The riots of religious Jews in Huwara on Sunday night were unforgivable. Nothing justifies targeting innocents, burning down houses, and leaving one dead. The Huwara celebrations for murdering two Jewish brothers are not and cannot be an excuse for such behavior. The Jews were, in this case, terrorists by any definition of the term.
But it's even worse.
Perhaps the most disgusting part was this video showing these religious Jews praying towards the fires they set.
This perversion of Judaism is unbearable.
This is the definition of chilul Hashem - the desecration of G-d's name - making all Jews look bad because of the actions of a few.
We religious Jews cannot fall back on the "no true Scotsman" logical fallacy to say that these aren't real Jews. They are. And their immoral, gleeful actions represent a catastrophic failure on the part of religious Zionism, no matter how tiny a percentage of that community they represent. Not to mention their attacks on the IDF, putting them solidly on the same moral plane as Palestinian terrorists..
While I am not happy with the use of the word "pogrom" to describe the rampage, but it is understandable.
However, there is one word that some Jews (and Arab MKs) are using to describe the violence that is unconscionable. And that is "Kristallnacht."
As immoral and violent as the mass terror attack in Huwara was, calling it Kristallnacht is false, irresponsible and disgusting. Being rightly angry at the rampage cannot excuse using a Holocaust analogy. There is no comparison between this riot, as sickening as it was, and the day that Nazi Germany officially started their policy of genocide. It is not remotely similar in scale, in intent, in effect, nor in the complicity of the government.
And one must wonder if that last point was the real reason that Barnea and Melman used that term.
I do not believe Israel has ever been as divided as it is now, and instead of working towards solutions, both sides are playing political games - and they are not above comparing their political opponents to Nazis. There is almost a glee on the part of the Leftist media that the hated "settlers" finally "proved" how awful they are and now those people who hated them the entire time feel they can finally compare them and their allies in the government to Nazis.
MK Zvika Fogel's support for the rioters is beneath contempt. But Yair Lapid's using them as a weapon against the entire government is not a whole lot better. (And when Bibi led the opposition, he was just as bad and divisive as Lapid is now.)
Much of the objection to the proposed judicial reforms comes from honest concern, whether real or misplaced. There has been far more heat than light in the coverage and reactions to the proposals. A lot of it is the same political opportunism, and the over-the-top rhetoric makes it sound like reforms that most reasonable people agree must happen to some extent are the ultimate evil. And, again, the blame goes on both sides - Netanyahu should have done much more to make these reforms bipartisan, not demonizing the other side.
The political opportunists, like Israel's enemies, don't want solutions. They want to win at any cost, and even more so - they want to see the other side lose at any cost. That cost is very high, indeed - to the point of trying to get Jews in the Diaspora to publicly oppose Israel. This is the zero sum mentality that both sides of the political spectrum are happily borrowing from Israel's enemies.
The people stoking hate for their own selfish purposes are no better than J-Street or Jewish Voice for Peace.
This fragmentation that started in Israel is now normalized throughout the Jewish world. Mainstream non-religious Jewish organizations are now routinely publicly criticizing Israel. These irresponsible Huwara terrorists are even dividing up the religious Jewish community to an extent, although the vast majority of Orthodox organizations have condemned the violence.
These divisions are the biggest danger to Israel's future - more than Iran, more than Palestinian terror, more than the prospect of a US that might turn against it as so many antisemites want. And if anything can turn the US against Israel, it is Huwara-type activities. Antisemitism spreads by playing on unconscious bigotry and the scene of religious Jews on an orgy of destruction has a huge psychological impact. The damage wrought by these Jews is incalculable.
JVP poster
Palestinian and anti-Israel media and organizations are loving all of this. This op-ed from Al Quds (UK) uses Nachum Barnea's use of "Kristallnacht" as carte blanche for Arabs to compare Israel to Nazis without any guilt. The Guardian eagerly reports Barnea's words, which will justify future Holocaust analogies in that paper and other mainstream media.
