MK Zevulun Orlev is a senior member of HaBayit HaYehudi, which is the latest incarnation of the party once known as Mizrahi, and later Mafdal (National Religious Party). The party is currently a partner in PM Netanyahu's government coalition.
For months now, close to nothing has been heard from Orlev or his party regarding controversial government policies like the building freeze, or the removal of roadblocks that help protect Jewish drivers from terrorists. Because of this silence, there have been some who have questioned Orlev's commitment to the interests of a major part of his own constituency.
I am posting this today to prove those people wrong: I am very heartened to see that MK Zevulun Orlev is in fact valiantly struggling to protect the vital interests of the dati leumi public:
Orlev: Religious public shouldn't pay for 'Eretz Nehederet'Kudos to MK Orlev for expressing his outrage over the kind of scandalous injustice that truly matters.
Education committee chairman outraged about fee for watching popular comedy show after Shabbat.
Knesset Education and Culture Committee chairman Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) intends to send a letter to the Second Television Authority on Sunday protesting Keshet's decision to charge for watching the popular show Eretz Nehederet on Saturday nights.
...
Sabbath-observant viewers, who do not watch television on Friday nights, were able to watch the show online for free on Saturday nights after Shabbat ended. But religious viewers who went to Channel 2's site to watch the show this Saturday night found a disclaimer informing them that there was a charge to watch the show until Monday.
"I was very surprised by this improper decision," Orlev said.
"There is no reason why the religious public that doesn’t watch TV on Shabbat should have to pay a fine for their observance. I will work to get this scandalous decision canceled."
This ought to finally silence Orlev's critics, who for some reason like to claim that his priorities are skewed.
(For a very good illustration of the critical value underlying this cultural mainstay that prompted Orlev to champion the rights of religious people to watch it, see this recent news item.)
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9 comments:
I was just thinking the same thing when I read that five minutes ago on jpost. What a waste of reporting space, what a waste of legislative time and money.
Seriously, that show jumped the shark two years ago. Who the hell cares? Except for that yeshiva student quoted in the article. :/
I find all this really sad.
Not that I disagree that is a stupid waste, but now that we should more than never trying to unite ourself and stop hating others jews (and that includes Meretz or Benny Begin's son), it's so sad to see littles wars for becoming the first one.
All those silly and really not interresting political stuff should be set apart and one should focus on what really matters and how to fight it together.
Habayit Yehudi + Ihoud Leumi + all the small factions which went in the likud or else would be a much effective polical force, even greater than Avoda (not that it is so big...)
Anonymous: ...now that we should more than never trying to unite ourself and stop hating others jews...
My post is not about hating anyone; it is about our need for responsibility in choosing our elected representatives. I don't hate Zevulun Orlev; I simply wish that his Knesset seat were occupied instead by somebody serious who is prepared to fight on behalf of our real interests. (Or minimally, to at least speak up for those interests -- which Orlev does not do.)
Anonymous: All those silly and really not interresting political stuff should be set apart and one should focus on what really matters and how to fight it together.
I presume that you consider focusing one's attention on the right of religious Jews to watch a trashy TV show to be "silly and really not interresting political stuff". I will point out that this "silly" stuff came from Orlev, not from myself. All I did was dare to make note of his misplaced priorities. If we do not demand that our political representatives place their legislative focus upon the things that truly concern us, then we should not be surprised when they fail to do so.
Getting our elected representatives to "focus on what really matters and how to fight it together" will only happen if we replace the representatives who have no desire do so, with other repesentatives who do have such a desire. If we choose instead to make do with feel-good slogans and singing Kumbaya, then we will accomplish nothing.
Anonymous: Habayit Yehudi + Ihoud Leumi + all the small factions which went in the likud or else would be a much effective polical force...
I will remind you that prior to the last elections, the Ihud HaLeumi agreed to merge themselves into a joint list with the Bayit HaYehudi, after being given assurances that their agenda for Eretz Yisrael would be properly represented on the new party list. BY then double-crossed them by setting up a hand-picked elite committee (rather than democratic elections) to choose the list. This committee then put together a list overwhelmingly dominated by Orlev-type lightweights whose committment to IL's core issues was close to nonexistent. IL would have betrayed it's own constituency had they consented to run under that one-sided travesty of a "joint" list.
I presume that when you speak of the "small factions which went in the likud", you are referring primarily to Moshe Feiglin's Manhigut Yehudit. MY's entire purpose for joining the Likud is precisely to forge alliances and unity with as many people as possible who share the values of the nationalist camp. And the Likud's rank-and-file membership has far more such people (both with kippot, and without) than the tiny dati leumi parties have, combined. Now, you are certainly free to argue that MY has not yet proven its political effectiveness. (Of course, one can say the exact same thing about BY and IL.) But to criticise MY on the grounds of non-unity is patently absurd: If what you want is unity, then all the nationalist, pro-Eretz Yisrael parties should join the Likud.
To sum up: If you agree that Orlev's focus is a "stupid waste" (your words), but in the name of "unity", you choose to refrain from criticizing him, then you will have nobody but yourself to blame for the continued failure of the dati leumi camp in our nation's leadership.
Something is wrong with Dati Leumi.
I have no idea what it is but there is something really strange going on there.
@lurker: took me awhile to figure it out: you're being sarcastic, right? :)
Who, me?
This is just another case of the religious thinking everyone is out to get them. Having a television show streamed online is a PRIVILEGE not a right. A majority of shows (at least in the United States) go for sale online right after the show is aired but is not streamed for free for up to a week after the air date. This protects the station. If you really can't wait a couple days to watch your favorite program, it might be a good idea to invest in a DVR, not go cry to the station for exercising their rights over their property. Equating fighting this to not fighting the building freeze is simply a joke.
Wow. I am sorry. I just reread your post and realized my sarcasm meter isn't working well this morning.
Seth: You're lucky I gave you 1 minute to re-align your sarcasm meter before gently suggesting to re-read the post :-)
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