Shulamit Aloni / Shas 'racial purity' policy toward migrant kids is a disgrace
Manifestations of formal racism in Israel have become reminiscent of the black days of the Spanish Inquisition.
By Shulamit Aloni Tags: Israel newsThe manifestations of formal racism in Israel have become reminiscent of the black days of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, when the authorities decided that only a Catholic could be a Spaniard.
The descendants of the Jews expelled from Spain later reestablished an independent state in which the rabbis have become the inquisitors with regard to anything involving those who do not have a Jewish mother, as well as conversion. Now those zealots who insist on racial purity have issued a call to expel from the "Jewish democratic" state (is it indeed democratic?) children who were born here and have assimilated into Israeli society. This racist campaign is being led by the Shas party, headed by Interior Minister Eli Yishai.
Since these self-righteous people, along with their rabbi, are familiar with the wisdom of Israel over the generations, there is no choice but to assume that they have chosen to ignore what is inconvenient for them. For example, that it's stated in the Tractate Kiddushin that those who have become assimilated are assimilated, and one does not make inquiries about them.
There is no doubt immigrants from the former Soviet Union who were born to a non-Jewish mother assimilate here - they speak Hebrew, receive an Israeli education, serve in the Israel Defense Forces and so forth. There is no need to torture them with sadistic conversion processes so that they can get the rights they deserve - from a country that invited them to come here and has the pretensions of being democratic.
If this is true for the Russian immigrants, shouldn't it be true to an even greater extent for the children of foreign workers who were born here, grew up here, for whom this is their country and Hebrew is their language, and who have no connection to any other country. To expel them is disgraceful - it is this disgrace that we must expel.
In the face of these demands, those who observe what happens within the ultra-Orthodox parties - the money they receive, the release of yeshiva students from the obligation to work and serve in the army - cannot fail to recall the line from Deuteronomy: "But Yeshurun grew fat and kicked."
Our present prime minister has granted them a great deal of fat; apparently his Judaism has made him crazy. It is not sufficient for him to be Israeli - even though in all the prayers one finds expressions only about the people of Israel, the God of Israel, the Torah of Israel, while the word "Jew" is never mentioned. The simple reason for this is that "Jews" are a religious ethnic group born in the Diaspora, and whose place is in the Diaspora, while we are a sovereign country where a Hebrew community existed and where today citizens of the State of Israel reside. However, during our time, the students of Jabotinsky have decided that Israel is not a democracy but in fact an ethnocracy. We have become a state subject to the authority of religious priests who despise progress, science and civil rights, and oppose granting full equality to women citizens.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fallen in love with the Judaism of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and other holy men around him, and despises the principles embodied in the founding document of the state - the "declaration of independence" that ensures the country will be developed "for the benefit of all its residents," that there will be "complete equality of rights for all citizens regardless of origin, race, religion or gender," as well as "freedom of religion and conscience." It seems our premier is convinced that democracy means elections when they need to be held and the existence of competing parties. As everyone knows, this is what they have in Iran, too.
Nevertheless, all hope is not yet lost that Netanyahu might have a sudden revelation, that he will remember the history of the people of Israel and understand that expelling workers and their children will be a stain that cannot be washed out.
If there is anyone who feels I've been too harsh in my criticism of the system - which is supposed to "keep the nation clean" according to the Orthodox version - let him examine the draft laws that have been brought before this Knesset since its election: to oblige every member of the government to swear allegiance "to the State of Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state, to its symbols and values"; to swear allegiance to the state "as a Jewish and Zionist state, and to its flag and national anthem" as a condition for receiving an ID card, even in reference to children; and to ban mentioning the Arabs' disaster and the destruction of their villages during the War of Independence. All of these policies are aimed at getting non-Jewish citizens to leave the country.
If one of the democratic countries in which Jews live were to adopt ethnocentric laws like these while enforcing a religious and nationalistic outlook, along with Christian values and symbols - as is being done here with Judaism and Jewish symbols - then all those who earn a living from accusing Gentiles of anti-Semitism would be having a ball. However, in all other democratic countries Jews are citizens with equal rights, without having to take vows or declare loyalty. They also have the right to decide what kind of Jews they want to be and how they want to get married. But here we live under religious coercion, there is no civil marriage, and the law forces us to be subject to the Orthodox rabbinate while other streams of Judaism are treated with contempt. Now they wish to tie us to "the values and symbols" of the Judaism that emanates from the study halls of Shas and the ultra-Orthodox.
