| Rabbis change the name of the military operation Israeli rabbis have achieved a change in the name of the military operation to evacuate Jewish settlements from the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The code name, which is not usually given much importance by the military because it is chosen by a computer, caused a storm of protest in religious circles. The fact is that the phrase “Radiance of Heaven” is used in Judaism in a prayer read when commemorating the dead.
The rabbis who contacted the Israeli Ministry of Defense believe that the name sounds unbearably cynical in relation to the Israelis whom the government is planning to evict from their homes. As Rabbi Avraham Shmulevich explained to Vremya Novostei, “to allow oneself to call a military operation words from a funeral prayer is ignorance and blasphemy towards believers.” The rabbi added that "the name 'Heaven's Shining' contains a hidden threat towards the settlers."
The majority of the religious population of the State of Israel is generally against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip. According to the plan, by the end of 2005, all Jewish settlements (21 of them), with a population of about 9 thousand people, will be evacuated from the sector.
The leadership of the Ministry of Defense took into account the protest of the rabbis and is now looking for a new name for the operation that will not offend any of the many communities in Israel. One of the phrases proposed as a replacement is “Milestones along the way.” Maria GRISHINA, Jerusalem |
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