Progressive Rabbis: Be Still My Bleeding Heart
As someone reviewing candidates for a rabbinical position, I come across my share of resumes. A substantial proportion of these show that rabbis tend to be involved in everything from global warming to vegetarianism. These days, some rabbis seem to have heard the call, but it appears to be the call to render first unto Caesar.
You’d think that rabbis would have a special concern with the politics of the Middle East, but strangely enough a lot of rabbis have been primarily concerned with partnering alongside their brethren in the liberal Christian clergy to save the environment, protect the rights of illegal aliens, and extol the virtues of vegetarianism. These rabbis might communicate how Judaism and Torah have influenced their lives, but when one looks at the things that absorb their time and energy, you’d think they all received their “smicha” (ordination) somewhere between the United Church of Christ and the ultra-liberal Presbyterian Church (USA).
What some rabbis want is to affirm their progressive credentials and to gain social acceptance within the interfaith community. Given a choice between affirming their Judaism and affirming their progressive credentials, progressivism wins every time. For these rabbis, there is no difference between the two, but then true believers have an uncanny ability to not only utter nonsense but to believe it, even if it is from their own lips.
When it comes to the Middle East, or the issues of terrorism, you can find progressive rabbis at the forefront of concern; concern that is for the rights of Gitmo detainees, for the protection of Hamas mass murderers from targeted assassination, and for any failure by the United States and Israel to adhere to the strictest interpretations of human rights protections for any terrorist who falls into their hands.
We all possess limited time, energy, and capacity for emotional stress. Where anyone chooses to put those resources is a statement about what he or she thinks is most important. In a world of growing demonization of Israel and anti-Semitism not seen since the 1930s, the primary concerns of many politically active rabbis are the rights of enemy combatants and the residents of Gaza.
Anointing oneself with the mantle of human rights or peace might be a splendid aspiration, but aspiration and reality are all too frequently different things. The Oslo Accords might have inspired hope for peace, but the reality is that these so-called “peace accords” actually escalated the casualty rate on both sides, as Arafat proved himself to be the single greatest murderer of Jews since Hitler. It is no wonder that some Israelis refer to the Oslo Peace Accords as the “Oslo Death Accords.” Long ago, we should have learned to judge agreements by their outcomes, not by their intentions or symbols.
Calls for a ceasefire in the midst of a war might seem like a moral position, but it isn’t, for it invariably favors one side over another. After years of bowing to NGO pressure for ceasefires and armistices, the Sri Lankan government watched casualties mount and the Tamil separatist use the lulls in fighting to grow in strength. Eventually, the Sri Lankan government decided that such policies were no different than the Israeli experience with Oslo. Inevitably, the Sri Lankan government shut out the NGOs — especially the Norwegians — launched a full scale military assault on the Tamils, and brought the insurrection to submission, reducing civilian casualties. But who would have publicly advocated “Give war a chance”?
Truly devastating news that a Saudi Arabian Prince has a stake in the Fox News Network. I recall that they were the first ones to show the blood on the market streets, on the buses, outside the pizza parlors, and inside the restaurants in Israel while the other networks were ignoring the evil until it became too blatant to pretend it didn’t exist. I have zero confidence that it will not have a negative impact on their reporting.
There have been anti-Israeli rabbis since the founding of Israel, this is nothing new.
Bet you can’t find an anti-Hamas Imam anywhere on the planet.
But then again the majority of Jews voted for Obama who will sooner or later sell Israel down the tubes. It is completely self consistent.
In the end the left will have to confront itself and the choices they have made. As Islam will put us in that eventual situation. The progressives will learn, at least some of them, that at the root of there appeasement was backstabbing fear. That as they served up one anthor the enemy was laughing and killing. Ask most Islamist what it is that they hate about the west and they will tell you it is there liberal ways. In some ways they are right. What kind of people serve up to the enemy there own people. Cowards not worth there weight in salt..
Anti-zionist rabbis are merely merely one grotesque extreme of a absurdly broad and diverse American rabbinate. Mr. Miller is wasting his time worrying about these Jeraboams. They are a minute albeit noisy minority like the J Streeters and their following is limited. Voluntary, self imposed dhimmitude isn’t an idea likely to catch on among Jews.
Nor do these craven rabbis give any comfort to our enemies. Study the body language and expressions of Arabs and their supporters at a rally sharing a platform with bearded, Israel-hating Jews got up in Hasidic black hats and coats. Not exactly come hither. Jew haters are understandably uncomfortable with Jews, sincere traitors though these Hebrews be.
The only genuine threat such rabbis present to Judaism is that the definition of rabbi has so degenerated as to include their like.
Calls for a cease fire in the midst of this war might, in theory at least, indeed constitute a moral position.But only if the caller had previously been calling for an end to rocket attacks on Israeli civilians before the push back started.The problem with virtually all of the leftist ideologues, rabbis and otherwise, who wrap themselves in the the increasingly shrinking fig leaf of humanitarian concerns associated with the middle east, is that, strangely,it is only the “humanitarian” issues facing Palestinians that arouses them.Actually, not all that strange.
