…
To 26 estates: The Rabanim in Monsey actually stated that they shouldn’t let them into stores, fire them from there jobs etc… Enough people were there and people came throughout the 2 hours. People stopped by. More people than they said came. They were all there and they love the attention. We are trying our hardest to get them out of monsey. They are making a major chulul hashem.
bklynmom – you do not understand my position at all. Who says we would not be able to daven at kivrei Tzaddikim if the Israeli gov’t were not in charge. They are certainly not pro chareidi. It is possible that under a goyish rule we would still be able to do those things. There was a frum yishuv in Eretz Yisroel before the state of Israel, and it was much more heilig than it is now.
i have called “hillel deutch” many times and had long loud conversations . the guy is brain washed and hopeless… he is convinced that if me meet the arabs they will see we are friendly people and they will like us. he also insisted that the Iranian president doesnt hate jews and all his comments are “misinterpreted”.
What is strange is that these guys go to Shul to learn every night. You see that they want to be good , Binei Alyiah. (Unless they come to preach their Mishigas, which, it seams, they do not).
There has to be a way to get to these guys.
I had a Chasidishe rebbe in my office today. I asked him what he thought of the people that go to the arabs. he said, in Hebrew, that he did not know any person that goes and talks with the arabs. He went on to explain that he did not know any “person” who goes out and talks to the arabs, these guys were “Bihamos”. Then he got very angry and told me how destructive he thought the NK were.
IT SURE SOUNDS LIK NETUREI KARTA IS THE NEW “KAT SHATZ” (SHABTAI TZVI) RUN BY MOHAMMED BEK AND HITLER WEISS… JUST WAIT AND SEE THEY WILL PROBABLY JOIN THEIR MUSLIM BROTHER OPPENLY…
WE MUST ABOLISH THEM BY ALL MEANS
shtarkayid: I agree with real klur If the Rabbanim say than more people will show up. Most bnei torah follow das torah and without a kol korai wont leave their alloted learning time just to show up by a demonstration that can possibly cause more harm than good without the blessings of a Rabbi they respect. They constantly strive to emulate goodness and use their Rabbi as a model. In their mind when contemplating the reason for showing or not they think what will my Rabbi do and when they can’t picture their Rabbi showing at a JDO event they likewise do not show. Hence, the reason many didnt attend yesterday’s protest.
basmelech (possible-thought****impossible-FACT)
i understand your position 100%, before the state you
COULD NOT daven at kever rochel, kosel, any keverim in chevron,and many others. Why? The areas were off limits by the British Mandate and its ally the Arabs fanatics. Some places were sakana raba to venture and daven there. Now B”H we can daven at these places. Everyones mishpacha can go & learn Toras Hashem in EY without being stopped at arrival by the British Goons.
Whether EY was more helig or not, i wouldnt attempt to answer that…(let’s leave these chesbonos to hashem).
Today in EY the flourishing of Torah, yeshivos, kollelim, yishuvim, mitzvohs haeretz, are 1000x more than before the founding of the State.
MDshweks: Sorry i cant follow what you are saying, seems like i am missing the connection.
Hashem runs the world thru shliachim–i dont have to like, agree, respect, or admire them. Pharoh was the shliach in sefer shmos, not our most likeable fellow, a doctor is the shliach for a refuah shleima, “good, bad or otherwise”….