Israel Matzav

Where's the outrage?

In the course of commenting on Prime Minister Netanyahu's Holocaust Day address, Jennifer Rubin takes the American Jewish community to task for its lack of outrage over the Obami's silence on Iran.

And frankly, there is a shocking lack of urgency within the American Jewish community, as well. When the president goes into his que sera, sera stance regarding the crisis in Iran, where is the outrage? Where are the statements and the protests? Entirely lacking. It is not hard to discern the administration’s abject lack of seriousness with regard to stopping the mullahs’ nuclear program, yet the leadership of the American Jewish community has play-acted along with the administration. Oh yes, sanctions are coming. We got very reassuring answers from Hillary. This is what you hear from supposedly serious-minded Jewish activists. Certainly they have read Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pooh-poohing of military action and the news reports of watered-down sanctions. So when do they plan on speaking up? Are we to see a repeat of the 1930s and 40s, when the American Jewish community remained largely mute, wary of raising a fuss as the Nazi menace ravaged European Jewry?

As usual, Jennifer is spot-on. Those who have replaced Judaism with the religion of 'Liberalism' feel no obligation and have no ability to empathize with their Jewish brethren in Israel. They are more concerned with Obamacare and 'global warming.' Perhaps, this account of what's known as the Rabbis' march from 1943 is relevant:

The Rabbis' March was a protest for American and allied action to stop the destruction of European Jewry. It took place in Washington, D.C. on October 6, 1943, three days before Yom Kippur. It was organized by Hillel Kook, nephew of the chief rabbi of mandatory Palestine [also known as Peter Bregson. CiJ], and involved more than 400 rabbis, mostly members of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada[1], from New York and cities throughout the eastern United States.

Though the delegation was reluctantly received by Vice-President Henry Wallace, President Franklin D. Roosevelt avoided meeting the rabbis, both out of concerns regarding diplomatic neutrality, but also influenced by the advice of some of his Jewish aides and several prominent American Jews. Many thought the protest would stir up anti-Semitism and claimed that the marchers, many whom were both Orthodox as well as recent immigrants (or first-generation Americans), were not representative of American Jewry. Shortly before the protest reached the White House, FDR left the building through a rear exit to attend an Army ceremony, and then left for a weekend in the country. Disappointed and angered by the President's failure to meet with them, the rabbis stood in front of the White House where they were met by Senator William Warren Barbour and others, and refused to read their petition aloud, instead handing it off to the Presidential secretary, Marvin McIntyre.

The march garnered much media attention, much of it focused on what was seen as the cold and insulting dismissal of many important community leaders, as well as the people in Europe they were fighting for. The headline in the Washington Times Herald was, "Rabbis Report 'Cold Welcome' at the White House." Editors of the Jewish Daily Forward commented, "Would a similar delegation of 500 Catholic priests have been thus treated?"

One of the participants was Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, later to be one of the most important and famous American Orthodox rabbis.

That sounds about like Obama would treat such a protest against Iran today.

For those who aren't aware, by October 1943, the sainted Roosevelt knew exactly what was going on in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Reform movement and the forerunners of J Street, who were Roosevelt's court Jews, were advising Roosevelt not to meet with the likes of Rabbi Feinstein (who arrived in America in 1938 and after whom several streets in Israel are named).

Deja vu all over again? The parallels are striking.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:28 AM