Whose Fault Is It Really?

The Kotel (JTA)

I wish I could say ‘I don’t get it.’ Unfortunately I do. There are elements within the Charedi world that act like animals under the guise of righteousness. This is not new. Incidents like the following happen all the time. That, however, does not make it any less disgusting. From JTA:

 A group of Jews are celebrating a bar mitzvah at the Kotel’s egalitarian prayer space. Dozens of haredi Orthodox men and teenage boys enter the scene and aggressively harass and intimidate the participants: shouting down the prayers, calling the gathered Jews “Nazis,” “animals” and “Christians,” and ripping up their prayer books.

As one of the boys celebrating his bar mitzvah continues with his service, a haredi boy blows his nose with pages from the prayer books. 

I know the routine. My critics will surely chime in with comments like ‘These are just a bunch of hooligans, mostly youth with a lot of time on their hands’. 

This is most likely true. But that does not excuse it or anywhere near explain it. I have said this many times before, but it bears repeating every time an incident like this happens. The fault lies with a Hashkafa among some Charedi groups whose leadership and educators transmit it to their youth. 

I will never forget a recording made for public distribution Therein I heard by a minor Chasidic Rebbe urging listeners to treat Goyim with respect becuase we need to get along with them. But in our hearts we must hate them!  I will also never forget a recording of a Hashakfa Shiur by a high school Rebbe in a mainstream Charedi Yeshiva telling his students about how vile and disgusting Goyim are - without any qualifiers. 

A Hashkafa that prioritizes a negative attitude to all non Orthodox denominations – treating them like ‘Goyim’. Goyim are to be hated as vile and immoral creatures. Their religious artifacts are to be treated as heretical. I recall one Charedi teacher (no longer recall who - but his words stuck with me) saying that if one finds a Christian bible, one can use its pages as toilet paper. 

Although most Charedim do not have this attitude, many do. It was not developed in a vaccuum. It was taught as part of their indoctrination. It is drilled into the minds of their young. Which is why one of these hooligans blew his nose into a page torn from one of their prayer books. 

Now it is true that Judaism places no religious value on the religious books of other faiths. Even if they closely resemble ours. This is also true about religious books written by a Min – an apostate Jew. The Halacha is clear. The Gemarah tells us that a Torah written by a Min should be burned. 

What they do not teach is that every human being is created in the image of God. And that the vast majority of Jews in the world sorely lack a Jewish education.  A Jew like that is called a Tinok SheNishba ‘captured’ by the anti religious sprit of our time. In other words it is not their fault. 

Those few that actually do care enough about their Judaism to celebrate a life cycle event in some way should be celebrated, not harassed. These were Jews that cared enough about their Judaism to come to Israel and hold a religious ceremony at the Kotel.

Even though we consider the way they do it improper, Jews that have this inclination are the very ones we should treat with the most tolerance and kindness. And surely not alienate them with behavior that is an excuse for piety. Instead of treating them like our enemies we should be treating them like the brothers and sisters they are. It is only in this way that we have a chance at reaching out to them and showing them the beauty of our observant ways. Acting like animals will do the opposite and is - in my view - a Chilul HaShem!

I’m sick and tired of Charedi apologetics. I do not for a moment buy blaming it on wayward Charedi youth. I simply do not believe that their leadership feels anywhere near the way they should about this incident.

That we might hear a tepid response from them along the lines of ‘What they did was wrong but their hearts were in the right place’   – doesn’t cut it with me. It instead indicates a sort of silent approval covered up by a deniability of sorts.  These wayward youth put into practice the Hashkafa preached to them in theory. 

If anything will surely accelerate the expansion of an egalitarian space at the Kotel and recognition of heterodox movements in Israel, this is it. The new Prime Minister will surely place that near the top of his agenda now. 

Unfortunately nothing I say here will change a thing. But at least I can make it known that there are Orthodox rabbis that condemn it a lot more than with tepid responses and explanations.  

What these hooligans of the Charedi world did - and will very likely continue to do - is chase Jews away from Judaism. All in the name of God.  But what they accomplish instead is to accelerate the rate of Jews leaving Judaism.