Swedish police have granted permission for a public gathering to take place outside the Israeli embassy, where a Sefer Torah will be burned r”l. The controversial event is scheduled for Shabbos and has stirred up strong reactions both domestically and internationally.
According to Swedish media reports, a man in his 30s submitted the request, claiming that this act is a response to the burning of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last month. The individual argued that it is a symbolic gathering in support of freedom of expression.
The burning of the Quran had ignited anger throughout the Muslim world, leading to widespread protests and even the storming of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. In light of the recent request to burn sifrei kodesh, Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, Ziv Nevo Kulman, expressed shock and horror.
“This is clearly an act of hatred that must be stopped,” Ambassador Kulman expressed on Twitter earlier this month.
Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, also voiced his condemnation of the Quran burning, emphasizing the importance of respecting the sacred texts of various religions.
“I condemn to the utmost this shameful act against what is sacred to our brothers and sisters, children of Avraham who believe in God. These actions are absolutely contrary to the values of brotherhood between religions which we as a people and state strive for,” President Herzog stated.
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40 Responses
How wonderful is democracy…
Ummm…. Just curious, where the heck is he gonna get a Sefer Torah?
Wondering, are they actually burning a Torah scroll (chas v’shalom) or a chumash?
From other online sources, it seems their intention is a chumash.
While this is also terrible, it’s not nearly as horrific as a sefer Torah.
Please confirm which it is.
If indeed it is a sefer Torah, what are the halachic implications of this?
Must Yidden fast? Tear kriyah? Protest? Fight?
Sweden A country of drug addicts and prostitutes.
All kosher right wing Jews should move to Israel or the U.S. all left ring jinos should get out of Israel and America.
And move to Sweden
Any Jew who votes Democrat should be placed in Cherem.
”According to Swedish media reports, a man in his 30s submitted the request, claiming that this act is a response to the burning of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last month.”
The Quran burning was carried out by a christan so obviously burning a Torah is the logical response and has nothing to do with Islam’s hatred of Jews.
עבירה גוררת עבירה.
Thanks to the State of “Israel” antagonizing the entire Arab world, the Arabs the world over equate Zionism with Judaism and unfortunately but understandably vent their justified rage at holy items of Yiddishkeit.
They should be burning Zionists, not sifrei Torah.
Where did this rosho get a sefer Torah? Technically speaking, it’s an item valued over 25 K and usually much more! May he and his henchmen burn in this world and the next.
Did he really spend $30,000 to demonstrate his right to free speech?
No mention of Sefer Torah in the news reports. A printed Bible is what is planned to be burned.
That means it is authorized by the government. Thus it is the Swedish government that is responsible. Jews in Sweden should be suing in the ECJ or the ECHR, against the government of Sweden’s actions, and Jews outside of Israel should be encouraging a boycott of Swedish goods.
That means it is authorized by the government. Thus it is the Swedish government that is responsible. Jews in Sweden should be suing in the ECJ or the ECHR, against the government of Sweden’s actions, and Jews outside of Sweden should be encouraging a boycott of Swedish goods.
The future that awaits these evil bastards will be devastating.
Aruirim reshoim
Is it even a kosher torah ? Maybe there is no dif. This may be a good thing in the sense that it awakens hashems kaas on the reshaim? Not sure if that is the correct hashkafah
The burning of a Tanach/Torah Scroll, Bible (“New” and Old Testaments) or Koran is completely disrespectful and insulting to believers of the three great monotheistic faiths. This decision by a Swedish “judge”, I am loathe to use that word in this case, reeks of trying to be balanced in defending the absolute right to free speech and expression in their country. It’s like Swedish authorities know they made a terrible mistake with agreeing to the Koran burning now they seek to get out of the hole they find themseves in by granting this new exercise. “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!” / “Two wrongs don’t make a right” etc.
A nation state that throws its lot in with arch secularism will implode under its own weight. It has no future. Countries that place G-D front and centre of their philosophical underpinnings facilitate the possibility of peace, health, stability and prosperity for their people.
Unfortunately there is a lot of madness/poor thinking in the world at the moment. Poor leaders/judges are steering their national ships of state to stagnate in the doldrums at worst or going down the gurgler beyond the 49th Level. We need to identify, respect, elevate, defend and heed the voices of Moderate, Traditional, Pluralistic Monotheism. i.e. “Accentuate the Positive. Eliminate the Negative. Hold on to the Affirmative and Don’t Mess with Mr. in-Between”. – The Johhny Mercer Maxim
שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם to TYWs owners, editors, staff and readers.
Adam Neira
World Peace 2050, Paris, France
Founded April 2000 in Melbourne, Australia
So YWN mods really let through a comment that muslims “should be burning Zionists.”
Slow clap, guys.
this is what democracy is about? this is what what the US is giving BILLIONS to that corrupt Zelensky to fight for? democracy?
SEFER TORAH SHEKOSVO MIN, YISAREF!!
@Menachem Shmei Good question. It seems this Swede is an Apostomus wannabe (yimach shemam) and since we are bein hametzarim maybe fasting isn’t a bad idea? At the least, even if we don’t rend our garments we can certainly rend our hearts.
To “Yossi name edited” chazal doesn’t say like you. Hashem wants these people to be chozer bitshuva not die. You may disagree with Zionism but Zionists are a different story. People who want to kill everybody who disagrees with them (all of the Lefties the world over and you apparently) are part of the problem, not the solution.
Let’s boycot Swedish products! IKEA and Volvo are just two that come to mind.
