The 'education' of Leslie Stahl
Earlier this week, I ran a rather nasty interview that was done by 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl in which she harangued House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va) for what she claimed was a contradiction between 'Jewish values' and Republican policy positions. Stahl is Jewish, but one had to wonder who 'educated' her in Jewish values, and why this became such an issue in an interview with the House Majority Leader. She certainly seemed to have a lot more on her mind than the standard non-Orthodox claim that Judaism is identical with Liberalism.I suspect - although obviously I cannot prove it - that this blog post had something to do with Stahl's attack on Cantor. Failed Messiah is a blog that apparently many Orthodox Jews love to hate (personally, I had heard of it, but had never read it before I researched this post). Failed Messiah is written by someone named Shmarya Rosenberg who apparently grew up unaffiliated, became Orthodox for some period of time through Chabad-Lubavitch, and then had a falling out with them over the Lubavitcher Rebbe's failure to accept his 'advice' to rescue Ethiopian Jewry. The Rebbe had other priorities. In 2006, Rosenberg went full circle and became an apikores. He is in cherem (excommunicated), but has become very popular as a muckraker attacking the Jewish community.
How anyone could consider anything written by Rosenberg as representative of Jewish belief or doctrine defies comprehension. He clearly has an axe to grind. But perhaps, Rosenberg said what Stahl wanted to say, and therefore she used the content of his post to attack Eric Cantor. Perhaps it is also no accident that Cantor has a connection to Chabad, and that might have had something to do with him being targeted by Rosenberg.
Finally, lest any of you try to read anything about my affiliations into this post, I am not a Chabadnik - I am not a chassid at all. I am from pure Lithuanian stock and have a strong connection to the Lithuanian yeshiva world.
Labels: Eric Cantor, Failed Messiah, Leslie Stahl
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:30 PM
4 Comments:
Tell me that this is not a diss against Chabad... I love Chabad and all they have done to keep Jewish education going even in the far-flung reaches of the diaspora. I also hope your 'pure lithuanian' statement is not a diss against Chassidism. I am a descendent of Breslover Jews and I am 100 proud of my Chassidic roots. We should not be playing games of division like it appears you are doing here...
Failed Messiah is a revolting malcontent who censored my opinion for disagreeing that the State of Israel systematically - as policy - either discriminates or allows discrimination against Ethiopian Israelis.
I never denied there was discrimination in fact, for the record. I just denied that there was some sort of state policy involved.
He also called me a shoteh. It was disgusting.
You and I can disagree, but we do so civilly. Failed Messiah also has many comments that are allowed which contain what I would characterize as repugnant. (yet I was censored)
Muman613,
This is definitely NOT a diss against Chabad.
Failed Messiah is a blog written by someone who left Chabad and is very much against them.
I implied that one reason he may have gone after Eric Cantor was because of Failed Messiah's hostility to Chabad, and that CBS then irresponsibly picked up Failed Messiah's attack as if it represented mainstream Jewish thought.
I pointed out my own background only because I didn't want readers to think I have a vested interest in defending Chabad that motivated my comments. I don't have any vested interest like that.
Does anybody read him anymore.
?
He never understood Chabad in the first place. But hey, the Rebbe wouldn't take his advice!
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