Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch
Rabbi Moshe SternbuchFlash 90

Rabbis of the Edah HaChareidis, a conservative haredi organization with anti-Zionist views, published a strongly worded letter yesterday against haredi journalists they believe to be promoting nationalism and combined enlistment of men and women. The Rabbis were led by Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, a member of the organization's rabbinical court.

“It has become known in our communities and throughout Israel that a great error is present in the press who presume to call themselves haredi while spreading false opinions which are far from our ways,” the letter begins.

They criticized the way that haredi journalists are praising soldiers and casualties of the war, calling them "far from the ways of Old Israel."

“Especially at a time like this, when the spirit of nationalism is consuming the camp on every side, and many are pulled into false beliefs coming from scribes that are far from the ways of Old Israel, among them those who promote enlistment of men and women which is absolutely forbidden and has never even been considered to be permitted.”

“Let all mourners mourn the fall of the reinforced dividing wall that has existed since ancient times, and the one thing equal to all such publications and journalists is that they tend to spread and cause damage, and it is your responsibility to guard them.”

The Rabbis call for such publications not to be brought home. “These are not the portion of Israel, and indeed, the greatest men of previous generations have already warned and sounded an alarm in the gates of the masses against such publications, and we do not encourage everyone to check that each man of Israel supervises himself and his family against stumbling over these unfit publications, and someone who protects his soul will stay far from them, not buying them and not bringing home those that are distributed free of charge.”

“In a completely and diametrically opposed manner, it is obligatory that every man and his household and descendants bring the spirit of holiness and simple belief and trust in God into his house, to distance false beliefs and trust in mortals, and as the ancient parable stated by the prophet said: ‘wickedness will emerge from the wicked.’ And let us increase prayer to the Salvation of Israel in matters both public and private.”