Beit Shemesh, Israel – As one of 48 first-time lawmakers sworn into Parliament last week Tuesday, American-born, ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Dov Lipman spoke openly about his revolutionary commitment to integrating the ultra-Orthodox into the broader Israeli society.
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In a NEW YORK TIMES (http://bit.ly/XmsfI8) interview published Saturday, Mr. Lipman acknowledged that he fully understands the difficulties he faces going forward, but added that even if the process takes 100 years, “You have to have that vision and start working towards that vision.”
The son of a US federal judge, Lipman was raised in Silver Spring, MD., where he became student body leader and star point guard of the basketball team at his Orthodox high school. He and his family moved to Israel in 2004.
Lipman was elected as a member of the Yesh Atid Party in its stunning victory in the recent elections. He has since drawn harsh criticism from Haredi leaders who have openly questioned his legitimacy as a spokesperson for their community.
“He has created a kind of Haredi that allows him to don the black kipper, wear the suit of a yeshiva student, while being a part of a party with values that are the opposite of the values of the Haredi sector, ” said Moshe Abutbul, the ultra-Orthodox mayor Beit Shemesh.
For his part, Lipman readily admits his pioneering vision is in its infancy. “A lot of people look at me and say I’m naive,” he said. “But it’s destroying us as a people – the labeling and having to fit into a label. How a person serves God or doesn’t serve God is a personal thing, and we have to find a way to create a Jewish country where people can be themselves and everybody respects each other regardless.”
Meanwhile, Rabbi Dov Lipman has announced he is making himself available to meet with “constituents” on a weekly basis, fulfilling a commitment to “serve as a congressman.”
In a statement sent to media Sunday morning, Lipman said the brief weekly meeting hours would be part of his fulfillment of that promise.
This rav, and a growing number of Israeli rabbonim like him, are the future of yiddeshkeit in EY. They recognize the need for balance in the lives of shormei torah and the need for them to contribute to society by a combination of public service and earning a parnassah in combination with limudei kodesh. They reject the mindless rants of the extremist rabbonim who insist that it must be 24×7 learning only and that the “world exists” solely because of such learning and giving no credence to the brave men and women who risk their lives in the IDF and those who hard work and ingenuity fuel the Israeli economy.
that picture tells a thousand tales. none of them pretty…… may G-D help us.
Although labels are, for the most part irrelevant and harmful, in the context of this article, he is not “ultra orthodox” I’d say he is run of the mill Modern orthodox, who is about to get his proverbial “female donkey” kicked in from all sides, to no enduring benefit
He reminds me of that weird MK from Norway, Rabbi Melchior who thought he would teach his fellow frum Jews a lesson or two and got his teeth kicked in.
I wish this #17 in lapid’s party lots of luck
Who are his “constituents”? There are no Knesset districts in Israel. So who will he be meeting with? Is any Israeli assured a spot in a weekly meeting? Where do they sign up?
These labels, ultra-orthodox, modern orthodox, do not do us any good. They mean different things to different people and do not help anything. We do have labels in our mesorah-yirei shomayim, shomer shabbos, shomrei Torah, mentch etc. Rav Lipman is all of those.
The images of angry chareidim are disturbing to me. They come off crazy, insulting, belittling to women, narrow minded, cultish. Where is simple kavod ha’briyos? I salute Rabbi Lipman for putting himself in the center of where things are happening in Israel. Better that he’s there to bring some Torah influence to the Yesh Atid constituency. Moshe Feiglin has done the same in placing himself in the Likud, rather than some backwater party that has no presence or “koach l’hashpia”, so to speak. Hamevin yevin. I credit both Lipman and Feiglin with forward thinking and resisting the tide of myopic public opinion – especially from the dati side.
Looking at the sinas chinam displayed in the second picture, Rabbi Lipman appears to be providing us with an alternative to the Jewish Taliban!
He has created a kind of Haredi that allows him to don the black kipper, wear the suit of a yeshiva student, while being a part of a party with values that are the opposite of the values of the Haredi sector, ” said Moshe Abutbul, the ultra-Orthodox mayor Beit Shemesh
Wait a second. why cant he join the Yesh Atid Party, whose values are opposite those of charedim, when Shas in the past was coalition partners to the Labor Party, whose values also are also opposite those of chareidim?! I see no difference! Cut out the hypocracy!
I am a resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh and previously lived in the US (just stating my credentials) .Trust me, I am as disturbed as the next guy by pictures of acheinu bnei yisroel acting in a way we are most definitely unaccustomed to. At the same time it is unproductive to talk about creating a revolution etc. (Trust me these Kanaim aren’t going to disappear into the woodwork – or for that matter the typical Chiloni on the street’s opinion of Charedim isn’t going to improve by separating ourselves from people who engage in fanatic behavior) What needs to be done (and is being done) is supporting organizations that foster understanding of who we are and the importance and benefit of a Torah way of life. There are organizations that pair up Charedim and Chilonim for learning, inviting people for shabbos etc. -here in Israel. If more people would be doing this I am quite sure that people would understand that such behavior is the small exception and not the rule and there wouldn’t be any talk about drafting yeshiva bochrim.