Noam Party accuses progressive Jews of attempted self-genocide

The far-right, anti-LGBT religious party Noam has accused the progressive Jewish denominations of attempted genocide against the Jewish people, in a social media campaign video.

The video starts out with footage of Adolf Hitler saying he wants to destroy the Jewish people, along with a caption that says: “Since we were born, they have been trying to destroy us.” The video continues to show images of former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, as well as Palestinian terrorist attacks, with the caption “They continued to try and destroy us.”

“Then they changed their strategy. They still want to destroy us, but this time from within,” another caption reads, as footage plays showing left-wing organizations and references to the Reform movement and non-Orthodox Jews, including a clip showing a prayer service of the Women of the Wall organization.

“They infiltrate the IDF so we lose in war. They are destroying the family and childbirth to stop a Jewish majority; they advance assimilation to wipe us off the map,” reads the caption.

Noam is an extremist party established by radical elements from the hard-line wing of the religious-Zionist community – specifically, close associates and allies of Rabbi Zvi Yisrael Tau, president of Yeshivat Har Hamor.

This yeshiva, its rabbinic leadership and the disciples of these rabbis have become a fount of extremist positions on social and religious issues, particularly regarding LGBT people and the Reform and Conservative movements.

Education Minister Rafi Peretz counts himself as a student of Tau, as do many yeshiva deans of influential yeshivot and institutions around the country.

Although Tau and his disciples have significant influence, the number of people who might vote for them is considered to be no more than a few tens of thousands.

Noam is largely running as a spoiler for Yamina, with the intent of dragging that party further rightward. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, dean of the Ateret Yerushalayim yeshiva and another of Tau’s disciples, told The Jerusalem Post recently that the traditional religious-Zionist parties had failed in religious Zionism’s mission of having the Jewish people live in the Land of Israel in accordance with Jewish law, and that the goal of Noam is to reemphasize that cause.

It appears likely that the party will not actually contest the election, and will fold up its campaign two weeks before the election on September 17.