Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Wednesday, Jun. 15 '16, Sivan 9, 5776
HEADLINES:
1. NETANYAHU SLAMS 'MISLEADING' REPORTS OF US AID CUT
2. NO, RABBI RISKIN: REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENTS ARE A DANGER
3. NATIONAL SECURITY HEAD BLASTS 'RIDICULOUS' REPORTS OF US AID ROW
4. REPORT: HAMAS HEAD KHALED MASHAAL TO STEP DOWN
5. VICTORY FOR JEWS OF SHILOACH: NEW HOMES APPROVED
6. IDF INTEL CHIEF: OUR ENEMIES HAVE NO IDEA HOW POWERFUL WE ARE
7. JERUSALEM FIRE FORCES CITY ENTRANCE TO BE CLOSED
8. RABBI RISKIN URGES ISRAELIS: END THE 'WAR' ON REFORM JEWS
1. NETANYAHU SLAMS 'MISLEADING' REPORTS OF US AID CUT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has slammed "misleading" reports over alleged cuts in American military aid to Israel, accusing those circulating the reports of attempting to sow panic.
"In the wake of numerous misleading reports, the Prime Minister's bureau would like to clarify there has been no cut in American assistance," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office read.
Echoing comments made earlier Wednesday by Israel's acting National Security Council chief, the PMO noted that the discussions are part of "an internal debate between Congress and the White House on the size of the annual supplement to the missile defense program."
"Prime Minister Netanyahu is working to anchor this supplement as part of the discussions on the assistance agreement for the next ten years," the statement explained, emphasizing that "not only will security assistance for missile defense not be cut, it will be increased."
"The attempt to turn the dialogue with the US into a domestic Israeli political tool is improper," it concluded. "Expressions of panic are not warranted."
Earlier, acting National Security Council chief Yaakov Nagel took to Army Radio to blast the "ridiculous" reports circulating in the Israeli media. Nagel explained that the military aid Israel currently receives is not up for discussion, but rather the option of a new, separate "anchored" aid package for missile defense systems.
2. NO, RABBI RISKIN: REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENTS ARE A DANGER
by Rabbi Avraham Gordimer
Rabbi Gordimer is a member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, and a member of the New York Bar. His writings on Jewish topics are published widely.
It is sometimes hard to believe what we are reading, as things are turned upside down in an effort to be politically correct and gain popular appeal. Orthodox Judaism has never sought to be politically correct – on the contrary, it has stood its guns no matter what direction the winds are blowing. Unfortunately, with the case of Modern Orthodox rabbis who have crossed the line into Open Orthodoxy, it has become almost commonplace to read the unbelievable, things that would never have been expressed were Rabbi Soloveitchik zt"l, the Torah luminary of American Modern Orthodoxy, still with us. Sometimes, shocking ideas are articulated in direct contravention of his views, with the excuse that "times have changed." Since when has that wellworn excuse been used in Orthodoxy?
This, much as it hurts to write it, seems to be the case when it comes to rabbinic superstar, Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin, who seems to be on a much publicized collision course with tradition. There was the "Rabbi Jesus Video" (which Rabbi Riskin later said did not represent his views, due to the video's poor editing), his promoting the chanting of Megillath Ruth by a woman at the main minyan of a synagogue under his jurisdiction, and other ideas that fly in the face of Orthodox tradition. A once modern rabbinic icon who did much to bring people closer to Torah, Rabbi Riskin has in his later years adopted positions that fly in the face of normative Torah understanding. (Please also see the later portion of this linked article regarding Rabbi Riskin's involvement with Christian ministries.)
Although one could have otherwise, perhaps favorably interpreted Rabbi Riskin's hair-raising idea in his recent public pronouncement on Arutz Sheva that the Reform and Conservative movements are partners in Jewish outreach to have been intended to express the demarcation between acceptance of Reform and Conservative Jews themselves and unequivocal opposition to their leaders and their interpretations of Judaism, a view held by respected rabbinic authorities, that is clearly not what Rabbi Riskin said. Rather, Rabbi Riskin stated: "They're not tearing Jews away but bringing them closer… That may have been true at the beginning of the Reform Movement, but it's very different now - they're trying to bring Jews closer. Not to the wholeness, the fullness of Orthodox Judaism that I love and that I know, but nevertheless they're trying to bring Jews closer." In other words, it is the leadership of the Reform and Conservative movements whom Rabbi Riskin praises!
