Israel – Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar called on American Jews to explain to the Obama administration the religious obligation of every Jew to live in every part of the Land of Israel.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The Jerusalem Post obtained a letter addressed to American rabbinical organizations and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, in which Amar wrote that “the Torah commands the Jewish people to live in Israel. And we hear that the US is putting pressure on the Israeli government to prevent Jews from living or building their homes in large parts of the Land of Israel.”
Amar wrote that he was addressing the issue solely from a religious point of view, while noting the lack of restrictions based on ethnic background in other parts of the world.
The idea to write the letter to American Jews was inspired by American-born Rabbi Sholom Gold, who spoke on Shabbat before Amar and other rabbis of how it was unjust to turn areas of the Land of Israel Judenrein – a Nazi term for “cleansed of Jews”.
It was Rabbi Amar’s first public declaration on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Apparently someone forgot that we are in exile…
It would be a stupid and self-defeating argument for American jews to frame their position on U.S. middle east policy in terms of the so called “relgious obligations” of jews to settle everywhere in EY. The U.S. should never make its policy decision based on what any group of its citizens claim is their divine right since those rights will always conflicts with what other religious groups deem to be their divine rights or needs. We should frame our argument in what is in the best geopolitical interest of the U.S. and Israel and leave regligion out of the debate. Otherwise, we will get the religious issues shoved down our throats the next time some Catholic or Evangelical group decides they need a change in policy based on their religious needs.
the problem is, that last week the chief rabbi of kiryas joel [the satmarer rebbi] wrote a letter to obama,that he 100% supports his policy of making jerusalem and YESHA
juden rine,and not only don’t jews have a right to east jerusalem and yehuda and shomron,but in all of israel jews have no rights and have to wait for moshiach and in the meantime it realy belongs to the palestinians.
well i can just imagine poor hussein obama after reading these two letters,must be realy confused
The attitude of Jews like you who insults flippantly a chief rabbi while saying we should give kovod to a gentile trying to stop Jews from living in eretz hakoydesh is always a constant and painful reminder we are indeed in galus.
Don’t think we, or HaGaon HaRav, have forgotten this fact.
#5
Still, it doesn’t make us entitled to anything.
This amar guy is a taliban nut 9 see the VIN article about his idiotic statements regarding Bamba snacks).. It is bad enough that this guy is a nutcase in Israel. We don’t need him in America. When will jews learn that these taliban rabbis are a cancer and have to removed immediately?
I remeber everyday I wake up in this gd forsaken country (u.s.) that I am in exile. I wait for the day I can live in ertez yisroel with my brothers and sisters. I envey the people who get to live or go on trips and stay for yom tovim. it pains me that so many jews feel so comfortable here (u.s.) and have no feeling for E.Y. I have nothing against against the u.s. but it is a home away from home I am a guest here. I hope one day to go home and stay home in my our jewish land of E.y.
It doesn’t matter your a Tziono or not. Anywhere in the world, if the people say “no blackss can live here” it will be an outrageus thing and the UN and USA will condemn this. But when the US says Jews can’t live in parts of EY, that is okay? Nobody complains?
#17 that is wat I am doing once I finish college
to number 8, who writes:
“When did Hashem take away Eretz Yisroel from the Jews?” Um, check me if I am wrong, but I believe that was when He sent us into golus after the destruction of the second Bais HaMikdash. I’m pretty sure I read something about that somehwere. (sorry for the sarcasm)
“Better, when did Hashem give Eretz Yisroel to the Arabs?” The Holy Zohar states that HaShem apportioned Ishmael a share in Eretz HaKodesh in merit of milah. But, because his milah is incomplete, his share is temporary. Once his merit is fulfilled, the land will revert to Bnei Yisroel. By building a state, we have interrupted the fulfillment of Ishmael’s merit and thereby delayed geulah indefinitely. This dovetails with another poster wrote above, that Moshiach ben Dovid cannot come so long as we have a kingdom. This helps explain why.
That being said, what I find interesting about Rav Amar’s letter is that he seems to be unaware of the fact that (sad but true) most American Jews are not exactly concerned about what the Torah commands. I would guess that at least 3/4ths don’t give it even a moments thought in the day to day course of their lives. I wonder what makes him think they suddenly will?
