New York – In the shadow of the mournful fast of Tisha B’Av, a day that marks the destruction of our sacred Temples in Jerusalem and the onset of countless years of tragedy for the Jewish people, the Rabbinical Council of America and the Orthodox Union issue a heartfelt plea. We call upon all Jews throughout the world to reclaim the glory of our people by refraining from language that divides us and promoting language and deeds that unite us.
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Recently we have witnessed a frightening exacerbation of internal discord and an ominous intensification of inflammatory rhetoric. We have heard vile insults, offensive name-calling — including the inciteful invocation of the name ‘Amalek’ — and vicious personal attacks emanating from all sides on the various troublesome issues that we now confront. We have even witnessed physical violence. Indeed, in recent months we have seen precincts of Jerusalem’s Old City, in the shadow of the destroyed Temple for which we mourn today, become a venue for provocation and insult, rather than a place of unity for the global Jewish community.
We urge all Jews to celebrate the diversity of our community, whatever our ideology or choice of head covering. Each of us — men, women and children — is a cherished member of our people and we must educate all members of our community to honor and respect each other. We pray that all will one day soon glory in the rebuilding of our nation and our Temple.
We recall the teaching of our sages who noted that the Second Temple was destroyed due to the sin of “sinat chinam” — unprovoked enmity. We therefore, on this eve of Tisha B’Av, call on all individuals and organizations to join us in in dedicating our efforts to creating a world filled with “ahavat chinam” — unqualified love for one another.
May each of us who this year mourn the destruction of Jerusalem, merit to see it rebuilt speedily in our days.
Would it not be great if the so called gedolim would teach us by example
TO the honorary writers of the heartfelt plea!
Can you please explain, you wrote “in recent months we….in the shadow of. ..become a venue of provocation and insults…” THEREFORE, you’re continuing your plea “We urge all jews to celebrate the diversity of our community, whatever our ideology” Can you please explain yourself 1) Who’s provoking? 2) SO in other words the reform movement is an ideology difference that we have, or are they revolting against the Torah?
Now you’re bringing the chazal that the churban came because of sinas chinom-unprovoked enmity, Dear RCA&OU; you know very well that the milchomo today is not unprovoked! it was PROVOKED and the charedi world is and will defend itself by all means!
Thanks but no thanks for your advice
The OU has it within its power to put a stop to the violence.
If the OU would no longer allow any company they certify to place the OU symbol on any item that has a Badatz hechsher and refuse to allow the use of any Badatz item in any establishment they certify, the violence would stop!
The Badatz, by their own admission supports and funds this violence. Much of the monies for this come from their hechsher. Also many salaries are paid to these people via employment in the business.
The Modern Orthodox Rabbis and congregations that the OU purports to represent should pressure the OU into doing this.
Money talks very loudly!
We should learn from the son and daughter of Reb Yishmoel. Right before they were Niftar, each realized that the person whom they assumed to be a slave was actually a priestly child, and that priestly child thought that he was a slave.
Lets take an example to respect and hold in high esteem every Human Being, Yid and Non-Yid. Because the same logic that we might use to belittle someone else, that same logic can be used to belittle us.
Meaningless word by OU & RCA. Go down Lee Ave. or Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg and you”ll see flyer condemning all Zionists as עמלקים
Dear Rebbel 123 If you really exist and you are really serious you should know that your neshama has been destroyed by Klavim Azei Hanefesh. The Ribbono Sghel Olan has room for more than one opinion, and calling everyone who disagrees with you a rebel against the Torah makes You and all your rabbeim a bunch of idiots. Wake Up we didn’t survive Hitler Yemach Shemo to have to deal with Behemos like you You and you shota Friends have provoked this milchomo because it serves someone’s agendas. You are fooling nobody.
Included should be not bashing the Satmar organized rally, oh I forgot, they are bashing Israel, so is the Zionist government at war with frum Jews, so what’s the difference.
OU and RCA??
What about Agudath Israel?? Where are they??
How about we evacuate and cut most of the funding to the settlemnts way beyond the Green Line and when Bayit Yehudi and the RCA start screaming protesting and condemming the Agudah should come out and codemm all decisive speeches and protest and promotw Ahavas Chinom
if you will stop and think …. really think, you will undoubtedly come to the “source” of incitement and provocation. who has been termed ,continuously, relentlessly, “parasites” and similar derogatory names, by the media, and the highest government officials? every else is a defense and response to that. if you are honest, you will admit it.
Its not just the secular versus the chareidim. Its the internal warfare within the various frum kehillahs that constitutes an even worse example of such sinas chinam. When a sephardeshe rav who was once considered a gadol hador calls another respected sephardishe rav “evil” because he won’t step aside and allow that rav’s son to become the chief rav, that is perhaps the best illustration of sinas chinam we have seen recently . Someone should print out a copy of this RCA/OU press release for Rav Yosef since he probably won’t read it online.
While we all know that the OU and RCA are full of bologna, they are afraid to mention the real incident and just hint at it, even Moshe in this past weeks Parsha knew that hinting doesn’t work. The truth is that these people that call other Jews amaleck will get thirs in time.
and where are the women of the wall?!why didnt they come to eicha to mourn the destruction of bais hamikdash …because thier whole issue is a pirum shpeil just ‘kenomrod gibor tzeid’
The comments to this article are incredible. The OU and the RCA have put out a heartfelt statement simply asking Jews to be kind to one another and not hate each other, and even this simple kind statement receives hateful responses. OY!!!…Let’s just all agree, perhaps, that we need to spend Tisha B’Av reflecting on things we..you and me…could do differently to avoid sinas chinam. I’m willing to bet that there is SOMETHING each of us can think of that we can do differently.
Rca do not represent real frum heimish oilem. So who cares what these mo have to say. The ou should be ashamed of themselves as they marched in the ny israeli day parade with the homosexual synagogue. Don’t preach false ideas. We don’t need unity with apikorsim.
since when did each of us become the judge and jury for our fellow Jews?….calling each other names…come on!…every single Jew is a treasure…instead of looking for the negatives in others, it might be meaningful to see the good in each other…your neighbor isn’t wearing the right clothes..okay..but maybe they are incredible in kibud av ve aim…(honoring their parents)…are any one of us so holy that we think we have the right to be the judge and jury of our fellows? isn’t an important part of tisha b’av to reflect on our national tragedies..tragedies that affected all of us..yes..all of us..the ones in short skirts, the ones in long skirts, the ones in dark suits, the ones with small kipot—all of us—–