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| Disgusting Price Tag Graffiti on the Romanian Church in Jeruslaem (TOI) |
Since the 2nd Temple era we were generally speaking
always one people. Until the enlightenment. That changed everything. Instead of being one
people, some more religious… some less,
we started seeing movements. Philosophies
developed that spoke to the times. First there was Reform then Conservative…
both of which left the boundaries of traditional Judaism leaving the rest of us
to be called Orthodox.
Today these divisions have multiplied. In fact many Jews are
just plain secular with little interest in their Judaism at all. Even within Orthodoxy
the smallest segment in Judaism there has been a plethora of divisions. Just to
mention a few there are Charedim -which are divided into the Lithuanian Yeshiva
camp and Chasidic camp (itself divided into many different types of Chasidim);
Chabad; Modern Orthodox (consisting of right wing Centrists and Left Wing Modern Orthodox);and Yekkes (observant
Jews of German background with their own philosophy and customs). And this does
not even take into account Sephardim – a group with their own customs dating
back for centuries.
But those were not the only movements. There is also Zionism. The enlightenment, a history of European Antisemitism; and a continuous 2000 year old yearning to return to
our homeland, Israel… all combined to form this movement.
Secular Zionism had many religious sympathizers. Jews had been praying for a return to Zion
(Israel) since the beginning of the Diaspora. Thus was formed religious Zionism
which had the support of some great rabbinic figures of the past. Unfortunately most mainstream Rabbinic figures
opposed it.
So… there are lots of movements and divisions out there. I
know it’s hard to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But I yearn for the
day, when we can all stand up and be counted as one people.
But in my desire for unity, I do have my limits. I could
never accept movements that are involved in constant Chilul HaShem. This is why
for instance I totally reject Neturei Karta. They are not part of Klal Yisroel
in my view. Anyone who actively seeks the destruction of the State of Israel
even to the point of siding with Fundamentalist Muslims groups - like those in
Iran that are out to wipe Israel off the map
by any means necessary - cannot in my view be counted as a part of the Klal.
But there is another group I consider to be outside the
Klal. A group that is the polar opposite of Neturei Karta. They are known as
the Price Taggers. And they are unfortunately an outgrowth of the Religious
Zionist settler movement. From Ynet:
Since (December 2013) there has been an increase in violent incidents against Arabs on both sides of the Green Line. Since the start of this year, the police unit for nationalist crimes, which investigates price tag attacks, has opened 78 new files, arrested 102 suspects and served 37 indictments.
The price-taggers are settlers that attack Palestinian towns
and property in retaliation for actions against them by the Israeli government.
Like the removal of outposts which are either unauthorized or illegal. In
recent years dozens of such attacks have targeted not only Muslim residents of
the West Bank but Christian sites and the Christian community in Jerusalem. They
generally follow actions by Israeli authorities that are perceived as harming
the settlement enterprise, or follow Palestinian violence against settlers.
They rationalize that since all of the land of Israel was
given to the Jews by God, they are going to whatever it takes to make it
happen. No one can get in their way. If the government tries, there is a price
to be paid. Not by the government. But by innocent people. To the best of my
knowledge they have no rabbinic sanction even among Religious Zionist Rabbis.The
Arabs who live in those neighborhoods fear them. And for good reason.
There is only one name for people like this: terrorists. It is they who should be paying a price. Their
men may wear Kipot. Their women may
cover their hair and dress modestly by Jewish standards. They may keep Shabbos.
They may keep Kosher. But they are terrorist outcasts nonetheless and ought to
be shunned by all decent citizens. Most of all by the vast majority of decent
law abiding Religious Zionists. It is the cause of Religious Zionism that they hurt
the most. If I were a Religious Zionist leader, I would put them in Cherem.
I’m glad to see that the government is beginning to crack
down on them. l would throw anyone convicted of this in jail for a very long time.
If anything can be called a hate crime, this is it.The Chilul HaShem is
enormous. The damage they do the Jewish people is incalculable. Not to mention
the damage they do to their own cause. Aside from that, they are raising their
children to hate no less than Muslim fundamentalists teach their children to
hate.
Lest anyone be appalled at my comparing Jews to the Muslim
terrorists who blow themselves up for the sole purpose of killing Jews, I would
point out that it is only a matter of degree. Terrorism does not always mean
murder. It means instilling fear among innocents by way of violence. And for
those who might say that there are no innocent Arabs, that is bigotry of the
highest order!
There can be no sanction for these people. There can be no
sympathy for their cause. Even if one is a settler living in Yehuda or Shomron
(the West Bank) and devoted to keeping all of Eretz Yisroel in Jewish hands,
you should nonetheless be ashamed of these people. There can be no ‘buts’. You
cannot say, ‘I disagree with what they are doing – but - I sympathize with their
cause. That too is a Chilul HaShem.
There is no Achdus with people like this. They
have to be completely condemned and rejected - written out of the Klal – unless
and until they do Teshuva, realize the error of their ways and make amends.
Until then... they may be Jewish by birth, but they should be treated like
terrorists. Because that is what they are.
