For the past three weeks, Lior Finkel hasn’t needed to set an alarm clock – she’s gotten a wake-up SMS at 7 a.m. each day. Finkel, an aide to MK Ilan Gilon (Meretz), and many other parliamentary aides have been receiving daily text messages from an organization whose goal is to encourage Jews to put on tefillin in the morning.
Female Aide to Knesset Complains About Tefilin SMS
For the past three weeks, Lior Finkel hasn’t needed to set an alarm clock – she’s gotten a wake-up SMS at 7 a.m. each day. Finkel, an aide to MK Ilan Gilon (Meretz), and many other parliamentary aides have been receiving daily text messages from an organization whose goal is to encourage Jews to put on tefillin in the morning.
Finkel said she considered the messages harassment, and reported “The Light for Tefillin,” the organization responsible for them, to Knesset security and the police.
“Beginning in the middle of May, I received messages at 7 every morning – except Saturday – telling me to put on tefillin and bring redemption,” Finkel said. “I sent an SMS asking whoever is sending it to stop, but I was ignored, and when I called, no one answered.”
“Security told us to go to the police, and the police said that there was nothing illegal about the text messages,” Finkel said. “It can’t be that someone can systematically harass people like this without consequences.”
Finkel and her fellow aides notified “The Light” that they would be suing the organization, but the messages kept coming, until she came up with a creative solution.
“I decided that I’d had enough, and I sent a message saying: ‘I put on tefillin, now leave me alone,’ along with a picture of myself, a woman, wearing tefillin,” Finkel said.
“The next day, the harassment stopped,” she said. “I guess they were right – I put on tefillin, and redemption came.”
HaHa
Creative solution!
Rashi-s Daughter
It’s well known that Rashi’s daughter also put on tefillin, though she was an exceptional case.
brother from the hood
very smart .. hey !!! did maryasha garelic wear tephelin ?
Rabbi Dr Edward F Goldstein
These automated messages are annoying. I used to get a fax EVERY shabbat from Avi Weiss’ organization. They were finally accommodating, but it took a while with all kinds of apologies about how these automated things are so difficult. And I’m surprised they accepted ‘I put on tfillin’ as an answer from anyone. It’s not their style.
TO:Rabbi Dr Edward F Goldstein
WITH SUCH A LONG TITLE YOU MUST BE SUCH A CHUSHEVEH MENCH… PSHHHH.
to #2
It’s not as well known that it’s a myth.