11 sept 2016
Meir Mazuz, a leading ultra-Orthodox Sephardic rabbi, said during a lecture that the Ramat Hahayal disaster came about due to state-sponsored violations of the Jewish holy day.
Rabbi Meir Mazuz, an important leader of the Israeli Sephardic ultra-Orthodox community, has claimed that the parking garage disaster in Tel Aviv's Ramat Hahayal—in which six people were killed and over 20 were injured—happened due to desecration of the Jewish laws regarding Shabbat. The rabbi said this during a lecture he gave Saturday evening (after Shabbat was over) in Bnei Brak.
"What happened, the disaster this week—nothing like this ever happens. There are engineers, there are smart people, there are inspectors—and dozens of people are buried underground. It all comes because they disrespect Shabbat."
Mere hours after the sixth and final victim's body was extracted from the ruins of the collapse site, Mazuz warned, "Running away from Shabbat is the largest mistake in the world… prime ministers need to understand that the Shabbat will not forgive… the Almighty gave us a good gift, the Shabbat… you must not harm the Shabbat."
Following these statements, Mazuz's associates emphasized that the rabbi was speaking about Shabbat desecration that is state sponsored—such as renovations done by Israel Railways on Saturdays—and not making any reference to acts by private citizens.
Mazuz first became known among the general public when he harshly opposed the Oslo Accords and the 2005 Gaza disengagement, as well as his advocacy for IDF soldiers' refusal to follow hypothetical future orders for settlement eviction. He was previously associated with Shas, but moved to become the spiritual leader of the Yachad party (founded by former Shas leader Eli Yishai; the party failed to gain any seats in the March 2015 Knesset elections) in 2014.
In his weekly sermon, Mazuz also claimed that the explosion of the Amos 6 satellite was also due to desecration of holy values. "Hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in it. They just started to launch it – (and it) exploded. Why? Because the other one (the Amos 2 satellite) was done while observing the Shabbat and this one (the Amos 6) was not."
Rabbi Meir Mazuz, an important leader of the Israeli Sephardic ultra-Orthodox community, has claimed that the parking garage disaster in Tel Aviv's Ramat Hahayal—in which six people were killed and over 20 were injured—happened due to desecration of the Jewish laws regarding Shabbat. The rabbi said this during a lecture he gave Saturday evening (after Shabbat was over) in Bnei Brak.
"What happened, the disaster this week—nothing like this ever happens. There are engineers, there are smart people, there are inspectors—and dozens of people are buried underground. It all comes because they disrespect Shabbat."
Mere hours after the sixth and final victim's body was extracted from the ruins of the collapse site, Mazuz warned, "Running away from Shabbat is the largest mistake in the world… prime ministers need to understand that the Shabbat will not forgive… the Almighty gave us a good gift, the Shabbat… you must not harm the Shabbat."
Following these statements, Mazuz's associates emphasized that the rabbi was speaking about Shabbat desecration that is state sponsored—such as renovations done by Israel Railways on Saturdays—and not making any reference to acts by private citizens.
Mazuz first became known among the general public when he harshly opposed the Oslo Accords and the 2005 Gaza disengagement, as well as his advocacy for IDF soldiers' refusal to follow hypothetical future orders for settlement eviction. He was previously associated with Shas, but moved to become the spiritual leader of the Yachad party (founded by former Shas leader Eli Yishai; the party failed to gain any seats in the March 2015 Knesset elections) in 2014.
In his weekly sermon, Mazuz also claimed that the explosion of the Amos 6 satellite was also due to desecration of holy values. "Hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in it. They just started to launch it – (and it) exploded. Why? Because the other one (the Amos 2 satellite) was done while observing the Shabbat and this one (the Amos 6) was not."
9 sept 2016
Israel-based rabbi Aharon Goldberg and Shimen Liebowitz suspected of paying an individual around $60,000 to kidnap, torture and murder a man whose wife wanted to divorce him; the recruit instead turned to the FBI and became an informant.
A rabbi and another Orthodox Jewish man were arrested in New York in connection with a plot to kidnap and murder a man whose wife wanted to divorce him, federal officials said on Wednesday.
