Just a few hours after the petira of MK Gideon Ezra, Rav Sholom Dov Wolpe released a controversial statement, that the former minister’s “later days were an embarrassment to his earlier days”.
Rav Wolpe, a Chabad rav and a staunch supporter of a Greater Land of Israel was referring to the late minister’s career, 30 years in the Shin Bet, rising to the rank of deputy commander of the security agency before entering the political arena.
Wolpe stated “in all the broadcasted eulogies speaking of the positive aspects of his career, as minister of public security he was a strong force against the residents of Gush Katif during the brutal expulsion”.
“We must remember that following the murder of the Hatual family HY”D, the minister said they are to blame for living in Gush Katif. He incited against the settlers and rejoiced on the tragic day”.
The rav pointed out that in the early days of his political career he was a right-wing hawk but that changed, along with his master Ariel Sharon. He brought painful destruction to the settlement movement and it is most sad that he never expressed remorse, even after the realization of failure of the expulsion, the threats it brought on the nation, and the tragic fracture that resulted among the thousands of expellees.
Chareidi politicians sent messages of nechama on the death of a colleague, praising him as a friend, a “lover of the land” and one who at times helped the chareidi tzibur.
MK Gafne praised him because he never fought against our tradition or values dear to yiddishkheit.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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13 Responses
Unfortunately these “later days” of Lubavitch are embaressing their earlier days. The earlier Rebbes were staunch anti Zionists, and today they have become full fledged Zionists. This of course fits well with their “moshiach” craziness.
Very classy to criticize someone publicly just a few hours after his Petirah.
Way to go.
Maybe keep your mouth shut until after shiva at least?
Some people, the only thing they know is anti-Zionism.
#2, it not a Jewish attitude. If the fellow was bad, he was bad.
#1, How foolish can you be? Lubavitch are not Zionists, and the late Rebbe was certainly just as anti-zionist as his father-in-law and grandfather-in-law. Lubavitch is even more anti-zionist than Satmar, since Satmar acknowledge the 5th of Iyyar as a special day, and say tachanun even if there’s a bris, while in Lubavitch it’s just an ordinary day, and children don’t even know that anyone considers it special until they grow up. A Satmar diary was once published with that day marked on it, and R Yoel had to have it withdrawn and pulped; when the printer of the Lubavitcher calendar tried to insert that day the Rebbe refused to allow it, and threatened to cancel the contract. Even when an event was held at a venue on רח׳ העצמאות, he removed the address from the souvenir booklet, because that word is possul. And when a Lubavitcher mosad sang Hatikvah at its banquet, he removed his name from the mosad and forbade them from saying any longer that they were under his leadership. The Rebbe always referred to the medinah as חושך כפול ומכופל; whenever you find that language in a sicha it means the medinah.
But, like all his predecessors back to the Baal Hatanya vehaShulchon Oruch, the Rebbe was a lover of Eretz Yisroel and of the Jews who live there, and was concerned for their safety and welfare. When Hashem did open miracles for them, for instance in the Six Day War and at Entebbe, the Rebbe acknowledged those miracles and thanked Hashem for them, unlike certain kofrim who closed their eyes like the erev rav in the midbar.
And lest anyone think Rav Wolpe (who is an enormous talmid chochom, much greater than any of his critics) is a zionist, let me tell you what happened during the protests against the withdrawal from the Sinai in 1982. He was in prison together with a group of Kachniks, and they recognised that he was the speaker at a rally a few days earlier who refused to sing Hatikvah, so they beat him up. Unlike you, he has suffered for his anti-zionism; you would probably have moved your lips and pretended to sing, and considered yourself an “oness”.
#2, why keep quiet? Do you think it’s good for the man’s neshomo that people are flattering him and lying about him? He did very bad things, and never regretted them, and it’s wrong to pretend otherwise.
#1 – this article should make you happy. Here’s someone, and a Lubavitcher too, who’s standing up to Zionist establishment thinking –just like in the good ol’ days!
