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MK Zevulun Orlev. (Uriah Tadmor/Jini)
Last update - 20:11 15/03/2008
Rightist rabbis urge 'measure for measure' revenge on foes
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Jerusalem, Mercaz Harav 

A group of rightist rabbis on Wednesday called on Jews to avenge their enemies 'measure for measure,' a day after news reports circulated of an alleged yeshiva plot to strike a senior Arab official in retaliation for the terror attack at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva last week.

In notices posted along Jerusalem's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, near the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, the rabbis wrote: "Each and everyone is required to imagine what the enemy is plotting to do to us, and to match it measure for measure.

The rabbis' announcement calls on Jews "to work to create a proper Jewish leadership," and envisions the day when "Jews will congregate in thei cities... and strike those who wish upon them ill," - in reference to a verse from the Book of Esther, which will be read next week on the Purim holiday.
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The announcement also urges Jews to "go forward with blessed local actions as well."

The long list of rabbis who signed the notice includes Daniel Staveski, Itzhak Shapira, David Drukman, Yaakov Yossef - son of Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef - and Uzi Sharbaf, who killed several Arab college students in Hebron 20 years ago and was recently pardoned from a life sentence.

The list of rabbis also includes figures who are linked to the ultra-right Kach movement which was banned in 1994.

The statement also says that the massacre at the yeshiva was "the direct result of the lack of a proper government, which should have acted according to the 'Shulkhan Arukh' (a 16th century rabbinical codex) which states that one must not forgive goyim who harm Jews or their property."

"The governing leaders have decided to appease the Arab enemy. Only the real Jewish leadership can send the country to war knowing that it is a righteous battle against the enemies of Israel and God."

"In going to war," the rabbis write, "the Cohen fills the people with motivation by giving him the knowledge that he is going to fight his enemies and he must not show compassion or mercy."

Rabbi Gadi Ben-Zimra, one of the Rabbis who signed the statement, told Haaretz that the message did not refer to private acts of vengeance since avenging the dead is the job of the proper Jewish leadership that must be established.

Regarding the 'blessed local actions', Ben Zimra said that they were referring to the return to Gush Katif and Homesh and not revenge.

"Private vengeance is damaging and I for one am not calling for it," Zamra said. "I don?t think that this message implies that one must go out and get revenge."

MK Orlev: Reports of yeshiva revenge plot 'malicious slander'

Earlier Wednesday, MK Zevulun Orlev demanded that the Public Security Ministry investigate the validity of the television reports claiming that students from the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, where an Israeli Arab gunman killed eight students last Thursday, were planning a revenge attack against a senior Arab official affiliated with a Jerusalem mosque.

Orlev, of the National Religious Party - National Union, said late Tuesday that any suspects in the alleged affair must be investigated, but suggested that there could be figures out there looking to "blemish religious Zionism" and the stricken yeshiva in its hour of grief.

Channel 1 television reported Tuesday that three yeshiva alumni met at the school with two rabbis to discuss whether Jewish law would permit such an attack.

The television channel reported that one of the rabbis gave his blessing for the attack, and an additional rabbi from a Tel Aviv suburb also gave his approval for the attack.

The attack has not been carried out and no arrests have been made, Channel 1 quoted security sources as saying.

Following release of the reports, Orlev said he suspected the allegations were an attempt to slander the religious Zionism movement.

"I turned urgently to Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and said that if there are any apparent suspects in revenge plots, they should be detained and investigated," Orlev said.

"And if there are none - then maybe there is someone interested in blemishing religious Zionism and the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in such particularly difficult hours when we are all hurting and all grieving."

The MK demanded that if suspicions of such a plot could not be confirmed, both the movement and the yeshiva deserved an apology.

"If there are suspects, and it is almost certain that there are none, please apologize to religious Zionism, apologize to the yeshiva, because that would be malicious slander, evil slander - so either arrest or apologize."

