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We are all accustomed to seeing the Neturei Karta contingent at the Israel Day Parade...They annoy us and we dismiss them. "they represent a fringe group.." we tell ourselves.
This article will prove that they are very influential and very dangerous!
They look like many Chareidi Jews particularly similar to Satmar Chasidim who do not particularly like the secular Zionist government in Israel. However, unlike Neturei Karta, Satmar Chassidim do NOT support empowering our enemies like IRAN. Those of us Jews in the loop dismiss Neturei Karta as idiots and assume they are being paid off by Iran because no sane Jew really wants a nuclear Iran. Do these "Jews" really want to reap what they sow? So we either try to engage them in dialogue, ignore them, shove an anti Iran poster in their face, give them a dirty look, yell at them or at worst, sing Hatikvah...
Yes, it is time to take them seriously as they have become sophisticated with a strong youtube and online presence. Their online presence is stronger than the Rabbi's at the Rabbi-led Rally in front of UN before Yom Kippur, stronger than OU Rabbi's and the OU Advocacy group who assembled on Capital Hill before Rosh Hashana and stronger than Rabbinic Organization, Agudath Israel and their Advocacy group the Lefkowitz Leadership Initiative. Let me go so far as to say that Agudath Israel of America empowers Neturei Karta.
Here is proof!RABBINIC-LED RALLY September 20, 2015 Erev Yom Kippur
Read about this Rabb-ledi Rally against a nuclear Iran. http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2015/09/erev-yom-kippur-5776-stop-iran-rabbi.html. I was there and I thought it was an amazing Rally.Neturei Karta was there as well in relatively strong numbers, in support of a nuclear Iran.
These look alike Rabbi's, fools dressed in Rabbi's garb, were on E. 45th street closer to 2nd ave. We were closer to 1st Ave. These fake Rabbi's had signs "We support a nuclear Iran deal". Here is a youtube of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=NxrdLnAjXoY
Please note that as of tonight, post Yom Kippur, they have a youtube up and the Rabbis of Conscience-led rally do not. Shalom TV video'd this amazing Rally but because of the holidays didn't yet post it. Hopefully sooner than later, because the fake Rabbi's beat us to it.
Personally I took several excellent videos of the real Rabbi's speaking but these videos were longer than 2 and a half minutes. I have yet to figure out how to upload large files onto youtube. Luckily Steve Epstein managed to post some videos of this rally on facebook. While we were an amazing group of professional volunteers working on this rally, we were also trying to prepare for Yom Kippur etc.
The Neturei Karta probably got a busload of students and followers. (They probably came by bus because the subways have forbidden images. I would like to know where their funding is coming from?) They need to hire someone to video and someone to post on youtube with a misrepresentation of who they are.
They say that they represent true Judasim as opposed to the other Rabbi's who don't.
If you were uninformed researcher, which Rabbi would you believe. The one with the strong Youtube presence or the one w/o youtube presence?
OU Advocacy and Press Conference on September 9th North Lawn of the Capital.
Very little coverage. I found this OU article about this event which brought in hundreds of Rabbis for the day and there was a price that one needed to pay for a seat on the bus. Rabbi's took off valuable time to attend this rally and lobby in Congress. .http://advocacy.ou.org/2015/hundreds-rabbis-synagogue-leaders-capitol-hill-urge-congress-reject-iran-nuclear-deal/
Search "Youtube for OU Iran Deal and see what comes up". Not much except Neturei Karta. I finally found this unprofessional youtube under OU Advocacy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzlwbhnV9iw&list=PLIs7yAzLQL42DZ05IVZnz-18zIhV0MyoH.
You can not see the speaker. The message was not a message of Torah but rather about the fact that the Deal with Iran is a bad deal, bad for Israel's security and bad for America. A moral objection. . These were Rabbi's but no Torah Message that the Land of Israel is Promised to the our Forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for an everlasting inheritance! If there was such a message it wasn't posted.
Neturei Karta in comparison, had an impressive bunch of videos posted on youtube.
The typical Satmar Chossid probably doesn't realize that the world looks at these images and assumes that they are all supporting a nuclear Iran under the Neturei Karta umbrella of peace and love.
