Jerusalem – While Israelis across Israel stood for two minutes of silence Tuesday in memory of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust, dozens of members of the radical Neturei Karta anti-Zionist stream protested in Jerusalem against the state ceremonies marking Holocaust Remembrance Day.
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Shortly before 10 am the protesters gathered at the Shabbat Square in the city, and as the sirens sounded and passersby stood still and bowed their head, they began crossing the intersection while holding up signs denouncing “the Zionist Holocaust memorial day.” The protesters briefly confronted journalists, photographers and bystanders before dispersing.
Yisrael Hirsch of Neturei Karta and a resident of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem told Ynet that “the Zionists cynically abuse the Holocaust for their own purposes.”
‘Zionism caused the Holocaust’
He said that, “According to Jewish tradition, and this was also stated by the Satmar Rebbe, it is Zionism that caused the Holocaust. Once the State proclaimed this day to be a memorial day for those murdered it essentially claims that it saved the Jews, and this is why we went out to protest.
“Standing in silence during the siren signals the people’s participation in the acts of the Zionist regime in Palestine,” he added.
Hirsch also said that holding Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish month of Nisan, during which mourning rituals are forbidden, is wrong and offensive to the victims’ memory.
Hirsch noted that three prominent Neturei Karta representatives attended the UN conference on racism in Geneva on Monday and even sat next too Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a press conference he held there.
The three, Rabbi Aharon Cohen from Manchester, Rabbi Yohanan Hochheiser from London and Rabbi Yisrael David Weiss from Monsey, NY, reiterated the Iranian president’s statements that the Zionists used the Holocaust ton establish a state at the expense of the Palestinians.
i seed ’em….and they aint the only ones
I think Hirsh made a great point.
i don’t understand, i thought weiss did teshuva a few months ago
Not a bad idea
Time for Israel to throw out these nuts no country would tolerate this.
N”K are roitzchim in the true sense. Kol dimei acheecha tzoiakim min ha’adama!! Shame on you all!!! v’sheim rishaim yirkav!!
Not only am I not Radical like them, I’m not even Chasidish at all. All of my grandparents including my wife’s are survivors of the Holocaust and it goes without saying, almost the only survivors of their family’s! , and I remember when I learned In Israel we got a kick out of walking around on the street while the ”Chukois Hagoi” moment of silence was going on!
If those Israelies really care about the Kedoshim, let them make a Yoim Teshuveh not a Yoim Hashoieh, none of the kedoshim need their memory’s commemorated by Goyim-like Jews, Mechalelie Shabbos, Oichlie Nevieleh Utriefeh, Noiafim, Mechallelie Hashem from one end of the world to another!
what are these lame brains protesting, did they not have anyone in the last generation perish at the hands of those animals, why can’t they have people remember all of them no matter what their political affiliation is. oy vey to us
The Yom hashoa Is A Totally Secular Holiday And Standing Still For Two Min Has No Place In Jewish Tradition It Comes From Other Religions . . It Does NOT Respect The Kedoshim HY”D
The Neturai Karta amaze me. First of all, if they are so anti Zionist, how can some of them live in Israel? Their political views would be much more consistent if none of them lived in Israel. I can’t believe that they claim that Zionism caused the holocaust.
That makes as much sense as others saying that observing the torah causes antisemitism, so therefore if we don’t want antisemitism then we shouldn’t observe the mitzvot.
“three prominent Neturei Karta representatives attended the UN conference on racism in Geneva on Monday and even sat next too Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “
This is crazy! The antics of the Neterai Karta are embarassing. Perhaps if some of the most radical Neturei Karta in Israel are evicted from the country, they might get the message? if so, and they have trouble finding a country to take them, then perhaps they might reconsider their politics, and realize how important the modern state of Israel is for Jews who might have no other place to go.
the photographers love this – the moment of silents is nonsense – we will never forget about the Jews killed and tortured by the Nazis – why should we stop walking?
Moment of Silence – Germany is Israel’s largest trading partner in Europe and Israel’s second most important trading partner after the United States. Israeli imports from Germany amount to some USD 2.3 billion annually, while Israel is Germany’s fourth largest trading partner in the North Africa/Middle East region.
WHY?
no one stands still, don’t give the Neturai Karta the credit.
Who needs goyim to be anti-semites? We have our own.
“The Yom hashoa Is A Totally Secular Holiday “
Why haven’t the rabbis designated an official day of mourning and fasting in rememberance of the holocaust? Tisha baav, asarah b’ tevet, taanit esther, are fast days reminding us of past tragedies. The first 33 days of the omer are also commemorated as a mourning period by some.
Is there even a Hell for these people? Or like a whole other level of Hell that we don’t even know about that’s reserved for these “people”.
Ok no problem. If you dont like the state of Israel but want to live in Eretz Yisroel I suggest some of the beautiful condos available in Ramalah. All of the kedusha of Eretz Yisroel with none of those pesky tzionim around. If you want something in a classier area I suggest one of the wonderful villas in Um el Fachem. All of the kedusha of eretz Yisroel, no pesky tzionim and thier strange customs. I am sure that the bnei Yishmoel wont mind a frum Jewish anti-zionist kihila setting up shop in thier midst…no not at all.