Israel-based rabbi Aharon Goldberg, 55, and Shimen Liebowitz, 25, were taken into custody in Central Valley, New York, while meeting to discuss the plot on Tuesday, the Manhattan US Attorney's Office said in a statement.
The statement said they were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
Xavier Donaldson, an attorney for Goldberg, declined to comment when reached by email on Wednesday night. An attorney for Liebowitz, who prosecutors said is a member of Satmar Hasidic community in Kiryas Joel, New York, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Prosecutors said Liebowitz and Goldberg recruited an individual to carry out the crimes and force the man to issue a document called a "get" to allow his wife to divorce him. An Orthodox Jewish woman cannot get a religious divorce unless her husband consents through a get. Without the document, a divorce can only occur if the husband dies.
Prosecutors said the recruit contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in July about the plot and began recording their conversations.
The group discussed kidnapping, torturing and forcing the get from the target while the intended victim was in the United States or on a planned trip to Ukraine, prosecutors said. As the plotting continued, the group decided they wanted the victim murdered as well, prosecutors allege.
In total, the pair paid the informant around $60,000 to carry out the kidnapping and murder.
A rabbi and another Orthodox Jewish man were arrested in New York in connection with a plot to kidnap and murder a man whose wife wanted to divorce him, federal officials said on Wednesday.
Israel-based rabbi Aharon Goldberg, 55, and Shimen Liebowitz, 25, were taken into custody in Central Valley, New York, while meeting to discuss the plot on Tuesday, the Manhattan US Attorney's Office said in a statement.
The statement said they were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
Xavier Donaldson, an attorney for Goldberg, declined to comment when reached by email on Wednesday night. An attorney for Liebowitz, who prosecutors said is a member of Satmar Hasidic community in Kiryas Joel, New York, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Prosecutors said Liebowitz and Goldberg recruited an individual to carry out the crimes and force the man to issue a document called a "get" to allow his wife to divorce him. An Orthodox Jewish woman cannot get a religious divorce unless her husband consents through a get. Without the document, a divorce can only occur if the husband dies.
Prosecutors said the recruit contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in July about the plot and began recording their conversations.
The group discussed kidnapping, torturing and forcing the get from the target while the intended victim was in the United States or on a planned trip to Ukraine, prosecutors said. As the plotting continued, the group decided they wanted the victim murdered as well, prosecutors allege.
In total, the pair paid the informant around $60,000 to carry out the kidnapping and murder.
4 aug 2016
Extremist rabbi Yehuda Glick has incited against the guards of the Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic Waqf Authority in Occupied Jerusalem and called on the Israeli government to take control of the Islamic holy site immediately.
This came in a lengthy speech he delivered in the Knesset, in which he called the Aqsa Mosque "the temple mount", and urged Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to impose what he labelled as Israel's sovereignty over the holy site.
Glick, who was recently appointed by the right-wing Likud party as a Knesset member, waged vicious incitement against the Aqsa Mosque's guards in particular, describing them as "bullies and rioters", and called on the Israeli police to keep them away from him.
He also launched a scathing attack on the Islamic Waqf Authority in Jerusalem and called for revoking its jurisdiction over the Aqsa Mosque, warning that the [alleged] temple mount would remain under the "gentiles' occupation" if there was no immediate action to change it.
In a related development, the Israeli occupation police intend to file indictments against three Aqsa Mosque employees, namely, Hamza al-Nabali, Hamza Addisi, and Ra'ed Zaghir, for allegedly assaulting visitors at the holy site.
The Israeli police already issued banishment orders against eight employees working for the Awqaf authority and the Aqsa Mosque. Two of them are still in detention.
For its part, Jordan, which is responsible for the Aqsa Mosque, has intervened to stop any Israeli interference in the work of the Mosque guards.
Jordanian awqaf official Abdullah al-Abbadi said the government initiated diplomatic contacts with its Israeli counterpart to protect the legal rights of Aqsa Mosque employees and guards and to prevent any Israeli interference in their duties.
This came in a lengthy speech he delivered in the Knesset, in which he called the Aqsa Mosque "the temple mount", and urged Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to impose what he labelled as Israel's sovereignty over the holy site.
Glick, who was recently appointed by the right-wing Likud party as a Knesset member, waged vicious incitement against the Aqsa Mosque's guards in particular, describing them as "bullies and rioters", and called on the Israeli police to keep them away from him.
