Jewish Scene
Rabbi: Don’t name your kids ‘Herzl’
Neta Sela
Published: 22.06.07, 19:34
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1. heredity
Michael ,   Haifa   (06.22.07)
apparently it runs in the family...both father and son appear to be in need of urgent psychiatric treatment (which is incidentally, what they recommend for "gays")
2. Then One Can't Name Their Child Shmuck
Seth ,   Washington, DC   (06.22.07)
Because "Shmuck" will honor Rabbi Avraham Yosef.
3. More poop from a pooper scooper..Good grief!
Al   (06.22.07)
4. pardon my ignorance but
daniel ,   guatemala   (06.22.07)
why would he consider evil the founder of zionism? is he one of those rabbis that kissed ahmadinejad?
5. The real "evil, indecent figures"
Sidney ,   USA   (06.22.07)
The rabbi and his father. They have no morals just a desire for state money and power. Their followers are unworthy to bear the name of Herzl.
6. Herzl
David ,   NYC   (06.22.07)
I am on orthodox man living in NYC and I think that Herzl was a great man. He did more for Judaism than this rabbi Yosef will ever do. Rabbi Yosef, what the hell have you done for Judaism? You are nothing but a low life for not having hakaras hotiov for someone like Herzl. Someone doesnt have to be adorned in long payot and be intolerant in order to be a Jewish hero! Long live the spirit of all the great zionist leaders whether or not they were orthodox!!!! Am Yisrael Chai!
7. Religion...
Talish ,   Phoenix, AZ   (06.22.07)
C'mon, now names signify evil? Religion warps peoples minds.
8. Hertzl is a Jewish Name that Predates Hertzl
Avi ,   Kiryat Segev   (06.22.07)
The people who run Shas should do Tesuvah for their crimes instead of issuing ignorant Psakim. I have a real question whether you can name children after Ovadya Yosef.
9. WHAT???? - GET RID OF THIS MORON
Andrew ,   miami,fl   (06.22.07)
10. Avraham Yosef is a hipocritical parasite
Meir Elazar   (06.22.07)
Avraham Yosef is a hipocritical parasite who is totally undeserving of the title Rabbi (root meaning great and ofter inferring teacher as well). Yohanna Herzl, Theodor Herzl's aunt, was my great great grandmother. I am not sure of exactly how many "greats' there should be. But the fact is that Herzl was an accomplished lawyer and journalist. He covered the Dreyfus trial in France and sought solutions for European anti-Semitism. He went everywhere he could, meeting every philanthropist and goverhment leader trying to promote his dream "Alt Neuland" and Old and New Homeland for the Jews. He started the World Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897 where he prophetically said "At Basel I created and Jewish Homeland. In five years perhap but certainly in 50 everyone will see it." It was 50 years nearly to the month when UN declared partition and Israel was to become a state. He sought and fought for every possible solution for the Jewish people and in the end he died of tuberculosis in 1904 at the early age of 44. At the age of 44 he was an accomplished lawyer, journalist, statesman, and pioneer. If not for Herzl's efforts to revive a Jewish homeland and promoting early Aliya and defining Zionist which influenced Jews from 19th century through the 1930's and all the way to 1948 to escape persecurtion and come to rebuild the homeland, how many more Jews would have perished? If not for the infrastructure in Palestine where would Jews have gone after the ovens of Aushwitz and displaced persons' camps when no other country would have them (e.g. The voyage of the Damned - St. Louis). Visa granted after WW II were totally inadequate for skin and bone survivors of the world worst horror. Six million Jews was not enough! Without Herzl's effort laying the foundation for Israel, how many more might have perished? And this vile excuse of a Jew, Avraham Yosef, who diverts disproportionate enormous sums to schools at the expense of the real needy and worthy in Israel, who advocates his followers from not serving their country in the military or otherwise, has the audacity to speak up again Herzl, clearly one of the greatest Jews in modern history, is totally beneath contempt.
11. Is this a case of a supposedly 'moderate' Orthodox rabbi...
DkS ,   Israel   (06.22.07)
...showing his true colors? Can a person who made a comment like that, assuming these were his literal words, continue in a position where his salary is being for by Zionist taxpayers of the Zionist state? Zionism, an ideology which he so seems to loath considering this verbal attack on its inspirer? Very sad and uncalled for, especially if you consider the fact that if it wasn't for Herzl, this man would most likely not live in Erez Israel today. But I guess for these so-called 'true Jews' it's easy to forget that it is Zionism which made it possible for them to live here.
12. ynet, you love to post anti-jewish stuff, dont you...
