The wane of democracy: the rise and fall of the Israeli republic

David Druckman, the high rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin, believes that the Sharon government is a sinful government. Last week he called on the public to pray for its fall. Druckman told Nana that he is calling for Sharon 's blood "so he can go back to his cows, sheep, and rabbits."

What did Rabbi Zvi Yehuda say about a civil war?

A pamphlet being distributed in Judea, Samaria , and the Gaza Strip quotes Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook's thoughts about remaining in the territories

Two rabbis travel in car trunk to avoid touching women

Rabbis are keen to observe sexual segregation, and they try to avoid touching foreign women completely, but two rabbis from Ofakim recently took things a little too far.

The dangers of the rabbis’ declaration

The Talmudic saying, "If someone comes to kill you, kill him first," was quoted in a joint statement issued by the heads of the Hesder yeshivas and the Rabbinical Settlers' Council in response to this week's pilots' letter

Rabbis of Pikuach Nefesh propose making the death of our generation's Hitler a holiday

In a statement published today, rabbis with Pikuach Nefesh said, "We should make the day of Arafat's death a holiday

Rejoice at the death of the wicked

Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva and rabbi of the Beit El settlement, issued a religious injunction this morning on Arafat's death:

"Although the Holy Book says that we should not rejoice at the death of our enemies, not all enemies are created equal

Attorney General: rabbi who compared the evacuation of settlements with the agreement with the Nazis will not be investigated

Attorney General Mani Mazuz has decided not to launch a criminal investigation against Rabbi David Hai Hacohen from Bat Yam , who compared the evacuation of settlements with Nazi actions under the Treaty of Munich.

Rabbi Wosner: salvation has not come because of cell phones

Today, Rabbi Shmuel Halevi Wosner, a prominent Lithuanian religious figure, wrote in an article in Yetid Neman that the cell phone is the reason that the Messiah has not yet come.

The settlers once again taken up the incitement campaign that accompanied the Oslo Accords

In the aftermath of an increase in incidents of incitement, Peace Now warns that settlers are returning to the strategy of incitement employed during the days of the Oslo Accords

Choose a rabbi

After a Halachic injunction was issued declaring the evacuation of Gush Katif to be a crime and forbidding settlers from accepting compensations-"he who surrenders his home to a slave of the stars and planets shall be shunned"-the rabbinical leadership of Pikuach Nefesh went to Washington to mobilize support for their stance in Congress

Tali Fahima's punishment

Yesterday, I received many phone calls from various media outlets, all of which wanted me to comment on the administrative detention of Tali Fahima

Rabbi Elyashiv reveals the cause behind cancer

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, head of the Lithuanian sect and one of the most prominent Ashkenazi figures in Israel

Channel 10 reports: this is how Kahane movement members teach settlers to fight against evacuation

The images and sounds broadcast on Channel 10 yesterday from the Neve Dekalim settlement in Gush Katif might cause sleepless nights for those trying to implement the disengagement plan these days

Moving to an Arab village

Over the last two weeks, the household of the Shama family in the Galilee village of Tamra has turned into a shrine

First conference of Baruch Marzel activists held

The first conference of the Jewish National Front (Hayil), led by Baruch Marzel, convened in Jerusalem yesterday. About 100 religious and secular activists participated in discussions.

"Heightened fears of terrorist attacks by Jewish groups"

The security establishment suspects that Jewish terrorist groups are training for terrorist attacks on Arabs to thwart the disengagement plan

An interview with Kach leader Itamar Ben-Gvir: 64% of Jews support us

Kach leader Itamar Ben-Gvir walks around the Magistrate's Court in Jerusalem as if he's at home. He is defending himself

Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks: part two

Q: You know, when I entered the court to meet you, I felt how ugly and neglected it was. There was a nice church there that was an architectural monument. What would be the fate of the church in your state?

Rabbis: in modern warfare it is not necessary to differentiate between civilians and the army

Should we treat Palestinian civilians like terrorists during the war in the territories? This is what some yeshiva headmasters and other Jewish clerics believe, among them Rabbi Dov Lior, head of Rabbis' Council for Judea, Samaria , and the Gaza Strip.

The disease of racism and how to cure it

I would like to believe that if those same people who expressed their desire to have the Arabs expelled from the State of Israel in a survey by the Center for the Study of National Security at Haifa University had been asked their opinion in public rather than in a pollster's questionnaire, the results would have been different.

Poll: 11 percent of right-wingers excuse political violence

Eleven percent of Jews who consider themselves right-wing agree with the statement "when there is a national disaster and other forms of protest have not brought improvement, physically injuring politicians is forgivable," according to a University of Haifa poll released Thursday.

Leading rabbi takes militant line on disengagement

The former Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Avraham Shapira, now head of the Rabbis Union for the Land of Israel , took a strong and militant line on the disengagement plan in a letter to answer a follower's question.

I have an Arab boyfriend: we want to get married

Question

Forgive me for this question, but I met an Arab guy in a disco where I worked as a waitress, and I fell in love with him. He treats me much better than any of the Jewish boys I met. Why shouldn't I marry him? Isn't this racism?