But even if they were, I also wonder what makes him think Obama would care?
Regardless of what your opinion is regarding the”medina” giving back land or giving up land endanger the lives r’l of thousand of Jews in such a case it is mamash pekuach nefesh to give back an inch of land and halachacilly osser to do so
#8 rashi does not say it for 1948 , rashi says it for when yehoshua fought the cananites, not for after chorbun habais when the pssuk says  216; bavel yovuhu veshom yiyu ad yom pokdu.. 217; now you can hold like other gedolim that the balfour decl..was pokdu, but nevedrtheless, rashi is definately not applicable here (1948)
Unfortunately, many in the Ashkenazi world have been turned off to HoRav Ovadia Yossef and his violent son by his verified comments ” that the European Jews sinned and brought the Holocaust on themselves.!” Our Chassidic , Litvish and Modern Orthodox Rabbis never said any of the Kind regarding Sefardic Jews our brothers. Today we must admit that the fastest growing segment of Judaism and Baalei teshuva in the world are our Sefardic brothers and that is respect we must give. Here Horav Youseff is correct- He know Arabs. And he knows that it is a mitzvas assey (lehavdil!) in the Koran to “kill the infidels” and all the derogatory
things about Jews. The Arabs will not stop with the West Bank and are not permitted
‘to recognize israel for RELIGIOUS REASONS!!! THEY Even threw out the US from
Saudi Arabia who was protecting them. Israel and the US are the source of Blasphemy to to all the Islamic religious Arabs . Obama will wake up that it is the Majority not the few extremists. What the Goyim don’t understand that it is their religion that is extreme not the moslems. Even in a neutral Moslem country like Bangladesh my moslem 3 neighbort family related to me that for the last 25 years
their Imams have taught them the “Jews are the vermin of the world!”
What did Pres Obama listen for 20 years or more every Sunday to same from Rev(yemach shmy) Wright. So Bichvod Horav Youssef -who is their to talk to.
It is invei Hasonnim b’invei Hasonim. They have been similarly indoctrinated
by reshoim……….. It’s a waste of time!!
“the religious obligation of every Jew to live in every part of the Land of Israel.”
Uh, if I remember correctly from12th grade physics no person can occupy more than one space his own size at any given time and it is impossible for two or more objects to occupy the same space at the same time.
How can every Jew live in every part of eretz yisroel???
#32 if the chasam soifer said this pshat its good enough, if it came out of his holy mouth its good enough…the geon hageonim of his generation the one who kol bais yisroel haktanim vehagedolim nishanim alof…
#33 and not only chacham ovadye yosef said but plenty tzaddikum of the previous genration.i heard it myself from them. ‘umi choshid kidsho berich hu deuved dina belo din’ the torah is full of warnings of consequences of not going in the ways of the torah. according to you its just drush vekabil scharr? most of the tzddikim said its a result of ‘haskalah’ (reform movement).
#36 BEREL —What are u plapling about “drusch vkabil schar’?
Rabbi Ovadi Yosef’s reason is because of the Kedushas Eretz Yisroel. I Just reiterated that as an addt’l Practical reason for all those who oppose Rav Youseffs comments. I just stated for those who disagree there is definitely the “PEKUACH NEFESH” issue with the sonim of 1,000,000,000 indoctrinated Islamist.
Make no mistake about it!!! I just wanted to point out that this hatred permeates most Moslems and only a minute minority are mentchen contrary to what the average Goy including Pres. Obama are incapable of understanding. It is the same attitude Europe took to the Nazis and their plan for the Jews. But u are worried about what my motivation is??? Talk to all those in the ovens and gas chambers whose Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva told them “don’t worry ‘it’s not so bad’ ‘the world will not let it happen’ ” did u ever visit Auschwitz/ Bergen- Belsen? Yad Vashem??/ Or think about your relatives who believed all they were told by their Gedolim (unfortunately they all went down together and they really all had emunah as Kedoshim H’ yenokeim ess domom!!)???