May 5 – 2022

During the week covered by this review, we received 4 articles on the following subjects:

 

Interfaith Relations/Dialogue

Jewish/Christian Relations

Intermarriage/Assimilation

Israeli/Jewish Attitudes Concerning Christians/Christianity

 

Interfaith Relations/Dialogue

Yedioth Ahronoth, April 26, 2022 

This article was written by Elyakim Rubinstein, former Vice President of the Supreme Court of Israel. During the time period between Passover and Pentecost, the Israeli calendar is full of holidays and memorial days, for all major religions. “Those days touch a chord in our very soul, with thanksgiving to the Creator… for the good, and also with sadness,” he pondered.  “Let us remember that the personal, national and religious memories are our genetic code, that is made out of segments, and it is essential for us to be attentive to the joy, and especially to the sorrow of others.” Fighting racism is important, he added, and mentioned actions that were taken by the government on the issue, including adding the subject to official school curriculum. He also called upon Israeli politicians from all sectors to leave religion out of the political discussion.  

 

Jewish/Christian Relations

Maariv, April 26, 2022

The Christian Embassy in Jerusalem in collaboration with the Yad Ezer L’Haver organization helped rescue an 81-year-old Holocaust survivor from Kharkiv in the Ukraine. The man, Gregory Litmanovich, was hiding in a crowded, moldy cellar, without electricity, while his house was bombed and burned down to the ground. His son searched for help, and found the volunteers who rescued him immediately via Romania, and brought him to Israel, where, according to the article, all his needs have been met.

 

Intermarriage/Assimilation

Hamagazin-14, April 26, 2022 

This article dealt with the issue of assimilation among the Jewish communities outside Israel. “If you asked demographers and other experts to describe the situation of the Jewish communities in the Diaspora,” announced the article, “the answers range narrowly between catastrophe and total loss.” The rate of assimilation is higher than ever, while at the same time, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are on the rise, and are being fueled by progressive movements, especially in English-speaking countries. The very Jewish existence outside Israel is at stake, which is why some refer to the issue as “the silent holocaust”. Israel is being criticized a lot by the mainstream media and by various social activists, creating conflict for many Jewish people abroad. The lack of connection to the land of Israel and the fact that Israel relies on support from Christian communities rather than Jewish communities contribute to the crisis. According to the article, the way to fight this problem is to immigrate to Israel, and to help all Jews do the same.

 

Israeli/Jewish Attitudes Concerning Christians/Christianity

Mishpacha, April 28, 2022

This article was the last interview with the late Rabbi David Menashe. He was born in the port city of Suez, in Egypt, to a wealthy Italian Jewish family. As a child, he didn’t know much about Judaism as there weren’t many Jews around. He went to a Christian school, and there, according to the article, because they tried to persuade him to convert, he decided that he must defend Judaism. Political changes in Egypt forced the family to move back to Italy, where he found himself, again, studying in a Christian school. According to the article, he was invited to visit the basement of the Vatican, to see with his own eyes the Menorah from the Temple which was kept there, proving that “the time of Judaism is over”.  When asked if he indeed visited the basement, Rabbi Menashe answered, “some things are better left unsaid”.