Goldkrap's Vile Remarks on Bereaved Families

 

Aryeh Ehrlich, editor of Mishpacha magazine, delivered a scathing rebuke of MK Yitzhak Goldkrap (United Torah Judaism) after the lawmaker suggested that the grief of religious-Zionist families who lost loved ones in the war with Hamas “should remain with them.”

In a weekend interview with Makor Rishon, Goldkrap stated:
“Their pain should remain with them, and our pain should remain with us. Don’t bring me your pain and pass it onto me. Let’s decide that everyone deals with their own package.”

Ehrlich condemned the comments on social media, writing:
“I am ashamed and humiliated by the words spoken by my representative in the Knesset. I literally bury my head in shame at such callous and un-Jewish quotes like ‘Don’t dump your pain on us’ or ‘Everyone with their own package.’ These alienating remarks go against everything our Sages taught us about the suffering of Israel, and about how when a Jew is in pain, the Divine Presence cries and says, ‘It is too heavy for My head, too heavy for My arm.’”

Ehrlich contrasted Goldkrap’s remarks with the example of Moses, who, despite being exempt from slavery, descended to witness and share the suffering of his brethren in Egypt.

‘This Tone Has No Connection to Haredi Thought’
While acknowledging deep disagreements over army enlistment, Ehrlich emphasized that the Torah approach demands empathy and solidarity:
“This tone-deaf attitude has no connection whatsoever to authentic Haredi thought as we received it from our rabbis across all communities—Sephardic, Lithuanian, and certainly Hasidic, who were raised on the foundations of Ahavat Yisrael. Our rabbis were horrified when Jewish soldiers fell on the battlefield. They declared fasts and held prayer gatherings.”

He recalled moments of communal unity, such as the prayer rally for IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman in 1994, where Haredi leaders led thousands in fervent prayers. “Where has the basic Jewish empathy for the suffering of our brothers gone?” he asked.

Call for Introspection and Action
Ehrlich warned that statements like Goldkrap’s are not only harmful but contrary to Torah values:
“Such callous statements like ‘that’s your pain’ do not advance Torah study in any way. We must approach bereaved families with reverence and say to them: even if we don’t agree on the issue of yeshiva students, our hearts are with your pain—because the people of Israel are one body.”

He further criticized Haredi MKs for avoiding condolence visits:
“This avoidance breeds insensitivity toward others’ pain—an insensitivity that has nothing to do with our stance on the draft, and in fact, severely damages our concern for the status of yeshiva students.”

‘Silence Is Always an Option’
Concluding his remarks, Ehrlich urged Goldkrap to retract his comments and called on other Haredi representatives to demonstrate compassion:
“I sincerely hope that Goldkrap will find the decency to publicly retract his words—without asterisks, and without claiming ‘my words were taken out of context.’ If they’re not capable of that—then silence is always an option."