This leadership is bringing Jews closer to what? Intermarriage? Christmas trees and menorahs in the living room? A total departure from normative halakhic Judaism?
Let us look at that greatest danger to the continuity of the Jewish people, not the just as important continuity of its halakhic framework. On a factual level, not only are most Reform Jews (and non-Orthodox Jews in general) intermarried today, and not only does the head of the Reform movement extol intermarriage, but there has been serious discussion within the Reform movement to permit its rabbis to themselves be intermarried. The Reconstructionist movement has gone further, formally allowing its rabbis to be intermarried, and a large plurality of rabbis in the Conservative movement favor the performance of intermarriages. In fact, the Conservative movement's USY youth group now permits its leadership to interdate
To endorse these movements as positive and as forces for bringing Jews closer to Judaism is downright wrong and even farcical. Although these groups may espouse some type of Jewish identity, they embody and encourage assimilation and the abandonment of Jewish tradition and commitment. And it is happening before our eyes.
Theologically, the Reform and Conservative (as well as the Reconstructionist) movements reject the Singular Divine Authorship of the Torah and the other Cardinal Principles of Faith, and they have disavowed the binding nature of halakha.
It is therefore not only incorrect to refer to these groups as partners in bringing Jews closer to Judaism, but it is dangerous, as such a statement empowers and validates groups which threaten the very integrity and future of authentic Judaism in every manner.
There is no need for elaboration, as the issue is not subtle or nuanced; endorsing the heterodox movements is tantamount to endorsing the dismantling and destruction of traditional Judaism.
Many of my friends were immensely impacted by Rabbi Riskin in a most positive way during his early tenure in the United States, as he energetically established Torah institutions of the highest caliber. My friends miss the old Rabbi Riskin. We all wish that he would return.
3. NATIONAL SECURITY HEAD BLASTS 'RIDICULOUS' REPORTS OF US AID ROW
by Nitsan Keidar
The acting head of Israel's National Security Council has said reports concerning the White House's alleged refusal to increase military aid to Israel have been spun beyond recognition or simply misinterpreted by many commentators.
Speaking to Arm Radio, Yaakov Nagel described many of the reports as "ridiculous."
"I am conducting the negotiations intensively," he said. "My last meeting with my counterpart (US National Security Adviser) Susan Rice was in Washington and spanned several hours.
"We are in the middle of a long process in which both countries want the prime minister and the president to come to an agreement on the new aid arrangements for the next decade, in a way that will grant maximum security to the State of Israel."
"The prime minister is personally managing things in order to reach the the most positive conclusion possible for the security of the state," Nagel added. "What was released to the media today... there are no indications of a reduction in defense aid. We are talking about an American debate over the 2017 annual budget for missile defense - this is about the extent of additional aid."
Nagel explained that the discussions are completely unrelated to the military aid arrangements Israel has received from the US until now. What is being debated, Nagel said, is the possibility of implementing a separate anchored aid package specifically for missile defense capabilities - "something which has never been included in the memorandum of understanding."
"Until now the situation was always that the White House gave a sum (for missile defense aid) and Congress enlarged it. For the first time, at the initiative of President Obama and with the agreement of the prime minister, they are trying to anchor a sum for the next decade," Nagel continued. "Both sides agreed to do this in order to prevent a conflict between the president and Congress vis-a-vis this subject."
It is worth noting that all government ministers and senior officials have been banned by the prime minister's office from commenting on the topic - indicating that Nagel is most likely relaying Netanyahu's official position in order to refute the claims of a reduction in US military aid.
4. REPORT: HAMAS HEAD KHALED MASHAAL TO STEP DOWN
by Matt Wanderman
Hamas head Khaled Mashaal will reportedly not seek another term in the upcoming internal elections, scheduled for the end of the year.
