Neturei Karta Prepares Persia for Purim with Solidarity Visit
In a story on Neturei Karta’s visit to Tehran, the Jerusalem Post claimed that delegation head Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss supported the regimes stand on questioning aspects of the Holocaust, but Rabbi Weiss insists that the quote and sentiment is a forgery.
The Jerusalem Post reported,
At the meeting, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA, Weiss “praised the ‘enlightening’ statements of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about the Holocaust and said the establishment of a Zionist government and occupation of Palestine are contrary to the injunctions of Judaism.”
But Kavkaz Center insists this was a “wrong quotation,†and Rabbi Weiss assures us (or at least, he assures the Muslims who read Kavkaz on a regular basis) that,
“We have just come to visit Iran in order to show to the world public opinion that the West’s propaganda so implying that Iran is anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic is all a lie and that Jews are living along their Iranian brothers peacefully.”He also stated that the second goal pursued by the trip is reconfirmation of the very fact that Judaism is totally different from Zionism and that the two are completely in opposition.
Rabbi Weiss rejected Sharq’s article that the visit has been arranged in order for their participation in a Tehran conference on the Holocaust and reiterated, “we have mentioned everywhere that the above goals constitute our motivation for visiting the Islamic Republic. We have never stated such a thing and all the media present there can testify to that, actually we have never even heard of such a conference.”
The picture is of the delegation “paying respect to Palestinians at Palestine Square.”
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Do they really believe that this is what God wants?! These guys out of their minds, actually showing solidarity with a state that is against Jews (although the story gets a little complex within Tehran) and threatens pretty much the whole Western world, especially including Israel.
These guys would help the Nazis find Jews if they could, on the grounds that it’s the divine will to be persecuted. I don’t think that calling them kapos would be so out of line.
—Matt · March 9th, 2006 at 12:13 am
the worst part is their meeting with the Iranian Jewish community.
anyone have any info on this? do the Jews in Iran really support these guys? or were they pressured into meeting with them?
—rootlesscosmo · March 9th, 2006 at 3:04 am
I’ve spoken to a moderate Orthodox rabbi about NK claims. And though he disagrees with their marketing campaigns, he feels their theological claims are as legitimate i.e. backed by text, as any religious Zionist.
—shtreimel · March 9th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Shtreimel,
Theological claims notwithstanding; their association and endorsement of our enemies most certainly are beyond the pale. We pray 3 times a day that G-d should destroy our enemies while providing no hope for “informers”. These people obtusely provide cover for the Iranian regime, obsequiously kowtow before Abu Amar, all the while vilifying their fellow Jews in front of the world in the most flagrant displays of Loshon Horah, Ona’as Devarim and Mesirah imaginable.
It is long past time for the worlds foremost Torah authorities (RCA, YU, Agudah, etc.) to state once and for all that the so-called “Guardians of the City” are absolute Reshaiim and place all of them in a befitting state of Cherem!
—CR · March 9th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Shtreimel-
Was that rabbi referring to general religious anti-Zionism (thet we see with Chareidim in general) or the particular positions taken by the Neturei Karta? If the latter, I think you need a new rabbi.
As to the former, anyone interested in the subject should check out the excellent Hirhurim blog (it’s helpfully linked on Jewschool under “J-blogs”) and check the subject headings on the right side of the screen for some great, thoughtful essays on the subject. The writer is a Modern Orthodox rabbi (right-leaning), but he very carefully considers all sides of the argument.
—J · March 9th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Rootlesscosmo: the question should be, could the Iranian Jewish community freely have said no?
—xisntox · March 9th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
J,
Good point. Although our discussion was sparked by an incident involving NK, he was refering to the general concept and not one group in particular.
—shtreimel · March 9th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Surprised to see a slightly less hysterical than usual discussion of NK going on here.
I disagree with NK about many, many things, but I have to say that at the very least, they accomplish one thing: the various people they go to in order to pronounce their total opposition to Zionism will at least be led to admit that there is a difference between Jews and Zionists as groups, though there is obviously a huge inner circle to that particular venn diagram. Unless you think the NK are just being repeatedly cynically taken advantage of. I don’t think that’s the case, though.
—Sam · March 9th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
I miss the old John Brown.
—Shmuel · March 10th, 2006 at 9:55 am
What info or power have NT betrayed to Israel’s enemies ever? If nothing else, they’re the ones going out and saving the good name of Israel before those who would otherwise have nothing good to ever think about us. Why should the Zionist state be the only public face of judaism to the world? Just because the chazon Ish made a deal with Ben Gurion, so orthodoxy should obey the whims of a government as cynical, dangerous, and self serving as any other? bah.
—yoseph Leib · March 11th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
yoseph, these guys support Hamas. and they’ve have been on the take from the PA for years. most useful idiots ever.
—rootlesscosmo · March 11th, 2006 at 7:49 pm