Orthodox executive members of the World Zionist Organization published a statement denouncing an earlier statement that was published by Reform members “in the name of all executive members” without their consent and against their position.
Last week, Executive member Tami Gottleib, who also serves as the vice-chairman of the Women of the Wall organization, was arrested at the Kosel after she disturbed public order on Rosh Chodesh Adar. The police also issued a restraining order against her, banning her from the Kosel.
Following the incident, some members of the Zionist Organization’s board published a statement of support for Gottleib “in the name of all the board members.”
Rabbi Pesach Lerner from the Eretz HaKodesh faction told Kikar HaShabbat, “In all the big countries around the world—except for one or two—there is a solid and clear majority of religious Orthodox voters who voted for religious slates over Reform ones. Despite this, the representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements have the chutzpah to issue statements ‘in the name of world Jewry,’ even though it has been clearly proven that the majority is Orthodox.”
“The time has come for us to stand our ground and say clearly: the majority of world Jewry supports the Orthodox position and wants to preserve the voice of Torah and halacha in Eretz Yisrael. The Reform movement has no right to speak in the name of world Jewry.”
The statement issued by the Orthodox executive members stated: “We, members of the Zionist Executive representing the religious-Orthodox bloc, hereby express our protest and deep sorrow regarding the statement that was published – contrary to our position – and purportedly issued in the name of all Executive members, following the provocation carried out in the Western Wall plaza by Executive member Tami Gottlieb.”
“The Western Wall is one of the most important Jewish symbols, and we respect the right of every Jew to pray there in accordance with Jewish law and tradition, while preserving the status quo that has been maintained there for decades and in accordance with the directives of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, founded by the eminent Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, of blessed memory. This is the position of millions of Jews in Israel and around the world, and we seek to express it clearly and unequivocally.”
“We express our pain over the unnecessary provocation that harmed the sanctity of the site, and that bears no connection to the compromise framework proposed by Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. We stand with and support the Israel Police and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, who are entrusted with preserving the sanctity of the site and maintaining law and order in accordance with the directives of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
A bunch of clowns on both sides of this flight, fighting with each other who is a better representative of apikorsus.
The people in that photo are the remaining members of the reform movement they are all 80 years old and when one of these clowns croak it is that much closer to the end of the reform
Sheker ein lo raglayim
One second the temple that the wall surrounded did they have mix prayers? If not, than they were non-inclusive so why do you care about its wall
Had all religious Jews voted in the WZO you would have no reform heretics power. The same with nyc mayor where most heimisha dont vote. So dont complain.
Let them try their ruse in Mecca, Medina or the Vatican: they’ll be killed.
“Mutual respect for the multi-faceted Jewish people”…
Flatbush yid:
You have it backwards. Had everyone listened to the gedolei Torah who begged everyone to not believe the lies and to not join that heretical organization, then that organization would have had no power and certainly no claim to speak in the name of religious Judaism.
So, that WZO faction – that is actually “religious Zionist” but lying to the world in posing as “chareidi” – finally woke up to issue a statement after some irrelevant “Jews” posted some irrelevant statement about some other “Jew”.
Meanwhile, the wicked heretics there are attacking the Torah and the Jews there like never before, all while these “religious Zionists” posing as “chareidi” are actually part of the WZO.
This is all sheker; they know very well that the WZO is and will remain firmly opposed to the Torah and will continue to seek the Torah’s destruction ch”v, as the WZO has from the very beginning, and as its “government” does like never before. This idolatrous faction also knows very well that their joining the WZO was in no way going to change that heretical organization and was obviously absolutely forbidden by the Torah and all the gedolim.
The Torah warns us numerous times to not join with evildoers even for a mitzvah and even if you won’t otherwise be a part of them. This idolatrous faction joining the WZO is infinitely worse than that because, in part, they very much did become a part of them, as this very story shows.
They’re also making a mockery of themselves. This story is total cringe.
@lbj, great point
The headline is deceiving, which makes sense since it reads like a press release from the liars of EH.
The actual supposed furor is in EH only, not in the WZO.
The vast majority of the WZO is obviously not Orthodox. Of course, nothing in the WZO is Orthodox, by definition.
But even those that claim to be Orthodox or liHavdil “Religious Zionist”, are still only a small fraction of the total WZO seats.
Usual EH self-aggrandizement and lies.
Only Islam gets respect from reform. Judaism is trash to them yet they’re so desperate to read from a Torah scroll. I wonder what they think when they keep reading all the things they deserve death penalty for