Guys, cool off. As disgusting as it is, Sweden is a democracy, like US. In US such act would be absolutely legal. Making a scene will only attract more attention to the mamzer and might make him some money to purchase a second wife in addition to a couple of sheep he is intimately friendly with.
Yossi Name Edited: Can you read? Did you not see in the article that this guy burned a Koran FIRST? Your statement makes no sense at all. The guy has it out for all religions, not just ours. Yikes!
So where’s the fatwa on this guy?
I would ask why he doesn’t burn whatever his holy book is. It doesn’t really prove much of a point to pick someone elses at random does it? Before you tell me he’s an atheist, there’s no such thing, he still holds up something as an idol. Maybe a stack of books by Obama or something similar.
@Yossi Name Edited – you are seriously suggesting burning Jews – any Jews, even if not Frum – rather than C”V burning a Sefer Torah? I’m not saying that it’s OK to burn a Sefer Torah, but are you for real? You seem to be blinded by your anti-Zionism. Perhaps you should take a page from the Satmar Rav, Rav Yoel Teitlebaum ZT”L, who used to say Tehilim for the Israeli soldiers when Israel was at war despite his deeply-held antipathy to Zionism.
And BTW, it’s a Chumash that they’re looking at burning, not a Sefer Torah. Still very bad, but it’s not at the same level.
an Israeli Yid
Did Yossi Name Edited really wish that Zionists burned? Wow.
I know this is not a popular opinion here but it is not the role of government to prevent the burning of any object. As heinous as it is, burning your own property should not be something a government should get involved with. I heard Israeli politicians say something like “this is not freedom of speech, it is anti-Semitism.” That argument misses the point. Anti-Semitic speech is also protected. If a person stands up and says “i hate all jews” he clearly has said something anti semitic but he has not done anything illegal. All non-harmful speech, no matter how heinous, is something governments should not get involved with. (harmful meaning directly causing harm).
As for the Sefer Torah, I believe that Hashem is in control. There is an actual mitzvah to burn a sefer torah written by a min. I would find out the identity of the soffer of the swedish sefer torah before i get too worked up. I believe that hashem will direct a sefer torah written by a conservative sofer or a mishichist into the hands of these people.
Hmmmm… I believe the Halacha is that if a sefer torah was written by a apikores, the sefer torah needs to be burned, if a non jew writes a sefer torah it needs to buried.
Yossi Name Edited,
“They should be burning Zionists, not sifrei Torah.” Seriously? OF COURSE no Holy Book should ever be burned, but you’re advocating the murder of people. SERIOUSLY?
Emtok2: Chazal say Death of evil people is good for them and good for the world.
Sanhedrin 72a
It’s not going to happen and in a respectful manner also and not with a printed chumash
All religions respect the torah look at the grave of Joseph for example nobody touched the grave itself cause all religions respect the holy Torah of Moses
The only thing you can use as real toilet paper is the testament of the Christians that you can take to shower
He is just trying to say that Koran has some holiness like the Torah for them. Moslems in itself is not idol worship try believe in God only and thank him with the heart and pray they one say that he was a profit that was against idol worship and respected the Torah and it’s people maybe even the rabbi
The Koran is not as anti semitic as the Christian but they fought war and Mohammed himself was poisoned to a bitter death from a Jewish girl as revenge
But the Moslem respect the torah as much the Koran so it will not happen even to light a little fire on a chumash cause they respect the torah just like koran
This just reminds me of earlier this year when some charedim burned some chumashim on ideological grounds. I understand some poskim clearly said put them in shaimos, but others said burn them.
I would say someone should submit a request to simultaneously burn a Quran while this creep is burning his chumash.
Umm so is anyone doing anything about this? Or are the “askonim” gonna just allow this idiot to burn a Sefer Torah? When he told everyone with full warning what he intends to do? This is somehow free speech? Moron. And moronic government too.
the problem starts with the “blasphemy” laws in moslem-ruled countries, and should end with them. the insane idea that any book, which can be replaced, is more important than a human life, or that a cartoon is worth taking a human life for, must be opposed. but h”v burning a torah is just a terrible publicity stunt.
Based on what other media outlets are saying, the plan is to burn a “Bible”, not a “Torah scroll”. As many have pointed out, there is no way this guy will be able to get his hands on an actual Sefer Torah.
If we’re talking about a “Bible”, well, that can be one of many things. He probably will wind up burning an English or Swedish translation, and may possibly wind up burning an actual “Bible” that is a christian old-and-new-testament book, which has zero Kedushah.
Even if he were to purchase an actual Chumash or Tana”ch, there’s a debate as to whether there is actual Kedushah in it. I was told by several of Artscroll’s editors that they received rulings that printed seforim have no Kedushah in them until they are actually used (or at least purchased for the purpose of using them properly). That’s how Artscroll manages to handle the uncountable numbers of pages printed during the editing, proofreading, prepress, etc. processes, and even how they deal with misprints or any sefer that cannot be sold.
Based on that, then even if this menuval actually purchased a real Chumash, it has no Kedushah in it. While that doesn’t mean it’s OK to just burn it, it lessens the anguish and pain.
We do need to protest this, but not make it too much of a thing, lest our enemies find a new venue to torture us, leading to them actually getting their hands on the genuine articles Chalila.
perhaps Sweeden will burn…..changes are needed……
I would close all entry to Israel for all of Sweden and I would stop immediately doing business……IMMEDIATELY….Christianity has taken a turn to our enemy…..this goes for the world
NO SURPRISE. IN THE PAST SWEDEN BURNT JEWS ALIVE. MOST OF THEM ARE FOLLOWERS OF MARTIN LUTHER WHO ADVOCATED BURNING SYNAGOGUES.