New York – The NY Post’s highly inflammatory and negative attack titled “de Blasio praises hateful Rabbi,” published just a few hours after the death of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, was beyond the pale, and an affront to the Rabbi’s memory and to countless Jews who considered him their spiritual mentor.
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Furthermore,to attack a mayoral candidate for issuing a brief statement of condolence upon a revered Rabbi’s passing, was petty and mean spirited. Rabbi Yosef’s unparalleled achievements as the long time spiritual leader of world Sephardic Jewry, made such a statement appropriate.
That close to one million Jews attended Rabbi Yosef’s funeral should have warranted some level of respect and sensitivity to the subject by the Post. Naïve? Maybe. But to contrast, even Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, understood the loss of this spiritual giant and expressed his condolences.
It is noteworthy that the NY Times, not always sympathetic to Orthodox Jewish interests, showed respect for the iconic sage, writing, “As a Sephardic Torah scholar and arbiter of Halakha, or Jewish law, he was often described by followers as ‘the greatest of the generation’.”
What makes the Post’s nasty diatribe especially disappointing is that it comes on the heels of last week’s Post editorial criticizing Mayor Bloomberg’s “aggressive nannyism” in regulating an aspect of Jewish ritual circumcision. That enlightened position, which was appropriately acknowledged in Orthodox Jewish circles as a positive contribution to the public debate, might have led some to believe that at long last, the Post was transitioning to a more balanced approach towards issues of concern to religious Jewry. Alas,the Post’s galling attack on Rabbi Yosef reminds us that a leopard cannot change its spots. The Post’s lack of a moral compass leads one to conclude that they are guided only by an insatiable appetite for circulation and titillation.
The NY Post has reached a new low, and that’s really saying something.
Chaskel Bennett is a NYC based activist and community advocate.
Great OpEd by @ChaskelBennett keep up your great work
The NY Post putting those words on top of their news-line is a disgrace
Chazkel thanks for standing up, I read the NY post yesterday, I was extremely enraged.
I understand that Rav Ovadia Zt’l might have said things that are questionable, but to degrade him by this stinky newspaper is outrageous and beyond Derech Eretz.
Do people actually still read the NY Post?
Credibility wise isn’t it on par with the likes of The National Enquirer?
Chaskel – not sure why you’re giving this garbage any attention. This is exactly what they want and you’re feeding into their plan.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with how NYPost described him, the lesson is Chachamim hizaharu bdivreichem. Yes, Rav Ovadiah was a gaon in learning, but he did say things that upset people. This generation needs people who can speak gently and unite the world. My Rav uses phrase Loshon Limudim.
The post is a piece of garbage. It’s not a newspaper. It’s sensational ‘journalism’. They have a lot of chutzpah to call a very great leader anything. Let them stick to their gossip garbage about what this non entity wore today or didn’t wear or other meaningless ‘news’.
I might agree with the content of this op-ed, but I’m not sure this is the best approach. I would sooner look toward a boycott of NY Post advertisers, and of course the terminating of subscriptions. If there are any Jewish owned stores that sell newspapers, they should refuse to sell this schmatte. If a reaction will be decisive, we stand a remote chance at least that our reaction is noticed. Just entering a debate with editorials is less likely to make an impression.
sorry, vin just wants to appeal to the shfardic readers, the comments from rav ovadia were indeed inflammatory, of course we know the meaning of it, but when such things about the creation of goyim leaks out to the media , it puts a very racist negetive light on us, and they dont know better, if its Lhavdil an arab imam saying it, we would be offended big time.
How may one read a newspaper which everyday has some dirty picture in it?
Wasn’t fair game when y’all critisized Obama, for the anti white remarks made by ‘Jeremia White’ ? what goes around comes around. obama knew as much as de Blassio about their remarks, it’s sensational politics as usual.
Let us make it clear once and for all!
We do not expect the editors of the post or any other ignaramous indevidiual fools who spend their lives pursuing earthly pleasures and mundane thrills, to know much about spiritual matters and even more so the enourmous value of what it means to become a spiritual giant like rebbi ovadia yosef z”l…
These foolish editors as well as all people with an opinion and a keabord at their side, who feel that they are experts on all matters coming their way, are never going to learn that they haven’t scratched the surface of deeper thinking, or understanding…
Truth is that they will never know, because they are not ready to give up an inch of their indulgence in the material for the spiritual…
I already know that the same fools will atack and scream that what we are saying here has nothing to do with reb ovadia’s counterversial statemenents…
Therefore I will repeat what I said before…
You fools do not live in the same world as rabbi ovadia did, you are not on the same frequency, therefore let us not waste time to explain or educate, cuz true education requires selflesness, the exect opposite of what the editors stand for…
However, there is one thing that we can do, and that is, do not buy the paper, do not support them, fill up facebook, blogs, twitter, with messeges of light, in order to extinguish the darkness they are spreading….
anyone know how we can file a complaint to the NY post?
they should issue a public apology!
Chaskel you did a home run.Rav Yosef was a moderate person in all manner of issues. To reduce a lifetime of love for Torah, Israel and peace to a few impertinent remarks and then stick it on to Bill DeBlasio is silliness at it’s peak.
Chaskel, may your star shine forever!
while i agree the op ed was bad timing wrong time. the fact is maran hachaam harav yosef zt”l did make those negative remarks im sure he didnt mean that way or regretted it
Wholeheartedly agree.
I was shell shocked when VIN news pointed it out!
Welcome to the cyber age..!
The post does not have a moral compass – but it is a firm supporter of Israel – The times may say nice things but what is behind that ‘smile’ .
thank you r chaskel for making a public mechaah! i hope people write in and show them what a chutzpah this is!!!!
It is extremely important for us to start explaining to our children, that the Memreh in the Gemoroh, regarding the Umos being our Avodim in Yemois Hamoshiach, does not mean what it sounds like.
Chas Vesholam to be Mispallel for Moshiach while having in mind, that little Johnny our next door neighbor, has a sole purpose, to be our Eved. This can CH”V be M’oirer the Midas Hadin. We had already enough Middas Hadin in the late 1930′s.
I’m not afraid of the readers of the Post, I’m afraid of the Boireh Kol Oilomim, who creates every precious human being.
On the rare occasion that I do buy the NY “Prost”, it’s only ’cause we’re running low on toilet paper…
I do not hear anyone denying the Rabbi made those statements. So how exactly do you want it to be reported and characterized? As an inclusive and acceptable statement? But the statement is blatantly racist, offensive, and degrading to gentiles, at best it is easily misunderstood. The fact that they are attributing it to a candidate who merely made a formal condolence statement for a respected Jewish leader seems a bit far fetched. But on the other hand if it was an Imam who referred to non-muslims as purposeless infidels etc. I think it would be just as scandalous to us if someone issued condolences.
You’ve totally missed the real point.
We shouldn’t be reading a paper like the Post in the first place.
In addition, if religious Jews wouldn’t read this rag, they would have no motive for addressing an issue relevant only to us.
Kudos, Chatzkel! We are behind you on this. The people at the NY Post are G-d-less individuals, whose sole purpose is to promote more and more filth and immorality.
Who is Bill DeBlasio other than a pathetic excuse for a candidate? He’s trying to milk the Jews for all the votes they’re worth! If he gets into office we’ll all yell Goy Vey!
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The difference is that by the Germans, it was our children that were considered a lesser Human Beings.