Israel’s anti-chareidi opposition leader Yair Lapid publicly flipped out after video emerged of Rav Sholom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Ateret Shlomo, dancing with his talmidim at a wedding to a familiar anti-Zionist song.
The wedding was that of Ariel Shammai, who had previously been arrested for not enlisting in the IDF. His arrest sparked widespread protests before he was ultimately released – during the levaya of Rav Sholom Ber’s mother.
The original lyrics of the song include lines that translate as, “We don’t believe in the government of infidels and we do not recognize their laws.” In the version heard in the viral clip, the words appear to have been adjusted to include a reference to army enlistment, stating, “We don’t believe in the government of infidels and we won’t show up at their recruitment offices.”
Similar videos have previously prompted media outrage and political criticism from secular and anti-chareidi circles.
The latest incident quickly drew a furious response from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who shared the video on X and wrote: “Rabbi Sorotzkin, if not for the Jewish army that you insult and curse, you and your students wouldn’t be dancing — you wouldn’t be, at all.”
Except, of course, the Torah existed long before the IDF, will exist long after the IDF, and lomdei Torah will continue to uphold and protect the world forever.
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14 Responses
If arab terrorists were to massacre his family, would he chase away the IDF? He is not a rosh yeshiva. He is a wild kanoi. Rosh yeshivas behave in a far more dignified manner than this jumping screaming kanoi.
This is disgusting. I’m not in anyway endorsing at all what the government is doing to Bnei Torah, but I’m going to have to agree with Lapid on this one. Chareidi lives are not more important that those of Chilonim. If a Bochur is a Masmid and sits and learns all day, Gezunterheit sit and learn in Yeshiva – that’s your role in helping defend the Yidden and you should be recognized as part of the protection, but if a Bochur doesn’t spend all day seriously learning and spends his day blocking roads and burning trash cans, go to the army. Protecting the lives of Yidden is a responsiblilty and right of all Yidden – regardless of being in Eretz Yisroel or having a Jewish government. Just because the government aren’t Frum, it doesn;t give you the right to flaunt their rules and be so selfish. The army needs to be much more accomodating to frum soldiers.
“If not for the Jewish army… you wouldn’t even exist at all” – עפרא לפומיה
If not for limud Hatorah you wouldn’t be Jewish at all! In fact, you’d be like many others who are members of Hamas!
We never asked, approved or supported the establishment of the Zionist state!
On Simchas Torah 5784 (7th Oct ’23) we saw, that even with the IDF, we are not really safe… and after 2 years of war with hundreds of casualties R”L, IDF has still not managed to defeat Hamas…
We should rethink our position on allowing fundraisers to assume title of Rosh Yeshiva. they can’t become our voice and our thought leaders! It will look bad for all of us(and cause bad results) if people moderately knowledgeable in the understanding of Torah take center stage. Keep him out of the spot light!!
At such a super sensitive time, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to be making public statements like dancing to a song that is quite incendiary. We believe that’s our learning is protecting EY and the Yidden. But I think part of that protection is not doing things that are provocative and upsetting to others who are serving and have lost many loved ones. Hundreds of widows and orphans. Thousands of injured soldiers whose handicaps will forever preclude them from having a normal life. Please change the tenor of your message. When Yaakov placed Dina in a box to conceal her and protect her from Esav, it is said that it should have been done with tears, not relief that she was now safe. Likewise these bochurim. Yes, they belong in the Bais Hamedrash. But they shiukd maintain a low, quiet prifile.
The statement of the gentile Yair lapid is obviously contrary to the Torah
Mr lapid if the people on the Gaza border were shomer Shabbat the idf would never of been embarrassed on Oct 7th
im Hashem lo yishmor ir..
Since Rav Sorotzkin is in the year of aveilus for his mother, how can he dance at a wedding? Is there any Ashkenazi (or Sephardic for that matter, but that crowd doesn’t take Sephardic kulos) maareh makom (with an argument, not just “because he said so”) that doesn’t hold of the year of aveilus this way? Or is anti-Zionism his new religion in which everything is ok to provoke “the Zionists”?
These lyrics are standard fare at chareidi events for decades they are only an outrage to people far from the derech hatorah or otherwise influenced by the machla known as Zionism that includes many people who visit this site and may even include myself to some extent as a person is affected by his surroundings
sad to watch a RY singing such nonsense about a government that has spent more on Torah education than anyone in recorded history
The song doesn’t really attack the IDF and its soldiers, just says WE will not be part of it.
If not for lapid maybe we wouldn’t be punished so much
Sb sorotzkin is a shomer Yisroel he is safeguarding our heritage and our birthright lapid is a rodeif Yisroel
When a group of philanthropists said they would withhold the funds from Yeshivos that spoke against the IDF, this type of rhetoric stopped. The only way to stop this type of irresponsible behaviour is to threaten loss of funds. If these so-called Roshei Yeshivos were truly dedicated to their cause, they would stop taking a penny from the government and move to Biblical Eretz Yisrael under the Lebanese, Syrian, or Hamas governments so they would not have to deal with the IDF. Until that happens, their hypocrisy is on full display.