Uuuugh, this kid.
Long before Joffrey Baratheon was the Monday morning FABT (“Fucking-Awful-Blonde-Twerp”) people loved to hate around the office water cooler, aryan pipsqueek Draco Malfoy was sending an entire generation Harry Potter fans an apoplectic rage every time he opened his stupid mouth to spew horrible things from his dumb, smug face. Without question, Draco was at his most shitty when he introduced young readers to the wizardly term “Mudblood“, thereby bringing a healthy dose of racial (well, magical, but… you know) bigotry into the Harry Potter universe.
I mention this because, hey, it’s not like rational people actually believe that mixing blood is a sin, right? Well, rational people might not, but one Orthodox rabbi sure does. As reported by YourJewishNews.com, citing the Hebrew-language Yedioth Aharonot:
“Non Orthodox Jews eat bugs, therefore their blood is tainted. Also, as we all know, men and women need to stay segregated, therefore a Jewish man should not take blood even from a Jewish woman,” the rabbi wrote in his new book called, “With Blood You Shall Live.”
This new religious book deals with Jewish laws with regards to blood donations. “Those people eating bugs and meat from dead animals lose their mind, therefore getting blood from such a person will cause the Orthodox Jew to lose their mind as well,” the rabbi wrote.
Now, skipping over the assertion that eating meat from dead animals makes you crazy (I’m pretty sure taking bites out of living animals ain’t exactly a culinary gold standard…) this guy’s line of thinking is obviously, awfully troubling. Have we learned nothing from the last hundred years (to say nothing of the Harry Potter series) about the… erm, “unpleasantness” that occurs when people start ranting about keeping blood pure?
Not kosher
Which isn’t to say that the unnamed Rabbi has completely painted himself into an un-blood-transfusionable corner – he does have caveats. The book allegedly explains that, under life and death circumstances – and only under life and death circumstances – an Orthodox Jew may, in fact, take filthy, icky, yucky-poo non-Orthodox Jewish blood. But, if you’re a guy, and the only blood around is inside a lady? Well, you’d better be married, and hope she is too. Otherwise, no dice.
So, does this mean Orthodox Judaism is at risk of going the way of Draco Malfoy – full of sanguinized bigotry toward “mudbloods”? Probably not. One crazy Rabbi (thankfully) does not typically a movement make. But, hell, what do I know? I’ve been eating insects and dead animals for so long, I’m probably a little crazy.
*****
If you’re interested in donating blood, and don’t have ridiculous ideas of who it can and can’t go to, you can learn more here.
I like the Harry Potter reference. I was reminded of an All in the Family episode where Archie Bunker reluctantly accepts a blood transfusion from an African American female doctor. Hilarious.
I thing the stroy is false
answer to my email to see if true
n the name of Lev Malka, this is a total fabrication, and misrepresentation of the facts mainly due to erroneous translation of the Hebrew source. Note that there are no references sited for the so called Rabbi’s ban on donating or recieving blood from the opposite gender.
Quite the contrary our organization is the largest independant blood donor of Magen David Adom of Israel, to which we have donated over 21,000 pints of blood. We conduct blood drives in Yeshivahs, girl schools, Banks, Medical clinics, and many other public places. We do these for men and women simultaineously with the proper seperation as per the halacha requirements. We collect on average 6-700 portions of blood at each such event.
We never ask the recipients of the blood their gender or affiliation. We have no interest in creating our own blood bank as the article insinuates.
Do you think the recipient of blood or a heart, kidney or other transplant has to check where it came from? This is basic pikach nefesh, there are no discusions about this by any reputable Rabbi.
You can read about the good work of this organization of which I am a proud volunteer for over 20 years, at
Regarding the book, this is a manual that was published in dedication to the son of the Chairman, who was brutally murdered in a shooting attack, at age 19. The book deals with the halachic issues of taking blood in times of emergency, Pikach Nefesh, harming oneself, harming ones parents, zniut, (modesty) when conducting a blood drive, etc. You can read more about it at. http://www.jdn.co.il/news/130789
The organization has a wonderful name in Israel, in all circles, we offer free ambulance service to patients in need of this, regardless of religion, gender, or social standing. We make outings and retreats for sick children from all Hospitals, on a regular basis, also regardless of the status of the sick child. you can read about this and more chessed projects of ours at http://www.levmalka.com/activ_fundays.asp
Apparantly the site yourjewishnews.com is doing good business with the exposure they are getting from this piece of shmutz, and is not willing to remove the slanderous article from their site, until we sue them legally, and lock up Mr. Ryan Lee Hall, who gets enjoyment at bashing frum organizations, shame on him. The site you will note “sells” lots of other irrelavant shmutz, and is a despicable site full of sleaze and garbage. Shame on them, they should be closed down, the sooner the better.
Our organization should not even be mentioned on their dirty pages in any context. We do our work solely l’shem shomayim, total non profit. The only ones that profit are the recipients of our charity. You are welcome to check this out yourself.
Sincerely yours,
Yossi Haberfeld
web site manager for Lev Malka