MK Gafne: There is No Such Thing as a ‘Working Chareidi’

Der Chuchem Fin De Ma Nishtana, MK Gafe

That's it guys..... the regular working zhlub that is either a professional or a blue collar worker, gets up at 5:30 in the morning to learn the daf, davens, then grabs his coffee running to work, comes home exhausted from a full day's work, steals a supper, runs to say hi to his kids, and runs out the door to chap a shiur, comes home, speaks to his wife for 15 minutes and falls asleep, "IS NOT A CHAREIDIE!" even if he is a shomer torah u'mitzvos!

But the guy who gets up at 8:00AM and walks calmly to shul, comes home to hearty hot breakfast, then walks to Kollel, comes home for a hot lunch, grabs an afternoon nap, and then goes slowly back to Kollel, then walks home to a hot supper, and then chaps a shmooze with all his children...then goes to Maariv and looks into a sefer, comes home and goes to sleep, and who has never worked a day in his entire life...."HE IS A CHAREIDIE!"

Speaking with Mordechai Lavi of Kol Berama Radio on Tuesday morning 29 Teves, MK Moshe Gafne explained from his perspective there is no such thing as ‘working chareidi’.

Following is excerpts from the radio interview which lasted over 20 minutes.

Gafne

I do not accept the categorization. There are those who opt to leave yeshiva and join the working community.

KB

Are they called chareidim?

Gafne

No they are no. I do not accept this. It does not exist. One who does not learn in kollel and works has left.

KB

Is it true that at times children are discriminated against due to their ethnicity?

Gafne

I tell you now as in the past this is simply not true. There are children who are not accepted for one reason or another. Sometimes because the parents work, at times other reasons. There are many. Now we are speaking about something else.

One can go to work and that is fine but they are not the same as those immersed in limud. By the way, to my sorrow, I too am working and it is not the same.

KB

Yes but your children are accepted.

Gafne

Please, we are not speaking about this. I know there is a person who turned to me about this. I know what you are talking about…In the time of the Chassam Sofer there were those who worked and those who did not but the difference is they all adhered to his word, unlike today…

I do not accept the category. There is no such thing as working chareidim and I do not need an asifa. This is the fact.

KB

But these people do not know who to vote for? Who represents them?

Gafne elaborates how he dedicates a great deal of his time to work with mosdos and Chinuch Atzmai and to address issues of students being accepted and rejected in schools. This he insists is all the time and not just now, before elections. I have my record that speaks for itself and I do not need elections to make the point.

KB

Can you admit there is a group that feels Yahadut Hatorah is now their home, that you do not represent them? Perhaps the people Aryeh Deri and Eli Yishai are working to enlist?

Gafne

It is not a “group”. There is no group like this. They are trying to drum up votes. I cannot speak for them. I know we cannot compete with one another or worse, than one will not pass the minimum threshold and the votes will be wasted. Those evil people with their gezeiros did not differentiate between us and we should not differentiate between one another.

KB

What is a working chareidi? One who wears a shirt that is not totally white? What is he called?

Gafne

Finally we get to it. Anyone who adheres to Torah and rabbonim and wants his children educated as they should I will work to assist him. I do not understand from shirts. I deal with the person, not clothing.

Honestly, I do not look at one’s clothing but I look at the person. It is possibly competition between mosdos.

KB

Rav Gafne you are avoiding the issue. Is there such a thing as working chareidim?

Gafne

No there is not. There are chareidim who adhere to gedolei yisrael. That is it.

KB

Have you visited the Kiryat Ono Chareidi College?

Gafne

No. It is not my job. My job is to concern myself with the needs of lomdei Torah and that is it. One wishing to attend a chareidi college may but it is not my job. I do not represent academics.

KB

That is exactly the point. That is what they say. You and Yahadut Hatorah does not represent them. Don’t you understand this is how they feel? They are looking for representation.

Gafne

From my perspective I represent them too but not regarding academics

KB

No you do not and that is where we started. They are without representation

Gafne

They must consult with their rav, the same rabbonim who permitted them to attend a college, even a chareidi one. We have to worry about the lomdei Torah for that is our goal and our future. I do not encourage academics and it is not my job. The thousands in these colleges do turn to me and I do my best to assist them.

Let one person come off the air and tell me he came to me and I refused to assist him.

KB

I have him on the air. Are you willing to debate him?

Gafne

No.

KB

What scares you so much? I do not understand.

Gafne

For me it is ideology. It has not and will not change no matter how good they are. I am here for lomdei Torah, not academics. Since the lomdei Torah keep us all going and they are targeted [by the government] it is my job to assist them, no one else. Anyone who approaches me as an individual that I can assist I have and will always continue doing what I can to assist.

There are many including person close to me that shifted to academics but that is not what I do.

KB

What about “chardakim”?

Gafne

Please, I told you I do not know about all these titles. I follow what I was taught by Maran HaRav Shach and do my best to assist anyone and everyone that comes to me.

KB

I never heard you stutter like today. I have rachmanus on you. You are in an untenable situation. Perhaps it is time to reconsider and look at the generation and it is time to change things around

Gafne

You can say what you need to and I will respond as I do. Thanks for having rachmanus and I need it for certain due to the load. However there is nothing to change, not even one millimeter. This is what it is and will continue to do. This is our job and our responsibility. Hence, I have rachmanus on you that you thought Gafne will say different things on the air and I disappointed you.

KB

You believe it works like that?

Gafne

No but you have rachmanus on me so I return it.