From the destruction of the Temple to civil war

The decision to repeal the laws governing pork has disgusted religious citizens. Knesset members from Shinui and Labor are satisfied with the decision

"We should secede from Israel and form the country of Judea "

Yediot Aharonot online (Ynet) has learned that the extreme right is preparing its own disengagement plan for Sharon

The killing of innocents

Question

Greetings and peace to Rabbi Uziel Eliyahu

Dealing with Israeli Arabs

Question

To Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, may God grant him long life

Taking vengeance on Arabs through a Jewish underground organization

Question

Many greetings to the Rabbi

I saw the photos of Rafah last week

Entire neighborhoods were uprooted from the earth; not one street has been left untouched. This is, of course, the result of four years of the war against terror, not merely two weeks

Is torturing prisoners permissible?

Question

Greetings to the rabbi,

I would be very pleased if the rabbi can cite as many Jewish legal sources as possible-from the Gemara,* legal rulings, books, etc.-on the issue of torturing prisoners and the treatment of prisoners

Fears that extremist right-wing activists may crash plan on the Temple Mount

Members of the Knesset today asked Attorney General Mani Mazuz to take immediate action against right-wing activist Yehuda Etzion, convicted in the case of the Jewish terrorist underground, after he declared in a radio interview today, "It would be great to blow up the Dome of the Rock."

A plea bargain rejected for a Jew accused of terrorism in the United States

Yesterday, a federal court in California rejected a plea bargain with an American Jew accused of planning a terrorist attack on a mosque in Los Angeles and other Islamic targets. The defendant will stand trial in November

The choice of the people of Israel as the chosen people

Question

Most of us know the story of how we came to be the chosen people. When the Creator turned to one nation after another

Question

Greetings, everyone knows that today Israel controls Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, inhabited by about 100,000 Jews and two million Arabs

Question

Does the transfer that the Rabbi supports involve the expulsion of the millions of Arabs who live here, including the ones who have never done us any harm, or does it include only those who have participated in the killing?

The return of the occupied territories

Question

Should we refuse to return part of the territories despite the continued bloodshed in the country? Why?

Who's the stronger man here?

Do you remember Yehoshua Peretz? Yes, the man from the Ashdod port. At one time he was all-powerful, organizing strikes at the ports and harassing several governments. Today, he is retired, but he still has great fervor.

I like songs in Arabic

Question

Greetings, I like to listen to Arabic songs, not because of the language (which I don’t understand at all), but because of the music. Is this harmful?

It seems that civilized Jews all over the world have decided to dress up for Purim in the garb of a people who have been shocked, insulted, and frightened by Mel Gibson's new film-shocked because of the revival of the accusation that Jews killed Christ; insulted by the complicity of the Church and the civilized world in screening the disgrace

Europe dreams of a beautiful world-without Israel

Despite the growth of anti-Semitism in Europe and the fact that it is not expected to wane anytime soon, [Alain] Finkielkraut prefers not to classify the new anti-Semitism within the rubric of anti-Zionism

A question for Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and his response

Question

What does Jewish Law say about attacks on innocent Arabs, and how to treat Arabs about whom we are unsure if they have participated in crimes and want to kill us or merely want to live in peace?

Evil comes from the south

The test of peace is one of the most difficult and dangerous in the history of the Jewish people, for it gradually strips the State of  Israel of its wealth and resources

Should righteous non-Jews be killed?

Question

We rail against the destruction and murder of innocents caused by terrorists in our country. But how is this protest compatible with what Jewish rabbis have taught us about "the duty to kill righteous non-Jews?" Is there a double standard between us and them?

Kudos to Bnei Brak for responding to illegal residents

Kudos to the police and the municipality of Bnei Brak for their initiative to deport Arabs and foreign workers from Bnei Brak

Rabbi Ovadia: a popular referendum is forbidden

The Shas Party opposes conducting a popular referendum on a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, ruled Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the party's spiritual leader

Decisive proof of the truth of Judaism and Moses' Torah-despite the contradiction-is the success of Islam and Christianity in convincing millions that they are right

One of the decisive proofs of the truth of Judaism and Moses' Torah is-despite the contradiction-the success of Islam and Christianity in convincing millions that they are right. How, you may wonder

Avnery: Sharon, Mofaz, and Yaalon prefer that Hamas rule rather than a man like Arafat who is ready to make a settlement

Uri Avnery, journalist and head of the extreme left Gush Shalom, wrote in an article published on a pro-Palestinian Canadian website on Sunday (March 28) saying that Palestinian terrorist organizations

Marrying a gentile

I have an excellent relationship with my cousin in New York and we often exchange visits. She recently informed me over email that her son was about to marry a non-Jew. Another cousin told me similar news about three years ago. I gave her my best wishes for a happy life for her son, but did not attend the wedding. She grew very angry with me to the point that family relations, formerly excellent, were cut. Can you suggest how I should act this time?

