Rambling ...

I'm an Irish Girl, A Dubliner, with the 'Gift of the Gab' ... I like to talk & to tell you things. In Celtic times news, views and comment were carried from place to place by wandering Seanachaí ~ Storytellers ~ who relied on their host's hospitality and appreciation. I will need that from you too, as I venture to share Politics, Poetry, Laughter, Love, Life & everything in-between ... from Bog to Blog!!


Saturday, December 31, 2011

Yarzeit of Binyamin & Talya .... Kahane Chai!!


Binyamin Zev Kahane Z"l, HY"D,   the son of assassinated politician Rabbi Meir Kahane,  and his wife Talya were killed in a shooting attack by arabs near Ofra in Yesha, Israel on 31st December 2000. Kahane was killed immediately while his wife was critically wounded and died later of her injuries.   Five of the couple's children who were travelling in the car were injured with them. One child, aged 4, was seriously wounded, two sustained medium injuries and two were lightly wounded.  And today marks their 12th yarzeit.  Their 6 children are being raised by Talya's younger sister and her husband in the family's home in Kfar Tapuach.

Binyamin Kahane, who was in his early 30s, was born in New York City, but emigrated to Israel with his family at the age of four,  in 1971.  An Orthodox Jewish scholar and Rabbi, like his father,  Rabbi Meir Kahane,  the founder of the banned  Kach movement, who was assassinated by an Arab gunmen too .....  in New York in November 1990.   After his death his son set up "Kahane Chai" (Kahane Lives) with the aim of continuing his legacy.  He wrote too like his Dad.  Binyamin was the author of The Haggada of the Jewish Idea, a commentary based on his father's teachings of the Passover Haggadah read at the Passover Seder. He wrote a Torah portion sheet called Darka Shel Torah ("The Way of the Torah") that was distributed for the weekly Torah parashat. He was several times scandalously convicted by Israeli courts for advocating violence against Arabs.

And today I am posting an article by Rabbi Binyamin Kahane in his honour on this anniversary day.   Given events in Yisrael this week it is 'topical' !!!


Who Respects Women ~ Rabbi Binyamin Kahane.

"The cultural war taking in place in Israel, which is one of the subjects wehave stressed for a long time now, has reached new heights. This time we aretalking about the event in Yatir Forest which was initiated by the army-preparatory schools. The moment the rabbis of the religious preparatory schools announced that they cannot participate in the event if women singers will be performing, the media geared themselves for attack.

This time they directed their vicious arrows at the “trampling of women’s honor” by the rabbis. Does the honor of women really concern them? Is there any connection at all between the prohibition in Jewish law of hearing awoman sing and the hurting of her honor? Obviously the very opposite is true. The prohibition stems from the idea to protect the honor and dignity of women, as the sages say: “So that the daughters of Israel won’t be’hefker’” (up for grabs).

But the sad part of this story is that the hellenists succeeded in portraying themselves as the protectors of the honor of women. They who fill the streets of the cities of Israel with pictures of abominations, whose very essence is the cheapening and degradation of women – they are the one stalking about honoring women? They, who over the last few years have cheapened and degraded the integrity of the daughters of Israel to such an extent that Jewish history knows no precedent? They speak of honoring women?

We have no qualms about speaking so harshly about the differences betweenthese two cultures. For we know that what is really taking place is not an argument between “religious” and “secular”, but rather a war between a handful of hellenists obsessed with western culture versus the heritage of our fathers which the gentiles never succeeded to destroy, and which Jews won’t succeed either.

Because of this, it was sad to hear one side speak so bluntly, while the religious side spoke out of the sides of their mouths. My G-d! What are you apologizing about! Nothing will convince the public more than a sticking to one’s principles and the halacha, without trying to sound “nice”. One does not have to be “religious” to oppose the drugs, violence, and pornography which plague Israeli society today. A strong and proud stance will not alienate the masses, who still seek values for their children, and know instinctively that hellenism is not the way.

Illogical compromises do not give honor to Torah, especially when the hellenists are not interested in compromises, but rather in a total crushing of Torat Yisrael."

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