Hellenization Of Torah: The Battle Rages On!

ח' לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ד

Connecting the dots, this...

Times Of Israel: Yisrael Beytenu seeks to disband Israel’s religious councils
New bill would shift responsibility for all religious services from exclusively Orthodox bodies to elected local government

Haviv Rettig Gur December 31, 2013

A new bill proposed Monday by two Yisrael Beytenu MKs would mark a revolution in the Israeli state’s religious services for Jews, a source in the party told The Times of Israel.

The measure, proposed by the powerful chairman of the Knesset Law Committee, MK David Rotem, and MK Robert Ilatov, would transfer all responsibilities and assets of dozens of religious councils throughout Israel into the hands of local elected municipal and regional governments. This would include funding and oversight of local synagogues and rabbis, the building and maintenance of mikvaot, or ritual bathing facilities, burial and more....

The bill follows close on the heels of the successful passage of the so-called Tzohar Bill, which passed into law in the last Knesset session over the summer and formally went into effect Monday.

The Tzohar Bill, too, sought to weaken local religious monopolies, this time by allowing Israeli Jews to register their marriage at the rabbinic registrar of their choice anywhere in the country.  

with this...

Life In Israel: Proposed Law: firing a city rabbi
January 8, 2014

Rb. Ben-Dahan

Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Rav Eli Ben Dahan is proposing a law, in cooperation with Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau, by which it will be possible to remove a city rabbi from his position if it is deemed that he is not functioning or is not fulfilling his responsibilities.

The Minister of Religious Affairs will not just be able to fire the rabbi, but will appoint a committee composed of a dayan, a different city rabbi and a legal counsel who will look into complaints about the rabbi and into his performance. They will then make a recommendation to the Minister, who will be able to fire the rabbi based on their recommendation. The rabbi would first be given a disciplinary hearing, and would not immediately be fired.

The purpose of the law is to improve religious services for the people. The number of complaints about non-functioning city rabbis has supposedly climbed in recent years.
(source: Srugim)

I hope this will be used properly and not just used as a way of getting rid of rabbis that the minister in office doesn't like or agree with.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
So what do you suppose is the connection between these two reports? First, let us not forget another recent report of proposed legislation. MK Elazar Stern, in my opinion one of the "stars" of the K'nesseth, suggested elections for City Rabbis, just this last Hanukkah. Funny how Hanukkah was a war against Hellenism, and its influence on our religious way of life. Yet here we are, watching Jews with kippoth attempting to inject us with it all over again.

Rabbi Yitzhaq Yosef and Rabbi David Lau
Israel Chief Rabbis

Well, I am certainly no fan of the way in which Israel's Chief Rabbinate functions.

MK Stern

However, I believe it to be a currently necessary evil, albeit is continually being chipped away by Israel's "Let's legislate from the Bench" Justice System, in addition to the legislative chipping away by government itself.

I predict that this removal procedure will be used to eliminate and rabbinic opposition to government policy, in other words those rabbis holding Torah above Israeli Law. Kippah-wearing, mamlakhti (undying state loyalist) MK Stern has been a notorious foot soldiers for the side of Israeli Law.

On the other hand, maybe I should optimistic, and view the deMOCKratic shenanigans of the Israeli Government and its "justice" system, in their battles against the Torah, as steps toward clearing the way for an authentically Jewish government and justice system.

After all, all battles against the Torah eventually backfire. Unfortunately, if we stand around and do nothing, as in "standing idly by," then our tradition teaches us it will take longer than it has to take, and may very well be more painful than it has to be.

May it be His Will that we see Torah sovereignty over His Land, speedily during our time!