It's strange that the prime minister has yet to promise to provide a living next year for 80,000 parasites called yeshiva students, instead of the 50,000 we have this year. Everyone is aware that no "mountain movers" will emerge from among them, but rather kashrut observers and rioters against the general public which works and fights, builds and creates culture. We will enjoy a great many of these members of society, according to the "values and symbols" of the Judaism zealously protecting the purity of the Jewish race.
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Israel is a Jewish state. While Gentiles are welcome to earn a living here and benefit from our schools and hospitals... later they have to go back home. This is exactly what any democratic society does in order to protect the rightful owners of the country.
how things have evolved during the last 65 years? In Germany we have a minister of Vietnamese and a party chair of Turkish descent - and in Israel they are discussing about racial purity.
"So you are saying that you can illegally enter the US and outstay your visa and you would be within you rights to stay permanetly?" I see you are too dumb to get the point and haven't yet a clue what ius soli is about. Therefore another hint for you: The article is about children BORN in Israel, and perhaps now you will take the time to get the connection with ius soli.
"Yeshiva students, at least most of them, spend their days learning on a schedule that would make some university students head spin."- But what do they learn? Nothing that would make them useful in the real world. They live off everyone else. They follow Shammai, not Hillel. "Really, there is no real reason for Jews to be in Israel if it wasn`t for the religious connection."- "Religious" does not mean Orthodox apriori. One CAN be a Jew and NOT Orthodox. It is the holier-than-thou Judaism we abhor.
anyone born in canada is a canadian citizen, jew, chistian, muslim, black, white brown, yellow. so please do not make a fool of yourself and go back to cheder.
Congrats to the author for a great article! A small caveat: The writer erred in stating that Spanish "authorities had declared that only Catholics could be Spanish." It was the following century's Christian Reformation that created Protestants and Catholics. Until then Catholics did not exist. Until the Reformation they were all simply Christians.
C'mon cut your stories about yeshiva boys, learning dawn to dusk. Dawn to dusk they are wandering in the steets, smoking cigaretes and and glancing at the legs of the mini-skirted girls of Russian origin. The other thing they do is country-hiking and getting into troubles on steep roks and mountain rivers. I really wonder when they have time to study anything?
to claim Israeli citizenship. Millions of children are born to foreigners in various countries, but since they don't have Kfar-Shmaryahu heart-bleeding advocates, none of them ever dreams of claiming for citizenship of the country of their current living. They return back to nation to which they belong, wheter speaking their language or not. Why, billion of third-worlders would be happy to live in Israel, even when their goverments demonize this country on every occasion (like China does).
It was Darwin the writer of the origin of species who wrote that species in a scientific sense are only labels and should not be taken to seriously. I do not know what he would think of the way race is used here, let alone racial purity.
Shulamit Aloney speake the truth, Eli Yisahi who along with his royal holliness Ayatollah Yusuf who run this cult using jewdism as a way to conceal their true activites, although so far 7 Shas MKs have been jailed for serious crimes including corruption, theft and fraud, somehow i think this bunch of crooks are the last people on this planet to be dishing out morals. They represent a fanatical minority yet inflict their so called morals on a majority who thank heavens are beginning to see this dispicable man for what he really is.
These are the people Benjamin Netanyahu surrounds himself with, calls his friends. Barack Obama has Brezinski as a quasi-adviser and he becomes a anti-semite. And yet (the irony!) on another page on this site right now there is a story on the attention modern-day politicians get from journalists. HA!
Jews are jews primarily because of their observance of Halacha. And when Halacha comes in conflict with other value systems, the religious believe that modification in any form will be the death of the halacha. Without this strict observance by the rabbis and orthodox, jews would not have existed as an identity. They would have been christianized or islamized a long time ago.
Sorry no. 9 but it's not a rant. It's the truth.
or Canada where the children of even illegals born in Canada are Canadian citizens. This would be comparable toEngland saying all children born to Catholics in northern Ireland must be expelled since England has an Established Church and cannot risk intermarriage with Catholics. Or the Hungarian Fascists during WWII saying Hungarian Jews were not Hungarians but aliens in the Hungarian state and a threat to the racial integrity of Hungarians. We've heard it before. The fact that in Israel it comes from these bearded mullahs doesnt matter one iota.
it has a Basic law, the reason should be clear. A Constitution recognises equality of all before the law. As for Rav Kook, the colonies and outposts are filled with his disciples.
