Slippery Slope

Rabbi Shlomo Aviner attacked Bnei Akiva movement for conducting shared activities for boys and girls. In a video published on Meir Institute’s website, Aviner is saying: “A mixed youth movement is not good, and a mixed society is not good. In the Halacha it is written that you have to really and truly separate men from women”.

(Hebrew)

30 people have demonstrated in front of deputy state prosecutor Shay Nitzan’s house, in Ramot neighborhood in Jerusalem, following an arrest order against Kiryat Arba’s Rabbi, Dov Lior.

(Hebrew)

Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef said in a lesson that Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro, the author of the book Torat Hamelekh, which states the Jewish rules for killing non-Jews, deserves Israel Prize for his book. That was said during a joint lesson of Rabbi Yosef and Rabbi Dov Lior, The Rabbi of Hebron, who wrote his consent to the book. Ya’akov Yosef is the son of Shas’s spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadyah Yosef.

(Hebrew)

MK Michael Ben Ari (Ihud Leumi) has initiated a bill stating Rabbis will not be held criminally responsible, and will be immune in the face of any legal action, for publishing any Halachic document, for consent to any sort of book, or for stating their opinion in writing or any other way, in matters concerning the Torah. Ben Ari brought up his initiative after Rabbi Dov Lior was requested for a police interrogation for writing a consent letter for the book Torat Hamelech, which states the Jewish rules for murdering non Jews. Nine other MK’s from Likud, Shas, and Yahadut Hatora, said they supported the bill.

(Hebrew)

The director of Jewish education at the Municipality of Eilat, Rabbi Haim Farjun, said: “If you your grandchildren to stand and sing HaTikvah (the national anthem) with you, you should be careful about mixed marriages and friendship with gentiles”. One of the Right Wing extremists noted: “In Eilat the Jewish resident have succeeded – in a neighborhood of about 10,000 inhabitants, haters of Israel have been driven out”.

(Hebrew)

An unsigned editorial in the Mayanei Hayeshua leaflet states that some rabbis are “clerks” and that “it is doubtful if they been part of the history of our culture struggles.” The editorial ends with the words “It is interesting to know if they will leave the rounding up of the Amalekites into death camps to others, or if they will perhaps decide that annihilation of Amalek is no longer relevant.”

(Hebrew PDF)

Several rabbis from Tiberias have called for a boycott of the Poriya hospital following a decision by the hospital to establish a mosque on its campus. (Hebrew)

Safed’s Chief Rabbi, Shmuel Eliahu, announced he supports the gentler version of the “Rabbis’ letter”, according to which the prohibition of renting or selling of apartments would be limited to “Israel-hating Arabs”. Eliahu noted that “this is the same message”. (Hebrew)

MK Michael Ben Ari (Ha’Ichud Ha’Leumi) promotes a bill, which will grant rabbis immunity similar to that of MKs, regarding religious rulings they may publish. This will provide them with immunity from prosecution. (Hebrew)

The rabbis of Rosh Haayin – including chief municipal rabbi Azarya Basis, call upon business owners in town not to employ Arab men alongside Jewish young women, for fear of assimilation. The rabbis threatened to call for a boycott of businesses who fail to live up to this directive. (Hebrew)