Comments on Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Religious Violence

Sadly, I do not expect any response from the Chare...

2008-07-16T21:38:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I do not expect any response from the Charedi world. In general, like all Fundamentalists, they suffer from a persecution complex allied to an unshakeable belief that they are right and everyone else is wrong. And, thank goodness, their violence is limited to a fringe.

They will not engage in debate as a rule and their favourite tools of argument are abuse.

I criticise an intensive expression of Judaism that I love, where I feel aspects of its current manifestation are distortions that, if left unchallenged, might lead to a sort of mutation instead of evolution! I guess that's provocative terminology too!! Another point of view needs to be expressed, even if not listened to!

Thank you for the clarification Rabbi Rosen. Sorr...

2008-07-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the clarification Rabbi Rosen. Sorry that so far no Orthodox Jew have responded to your posting.... I do hope that you are not fighting a rearguard action on this.

In respect of the day's events - words fail -as always, when faced with such (expected) hypocrisy & doublespeak; not only from the perpetrators - but also from those who would claim to be brokering peace.

One cannot imagine how their families long nurtured hopes over the last 2 years have been dashed to naught.

Graham

Indeed, I do agree that such violence in the Jewis...

2008-07-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

Indeed, I do agree that such violence in the Jewish fundamentalist camp is far less worrying than the sadistic cruelty and murder one sees in certain Muslim quarters. Just today we face the reality of Hezbollah's inhumanity, discovering it murdered the two Israeli captives. We have, sadly, always known they tortured, mutilated, and killed captives, and are as such beneath contempt, but the rest of the world idealizes such cruelty or ignores it. However evil Guantanamo may be, it is a holiday camp compared to what these savages get up to.

Well, having got that off my chest to your other point. My concern is that the Charedi world is the only area in Judaism that is growing exponentially in numbers and power. It threatens to dominate the religious world and is, itself, being commandeered by extremists (not all Charedis, by any means, are regressives, and on the contrary there is much there that is invaluable). This tends to happen in all fundamentalist movements. Therefore it is important to highlight the degree of its mutations and reinforce the idea that Orthodoxy need not be this way.

These events - thankfully almost unreported outsid...

2008-07-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

These events - thankfully almost unreported outside of Jewish sources - are well, pathetic.

Still, I can live with this type of religiously inspired idiocy better than when youg people blow themselves & those around them, up in public places.

What makes me a teeny-weeny uneasy though is when you (as a pretty dang cool Rabbi) write:

"There is something rotten in the state of Torah."

or

"it is clear to me that Torah Judaism is in deep trouble"

for that already suggests that the Haredi have become the main or at least a very key authority in aforementioned religion - which is much older than the Haredi

Most of my secular Israeli friends regard Haredi as nutcases. I listen but as much of my Jewish religious related literature originates from Haredi sources.. I decline to comment.

So how far does the obligation a religious Jew has or may feel to have towards the Haredi go - and at what point shall it cease?

I think that religious "inspiration" is best discovered & pursued in private - not dictated by the rules laid down by an institution - however much loved?

Such inspiration is going on everywhere - as I write - so why do a handfull of young men - acting silly and being a disappointment to all & sundry - threaten the religion as a whole?

Graham