FACT - Israel is a jewish country, it has a jewish majority which is wants to keep intact both the secular and religious blocks support that and there is alot more to this issue that their faith The children of these ILLEGAL economic migrants, they are not refugees whose lives would be at risk if they were sent home. They came to Israel illegally looking for a better quality of life and they had children when there were in Israel illegally that doesn't change the fact they never had a right to be in Israel to begin with and the LAW should not be deported. Also parents and kids are part of the same package so you send the parents home you send the kids home. This issue has nothing to do with the bunch of foreigners and their kids here now its the precident that this will set for the future. Somebody comes to Israel looking for a better life so they come in illegally and first thing they do when they arrive is have a child then they can see I have a child you can't deport us.
So you are saying that you can illegally enter the US and outstay your visa and you would be within you rights to stay permanetly? (or Germany?) No policy of any country would agree with you, all have quotas, including the good old USA. Immigration is one subject, illegally entering a country is another. The US is in debate right now and discussing building a border fence on the Mexican front because of such illegal entry. If illegal entry was legal we would all not need visas. Shas is a party that I do not agree with nor care for their narrow minded views on relgion. Yet illegal entry and it's consequences is a real legal issue that needs addressing with reason.
with equal rights for all citizens.
There are many more white illegals in Israel. So ignoring the vast majority of these in favor of throwing out the 'coloreds' is highly suspicious.
The author compares apples and organges. These people are illegal immigrant. Their presence and their children's presences creates a problem. Israel is not Canada - a huge multi-ethnic country. Israel is a small country. Introducing illegals from different countries with different backgrounds creates huge social problems. Studies show that Danish people are the happiest in the world in their small country due to their being of one identity and unity. Jews want to live in a Jewish country. If you want to live with the mixed multitude - go to Canada.
Shas is FOR bringing Ethiopian Blacks. So the issue here is not Racial, but legality
Actually, number two, I'd go further. To speak of racial purity in any context is absurd. There is simply no such thing. God's evolution doesn't work that way.
The Netanyahu government, Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Labor show support. Racial Purity is disgraceful, but it is the choice of Israel. The real 'crime' of Shas is to be honest about it.
Its spot on this article. All modern democratic countries are moving away from racial and religious systems. That the uk has an established church is a historical legacy. Fortunately it is a very tame form of establishment so as to be unnoticeable. And the priveledges that it does enjoy are under attack to the extent that the church itself is calling for the incorporation of other faiths to extend its legitimacy. There are only two legitimate routes. Dis-establishment or the incorporation of other faiths into the establishment. The US shows that disestablishment in no way diminishes religious practice. It is probably the most observant western democracy...
"Every country has this problem. People do not have a "right" to stay in any country but their home country" This is complete rubbish. I recommend you get a basic idea of ius soli and how it is applied, e.g. the USA.
where a minister can talk about racial purity and remain in office ... Racism has succeeded in becoming an integral part of rightist policy.
No doubt one of the most brilliant voices for democracy and justice in this country today.Pity Shulamit will never win a Nobel in Chemistry and have her voice heard all over the world loud and clear.
Westerners would have the same dilemmma. Those who have illegally crossed into the countries , do not have a visa or work pemit and outstay their visas are told to leave - the law applies to all people. Where the goverement is guilty is letting the situation go on for so so long that they have been her for very long time and now have families,this is sad for the children. Their status should have be dealt with swiftly. Every country has this problem. People do not have a "right" to stay in any country but their home country and those who are illegal are illegal. It has nothing to do with racism or purity. In London we have big problems with this, hundred of thousands now. And this is something completely different from real aslyum seekers whoes lives are in danger in their home countries but these people illegally overstayed in the country for economic reasons/or a better life. Neither is a right, we have poor and disadvantaged in all countries, even Western countries.