He also launched a scathing attack on the Islamic Waqf Authority in Jerusalem and called for revoking its jurisdiction over the Aqsa Mosque, warning that the [alleged] temple mount would remain under the "gentiles' occupation" if there was no immediate action to change it.
In a related development, the Israeli occupation police intend to file indictments against three Aqsa Mosque employees, namely, Hamza al-Nabali, Hamza Addisi, and Ra'ed Zaghir, for allegedly assaulting visitors at the holy site.
The Israeli police already issued banishment orders against eight employees working for the Awqaf authority and the Aqsa Mosque. Two of them are still in detention.
For its part, Jordan, which is responsible for the Aqsa Mosque, has intervened to stop any Israeli interference in the work of the Mosque guards.
Jordanian awqaf official Abdullah al-Abbadi said the government initiated diplomatic contacts with its Israeli counterpart to protect the legal rights of Aqsa Mosque employees and guards and to prevent any Israeli interference in their duties.
30 july 2016
Students at the Bnei David pre-army preparatory yeshiva with Rabbi Levinstein
On the heels of Rabbi Yigal Levinstein's 'perverts' speech, another Bnei David preparatory rabbi is found telling his students that 'gay intercourse is an abomination'; gay Orthodox group responds by saying 'some of us forgot that gay people have feelings, too.'
After homophobic comments made by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the pre-army preparatory yeshiva Bnei David in Eli, raised a flurry of criticism that forced him to write a letter of non-apology, another rabbi from the same yeshiva has come under fire for making similar comments.
In a lesson to his students, Rabbi Yosef Kelner referred to gay men as "miserable people, who are the way they are from birth or due to their life's circumstances." He added that "gay intercourse is an abomination, or in more modern terms, disgusting."
Yet despite calling them "sick and perverted," Kelner said that he had nothing against them, explaining, "A person born this way isn't evil, he just can't feel or think any other way."
Kelner explained that while actualizing their sexuality is what makes LGBTs "miserable," they could break out of their misery if they avoided acting upon their desires.
"You are only an abomination if you are sexually active in line with your perverted sexuality," he told his students. "However, someone who stops himself from doing so is considered a highly righteous person."
Kamoha, the Orthodox organization for gay men, responded to Kelner's remarks by saying, "Beyond the fact that nowhere in the Bible are homosexuals called sick or perverted, it appears that some of us have forgotten that gay people have feelings, too. It would behoove everyone to carefully weigh our words, so as not to commit the transgression of humiliating another."
The Bnei David preparatory yeshiva responded to questions regarding Kelner's statements by saying that it viewed the current criticism against Kelner as another in a long line of harassment. "The persecution led against the yeshiva during its 30 years shows a diligence and steadfastness that are quite impressive."
On the heels of Rabbi Yigal Levinstein's 'perverts' speech, another Bnei David preparatory rabbi is found telling his students that 'gay intercourse is an abomination'; gay Orthodox group responds by saying 'some of us forgot that gay people have feelings, too.'
After homophobic comments made by Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the pre-army preparatory yeshiva Bnei David in Eli, raised a flurry of criticism that forced him to write a letter of non-apology, another rabbi from the same yeshiva has come under fire for making similar comments.
In a lesson to his students, Rabbi Yosef Kelner referred to gay men as "miserable people, who are the way they are from birth or due to their life's circumstances." He added that "gay intercourse is an abomination, or in more modern terms, disgusting."
Yet despite calling them "sick and perverted," Kelner said that he had nothing against them, explaining, "A person born this way isn't evil, he just can't feel or think any other way."
Kelner explained that while actualizing their sexuality is what makes LGBTs "miserable," they could break out of their misery if they avoided acting upon their desires.
"You are only an abomination if you are sexually active in line with your perverted sexuality," he told his students. "However, someone who stops himself from doing so is considered a highly righteous person."
Kamoha, the Orthodox organization for gay men, responded to Kelner's remarks by saying, "Beyond the fact that nowhere in the Bible are homosexuals called sick or perverted, it appears that some of us have forgotten that gay people have feelings, too. It would behoove everyone to carefully weigh our words, so as not to commit the transgression of humiliating another."
