Reply To: How we relate to Chillonim vs Neturei Karta

jbaldy22:

Thank you for proving my point. Why do we have this “they’re probably not even Jewish” attitude about NK and not about somebody who doesn’t keep Torah u’Mitzvos?

simcha613:

Why should somebody born in Meah Shearim to NK parents be any less of a tinok shenishba than one born in Tel Aviv to irreligious parents?

Sam2:

As reprehensible as meeting with Ahmadinejad is, it’s hard to say that doing so really endangers Jewish lives. I rather doubt that Ahmadinejad will decide to send more weapons to Hezbollah now that he knows he has the support of NK.

“no one would ever view the unaffiliated or completely secular Jew as legitimate.”

But is that really true? If you were to ask any random guy in Times Square what he thinks constitutes a legitimate Jew, do you think he’d be more likely to name NK or the irreligious?

“It is precisely because the Niturei Karta are Makpid on things like Shabbos, Kashrus, and more that there is this danger. People feel the need to separate themselves from the close but illegitimate neighbors. If you talk to them about things other than Zionism and supporting Anti-Semites, the Niturei Karta would be indistinguishable from this Chareidi author. Therefore, the Chareidi feels the need to show, in no uncertain terms, that this person’s path in Judaism is entirely illegitimate.”

You make a good point, but I don’t think it fully explains the issue at hand. To show the world we don’t consider NK’s view acceptable all we’d need to do is put out a statement to the effect of “They’re flat out wrong, and slightly crazy”. There is no need for personal insults like “self-hating Jew” and “traitor to Hashem and His Torah”. There is no need for questioning their yichus. There is no need for this visceral hatred. So why are so many people so much more into bashing NK than condemning the chillonim?

zdad:

Just out of curiosity, would you consider somebody who never davnes, wears teffilin, or keeps shabbos a rasha? How about somebody who is oiver on gilluy arayos? Shvichas dumim? Or is it just the NK?