UTJ deputy minister Meir Porush attends mass ultra-Orthodox wedding in Haifa
Hundreds of guests crowd indoor event hall, ignoring Health Ministry guidelines; Porush’s office says he was there ‘for only a few minutes,’ calls on populace to follow rules
Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush attended a mass wedding on Tuesday (Sept.8) evening in an indoor event hall in Haifa along with several hundred followers of the Seret-Vishnitz Hasidic dynasty, in contravention of Health Ministry guidelines.
The well-attended wedding took place on the same night a 40-city curfew began throughout Israel affecting some 1.3 million Israelis, mainly from the Haredi and Arab sectors, which have been hit especially hard by the pandemic.
The wedding in Haifa broke Health Ministry guidelines for holding events in closed spaces. Video from the event showed some wearing masks, but many wore them on their chins.
The United Torah Judaism MK’s office released a statement on Wednesday saying “The deputy education minister attended a wedding that took place last night for only a few minutes. The deputy minister calls on the public to conduct themselves according to and obey the Health Ministry’s instructions.”
Haifa is considered an “orange” city according to the Health Ministry’s so-called traffic light system. Orange cities have high morbidity rates and indoor gatherings are allowed to fill 20 percent of the maximum capacity specified in a location’s license (or one person per four square meters, if capacity is unspecified).
On Tuesday, Porush criticized the curfews imposed on 40 high-risk areas in Israel for being applied to entire Haredi cities instead of selected neighborhoods.
Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman, who leads the United Torah Judaism party, was infected with coronavirus in April when he was health minister. He was also caught at the time attending a prayer minyan of more than 10 men despite a ban on such gatherings.
Tuesday’s event was not the first time a large ultra-Orthodox wedding broke Health Ministry guidelines during the pandemic in Israel.
A screenshot from a video said to show
thousands of ultra-Orthodox at a wedding in Jerusalem, in violation of
coronavirus restrictions, on August 5, 2020.
While the ultra-Orthodox have been disproportionately hit by the virus, Israelis from all sectors have been reportedly not adhering to Health Ministry guidelines to limited gatherings. Most recently in Haifa, a video emerged on social media on Tuesday evening that showed dozens of unmasked people dancing in a tightly packed nightclub.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/utj-deputy-minister-meir-porush-attends-mass-ultra-ortho?
7 comments:
(Diabolical Cackling)
"Israel’s Daily Cases Continue To Soar, Active Cases Over 30,000 For 1st Time"
September 9, 2020 3:30 pm
https://nypost.com/2020/09/06/antifa-riots-could-be-part-of-democrat-power-grab-devine/
Which gedolim said that Yidden should always have their passports ready?
Oy, Shmiel! Vus dee lachst iz pushet contagious merrr vee derrr virrrus!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://gazette.com/news/hundreds-of-colorado-college-students-now-in-virus-quarantine/article_ea7ede7e-eb9d-11ea-b0fb-3714924bf712.html
Hundreds of Colorado College students now in virus quarantine
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bradley-university-quarantines-entire-student-body-coronavirus-outbreak-peoria-illinois/
Illinois university quarantines entire student body due to coronavirus outbreak
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/corona-madness-analysis-641408
What led Israel into its coronavirus madness?
The government is unable to act because of politics, as evidenced by the way it couldn't decide for the 2nd day in a row on even a partial night lock-down.
By HERB KEINON SEPT 7, 2020
“It's impossible that citizens of Israel become hostages of Deri, Litzman & Gafni,” Avigdor Liberman said of leading haredi politicians.
“Coronavirus cabinet decisions are not made on the basis of science, nor are they transparent or logical. Netanyahu sacrificed public health on the altar preserving his coalition. Therefore, all decisions are blatantly illegal.”
Those who shout loudest against Liberman are the haredi politicians, who need to look in the mirror & ask: Did our actions not trigger these words?
Liberman’s stunning remarks were not uttered in a vacuum. They follow a letter sent to Netanyahu by heads of 4 haredi cities: Bnei Brak, Beitar Illit, Elad & Emmanuel. The message was simple: They won't heed a lockdown.
“You never bothered to hear our voice. With pain & restrained rage, we see day after day the honor of great men of the Torah trampled by you in an unparalleled way. We hereby stop cooperating with authorities regarding the lockdown.”
The letter & intense haredi political pressure worked. Netanyahu buckled: The lockdown set to start Monday was downgraded to a night lockdown to take effect that evening. But it's also been postponed. Haredi politicians threaten to ignore the rules, so the government decided not to implement them.
A country can’t function like this. Different communities can’t just decide they won’t follow regulations designed for the benefit of the collective.
Haredi politicians can’t shut their eyes to the reality of a very nasty illness that kills haredim just like anyone else & pretend draconian measures can be avoided.
Stunningly, the response of haredi political leadership to a crisis hitting them hard is to blame virus czar Ronni Gamzu.
Haredi politicians & media personalities call him everything from small to an antisemite. Why? Because he favored lockdown on “red” cities which are haredi.
Gamzu’s steps weren't designed as punishment & should not be seen as such. They're tools to bring down numbers. Rather than fight, haredi politicians should cooperate because they're the means by which lives will be saved.
The problem's deep-seated: Suspicion in parts of haredi leadership of government motivations, as if the government's using the virus to upend haredi life.
It's similar to haredi suspicion that the real reason to draft yeshiva students into the army is not because everyone should share the burden protecting the state & the IDF can use manpower, but because the secular state wants to uproot haredi life.
Litzman was quoted saying Gamzu wants a lockdown during the High Holy Days because he "doesn’t want people praying.”
Litzman can’t be serious, yet government anti-corona steps are seen among haredi politicians as not aimed at expunging deadly virus, but rather at their community.
A self-fulfilling prophecy. The more haredi politicians resist, the more antagonism toward haredim among the general population – the beneficiary will be Liberman on an anti-haredi platform.
Haredi staunch opposition to lockdowns in & insistence on pilgrimage to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman, is going to drive strident anti-haredi reaction that'll trigger a greater sense among haredim that the general population is out to get them – all to the detriment of the country.
While haredi politicians man barricades vs Gamzu, some Arabs are taking responsibility, declaring large weddings in their towns are feeding the virus & need to be restricted.
While Arabs blame spread of the virus on people not following rules, haredi politicians blame it on Gamzu & Netanyahu.
It’s an odd tale. And it's troubling.
Blackhat rabbis who push back against the rules should only be treated with therapies and medications described in the Talmud.
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