Serious Corruption Charges Against Bet Shemesh Mayor Abutbul

Bet Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul from the Shas party has been accused of serious political corruption, including pressuring a Yeshivah to fire a teacher who was also a political activist in opposition to the Mayor! The political activist, Dov Lipman, filed a Police complaint, and a complaint to the National Auditor of Israel (Mevaker HaMedinah), charging that the Mayor had interfered in the decision making process of the Yeshivah leading to Lipman's contract as a teacher at the Yeshivah where he has been teaching for five years being terminated as of the coming school year!

I have uploaded the article (in Hebrew) about this from a local Bet Shemesh newspaper (Tmura), and it can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-l0FBF9cFPvNGNmMGQwYmMtMmZjNS00ZjNiLTllZmUtZmY1OWU0MmM5YjM3&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

I must add, as I noted in the comments, that, unfortunately, this type of behavior is not new to Bet Shemesh and is known to have been exhibited by a former Bet Shemesh Mayor. Certain Yeshivot warned members of their staffs not to appear at political rallies and the like, for fear that that the Mayor would not grant permits needed by the Yeshivah if staff members were seen at events held in opposition to that Mayor!

It is time to stop the corruption, no matter who is the Mayor. Our public figures must perform in accordance with basic ethical standards!

We can only hope that these efforts to stamp out corruption in our city government will be successful.

A Clearly-Stated, Well-Explained Condemnation of the Rabbi Who Encourages Jews to Shoot Jewish Soldiers with Plastic Bullets

Thanks to a link on Rafi G.'s "Life in Israel" blog (http://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/), I saw this well-phrased, and well-explained, clear condemnation of the Rabbi who encouraged Jews to shoot Jewish soldiers with plastic bullets:

http://www.crossingtheyarden.com/2011/03/right-wing-lunatics/

Bravo to someone who is from the "right wing" side for issuing a clear condemnation of this dangerous phenomenon!

The Rule of Law in Israel, and Protests in Favor of Building for Jews

Rafi G. posted on his Life in Israel Blog an excellent post about this subject, and I agree with everything he said, and believe that he put it very fairly, properly and clearly.

Here is a link to the post:

http://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/2011/03/stopping-anarchy-establishing-rule-of.html

As he pointed out in a comment, people need permits to construct buildings (or to add onto existing buildings) anywhere in Israel. So there is no excuse for unlawful activities in order to get more buildings built in Yehudah VeShomron (the West Bank). I very strongly feel that the government should continue building in Yehudah VeShomron, but as Rafi also pointed out, if we disagree with the way the government is implementing its policies, we must "use the political process to change the law, to change the government, to change the rules of engagement, but there has to be a rule of law".

Kashrut and Spirituality

As far as Kashrut and spirituality, in food and in the other parts of our lives, goes, we (and especially certain Rabbis in Bet Shemesh) should keep in mind the following facts:

1. Almost all of food Kashrut relates to some Lavim (prohibitions) in the Torah which, while important, are NOT extremely serious Torah violations.

2. Almost all of the "Kashrut exposés" which have been publicized in certain Kashrut lectures and on the Email lists have related either to technical problems with a Kashrut certificate (while the people who provide the food being discussed are known to be people who would never, in any case, feed other Jews non-Kosher food), or accusations that a store may be putting up a letter from a Mehadrin Kashrut organization on their wall in order to deceive people into thinking they have a Mehadrin Hechsher when they ONLY have a Hechsher certifying that their food is Kosher.

3. Sexual offenses against children (or adults) involve several very serious transgressions upon Torah law, and, in many cases, may involve transgressions with a Karet (excision) penalty, or even a capital crime by Torah law.

4. Any suspicions of sexual offenses must be meticulously investigated by the proper authorities who know how to deal with serious crimes like these, and must never be brushed off with statements like, "The accused is above suspicion, and this must be a case of the accusers trying to damage his reputation and nothing more," which Chazal warned against with their warnings like, "Ein Apotropus LeArayot," because we all know that on sexual matters a good reputation in religious circles does not guarantee that there will be no misconduct. In fact, in Jewish society today it is generally accepted that you can trust the Kashrut of the food that a "Frum Jew" who is a sexual offender (or criminal of some other type) feeds you. Indeed, quite a few instances have come to light of people who kept Kashrut very meticulously, but cheated others in business (or slept with other people's wives, or perpetrated some other sexual offense).

