Slurs, Slander and Shas

SM

The recent Supreme Court ruling that the state should fund Reform conversion centres can be debated for its rights and wrongs. But the response of Shas is little short of a disgrace.

As reported here, Interior Minister Eli Yishai, chairman of Shas, warned that if non-Orthodox conversion is recognized in Israel, "there are hundreds of foreign workers and Palestinians who will take advantage of the Reform conversion in order to gain Israeli citizenship."

The linkage is both cunning and revolting - this 'warning' is intended to frighten. Why else mention Palestinians? The implication there is that these people will have an ulterior motive for converting which is to do with damaging Israel. No recognition that Shas ministers are supposed to serve their Palestinian constituents and citizens. Moreover, the Reform movement will, impliedly, connive in converting potential 5th columnists so that they can become Israeli citizens. Not only will these people not be real Jews - that goes without saying. They will also not be real Reform Jews - they will convert for the sake of citizenship. Not like all those footballers and basketball players converted by the Orthodox then.

Thus Shas carries on its religious war by defaming other Jews for not being real Jews, defaming those it converts with accusations that they will be in some way hostile to Israel, and defaming those other Jews again by implying that they will be happy to convert people hostile to a State which Shas itself is ambiguous about.

Not bad for 22 words. Hatred, sneer, unjust accusations, abandonment of responsibility and hypocrisy in one neat package. Truly we have learned well from our enemies.

Search for more information about Shas's vile behaviour at 4torah.com.