Oh dear... a somewhat badly written, emotive article lacking reasoned debate and argument. Ms Aloni likes to position Israel as a secular, civilised, democratic state which has little connection with Judaism. Unfortuantely, the tone and tenor of her arguments reveals that she doesn't use those same principles in debate. Calling yeshiva students "parasites" and conversion processes (of which I guess she has no first hand experience) as "sadistic" and "torture" is the kind of infantile "debate" that one hears from a rabble rouser. The arguments she deploys are facile too. Really, there is no real reason for Jews to be in Israel if it wasn't for the religious connection. There's been a longer, greater and more continuous history of Jewish settlement in Greece, Italy, Iraq, Iran etc. So, Ms Aloni, stop spraying the bile: engage in more reasoned argument and we might listen to you.
I don't know what it is with you. Or, is it you grew up with the Yevseks of Poalei Eretz Yisrael S'mohl (or maybe "small") who promised that when they took over there would be no religion in the Jewish State. They tried in in the early fities when their apparats kidnapped Yemenite babies, and attempted to force Traditional Jewish immigrants from "The East" to attend Histadrut schools--and ended up with the current Mamlachti system that has proven itself by placing Israel somewhere in twenties and lower in world academic achievement levels. Yeshiva students, at least most of them, spend their days learning on a schedule that would make some university students head spin. From six or seven in the morning to eleven at night with a break in the afternoon. Find some twenty year old at Hebrew U who is capable of that! Our nation is set apart with its own special identity, which troubles you at time. Sorry about that, it be's that way.
Brilliant article and about time to tell those religious extremists what they are - parasites.
Bravo, tell it like it is. Yishai is a racist, a Shaas racist. He is not concerned about Israel, he is worried about pure blood lines, just like Nazi Germans and other right wing facists. Who ever thought it would come to this, but it has. These 1200 young people Yishai wants to kick out of Israel are real Israelis for one very good reason. They love their country. Ya raabi!! My god, what does he want. Bibi is embarassed, I get the feeling. he is not religious, he is a dog on the settlements, we know that, but I bet he wishes this would just go away. WAKE UP, ISRAELIS!!! this is a blood libel in reverse. shame on you. shame on us, we Jews who love a democratic Israel. It is there....somewhere.
Although Aloni has completely misunderstood the Talmudic reference she quotes, she is basically right in her approach. The state should be allowed to fill up with Ukrainians, White Russians, and any other jew-hating nation on the face of the earth. They should not be allowed to convert either, and be encourages to intermarry with jews. This will effectively destroy Herzl's outmoded dream of creating a state where a Jew can behave like a non-Jew and yet not be persecuted for it. It will also create a fifth column within the state ready to ally with the Arabs when they feel confident enough to launch an all-out attack.
"It's strange that the prime minister has yet to promise to provide a living next year for 80,000 parasites called yeshiva students, instead of the 50,000 we have this year." Skeletons are always found in the lions den! Embarassing for an Israeli paper, irrespective of someones political positions. I too disagree with Minister Yishais position, but this in no way serves the cause of the Phililipino children. This is pure hate and propaganda, and better yet, a distortion of the historical facts to suit a political purpose of today. Shameful
Ms Aloni seems to think the present role of the Chief Rabbinate and the establishment of halachic Judaism is something new in Israel. David Ben- Gurion and the fathers of the modern Israeli state accepted the British model of an established faith supported by the govt., while allowing other streams to exist without govt support. The Status Quo agreement is part of the Israeli Constitution. The problem is producing the tolerant, broad-based, pastoral Rabbis to minister to the entire Jewish community in Israel. We have a shortage of disciples of Rav Kook ztl.
Jews are not a race, a concept unknown in Judaism. We are a community based on a covenant and any genuine convert can join that community. The concept of race is largely the creation of 19th Century German pseudo-scientists applying Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' theory to human history. To speak of 'racial purity' in a Jewish framework is nonsense.
Who is being expelled for not being Jewish? 20% of Israelis are Arabs. Are they being expelled? Hundreds of thousands of former Soviety Union immigrants -- are they being expelled ? When I arrived to work in the UK my employer had to prove there was no equally qualified UK applicant and had to do so for the first four years, before I was allowed to stay. Every country controls who comes and goes and if foreign workers have a visa -- or if the workers are illegals -- they can't claim an automatic right to stay. Uncontroled immigration is a major issue in every British election, and in the USA the problem of illegal Hispanic workers remains a major issue. Contracts must be assessed by the courts, not politicians.