Jerusalem – In a scathing address delivered today at the Knesset, Israel’s deputy minister of education, MK Rabbi Meir Porush, had strong words for the Women of the Wall and for the decision to create a mixed gender prayer area at the Kosel.
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As previously reported on VIN News, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan this past Sunday that would establish an egalitarian prayer area that would be separate from, but adjacent to, the Orthodox prayer area. Porush’s words came just days after MK Moshe Gafni publicly slammed the Reform movement, first reported by Israeli online news Maariv.
“The Reform movement bears the guilt and is responsible for the terrible assimilation that we see in the United States,” said Porush. “They have wedding ceremonies that include priests. This decision by the government gives a sense of victory to the very movement that brings misery to the Jewish nation.”
Porush quoted this week’s parsha, noting the juxtaposition of the commandment for the Jewish people to be a holy and the words “it should be thrown to the dogs” in a single pasuk.
“Rashi says if you are holy and separated from things that are repulsive then you will be mine,” said Porush. “I say this here: those who do not distance themselves from abomination should be thrown to the dogs. This refers to the Women of the Wall. This group should be placed at the edge of our camp, near the Dung Gate, in a desolate corner. That is the place where they belong. They should be thrown to the dogs.”
Yizhar Hess, CEO and executive director of Israel’s Masorti movement responded angrily to Porush’s words.
“Meir Porush, the deputy minister of education, is speaking like the last of the anti-Semites,” said Hess. “Only in Israel could a deputy minister say offensive things against Jews and still be able to keep his job. In any other place in the world they would be clamoring for his dismissal. I call upon the prime minister to remove him from his position and I expect the minister of education to distance himself from these shameful words as well.”
Just days ago came word of an agreement that would allow for the creation of a third section at the Kosel, establishing a mixed gender prayer area and giving the Women of the Wall a place to lead their own services and read from the Torah. The decision prompted a swift response from Gafni, chairman of the Knesset’s finance committee.
“The Reform movement is a group of clowns that are plunging a knife into our holy Torah,” said Gafni. “These clowns will never be recognized, not at the Kotel and not anywhere else.”
The women OFF the wall would be very happy with dogs, Instead of having husbands who would don tefillin, they do it themselves, and instead of celebrating their sons Bar Mitzvah, they would conduct a Bark Mitzvah,
he wasn’t speaking against jews. he was speaking against a movement that mocks the torah. don’t believe in diety. don’t believe in torah min hashomayim. their whole shita is just to lehachis trample everything holy
I agree, he should step down. Diracheah Darchei Noam. What does he accomplish by saying that other then turning more people away from Torah.
What a bunch of hypocrites these so called frum MK’s are. Mr. Porush you are sitting within a government that is letting this happen so you should be taking the blame equally. Just wondering if a gay pride parade at the kotel is up next??
Porush has never been known as a thinker, rather a man who inherited a political machine from his father. Yet I am surprised that the zealots in Israel have not done something drastic to stop the WOW.
To adress a mix gender issue at the holy site in the holy land is a farce itself. Mayer Porish! Ur right with ur words but how can a (hopefuly) rightous jew stoop so low by being a MK in the treifene medinah??!
Yes, The women off the wall are a terrible problem but the government YOU claim to work for is In essence the root cause of EVERYTHING.
If its a secular govt, why cant we have women off the wall??? Its the big picture to look at. Its a total sham! Every shoimer shabos yid employed in this opikorsishe govt, bares the brunt of women off the wall and all crazy unethical untorahdiga happenings in the so called land of Israel.
There’s many ways to say something. This guy didn’t use his kop, instead speaking in an articulate manner that anyone could understand he couldn’t hold himself back from saying very harsh statements which only resulted in many thinking he’s just a crazy חרדי. If so what was the gain? On the contrary, that’s why we say דברי חכמים בנחת נשמעים, he would have been much more effective and appealing. People must forget their ego and think what would be the most productive effective way to achieve Torahs goals instead of reacting impulsively which often doesn’t bring כבוד to the תורה.
מענה רך ישיב חמה ודבר עצב יעלה אף
please, no ignorance. With your shita of ‘deruchaya darkay noam’ you can be mevatail kol hatorah . In our torah it says ‘bavod reshoim rina’, when oiver lhacis kol hatorah, ‘mitzvah lisnoso’ mes psachim etc etc etc
While it’s upsetting to see this, we must understand that most citizens against this don’t work, pay taxes, or serve in the army. Therefore, the’s a limit to how much they can control the state of affairs.
“People of holiness shall you be unto me; and flesh in the field that has been torn you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dog.”-Mishpatim 22:30 This is referring to not eating meat from a carrion or mortally injured animal; instead the meat is thrown to the dogs as a reward for not barking when Bnai Yirael left Mitzraim. Maybe Mk Rabbi Porush is saying that these people are like carrion since reshaim, those who rebel against the Torah and want to force others to legitimize their ways, are compared to the dead.
If you all don’t realize it,Israel is a pluralistic country. No one sect has a monopoly on what’s happening there.There was always many different types of jews living or visiting in jerusalem and they all had the opportunity of visiting the temple There was no guard that had to ask for credentials , only a dip in a mikvah was sufficient. Especially if one wanted to stand outside of the temple proper.Tzudikim, perushim, essenemin and more lived together or side by side.
Guys, there are two sides to the coin. The seculars and the orthodox. We have to try to put in the right perspective. Ultimately, the Kotel is a religious symbol, which the seculars should respect as the domain of the orthodox. But the orthodox has to learn to try to persuade the secular with gentle words. After all, the medina is mostly secular.
Divrei Chachamim benachas nishmaim. I don’t think we are going to win with anger. If gentle persuasion doesn’t win, could davening as a whole tzibur perhaps work? Or even the davening of one person, do we have such a person?’
If this really bother us, can this time a klall davening do something? Can we test our davening on this?
Another hate-filled statement from the medieval shtetl. Yet these are protected 24/7 by the Zionist armed forces, fly in and out on El Al, pay no taxes, and think they’re so superior to everyone else. Feh. The WOW are Jews, and they will celebrate that, even if the medievaloids kvetch.
#12 couldn’t come up with anything more intelligent , like, we should go molest, connive, huh?. how about ‘vayiten l’hem naclas goyim b’avir yishmeru toitosay…’ psalms, so those who reject torah misini, divine revelation, etc etc have no claim to artzenu hakdosha….the almighty doesn’t care EY is democracy