Former Member of Knesset Rabbi Menachem Porush is not fazed by the recent secular protest in Yerushalayim. In a conversation with Ynet he asserted, “All those who are fomenting (opposition) are a very small group of young people consumed by hatred. It’s nothing. We have no reason to be intimidated by them. We are growing bigger and will continue to do so. Nothing will stop it.”
Rabbi Porush, 93, once a representative of the Agudas Yisroel party in the Knesset and deputy mayor of Yerushalayim, said the Motzoei Shabbos protest stemmed from the frustration of an entire population that feels as if its hold on the capital is declining.
However, he emphasized that, in his view, “the charedim are not commandeering Yerushalayim, but are only putting an end to the secular domination.”
“All of this hatred is out of jealousy,” said Rabbi Porush. “They (the seculars) just need to show that they are still here, but they barely exist at all.”
The former MK insisted that veteran Yerushalmim need not feel threatened by the charedim. “We don’t bother them. We just know how to wage larger battles than them,” he said.
“To keep Shabbos and to protest against its desecration is not something we are forbidden to do. ‘Yerushalayim was only destroyed because its inhabitants desecrated the Shabbos.’ We are shocked by this and will not allow the wall of Shabbos to be breached. This needs to cause a stir. A referendum should be done in the city and they’d see how many people think like us.”
Instead of protesting, Rabbi Porush suggested that the secular people concentrate on winning the demographic battle in the city. “We aren’t to blame. We have a grandfather, a father, a son, a grandson, and a great-grandson – all together. What do they have? Everywhere we open a yeshiva, a seminar, they fill up immediately while the secular schools stand empty.”
“On the contrary. They should grow. I wish. Nowadays, they are hostile towards growth of family. They should have children. We’d get by with them. They can also become religious,” said Rabbi Porush.
{Ynet/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
Smart man.
“We’re growing; they’re shrinking.”
But when will we grow up?
Why don’t you condemn, unequivocably, the barbarians for throwing rocks at pedestrians?
Is rock throwing a new “khumra”?
Shouldn’t those guys be eating “cholent”
or chanting “zmiros”?
#2
No, they are properly defending the Kavod of Shabbos Kodesh by attending the Shabbos Rallies organized and attended by Gedolei Yisroel Shlita.
Yerushalayim was only destroyed because its inhabitants desecrated the Shabbos.
And I thought it was because of Sinas Chinam…
The Seculars are not jealous they prefer to be able to live in their neighborhoods without “religious coercion”.
#4
There were multiple reasons. Another reason the Gemora states the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, was because of the pritzus at the time.
well said.
Another reason it was destroyed since”shelo hochichu zeh ess zeh”
#4 don’t you see even now it is 2 reasons, also sinat chinom(like rav porush said) and also there is chillul shabbat.
Think of it like someone has a child who likes to hit his siblings, one shabbos that child on purpose turns the light on shabbos. His brother tells him your not allow to do that ,so he he turn hits his brother. Now the parent is furious; not only he is michalel shabbos but also hit his brother. What is the reason the parent punishes the child? Is it because of sinat chinam or chillul shabbos?
Do not forget the reason that ‘the women were wearing eye shadow’—–caused the destruction of the temples!!!
#9 – thats what I was referring to in #6.
Yerushalayim is nebuch almost as frei as Tel Aviv. It sickens me to walk down the streets.
They elected a frei mayor and the city is going down the pipes. Moshiach, Moshiach, Moshiach now!
Sinas chinam was about the freiers hating those keeping Torah. Don’t try to twist emes into an excuse for loving goyim. A Jew who is michallel Shabbos is to be treated like a goy in every respect.
Israelis- out of Israel! Eretz Yisroel is for Yidden!