(06.22.07)
13. So What? Not a Serphardi used name.
S Judah ,   London   (06.22.07)
Don't know of any any Serphardim who go by the name of Herzl. More of a problem for the Ashkanazim, there are many religious ones who use the name as in Herzel or similar variations. As you, see they have already changed the spelling cleverly. So there is a way round it. And by the way this is a 3 month old story and the Rav did not say it in the way you have reported it , so that begs the question as to What the real evil here actually is? The real evil here seems to the mischevious nature of this article!!!
14. SHAS PARTY IS A SHAME FOR ISRAEL THEY ARE IN THE OLMERT GOVT
(06.22.07)
15. Evil indecent figure, but hey, he helped Zionism
(06.22.07)
16. We Evidently Need Sanity Tests For Rabbis.
Terry ,   Eilat, Israel   (06.22.07)
17. What is Shas doing in the Knesset then?
Daniel   (06.22.07)
Ah, yes, negotiating constant financial aid. And keeping in power the most anti-Israel government ever.
18. Herzl advocated mass coversion to Christianity
Besalel ,   Kew Gardens, NY   (06.22.07)
Herzl deserves recognition for the work he did to establish the Jewish state. Nonetheless, Herzl first advocated that all Jews covert to Christianity and even wished the same for himself and his children. Only after covering the Dryfus trial where he witnessed a most integrated, enlightened Jew still being discriminated against that he decided that conversion will not solve the problems that the Jews faced. He then began accepting Judaism and worked towards a Jewish state. Herzl helped create the wonderful thing we have in the state of Israel but his anti-religious stance and failure to recognize the existence of the Arabs ("a people without a land for a land without a people" how dumb) helped create the terrible problems that we have in the state of israel, too.
19. he's right
yossy hershkop ,   brooklyn ny   (06.22.07)
i dont like his father but herzl was anti jewish and his kids converted if he had his way there would be a jewish state in uganda
20. Shas want's to give us lessons, what a joke
Gilgoul ,   Ariel, Israel   (06.22.07)
Shas has made itself available to every government that would take it in any form of "coalition" for the sake of it. I have more respect for ex MK Bishara than for "sheikh Ovadia Yosef", his followers and his pseudo party that makes a joke of the democratic game. Shas has contributed nothing positive to Israeli society.
21. #2 - LOL!
Andy ,   ramat hasharon   (06.22.07)
22. #12 & #15 - anonymous cowards...how about some...
Andy ,   ramat hasharon   (06.22.07)
pride of authorship? And if Ynet publishes something true, an accurate quote, which makes an orthodox rabbi look like a moron right out of his own mouth, that is just anti-moron-rabbi, not anti-Jewish.
23. Hmm
Yoav   (06.22.07)
Why is a Shas Rabbi dressed like a Pollak? In any case, the whole Herzl name being evil and all is sooooooooo mundane. Focus on more pertinent issues like domestic violence, sexual harrasement and violence against women, poverty, education.
24. Rabbi
AARON ,   Israel   (06.22.07)
I say get rid of the Rabbis all together and allow the Cohens(the Priestly caste according to Torah) to reestablish their rightful place as heads of the Synagogue, for Gd said that only Cohens can inteprete Torah not the Rabbis.
25. He should go back into the hole that he crawled out of.
steve ,   Tel Aviv   (06.22.07)
26. With all due respect, but
M. Hartley ,   Atlanta, US   (06.23.07)
has this particular Rabbi been talking to Rashid???
27. Herzl Converts? HA!
M. Hartley ,   Atlanta, US   (06.23.07)
I hope the pope doesn't read Ynet. He might just do like somebody on the rabbinical court, insist that those converts didn't go to confession often enough or didn't believe in easter eggs, throws out the whole lot and their kids and, simsalabim, everybody is Jewish again :-) Oh, wait, maybe that should be abracadabra. I think, simsalabim is for Muslim rejects.
28. what?
david ,   bsas,argentina   (06.23.07)
There would not be a modern Israel without Herzl. Maybe this Rabbi lives in Israel? If he doesn´t like it, get the hell out. Maybe join the Naturei Karta in Iran. Amazing. Long Live Israel
29. to yossy hershkop:
Jeffrey ,   Haifa   (06.23.07)
It is people like you that preferred Aushwitz over Uganda!!! The bottom line is that Herzl wanted a refuge for Jews! At that point any land would have been good!
30. DIDNT HERTZL CHILDREN CONVERT TO XTIAN?
YES THEY DID,,, ,   R' YOSEF IS RIGHT   (06.23.07)
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