February 22, 2024
Spotted recently in Shaarei Tzedek hospital (see here). They never bothered to take it down. The propagandists recycle the same slogans, but the masses have short memories and refuse to accept that they're being played.
This exhibit comes from everyone's favorite getaway, Misrad Hapnim (the Ministry of the Interior). How is it that a supposedly grassroots campaign started by unnamed families of the hostages in the hours immediately after the mini-Holocaust gets their propaganda all over government ministries, with messages of support and official state logos on their material? It doesn't matter how worthy the cause might be — none of us could ever pull that off.
If you think this propaganda isn't coming from the top down, keep supporting masses of Jews getting maimed and killed in Gaza to free the hostages and keep us safe, or something like that.
I had to take care of a bureaucratic matter at the Rabbanut (the Israeli Rabbinate), which is an official government agency. In other words, every rabbi who is part of the Rabbanut is a government employee. They take a salary from the secular establishment, they answer to the secular establishment, and, ultimately, they do the bidding of the secular establishment. That's how they remain employed with all the material benefits that come with that.
Anyone who thinks these people work for us is delusional.
The Rabbanut has a firm grip on Jewish religious life in Israel — according to state law they have a monopoly on the most important aspects of Jewish life, including kashrus, marriage, and conversion — while being owned by a secular establishment that has been virulently anti-Torah from the very origins of the modern state.
The Rabbanut is reviled across Israeli society. I don't think ANYONE has a favorable opinion of the Rabbanut, and that's really saying something. Considering they are the official face of Torah law in Israel, one would expect them to have some interest in actually being liked by at least some segment of the population, but it doesn't seem as if they care.
But when you realize that this is an Erev Rav institution, it makes perfect sense. The goal of the Erev Rav is to infiltrate the Jewish people, seize control of our institutions, and wage war on us and the Torah from within, while strengthening our enemies from without. What better way to do this than to make Jews in Israel revile the Torah by association, to hate seriously observant Jews, and to fear nothing more than Torah becoming the law of the land? When the average citizen only experiences grief and humiliation when dealing with the Rabbanut, while paying what is essentially a religious Mafia for the privilege, can you blame them?
I knew all this before I set foot in the Rabbanut's Jerusalem office, but even I was surprised by just how Erev Rav-ey the place was. It literally oozed Erev Rav. First of all, the place was plastered with photos of people who were "kidnapped" by Hamas. Your odds of escaping having photos of hostages shoved in your face is less than their odds of escaping Gaza.
If one wishes to believe this is because of a sudden outbreak of compassion from the Rabbanut, I invite you to visit one of their locations and deal with them, if you have not already had the displeasure of doing so. I have rarely seen such a collection of surly, humorless, downright cold people who lack any trace of empathy — even in a government office.
Check this out. This is a part of what you see while waiting for your number to be called: several posters of hostages (this is just a small sample), a sign declaring that wearing a mask is obligatory (in the front of the room is a big Tav Segol poster from the Covid era that remains on display), stickers on the floor and many of the chairs telling people to keep a distance, and a sign reminding you that you're under camera surveillance. Of course you are.
After I took care of my business, I took a walk around. On the main floor is a circular corridor with a series of rooms where the Rabbanut's courts sit. It's a dreary, depressing place, with lots of grey.
The people outside all look miserable. Many of them are going through divorces or litigation associated with divorce. The only people who look happy are the ones strutting through with suits, shiny dress shoes, and briefcases — lawyers. They walk around with confident strides and laughter. Business is good.
What were the suffering people surrounded by? Posters of hostages. Everywhere. They were taped to the walls, the doors, the windows, the receptionist's desk.
Think about this. The place is filled with broken, suffering people. Their lives are falling apart. Some of them are losing everything. Some of them are being abused in various ways by their spouse and by the system (which is designed to abuse people in the name of protecting people). It is the lowest point of their lives.
Not only will they not receive an ounce of compassion and empathy from any of the government employees in this place — they are cold and heartless, and one is fortunate if they are only indifferent to his suffering —but they are bombarded with posters of hostages.
These posters are not an expression of compassion and empathy for the hostages. They are an expression of cruelty for the suffering people in the room.
It's as if they are telling you that your problems don't matter. There are hostages in Gaza! They have it much worse! Granted, you're about to lose your kids, and your home, and your life savings, and your hopes and dreams are going up in flames, but REMEMBER THE HOSTAGES! PRAY FOR THE HOSTAGES!
If you think I'm exaggerating, look at this.
This room is where a state-employed sofer (scribe) writes the get (divorce document). Right before a man enters this room to make this tragic request, a poster of a hostage is shoved in his face.
This is not just insensitive. It is not just evil. It is downright psychotic.
Outside the waiting area where I was previously are other rooms, where litigation and the actual divorce proceeding takes place. I heard quite a bit of shouting from one of these rooms behind closed doors. I caught a glimpse of the inside of the room adjacent to it, and spotted a hostage poster there too.
Imagine. A man and woman enter this room about to end their marriage, quite possibly in a state of trauma, and they have a hostage propaganda poster shoved in their face. I kid you not.
I wanted to rip off all these disgusting propaganda posters and shout at everyone there, but of course I had to restrain myself. Rabbis can get away with all sorts of unseemly behavior, but only if they are part of the Erev Rav Mafia that controls our land, and I'm not a member of this privileged but accursed club.
But I did one better. I davened hard...and let's just say it wasn't for the hostages.
* * *
I've already seen more than enough to know the narrative about Milei's deep love for the Torah and desire to convert is more ridiculous Erev Rav propaganda, but I can't fail to mention this find about Milei cloning his dog and having deep spiritual experiences with his dearly departed best friend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_(Javier_Milei%27s_dog)#cite_note-11
Somehow this didn't make it into the articles in Mishpacha, Ami, and the other propaganda organs that target religious Jews. More interesting information on Milei here for your consideration.
In my previous piece I neglected to mention that the Mishpacha puff piece noted that Asher Weiss, who seems to feature prominently in every Erev Rav operation, ruled that Milei's dubious rabbi was OBLIGATED to participate in a ceremony inside a cathedral. As far as I'm concerned Weiss has already discredited himself to the extent that I no longer feel the need to devote a great deal of attention to his every utterance, but this one is REALLY difficult to rationalize, no matter how badly you want to believe in Weiss and media-promoted gedoylim.
For a scholarly treatment of limited exemptions (not obligation) for certain people who are close to kings when it comes to certain matters of halacha, see here. By all means, consult with truly honorable poskim to see if Milei's pet rabbi was allowed, let alone obligated, to give a blessing in a cathedral after the election.
If anyone would like to visit Weiss in person and ask him to explain his highly suspect ruling on camera for the benefit of Klal Yisrael, it would be a great public service. I'm sure he would welcome questions from concerned citizens just as warmly as he welcomes interview requests by Mishpacha and Ami.
By the way, did you ever stop to think why the Shabak would ask halachic questions of Asher Weiss? The Shabak is deep state personified. They hardly need to care about Israeli secular law, and they certainly don't care about Torah law. The most plausible use they have for clarifications of Torah law is to better enable them to infiltrate and perform undercover activities against Jews who actually care about Torah law. I can only wonder why they chose Asher Weiss to guide them...
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