Ultra-Orthodox public slams deputy health minister over his decision to back cabinet’s anti-smoking plan. ‘It’s about saving lives,’ Litzman insists
Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman is being criticized from within his own public, after the government approved a national plan to help reduce smoking in Israel.
In recent days, the deputy minister’s office received many complaints from members of the ultra-Orthodox sector over the decision to raise cigarette prices.
“Many yeshiva students are asking the deputy minister to freeze the price hike,” said a source close to Litzman. “We are flooded with requests, and people won’t stop calling us.”
Meanwhile, a haredi campaign has been launched against Litzman’s plan, including a call center through which people interested in joining the protest can sign up.
The campaign has been defined by the deputy minister’s people as “ephemeral and nothing serious”.
In response to the attack, Deputy Minister Litzman told the Yedioth Jerusalem weekly that he understood the smokers’ feelings of panic, but planned to continue backing the national plan.
“I am determined, because this is about saving lives,” he stressed. “There is no rabbi or posek (halachic legal scholar) who permits smoking cigarettes. We’ll continue destroying this phenomenon and saving lives, because it’s our duty – to take responsibility and care for the public’s health.”
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25 Responses
Go Minister Litzman! Do not listen to the nicotine addicts who are slowly committing suicide!!! This is the #1 public health issue for the charedi community.
“it’s our duty – to take responsibility and care for the public’s health.” NO ITS NOT YOUR DUTY…….. ITS EACH AND EVERY PERSONS DUTY….. ALL IT IS THAT YOU WANT IS MORE POWER……
See Chaham Yosef pasak recently on smoking. Yeshiva students should be looking to follow Torah Law of not intentionally harming ones body of which smoking is clearly a direct damage to ones own body and that who are forced to inhale second hand smoke.
So to all the so call yeshiva students, the Torah is a living Torah, so all your actions should be for living not destroy life.
1. Which gedolim are criticizing him? What some yeshiva students think on the matter is irrelevant.
2. One should note that smoking does help reduce the number of people living in poverty when they are senior citizens. Smoking generally results in death at a point when an individual has completed working, and has finished the job of supporting their family, and is about to start a period of being a non-productive member of society. Indeed, some have suggested that the anti-smoking policies are the reason that many countries have an increasing problem paying social security old age benefits.
Cigarettes are horrible and kill and harm ones spiritual and physical health. Pipes and cigars are really not the same as cigarettes and deserve different consideration. Thanks.
lol trying to restrict smoking in israel would be like trying to restrict vodka in russia. expect burning trash cans and rock throwing soon! owait…that happens anyway…
I wonder if this will lead to more riots and dumpster burning in Mea Shearim.
You might not like this, but why not steer these certain youths towards pipes and cigars instead. Truly they are bent on finding this habit. Pipes and cigars are less intrusive into your health and vitality. So if you let them have a half a measure, perhaps they wont take a full horrible measure of smoking the absolute worst, a cigarette. Maybe our Creator did make this tobacco weed for a good reason huh?
The heliger Admor of Shaputz, Moreinu v’Rabeinu Hagaon Shloime Rosenbaum, shlita, of Kiryat Shaputz outside of Tzfas, says that it’s assur to smoke. In fact, any bochurim in his Yeshiva Gadola who are caught smoking are forced to smoke an entire pack of cigarettes at once as punishment. This happened in 1989 and again last year.
“2. One should note that smoking does help reduce the number of people living in poverty when they are senior citizens. Smoking generally results in death at a point when an individual has completed working, and has finished the job of supporting their family, and is about to start a period of being a non-productive member of society. Indeed, some have suggested that the anti-smoking policies are the reason that many countries have an increasing problem paying social security old age benefits.”
Euthanasia helps reduce the number of people living in poverty at all ages. Euthanasia results in death of non-productive members of society. Euthanasia has the added benefit of reducing the burden of the welfare state to society and will likely lead to reduced taxes.