These clowns know full well they can get away with these antics only in the state of Israel and other free societies!
I am not a Zionist, and I am strongly against the government of Israel. However, I would never betray my people by siding with the enemy.
.
WHH
With all due respect to the writer of this article, the Satmar Rebbe in his famous sefer did not say or mean Zionism which means in the true sense of the word that Jews should dwell in the holy land of Israel,caused the Holocaust, but the haskalah movement and assimilation in which many so called secular zionists ascribed and participated in at the great expense of the lives of their Jewish brothers who did not. the entire Jewish population of Hungary was handed over to the Nazis by these quasi- assimilationist zionist secularist enemies of the G-d of Israel. Now the Satmar Rebbe had a point, and this my friends, is historical fact, not revisionism gathered from the hallowed halls of Vad Hashem. The Naturai Karta are not a single united voice, and they practice a derech more at war with themselves than the various causes they advocate, and to treat their shenanigans as anything more than the hooliganism it is is a chillul Hashem of the highest order. To equate the Satmar Rav with them is to intertwine the da’as of a learned and holy man with that of a donkey. For shame! Oh and by the way, the general Chareidi minhag is to refrain from observing a Holocaust memorial day established by the government which is not governed by Da’as Torah. Our rabbi’s in Eretz Yisroel have said that the tenth of Tevet is the day to remember the Kedoshim of the Shoah and include it when we fast for the tragedy of the breach in the walls of Jerusalem. Does everyone get the point?
The ‘minhag of standing still has no place whatsoever in jewish law and rituals, and it does nothing for the kedoshim. And there is also the point that we do not observe any rituals of aveilus during the month of Nissan. So before the secular and the zionists start crying at our lack of sympathy, let them just ask themselves what exactly are they accomplishing by all of this.
From all sides of my family I am a grandchild of holocaust survivers, and I remember my grandparents lighting yartzeit candles at certain times of the year when it was assumed that itt was arround the date that their loved ones perished.
We are a Jewish nation and if we want to commemorate our loved ones, then we should do something Jewish to benifit their neshamos. Not just some political ceremony so that we should be a nation like all the others.
Neturei Karta are crazy, but sometimes they do have a point or two in their merit.
It was the Satmar Rebbe (Reb Yoel zt”l) that put Neturei Karta chevra into Cherem and was publicly very opposed to their crazy ways.
No Rav has ever said not to keep the 2 min of silence. I agree it is not a Jewish Minhag but nor are all the luxurious they all have in their homes. They are trampling on the way so many observe their respect for the kedoshim. The only reason they are zagainst it is they are provocrative and have no middas to live BeSholom without looking for issuies to cause Sinas Chinom. All these loony Neturei Karta are keeping Moshiach away.
it seems we have not learned anything from our past! it seems jews are doomed to fight with eachother. Forever without us bringing a end to this exile. A jew is a jew, no matter what, if you agree with what that person holds or not doesnt make a difference. The nazis saw no difference, religous or not that person was killed for being a jew. The state of isreal was created because so many jews had no place to go after the holocaust. The state is there jews are there, to not have a state of isreal that would be suicide for the jews that are there. The only thing that we can do is move forward. As well, people who are writing about the standing still and how the day of remebence is a joke. Why would you write something so horrable, this is a day we take to remeber 6million jewish people who were murdered for one reason, because they were a jew. it didnt make a difference to the nazis young, old, men or women everyone was killed. and this is a joke i dont see what is funny i am sorry. Futhermore the jewish religon is all about remebering treible things that has happened to us. Tish abuv we sit and read the kinus that is a remebence is that not needed or a joke as well. Now it is sefrir no music or shaving haircuts ect.. for a remebence maybe that is a joke to no big deal lets all start playing music and doing what we always do. But no we dont we remeber and cry and are sad it helps us understand who we are as a people and what we are suppose to do. that is all we do is remeber..
these people need to be strung up from a light pole on 13th ave.
sooner or later these phoney jews and holocaust deniers will get the same pnishment as john damjanyunk from ohio.John was taken away last week from his home and sent to germany to stand trial .
the point over here is not wether its secular or not but it is what it is and walking and talking or whatever publicly is a chilul hashem they should be sitting in bes medresh learning!!!!!! not running on streets davka, its this davka that is killing am yisrael
We have ways to commemorate kedoshim that are thousands of years old. Along come some misyavnim, am horatzim, ignorant helenizers and decide to follow the senseless goyishe custom of 2mins of silence!
And we have to dance to their nauseating, goyishe tune????
i wish all these reporters or news centers wouls ignore these neturei kerte bums these people have nothing to do with the day they only go the biggst jews haters and then they say that everything hes to do with zionist lets all ignore them totaly
I checked it up:
“three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live” (nk site)
I never knew that being GIVEN the state of Israel by the UNITED NATIONS was considered rebelling against the nations and taking the land by force.