Make no mistake - just as the antisemitic "apartheid" slur got normalized, the antisemites who have been using the Holocaust analogy just gained several years in their quest to make that normal as well..
All because of the contemptible Jews in Huwara and the Israelis who cannot resist using them to score political points, on both sides.
Even though there is still no comparison between the immorality of Palestinian society and the worst of Israeli society - Israelis raised money to compensate Huwara victims while Palestinians celebrate dead Jews - the rioters have given those who spread incessant anti-Israel propaganda a priceless gift.
Palestinian political cartoon
Israeli extremists and opportunists are doing more damage to Israel and world Jewry than the antisemites could ever dream of doing themselves.
The only winners are the world's antisemites. And they are very, very happy with what they are seeing.
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!
Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.
Jodi Rudoren, editor in chief of the Forward, sent out in her weekly Friday newsletter:
When Ansche Chesed, a Conservative synagogue in the liberal bastion of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, convenes for Shabbat services tomorrow, three familiar words will not be recited from the bimah: raishit smichat gi’ulateinu.
Hebrew for “the initial sprouting of our redemption,” it’s the signature line from the Prayer for the State of Israel that Jews worldwide have been saying each week since shortly after the modern state was founded almost 75 years ago. But Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Ansche Chesed’s longtime leader, feels he can no longer honestly and full-throatedly pray for the success of Israel's leaders, ministers and advisers, as this liturgy calls for, since its new government includes right-wing extremists he considers akin to the Ku Klux Klan.
“I don't hope that this government succeeds; I hope that this government falls and is replaced by something better,” he explained in an interview. “I just could not imagine us saying this prayer that their efforts be successful. I think their efforts are dastardly.”
Rabbi Kalmanofsky is a staunch, lifelong Zionist — a liberal Zionist, as most American Jews would describe themselves, but also a religious Zionist, in the sense of seeing a Jewish homeland in the holy land as a fulfillment of a fundamental tenet of our faith, which makes the radicalization of Israel's Religious Zionist party feel particularly personal for him.
Rabbi Kalmanofsky did not think it was enough to join hundreds of his colleagues in signing a letter last month vowing not to let the Religious Zionist party's leaders speak at their synagogues....
These facts do not fit together: claiming to be a Zionist from a religious perspective and refusing to say the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel because it is a prayer that the government succeeds. Because that is not what the prayer says.
Shield her beneath the wings of your lovingkindness;
spread over her your Sukkah of peace;
send your light and your truth to its leaders, officers, and counselors,
and correct them with your good counsel.
That is not at all inconsistent with being against some ministers. The prayer asks God to help them make the correct decisions.
If Rabbi Kalmanofsky doesn't think that God has the power to guide Israel's ministers to do the right thing, then his theology is suspect.
The other part that makes little sense is that Kalmanofsky, while claiming to be a liberal, religious, Zionist in his letter to the congregation, also signed the letter that said that he would actively oppose not only the right-wing MKs from speaking at their own congregations, but protest them if they are speaking at any synagogue in their communities. Of course every synagogue can choose whom they allow to speak at their own temples, but even imagining that they would picket the (presumably Orthodox) shuls that might consider these MKs to be worth listening to is a huge chilul Hashem - public desecration of God's name that makes all Jews look bad. I have never seen Orthodox congregations picket outside Reform or Conservative temples for any reason, even though they invite speakers and have activities that are thoroughly offensive to many Orthodox Jews. The thought of such a protest being broadcast in the evening news is anathema to anyone who claims to care about klal Yisrael, the Jewish community.
Rabbi Kalmanofsky says the right things about his love for and support for Israel, but it simply doesn't jive with these two letters. He does not seem like an extremist or a fanatic, but his actions are as divisive and improper as those of BDSers.
I tweeted a response to him on Friday making my point about the prayer, but he did not respond.
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!
Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort, of Chabad at La Costa, in Carlsbad,
California, came to my attention at about the turn of this century. I traded
trees with a distant cousin, and there, smack dab in the middle of a lot of
generic, not particularly Jewish-sounding names was “Yeruchem” married to “Nechama”
and the two had a large number of offspring, all the children having Hebrew or
Yiddish names.