The Bnei David preparatory yeshiva responded to questions regarding Kelner's statements by saying that it viewed the current criticism against Kelner as another in a long line of harassment. "The persecution led against the yeshiva during its 30 years shows a diligence and steadfastness that are quite impressive."
29 july 2016
Rabbi Eliezer Berland, a leader of the Breslov Hasidic community, is accused of several counts of alleged sex-related crimes. According to the indictment, the rabbi met with four women and teenage girls at his home, and committed these crimes there.
The Jerusalem Magistrate Court was presented on Friday with an indictment against rabbi Eliezer Berland, who is accused of several counts of sexual misconduct and assult. He allegedly told one of the four women, “I’ll hug you until (the end of the Sabbath).” Berland’s lawyer, Rachel Toren, denied these allegations. He claims to have.
79-year-old Berland had founded the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in Jerusalem and is considered a leading figure among the Breslov Hasidic community. In 2012, one of his followers had stated seeing him in a compromising position with a girl from the local community. The man was beaten by his other followers, which brought the incident to the police's attention. The ensuing investigation gathered testimonies from several women, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Prosecutor Shmulik Barzilay asked Judge Hanna Miriam Lomp to keep Berland in custody, denying him bail, for the length of the trial. He stated the Berland is considered a flight risk, saying, “This is someone who conducted a three-continent journey, went from country to country, and fled the United States Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, The Netherlands – and (he fled) The Netherlands despite depositing €50,000. The rabbi has not just the will to flee but the ability as well. He has the ability to get on planes, get a fake passport, an Ivory Coast diplomatic passport, the ability to get sums of money.”
Toren opposed the prosecution’s decision, saying, “This is a man who’s nearly 80, a very ill man, who has a heart illness, a pacemaker, (a man who) went through a heart reversal procedure twice. After his arrest he collapsed and was evacuated to a hospital, where he stayed for two days.” She also explained to the Judge that since Berland purchased assets in the Ivory Coast, he is legally entitled to a diplomatic passport there.
The Jerusalem Magistrate Court was presented on Friday with an indictment against rabbi Eliezer Berland, who is accused of several counts of sexual misconduct and assult. He allegedly told one of the four women, “I’ll hug you until (the end of the Sabbath).” Berland’s lawyer, Rachel Toren, denied these allegations. He claims to have.
79-year-old Berland had founded the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in Jerusalem and is considered a leading figure among the Breslov Hasidic community. In 2012, one of his followers had stated seeing him in a compromising position with a girl from the local community. The man was beaten by his other followers, which brought the incident to the police's attention. The ensuing investigation gathered testimonies from several women, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Prosecutor Shmulik Barzilay asked Judge Hanna Miriam Lomp to keep Berland in custody, denying him bail, for the length of the trial. He stated the Berland is considered a flight risk, saying, “This is someone who conducted a three-continent journey, went from country to country, and fled the United States Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, The Netherlands – and (he fled) The Netherlands despite depositing €50,000. The rabbi has not just the will to flee but the ability as well. He has the ability to get on planes, get a fake passport, an Ivory Coast diplomatic passport, the ability to get sums of money.”
Toren opposed the prosecution’s decision, saying, “This is a man who’s nearly 80, a very ill man, who has a heart illness, a pacemaker, (a man who) went through a heart reversal procedure twice. After his arrest he collapsed and was evacuated to a hospital, where he stayed for two days.” She also explained to the Judge that since Berland purchased assets in the Ivory Coast, he is legally entitled to a diplomatic passport there.
27 july 2016
Speaking to his followers, Rabbi Eliezer Berland is heard telling them that since he had forced himself on a woman against her will, there was no need for her to divorce her husband; despite already having escaped from a previous house arrest, Berland is seeking to be allowed to await trial at home.
Channel 2 News revealed on Tuesday recordings where Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who was extradited to Israel last week on charges of sex crimes, confesses to sexually assaulting a woman, explicitly stating that he committed the act against her will.
The recordings include a conversation between Berland and several of his followers, in which he referred to "the first time I raped her," explaining that she was not obligated to divorce her husband, since she did not consent to the act.