According to the London-based paper Rai Alyoum, 56-year-old Mashaal is firm in his decision, unlike his 2013 pledge to retire. He will officially announce the decision sometime before Hamas begins its preparations for elections.
The election will be open to members of the Shura Council, Hamas's decision-making body. The council's membership is made up of representatives for Gaza, Judea and Samaria, "exiled" leaders living elsewhere, and Palestinians serving sentences in Israeli prisons. There are believed to be about 60 people on board, and they are responsible for the group's actions, both political and terror.
Mashaal has led the terror organization for the past twenty years, largely from his office in Damascus.
Rai Alyoum suggests that Moussa Abu Marzouk, Mashaal's second-in-command is the most likely successor. Marzouk lives in Cairo, which could appeal to Shura Council members interested in strengthening the group's ties with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
5. VICTORY FOR JEWS OF SHILOACH: NEW HOMES APPROVED
by Orli Harari
Jerusalem's planning and building committee has approved plans to build homes for Jews in Kfar Shiloah, after political pressure forced the issue off of the committee's agenda two weeks ago.
The proposal calls for building a three-floor residential building for Jews, on land purchased by the organization Ateret Cohanim in 2005. It will be located near Beit Yonatan.
Following the liberation of eastern Jerusalem in 1967, Israel annexed its entire capital via the Basic Law: Jerusalem, which passed in 1980 and declared that the entire city of Jerusalem is a single entity. Thirty-six years later, though, Jewish tenants still face routine and systematic discrimination when they try exercising their rights to live in the most ancient Jewish parts of the capital: the Old City and the around the City of David.
Jews in the Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City, or in Kfar Shiloah are frequently harassed and attacked by their Muslim neighbors. The danger is serious enough that young children require armed escorts in order to reach their schools or friends safely.
Even though the violence consists almost entirely of Arabs attacking Jews, self-proclaimed human rights groups insist that the Jews are the true problem. They do not call for an end to the violence or encourage Arabs to treat their Jewish neighbors with respect, and instead demand that the government place a blanket ban on Jews living in those neighborhoods.
One such activist, Aviv Tatarsky from the group Ir Amim, told Army Radio that "The settlement of Silwan is entirely the government's work and it's a new high in the threats to Palestinians in Jerusalem.
"In the short term, the government is successfully transferring assets into Palestinian neighborhoods through settler organizations and disintegrating the communal fabric in Silwan. But in the long run, every resident of the city is paying the price."
6. IDF INTEL CHIEF: OUR ENEMIES HAVE NO IDEA HOW POWERFUL WE ARE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Major General Herzi Halevi, the head of the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate, spoke on Wednesday at the 2016 Herzliya Conference. The topic of his talk was "Israel in a Turbulent Middle East: Strategic Review & Intelligence Assessment."
"If our enemies knew our military capabilities they would spare themselves additional conflict."
General Halevi warned Israel's opponents against initiating a conflict, and discussed Israel's challenges and opportunities in today's Middle East.
"I would like to describe the rules of the game in the Middle East," he began. "There are a lot of people who live in the Middle East with no electricity. Looking at the GDP per capita or unemployment rates it is noticeable that very big gaps have formed between us and our neighbors. It should not make us happy - a poor Middle East is a hotbed for terrorist organizations.
"The rules of the game in the Middle East has changed. Instead of few states, there are now many players. The transition from nation states to organizations is very significant. There are no good and bad guys, and players on the field change their identities."
Halevi continued to discuss the new ways in which conflicts and wars a formed in the Middle East, in what he calls 'dynamics of escalation'. "We live in an era in which it is most likely for wars to begin even though neither side is interested in it."
Regarding Iran, the general said: "The nuclear agreement was a great achievement to Iran, allowing them to be accepted among the world's nations and we believe they will honor it for the first few years. In the same time, Iran is investing great efforts against Israel. Iran is supporting the three main threats on Israel: Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad – in fact, they support 60 percent of it. It is a Shi'ite nation giving money to a Sunni organization – they would do that to hurt Israel."
