Jewish labor
Jewish laborFlash 90

The Avoda Ivrit (Jewish labor) website launched a public plea to help fund its legal struggle and succeeded in drawing 980 donors who gave NIS 264,000, exceeding their fundraising goal by 110 percent.

Forty-five days ago, Avoda Ivrit opened a mass-funding project at GiveBack to finance the legal battle foisted upon it after being defined as a "legally discriminatory" site in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court and being required to pay a high fine.

The Derech Haim movement, dedicated to leading the Jewish nation to conduct public life in accordance with the Torah's teachings, represented the site during the trial. The movement has embarked on a legislative struggle to define Jewish labor as a legal value in the State of Israel. For this purpose, the movement began raising funds and concluded the campaign this week.

Among the hundreds of contributors to the site's project are MK Betzalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), singer Ariel Zilber, former Samaria Brigade Commander Lt. Col. Yehuda Liebman, Baruch Marzel, Boaz Haetzni, Rabbi Zalman Melamed, Lt. Col. Itzik Shadmi and Rabbi Elyakim Levanon.

הגיעו ליעד - וחצו אותו
הגיעו ליעד - וחצו אותוצילום מסך

Many public figures joined the campaign, including rabbis who welcomed the project and concur with the importance of Jewish labor. Rabbi Yaakov Medan said that "it is a great mitzvah to provide every person with work and livelihood, and an even greater mitzvah to provide work and livelihood for our brethren, our nation, as Maimonides wrote that there is no higher way of performing the mitzva of tzedakah (charity).

"The claim that a struggle for the empowering Jewish labor without denying others the possibility of work, is racist, and strongly supports the past UN resolution that Zionism is a racist movement. This argument is absolutely unacceptable," said Rabbi Medan.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu also addressed the issue of the Jewish labor site and said, "Many years ago, Avoda Ivrit was a very important value, and the Histadrut was established to protect Jewish workers against the Arab labor that took over all work in the Land of Israel. The struggle for Jewish labor in the orchards was one of the founding principles of settlement.

"But there are those for whom all of Zionism is a mistake, and all of Israel is a mistake, and from this emerges the attempt to harm the site that promotes Jewish labor. We adhere to the good Zionism, which may be considered old-fashioned but is actually new and most innovative. We also adhere to the Nation of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel. This is the newest, most proper, and truest set of values. May their hands be strengthened, all those who strengthen Jewish labor," said Rabbi Eliyahu.

Uri Kirshenbaum of the Derech Hayim movement said, "Thank G-d, the Jewish People came out in all their glory. Jewish labor, which has always been a central litmus test of one's love of Israel, has now captivated the nation and we've seen widespread support for the project."

He said, "We appealed to the District Court. If it is not accepted we will continue to the Supreme Court. If in all the courts it turns out that the State of Israel sees this basic value as a sin, there is no choice but to advance a legislative change that will make it clear once and for all that Jewish labor expresses true love of one's fellow Jew and not racism."