Quote of the Day

I assume that you have not seen the actual statue, and you are basing your complaints on rumors [of what it will look like]. I recommend that you should go back to the person who whispered in your ear and you should tell him he should stop seeing everything around him as an abomination, lest he will begin to see immodesty even in electricity poles, wood and mailboxes.

  -- Mayor of Haifa Yona Yahav

It was reported (I saw it in the Yediot metro paper) that Haifa will be installing a statue of a giant female image near the entrance of the stadium in Haifa. Representatives of the local Haredi community are campaigning against it as they are saying the statue will not be "dressed".

Rav Gedalya Axelrod, one of the rabbonim of the haredi community of Haifa, has protested to the mayor, Yona Yahav. The location is near the entrance to the city and is overlooking a religious mixed neighborhood of Jews, Arabs and Christians, and such a statue is pornographic.

Yona Yahav's response is above.

I do not know what the statue will look like. If it is of an undressed woman, I agree that even as art it can be inappropriate and perhaps should be in an art museum or located somewhere else where less kids will be exposed to it. If it is not really a provocative statue than no big deal. Perhaps protests should be delayed until actual information is known.

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