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  • Report: Yeshiva graduates plan revenge attack against Arab figure
  • 8 die in terror attack on J'lem yeshiva
  • Mercaz Harav - the flagship of national-religious yeshivas
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      1.   The Yeshiva Is Now Considering A Libel Suit 08:48  |  Yishai Kohen 12/03/08
      2.   #1 of course they will win it 10:57  |  Adrian de Klerk 12/03/08
      3.   Evidence of Sternhell effect 11:14  |  Ilan 12/03/08
      4.   If It Looks, Smells, and Tastes Like Champaign... 11:56  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 12/03/08
      5.   So how do Orlev et al account for this? 12:22  |  Esther 12/03/08
      6.   But its ok for Shas to incite violence and slander 12:44  |  SJ 12/03/08
      7.   Esther: Do You Really Think That If People Were Planning This... 12:48  |  Yishai Kohen 12/03/08
      8.   It is called appeasing arabs terror 12:59  |  Joseph . E 12/03/08
      9.   Rightist/leftist we are all Jews are we not? 13:00  |  Harvey (Chaim) 12/03/08
      10.   What`s wrong with calling to revenge? 13:02  |  Vitaly 12/03/08
      11.   Keep the fight 13:04  |  Judah the Lion 12/03/08
      12.   merca Haarev,is reportedly not a regular religions school & is 13:13  |  lakshmi 12/03/08
      13.   WRONG,WRONG and WRONG!!!!! 13:15  |  AliciaYasmeen 12/03/08
      14.   am I mistaken or didn`t the "IDF" 13:17  |  samos 12/03/08
      15.   Media Agents Provocateur 13:21  |  Gideon Reader 12/03/08
      16.   G-D would not seek revenge, He´d go for Justice! 13:23  |  AliciaYasmeen 12/03/08
      17.   The Jewish religion and Islam are facing the same problem..... 13:23  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/03/08
      18.   One Must Not Forgive the Goyim 13:25  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
      19.   Don`t feed in to the hands of extremists 13:31  |  Bryan 12/03/08
      20.   Re Yishai #7 13:35  |  Esther 12/03/08
      21.   Channel 1 should be closed for encitement. Shabak investigated. 13:38  |  Alan 12/03/08
      22.   Suspicious. Shabak working behind the scenes. Read this:...... 13:40  |  John the Priest 12/03/08
      23.   Yishai Kohen On what is forbidden 13:50  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
      24.   For Bryan No. 19 13:51  |  Harvey (Chaim) 12/03/08
      25.   Push Left Swing Right. 13:52  |  Gilad 12/03/08
      26.   PA Media Calls for Violent Destruction of Israel? but Abbis is OK 13:53  |  Stright Talk 12/03/08
      27.   The Seed Has Been Planted 13:55  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
      28.   Secular Jews: Your government is trying to distract you 13:55  |  Ilan 12/03/08
      29.   Rightist rabbis urge Jews to avenge enemies "measure for measure" 13:55  |  Elinka 12/03/08
      30.   What the rabbies really mean? 13:58  |  Anne 12/03/08
      31.   Good initiative take out Tali Fahima first 14:17  |  arthur 12/03/08
      32.   # 17 Swiss (Dino) "Your prejudice against Judaism 14:20  |  Joseph . E 12/03/08
      33.   Sullivan: You`re A LONG Way From Being A Rabbi 14:29  |  Yishai Kohen 12/03/08
      34.   And who appointed these Chabbad rabbis as our spokesmen? 14:38  |  Mercaznik 12/03/08
      35.   Where did u read this lakshmi? National Inquirer or Vanity Fair? 14:39  |  Figaro 12/03/08
      36.   Why are these Radical Religious Terrorists allowed to walk free.? 14:46  |  POP 12/03/08
      37.   Jewish Teliban 14:46  |  SJ 12/03/08
      38.   Yishai Kohen on my being a rabbi 14:47  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
      39.   "Measure for measure"? Look at the casualty statistics 15:04  |  Tarik 12/03/08
      40.   Extremism is an evil we should condemn not revenge 15:22  |  Charlotte 12/03/08
      41.   Sullivan: You`re No Convert Either 15:29  |  Yishai Kohen 12/03/08
      42.   I`m All For `Measure for Measure` 15:41  |  DoubleClick 12/03/08
      43.   Yishai Kohen is indeed a liar and spreader of slander 16:02  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
      44.   Can`t forgive "goyim" 16:52  |  Patrick 12/03/08
      45.   41 Yishai. Shame on you! 17:01  |  shades of a charade 12/03/08
      46.   Yaakovs deranged world 17:03  |  Danite 12/03/08
      47.   Watch them 17:06  |  Danite 12/03/08
      48.   POP loves Hamas 17:09  |  judith 12/03/08
      49.   Has everyone forgotten Innocence? 17:20  |  Ashamed 12/03/08
      50.   To Ashamed 17:46  |  Anne 12/03/08
      51.   # 32 Joseph. E (1) 18:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/03/08
      52.   danite please read before you speak 18:05  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
      53.   #12 - lakshmi 18:08  |  MichaelF 12/03/08
      54.   # 32 Joseph E. (2) 18:13  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/03/08
      55.   A Jewish Message Of Self Defense 18:20  |  Norman F Birnberg 12/03/08
      56.   THAT SCHOOL SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN 18:58  |  johnj 12/03/08
      57.   #55 19:20  |  A.M. 12/03/08
      58.   #55, Norman F Birnberg`s stone-age standard of the "civilized" 19:35  |  zmogus 12/03/08
      59.   This sounds like a call for mass murder, doesn`t it? 19:35  |  newageblues 12/03/08
      60.   # 51 , # 54 Swiss (Dino) "You`re are an appeaser at the expense 19:41  |  Joseph . E 12/03/08
      61.   # 18 Sullivan is a plain mashuga . 19:46  |  TOMY 12/03/08
      62.   TOMY,TOMY,TOMY,TOMY #61 20:42  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/03/08
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