TALMUDIC
TOLERANCE IN ACTION
Jews
spew hate
against Christians
Christians
in Jerusalem want Jews to stop spitting on them
Ha'aretz Tuesday, October 12, 2004 / Tishrei 27, 5765
By AMIRAM BARKAT
JERUSALEM—A
few weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel attended
a meeting at a government office in Jerusalem's Givat Shaul quarter.
When he returned to his car, an elderly man wearing a skullcap came
and knocked on the window.
When the clergyman let the window down, the passerby spat in his face.
The clergyman preferred not to lodge a complaint with the police and
told an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many
Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind. For the
most part, they ignore it but sometimes they cannot.
On Sunday, a fracas
developed when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by
the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy Sepulchre
in the Old City. The archbishop's 17th-century cross was broken during
the brawl and he slapped the yeshiva student.
Both were questioned by police and the yeshiva student will be brought
to trial. The Jerusalem District Court has meanwhile banned the student
from approaching the Old City for 75 days.
But the Armenians are far from satisfied by the police action and
say this sort of thing has been going on for years. Archbishop Nourhan
Manougian says he expects the education minister to say something.
"When there
is an attack against Jews anywhere in the world, the Israeli government
is incensed, so why when our religion and pride are hurt, don't they
take harsher measures?" he asks.
According to Daniel Rossing, former adviser to the Religious Affairs
Ministry on Christian affairs and director of a Jerusalem center for
Christian-Jewish dialogue, there has been an increase in the number
of such incidents recently, "as part of a general atmosphere
of lack of tolerance in the country."
Rossing says there
are certain common characeristics from the point of view of time and
location to the incidents. He points to the fact that there are more
incidents in areas where Jews and Christians mingle, such as the Jewish
and Armenian quarters of the Old City and the Jaffa Gate.
There are an increased number at certain times of year, such as during
the Purim holiday."I know Christians who lock themselves indoors
during the entire Purim holiday," he says.
Former adviser to the mayor on Christian affairs, Shmuel Evyatar,
describes the situation as "a huge disgrace." He says most
of the instigators are yeshiva students studying in the Old City who
view the Christian religion with disdain.
"I'm sure
the phenomenon would end as soon as rabbis and well-known educators
denounce it. In practice, rabbis of yeshivas ignore or even encourage
it," he says.
Evyatar says he himself was spat at while walking with a Serbian bishop
in the Jewish quarter, near his home. "A group of yeshiva students
spat at us and their teacher just stood by and watched."
Jerusalem municipal officials said they are aware of the problem,
but it has to be dealt with by the police. Shmuel Ben-Ruby, the police
spokesman, said they had only two complaints from Christians in the
past two years. He said that, in both cases, the culprits were caught
and punished.
The
following are just a sampling of some of the more delightful passages
from the Jewish holy book, the Talmud, studied by yeshiva students:
Hilkhoth Maakhaloth — Christians
are idolators, must not associate.
Kerithuth (6b, p.78) — Jews called men, Christians not called
men.
Orach
Chaim (225:10) — Christians and animals grouped for comparisons.
Zohar
II (64b) — Christian idolators likened to cows and asses.
Kethuboth
(110b) — Psalmist compares Christians to unclean beasts.
Kiddushim
(68a) — Christians like the people of an ass.
Zohar
(I:46b-47a) — Souls of gentiles have unclean divine origins.
Rosh
Hashanach (17a) — Non-Jews souls go down to hell.
Iore
Dea (337:1) — Replace dead Christians like lost cow or ass.
Iebhammoth
(61a) — Jews called men, but not Christians called men.
Zohar
(1:25b) — Those who do good to Christians never rise when dead.
Zohar
(I:25a) — Christians are to be destroyed as idolators.
Hilkhoth
Akum (X:7) — Allow no idolators to remain where Jews are strong.
For
a further discussion of the incredible obscenities and filth to be
found in this perverse, hate-filled tome, see The
Talmud Unmasked
by distinguished theologian the Rev. I. B. Pranaitis. Available for
$7 postage paid from:
NS Publications PO Box 188 Wayndotte MI 48192.