The Jewish Home Party is at a crossroads: The party chairman is seeking to pass a constitution that, according to some of its members, does not reflect the party's religious values.
However, during an interview, Bennett said that opponents of the move "want us to return to being synagogue collectors.". This statement apparently offended quite a few rabbis, who turned to the website of the World Synagogue Association, operated by Eilat Hashachar, and protested the disparaging statement, as they put it.
Rabbi Moti Reich, the organization's secretary, published the following harsh statement on his website under the title "Bennett, the Synagogue Collector is not an anarchist institution":
Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Jewish Home Party, said the following in an interview with the Kippa website this week: "The constitution is excellent, but there are those who will oppose everything. There are those who are afraid to take responsibility and lead. It reminds me of the sin of the spies - the sin was the fear of winning. We are significant in the security, economic and political spheres. It has never been like this and we have always only been concerned with building mikvahs. Mikvahs are important, but we are not there and I do not want them to take us back to the days of the religious NCO. Opponents of the constitution "They want us to be returned to being synagogue collectors.".
I do not enter into the internal party polemics of the Jewish Home Party, it is not my role, and certainly not the role of the 'Union of Synagogues' which addresses all audiences in Israel. I do wish to express strong opposition to the use of the unfortunate expression that uses 'synagogue collectors' as a symbol for a primitive, self-centered, outdated, and flightless role.
To me, this is nothing short of a disgrace. This statement, coming from a man wearing a kippah, who heads a religious party, offends the most dedicated people in the most important institution for the Jewish people – the synagogue, certainly in the month of Elul – the month in which these people give their lives to provide the masses of the House of Israel with a comfortable, friendly and pleasant place of prayer.
In the last few hours, I have received dozens of inquiries from collectors who told me about their feelings of being hurt. This creates an insult towards public representatives who are just trying to reach new audiences and endear them to the synagogue. The synagogue and its collectors are not anarchists, and they are not outdated. They are not focused only on themselves, as this unfortunate statement implies.
It is appropriate that in these days, the days of mercy and forgiveness, the Minister of Economy retract the expression that, one hopes, came out of his mouth by mistake, and clarify that this is not what he meant.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
