Once again, the Jewish Liberal Journal, or JLJ for short, has decided to publish fringe commentary from a Jewish leftist. It is ironic that the same people that scream at the top of their lungs that Jesus was not a republican seem to have no problem declaring Moses a democrat. True, the JLJ will publish an article by Dennis Prager every once in awhile, which in their minds means the paper itself is diverse.
For the many that have still not been effectively clubbed over the head, I will again state the obvious. Liberalism is a political philosophy and an ideology. Judaism is a religion. They have nothing to do with each other. Any overlap is either coincidental or the result of indoctrination. It is not fact or text based. There is nothing in the Torah (Old Testament) that commands one to be politically liberal. Social justice, the argument frequently used, is code for socialism. It is not connected to any religion. In fact, helping one to help themselves is the highest form of charity in Judaism, and that is a politically conservative message.
So who is the most recent practitioner of ideological bigotry? An organization known as the “American Jewish Committee.” The JLJ quotes the AJC’s legal counsel Jeff Sinensky as follows: “Looking forward, it’s likely that the majority, now headed by Justice John Roberts and with Justice Samuel Alito coming on the court, have a fundamentally different perspective than the Jewish community.”
Do liberal Jews have any spokespeople at all that are not arrogant gasbags? What is this Jewish community that he claims to speak for? My republican Jewish friends and I would like to know.
If these Jewish liberals had any intellectual and emotional honesty (we know they do not), they would state the following: “We run a liberal organization. The court is conservative. That is a threat to our liberal beliefs.” There is no need to bring Judaism into the mix, unless one is trying to use religion to advance a political agenda. How can one attack Conservative Christians and then turn around and behave in the exact way that the Conservative Christians are being slandered about?
Some liberal Jews at this point will say that if I love Christianity so much, why do I not just become one? This is equivalent to the elementary school children on the playground saying, “if you love it so much, why don’t you marry it?” I will not become a Christian, but I will absolutely respect them. I will continue to fix the problems in my own community.
I will speak up when Temple Valley Beth Shalom on a religious holiday has a Rabbi who states during a holiday speech, “Forget your stressful day. Picture a calm peaceful existence. A world without problems and stress…a world without negativity…a world without Donald Rumsfeld being in the news.” The liberal Jewish audience chortled.
I will speak up when Sinai Temple, on Memorial Day, has liberal activist Ruth Messinger give an antiwar speech laced with references to Darfur. Darfur may be a worthy cause, but would it have killed Sinai Temple to reserve Memorial Day for positive references to the soldiers? Instead they bring in perhaps the only woman too liberal to be elected in New York City.
Getting back to the Roberts Court, what were the cases that had the so called Jewish community up in arms?
One was an abortion case. The last time I checked, abortion involved a medical procedure. First a liberal activist Supreme Court invents a right to privacy, and now liberal Jews try to find a religious reason to be pro-choice. This would be less than hypocritical if they would stop criticizing evangelicals for also having a religious belief that is contradictory.
Another case involved a time limit on pay discrimination cases. A third case involved a school busing issue, which I think relates more to the black community in the 1960s than the Jewish community, which never had to ride in the back of any bus in America.
The last case ruled that activists cannot challenge faith based programs in court, since they were not personally injured. What a bizarre concept. Somebody has to be actually rather than theoretically wronged to be given the opportunity to ask the court to make it right. What is even more troubling is while Christian groups are embracing President Bush’s faith based initiatives, liberal Jews are fighting him.
If liberal Jews do not want more money to help their communities, just donate it to Christians so it will not be wasted. Faith based initiatives are not a way of forcing God upon children (although the Fear of God would solve many societal ills). They are a way of helping priests, rabbis, ministers and imams of helping people. In the same way more money for community policing helps reduce crime, more money for those who feed, clothe and protect the poor is a positive development for everybody except those who prefer lip service to actual results. Come to think of it, that defines liberalism perfectly.
Buried deep in the article is commentary by Orthodox Jewish organizations that are quite satisfied with the Roberts Court, and who actually wished the court went even further in support of faith based programs. Given that Orthodox people spend their whole lives reading and studying Torah (thank you Michael Medved), I am willing to trust their version of it as opposed to the evolving Torah that secular liberal Jews have created as an ugly kid sister to their evolving constitution.
The Anti-Defamation League laments the Roberts Court as well based on the cases listed above. Did the Roberts Course pass a constitutional amendment declaring Zionism equal to racism, or was that the liberal loving bastion of uselessness, the United Nations?
Did the Roberts Court ban Judaism? Did it sanction pogroms? Did it mandate America fund Hamas or Hezbollah? Did it say Israel should not exist? Did it ban the right of Jews to pray in synagogues? If not, what did the court do that in any way attacks the right of Jews to practice Judaism? Nothing!
It boggles my mind how Jews, long known for being an educated “people of the book,” can have such fierce hostility towards John Roberts, one of the finest legal minds America has ever seen. In fact, he gained his knowledge by thorough readings of the required books. John Roberts may not be qualified to argue the Talmud or other Jewish texts (although knowing his brilliance he might be) , but his liberal Jewish critics do not have anywhere near his knowledge of American legal texts.
