TelAvivRE

Guest Blogger: Steve Miller

No little hasids were harmed in this blog rant

I like the black hat Jews. I think they’re good for Israel and I think they’re good for Judaism. I’m glad that some of my taxes go to supporting their livelihood. I don’t study the Torah or keep Shabbat to the extent they do, but I respect their decisions immensely. I’m glad buses don’t run on Shabbat and malls close. This is a Jewish state and all Jews should feel comfortable here.

But all you ultra-orthodox Jews out there reading a Tel Aviv blog made by two rappers, listen up. Many of you do two things every day that make me furious, make G-d furious, and embarrass your entire religious community.

You smoke cigarettes and then you throw the buttes on the ground.

It just doesn’t make sense. How can you follow century old Jewish laws, and then light up a joe? Your wife can’t show her hair, but you can kill yourself and those around you ever so slowly with cancer?

un-kosher goodness

Today I saw two ultra-orthodox Jews standing outside a synagogue with kids running around smoking cigarettes. How on earth can they dress in all black, grow the beards and payesses, and I imagine follow hundreds of other laws and in the same smokey breath justify smoking cigarettes…let alone outside of a synagogue with kids around. I’m no scholar, but there’s no way the Torah says cheeseburgers – thumbs down, cancer – thumbs up.

The image of an ultra-orthodox Jew smoking is a walking oxymoron. It’s Barack Obama picking Dick Cheney as Secretary of Defense. It’s Prigat making chocolate milk and Elite making mango juice. It’s Olmert giving back the money he stole and Bibi having a cigar with Ahmadinejad. It’s an ultra-orthodox Jew reading this blog!

It’s an image this country doesn’t need.