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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 22:11 04/09/2007 Bringing Torah to the broadcasters By Asaf Carmel Tags: IBA "The Torah scroll we placed in the Israel Broadcasting Authority protects all of the Jewish people and especially the workers who must utter words from the mouth, that they should issue pure and holy words. A person can kill with one wrong word. Bloodshed is not just stabbing a knife in the back and the Torah scroll can certainly influence how the reporters speak. Even if one has to say unpleasant things on television, one should know how to say them." The speaker is Uri Revah, a Channel One reporter and an ardent Chabad follower. Recently, he arranged to house a Torah scroll in the Broadcasting Authority's synagogue, located in his office in the Channel One building in Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood. Last Tuesday, there was a festive ceremony to celebrate the arrival of the Torah scroll. Director General Mordechai Shklar and several dozen workers and attended the ceremony, and for some reason, it was also attended by politicians Eli Yishai (Shas), Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party-National Union) and Rabbi Yosef Ba-Gad, a former Moledet MK. In his speech, Yishai congratulated Shklar "who since assuming the post has brought Torah, and now a Torah scroll, to the authority." The truth of the matter is that the director general reaped congratulations that were not his due, as Revah began his efforts to strengthen Jewish values at the Broadcasting Authority long before the Shklar era. Tuesday's ceremony was arranged entirely by the energetic reporter, but because Shklar sponsored the event, he received a sectarian compliment that sounds bad to a secular listener and is not beneficial for him. "The authority is perceived as a stronghold of secularism that is very far removed from religious affairs," Orlev said. "Many, many struggles are needed in order for it to broadcast the true program of the Jewish people." The NRP leader also said, according to the Judaism section on the Ynet site, that this is not a minor achievement but an event that will have an impact on the entire authority until the Nakdi studio, where the ceremony took place, turns into a synagogue. "Bringing a Torah scroll to the heretical Broadcasting Authority is a great victory," Ba-Gad said. "Just like how the Satmar Hasidim did to the Zionists last week when they laid the cornerstone for their institutions on the ruins of the Edison Theater." Advertisement Broadcasting Authority executives preferred not to comment yesterday on the politicians' remarks at the ceremony. Revah said that he invited "leaders from all the factions, not just Yishai and Orlev, but also Yaakov Litzman of United Torah Judaism. And Isaac Herzog, the minister in charge of the authority, was also invited but did not attend. We thought that inviting public figures could empower the event." Why didn't you invite the heads of the various secular factions, such as the Likud or Meretz? "It is possible that we should have invited all the representatives. The next time there is an even more important event, the arrival of the Messiah, we will learn the lesson and invite the leaders of all the factions. This really was a mistake on my part, because every Jew is connected to the Torah." Revah was once secular. He became religious several years ago, when he was a Channel Two reporter and later on became the spokesman for the religious affairs minister, Asher Ohana (Shas). He returned to journalism and was hired by Channel One under former director general Yosef Barel. Revah converted his office into a synagogue, which quickly became a magnet for religious and traditional employees. Revah is a reporter for the news department and the religious broadcast division, though in practice he works only for the latter due to perceived bias in his reporting. Every Friday afternoon, he circulates among his coworkers, handing out Shabbat candles and a newsletter called, "Shabbat Shalom, the weekly for Broadcast Authority employees." The most recent Shabbat Shalom newsletter had a write-up about the ceremony marking the arrival of the Torah scroll at the Authority ("A Holy Event in the Television Building" was the headline). Another article encouraged readers to pray and study Torah ahead of Rosh Hashanah. "Studies conducted in America," the newsletter stated, "have proven that when you pray and strengthen your faith, the body's immune system is strengthened and of course, quality of life improves." "I'm not forcing anything on anyone," Revah said. "The program, 'Habayit Hayehudi' (The Jewish Home), which I participate in is also watched by people from Ramat Aviv. It has ratings that are not bad at all and has had some journalistic achievements. I have no intention of bringing people back to religious observance or teaching, just enlightening them and uncovering the spark in the broadcasts and in the television building." Several secular coworkers view Revah as a harmless curiosity. Others are very angry over what they see as missionary activity in a public workplace. "The Broadcasting Authority is a public body and there is nothing wrong with it housing a synagogue on the premises," Shklar said. "Bringing a Torah scroll to the authority is a welcome move, because a synagogue without a Torah scroll is not a synagogue." A former Broadcasting Authority senior executive thinks otherwise. "It's a scandal. It's forbidden to bring worshipers into a broadcasting facility, especially near the news department. It will start with prayers on the High Holy days, continue on regular Saturdays and then there will be a suit filed to stop broadcasting on Saturdays because it disrupts the service. So long as people sought a prayer corner in the workplace it was okay. Now they're starting to say they will pray in the Nakdi studio. Because the whole residential area around the authority is religious, who knows how it will end." Bookmark to del.icio.us Happy birthday Gloom has been banished from Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations. Reforming Judaism An international Reform movement summit in Jerusalem will tackle issues of status in Israel.   1.   Baal Teshuva Reporter 09:32  |  Shimon List 05/09/07   2.   Equality of religions and their separation from the state 11:50  |  Raffaele Ladu 05/09/07   3.   Not Chabad again, they suck 14:22  |  E. Cartman 05/09/07   4.   # 2 actually judaism is usually discriminated AGAINST 14:50  |  Jewboy 05/09/07   5.   Amusing last paragraph 16:24  |  Just A jew 05/09/07   6.   Torah and broadcasting 19:19  |  Jose R. 05/09/07   7.   Torah reminds broadcasters where responsibility lies 01:41  |  Mrs W 06/09/07   8.   You mean: lies are a responsibility 01:45  |  George 07/09/07   9.   read jewish history,j. religion by israel shahak 22:43  |  cristina 11/09/07   10.   George 06:10  |  sweis Melbourne 15/09/07   11.   Cristina and a book full of lies 22:41  |  Joanna 15/09/07

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