This was interesting, because until
now, my two siblings and I had been the only orthodox people in the family. I had to know more about
this new third cousin, so I asked for contact information and sent off an
email. Thus began a two-decade long relationship with the Eilfort family, who
visit us whenever they make the trip to Israel.
Nechama and Yeruchem on their most recent visit to Jerusalem in January, 2020.
Now you could have knocked me over with a feather when I learned that Yeruchem
was a Chabad rabbi. Chabad would seem to be the last place a descendant of the
Kopelman clan would find a home. This family’s history is steeped in the
Lithuanian yeshiva tradition, sort of the anti-Chabad. Our families, however, like
so many other Jewish American families, had become more secular after many years
in the West. And when Yeruchem and my siblings and I found our separate ways back to the
traditions, he found his way back, like so many others before him, through
Chabad.
Yeruchem and Nechama were my
cousins on paper, but in time came to feel like true family. We have shared
values. And we kind of just hit it off.
The seed for the following
interview was planted in the wake of Poway and the murder of Lori Kaye, HY”D.
Naturally, when I heard the news of Poway, I worried about the Eilforts and wondered
how close they were to Poway. Now it seemed, we’d both been hit a little too
close to home: the Eilforts in Carlsbad, so close to Poway, and me with the
Tree of Life massacre where my former up-the-street neighbor, Mrs. Mallinger, HY”D,
had been killed, so close to my childhood home. I decided to speak to Yeruchem
to hear what he had to say about antisemitism and what steps he’d taken to
secure his community:
Varda Epstein: Can you talk a bit about how you came to Chabad? About
your wife and family?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: I came to
Chabad through Camp Gan Israel, the worldwide Chabad camp system. It showed me
that everything I had previously learned about Judaism wasn’t actually true and
that Yiddishkeit was not something reserved for history books, weekends in the
synagogue, or afternoons in Hebrew School. Instead the Chabad camp experience showed
me that Judaism was about life and how we live it.
My wife comes from a long line
of Chabad Chasidim. Her grandmother, a’h, was a Yerushalmi [Native Jerusalemite
- V.E.] and came from a line of Yerushalmim dating way back. Her grandfather
came from Russia and studied in the Lubavitch Yeshiva in Lubavitch before going
to Chevron [Hebron – V.E.] and learning at the Lubavitch Yeshiva there before
the 1929 massacres.
Regarding our family, we have
eight children, five of whom are married, and we have, Baruch Hashem, twelve
grandchildren, Baruch Hashem! Of the five married couples four of them are on Shlichut,
Baruch Hashem.
The Eilfort family
Varda Epstein: When did you receive your Shlichut in Carlsbad?
Can you explain how that works?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: After
we got married in 1988 we were offered a position in Irvine, which we took
after a few months of living in Brooklyn. The Rebbe, ztz’l, gave us his
blessings to go on Shlichut. A year later we came to Carlsbad in the
summer of 1990. We came to this area for the opportunity to start a new
community.
Upon our arrival in San Diego,
my wife and I immediately started building our community. We went to the local
public library and used the phone book to call Jewish sounding names. We had a
meeting in a family’s living room and engaged the attendees in conversation to
determine how we could be of service to them.
We started by offering High
Holiday services in a local hotel. Then we started having Hebrew school in a
family’s living room. Then we held Shabbat services in various people’s homes
on a monthly basis. By the following summer we moved permanently to the area
and held services in our home every Shabbat.
Quickly we outgrew our house
and needed to rent a space that would become our Chabad House. After 20 years
we were finally able to purchase our property and then we built our building,
which is approximately 12,000 square feet located on two stories.
Chabad at La Costa in the early days.
Chabad at La Costa today.