Neturei Karta of course accuse the other Rabbi's as being false...
These videos were calling for peace with Iran.
The Message of Neturei Karta is: Stand with the Peace Process with Jews who are "True to the Torah". The Deal is a G-dly work with the backing of the True Brooklyn Jewish Community in Williamsburg, the largest Jewish Community in New York. Bloodshed of the world is because of the Zionists and this group wishes to show gratitude to the Arabs for giving Jews the freedom to practice Judaism in freedom.
The OU Advocy has put their emphasis on closed meeting advocacy with members of Congress. Gillibrand, Jeffries, Corey Booker, Schumer etc.
What do they have to show for it? Not much. Gillibrand, Jeffries, Booker came out for the Deal.
Even Schumer disappointed us since he was too busy to study the Iran Deal because he was busy working on the Education bill. See 3:30 into video with Chuck Schumer:UP WITH STEVE KORNACKI 7/19/15 I'll make up my own mind on Iran nuke deal . http://www.msnbc.com/up/watch/schumer--ill-make-up-my-own-mind-on-nuke-deal-487177283523
Just knowing that Iran was getting $150 billion dollars of sanctions relief is reason enough to come out against it. What exactly about the deal did he have to study? (Caroline Glick at Times Square Rally opposing the Deal)
When Gillibrand and other Democrats came out in support of the deal, Schumer finally came out against it. Even after knowing that there were hidden side deals, Schumer didn't try very hard to convince fellow Democrats that this was a bad deal. Even with his lukewarm opposition, Obama came out with full force backlash...
BTW, Yes, the Yeshivoth did received promises of big bucks from New York State early this summer around this time..Schumer was probably focusing on this! Monies that were somehow owed to private schools from 9,10 years ago.... reimbursable...Impeccable timing?
AGUDAH ADVOCACY FOR YESHIVA EDUCATION funding at the Expense of IRAN DEAL ADVOCACY?
- VIDEO from Agudath Israel: A GREAT WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR: NY STATE YESHIVOS TO RECEIVE $40 MILLION http://ourlli.org/video-a-great-way-to-start-the-new-year-ny-state-yeshivos-to-receive-40-million/?cat=news "All that knocking finally paid off"... Rabbi David Zwiebel monies owed to them from 2006 [following Gush Katif.. My comments RT] Why was Schumer so busy with this instead of the Iran Deal?
- VIDEO: NYS ED DEPT BEGINS DISTRIBUTION OF $250 MILLION REIMBURSEMENT TO NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS. YESHIVOS TO RECEIVE 80 MILLION DOLLARS IN NEXT TWO YEARS—http://ourlli.org/nys-ed-dept-begins-distribution-of-250-million-reimbursement-to-nonpublic-schools/?cat=news
Earlier this summer, the New York State Education Department announced that over the next two years it would be distributing $250 million in mandated services/CAP reimbursement to nonpublic schools across the state with $125 million to be paid out in each of the two years...
Mrs. Deborah Zachai, Director of Education Affairs for Agudath Israel of America, explained that these monies have been owed to nonpublic schools for more than a decade. Due to budget shortfalls and the use of a flawed formula to calculate the actual reimbursement due to nonpublic schools, the debt accumulated and became substantial over a more than ten year period.
It has been a long-standing legislative priority for Agudath Israel of America – whose late president Rabbi Moshe Sherer was instrumental in getting the mandated services law enacted over 40 years ago – to obtain payment on the debt. The state's allocation of $250 million for this purpose, goes a long way towards accomplishing that priority.
"We are absolutely thrilled that, at long last, the state has begun making payments on the debt it has owed yeshivos and other nonpublic schools for so many years. We anticipate that the yeshiva share of these funds should be approximately $80 million over the next two years, in addition to the regular mandated and CAP payments. This infusion of substantial funding is wonderful news for yeshivos and should significantly help ease their cash flow," said Mrs. Zachai.
"This development is long overdue, but nonetheless extremely welcome," added Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudath Israel's Executive Vice President. "We look forward to working with the State Education Department over the next two years as these vital funds are distributed."
