There was an excellent article by Rabbi Hillel Goldberg of the Intermountain Jewish News, that was posted on Cross-Currents. In it, Rabbi Goldberg criticizes the comments made by Mr. Robinson but not for the same reasons that other have. It is not anti-Semitism that motivated comment like this but the same type of religious fundamentalism that motivates our own religious fundamentalists. The problem is not Pat Robinson. He is not going to hurt us. The problem lies within our own ranks. Pat Robertson’s rhetoric is mild compared to the Pulsa Denura people. And it is this type of rhetoric which is often heard from certain Right Wing Religious Zionist rabbis that inspire the Baruch Goldbergs and Yigal Amirs of the world. It is they who have hurt us far more than Pat Rodertson ever could. Rabbi Goldberg then goes on to discuss the kernel of truth in Robertson’s statements that stems from the belief that God runs the world. All true.
I wrote about Evangelicals back in December but I think it is worthwhile taking another look at it in light of Pat Robertson’s comments and Rabbi Goldberg’s commentary on them.
Pat Robertson is pretty slick fellow and one has to be careful around him. He would just as soon "save the Jews” (by converting us to Christianity) as he would eat breakfast. He firmly believes in this and in his version of end-times prophecy. But he realizes that proselytizing activities have brought forth little fruit and he and other Evangelists like him have abandoned that track in favor of just "praying for us”. In the meantime he is one of the most ardent supporters of Israel. His religio-political views on the Jewish State match those of the most strident of Religious Zionist rabbis as is evidenced by his Sharon statements.
He and other Evangelical leaders have helped Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein raise untold millions of dollars from Christians which are then distributed to poor Jews in Israel and the FSU by Rabbi Eckstein’s organization. This is all Christian money never available to us in the past and is given with no strings attached by devout Christians who are motivated primarily by the biblical dicta: Va-Avarcha MeVarech (Those who bless you, I will bless) and V’Nivrechu B'Cha Kol Ha-Amim (God blesses those nations who bless the Jews).
There are soup kitchens in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, and other places in Istrael... all courtesy Rabbi Eckstein and the Christian Right. Ethiopian Jews have been transferred to Israel all expenses paid. Even non poor Orthodox Jews have been given stipends to make Aliyah. This is what happened a couple of years ago in the Nefesh B'Nefesh program where a large group of Jews made were able to make Aliyah because of the stipends given to them... all Christian money.
So let us not be so quick to heap scorn on the Pat Robertsons of the world. It is all too easy to bash him as a Christian missionary out to “Get us”. His views about the God punishing Ariel Sharon are no worse than many other statements I heard during the Gaza pullout by many in the far right of the Religious Zionist camp. He is certainly no worse than the Pulsa Denura people, and he is a heck of a lot more generous.