Varda Epstein: Can you tell us a bit about what it’s like to be a
Chabad rabbi? What are your duties? Your wife Nechama’s duties? What is a
typical day in the life of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Eilfort? How many people do you
serve?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: Being a
Chabad Rabbi entails wearing many hats. It is a different system where
everything is the responsibility of the Rabbi. I am responsible to raise the
money and pay the bills in addition to giving classes, conducting davening/services, counseling,
fulfilling pastoral-type duties, and making sure the building is in good order.
There are fixed classes that I give every day, but other than that my schedule
is extremely flexible. I spend a lot of time writing – it is one of my
passions, and Baruch Hashem, I am able to spend time learning every day. I also
try not to neglect myself so my wife and I walk daily.
On a typical day I get up
around 5am, I read the news, walk, learn, teach, daven, learn some more, and then by 10am begin my more mundane
duties. Usually, if I don’t have an evening class, I am pretty wiped out by
10-11pm. We oversee three communities touching about 500 Jewish families
regularly, but there are many more who are at least peripherally engaged. We
also are involved with numerous non-Jewish families who are genuinely
interested in the Torah and Judaism.
Varda Epstein: How has all that changed with coronavirus? After all,
Chabad is known for outreach, for being hands-on and very social. What is the
impact of the global pandemic on Chabad and on you and Nechama and your
congregation in particular?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: The
coronavirus has forced us into finding new ways to touch and inspire people. It
is not all bad (actually, I am a big believer in ‘Gam zu l’tovah!’
[This is also for the good – V.E.]. We have taken our classes online and
created the Chabad
Virtual Academy.
We have, in fact, tripled the
number of classes that we offer. It has been extraordinarily difficult to
fulfill many of the duties clergy typically offer. We have had to ‘think
outside of the box’ a great deal. For instance, we now deliver weekly “Challah
and Chicken Soup (penicillin for the Jewish soul)” on Erev Shabbat [Literally “Sabbath Eve,” here means Friday afternoon – V.E.], which people love. Many people, who are out of work, volunteer to make
the deliveries plus our three Rabbi/Rebbetzin teams do many deliveries.
Challoh rolls
Chicken soup
Shabbos food awaiting delivery
"We do 25 soups and 32 bags of challahs (2 smallish rolls in each) on average. Sometimes a few more," says Rebbetzin Nechama Eilfort. "My daughter and daughter in-law (Muka Rodal, Chabad of Carlsbad N, and Chaya Eilfort, Chabad of Encinitas) designed the labels. "The people who receive these packages range from some dealing with chemo to others who miss shul so much that this gives a Shabbos feeling to the people we want to connect with. There are about 12 families who get a delivery every week."
We do house visits where we
stand by the sidewalk and the people we visit stand by their doorways and we
schmooze. We make a point of continually calling people so that our connection
remains strong.
Pesach was ‘different’ as we
were not able to offer Community Sedarim for the first time in 30 years.
So instead we developed a ‘Seder to Go’ program where we delivered all of the seder
ingredients and a how-to guide to hundreds of local families. We did the same
for Shavuot, though we did offer services to a minimal number of people -
scrupulously keeping the governmental guidelines, like having the minyan [quorum]
outside in our breezeway and making sure the chairs were distanced and everyone
wore masks that we provided.
This is a challenging time, no doubt, as many people have lost their jobs and are scared. We made a giant banner that we posted in front of our building, “This Too Shall Pass!” And it will.
A sign, "This too shall pass" was put up outside the shul to give people hope during the coronavirus epidemic.
Varda Epstein: How far away is your congregation from Poway? How did
the news of what happened there come to you and your congregation? What did
that feel like? What was/is the effect on your congregation? Have you
rebounded?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: We are
located about 30 miles away from Poway. The shooting happened on Acharon
shel Pesach [last day of Passover –
V.E.]. We were just starting Yizkor [memorial service – V.E.]
when a Carlsbad police car pulled into our lot.
My wife, who was outside, went
over to ask what was going on. Details were very murky at first but as time
went on we found out what had happened. It felt like I had been punched in the
gut.