5. The only way someone who is falsely accused can truly clear his/her name, without any suspicions of cover-up, is if a serious investigation is conducted by the proper authorities, and, after thorough investigation, the conclusion is reached that the person did not commit any sexual offense. In certain cases it may be discovered, after serious investigation, that the accusations were false; but it is much more likely that the accusations are true if someone is willing to embarrass himself (and we all know that it is embarrassing in religious society to bring up sexual conduct in any case) by bringing up sexual misconduct perpetrated against him/her.

6. Even if somehow a sexual offender can be investigated without reporting him to the Police, what reliable guarantee can be given that he will get the counseling which he needs, be kept away from tempting situations in the future, and that innocent victims (both those in the past, and those whom he might potentially victimize in the future) will be protected from him? In many cases where a sexual offender was identified, the religious community simply "covered up" for him and, perhaps, had him transferred to a different community where he wasn't known as a sexual offender, but where he DID have every opportunity to victimize new unsuspecting victims.

It is clear from the above that investigation of suspected sexual abuse should be a MUCH HIGHER PRIORITY in the religious community than investigation of Kashrut suspicions (though neither deception with regard to sexual prohibitions and violations of them, nor deception with regard to Kashrut laws and violations of them, should be accepted and "brushed under the rug").

It would be good for all Jewish community leaders, especially those in Ramat Bet Shemesh, to take note of the above and to exert their influence to put the stronger emphasis where it belongs, and not to waste so much effort trying to publicize who does not have a Mehadrin Hechsher even though he is Kosher (which, in any case, any alert consumer can find out for himself).

A Small Step Against Sinat Chinum Achieved During Bein HaMetzarim

A group of concerned citizens in Israel has recently been promoting a boycott of products which have the Eidah Chareidit Kashrut Hechsher. Now, during Bein HaMetzarim [the time between the fasts of the 17^th of Tammuz and Tisha BeAv, when we are particularly exhorted to work against Sinat Chinum and for Ahavat Yisrael], some progress against Sinat Chinam has been achieved by that boycott.

Though public figures like Nachum Barnea in Yediot Acharonot have written explicitly about the disgusting actions employed by Eidah Chareidit "activists", I have heard even more disgusting examples of Eidah Chareidit "activists" promoting violence and intimidation against other Jews (including Chareidi Jews) from Chareidi Jews themselves. Therefore, let no one be confused by any "smoke screen" the Eidah Chareidit or its supporters may attempt to create; the boycott of the Eidah Chareidit is a result of the Eidah Chareidit's actions which promote Sinat Chinam among Jews, and is, therefore, a very positive step which will support Ahavat Yisrael and true Achdut.

While I dislike the Eidah Chareidit's anti-Zionism, I would not encourage a boycott of products with their Hechsher simply because of their offensive philosophy; but since they sustain this philosophy (as well as many other things on their agenda) through the actions of their "extremists" who promote the utilization of violence and intimidation against those who oppose them, we can all be certain that the Torah requires us to do what we can to stop this utilization of violence and intimidation, supposedly for "Torah purposes", which is actually simply creating an enormous Chillul HaShem!

Though the Osem company (marketers of Nestle ice cream in Israel) had initially declared that all Nestle ice cream would have the Eidah Chareidit Kashrut Hechsher, now that the boycott has been active for several weeks, Osem has announced that a new Nestle ice cream which it is producing will not have the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher!

All supporters of Ahavat Yisrael and Achdut within our people can only hope that more and more Nestle products will be produced without the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher until all Nestle products will be free of that Hechsher, and that other manufacturers will follow suit, and that most or all will choose to replace the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher on their products with other Hechshers.

As is well known among those who follow Kashrut supervision, the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher, as good as their Kashrut supervision is, is not the best Hechsher as far as Kashrut supervision goes; and it is certainly not the best Hechsher as far as the Ruchniut (spirituality) of the supervisors goes.

There are many Mehadrin Hechshers other than the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher, and at least a few of them are known as having a higher level of Kashrut than the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher. I certainly advise all manufacturers who want a Mehadrin Hechsher to find one which is not Eidah Chareidit.

The website (in Hebrew) of the boycott against the Eidah Chareidit Hechsher is:

http://www.badatz-free.co.il/

Possibility of a Mediated End to the Emmanuel Dispute

I just saw an article online which indicates that the two warring Chareidi groups in Emmanuel may have agreed to mediation by an apparently neutral group. I hope that they can find a reasonable way to work out this problem without bitterness for the benefit of all. Here is the link:

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3910593,00.html

Inconsistencies in the Chareidi Bet Din's Claim to be Neutral Arbiter!

The article at this link:

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3908431,00.html

cites the evidence which Rav Yaacov Yosef has presented that the Chareidi Bet Din claiming to be neutral arbiter in the case of the warring Chareidi factions in Emanuel is actually very biased in favor of the "Ahkenazi" extremist side.

