In response to the violence against girls attending a religious school in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, well documented in this diary, a group of mostly American Orthodox rabbis has issued a statement condemning the violence.
The International Rabbinic Fellowship, a relatively new organization for modern Orthodox rabbis, most of whom don't accept the "move to the Right" in Orthodox Judaism over the past generation, have issued this statement. Here is an excerpt:
The International Rabbinic Fellowship, an international fellowship of Orthodox rabbis, strongly condemns the use of violence, intimidation, verbal abuse and/or the threat of any such actions in the pursuit of achieving any "religious" goals, legislation, or in trying to enforce adherence to any "social" or "communal" mores.
Hopefully we will hear more condemnations, and support of action to rein in the thugs, from other leaders of the Orthodox Jewish world.
Thu Dec 29, 2011 at 6:10 PM PT: Today, two additional Orthodox rabbinic organizations have made statements on the matter. The Rabbinical Council of America, in conjunction with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, issued the following statement:
http://www.ou.org/...
Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement:
http://www.lakewoodlocal.com/...
Also worthy of a read are the following two statements by prominent individual Orthodox rabbis. This one, today:
http://www.cross-currents.com/...
And this one, yesterday -- note the title!
http://www.rabbihorowitz.com/...