That night, motzee Yom Tov [with the conclusion of the holiday – V.E.],
my wife and I went to the hospital to visit Rabbi and Rebbetzin Goldstein. We
brought several pizzas with us, as it was Rabbi Goldstein’s custom to make
pizzas at the end of Pesach for his family. She was shaky (and who can blame
her?). He was steady, though it is impossible to understand how. We were in a
state of shock. We knew the victims and we knew the community well. And, when
it hits that close to you, you cannot help but think, “There but for the grace
of Hashem . . .”
We immediately went into full
action mode to reassure our congregants while trying to be supportive of the
Poway community. I was honored with going to the White House as part of an
entourage of rabbis. Since that time we have had to hire an armed guard to
stand in front of our building on Shabbat and during larger events. We also
formed a security committee and had them professionally trained.
Contingent of Chabad rabbis at the White House. Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort is third from left.
Yeruchem gets this close to President Trump
We have always been very
sensitive to the need to be able to protect ourselves. We have watched and
admired how our brothers and sisters in Eretz HaKodesh [the Holy Land –
V.E.] have dealt with implacable hatred. It has now come to our shores.
Honestly speaking, this trend
started several years ago. The fact is that we are more prepared now and
stronger than ever before. Our community has been extremely resilient. I
encourage our community to be trained so that they can protect themselves and
thank G-d that I live in a country where that is still (largely) legal.
Varda Epstein: What should we, as Jews, take away from the global
pandemic? What should we be doing in response to this plague, as Jews?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: How
many pages may I use to answer? Seriously, our job as Jews has always been the
same, the only difference has been the strategies we need to employ to fulfill
our mission. Our mission is, as the Midrash states, to make this world into a
dwelling place for the Almighty. This means to reveal the fact that G-d is the
Commander-in-Chief, and that the Torah is His manual and our Constitution.
The pandemic has forced us to
expand our minds and use ever-more creative means in bringing the Torah to the
Jewish people and the world. This offers us the opportunity to really stretch
our minds and consciousness in finding ways to be ‘there’ for the Jewish
people.
I think that people’s minds are
opening up to new possibilities because all of their old assumptions and their
comfort zones are being challenged. The shell of the seed has to rot before the
true growth potential found within can grow. I cannot help but think these are
the birth pangs of Moshiach’s [Chabad-speak
for “Mashiach,” the Messiah – V.E.] speedy arrival!
Selfie of Nechama Eilfort at the yearly Kinus Hashluchos, the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries. I asked Nechama to describe this event. She wrote: "Three thousand women descend on Crown Heights, both shluchos and baale batim for the lay leader program. There are 11 concurrent workshops all day, on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, with farbrengens on Friday night and Shabbos. (This year I arrived a day early for a Kallah Teacher Training course that I am taking. We had Halacha and medical professionals 8am - 8pm on Wednesday as well.) The workshops focus on family, mental health, Halacha, hashkafa, and learning. There's separate programming for the Shluchos and lay leaders. There are also sheitel macher booths, vendors, and this year, a carrot juice bar and a bakery (think cheesecake!) that set up the entire weekend to feed us baked goods that they sell par-baked and can ship anywhere."
Varda Epstein: Why has antisemitism proliferated in recent years? Do
you think coronavirus has helped or hurt this situation?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: I think
antisemitism has proliferated in recent times due to numerous considerations,
not least of which is the internet. The readily available antisemitism of the
fringe groups (on the left and right) can enter every household. Of course the
potential goodness brought about through technology is also proliferating. The
greater the potential good something brings, the greater the potential evil
that same thing can bring.
This means that we must double
and redouble our efforts to make people understand how beautiful and beneficial
Judaism really is. We must make people into “Judeophiles,” lovers of Judaism.
I believe that coronavirus has
exacerbated the antisemitism. Whenever there is increased pressure, people who
have a predisposition to the fringe are more likely to actually move into that
fringe. When people suffer they look for reasons and often scapegoats.
