Yosef: No future to Jewish spiritual life outside Israel

Haaretz ^ | May 06, 2004 | Amiram Barkat

[yonif]

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has called on rabbis in the Diaspora to encourage immigration to Israel.

Speaking at a rabbinical conference outside Paris on Wednesday, Yosef said that in his opinion, there is no future to Jewish spiritual life outside Israel.

Some 300 European rabbis are meeting under heavy police protection, in view of growing anti-Semitism in France.

France's chief rabbi, Yosef Sitruk, said earlier that Jewish life in the Diaspora should remain independent until the coming of the Messiah.

[D Rider]

In a sense he's right. But with the nuclear card in play by enemies of Israel, I'd hate to see such a total and complete easy small target to take out so much of the Jewish ethnicity.

Not to worry, (I've read ahead.) ; )

[ChicagoHebrew]

Does he mean that Jewish people in France, for example, must strive to keep their own religious identity ?

I think that's essentially what H'Rishon L'Tzion Rabbi Yosef was saying. Everywhere but Israel, Jews face extreme pressures of assimilation and intermarriage.

[ChicagoHebrew]

The Trinity, the God of the Bible? First five books, yup!

Nyet to the Trinity, a concept unknown in Judaism.

[ChicagoHebrew]

The false assumption the Rabbi is making is that the current state of Israel is the same nation of Israel to which we will eventually all return to live. It is not. It is an abomination, and, in its current incarnation, little more than a tool to assist our enemies in eliminating us.

Go back to Kiryas Joel with the rest of the Neturei Karta freaks.

[thoughtomator]

I didn't even know what "Neturei Karta" was... interesting, but no, that's not my reasoning. My opinion is that a state that allows Jews to be freely slaughtered is nothing different than any other state in the world. A legitimate state it is, but the Israel of prophesy... I just don't see it. Worshipping the false idol of peace with Muslims isn't going to get us there, and given that this state of Israel has done just that for far too long, I don't think we can take for granted that this is the final return.

[ChicagoHebrew]

The Neturei Karta, fyi, are a fringe Hassidic sect that blames the Holocaust on Zionism and calls the State of Israel an abomination without the Messiah. Whenever you see Arafat kissing a Hassidic Rabbi, chances are its a Neturei Karta follower. Sorry, but you sort of sounded like them.

[Uncle Miltie]

Yeah, I missed that one before I posted. Sloppy is as sloppy does.

[montag813]

This guy is full of it. Real Judiasm is thriving in America amongst the Orthadox despite the power of JINO Secular Humanists such as the AJC and WJC. And Israel has more than its share of athiest Marxist so-called Jews, living in a quasi-Stalinist state (try wearing a "Islam = Terror" t-shirt in Tel Aviv to discover what this means).

[Atlantic Friend]

I see...I was a bit surprised by the way he said it. I thought that to really be part the Diaspora, a Jew had to keep his identity anyway.

That's totally fine by me. Jews have proven time and time again how they can share the soul of any nation and still maintain distinct traditions and culture.

[Atlantic Friend]

I see... Well, I hope the atmosphere will soon be cleansed here so thta French Jews can wear Yarmulkes without fear of being harassed by young Muslims.

Yes, you're right about that, you'd think we'd gotten just a little wiser in 2,000 years, especially given the fact that the Jews have shown on countless occasions they could keep their identity and at the same time enrich the soul of any host nation.

[ChicagoHebrew]

Atlantic Friend wrote: I see...I was a bit surprised by the way he said it. I thought that to really be part the Diaspora, a Jew had to keep his identity anyway.

Well they should, but practically it's much harder. Practically every country but Israel has a Jewish intermarriage rate of around 50%.