IF you’re Jewish – in accordance with Judaic law – you ought to have a mezuza attached to your doorpost.
Unless you happen to be Jewish and gay, in which case you apparently are NOT entitled to display it.
So what’s this mezuzah thingie?
It’s a religious text from Deuteronomy inscribed on parchment, and rolled up in a decorative case.
How many Jews does it take to fix a mezuzah to a doorpost? In this case, two. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and singer Lipa Shmeltzer were pictured last year fixing one of the things to a new branch of Borsalino Italian Hats in Jerusalem.
And last week mezuzot featured in a row at the Haifa Institute of Technology (Technion) after Technion decided that gay couples could live in dorms designed for married couples. The move was approved by Technion’s management, together with its legal advisor and the Student Union.
But the decision enraged the institute’s rabbi, Eliyahu Rachamim Zini, who is now demanding the removal of mezozot from the doorposts of rooms set aside for gay and lesbian couples.
Activists of the Technion’s religious students’ organization, Achvat Aharon, led by Zini, refused to accept the decision. Under the title “Sodomy sponsored and financed by the Technion”, they wrote a protest letter to Technion President Yitzhak Apeloig.
They are trying to force us to acknowledge that if a person was born with a sexual abnormality he can live with it, and that there is no need to overcome it. This immoral saying has no room in a society which cherishes the future of the Israeli family.
As part of the protest, Zini and his followers asked the Technion’s management to remove the mezuzot affixed to the doorframes of the rooms where homosexual and lesbian couples are slated to reside.
In response, gay couples held a demonstration last Thursday outside the dorms. Said Yuval, one of the protestors.
The rabbi and his men should be ashamed of their remarks.
Zini’s supporters arrived at the area carrying flags of Israel and clashed with the gay protestors. One of the signs they raised read:
Better a male with a dog than a male with a male.
Yair, one of the religious protestors, said:
You are worse than beasts, a disgrace to society. You are impure. What you are doing is a great shame and abomination.
According to this report, Rabbi Zini refused to comment on the matter. But an unrepentant Technion spokesman Amos Levav said:
The Technion management made a decision recently to allow unmarried couples, presenting a financial agreement, to live in dorms intended for married couples. This is the custom in academic institutions across Israel, and it is now customary here at the Technion. It has been legally examined.
HAT TIP: Michael Cohen
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
March 10th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Hats off to Technion for standing up to the zealots. Certain jews are quick to scream persecution but have no problem persecuting others. Remember the furore over the Israeli woman who won the Eurovision song contest a few years ago – Dana International?
March 10th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Barry. How about organising a protest mince past the Israeli embassy!
March 10th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Jews still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to bigotry, though. Being Jewish is still widely associated with science, art, letters, humour, and general humanity, in a way being Christian or Muslim certain ain’t.
March 10th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
There has always been tension and some conflict between the largly secular non religious Jews and Orthodox fundamentalist Judaism This article is a prime example of that tension.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Pretty sick that someone would rather screw a dog than someone of the same gender. That just shows how twisted religion really is.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Yeah buffy – they have a perverted disgusting attitude – its sickening how twisted their religion makes them!
And i’m a fan of Woody allen, larry david, jackie mason et al – so I thought that the jews were the most lame and likeable of all religions.
How wrong I was – its almost like *all* the religions are somehow unhinged mentally and pervertedly sick when it comes to sexual matters…
Who’d have thunk it…….
D’oh!
March 10th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Buffy,
That was exactly what sprang to my mind on reading this. I am a man and have no wish to have sex with men or dogs, but I would rather not have sex at all than choose the dog. Funny how they never thought of that.
Their minds are cesspits. It’s outrageous that they feel they have the right to judge others on their behaviour.
March 11th, 2009 at 6:46 am
If a gay couple can’t have a mezuza on their doorframe it would single out their household for the attention of any passing religious gits.
If any group deserves to be discriminated against it’s the religious.
I went to a business meeting last week and got chatting to this husband and wife team that always seem to turn up at these events. We were discussing the methods we use for obtaining large amounts of quality candidates to fill job vacancies. The lady mentioned an xian she interviewed recently and I felt pride when she exclaimed, “Errgh! I wouldn’t employ one of them.” My response was in the affirmative.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:38 am
The picture with the article makes me chuckle, look at the serious expressions on their faces, as if they are doing some complex and precise task, intead of sticking a trinket on a doorframe. I bet they charge a fair whack for the job too!
Also let it be noted I giggle at their comedy pigtails as much as I giggle at comedy Islamic beards!
March 11th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Hilarious that the Rabbi’s middle name is “Rachamim”. It means “mercies; compassion” in Hebrew. Asshole!
March 12th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Gosh they look hideous in their religious gear!
March 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Religious fundamentalism is an equal opportunity discriminator. The religious group at Technion is on the same par as “christian” fundamentalists who deny marriage rights and “islamic” fundamentalists who keep women under wraps. This is shameful.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
They are harsh the fundamentalist jews, but they are right.
God made man and woman seperate, together they than produce a baby, it doesnt get any simpler than that. Men are not supposed to be with men, and women are not supposed to be with women.
Why do so many judge religion, or judge according to religion, its still judging just like everybody else in this world. I believe in God, and know there is a God, but i do not consider myself religious in any way.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
“I believe in God, and know there is a God, but i do not consider myself religious in any way.”
If you are not religious in any way, Jeshurun, where do you get your bloody stupid prejudices about homosexuality from?
That aside, how can you believe in a god, and not be religious. Fool!