Israeli democracy watch: local university to host meeting discussing religious regulations for killing gentiles
Sergio Yahni for the Alternative Information Center
After Haifa University canceled a lecture on the book "King's Torah" (Torat HaMelech)--which discusses religious regulations on killing non-Jews--the event will be held Monday, December 12, 2011 at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.
The head of the Department of Jewish Philosophy, Avinoam Rosenak, will speak at the event as will Rabbi Israel Ariel of the Dorshei Yehudcha yeshiva, which was recently shut down on the advice of Israeli General Security Services (Shin Bet or Shabak). According to the Shin Bet, students of the yeshiva, which was located in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, "are involved in illegal and violent activities against Palestinians and the security forces."
In addition to his affiliation with the closed yeshiva, Rabbi Ariel was also a Knesset candidate from the Kach Party, which was founded by right-wing extremist Meir Kahane and promoted the deportation of all Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories. Israel outlawed the Kach party and both the United States and Israel categorize it as a terrorist organization.
"King's Torah" was written by Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira and Rabbi Yosef Elizur who also live in Yitzhar and who, according to Israel's Channel 10, have recently joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. The book discusses religious regulations related to killing of gentiles in both peace and war. For example, in Chapter Four, “Jewish and Gentile Souls," the authors say that wherever the presence of a gentile threatens the life of Israel it is permitted to kill the gentile even if he is a righteous person and should not be blamed for the situation.
Hebrew University (photo: flickr/cookysprinkles)
In the chapter regarding the killing of non-Jews during war, the authors claim that in Judaism it is permissible to kill enemy combatants, as well as those who help and support them and those who encourage them, because all of them are enemies of Israel. The chapter adds that it is permitted to hit enemy targets even if innocent gentiles will be harmed in those attacks.
Hebrew University claims that the event is not organized by the university, but by Beit Hillel. However, the invitation to the event includes the logos of the Hebrew University, the Faculty of Humanities, and the Department of Jewish Philosophy.