Jewish organizations such as the ADL, AJC and the JLJ have to put aside their phony commitment to diversity and justice if they are not going to defend everybody, including conservatives. I have never been the victim of a pogrom, or of bigotry by anybody who was a devout Christian. Many devout Muslims have been fabulous to me. Yet try being a Jewish republican attending a Jewish dinner party, and see how pervasive the hostility is by enlightened, tolerant, liberal Jews. It is frightening.
Liberal Jewish groups should simply state that they are liberal first, and Jewish second. Otherwise, why reflexively follow a liberal agenda?
Liberal Jews have every right to battle with a court that they see as conservative. That is debate, and it makes for a vibrant healthy nation. What they do not have the right to do is claim that Judaism is liberalism. If this were true, does that mean that the many Orthodox Jews that vote republican and are politically and culturally conservative not practicing Judaism? I do not want to witness that potential bloodbath.
Liberal Jews are constantly accusing the Orthodox community of being intolerant towards them. Perhaps they might wish to look in the mirror. Perhaps they might wish to use Yom Kippur to apologize for all the vicious things they have said about President Bush, and conservatives in general.
Most importantly, perhaps they might wish to drop the hostility against John Roberts, whose only sin is being the Chief Justice of a Supreme Court that wants to give Rabbis more money to make their Synagogues stronger so that their congregations can have a richer Jewish experience.
eric
‘Liberal Jewish groups should simply state that they are liberal first, and Jewish second. Otherwise, why reflexively follow a liberal agenda?’
I feel the same way when I hear people say ” Mexican American ”
I think They should lay claim to there citizenship first, and be called ” American Mexicans”. Better yet just “Americans”
What your posting sounds very much like all the religions in the world that have been tweeked to fit an agenda. And so millions die.
I found God…and had to leave religion to do it. It is my belief that the minute a religion is founded, it becomes about that religion – that particular box made for humans to feel like they ‘know’ God – rather than God Himself. It is the rare church that keeps their first love.
So no longer am I surprised at the statements made in religious settings, political or otherwise. Admittedly, my experience of religion has been negative in the extreme. But the interesting result of that is I find myself much more dependent on God…which, for me, is the preferred state…and apparently, according to the bible, the Lord preferred for us.
http://micky2.wordpress.com/
My experience’s are somewhat similar to Carole’s . Anyone who would like some further reading on the subject can go to the link above. Its a new blog and Im open to criticism, since I,ve had this computer a couple months.
And thanks Eric, you are of course on my blog roll
In the early 1950’s while at Brooklyn College I was one of six students from a population of 8000 who was a member of the Young Republican Club. . . . . and the only Jewish one. It was a different time but I was never castigated.
But times and circumstances do change as seen by this blog. I am still part of a Jewish political minority. Unhappily, the Jewish majority, through intermarriage and an unwillingness to have children, is slowly but consistently shrinking. In about 3-4 generations I suspect the face of political Jewry will change.
AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT ! !
“Liberalism is a political philosophy and an ideology. Judaism is a religion. They have nothing to do with each other. Any overlap is either coincidental or the result of indoctrination. ”
Do me a favor and get this memo to Fallwell and Robertson as quickly as possible.
Eric,
I use to date a wonderful Jewish woman. She was apolitical but came from a huge liberal family. To this day, I don’t get the mindset of a liberal Jew. Most all liberals support the Palestinians and would be more than happy to celebrate the TOTAL demise of Israel. How do liberal Jews account for this? This seems counter intuitive and certainly an implicit threat to most Jews very survival.
If you ever peruse the Daily Kos….the liberal moonbats scream anti-semetic invectives nonstop.
“If these Jewish liberals had any intellectual and emotional honesty (we know they do not), they would state the following: “We run a liberal organization. The court is conservative. That is a threat to our liberal beliefs.” There is no need to bring Judaism into the mix, …”
Excellent observation. I agree 100%.
I forgot to mention, I have noticed a growing anti-semitic attitude among non-Jewish liberals that I find absolutely fascinating, and somewhat unexpected.
Uhm, Daniel, Fallwell passed away recently, so you can find someone else to bash. How come it was OK for Rick Warren (author of the Purpose Driven Life) to have Obama take an AIDS test as a publicity stunt in front of his gazillion member church without the media freaking out?
I will speak up when Temple Valley Beth Shalom on a religious holiday has a Rabbi who states during a holiday speech, “Forget your stressful day. Picture a calm peaceful existence. A world without problems and stress…a world without negativity…a world without Donald Rumsfeld being in the news.” The liberal Jewish audience chortled.
And as someone who was there for that speech let me offer some correction. It is a crowd that is definitely made up of Democrats and Republicans. The context of the comment is missing.
It was made during a momentary lull in what was a long service. The intent was not political in nature. It was more of an icebreaker moment, something to try and help people relax.