Old Faassioned Jew…reasonable and good people differ on these issues…or are the only good people those who share your opinions?
Secular Zionism…the Zionism of Hertzl, is an ideology merely asserting that Jews cannot have a normal society, in terms of social strata, economics and labor, except in a Jewish State. I think that asertion is pashut…you might disagree with it, fine, but I can never fathom the rabid hostility some of you have for the ideology.
Lastly…your comment that “full fledged” Zionism”…”of course fits well with [Lubavitch] ‘moshiach’ craziness” doesn’t even sound good when you say it fast…what in the world does one have to do with the other? You need a filter between your thoughts and statements, Old Boy.
One’s actions and thoughts define him. If the niftar was a rasha, call him by his name.
I am a Zionist. I love Eretz Israel. I love the Yiden in Eretz Israel. I am not a Lubavitch chassid, but I love Lubavitchers. They are ehrliche Yiden, with big and warm hearts. They should be blessed!
Milhouse, with all this long speech and these many stories, would you kindly explain to me what exactly do you think Zionism is?
You can tell me all day long how you are against Zionism, but in reality you support the State and you join forces with religious Zionists fighting wars which are not ours. Loving Eretz Yisroel has nothing to do with political warfare and bringing the entire Jewish people into a situation of war that has no Torah leadership to it.
#11, the Shulchon Oruch says clearly that if Jews are living somewhere, whether in Eretzy Yisroel or chutz lo’oretz, and a hostile force threatens a border village, claiming that it has no intention of killing anyone but merely wants to take some supplies of little value, we must not believe them, and we must take up arms and fight them off, even on Shabbos, kol shekein during the week. How can you then say that Israel’s wars are “not ours”? Millions of Jewish lives are in danger, and it’s not our war?!
Once the state had been established almost all the gedolei hador realised that it must be preserved and supported, not because it’s a good thing but because it’s the only thing that stands between us and another Holocaust r”l. See the letter that Rav Henkin published in the early ’50s. Surely you won’t accuse him of being either a Zionist or a Lubavitcher!
Zionism, the movement that created the medinah, and has as its goal ככל הגויים בית ישראל, is chazer treif. The state itself is like any state; it exists, and its Jewish inhabitants need it to continue existing until Moshiach comes to abolish it and restore true Jewish sovereignty.
I am awear of Rav Henkin’s article on the matter and I have also seen you refer to it before, the position he takes is very novel and difficult. He says “shelo yimridu ba’umos” includes the jewish people as well so even though establishing the State was an aveira we must follow it now that it’s done, because most Jewish people are involved in it. Makes it sound like the Jews are part of Umos Haolam. If so… make sure not to protest when they want to give back territory…
He also says that the creation of the State was assur because of the shvuos. (Not just because it wasen’t frum).
He gives a very strange explanation to the Machlokes between Rabbi Eliezer and the rest of the Tanoim regarding Tanuro Shel Achnoi, saying that it had to do with Bar Cochva and that the Chachomim felt compelled to join it because everyone else was and Rabbi Eliezer disagrees. There are many difficulties in this and he himself acknowleges that no one ever said such a thing before.
The Idea of Bringing the Geula on our own is what is Chazer Treif. This Rav Sholom Ber made SUPER clear. He was very makpid to follow what Rashi says in Ksuvos 111 not to even DAVEN too Strongly so as to not bring it prematurely. (Satmar Rov broght from Yismach Moshe and Chasam Sofer that today we do not have to worry about this because we are not on the Madreiga to daven like that so today Halevai we should daven for it all day long.) In any case we are not aloud to engage in the wars which were essentially started by Meshichei Sheker claiming that they will bring an end to the Golus. The fact that there are so many Jews who are trapped in this fallacy obligates us even more to distance ourselves from it, and that is the only thing which will grant us safety or else the danger is on its way.