Agudah Advocacy for Iran:
Aside from these posts and this PDF which gives talking points and sample letters to our elected officials, http://files.ctctcdn.com/1cf6ab87001/88c49f26-7483-4f0b-93b8-b89659fe5258.pdf that's about it. And it is pretty hard to cut and paste a pdf file.
Agudah has been rather silent. No videos about our G-d Given rights to Eretz Yisroel, Yehuda and Shomron based on commentaries of the Biblical boundaries of Eretz Yisroel delineated in Parshat Masei. No videos about a dangerous Iran deal,
Compare Neturei Karta's online and video/youtube presence and "Torah Message" in support of a Nuclear Iran with that of Agudath Yisroel against a Nuclear Iran. Neturei Karta wins hands down!
Yet Agudath Yisroel is a mainstream ultra religious Organization with hundreds of thousands of followers and thousands of Rabbi's. They have a paid office staff and even a public relations office in DC.
While Neturei Karta is a fringe group numbering maybe in the hundreds. We suspect they are getting paid off...
We know that Agudah knows how to advocate when it really wants to.....
AGUDAH's ADVOCACY AGAINST CHAREIDI DRAFT
Here is a successful protest organized by Agudath Israel.
Haredim pray in New York for cancellation of Israeli ultra-Orthodox draft bill http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Haredim-gather-for-mass-prayer-rally-in-New-York-against-ultra-Orthodox-draft-in-Israel-344780
NEW YORK – Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered in New York's financial district on Sunday to protest against a Knesset bill to draft previously exempt yeshiva students into the IDF or national service. The protest, described as a prayer meeting by organizer Agudath Israel of America, was intended to serve as a follow-up to last week's mega-protest in Jerusalem, which drew a crowd of hundreds of thousands.
Officially, Agudah is against the Iran deal but compare their effectiveness in advocacy against the Nuclear Iran deal with the Rally they helped to organize on June 9, 2013 against the Chareidi Draft of Israel.
Please watch the following youtube video of this Rally, probably put out by Neturei Karta whose presence with Satmar was significant:
Apparently, Agudah helped to organize a Neturei Karta event. Probably very disturbing to the majority of members of Agudah.
- New York City: 10,000+ Jews Against Israel (U.S. Media Blackout) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMQ9C6vni0w&feature=youtu.be.
other posts about this Protest rally....
- Haredi Jews Rally In N.Y. Against Israeli Draft Proposal http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/israel-news/haredi-jews-rally-ny-against-israeli-draft-proposal#IZPleCzj6lmC2R57.99
- Agudath Israel Statement On The Israeli Draft Of Haredim:Agudath Israel of America calls the proposed universal draft law that would draft haredi yeshiva students into the IDF "an affront to the world Jewish community and an affront to Hashem's [God's] name," and claims drafting haredi yeshiva students will limit the growth of Torah in Israel. http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2014/03/video-agudath-israel-statement-on-israeli-draft-123.html
Seriously, is the government of Israel more of a threat to the Chareidi Jew than Iran, Hamas, Hizbollah, Fatah and Isis? Is the 150 billion dollars of freed assets to a terror State of Iran less of a problem then the State of Israel calling for a Chareidi Draft to fight real enemies who wish to annihilate her? http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2014/12/likud-rule-of-evil-what-have-hereidi.html
Case in point: How would the Chareidim suggest that they defend themselves against the Hamas tunnels discovered in Operation Protective Edge without an army?
How long did it take for a Druze Policeman to come to stop the terrorists who massacred and dismembered with gruesome cruelty those that were davening in Har Nof? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Jerusalem_synagogue_attack.
Perhaps if B'nei Torah synagogue, the shul in Har Nof where the massacre took place, had mispallelim, worshippers, with ammunition on them, as is the case of most Dati Leumi shuls (religious Zionists synagogues) perhaps the terrorists could have been neutralized sooner than the 7 minutes it took for the police to come. Will Chareidim blame the gov't of Israel for not providing equal protection for Chareidim as other Israeli citizens?