Unfortunately some feel the
need to find others who they can blame for their misfortune. The Jews are an
easy target in that we stand out, we are relatively few in number, and we are
disproportionately successful. That is why we have to be exceedingly careful
lest we cause a chilul Hashem [Desecration
of God’s name – V.E.].
The interior of Chabad at La Costa, in Carlsbad, California
Aaron HaKodesh (Holy Ark) at Chabad at La Costa
Varda Epstein: Why does antisemitism exist?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: The
Torah says that Esav hates Yaakov, but does not tell us why. I imagine that
there it is a combination of factors behind antisemitism. Factors like
jealousy, fear of the unknown, and ingrained behaviors all play a part.
Sometimes, when one has an active conscience that constantly ‘nudges’ him/her
to do more, he/she can come to hate that conscience.
I think that in some way
antisemitism helps us remember that our mission is not yet complete and helps
prevent us from becoming comfortable in this dark galut [exile – V.E.].
The welcoming exterior of Chabad at La Costa, at night.
Varda Epstein: Can you talk a bit about the origins of the push for
bail reform in New York? Do you think the new legislation has made things
worse?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: I am
not an expert on this subject and do not know too much about it. The Torah commands
us to be empathetic and sympathetic; it demands ‘colorblind’ justice. However,
there seems to be a strong push in this country to try to explain and justify
unlawful behavior. When duly constituted laws are denigrated, a whole slew of
negative repercussions follow.
The current riots are a perfect
example of this. People are reacting emotionally instead of objectively to what
happened to George Floyd. It appears that he was tragically murdered by a
policeman who had him already subdued. The policeman should face the full
consequences of his actions, and I believe he will.
But as awful as police
brutality is, it is not widespread and when it does occur, other policemen
should not be indicted for the sin of the one or the few. Likewise it does not
justify the wanton destruction and lawlessness that we are seeing. I am all for
giving a person a second chance, but not at the expense of the safety of
law-abiding citizens.
Varda Epstein: It’s easy for Jews, as victims, to point fingers and say
what others should do about antisemitism. Is there something Jews can do about
it on a personal level, other than taking security measures?
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort: I would
recommend the advice offered by the Rebbe [the late Grand Rabbi of Chabad,
Menachem Schneerson, ztz’l – V.E.] as to how to counter antisemitism. We must
all become a dugmah chaya, a living example of how a Jew is to live. By
so doing we make people pro-Jewish, for they will clearly see the blessings we
bring to the world when we fulfill the divine commandments!
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
This is just from the Arab media. There is a great deal more in English, in mainstream and social media.
Some of the stories being told are exaggerated or even false. But there are still religious Jews, today, who think that they are holier than everyone else, who feel that the rules don't apply to them. I know there was a large outdoor minyan in Staten Island on Saturday. I know there is a daily minyan still in Flatbush. One can't even keep track of the many other stories of engagement parties, funerals and weddings that occurred in recent weeks in Jewish communities.
If there is a definition of a chilul Hashem - "an act that brings discredit or reflects badly on the Torah, Torah scholars, the Jewish religion, or the Jewish people" - this is it.
Sure, some non-Jews are seen doing the same thing. That is not an excuse.
Sure, some of the publicized issues turned out not to be true. That doesn't excuse the ones that are.
Sure, there are antisemites around who are willing to exaggerate anything bad Jews do. But that isn't reason to defend it - it is reason to go above and beyond to ensure that no one has even an excuse to denounce Jews during this time.
Sure, it is only a tiny percentage of religious Jews violating the rules - but that tiny number's actions have effects that end up with people dying and there is clearly not enough peer pressure in those communities to stop it.
STOP MAKING EXCUSES.
Can you blame non-Jews, especially those who live nearby the Jews who spit on the rules, for being angry?
Some of my irresponsible Jewish brothers are not only dragging the name of all Jews through the mud - they are directly complicit in the deaths of too many prominent Jewish leaders already.
Here is a graph of the number of known cases in New Jersey communities with large Jewish populations over the past couple of weeks.
