Israel – The euphoria that swept Israel over the Euroleague championship won by Maccabi Tel Aviv Sunday night shows Israelis’ lack of Jewish values, Orthodox Knesset members said Monday.
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The upset victory by Maccabi united Israelis from across different sectors, backgrounds, and political leanings. But haredi MKs noted that the majority of Maccabi’s players who scored in the game were not Jewish and that Israelis should be proud of their heritage instead.
“We have become a country of idiots that does not respect the Torah,” United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni said. “That’s what Israelis care about? A game for children in third grade?”
Shas MK Nissim Ze’ev complained that Israelis had made sports into a “golden calf” that they worship.
“They made basketball and soccer a symbol of national pride instead of our rich Jewish culture,” he said. “The team is imported from around the world. They are not Jews but Israelis don’t care as long as they win.”
Ze’ev’s Shas colleague, MK Meshulam Nahari, said the reaction by Israelis to the game showed him that they are in need of a better Jewish education. UTJ MK Menahem Eliezer Moses said it was sad for him that basketball players had become the face of Israel.
Bayit Yehudi MK Zevulun Kalfa, who is Orthodox but not haredi, said he felt less joy by Maccabi Tel Aviv’s victory Sunday than he did when Tal Brody led Maccabi to its first European cup in 1977, because that team featured more Jews and immigrants to Israel he could identify with.
“The Israeli reaction to the game is a symptom of a larger problem,” Kalfa said. “We used to be more proud of our values and who we are. Now we use technical means of getting ahead like buying players with money.”
But Shas leader Arye Deri defended Maccabi, crediting “the Jewish brain” with being smart enough to bring together the right players and saying that he is glad the people of Israel have a reason to be happy.
“Thank God they don’t play on Shabbat so we [haredi MKs] can be happy too,” Deri said.
Yesh Atid MK Dov Lipman, who played for his yeshiva high school’s basketball team, noted that respected haredi rabbi Haim Pinhas Sheinberg said Yankees victories gave him joy.
“Seeing thousands of Israelis waving our flag and singing Jewish songs in Europe gave me a sense of pride,” Lipman said. “An Israeli team being in the headlines in Europe is good for Israel’s legitimacy.”
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
These ultra Orthodox are full of it, their own children are the biggest sports fans. Hypocrites!
this quote by rabbi scheinberg zt’l has been ridiculously taken out of context.. he was trying to make a point about how impressionable the young brain of a child is. and he said this… “up to this day when i hear that the yankees won it still causes a ripple of excitement in my heart!”. he was LAMENTING the fact that it still affected him! not expressing excitement. as the saying goes “check your facts first, and then distort them as you please!
Are you kidding me!!!! Don’t they see where all this nonsense has gotten them?
Even if what they say is true, there are times that you keep your opinions to yourself.
Gafni and some of his colleagues once again show how out of touch they are with reality and the joy that such events bring to the tzibur, both frum and frei. I suspect they would rejoice in some of their chareidi followers winning the world championship if dirty diaper throwing or abusing women on public buses. This guy is a disgrace to even the Chareidi community and should be muzzled.
I’m not sure why Lipman had to besmirch Rav Scheinberg Z”L.
Rav Scheinberg did not say what Lipman implies.
Lipman’s implication is that Rav Scheinberg basically read the sports section each morning. This is obviously not true.
The way I heard this is that his American interest in sports from when he was younger never totally disappeared. So, if he heard that “his” team had won then, he admitted, it pleased him a little.
But to imply that he was a lifelong sports-fan is clearly wrong and a lack of kavod for this Torah giant.
Lipman’s statement at the end there is sad. That’s his idea of Jewish pride? Hearing “Jewish” songs in Europe is pride? Who cares? The Torah is our pride, not sports.
Why Lipman said what he said? Because he is dishonest
While true that some Jews were worshiping the “Egel Hazahav” (Maccabbi Tel Aviv) on Sunday. There were other Jews who were worshipping ‘Molech’ (fire).
Curious: Which of the two groups do you think caused more Chillul Shabbos?
“We have become a country of idiots that does not respect the Torah,” United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni said. “That’s what Israelis care about? A game for children in third grade?” At which point large segments of the Israeli population performed wholesale Teshuva and enrolled in Yeshiva. Why does this guy feel a need to put down other people. I had never heard of the European basketball league and in about a minute I will go back not caring about it. But this is Torah? All these Haredi “leaders” do is put down others. Diracheha Darchei Noam. Be pleasant, be nice.
Rabbi Yakov Weinberg Z”L while being rosh Yeshiva in Ner Yisroel in Baltimore wouldn’t allow keeping a score while playing basketball, softball etc. We just played for fun and exercise. Besides winning can and does lead to “kalos rosh” in different ways. i.e. losing your yarmulka, haughtiness, nivel peh etc. But for poster like 1, 2, 3, and 4 and i’m sure others that will post here, Torah Hashkofos mean nothing.
I actually can’t see how you can be proud of YOUR team when it’s not even close to that. Imagine when the USA kids in 1980 beat the Russians, if they would have used Canadian players or Finnish players. That would mean little to most US citizens.
On a positive note, Maccabi does not play on Shabbos. The semi-final game on Friday was moved up to 6 pm Milan time so the game would end before Shabbos started at 8:30 pm Milan time. During the season Maccabi plays on Thursdays instead of the regular Euroleague day which is Friday.
Yesh Atid MK Dov Lipman, who played for his yeshiva high school’s basketball team, noted that respected haredi rabbi Haim Pinhas Sheinberg said Yankees victories gave him joy.”
As others have pointed out, not did Lipman twist his words, it was total the other way around, Rav sheinberg said how final enjoyment was when he finally did NOT feel any excitement upon hearing the Yankees win the World Series, and that he tried his while life to disengage himself from feeling any excitement whatsoever of things like that.
Well it again shows how the mind of L___ works, a simple story had to be twisted into HIS own agenda..
Who cares if they use Jewish players? Do the Yankees use players from NY? Is lebron James from Miami? If these players were Jewish they would be knocked for not being frum. If they were frum they would be knocked for bitul torah and waste of tims.
Kshot atzmoch.