...And large sums of monies from the US Government, can silence Agudah from speaking words of Truth and words of Torah.
Am I suggesting impropriety?
Warning lights! Wait a moment. Motzei Shem Ra! Lashon HARA! Giving someone a bad reputation is a very serious violation! Especially a Rabbinic Organization. Especially Motzei Yom Kippur!
How can this money that is "coming to Yeshivoth via Agudah Advocacy" be considered unholy?
The Yeshiva's deserve this money I hear you ask. We pay our taxes and shouldn't we receive funds from our hard earned tax payer money for our children's education like all New York State residents?
This is an excellent question. Yes is my answer to that question. Yeshivoth surely deserve this money and if New York State gives this money to Yeshivoth, they will truly merit to have upright citizens. A win win situation for all.
So where lies the problem?
The answer I believe lies in a personal discovery made after a long and difficult struggle and search to understand the Mitzvah of Shemittah. I will explain it to you in abridged form related to the topic at hand. If you wish to read about this further and how Shemittah is related you can visit this post. http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2005/09/how-it-began-how-i-became-interested.html
The Tikkun lies in the way one gives and the way one receives. If one gives in the proper spirit that we are doing the right thing and that monies are owed to the private schools that is the right way for the State to give. Those receiving are not receiving a present. They are receiving that which is due them. They don't owe those who have released the monies anything. They are receiving their fair share.
But why did it take so long to release the funds and why davka now? This release of funds is suspicious. Are there any strings attached? Was there an unwritten agreement, like don't fight us on the Iran deal in order for the monies to be released, If so, this is a bribe or like tossing a dog a bone when it is very hungry. One is blinded from a bribe and this is what can make it unholy.
Those who remember how the expulsion of Gush Katif happened and how the religious parties initially opposed the decree only to be bought with Educational subsidies are super sensitive to this possibility.
Keeping Shemittah in the proper spirit reminds us that it is G-d alone who provides for our sustenance and that there is One G-d... a very difficult Mitzvah to keep indeed...
The Truth of Torah
These Pesukim appeared in the Yom Kippur davening more than once.
זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לָהֶם בָּךְ וַתְּדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם אַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעֲכֶם כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם וְכָל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֶתֵּן לְזַרְעֲכֶם וְנָחֲלוּ לְעֹלָם:
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your very Self, and to whom You said: 'I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land which I said that I would give to your seed, they shall keep it as their possession forever.' "
I marched alongside Neturei Karta wearing my Hebron T shirt and holding a map of the Land of Israel based on the Biblical delineations of the borders of Israel according to commentaries of Chumash. All of the maps of these delineations, according to all the opinions, include Judea and Samaria. Here is the picture of the map on the T shirt: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B86sGl9yfinjcXdwYkszbFhBS2xxS0ZWY01sVmV4RHFkb1Vr/view?
I tried to emphasize to those that paid any attention, that this was Chumash, our everlasting Covenant with Hashem, and not merely the boundaries of the modern State of Israel!
The back of this T shirt had Biblical references of the boundaries of the Land of Israel in Parshat Masei. Numbers 34: 1-15 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B86sGl9yfinjU3dYUHdhM1NQa1RSc284c0ZNZ0hHcXhRQ2U0/view?
As the Neturei Karta were chanting "Judaism, Yes, Zionism No", I marched alongside them chanting quotes about Zion from the Torah and from the Liturgy. "Ki Mizion Tezei Torah, Udvar Hashem MeYerushalyim" From Zion comes forth Torah and the word of G-d from Jerusalem. ..VeZechezena Ainenu Beshuvcha LeZion BeRachamim..... May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in compassion. Blessed are you Hashem, who restores His Presence to Zion. (translation courtesy of Artscroll)
They looked at me truly confused. Deep down they too have a Jewish soul yearning for the truth...
Years from now, the world including our children and Chareidi children will get the wrong impression that all ultra Orthodox supported IRAN Deal. All they will see are the Neturei Karta youtube posts.
Something to reflect upon.
Pitka Tova, A good Kvitel....
Pitka Tova, A good Kvitel....
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