Secular roommates

1. I live with secular roommates. I do not wish to force them to observe kosher dietary rules on Passover, just as I don't force them to observe these rules the rest of the year (with the exception of my own personal cooking utensils, of course). Can I simply make do with getting rid of all yeast foods, cleaning by own room, and refusing to enter the kitchen for Passover?

It will never happen

A scenario: Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French fascist leader, becomes the French Prime Minister

An open letter to President Katsav, Prime Minister Sharon, and the members of the Knesset

President Katsav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, members of the Knesset

The purity of arms: an exchange of letters

In one of our discussion groups, there was a discussion on the topic of "the purity of arms." We argued about whether it was permissible to kill defenseless people such as women and children

One benefit of arresting the murderer Saddam Hussein is the humiliation of Islam. Perhaps the arrest of that loathsome Arab will be the cornerstone of Christian-Islamic relations

Rabbi Yitzhak Brand from the Emmanuel settlement called on soldiers to lay down their lives rather than evacuate settlement outposts

As usual, Rabbi Froman participated in evening prayers at the Tekoa synagogue last Saturday. As soon as the service had finished, one of the synagogue's regular worshippers, a man in his 40s, entered carrying a rifle that he normally used on guard duty at the settlement

Hot skirts

The modesty brigade did not like the "provocative" store that sold women's clothing in the heart of Bnei Brak. The result: the store was torched. "What do they want from me?" says the store's owner. "My clothes are the most modest in the city

The youth will not fall silent

Greetings, you have entered the website of Kahane youth,

Youth concerned about the state

Jewish Fundamentalism In Israel

Ultimately, the negotiated decision was that a massively attended funeral cortege [for Baruch Goldstein-ed.] would take place in Jerusalem and that the police would close some of the busiest streets to the traffic in Goldstein's honor. Afterwards, the murderer would be buried in Kiryat Arba along the continuation of Kahane Avenue

The solution: collective punishment

Just as there could be no coexistence between the Lord and Sodom, or between the Israelites and the Amalekites, there will never be coexistence between the Israelites and Ishmaelites. God ordered us to expel them when He said the Israelites would inherit this land 

Jewish fundamentalism

Concernant les non-Juifs, les idées du rabbin Menachem Mendel Schneerson, que l'on désigne aussi sous le nom de Loubavitcher Rebbe, sont claires, même si elles sont mal ordonnées : « Le Talmud nous commande l’exécution d’un non-Juif s’il tue un embryon, même s’il s’agit d’un embryon non-juif, tandis qu’un Juif qui tue un embryon est pardonné, même si l’embryon est juif ».

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: it is permissible to kill anyone who scorns yeshiva students

Once more, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has been on the attack—this time, on members of the Mifdal [National Religious Party], who wear woven skullcaps, serve in the army, and make fun of yeshiva students because “they don’t contribute to the state.”

A Jew cannot donate his organs to a non-Jew

Rabbi Dov Lior issues a religious ruling saying a Jew can receive an organ from the body of a non-Jew but a Jew’s organs cannot be transplanted into the body of a non-Jew

The following paragraphs are taken from:
Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel

Defenders of the “Jewish interest” often attack persons who write critically about Jews and/or Judaism for not emphasizing in the same text positive features that may have nothing or little to do with the substance under focus.

The best of the Jews

Jew no. 1: Michel Friedman, vice-president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and president of the European Jewish Conference.was caught frequenting a brothel, taking cocaine, and encouraging the prostitutes to take the drugs with him.

Beginning with the death of the 35 soldiers and ending with the death of a soldier in a navy reconnaissance unit

The time has come for us to speak the politically incorrect truth: civilians—even if they are threatened or unfortunate—are not innocent. The wife of a murderer is a pitiable woman, but if the murderer uses her as a shield in order to stay alive and continue the killing, he turns her into an accomplice, even if it is against her will.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch: travel in Israel, not abroad

…It is interesting that Rabbi Moshe Ben-Maimun [Maimonides] differed with the Talmud, for he did not say “everyone who lives abroad” but “everyone who travels abroad is like a pagan worshipper,” even if he plans to return, or even if this is only for pleasure. This is what I understood from his words…

Baruch the hero

When he was asked if he agreed with [Baruch] Goldstein’s murder of innocents,* Baruch Marzel said, “I am against killing innocent people, but I did not examine the innocence of every person and I don’t know what each person had in his possession.

Theory of the Jewish race

[The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the ultra-orthodox newspaper Hamodia—ed.]
Question: According to my knowledge of the Jewish faith, they often speak of the sanctity and distinction of Israel.

Judaism before humanism

Years ago I heard a rabbi eulogizing a member of his congregation. “He was a humanistic Jew,” he said. I got angry and told the rabbi that he was either a Jew or a humanist, for these two things do not coincide. We have a Torah that teaches us how to live and care for the people of Israel, while a humanist shows concern for others before himself.

Rabbi Ginsburg: a fundamental change in the Israeli political system is needed

Yesterday, Attorney General Elyakim Rubenstein decided to prosecute Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg for racial incitement. Ginsburg is the director of Kever Yosef Yeshiva in Nablus.