"She had not idea what was happening, so there is no need for a get (a Jewish divorce document —ed.)," Berland told his listeners. "The rape had completely broken her, start to finish." He told them that "she never did it out of her own free will."
Another recording released was that of one of the women Berland had allegedly victimized. The woman can be heard saying, "It happened ten times. On several occasions, he would talk to me and smile and I would talk to him as if nothing was going on. Sometimes I would be lying on top of him while he talked to me. Usually, though, there would be a feeling of awe, especially during our last meeting. The last few times I came, he didn't say a word, and we simply went to bed."
The woman explained that the entire situation left her confused. "I couldn't understand what he was even doing. And if I didn't understand what was going on, how could I have asked any questions about it?"
Berland's attorney, Rachel Toren, refuted the claims of misconduct on her client's part. "I have no doubt that this is yet another fabrication created by his adversaries, some of whom include members of his own family." Toren fundamentally discredited one of the women who had allegedly been violated for not filing an official complaint sooner. "If there was any truth to it, she would have already gone to the police."
Representing some of the women who have brought forward allegations of sexual misconduct against Berland is Sarah Markovich. She said that "new evidence shows that under no circumstances can Berland be allowed to be released to house arrest," stressing that "there are women who may not come forward if he will be released, and it might scare the women who have already spoken out."
79-year-old Berland had founded the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in Jerusalem and is considered a leading figure among the Breslov Hasidic community. In 2012, one of his followers had stated seeing him in a compromising position with a girl from the local community. The man was beaten by his other followers, which brought the incident to the police's attention. The ensuing investigation gathered testimonies from several women, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Berland had fled from Israel to Morocco in 2013, after being requested to make himself available for police questioning on suspicion of sexual misconduct. After King Muhammed VI of Morocco ordered him to leave, Berland moved to Zimbabwe. When news of the standing sexual allegations against him reached Zimbabwe, the government decided to eject him, as well, claiming that his Visa had expired. In 2014, Berland moved to South Africa, but after a warrant for his arrest was filed by Interpol, he escaped to Holland, where he was finally arrested. Berland was then placed under house arrest and due to be flown back to Israel, but in July 2015 he disappeared. Two months later, it was discovered that he had returned to South Africa, where he was ultimately apprehended and sent to Israel to stand trial. Hundreds of his followers awaited him at Ben Gurion Airport, joining in a group prayer after he had landed.
Channel 2 News revealed on Tuesday recordings where Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who was extradited to Israel last week on charges of sex crimes, confesses to sexually assaulting a woman, explicitly stating that he committed the act against her will.
The recordings include a conversation between Berland and several of his followers, in which he referred to "the first time I raped her," explaining that she was not obligated to divorce her husband, since she did not consent to the act.
"She had not idea what was happening, so there is no need for a get (a Jewish divorce document —ed.)," Berland told his listeners. "The rape had completely broken her, start to finish." He told them that "she never did it out of her own free will."
Another recording released was that of one of the women Berland had allegedly victimized. The woman can be heard saying, "It happened ten times. On several occasions, he would talk to me and smile and I would talk to him as if nothing was going on. Sometimes I would be lying on top of him while he talked to me. Usually, though, there would be a feeling of awe, especially during our last meeting. The last few times I came, he didn't say a word, and we simply went to bed."
The woman explained that the entire situation left her confused. "I couldn't understand what he was even doing. And if I didn't understand what was going on, how could I have asked any questions about it?"
Berland's attorney, Rachel Toren, refuted the claims of misconduct on her client's part. "I have no doubt that this is yet another fabrication created by his adversaries, some of whom include members of his own family." Toren fundamentally discredited one of the women who had allegedly been violated for not filing an official complaint sooner. "If there was any truth to it, she would have already gone to the police."
Representing some of the women who have brought forward allegations of sexual misconduct against Berland is Sarah Markovich. She said that "new evidence shows that under no circumstances can Berland be allowed to be released to house arrest," stressing that "there are women who may not come forward if he will be released, and it might scare the women who have already spoken out."