No. 3: You couldn’t have said it better. On the other hand, you couldn’t have said it better?
Why is it that the RY’s have the power to ban thurs. nite chulent eating, but not to ban Smoking?
In countries where they’ve forbidden smoking in public places, the rate of emergency room admissions for heart attacks for NON-SMOKERS goes down by about 25%-30% within a few months. Smoking can kill other people, Rachmana l’hatzlan. I don’t see any heter for it at all.
Interesting, if a boy was known to be a mechalel shabbos he wouldn’t find a yeshiva that would accept him. Yet for smoking which is an issue deoraysoh as well no Yeshivah really cares. Then they wonder why people come out of their institutions confused and lacking a clear moral compass?!
#12: Cholent isn’t as addictive as tobacco.
A person who wears a kippah and smokes is causing a CHILUL H’!! I can’t quote any gedolim on that, but that’s my opinion anyway…
It’s nothing more than a TAAVA GASSA that PHYSICALLY POISONS you and (even worse!!) those around you, one puff at a time – LO TIRTSAH LITERALLY!!!! I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW the Torah world is SO PERMISSIVE of it – a yeshiva bachur SMOKING??? What’s next yeshiva bachurim eating treif chas vehallila??? How can the two co-exist?????
@#12; Because you dont need an hechsher to sell cigarets.
basket of radishes: what gives you the idea that cigars and pipes are less harmful than cigarettes? Do you perhaps smoke cigars or pipes and are trying to delude yourself that they are less harmful? You are making up your own medical information – that is completely untrue. Check a reliable medical website such as the Mayo Clinic, before you start spouting misinformation.
They have nothing better to do than to bother poor yeshiva bochurim. The world is coming to an end my friends
akuperma: you are wrong. Smoking doesn’t simply shorten life, it shortens *healthy* life. It’s not as though smokers are healthy and then suddenly keel-over. Many smokers suffer for years with heart, lung, or vascular problems. Living for 15 years with emphysema, of many other smoking-related diseases, is a tremendous impact on the quality of life for the person, his/her family, and healthcare costs.
basket of radishes:
I worked in a head & neck tumor clinic for a summer. Pipes, cigars, and “chew” are BAD FOR YOU. The Creator also created nightshade, hemlock, and poison ivy. The fact that HaShem made it does NOT mean we should eat or smoke it (you may want to re-read the parshiot of B’reishis or Shmini)
this is one thing I agree with Charlie on
Cigars and pipes are more harmful than cigarettes if the smoker inhales, but they are a good temporary transition crutch for those wishing to stop smoking. It worked for me decades ago.
I used to smoke and collect pipes. It won’t help anyone who is a cigarette smoker. Once you start smoking high nicotine tobacco or overly large cigars, you do absorb the nicotine and it isn’t a great feeling.
Pipe and cigar smoking are also self-limiting. Some hicks and some people in Europe get addicted and end up with problems, but a cigar is mainly a social pleasure, and pipes just end up not being worth it after a while. Pipe maintenance is a lot of work, good tobacco is expensive, bad tobacco is awful (same with pipes) and liability laws, taxes and age have driven the best tobacco and pipe producers either out of business or into the price stratosphere.
I once asked some shabbos guests what they had learned that week in seminary:
GIRLS: whether or not we should date a boy who wears colored shirts.
ME: What was the answer?
GIRLS: We should try to limit ourselves to boys who only wear white shirts.
ME (sarcastically): Tell me, did you have the talk yet about whether or not you should date a boy who smokes?
GIRLS: Nope.
ME: Well, would you date a smoker?
ONE GIRL (laughing): Only if he wears a white shirt!
“I once asked some shabbos guests what they had learned that week in seminary:
GIRLS: whether or not we should date a boy who wears colored shirts.
ME: What was the answer?
GIRLS: We should try to limit ourselves to boys who only wear white shirts.”
well didn’t you hear the eleventh commandment “though must wear a white shirt from birth”