Teaneck Jewish leaders all instituted strict rules against gatherings on March 12, days before it was mandated by the state. Stories of Lakewood violations continued well into last week. Toms River and Jackson are satellite communities of Lakewood, but with a smaller percentage of Jews in the general population.
One does not need to be a math genius to see the difference in slopes between the major Jewish community that took action immediately and the ones that dragged their feet.
If there were similar statistics available for Borough Park and Monsey and Kiryas Yoel, I bet their curves would resemble Lakewood more than Teaneck.
Please, please, fellow Jews - don't try to be "frummer" than your very leaders who are telling you to stay home. You aren't doing any mitzvos with your davening (prayer) - quite the opposite.
All of these tragedies were preventable. We are all responsible for one another.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
On Sunday, after I noted that as of Friday the two New Jersey towns with the highest religious Jewish populations also had the highest number of coronavirus cases, I tweeted that I was very concerned about what would happen in Lakewood this week:
While the vast majority of religious Jews in Lakewood have been taking the social distancing guidelines seriously, there have been reports up through yesterday of some Jews ignoring the rules and continuing to hold gatherings - yesterday for a bat mitzvah on a lawn and a school bus filled with kids caught traveling (this was not true), and another school caught with 35 people inside.
Teaneck, on the other hand, has been - to all reports - taking the rules very seriously since March 12.
So, sadly, Lakewood has just zoomed past Lakewood and other New Jersey towns with a hundred new cases in just 24 hours.
Here is the chart mapping five communities with significant numbers of Orthodox Jews - Toms River is essentially a suburb of Lakewood and Clifton a suburb of Passaic, with the Jewish community traveling in the same social circles.
Teaneck's curve shows social distancing works.
Lakewood has been more lax and we are seeing the results now - and they will get much worse in the future. The Lakewood incidents are fueling a huge increase in antisemitism online, so much so that the governor of the state has denounced it along with anti-Asian bigotry.
Jews are dying today because too many on their community laughed off the risk since it became apparent that shuls and schools would have to close.
Within days, it will become common knowledge that the hotbed of coronavirus in NJ is in a town most people never heard of that is filled with religious Jews. The very name Lakewood, instead of being synonymous with Torah learning as it is now, will become associated with the few Jews who decided that they can ignore the government and their own religious leaders, and thereby endanger everyone else.
This minority that think they are above the rules is hurting all religious Jews in the United States. It is a massive chilul Hashem.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
I was upset when I saw Brant Rosen, a Reconstructionist-ordained anti-Zionist rabbi, suggest that Jews should say Psalms for Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Sickeningly, this was retweeted by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.
I responded:
I challenge you to show me a SINGLE war crime under international law that Israel has committed in Gaza since Monday, @rabbibrant.
Israel's allowed to attack military targets. Israel's allowed to kill terrorists while minimizing civilian deaths. So what are the crimes? https://t.co/YQYD742YNz
A day later I tweeted out two articles (Distinction and Proportionality) I wrote in 2014 about Gaza and international law, pointing out that people who claim Israel is guilty of war crimes simply do not know a thing about international law. I tagged Rosen.
He responded, instead of answering my question, by trying to ask me a "gotcha" question:
Prove to me that the Israeli military tries to “minimize casualties.”
Leaflets? Phone calls? Comparison with civilian/militant ratio in any similar conflicts in history in urban areas? Reading Israel's MAG reports? Testimony of hundreds of IDF soldiers?
Are you that completely clueless? Or is it on purpose that you don't educate yourself?
I didn't even mention roof knocking, or that US military brass come to Israel to learn how to minimize casualties, or the reports from major military figures worldwide that assert that no one does more than Israel to minimize civilian casualties.
People like Brant Rosen use Electronic Intifada as their Torah and Philip Weiss as their prophet. For someone to call himself a rabbi and yet revel in his ignorance about a conflict that he spends so much time opining on is mind blowing.
The mentality of Jewish haters of Israel could fill a psychology textbook.
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Wednesday, March 01, 2023
Elder of Ziyon
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