Moshe Aryeh Friedman
Encyclopedia
Moshe Aryeh Friedman currently living in Vienna
, Austria
is a former anti-Zionist political activist. He is best known for his participation in the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
held in 2006 in Tehran
, Iran
. While often called by the title of "Rabbi
" in the media, his status as a rabbi has been challenged by Rabbi Yona Metzger
, the Ashkenazi
Chief Rabbi
of the State of Israel. Officials of the Jewish Community of Austria say that he has not proven that he has completed the rabbinical studies required to earn the title.
, which he believed should not have occurred and should be reversed. While at the Teheran conference, Friedman presented a plan under which Israel would be dissolved and all Jews, and their families, would be returned to their places of birth. His views were somewhat similar to those of Neturei Karta
, though he was not affiliated with them. He grew up in the Satmar
community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
. Satmar leaders have condemned the participation in the Iranian conference. Friedman has since been expelled by the board of the Vienna Jewish community. Friedman is aligned with the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria
. In May 2006, Friedman met with Atef Adwan
of Hamas
and an acting Palestinian Cabinet Minister in Stockholm
, Sweden
, where Friedman announced his goals of building a "joint coalition" between Hamas and anti-Zionist Jews, and plans to send humanitarian aid to the West Bank.
a two-day symposium held in Tehran
and sponsored by Iran
's Foreign Ministry Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) for the purpose of subjecting the Holocaust to scholarly review. Friedman spoke at a forum hosted by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss the Holocaust, where Friedman kissed Ahmadinejad. Following the conference in Tehran, Friedman delayed his return to Austria reportedly due to his fears that he could be prosecuted by Austrian authorities for Holocaust denial
. Upon his return Austrian authorities did not indict, investigate or prosecute him and Friedman expressed no concerns regarding any legal matters.
The board of the Vienna
Jewish community voted to excommunicate him, and has accused him of desecrating the Sabbath
by participating in demonstrations. Friedman successfully challenged the schools expulsion in court resulting in accumulating fines assessed against the school until they allow his children to return. The board threatened to sue Friedman for the cost of his sons Bar Mitzvah celebration in Vienna. Friedman emphatically denied the allegation and stated that the board's suit was in retaliation for losing his case against them for expelling his children from school.
On March 11, 2007, while on a visit to Poland, three members of the Israeli Jewish-Orthodox organization ZAKA
assaulted Friedman. Their leader, Yehuda Meshi Zahav, saw Friedman in a crowd and physically attacked him, because he was angered at his participation in the Tehran conference, leaving Friedman bruised. Friedman did not press charges against Zahav or the other assailants.
“There are two elements of my change in position: One, the way Jews saw it, and they were deeply offended [at the Ahmadinejad debacle], and two, how far it could help Jews,” he explains. “I should have been sensitive to my Jewish brothers, and should have been in contact with Jews before I was in contact with non-Jews. I do regret attending. I do regret the way it was received. I should have taken [Jewish] feelings into consideration. I’m sure that now what I’m doing will help relieve the situation.”
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
is a former anti-Zionist political activist. He is best known for his participation in the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust was a two-day conference that opened on December 11, 2006, in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the conference sought "neither to deny nor prove the Holocaust.....
held in 2006 in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. While often called by the title of "Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
" in the media, his status as a rabbi has been challenged by Rabbi Yona Metzger
Yona Metzger
Yona Metzger is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. His counterpart is Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel since their appointments in 2003.-Background:...
, the Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of the State of Israel. Officials of the Jewish Community of Austria say that he has not proven that he has completed the rabbinical studies required to earn the title.
Opposition to the Existence of Israel
Friedman was retrospectively opposed to the creation of the State of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, which he believed should not have occurred and should be reversed. While at the Teheran conference, Friedman presented a plan under which Israel would be dissolved and all Jews, and their families, would be returned to their places of birth. His views were somewhat similar to those of Neturei Karta
Neturei Karta
Neturei Karta is a Haredi Jewish group formally created in Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine, in 1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisroel...
, though he was not affiliated with them. He grew up in the Satmar
Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)
Satmar is a Hasidic movement comprising mostly Hungarian and Romanian Hasidic Jewish Holocaust survivors and their descendants. It was founded and led by the late Hungarian-born Grand Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum , who was the rabbi of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary...
community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
. Satmar leaders have condemned the participation in the Iranian conference. Friedman has since been expelled by the board of the Vienna Jewish community. Friedman is aligned with the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
. In May 2006, Friedman met with Atef Adwan
Atef Adwan
Atef Ibrahim Mohammad Adwan is the Minister of Refugees in the Palestinian Authority, having been named to this position following the Hamas victory in the Palestinian legislative election, 2006, when he was elected from the Northern Gaza District.Adwan was born...
of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and an acting Palestinian Cabinet Minister in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where Friedman announced his goals of building a "joint coalition" between Hamas and anti-Zionist Jews, and plans to send humanitarian aid to the West Bank.
Participation in the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
On December 11, 2006, Friedman participated in the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the HolocaustInternational Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust was a two-day conference that opened on December 11, 2006, in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the conference sought "neither to deny nor prove the Holocaust.....
a two-day symposium held in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
and sponsored by Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's Foreign Ministry Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) for the purpose of subjecting the Holocaust to scholarly review. Friedman spoke at a forum hosted by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss the Holocaust, where Friedman kissed Ahmadinejad. Following the conference in Tehran, Friedman delayed his return to Austria reportedly due to his fears that he could be prosecuted by Austrian authorities for Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
. Upon his return Austrian authorities did not indict, investigate or prosecute him and Friedman expressed no concerns regarding any legal matters.
The board of the Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Jewish community voted to excommunicate him, and has accused him of desecrating the Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
by participating in demonstrations. Friedman successfully challenged the schools expulsion in court resulting in accumulating fines assessed against the school until they allow his children to return. The board threatened to sue Friedman for the cost of his sons Bar Mitzvah celebration in Vienna. Friedman emphatically denied the allegation and stated that the board's suit was in retaliation for losing his case against them for expelling his children from school.
On March 11, 2007, while on a visit to Poland, three members of the Israeli Jewish-Orthodox organization ZAKA
ZAKA
ZAKA , is a series of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel, each operating in a police district . These organizations are officially recognized by the government...
assaulted Friedman. Their leader, Yehuda Meshi Zahav, saw Friedman in a crowd and physically attacked him, because he was angered at his participation in the Tehran conference, leaving Friedman bruised. Friedman did not press charges against Zahav or the other assailants.
Interview with Zev Brenner
On January 25, 2009, Friedman renounced his anti-Zionist activities on Zev Brenner's radio program, stating "I'm ready to renounce the title for me as the anti-Zionist chief rabbi." He further commented that "there is no such thing as Jews against Zionists." During the interview, he called claims that there are hundreds of thousands of anti-Zionist Jews "complete nonsense." When asked if there are, in reality, only a handful of anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews, Friedman said, "yes, that's absolutely the case."“There are two elements of my change in position: One, the way Jews saw it, and they were deeply offended [at the Ahmadinejad debacle], and two, how far it could help Jews,” he explains. “I should have been sensitive to my Jewish brothers, and should have been in contact with Jews before I was in contact with non-Jews. I do regret attending. I do regret the way it was received. I should have taken [Jewish] feelings into consideration. I’m sure that now what I’m doing will help relieve the situation.”