Peres to declare reconciliation between secular and ultra-Orthodox

[bemildred]

President Shimon Peres intends to call for a reconciliation between the ultra-Orthodox community and secular Israelis on Independence Day, the ultra-Orthodox weekly Mishpacha reported in the edition to be published today.

"You cannot be Israeli without being Jewish," Peres told Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau and Migdal Haemek Rabbi Yitzhak David Grossman, the publication reported. The president blasted the secular public's attitude toward religious and ultra-Orthodox people.

"I totally reject the scorn (displayed) toward the religious and ultra-Orthodox Jew, whether he wears a capote (a long, black jacket) or a four-fringed garment. There is no place for condescension, derision or mockery. Such behavior heightens the barriers between us," Peres said.

Peres opened his campaign for reconciliation between the secular and the ultra-Orthodox three weeks ago during a visit to the Weizmann Institute.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/975692.html

[subsuelo]

1. "You cannot be American without being Christian"

... just playing out how a statement like that might be taken in the U.S. ...

[henank]

2. Luckily he's President of Israel

and not the US. So who cares how that would play in the US? It's none of anyone's business except the Israelis'.

[LeftishBrit]

3. You can certainly be Israeli without being Jewish...

For one thing, about 20% are Arabs or Druze. In addition, a number are only Jews in the sense that they have enough Jewish ancestry to be subject to antisemitism under someone like Hitler; but are predominantly of other ethnicities.

It's not like Peres to make such an obvious error of fact; and I wonder if he was misquoted or taken out of context.

[azurnoir]

4. More on the quote

""There is no dispute that Israeli youth must learn the Torah. You cannot be an Israeli without being Jewish. Why should we give up the great treasure of Jewish literature? What have our Jewish fathers left us? Neither houses nor pyramids. What is the people of the book? A nation that has books, so why shouldn't this people study them?" Peres said."

Yikes, that first sentence, whether ones child learns the Torah or the Upanishads or no religious text should be a parental choice, not a matter of state.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. Or let the truth slip out. nt