New Rivlin storm: will attend conference along with 'Breaking the Silence'

President Rivlin's visit to the US comes back to the headlines - After the candle lighting ceremony attended by the Reform woman rabbi, today (Sunday) President Reuven Rivlin intends to participate in "Ha'aretz" conference together with the organization "Breaking the Silence", thereby sparking a public outcry in the Israeli street.

"We, officers and soldiers in the reserves, protest and call our president not to give legitimacy to the lies and blood libels of the organization Breaking the Silence and others," said Maj. Res. Amit Drei, a company commander in the reserves and manager of the pre-military Tavor to the newspaper Israel Hayom. "We, the officers and soldiers arriving each time out of love to the civil service, refuse to be abandoned to the lies and libels circulated about us in Israel and abroad".

Drei added that the protest is not against President Rivlin himself, "whom we respect very much, but at the campaign falsely directed toward us and toward Israel. We beg that even if he chooses not to cancel his participation, he will use the platform offered to him at the conference to deliver a message: yes to criticizing, no to lies."

Head of the Preparatory Major Amichai Shikli, also commented that "You cannot give with one hand medals to IDF soldiers at the President's home, and with the other - to embrace the growth engines of the BDS and its likes. As one who knew to avoid inviting the singer Amir Benayoun to the Presidential home, he should avoid granting a stamp of approval to Amira Hass, Avner Gevaryahu and friends. In criticism of the state of Israel, which is legitimate, by the way, one should put a boundary between criticism and lies".

The Presidential home said in response that "the president will carry greetings during a conference of Haaretz, as he has done a variety of conferences organized by various media from time to time. With regard to the facts, it is important to note that in this case the participant is one out of many participants throughout the day. He will take part in a panel that does not take place in the presence of the president, and therefore there is no connection between these things. "

As recalled, last week, Rivlin attended a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony which was mediated and managed by a Reform woman rabbi. Following his participation Rivlin was criticized by haredi politicians.
Knesset member of Torah Judaism attacked Rivlin and said that "it was clear to us in the presidential race that Reuven Rivlin as president would be problematic, and therefore from the outset we supported Dalia Itzik, but in the second round we had no choice, and the possibility was between MK Shitrit who expressed himself several times in favor of the Reform, or Rivlin, who is an observant man. There were those in the faction who claimed Rivlin as president will be worse than Shitrit, and was primping the secular public."

The MK added - "In the end the majority view prevailed and it was decided to support Rivlin, and as recalled a result, he became president. Unfortunately just as we feared has happened, and President Rivlin does not stop speaking against all that is valuable to the haredi public such as his statements regarding recruiting, and the obligation of teaching the core studies. He now went further and backed the Reform, Judaism's most dangerous thing."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!