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Jerusalem - Mayor Lupolianski: Extremist Secular, and Haredi Elements Inciting The City
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Jerusalem - Mayor Uri Lupolianski on Wednesday released a statement condemning the behavior of his haredi deputy at last week’s inauguration of the Bridge of Strings, calling the aftermath an “embarrassment and insult.”
Lupolianski was referring to Deputy Mayor Yehoshua Pollack’s decision to instruct a girls’ dance troupe performing at the event to cover their hair and wear long clothing to conform with haredi standards of modesty.
The move provoked outrage among secular residents of the city, who decried the decree as religious coercion.
Critics, among them dance troupe director Shlomi Hoffman, said it was clear Lupolianski had been involved in the “extremist” decision, as reported in The Jerusalem Post last week. In addition, the Post reported on Friday that Pollack said Lupolianski had fully supported his demand.
In response, Lupolianski wrote: “There are secular and religious people who with one flick of the wrist ruin all that I’ve personally tried to build over the last five years. They are prepared to ruin, shatter and act like a bull in a china shop. In a city with such a sensitive and complex demographic fabric, I work with tweezers [extreme care], and won’t allow people who come in with a club and destroy everything.
“In the last five years, no one can accuse of me of having created religious coercion or coercion of any other kind.
“I think that what happened is an embarrassment and an insult. It was possible to create an event that was acceptable to both haredim and secular residents without the ridiculous hats that damaged the status quo I was protecting. Unfortunately, there is a group of extremist secular and haredi elements who together are completely irresponsibly intent on inciting the city. I am informing and promising you that in the future as well I will do my best to protect a united, sane and moderate Jerusalem, the status quo, and that I will not allow such a farce to happen again.”
07-04-2008 - 11:48 AM
BTW what does a girl dance do at a bridge party? and even if modestly dressed, ist still not according to the torah, so what is pollack talking about?
the whole thing makes little sense.
07-04-2008 - 12:15 PM
Judaism does not prohibit seeing maiden's hair.
07-04-2008 - 2:24 PM
Wrong the is no such thing of a status quo in torah. sorry. a democratic elected mayor does what he believes. to bad on the loosing party
The Torah says to listen to gedolim. They will decide on when status quo is good or not. He is known to follow Rav Eliashiv. Anyone who is chareidi and says to do otherwise based on their own sevara is outside of the machane
07-04-2008 - 2:40 PM
Right now the governments in Israel are secular and have to abide by democratic laws. At least they have a Torah-oriented mayor so decisions can and should be made in a Torah-type way. Residents of Yerusholayim should behave according to Halocho no matter what the government is and stealing is still ossur min haTorah. Machlokes does not bring the Shechina to Yerusholayim.
07-04-2008 - 5:10 PM
07-04-2008 - 5:43 PM
07-04-2008 - 7:36 PM
SIR.
07-06-2008 - 1:10 AM
07-06-2008 - 7:50 AM
But seriously, we're not going to convert the whole state to Torah, and while it's true that we have to start somewhere, we have to pick our battles. Shabbos, kashrus/trumah/maaser, funding for yeshivos, etc. are issues where we have a fighting chance. Tzniusdike costumes for women dancing at an event not attended by chareidim is a battle we will surely lose.
07-06-2008 - 4:40 PM
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