Am ehad - beJahad:
Beleidigung und Hetze führen in's Verderben

Hok haSchwuth, das Rückkehrgesetz, ist die festgeschriebene Verbindung des Staates Israel zum Volk Israel in der Welt. Nach Ansicht führender Vertreter der sefardisch-fundamentalistischen SchaS-Partei, die bereits die Rettung äthiopischer Juden verhindert bzw. verzögert hat, soll dieses Gesetz stark eingeschränkt werden, um der weiteren Verbreitung von 'Greuel, Perversion, Prostitution und Verbrechen' durch Einwanderer aus den GUS-Staaten einen Riegel vorgzuschieben.

Nach Ansicht des ShaS-Vorsitzenden Yishai, sei das gedeihliche Zusammenleben bedroht, schon heute seien Stimmen zu vernehmen, die spezielle Städte für Russen fordern. Natan Sharansky, Vorsitzender der Israel-b'Aliya, drohte die Koalition zu verlassen, sollte der Vorsitzende der SchaS-Partei (Eli Yishai) nicht alle Beschuldigungen gegen russische Einwanderer zurücknehmen.

Der Angriff auf die russische Alijah war nur eine von vielen Attacken der ShaS-Partei gegen 'säkulare Entwicklungen' im Staate Israel. Kurz zuvor war ein Aufruf des geistigen Mentors der ShaS-Partei ergangen, in dem dieser die Legitimität der politischen und juristischen Institutionen (Legislative, Judikative, Exekutive) des Staates Israel verneint hatte.

Die staatlichen Gedenkfeiern zum 4. Jahrestag der Ermordung des isr. Ministerpräsidenten Jizhak Rabin, waren von ShaS boykottiert worden. Die in Ehud Baraks Koalition vertretene ShaS, hatte bei fast allen Abstimmungen gegen die Regierung gestimmt. Ehud Barak selbst hält sich in seinen Äußerungen eher zurück, meinte aber: 'Die russische Einwanderung ist das größte Geschenk an den Staat Israel, seit seiner Gründung'.

Auch von ShaS muss Respekt für den Staat Israel verlangt werden:
Ein Ruf an die Ultras

Ma'ariv comments on the escalation in religious tensions in Israel, "which again shows the thin line between freedom of speech and incitement,"  regarding the latest incidents in Beit Shemesh and the education officer as examples.  "Ultra-orthodox leaders must understand that their influence on their followers is enormous, and therefore carries a heavy responsibility.  They must understand that they cannot ignore the principle of respect for other individuals and groups in human society."

The sweeping attack on the Russian community is racist - especially coming from the ultra-orthodox who complain of being victims of racism themselves.  The words of the IDF education officer who claimed that the Conservative and Reform movements are worse than the Nazis is even worse. It equals the Holocaust deniers in its wickedness.

The editors suggest that the ultra-orthodox themselves ought to examine the significance of these statements since they reflect a mode of thinking and speaking that is not acceptable.  The ultra-orthodox community is not cut from one cloth and bitter, legitimate battles are being fought over issues of the IDF draft, conversion, the Jewishness of immigrants from Russia and kashrut.  But the editors conclude that the ultra-orthodox must learn to fight for their positions in an acceptable manner, without insult, incitement, racism and with respect for the other side, while accepting and respecting the State of Israel, the country's laws and sovereignty.

Am echad - bejahad - Click!

Special Areas for Russians:
Shas leader wants Law of Return to be changed!

The Law of Return must be severely tightened to prevent non-Jewish immigrants to enter the country, so Shas leader Eli Yishai yesterday. The day before Shas activists (Health Minister Shlomo Benizri's brother David and other rabbis) in Beit Shemesh publicly accused immigrants from the former Soviet Union of bringing "diseases" into the country and "flooding Beit Shemesh with uglyness."

Rather than discussing the threat of closing the state of Israel to many possible immigrants and their families, the Interior Minister and Yisrael Ba'aliya leader Natan Sharansky told The Jerusalem Post "on a day like this I would have expected minister Yishai would not deal with the Law of Return but the real problem inside his own movement, which threatens the unity of the people in a far more serious way than one section or another of the Law of Return, which is a most important tie between the jews in Israel and in the world."

Willfährige Konvertiten bevorzugt

Yuli Edelstein (Yisrael Ba'aliya) last night demanded Prime Minister Ehud Barak to instruct Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein to launch a criminal investigation of the incidents in Beit Shemesh. His call was backed by Shinui leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid, which accused Shas of being politically motivated in its attacks on the immigrants. The influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union acts as a "balance" to the growing electoral support for haredi parties, said Lapid. Shas turns jews and jewish families away and prefers converts no matter werefrom they come, as long as they obey to the strict line of the party and it's leaders.

Zum Zusammenleben unfähig

Once again Yishai said that there is no alternative other than tightening immigration laws because "there's no doubt that hundreds of thousands of additional non-Jews... will make cooperation between Israelis very difficult." He said Shas aims to foster peace between Jews and promised an immediate investigation into the affair - to be conducted by Shlomo Benizri.

Yishai's top priority is the removal of the clause in the Law of Return which affords grandchildren of Jews the right to immigrate. Tens of thousands of non-Jews enter the country on this basis, Yishai said. "The Law of Return should be only for the child of a Jewish mother or via strictest conversion under suitable supervision."

haGalil 12-99