Sunday, November 4, 2007

Petition Against Jiwhad in Bet Shemesh

It appears that the community in Bet Shamesh is taking action to stop the Jewish religious violence. The "Action Committee Against Violence in Beit Shemesh" has started a petition against the religious based violence occurring in Israel. Here is a quote from their website:
The Action Committee has prepared a petition against the violence and intimidation, with the help of many people, including Chareidim from Ramat Bet Shemesh Bet who are against the violence and intimidation. Our aim has been to develop a petition phrased in such a way as to condemn the violence and intimidation categorically, while also using Hebrew phraseology acceptable to even the most halachically meticulous in the Chareidi community.
I think the smartest part of their strategy is covered in the line "using Hebrew phraseology acceptable to even the most halachically meticulous in the Chareidi community."

All attacks by religious fundamentalist must be stopped. I hope they are successful in their endeavor.

Link to the petition at Shemesh.co.il:
http://www.shemesh.co.il/pet_against_violence.html

8 comments:

Miri said...

Finally! Good for them!

Beno said...

Good post. Nice to see the Orthodox are doing something to clean up the mess they've made. Maybe in 1,000,000 years they'll tear that verse about homosexuality right out of the Torah and throw it in the trash where it belongs.

I disagree somewhat about catering to the 'strictest' sects with respect to language, kashrut, conversion, religious prayer services, etc. I think it's a mistake... it gives the participants the false impression that the extremist way is really the "correct" way, since it is the way that is followed in practice. It is much better to practice on the basis of the majority in some way. For instance, a Hillel college dinner should not always have to be under Orthodox kosher supervision... it should have sometimes Reform and sometimes Conservative and sometimes Orthodox. This would serve to push the minority fundamentalists out of their comfort zone, which is how psychological change happens. (Even if they boycott those meals, it will isolate them and make them start to question their own rectitude.)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lubab No More said...

I want to remind everyone that abusive comments will be deleted. If you have an argument to make than make it. If you act like a jerk your comments will probably be removed.

Anonymous said...

"Miri said...
Finally! Good for them!"

Actually things had been done in the past too and have been effective but to a degree.

Anonymous said...

right on. I'm always surprised that some of the orthodox folk use their Torah to promote violence, which the Torah is clearly against.

does hitting a woman not count as shomer negia?

jewish philosopher said...

The real jihadis are still out there, however.

Anonymous said...

"DrJ said...
For me, one of the most difficult aspects of living in Israel is the gap between how I imagine Jews should behave ideally, and the reality."

The violence is human. Each community secular and religious have failings both in common and unique to themselves. Still I find it sad as do you. To the extent that Israel was not a "normal" state to people, it made violence lower. People went to Israel out of an idealism. Violence was more ideological in occurence than today.