Dear Shalom Many years ago, when I was in Yeshiva, I was shocked by the violent racist behaviour on the Yom Yerushalayim march through East Jerusalem. I always assumed that my year was exceptional, so I was stunned to hear from my students that it was not, and that such incidents occur every year. Indeed, it has got much, much worse since my time. I wonder how many of your readers have seen this short U Tube clip from this year's march. It seems to me that every civilized educator and certainly every frum Jew is obligated to do whatever he / she can to stop this vile mob behaviour. I would love to know what the attitudes of Israeli yeshivot are to their students participating in the march and whether colleagues around the world can use their leverage with the Yeshivot to express their feelings and end this terrible hillul hashem [www.youtube.com] Best wishes (Rabbi) Gideon Sylvester http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19716#msg-19716 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:36:05 -0600 Phorum 5.2.19 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19741#msg-19741 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19741#msg-19741
The video on youtube recording for the world to see the horrendous
chanting of some of our youth is beyond words. When I saw it, I was
saddened, but not shocked. However, I do think we, as educators need to do
more than wring our hands.

I think Rabbi Haber is disingenuous and missing the educational point.
Both my wife and I remember, with joy and sorrow, having marched on Yom
Yerushalayim. The joy is invoked by memories of the wondrous celebration.
The sorrow is from reliving being pushed by the crowed through the Arab
market, while jubilant boys (I was pushed with the boys obviously) banged
on the doors waking and frightening the sleeping families. (This was over
20 years ago and things have only gotten worse.)

The chants this year included not only "death to Arabs" but also "we'll
burn your villages" and "death to leftists." If racist is not the correct
term, then perhaps "Chilul HaShem" is. When one begins down this slippery
slope, the next event can be violence even when used against the police
and Israeli Army -- which it has by the same type of boys.

Several of my students and my wife's students confided in us how disturbed
they were. This reflects their experience both at night and during the
day. (What were they doing in East Jerusalem?)What a shame. What a
potential positive Zionist educational moment lost.

But where does it begin? This past Friday, we celebrated as my daughter's
first grade completed Sefer Bereshit. The school organized a wonderful
event at Ma'arat HaMachpeal in Hevron. The guest speaker spoke of Avraham
and Sarah and then announced loudly how we need to kick out every Arab and
all other bad things from our land. She continued to scream it over and
over again. This is to a group of 6 and 7 year olds. I had heard about
this from other parents who were disturbed by this speaker in the past.
Many of our friends there were in shock. But aren't these the kids who in
a few years will be chanting those horrible things listed above?

Whether or not the Israeli army / police should have or could have
prevented some Palestinians from waving flags is besides the point. The
issue is how are those of us who support Israel (no matter which political
party) and yet are frightened by the violence being instilled in our youth
educating to a more civilized viewpoint?

If we don't stand up and tell our children and our students that this
unacceptable behavior, then we are responsible for the results. It is
critical for yeshivot in Israel to speak openly and honestly with our
students -- and just as critical to protest our schools when they present
inappropriate speakers to our little children.

Todd Berman

--
Rabbi Tuvia (Todd) Berman
Associate Director
Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi
972-52-598-4441
www.yehatzvi.org]]> Todd Berman Lookjed List Archive Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:44:15 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19737#msg-19737 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19737#msg-19737
The vast majority of marchers (at least during the daytime “Rikudegalim” – “flag dance” march which was depicted in the video) do not engage in this type of behavior. Although I was not there this personally year, my students were, and they confirmed what I have witnessed myself in previous years: the program is an excellent, well-run celebration which all Jews should be proud participating in. The vast majority of the marchers do not issue any political statements at all, and certainly do not act offensively. It is not fair to judge an entire event with thousands of participants on the basis of a carefully edited video clip.

Although the behavior depicted can certainly be called “vile”, I saw no evidence of “violent” behavior. Furthermore, almost none of the slogans could be called “racist” either (the expression “kill the Arabs” at the end was a notable exception and, in fact racist – but the other slogans were not). When our opponents use hyperbole to criticize Israeli policies (for example, the expression “apartheid state”), we justifiably protest. Let us not be guilty of the same offense ourselves.

Provocations are a 2-way street. The clip begins with pictures of Arabs flying Palestinian flags on a rooftop in Jerusalem, Israel’s sovereign capital. This behavior – which is a criminal offense in many countries including the United States – must also be condemned. Why the Israeli police did nothing to stop this is beyond me, and it certainly does not justify the unfortunate reaction of the Jewish teens filmed, but the context of these reactions cannot be completely ignored either.]]> Alan Haber Lookjed List Archive Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:40:22 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19733#msg-19733 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19733#msg-19733
The youtube clip that rabbi gideon brings at the end of his post is extremely worrying for anyone who cares about the future of the 'dati leumi' community-which was supposed to be the bridge between the secular and ultra-orthodox sects in israeli society.
The boys demonstrating in the clip are wearing normal sized kippot serugot and not the oversized/very large ones worn by youth who associate themselves with the far right wing/ the youth from the hilltops.
rabbi gideon rightly has brought this horrific scene to the attention of jewish educators.
However, i would point out the following points:
1) These boys demontrating are representing the communities they are coming from-their rabbanim in their shuls/ yishuvim/communities and schools-the problem is with the 'role models' who are 'educating' and influencing them-the root of the problem is with their 'leadership'-when you hear the way some right wing dati leumi rabbanim talk about arabs, it is hardly surprising their talmidim behave in such a way.
2) Ofcourse one cannot generalise-i was at the kotel on yom yerushalayim with the school i work at- a regular, dati leumi yeshiva high school, and the boys did not run riot in the arab market on their way to the kotel and danced very nicely in the plaza of the kotel, as did other yeshivot at the same time-inviting other people in the plaza area of the kotel to join them dancing-including secular jews without kippot, non-jewish tourists etc..-it was a lovely, moving scene.
3) From my personal experiences in yeshiva high schools in israel-there is a fundamental problem that the mechanchim-form tutors, are the boys ramim (the boys rabbis-gemara an tenach teachers), this means that the role models the boys have-their mechanchim, are rabbis who usually have no proper secular education-they don't have real university degrees from good israeli universities and have never really left the yeshiva world and as a result the boys take on the narrow minded and often right wing religious and political views of their mechanchim.
4) In every israeli sect/ ideology there are extremes- that reflects the nature of the people here and the passion they have for their beliefs.When i see the 'women in black' demonstrating by the prima kings hotel in jerusalem-i
find them equally provocative.
So i agree with rabbi gideon,that these pictures are very worrying, especially as the views of these boys reflects the views of their rabbaim in their yeshivot and communities, but i am not sure if one can generalise and say this youtube clip reflects the dati leumi commmunity at large.

Benjy]]> benjy singer Lookjed List Archive Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:51:04 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19716#msg-19716 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19716,19716#msg-19716
Many years ago, when I was in Yeshiva, I was shocked by the violent racist behaviour on the Yom Yerushalayim march through East Jerusalem. I always assumed that my year was exceptional, so I was stunned to hear from my students that it was not, and that such incidents occur every year. Indeed, it has got much, much worse since my time.

I wonder how many of your readers have seen this short U Tube clip from this year's march. It seems to me that every civilized educator and certainly every frum Jew is obligated to do whatever he / she can to stop this vile mob behaviour. I would love to know what the attitudes of Israeli yeshivot are to their students participating in the march and whether colleagues around the world can use their leverage with the Yeshivot to express their feelings and end this terrible hillul hashem

[www.youtube.com]

Best wishes
(Rabbi) Gideon Sylvester]]> Gideon Sylvester Lookjed List Archive Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:03:55 -0600