I suppose that it is no surprise, but it is disappointing, that a supposedly neutral arbiter, in a case where neutral arbitration could help things a whole lot, is actually biased in favor of the extremists. Chareidi extremists are always claiming that they have rights to which no one else is entitled, so why shouldn't they "stack the deck" when they finally agree to supposedly neutral arbitration?

The entire situation in Emanuel should not have gotten to the stage where the disadvantaged side felt it had to file an Israeli Supreme Court case in order to get justice. Why do Chareidi extremists feel that they can flaunt everyone else's wellbeing both spiritually and physically to achieve their aims? Where is the Ahavat Yisrael which is supposed to be part of their actions as religious Jews?

And most disheartening, where is the Chareidi leadership on this issue, and on any issue where the Chareidi extremists cause grief to all other Jews? Why is there only one Chareidi Rabbi (to my knowledge, and he is in the USA) who is even willing to deal with such issues? More unanswered questions!

Chareidi Leadership Where Are You?

The article at this link:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3908682,00.html

states that "Dozens of ultra-Orthodox attacked a vehicle traveling through Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood Sunday evening because it had "Electra" stickers on it."

The Eidah Chareidit has a dispute with the Electra company, claiming that Electra is responsible for desecrating Jewish graves. Whatever the basis (or lack of basis) for this claim, it is certainly no justification for attacking vehicles, destroying property, and possibly harming people!

Why is it NEVER made clear in a manner that does not allow for misinterpretation (as far as I have seen in all my, more than thirty, years here in Israel) that whatever disagreements the Eidah Chareidit has with other Jews, this does not justify, in any way, the use of violence? It is always claimed that whoever violently supports the Eidah Chareidit views must be "misguided"; but it behooves all Chareidi leadership, and especially that of the Eidah Chareidit, whose "misguided" supporters often seem to be involved in violence, to issue a loud and clear statement that they consider anyone practicing violence to be violating HaShem's Torah in the worst way and to be worthy of all of the punishments which HaShem brings upon those who violate His Torah in such a way (the way they state about all sorts of other things which they consider extremely repugnant).

Where is the Chareidi leadership on this issue? Why don't other Chareidi groups take the Eidah Chareidit to task for this? Why doesn't the Eidah Chareidit itself deal with this forcefully? Many unanswered questions!

We are All Jews

Now that Sefardi Rav Yaacov Yosef (son of Rav Ovadiah Yosef) has been threatened by Ashkenazi Chareidi extremists, who, his son claims, attempted to attack him physically; he has announced that he is withdrawing his support for the Sefardi Chareidi side in the battle over the school in Emanuel, as noted here:

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3907528,00.html

If a great Torah scholar such as Rav Yaacov Yosef is being threatened with physical violence against himself and those he holds dear, it is clearly time for those who claim to support Torah values to reevaluate the means that are considered valid to promote those values. No matter what each of us thinks about the dispute between the rival Chareidi factions in Emanuel (or anywhere else), threats of physical violence are clearly do not conform to Torah standards! Baruch Hashem, no violence resulted, as far as I have heard, from the demonstrations on the Emmanuel issue last week; and let us hope that no violence will result from any of these other actions which fan the flames of hatred even if they are disguised as "religious actions".

We should all be spreading Ahavat Yisrael, especially those who claim to be especially strong in their Judaism, NOT threatening physical abuse to Torah scholars who disagree with us!

We MUST remember, even when we disagree among ourselves, that WE ARE ALL JEWS!

Promoting Ahavat Yisrael NOT Divisiveness

As most of us already know, two Chareidi factions in the town of Emanuel (one ostensibly Sefardi and the other ostensibly Ashkenazi) are battling over the lack of acceptance of a Sefardi Chareidi girl to an Ashkenazi Chareidi institution.

Rav Yaacov Yosef (son of Rav Ovadiah Yosef) supports the Sefardi side, and encouraged a representative of that side to file a court complaint about the matter. The Israeli Supreme Court recently decided that this complaint was justified and ordered the Ashkenazi Chareidi institution to accept the girl. Since then, all sorts of manipulations have been attempted to avoid the Ashkenazi Chareidi institution's having to comply with the court decision.

Of course, the Ashkenazi Chareidi leadership (or at least the extreme elements in that leadership) have called for demonstrations, and we all have seen enough evidence as to how these demonstrations promote Sinat Chinam and usually lead to violence that none of us will be surprised if that is what happens here. In fact extremists have already invaded a Torah Shiur given by Rav Yaacov Yosef and disrupted it, and his supporters claim that the extremists threatened violence.

