Former Shas leader: Secular Jews brought us 'Big Brother'
Aryhe Deri eases into politics as part of panel on education after serving time in prison for bribery.
By Yair Ettinger Tags: Shas Israel newsSecular Judaism "brought us Haskalah and maybe 'Big Brother,' but Jewish culture that provides a new Jewish language - this it did not bring," former Shas leader Aryeh Deri said on Tuesday at the annual Herzliya Conference.
Deri, who has been waiting for a long time to reenter politics after serving a prison sentence for bribery, was speaking on a panel on education along with former education minister and Labor MK Prof. Yuli Tamir, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Elazar Stern, former head of the Israel Defense Forces human resources branch and the Education Corps.
Stern, who is Orthodox, said the national Jewish camp's identification of Judaism with the Greater Land of Israel is "the tragedy of the state and the tragedy of religious Zionism."
Tamir criticized Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, which she said were insular and "built on the desire to create distance from others." As opposed to many of her friends, she said, she is not worried about the level of involvement of the ultra-Orthodox in the daily life of the country, but rather is worried that "this is a group whose Judaism is defined inwardly. It does not share with us the discussion of what Jewish education is."
"Forget about religion," Deri told Tamir, in response to her comment that "the argument is over whether one says to children 'those who don't keep the Sabbath won't get to heaven.'"
"We have a way of life and a culture from the time a child is born until 120 years of age," Deri said, "which gives content, gives life, gives us a common language. All that has disappeared. What is the fear of teaching these things? I'm not going to get into the Sabbath according to Jewish law or not according to Jewish law... Until 200 years ago, it was only religion that was the culture. Then, 200 years ago, they decided to establish some new secular Judaism. Unfortunately, this did not bring us another culture, with all due respect."
"We need there to be an educational system here where graduates will say 'I am proud to be Jewish,'" Stern said. He added that it was unfortunate that the secular educational system has since the 1990s been closed off to spokespeople from religious Zionism.
Deri offered praise for the large number of ultra-Orthodox Jews getting academic degrees and learning trades. "It's not a revolution that [will happen overnight]," Deri said, but "in a few years they will say that the ultra-Orthodox have also taken over higher education."
Deri denounced the ultra-Orthodox protesters in Jerusalem last year who he said "slander us all." The former Shas leader said he was against the demonstrations, "and you should know that most of our community is against them."
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I think Deri is the last person to preach on education. So far orthodox jewry in Israel is dividing the country in claimig they are the only Jews and we secular beings are "goyim". Until they start realizing that we are not only a religion but a State and a democratic one,where people are free to believe what they want there is nothing we can discuss. They should start following the laws of this country first and foremost.
Secular Judaism can and should be a part of Israeli Judaism. Look at Donniel Hartman Article advertised on Haaretz.com homepage. As for secular education, see the Hartman Institute Be'eri program bringing Jewish education to thousands of Israeli HS students these days - http://beeri.hartman.org.il
And, moreover, preach to all the rest of us? There's a lot more to Judaism than observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, and studying Torah. Like, for example: "Do not steal." Apparently Der'i was absent from his Heder class when the melammed (teacher) taught the Ten Commandments.
And he is dishing out the advise ?
Simply because Leftists call him so?
There is NO doubt that 'modernization' of civilization held more than enough seductive qualities to erase half of the Jewish population to assimilation and wanting to be 'like the rest of the world'..meaning, the west. Israelis should take note of the number of Americans (like myself) that have made or are making Aliyah. Secular life in America is a farce: an empty quest for self-gratification, PERIOD. Secular society has NO potential to make a person a better human being, NONE. But our "culture", our religion, in the most minute form, DOES. The arguement is not about keeping Shabbat. Its about...why people don't want to. The answer is simple: an easy, lazy life to do whatever you want, whenever you want. How good of a person can that make you?
And what has Shas taught us: That it is OK to steal public money as long as you give the majority of your ill-gotten gains to a Shas institution. I'll never forget Deri's brother saying something like - So what if he stole, he gave 90% to the yeshiva. If Deri is allowed back into politics, we might as well give it all to the Arabs.
What a nerve this guy has. If he and his Shas buddies represent Judaism we should all convert.
It's very clear what negative spiritual and cultural curses both camps (secular and Haredi) have have brought to the Jewish nation. The secular have brought us doubt, fear, spiritual confusion, and they justify it by their sacrifice for the land of Israel. The Haredim by showing only repulsion to their secular brothers have alienated them and disgraced Judaism by refusing to contribute to the security of the Jewish people, and they justify it by remaining true in their eyes to Jewish historical truth. Both have to do repentance, for their intolerable faults, for there to be any unity.
"Until 200 years ago, it was only religion that was the culture" Really? Deri argues with his ignorance. 1.Religion is part of human culture, not the opposite. 2. The Haskala movement that began 200 years ago freed Jews of the confines of the ghettos. It gave us the means to fight for and achieve better lives, emancipation under the law, equality and statehood among the nations. 3. When in power, Deri abused the state and abused religious and human ethics. Who is he to preach "his" culture, whether to other believers or to the secular sector of our society? Yes, OUR society.
Deri brought us the ultimate big brother by showing examples of leadership through the prison system. He spent his time and w still has the chutzpah to preach moral fortitude. Political blackmail is an amazing standard for Deri to criticize Big Brother By the way I am not a fan but believe in freedom of choice.
Sadly we have forgotten that HaShem declared for us to be a "light to the world" in all things. We are supposed to be an example how to govern and live. We instead divide ourslves instead of working toward His Goal.
Superstition, racism, homophobia, misogyny, refusal to work for living, tax evasion, refusal to recognize the democratic State and its apparatus, ghettoization, child abuse, - In short, the Haredim are slowly choking the Israeli people and State from within. The more they take over in the goverment (which they don't truly recognize anyway because the "Messiah" didn't create it), the more Israel will slide into theocracy, which will lead to its collapse. The demographic time bomb is NOT from the Israel's Muslim Arab citizens, it's from the Haredim!
It's when you do good and not bad to a fellow Jew that it's all about. Not philosophizing nor idealizing above the individual act that can make you and your people or break you and your people.
"... the national Jewish camp's identification of Judaism with the Greater Land of Israel is "the tragedy of the state and the tragedy of religious Zionism."
It is true. Israelis are melting into a puddle of fatuous hedonism and effeminacy, as typified by shows like Big Brother. However, orthodox Judaism is definitely not the answer.