For those of you who ever watched the Saturday Night Live TV show back in the 90's will recall the regular segment "Coffee Talk", a pretend TV talk show hosted by Linda Richman (played by Mike Myers).One of the trademarks of this segment was that whenever Linda got upset or verklempt as she put it, she would give her audience and viewers at home a topic to discuss, while her welled-up feelings had a chance to pass.
The topics she suggested for discussion always had the same format, such as...
"The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, nor even an empire. Discuss amongst yourselves."
I take the time to mention this, so that you will understand the context when I say that my suspicions are now confirmed.
"The Israeli National Religious Party [NRP] is neither national, religious, nor even a party."
Yesterday on Arutz 7, it was reported that NRP Opens Ranks to Masorti Population:
...Members of the party's central assembly ratified a resolution to allow those who are not religious but keep many Jewish traditions, often known as Masortim, to join the party....
Now, in all fairness to the NRP, maybe it's just coming clean, and being honest about its true constituency. After true masortim (traditional Jews) have supported the NRP for years, as have many secular Jews in Yehudah & Shomron.
Nah!
It's all just to get more votes, as its presence in the K'nesseth has been in steady decline for,...well, years.
My biggest concern is that now so-called "Conservative" Jews, calling their movement the "Masorti" Movement in Israel will eventually get their hands into NRP policy-making. The left-wing Meretz Party is beginning to lose its appeal to some of these "Jews," and since their ulterior motive is to spread their psuedo-Torah lies by any means necessary, I suggest we be on the look-out.
The shadiness of the NRP's religiosity is also demonstrated by its regarding of rabbis. When NRP officials asked former Sefardi Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ShLIT"A if they could include women on the NRP list of candidates, they received a "NO" response. Of course, they went ahead and included women anyway, stating that they had "other" rabbis.
Well, gee, if you're not actually interested in holding to a response which runs counter to what you have decided already, then at least be smart enough to ask only for his "hypothetical" opinion, or better yet, don't ask him in the first place.
As far as being "national," I suppose it depends on what you mean by "national." The NRP IS most definitely nation-wide and nationally-known.
But, when it sits on a Baraq or a Sharon government, what kind of "national interests" does it demonstrate?
None.
Neither taunts nor threats from his own constituents deterred NRP head Zevulun Orlev from parting with his precious seat in the Sharon government of expulsion.
That brings me to why the NRP isn't even a party. Some time ago, Effie Etom and Rabbi Yitzhaq Levy left the NRP to for their own Religious Zionist Renewal Party, which was soon absorbed into the National Union Party led by Rabbi Benny Elon, and including Dr. Aryeh Eldad and Uri Ariel.
In desperation, and under the pretense of Ahduth Yisra'el (Jewish unity), the NRP followed suit, attaching itself in a two-year commitment to the National Union Party.
It doesn't really function as a party anymore, but rather as a faction. And, as I stated above, the NRP's decision to "come out" as open to non-religious members is only its latest, last-ditch effort to keep its head above the political party surface.
And, just when I thought the NRP was finally dead....
(sigh)
I'm feeling verklempt....
I'll give you a topic....
The National Religious Party is neither national, religious, nor even a party.
Discuss amongst yourselves....
Now the National Union is promoting the desecration of Shabbos.
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