JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Likud party activist Heidi Moses (daughter of former UTJ MK Menahem Eliezer Moses) caused an uproar Sunday when she took a pendant carrying a portrait of Binyamin Netanyahu and, calling it a “declaration of loyalty”, placed it on the neck of former finance minister Yisrael Katz. A visibly embarrassed Katz, who hopes one day himself to lead the Likud, took off the pendant almost immediately, although he later claimed that “I don’t wear necklaces, I didn’t look at the pendant to see what was there.”
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הלהיט החדש בכנסי הבחירות של הליכוד: המתמודדים עונדים שרשרת זהב עם תמונתו של בנימין נתניהו. ״זו הצהרת הנאמנות שלנו למנהיג״, מספרת היידי מוזס. גם יו״ר מזכירות הליכוד @Israel_katz ״נאנס״ לענוד אחת כזו. pic.twitter.com/PuH3UpxpTc
— yuval karni (@YuvalKarni) July 17, 2022
Opponents of Netanyahu mocked the gesture, saying that it was akin to idol worship to use a pendant with portraits of a living leader on them. However Moses defended her usage of the pendant, stating that “the queen of England has a coin with her portrait on it, why shouldn’t Netanyahu also have one?”
The creator of the pendants, Raz Faraj, rejected the idea that they could be construed as idol worship, stating that they were simply “an expression of affection” for the popular Likud leader, who according to polls will lead the largest party in the Knesset and may succeed in forming a government after the November elections. “After so many years of suffering false persecution, its time to show tribute to him,” Faraj added in a radio interview.
Likud leaders pointed out that the parties of Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman, Gidon Saar and Gantz are led by autocratic leaders “who won’t hesitate to throw out whoever thinks differently from the boss” whereas the Likud holds open primaries including those who criticize Netanyahu’s policies.
In the meantime, the Likud primaries are due to take place in two weeks time and candidates are vying with one another to demonstrate allegiance to Netanyahu, who holds significant power in the Likud Central Committee and among party members.
its Cultism, even if its not idol worship. its bad enough
We need accountable HUMAN leaders not invincible corrupted strong men. we know that ends, it always end badly.
Compared to the golden statue of the former American president this display of a face is not even close to a graven image.
A figure of the face of a human (even on a signet ring) where the features project outward, is prohibited as a “tselem” (except if the facial image is from the side.)
I can see the argument about graven images here. On the other hand, Mr. Moses seems to have done nothing wrong here.
i wouldn’t call it “idol worship” exactly. rather, i would say that politicians have a definite “best before” date, and after that, they are best left alone. the belief in reanimating zombies is called “voodoo”.
(No comparison intended, but) both Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imeinu had a coin minted with image.
Also the Maaseh Rokeach RABBI ELAZAR BEN SHMUEL ‘SHMELKA’ had a copper medal, struck in his honor 1735 (still available for purchase)
of Amsterdam
Steven Wright has a set on this as relating to US president images on coins.
Any Zionism is already idolatry. Adding another idol to the mix isn’t all that important.