If the tzio’nim aren’t man enough to execute their traitors they deserve everything they get.
“Shortly before 10 am the protesters gathered at the Shabbat Square in the city, and as the sirens sounded and passersby stood still and bowed their head, they began crossing the intersection while holding up signs denouncing “the Zionist Holocaust memorial day.” The protesters briefly confronted journalists, photographers and bystanders before dispersing. “
Signs, protests demonstrations????
wait a second… isn’t holding up signs and protesting ”Chukois Hagoim”?
kind of like… standing for a moment of silence on holocaust remembrance day.
oh wait… I forgot… anything is justified for the cause…..
What it boils down to is, are we jews better off today, now that we have the State of Israel, with both secular and frum jews, or would we’ve been better off not to have it.
It is interesting… I can’t find any rabbonim (of importance) who say that the 2 minutes should not be observed. I’m not a big fan of it either… it seems like kind of a goyishe custom.
But to be honest, this odd ritual is not really for the benefit of people like us. We remember because we have made it part of who we are. That is not true of every yid… especially the yidden here in America who barely know they are yidden. It may seem meaningless to us, but it means something to those people. It reminds them of who they are and where they come from. It also reminds the rest of the world that we have not forgotten.
There is a family not far from my neighborhood, a couple in their mid 40’s that were actually BORN here (I live in FL, so that is unusual). They were always what is called aound here “unaffiliated”, yet the wife volunteered at the Holocaust education center where mostly public school kids come to learn about it. Yet, the family had no other real connection. She felt connected to it because her grandparents were survivors. Eventually she met up with the local chabad Rabbi’s wife there and they became friends. While not frum, they are learning… I hear they are maintaining a kosher kitchen now.
If this helps people feel a connection, it is worth it. Maybe they go to daven one day… maybe they show up for a simchas beis hashoeivoh just so the kids can play on the bounce toys and who knows where it will lead…
As they say… “One More Mitzvoh…”
All these bloggers that curse out the NK on this site are playing into their hands. There is a small group that does some outragoues things and it becomes newsworthy. If you people would ignore them then it would be very difficult for them to get their message out.
There have been many redifas of our people over the years and not every single one has a comemeration. The reason is because it is all an outgrowth of Tisha B’Av. Look up what the Brisker Rav said about it.
#60- “I never knew that being GIVEN the state of Israel by the UNITED NATIONS was considered rebelling against the nations and taking the land by force.”
I hope you are not a history teacher because you know very little Zionist history. Have you ever heard of Avraham Stern, or Yair as he called himself? Did they not try to take the land by force? He died in 1942, before 1948. What about Jabotinsky, the founder of Etzel? He also waged war before 1948. Force was used to get the state, even though the Balfour declaration gave the Jews a colony in Palestine. The United Nations never “gave” Israel a state. They “recognized” it after Green, a.k.a. Ben-Gurion, declared a state in May of 1948.
If you bring up the United Nations, logic dictates that Israel follow the UN. You cannot have it both ways. Either you care about the UN, which Israel violates its resolutions, or you do not care about it. If so, why bring up the UN?
Also take a look at the gemara in Yevamos where R’ Akiva was shipwrecked and ducked his head. The gemara learns from there how a Jew should act in Golus. The State of Israel does not follow that.
In addition, you can follow an Israeli, Norman Finkelstein, who does not believe the holocaust happened. A secular Israeli citizen, college professor and someone that does not keep the moment of silence.
theese neturies most probably never worked a day in their lifes all day they are free to do whatever the want just like aimlees goyim moishav laitzims they are its a shame on us jews they are making a mokery of themselfs and everything yiddishkeit stands for they are so deluded they dont know fantasy from reality
Some of these posts remind me of those guys in the year 70 CE who decided to burn the food wharehouses in Yerushalyim so the rebels fighting the Romans would not have food.
Last I checked Remmembering Neshamos is a jewish concept and in order to accomplish this task you can’t go about your daily life, you need time to reflect on the tragedy. If large groups of Yidden decide to follow this practice, irreligious as they may be, Meuvas asher lo yitkun, Chareidim should, in my humble opinion, show some respect no matter what day of the secular or religious year it is.
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‘Zionism caused the Holocaust’
Really? You don’t think it may have been because of you Chazzer Fissel being Mechallelei Shabbos BeFarhesia? I saw you guys on a TV news report a few months ago marching in a public square on Shabbos holding signs in a part of my city OUTSIDE THE EIRUV! You were also walking within the Dalet Amos of a few Hijab-clad women. Pasht-nisht? Or is joining forces with Ishmael in opposing the “zionist entity” a case of Eis La’asos to you and your evil ilk?
And before you start, I saw the news report well after Shabbos ended. 😛
Standing still during the siren does as much for the kodashim as putting a yellow ribbon on your car antenna does for the U.S. troops in Iraq and afganistan. If you don’t protest against chillul Shabbos in Israel but you protest against shomrei shabbos walikng when the secular government says “thou shall not walk” you’re a fool and hypocrite.