I do not know why the two factions handled their disagreement in a manner which included a court case. This does not seem to me to be the most productive way to handle the issues involved. I had thought that they could have resolved it somehow with a discussion between the Torah scholars supporting each side; but then again I am totally unconcerned with the warring Chareidi factions in Emanuel, and I do not know their motivations and underlying concerns.

However, I do know from our nation's previous experiences with this type of situation that the demonstrations proposed by Chareidi groups will only promote divisiveness and fan the flames of hatred, and will probably lead to violence. While this violence is officially opposed by the organizers of the demonstrations, there are some suspicions that some of those officially opposed to violence may actually desire a violent reaction!

Whatever the exact details are, I am certain that nothing good can result from these types of demonstrations, and I hope that all people who take their Ahavat Yisrael seriously will steer clear of these demonstrations!

Remember, we are all Jews!

Rabbi who Posted Hellen Thomas' Comments Receiving Death Threats

As most of us know, Hellen Thomas was forced into early retirement at 89 years of age after making obnoxious remarks about the Jews, as I posted yesterday.

Now, however, Rabbi David Nesenoff, who interviewed Thomas on video and publicized her obnoxious remarks on the internet, is receiving hate mail and death threats, apparently for supposedly ruining her career:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/09/rabbi-receives-death-threats-helen-thomas-video/

Somehow, the anti-semites always make it the Jews' fault! May HaShem bestow upon them all that they deserve!

Rioting for Settlements, Lo Alenu!

Unfortunately, Lo Alenu ("may it not happen to us"), some of the Jews in the community of Bet El (located in the Shomron) actually physically attacked our police officers and civil administration officials who came to dismantle structures in that settlement which are considered illegal, as reported in the Jerusalem Post online edition:

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177837

I really must stress how self-defeating this is, in addition to being absolutely wrong from a moral standpoint! Of course, morally it is wrong to attack officials of the government who are just doing the job they have been assigned. These are our fellow Jews whose job is to carry out the policies of the government. While I agree that those policies are totally incorrect regarding "the settlements", physically harming those who implement them is simply hooliganism, and can even, Chas VeShalom (Heaven forfend), lead to civil war, or at least Sinat Chinum (causeless hatred) between Jews! If the policies are wrong, then we must politically challenge the government about them and get those misguided policies changed; but there is NEVER a political reason to physically harm another Jew. All of the arguments that some political decision, as flawed as it may be, will eventually cause us to be attacked by Arabs, and therefore we must beat upon other Jews to stop this; all of those arguments are TOTALLY SPECIOUS! As much as I am extremely concerned about the welfare of our nation and our land, I have NEVER seen such a justification which actually stands up to simple common sense!

Additionally, as I mentioned above, these types of actions are self-defeating. If we can justify holding ourselves above the law because we are certain that this policy is wrong, then the left-wingers who are certain that having ANY settlements is morally wrong can easily justify themselves illegally uprooting settlements by any means they can find; and then social order totally breaks down when, as illustrated by the Mishnah (Avot 3:2), each person will swallow his fellow citizen alive!

These types of actions are also counterproductive and self-defeating because the purpose of having settlements is to expand our control over the land of Israel by having Israeli government control extend to each settlement. However, if we create "pirate" settlements, not legally recognized by the government of Israel, and if we physically battle with the bureaucrats and the police and the soldiers sent to dismantle such settlements; we actually distance Israeli control from those areas, since we increase government antagonism toward having settlements there! The only productive way to expand Israeli control over our land is to take the battle to the government institutions and make it a political and ideological battle, not a physical one! We have to make it clear to our government and our Knesset members why it is important to have Israeli control over these territories of our land, and, since there are many cogent reasons for this, we should not be doubting our ability to win the battle in the political and ideological arena! We must remember that if we use violence against our own brethren to force our point of view across, it is as if we have declared that Jewish Sechel (reason) is not strong enough to convince the Jews to do the right thing, and we are forced to use the evil tools of Esau to achieve the goals of Israel!

Let's hope that all Israelis will remain law-abiding citizens, and that we will be able to use our political acumen to direct our government into more productive policies!

Kudos to Rav Yaacov Haber for his Pashkevil to End All Pashkevilim

Rav Yaacov Haber of KSY (Kehilas Shivtei Yeshurun, at the corner of Dolev and Yarden in Ramat Bet Shemesh Alef) has contributed something important to Ahavat Yisrael in Bet Shemesh with his Pashkevil to end all Pashkevilim:

http://www.torahlab.org/haberblog/the_pashkevil_to_end_all_pashkevil/

Both Rafi G's "Life in Israel" blog,

http://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/2010/06/interesting-posts-163.html,

and David Morris' "Tzedek-Tzedek blog,

http://tzedek-tzedek.blogspot.com/2010/06/mother-of-all-pashkevilim.html

have noted this positive development. I hope to see more "positive energy" generated by Rav Haber, displaying true leadership as he has done this time, in the future.

