When 'liberalism' replaces Judaism
Unfortunately, for many Jews, Judaism has been replaced by 'liberalism,' a 'religion' in which the leftist cause of the day becomes a matter for Jews to emulate. One tragic result of that was seen at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America on Friday, when Rabbi Eric Yoffie (pictured, top left) of the reform movement equated Muslim suicide bombers with peaceful Orthodox Jews in announcing to those present that "It is ... our collective task to strengthen and inspire one another as we fight the fanatics and work to promote the values of justice and love that are common to both our faiths."The Islamic Society of North America has been looking for a Jewish dhimmi to speak at its convention for a long time, but until the gullible Yoffie came along, everyone else had said no.
"This is a major breakthrough," said Sayyid Syeed, who directs the Islamic Society's national interfaith outreach. "There have been misgivings and misunderstandings, but during the last few years, both sides have seen that there is so much in common."Yoffie's reform movement have been working together on many issues from their Washington offices, 'from immigration to civil rights.' Yoffie is the kind of court Jew a Muslim can't help but love.
Wearing a Jewish skull cap and punctuating his words with his fists, Yoffie condemned "racial profiling and legal discrimination of any kind against Muslim Americans," and "vicious and public attacks" on Islam. The two organizations are trying to launch a joint education program in synagogues and mosques nationwide. The crowd applauded throughout his speech.But what to do about their differences on Israel? After all, even most reform Jews support Israel. Yoffie has an answer for that too:
Yoffie said they should stop fighting over the issue and instead collectively urge the federal government to forge a viable peace in the region. While the Islamic Society and Reform movement differ over the specifics of how to resolve the conflict, Yoffie and Syeed said both groups essentially support establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.And who is the Islamic Society of North America with whom Dhimmi Yoffie has chosen to associate? Al-AP fudges that a little bit:
"Will we, Jews and Muslims, import the conflicts of the Middle East into America, or will we join together and send a message of peace to that troubled land?" Yoffie said. "As religious Jews and as religious Muslims, let us do everything in our power to prevent a political battle from being transformed into a holy war."
Along with other major American Muslim groups, the Islamic Society's private IRS records and its prison chaplain programs have been investigated by the federal government seeking to uncover any ties to terrorists. No wrongdoing has been found. Representatives of the US military and government agencies often attend the convention to recruit Arabic speakers and chaplains.But Dhimmi Watch has a different view:
How ironic that Yoffie pledged his help against the demonic Islamophobes at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America, an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case.Dhimmi Watch also excerpts a Haaretz article that has much more of Yoffie's speech than al-AP provided. In Yoffie's liberal mind, the Torah and the Koran are - God forbid - equal and each equally encourages violence:
"As a Jew I know that our sacred texts, including the Hebrew Bible, are filled with contradictory propositions, and these include passages that appear to promote violence and thus offend our ethical sensibilities. Such texts are to be found in all religions, including Christianity and Islam", Yoffie admits. However, he says, "the overwhelming majority of Jews reject violence by interpreting these texts in a constructive way".Dhimmi Watch has several other prescient comments on Yoffie's speech, including his vilification of 'Christian fundamentalists.' Read the whole thing.
He believes that similar dynamics work in all religions, but falls short of a full-fledged comparison. In the Jewish faith, he says, there is "a tiny, extremist minority". For Islam he chooses somewhat broader definition: "as we know from the headlines, you have what I know must be for you as well as for us an alarming number of extremists of your own."
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:18 AM
2 Comments:
I grew up in the reform movement,at Ohabei Shalom, in Brookline, but it was not like this back then.
They have strayed so far off the derech...that 'rabbi' Yoffie and his ilk are the enemy within...NK left? They seem to be. Will they end up with signs of protest against Israel, and appearing with the cult of islam?
Yoffie is now the poster boy for Jewish dhimmies. When does Chumpsky show up?
Their wake-up call? I shudder to think.
Feh.
I belong to the reform temple here in Texas. Was brought up conservative, but the internal political workings of the conservatives wore me down. I love our temple, the people, the study groups..but it is sad to see the political left at play so strongly. My family is definitely a black sheep there, voting right on most issues. There seems to be some strange sense of social justice in the reform movement; perverse almost. I have listened to lectures on how the arab hostility is caused by poverty (Poor Osama). Lack of education (how do you explain the Oxford educated ones who preach the same hatred). But I am afraid that Yoffee is a fair representative of the movement. They are a walking contradiction, claiming to care about humanity and Israel, and participating in its demise all the while.
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