[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
The rav of the Kosel and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz came under fire recently when Channel 10 News learned he makes an annual visit to Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo accompanied by his family, children and grandchildren. The problem is that the visit occurs on Holocaust Remembrance Day and this irked many public officials who demand an explanation and an apology from the rabbi.
Rabbi Rabinowitz did not respond to a request to comment. Zoo officials added that while the zoo is closed it was a regular work day. They also praised the rav for doing so much for the zoo including fundraising to keep it up and running.
Among his duties at the Kosel, he is responsible for enforcing guidelines around the Wall about modesty. He often escorts visiting heads of state and foreign dignitaries during their visit to the Wall, and has been an outspoken defender of Torah values at the Jewish people’s holiest site.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Shoah day is nothing but a zionist fiction to remember the Warsaw Uprising which they are so proud of.
A busha!!! ANd, quite frankly, a foolish thing to do. Gives credence to the Maris ayin concpt
Why dont they make a fuss over Knesset members dining out in restaurants on Yom Kippur?
Are they aware that i am offended every time they descecrate the holy shabbos in front of my face and in our neighborhoods!
I simply cannot understand the comments.
The fact is that this Rav used his officially appointed position to do something that can be construed as selfish, heartless and most important, foolish.
ujm – Why shouldn’t Jews, zionist or not, be proud of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising? Would it have been better to simply not fight and just walk into the ovens willingly? Other than the obvious vitriol toward zionism, I don’t understand your comment.
oneloveunited – If a Knesset member goes to a restaurant on Yom Kippur, it is not something that occurs due to his/her official position. That is the only issue here. The zoo, a State-mandated operation, is officially closed on a day that is widely observed and on a day that the State declared the zoo should be closed. Had this Rav, instead of his official position, had been the Rav of a shtiebel, the zoo wouldn’t have opened for him and it would be a non-issue. Your restaurant comment doesn’t apply.
ibj – You being offended is not the point. It was his official capacity on a day that the zoo was officially closed that caused the problem. Also, why should you be personally offended by people who don’t keep Shabbos? It has nothing to do with you? As long as you keep it in the manner you see fit, that’s all that should matter.
I’v never seen such self-hatred on a website before. It’s truly astounding.
No, Mr. 1Jew2opinions #5, that is not correct. The rabbi went to the zoo in his private capacity as a regular citizen and father taking his children and family. He didn’t go there in his job capacity. He too has the right to do private things with his family. Even if the zoo accommodated him that day by opening it for him since he is a prominent personality, his visit wasn’t a visit as Kosel Rabbi.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is nothing to be proud of because it was foolish that they attacked the soldiers knowing they would lose and be slaughtered on the spot. Those who rose up there caused the earlier death of countless Jews.
You should be far far far more upset about the people who violate Shabbos and Yom Kippur. That is from the worst aveiros possible. Areivim Kol Yisrael Ze B’Ze.
Fist of all, the comparison between Yom Kippur/Shabbos and Holocaust Memorial day is ridiculous. Shabbos and Yom Kippur are bein adam lemakom. What they do is between them and HaShem… it’s not for us to feel insulted and certtainly not to judge them. Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh LaZeh is our responsibility to help them, not an excuse to look down on them. Holocaust Remembrance day is very meaningful for a lot of people, and to publicly “desecrate” it is probably a violation of bein adam lechaveior and understandably it insults a lot of people.
And even if they were comparable, who cares? Because a non-religious MK does something wrong that means a respected Rav can too? I don’t know about you, but I hold rabbonim to higher standards then I do to someone who doesn’t even claim to be frum. And Rabbis should be very careful about insulting others, even if what he’s doing isn’t objectively wrong. This is a huge chillul Hashem and Rabbonim should be a lot more careful how their actions are perceived by the public.
ujm – If you were to call the zoo and ask them to open for you on Yom Hashoah, you would be laughed at. His role as Kotel Rav opened that door for him. That is what the big stink is about – not about a father taking his kids to the zoo. Don’t be so naive.
The Warsaw Ghetto inabitants were marked for slaughter anyway, so if they rose up, why is that not something to be proud of? Your statement about the early death of countless Jews is arrogant and without factual basis. The Hungarian Jews who were slaughtered en masse years later (mid-44 to the end of the war) – were they killed due to the Warsaw Ghetto uprising? No, it was going to happen anyway. If you feel like burying your head in the sand and being led like a sheep to the slaughter, so be it. Do not denigrate the memories of those who were brave enough to fight back.
Do you actually believe what you say? You dare to quote Areivim Kol Yisrael Ze B’Ze and also refer to the beliefs of (some of) your fellow Jews as ‘zionist fiction?’ Look in the mirror. You couldn’t care less about Kol Yisrael.
No, Mr. 1Jew2opinions #8. Due to the uprising they were slaughtered on the spot when the soldiers leveled the Warsaw ghetto. It wouldn’t have happened that they would’ve been murdered then otherwise. It may have happened later giving some the possibility of escaping. Nothing was accomplished by the uprising.
Areivim Kol Yisrael Ze B’Ze means we have to be concerned about other Jews doing aveiros. That is a true caring about Klal Yisroel. The secular zionist inventing some pseudo-holiday that has no relevance in Judaism is not a belief to brag of.
The following is two quotes from what I wrote on an article posted April 24th titled “A Painful Look at Reality Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day.” You can look it up in “search” for the complete context.
“And to add insult to injury they decide to commemorate this sad event in a month where mourning is forbidden. In addition, this day was established against the wishes of the rabbonim who had suggested more fitting dates.”
“As an additional point I suggest reading “Mixed Emotions” (p. 43 of R’ Emanuel Feldman’s “Tales Out of Jerusalem”)for further opinion on the matter.”
Rabbi Rabinowitz officially works for the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel officially ignores Yom HaShoah because against the express wishes of the then Chief Rabbis Herzog and Uziel, who in 1949 declared the 10th of Teves to be the national day of remembrance for the Holocaust, the secular Zionist government in 1951 declared the 27th of Nisan to be Yom HaShoah.
When the siren sounds, Rabbi Rabinowitz probably stands in silence like the rest of us who have the misfortune to be found outside at that time, so as not to be insensitive to others, but in all other ways ignores the secular designation, as I and many others do.
Personally, I do not observe the 10th of Teves with the Holocaust in mind, but rather the 16th of Marcheshvan, the date of PogromNacht in 1938, the day established as a day of reflection on the Holocaust by the Rabbonim of post-war German-Jewish communities.
And still we mourn the Holocaust as well on Tisha B’Av, many of us reciting special Kinos written for that purpose.