AniMamin

FEATURED POST Fear is silencing the Charedi Public’s attempts at discussion I'm running for Knesset and want to explain my passion for the new Haredi party, but it's inviting threats. That's coercion, not the Torah's model of dispute By Rav Yehuda Oppenheimer in TOI We are currently in a state of affairs where rabbis are silenced, families threatened, and private gatherings have become dangerous places to express opinions. In the Haredi world, religious persuasion has turned into political coercion and is carried out in the name of Torah. This needs to change. A Home Gathering Becomes a Test of Loyalty I tried to organize a small gathering in a private home in Afula, where I live. I was not organizing a rally or asking a synagogue to sponsor a political event. I wanted to sit with people, explain why I am passionate about the HaTzibur HaCharedi party, and discuss questions that deserve an honest conversation inside our community. I did not even consider asking the local shul where I used to daven to host the gathering. I knew that a shul connected to the campaign could face pressure, and I did not want to put its members or its plans for expansion at risk. Instead, I asked a friend who shares many of my concerns whether he would open his home. The answer came quickly. A rabbi called him and told him that hosting me would be a terrible idea, and that both of us would be unwelcome. My friend was told that the shul hoped to obtain municipal land for an expansion, and that people whose support mattered might look unfavorably on the community if they heard that some of its members had attended a meeting for our party. The message was unmistakable: host this gathering, and the shul’s plans could be jeopardized. 1/