Developments Relating to the New Chareidi Yeshiva High School of Bet Shemesh

There is a new Chareidi Yeshivah High School called "Yeshivat Bet Shemesh" or "Mesivta of Beit Shemesh", which is scheduled to open this coming Elul (2010).

Rafi's "Life in Israel" blog reported rumors of more extremist attempts to thwart the opening of the new Chareidi Yeshiva High School in Bet Shemesh:

http://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/2010/06/yeshiva-high-school-of-bet-shemesh.html

He was also kind enough to post something about my efforts, along with the "usual crew of misfits" with whom I work against extremist intimidation and violence, to apprehend anyone who is trying to intimidate people on this issue as well as any other issue. The statement about my efforts is:

There is a new Chareidi Yeshivah High School with full secular studies curriculum, similar to Maarava, called Yeshivat Bet Shemesh, which will be opening in Ramat Bet Shemesh in Elul this year, and, of course, it has caused extremist Chareidi elements some consternation. Apparently an attempt is being made by certain people to intimidate or threaten parents into not sending their sons to this school, even though it may be davka appropriate for them.
Any such attempts which have been recorded (audio or video) should be passed on to those who are working to make this school a reality in RBS. Anyone who wants more information should contact Catriel Lev at clev@actcom.com.


To clarify that my efforts, and those of the independent people with whom I am working to prevent intimidation and violence, are not connected in any way with the Yeshivah's administration or parents, I also posted this clarification on Rafi's blog:

Since it has been brought up in the comments to this blog:

I wish to clarify that I have no connection to the Yeshivah, and in no way represent the Yeshivah, and was not asked by anyone associated with the Yeshivah to collect information from the parents on behalf of the Yeshivah.
I am simply working with independent people who are trying to prevent extremists from intimidating people on any topic, including this one.


Let us hope that we may all be Zocheh to appreciate the Shivim Panim LaTorah (Seventy Faces of the Torah, a metaphor for tolerance of other people's views and Torah practices),

Catriel Lev

My "Mikveh and RBS Atmosphere" Composition-Condensed Version

The complete version is found at: http://vehashalomvehaemmet.blogspot.com/p/mikveh-situation-summary-and-thoughts.html

Since a condensed version of my "Mikveh and RBS Atmosphere" Composition has been requested a few times, I present the following as the best condensation I could put together:

I present this to you simply as a very caring and honest private citizen concerned for the welfare of our community, who stands upon his integrity, and demands integrity from all of the leaders of communities in our city (as well as from all people everywhere), and who has invested great efforts in clarifying facts, and has exerted himself to "understand where everyone is coming from," without excusing any reprehensible behavior that has become apparent through the efforts to find the truth.

First of all, a condensation of the major lessons to be learned from the Mikveh controversy and the general atmosphere in RBS, as I see it:

1. Let us put our true concerns out in the open. It is only by stating the true concerns explicitly without subterfuge, and with true good will from all sides, TRULY wanting everyone to be comfortable, that the true issues are discussed, and that we can achieve an atmosphere in our neighborhood that is pleasant for each of us.

2. Let us truly respect one another. If the different sides will be willing to understand that, though each of them may consider himself absolutely right, each other side also has the right to think so; they should manage to produce the minimal mutual respect necessary to work out the respectful compromises necessary.

3. Let us make public integrity and basic honesty the norm and demand it from all of our leaders. No one really benefits if one side "wins" a political battle by perverting the truth. The true problems just reappear later because they were covered up by lies! No leader is expected to be perfect, but lying to cover up one's failings should not be accepted from any leader, or any person at all for that matter.

4. Let us not produce excuses for violating the law or practicing violence or intimidation of any kind. If one side uses such excuses to excuse their "hotheads", the other side will also do so; and a vicious cycle of spiraling violence and threats could result. Every community should behave in a truly responsible manner, clearly condemning the "hotheads" from their community who act in a reprehensible manner.

5. Let us truly believe that, even if we don't even like each other too much (though I hope that that will NOT be the case), we can live side by side without causing each other grief. We have a wonderful neighborhood, and a great city; let's not ruin it through spiteful fights against "Apikorsim" and the like.

Continuation...

The rest of this condensed version (including what appears here, and including a place for readers' comments) may be found at:

http://vehashalomvehaemmet.blogspot.com/p/mikveh-and-rbs-atmosphere-composition.html