We have a strange situation in LA. A group of left wing Jews, dressed as Israeli soldiers, set up crossings at the Universal Studios City Walk stopping everybody and asking them where they were going. They are scheduled to demonstrate against Israel’s action in front of the Israeli consulate on the 29th of this month. They are worse than the Arabs. Their propaganda value is enormous and believe me they will be video taped. Their images will be shown to the entire Arab and free world. Its hard enough to take on the Islamists of the world; but, when your own brothers are helping them, it makes what you are doing seem futile. Those of you who can, please join me in a counter demonstration on the 29th of this month. Oscar will be there.
“They are worse than the Arabs.” That bad, huh? You really have a talent for bringing out the bigotry and sheer craziness of your cause.
These bleeding-heart rabbis sound like decent people, trying to reconcile their sense of compassion with the ethnic attachment they absorbed in childhood. Most of the respondents here have resolved that tension in a more brutally simple manner, opting for ethnic loyalty above all else. Not surprising, not unusual, but hardly something to be proud of.
Shef:
I can’t help wondering what “ethnic attachment” you “absorbed in childhood,” Shef and whether it influences your lofty opinions.
Have the courage to respond and let’s do an honest comparison of ethnics and attitude.
Shef Rogers
What you cooking buddy? They are worse than the Arabs. Arabs simply are loyal to their beliefs. These “guys” have turned their back to their beliefs and their people. Groups like Peace Now are shown on Arab TVs. It affirms them and their cause. We had Jews who led other Jews to the gas chambers. They were called Kapos. These “guys” stiffen Arab resolve and convince the Arabs that they’re right. There-by they cost Israel more Jewish lives.
If you think I’m crazy, so be it. Bigot yes, i’m proud of it.
Gobble gobble
Sheff you’re stoopid!
Gobble gobble
I met one of these.
The guy ‘Rabbi’ said he was responsible for the Gillette shaver slogan. And he proudly announced that he accepted money from CAIR for an advertising campaign! He waxed on about chairing a UN meeting and that religious unity is a matter of dialogue and that he has written numerous books – my God he really believed what he was saying.
I challenged him at the dinner table where he was holding forth on the keys to world peace
“OK mate” I asked him, “given you’ve never visited the MEMRI site, and you casually accept money from CAIR members of which are constantly being indicted for terrorism etc, and you seem to know how to achieve peace – how bad is the anti-Semitism in the Middle East? If its a matter of dialogue. Who are the kind of people Israel should dialogue with?”
Evasion
“No come on mate – you tell us how bad it is?”
“Well it could be better.”
“No you were speaking with authority – tell us exactly how bad it is.” Realising the facts were indisputable. He said.
“Its pretty bad”
I stood up, and excused myself from the table.
They have to be confronted, their delusions will only expand otherwise. These individuals are contemptible.
Get your banjos folks, its singin time
(Tune goes to the Beverly Hill Billys)
Did you hear the story bout a man named Sheff
Had a pallet that was only slightly cleff
then one day he was messin with some Jews
Got told off and now he paid his dues
Sheff my boy heres a lesson that is dear
The way you sound is mighty q*eer
What you need is to get off this here blog
take some time and spend it with your dog
House that is
Water bowl
scraps of chow
Now I know this won’t change your mind
If you were here I’d kick your behind
So if you really don’t want to lose
For God sake, don’t mess with them Jews
thank you folks, thank you very much.
Put three Jews in a room, and you get five opinions. This is why they deliver up their own. Everything right and wrong is equivalent. There are not things more important or right than others. Pathetic.
Jewish thought is based on the Talmud which is argument and counter agruement. (Aristotle way of teaching) That is why three Jews can have five opinions. There are higher moral judgements of right or wrong. The individual has to arrive at the proper conclusion. Its sort of a self discovery. This “pathetic” process is the foundation of all western ethics.
Spinoza, a converted Jew, translated much of this process for Christianity and it became the basis of law and ethics.
#15 Oscar – You’re right… and that’s why our legal system is such a mess. Attorneys routinely pursue one side of an argument, then later in the trial, pursue the other side. It’s not about right and wrong. It’s about scoring points in a game. Whoever scores the most points wins.
This is how Jews argue. They get lost in the argument and miss the point entirely. There are simply absolute rights and wrongs, and they have orders of importance. It’s like the Ten Commandments. #1 is, “I am the Lord….” That trumps everything else… and for good reason.
Self-discovery is nonsense. That path leads to moral relativism. That’s why so many Jews end up voting far-left, against the existential interests of Jews as a race. The U.S. has always supported Israel, because we believe that “Thou shalt not Murder!” ranks way up there in terms of righteousness. They want to kill all the Jews, and we won’t let them.
Moral relativism undermines that. It allows the alleged grievances of “Palestinians” to be used as justification for genocide. I’m sorry, but “Thou shalt not Murder.” trumps the petty grievances of the other side. With this in mind, suddenly, propoganda becomes ineffective, and the bleeding hearts stop bleeding. One’s values have to be rooted firmly in some absolutes, or you just blow with the wind and all arguments become equal.
Shouldn’t this suicidal mental affliction be called:”progressive Rabies”?