79-year-old Berland had founded the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in Jerusalem and is considered a leading figure among the Breslov Hasidic community. In 2012, one of his followers had stated seeing him in a compromising position with a girl from the local community. The man was beaten by his other followers, which brought the incident to the police's attention. The ensuing investigation gathered testimonies from several women, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Berland had fled from Israel to Morocco in 2013, after being requested to make himself available for police questioning on suspicion of sexual misconduct. After King Muhammed VI of Morocco ordered him to leave, Berland moved to Zimbabwe. When news of the standing sexual allegations against him reached Zimbabwe, the government decided to eject him, as well, claiming that his Visa had expired. In 2014, Berland moved to South Africa, but after a warrant for his arrest was filed by Interpol, he escaped to Holland, where he was finally arrested. Berland was then placed under house arrest and due to be flown back to Israel, but in July 2015 he disappeared. Two months later, it was discovered that he had returned to South Africa, where he was ultimately apprehended and sent to Israel to stand trial. Hundreds of his followers awaited him at Ben Gurion Airport, joining in a group prayer after he had landed.
22 july 2016
During a conversation with defense ministry chief of staff, Levinstein intimated that he would not be retracting his controversial comments: 'His comments are against IDF's most fundamental values.'
The head of the IDF preparatory yeshiva, Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, was invited by the chief of staff of the defense ministry, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam in the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on Thursday to discuss his comments which he recently made calling LGBT people “perverts.”
During the conversation Rabbi Levinstein informed Udi Adam that he continued to hold the views espoused during his speech against the LGBT community and that he has no intention of retracting his comments.
Head of another IDF preparatory yeshiva Rabbi Eli Sadan also joined Rabbi Levinstein for the discussion during which Adam emphasized the severity of the remarks condemning the IDF’s values and the LGBT community. He further stated that they were unacceptable to the IDF and the security establishment.
In this vein, he demanded that Levinstein clarify his statements in the coming days, a demand which should carry force given that his offices fund Levinstein’s preparatory yeshiva.
Adam emphasized that the “IDF value code” pamphlet which every IDF soldier is obliged to carry, contains a clause entitled: “human respect” as one of its fundamental guiding principles. It reads: “Every person is valuable regardless of his ethnic origin, religion, nationality, gender status of profession.”
Citing this phrase, Adam said, ”I have no doubt that the removing the LGBT community from outside the scope of society is contrary to the most fundamental values of the IDF.”
On Wednesday, hundreds of rabbis came out in support for levinstein penning a letter stating: “The love toward every human being from Israel and the obligation to show respect to every person cannot be used as a reason to twist the religious truth or to cut corners regarding forbidden acts.”
“It is the duty of a rabbi in Israel to deal with all religious or moral matters in a clear fashion as teachers in Israel. In this vein, we reject the attempt to shut the mouths of rabbis in Israel,” the letter continued.
The head of the IDF preparatory yeshiva, Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, was invited by the chief of staff of the defense ministry, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam in the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on Thursday to discuss his comments which he recently made calling LGBT people “perverts.”
During the conversation Rabbi Levinstein informed Udi Adam that he continued to hold the views espoused during his speech against the LGBT community and that he has no intention of retracting his comments.
Head of another IDF preparatory yeshiva Rabbi Eli Sadan also joined Rabbi Levinstein for the discussion during which Adam emphasized the severity of the remarks condemning the IDF’s values and the LGBT community. He further stated that they were unacceptable to the IDF and the security establishment.
In this vein, he demanded that Levinstein clarify his statements in the coming days, a demand which should carry force given that his offices fund Levinstein’s preparatory yeshiva.
Adam emphasized that the “IDF value code” pamphlet which every IDF soldier is obliged to carry, contains a clause entitled: “human respect” as one of its fundamental guiding principles. It reads: “Every person is valuable regardless of his ethnic origin, religion, nationality, gender status of profession.”
Citing this phrase, Adam said, ”I have no doubt that the removing the LGBT community from outside the scope of society is contrary to the most fundamental values of the IDF.”
On Wednesday, hundreds of rabbis came out in support for levinstein penning a letter stating: “The love toward every human being from Israel and the obligation to show respect to every person cannot be used as a reason to twist the religious truth or to cut corners regarding forbidden acts.”
“It is the duty of a rabbi in Israel to deal with all religious or moral matters in a clear fashion as teachers in Israel. In this vein, we reject the attempt to shut the mouths of rabbis in Israel,” the letter continued.
