JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In an emotional speech delivered in the Knesset Monday, MK Yaakov Asher (UTJ) demonstrated how the new steps being proposed regarding conversions are a threat to the Jewish character of Israel.
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“What are we railing about, who do we want to protect, what are we scared of,” Asher asked the plenum. “In Bnei Brak the beauty of the Shabbos queen will remain the same way it was described by former prime minister Menachem Begin z’l. My grandson will continue to keep kosher. Last Shabbos somebody gave him a candy and he naturally turned to me and asked: ‘Grandpa is this kosher?’ I’m not worried about him.
“The conversion reforms won’t harm our families, if we need, G-d forbid, we will know how to maintain geneaology documents, our grandchildren won’t marry gentiles. So what are we fighting about? For whom are we fighting? Why are we fighting to preserve the status of the Chief Rabbinate, since we were never the greatest users of its services? What do we want?”
“We are not waging a chareidi battle,” Asher continued. “This is not our war, this is ours because we are responsible to the religious, traditional and secular public who want to continue their tradition. Would that we would learn from the Muslims how to preserve our traditions.
“Millions of Jews in the country who do not strictly keep religion but want to maintain a Jewish character, they are the silent Jewish majority.”
MK Yorai Herzno interjected: “What will you gain from religious coercion.” Asher told him to shut up, but Herzno continued:”I am a member of parliament, I can respond to you.” Asher said that “you are more fitting for the European parliament, you are trying to change Israel into a state like all other nations.”
Asher concluded his speech by shouting: “This is not a chareidi battle, this is a J-E-W-I-S-H battle.”
The problem is that million of Jews do not care to maintain a Jewish character or tradition. In Europe and USA intermarriage rates exceed 50% and children of these marriages are generally not brought up as Jewish. Secular Israeli Jews are no different from secular US Jews and believe that the government should not stop them marrying those that halacha forbids
Do Haredim accept Rabbanut conversions now? No. So how will this change? They will still be Rabbanut. Same for Kashrus. Do Haredim accept Rabbanut haschgacha? No. So why not allow private hashgacha? It’s all about the money
Sounds like an honest person.
What is he doing in the Knesset?
This is what confuses me. The non-religious will marry whomever they wish. The more conversions, the less inter marriage. The issue at hand is there will be conversions of people that have no intentions of being religious. That does not make them not Jewish after the conversion process done by a proper Bais Din. The only possible argument I hear is that we should not be converting people that won’t be religious so we don’t create more sinners.
Actually, the entire purpose of Zionism is to change the Jews and their religion into exactly that: a nation like all the gentile nations, this one (Israel) being a Zionist/Nationalist nation.
Secular Israeli Jews are much more “at risk” than European secular Jews because secular Israeli Jews are taught that being a Jew means being a Zionist, not being Jewish. Whereas Europeans are just doing whatever they want, not ideologically motivated to despise Judaism in favor of secular nationalism/Zionism.
Yet they refuse to address the BURNING issue of POVERTY in the charaidi community!! I don’t believe him or his colleagues. They don’t represent Charaidim. They represent Rabbanim!!
Just wandering when was the last time he invited a Chiloni for Shabbos??
Most secular Israelis would be ok with Chief Rabbinate.
The Reform with their heavy money are forcing the issue. They’ve miserably failed in the USA and want throw weight with average chiloni Israelis who don’t care nor want Reform.
Follow the Benjamins.
The entire rest of the Jewish world has for thousands of years NOT had central conversion authorities. The proposal would actually make Israel *more* of a halachic state, allowing any group of three rabbis to perform conversions, which actually IS the halachah.
I find it remarkable this man knows how his grandchildren will live their lives.
I don’t get the Chredei position. The others want to convert the hundreds of thousands according to halacha – but want to make it easy for them. By letting every Rabbi do conversions according to halacha and convert every child at birth, All it does is make everyone Jewish, the best scenero possible
This looks like a power struggle – only WE can do conversions.