Hamas War

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Nu? Jewish Civil Rights?

Considering that Jews are always in the forefront of every civil rights movement in the world, it's strange that their antennae aren't buzzing over the lack of religious freedom for Jews. Yes, I'm calling these a simple Civil Rights issues.

These abuses of Civil Rights took place in Israel, actually in Jerusalem, within the old city walls. To be more specific, the first one took place near the kotel, the Western Wall of what remains from the ancient Temple Compound.

What's known as the "kotel" isn't the only remnant of the Temple Compound walls where Jews gather to pray. Another popular spot is the Kotel Katan. On Rosh Hashannah, in the middle of prayer, a young Jew was forcefully arrested for blowing the shofar, ram's horn. Shofar blowing is an intrinsic part of the Rosh Hashannah prayers.

Another recent police action is the ruling that Jews in the, sic, Moslem Quarter must stay locked inside 8-10pm every evening. Instead of preventing violent Moslems from attacking them, the Jews are being restricted. Oops! did I write "violent Moslems?" Didn't the pope get into trouble for saying something like that?

Is this general situation comparable to the saying:
The cobblers' children go shoeless.

Or is it much more insidious?

4 comments:

yitz said...

Or is it much more insidious?
At Gush Katif, at Amona, and now at the Kotel, to quote Walt Kelly of "Pogo" fame, "We have me the enemy, and he is us!"

Batya said...

unfortunately
but there's always tshuva
http://me-ander.blogspot.com/2006/09/magic-of-tshuva.html

Esser Agaroth said...

B"H Thanks again for your usual clarity. Regarding tshuvah, we are taught by the Ramba"m that there is, indeed, a point of no return, when HaShem decides certain people have gone to far or have already had enough chances. I'll hazard a bet that there might be at least one or two current or former members of the Israeli government who fall into this category.

Batya said...

Thanks
True but I don't think G-d wants us to do that sort of guessing.