Halevi then turned to discuss Israel northern border, particularly the issues of Lebanon and Hezbollah: "We have no offensive intentions in Lebanon. We do not want a war but we're ready for one more than ever. No army ever had more intelligence on their enemies as we do about Hezbollah today.
"The next conflict will not be easy. Hezbollah is suffering heavy casualties in Syria but also experiences significant achievements, and in this process they learn a lot and gain access to new means of combat," said Halevi. "Iran is sending weaponry to Hezbollah – some of it gets so Syria, but some of it stays in Lebanon. Syrian industries have resumed the production of weaponry for Hezbollah, and neither the world or Israel should accept it – it could escalate the next conflict.
"I am sure that, had Nasrallah or either of our enemies known our military capabilities, they wouldn't risk additional conflict.", Halevi concluded.
7. JERUSALEM FIRE FORCES CITY ENTRANCE TO BE CLOSED
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Fourteen teams of firefights are working to control forest fires next to Jerusalem's Har Hamenuchot cemetery and in the Jerusalem Forest.
Firefighting planes have also been summoned to assist.
The blaze in the Jerusalem Forest is quickly spreading due to a strong eastern wind. The emergency workers are trying to prevent the first from approaching residential buildings and infrastructure. At this time there are no reports of casualties.
As a result of the fire, Highway 1 has been blocked from the Sakharov Gardens to the entrance to the city. Traffic is being redirected to the Erezim Tunnel.
The following roads have also been blocked off: Akiva Azoulay, Kanfei Nesharim, Menachem Hafsadi and Magenei Yerushalayim.
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8. RABBI RISKIN URGES ISRAELIS: END THE 'WAR' ON REFORM JEWS
by Eliran Aharon
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As the controversy over the so-called "Mikveh Law" rages on, prominent Modern-Orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has weighed in, urging Israelis not to view non-Orthodox Jews - such as the Reform and Conservative movements - as their enemies.
Instead of attempting to legislate against them, the Orthodox establishment needs to find a way to work with them, despite their seemingly unbridgeable theological differences.
Whereas in the United States the vast majority of Jews do not align with Orthodox Judaism, and the single largest denomination is Reform, in Israel the situation is the reverse: Israeli Jews are largely traditional, and the vast majority - even those who aren't strictly religious - define themselves as Orthodox. The Reform and Conservative movements, in contrast, have only a tiny presence in the Jewish state, and are often eyed with suspicion for reinterpreting or even doing away completely with many Jewish laws and traditions - in many cases denying the very divinity of the Torah.
But Rabbi Riskin - the popular Chief Rabbi of the town of Efrat in Judea - is calling on Israeli Jews to rethink their "war against the Reform and Conservative movements."
"I think is tragic," Rabbi Riskin told Arutz Sheva.
"I think you win over Jews, and people in general, through love - not throiugh legal means forbidding this way of praying or that way of praying."
Most Israelis, he noted, have probably never even come into contact with a Reform or Conservative rabbi, and so have an inaccurate perception of what drives them.
Preempting his critics, Rabbi Riskin, emphasized that he is a "proud Orthodox rabbi" and believes "with all my heart and soul in halakhic, Orthodox Judaism."
He even recounted how, prior to his aliyah to Israel, he succeeded in turning a Conservative synagogue into an Orthodox one.
"However, I teach my students... look, you can't pray in a Conservative or Reform synagogue because it's mixed seating - but they're not our enemies, they're our partners!"
"I know that sounds strange to many in Israel, but anyone who's trying to bring Jews closer to Judaism is my partner and not my enemy."
While early Reform leaders actively encouraged Jews to abandon traditional Jewish practices, today's picture is very different, he noted.
"They're not tearing Jews away but bringing them closer," Rabbi Riskin insisted.
"That may have been true at the beginning of the Reform Movement, but it's very different now - they're trying to bring Jews closer. Not to the wholeness, the fullness of Orthodox Judaism that I love and that I know, but nevertheless they're trying to bring Jews closer.
"What's the downside if they use the mikvaot? They'll have a little tahara (purity)?"
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