This is just plain no good.
IDF Chief Rabbi Brig.-Gen. Yisrael Weiss was evicted from the funeral of slain reserve soldier Yehuda Greenfeld on Monday by the soldier's family, Army Radio reported Tuesday.
Greenfeld's sister, in an emotional outburst, blamed Rabbi Weiss for the eviction of Jews from Gush Katif and screamed at him to leave.
Not very nice, I'll agree. But, I don't know. Maybe Rabbi Weiss should have considered this potential problem before he decided to show up at the funeral? There's something about respect for the feelings of the mourners. Clearly, though, he wasn't expecting such an attack, and that's not too surprising because his support for the 'disengagement' seems to have been tepid, to say the least.
But.
Rabbi Weiss expressed shock at the way in which Greenfeld's sister treated him.
"The way in which it was done was not appropriate," Weiss explained in an interview. "They humiliated me. You can say to a person in the most humane and cultured way in the world, 'Please get out of here,' but to do this in front of a crowd of people - this is [tantamount to] murder."
Murder? Is he kidding? "Not appropriate," perhaps. People suffering unbearable grief can be that way sometimes. But, "murder?" Give me a break.
But.
Shoshi Greenfeld, a freelance journalist for the Mekor Rishon newspaper and the Arutz Sheva Internet radio station, said the war with Hizbullah was just one in the series of "pogroms" against Israel and the Jewish people that included the second intifada, disengagement, and the proposed withdrawal in Judea and Samaria.
In her last conversation with her brother, she said she "beseeched him to come home," because serving in Lebanon right now was inconsistent with both of their political views. She said that soldiers from Judea and Samaria were being sent to fight, and in return they were being evacuated from their homes.
Shoshi shouted that Yehuda had died for a state that would soon drive his widow and children from their home in Ma'aleh Michmash in Samaria.
"What does Olmert care?" she asked.
I do echo that last sentiment. I said something similar a few days ago. But this call for soldiers to refuse to fight for their country because Olmert slipped up and (ridiculously) tied success in the war to the "convergence?" No. This can't be happening. You simply can't start refusing to serve or calling for others to refuse because you disagree, however justifiably, with something the government is threatening to do afterwards.
In the last few days, I've heard similar calls from American Jews opposed to Olmert's unilateral withdrawal mania to refrain from supporting Israel until he pledges to stop or is removed from office. Staunch supporters of Israel are actually suggesting that the American Jewish community should withhold donations for the rebuilding of Israel's northern cities and the replanting of her forests until the "convergence" is buried forever.
No, no and again no.
Because, first of all, it's not our place to be making what amount to ideological ransom demands. And, secondly, Israel's survival and health come first, and our policy differences must be addressed second. Even when those policies are as abhorent as the disengagement/convergence/realignment is to many of us. It's just got to be that way.
Because, otherwise, it's all too possible that those differences could (God forbid) become moot.
Update: Soccer Dad pointed out to me this halachic correlation of humiliating another to murder. And I see now that the JPost story linked above has been updated to make it clear that this was the source of Rabbi Weiss' reference.
