Israel – A new advertisement of the Mashbir Lazarchan department store has managed to offend the ultra-Orthodox and national religious sector in Israel as it makes use of a picture of the Western Wall.
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A huge ad was hung recently on the fence of a compound in Jerusalem where the new Mashbir Lazarchan structure is being built. The ad shows three members of the cast of Israeli sitcom “Ramzor” on the backdrop of the holy site.
Residents belonging to the religious and haredi sectors were angered by the ad, claiming that it showed disrespect to the Jewish people’s holiest site.
“We don’t have many places that are under consensus, and turning them into ads for a commercial company and trying to use them to make a few more shekels is unnecessary. There are sacred values and the Western Wall is one of them. They should be left beyond the limits of commerce and cynicism of the advertising world,” said Jerusalem resident Haim Rosen.
Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich said that the Western Wall is a place which connects between all parts of the Jewish people and “should not be used as a commercial tool, neither in favor nor against anything.”
Sources in the rabbi’s office said they expected the company to remove the ad as soon as possible.
New Mashbir Lazarchan’s VP Markering Odelia Orbach said in response, “We had no intention of angering the haredi public. On the contrary, this was done out of a desire to connect to the values we all share.”
I am a chasidish yingerman and I don’t see what is wrong with this ad.
Why don’t they lighten up…this is not disrepectful and we don’t want rabbonim or politicians censoring our media and advertising.
Here’s an idea.
Let some international supermarket put up a similar advertsement in Mecca using the big mosque there as a background.
Come to think of it, let them try to put up such an advertisement anywhere in the world.
what does being chassidish have to do with anything. im a muslim and it bothers me.
This news media report perpetuates The Big Lie that the Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism. This is incorrect! The Western Wall is NOT “the holiest site in Judaism.” The holiest site in Judaism is the Foundation Stone, Mt. Moriah, currently under Muslim occupation and captivity beneath the Dome of the Rock (May we all live to see G-d restore it to us!).
I am Yeshivish and It bothers me. The thing is, Israeli society has no comprehension of “holy.” There’s no holiness by the secular so for them what’s the big deal. They don’t even understand what they did wrong.
What about the Pritzus?
This is ‘the’ worst place in jerusalem for a heimishe yingerman to be in, how did the chareidi sector notice it at all???
This is the holiest Jewish site that is accessible to Jews. It’s a Chilul Hashem to be using it in an ad, and it contains Pritzus. It should be removed.
The Western Wall is just a wall. Any kedusha is in the hearts and minds of people. Any disrespect is also in their hearts and minds. The wall will endure regardless what people think about it.
Lets all hope that until the coming of moshiach the western wall should be going back to the Arabs, they treated this place with much more respec. R”L
reply to # 1
you should be ashamed of yourself for not having that sensitivety…..learn from us litvish people, and go talk to your rebbe.