Some people may not be aware of the fact that Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (pictured here with entertainer Michael Jackson) is running for congress in his home district in New Jersey. Rabbi Boteach is a controversial figure in Orthodox Jewry - most especially among his own Chabad Chasidim. Although he tenaciously clings to Chabad Hashkafos - they have virtually expelled him from the movement.
My opinions about him run hot and cold. Sometimes his views
are right on the money and other times I consider them quite bizarre. We
already know what he brings to the public square. As an Orthodox rabbi, it
would be interesting to see what he would bring to government.
That said there are some very serious issues at stake here
for Orthodox Jewry. I have no particular dog in this hunt other than the fact
that his behavior as a congressman will reflect on Orthodoxy as a whole. Will
he be good for the Jews? ...or bad? I'm not sure. So I have remained neutral. I
neither endorse him nor his opponent.
But there are people who have some very strong opinions
about Rabbi Boteach. One of them is Jewish Press staff reporter Elliot
Resnick (who lists his credentials below). He has asked me to post his op-ed on
this subject. I value his opinion and have agreed. As always the views
expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect my own. His unedited words
follow.
If the Orthodox community doesn’t wake up soon, America’s
“sex rabbi” may become a congressman.
Shmuley Boteach is currently running for Congress in New
Jersey’s ninth congressional district against Bill Pascrell. I don’t know much
about Pascrell. I do know a bit about Boteach, though, and if he is elected,
the honor of God and Torah will suffer greatly.
I admit, a few years ago I was beginning to warm up to
Boteach. I am a conservative who believes Jews should play a more active role
in America’s culture wars, and Boteach is one of the few Jews involved in
this pursuit. I always had a problem with his infamous Kosher Sex and Kosher
Adultery books, but I started making excuses for him. “Look,” I said to
myself, “everyone makes mistakes and perhaps these were Boteach’s. Perhaps his
drive for fame simply blinded him.” After all, Boteach himself admitted as much
in an op-ed published in The Jewish Press a number of years ago.
But then, in 2009, he wrote The Kosher Sutra – a
title designed once again to shock and provoke. There is a reason the titles (and
contents) of Boteach’s books are so jolting. After all,
since when do rabbis discuss marital relations in the public square –
especially in such a frank and crude manner? Since when do
rabbis joke about being voted one of the sexiest men alive (as he recently did
on Canadian television)? Judaism believes intimacy should be just that –
intimate. Tznius and kedusha,
classically interpreted, dictate that we adopt a somewhat demure demeanor
when talking about sexual matters. Boteach, though, doesn’t seem to care.
Even after The Kosher Sutra appeared, though, I
stubbornly retained a soft spot for Boteach. I detested his public discussions
of the most intimate of human behaviors, but I couldn’t help but admire his
fight to promote many traditional Jewish values in America. I couldn’t
help but respect the idea behind his Jewish Values Network or the inspiration
behind his Make Friday Night Family Night campaign.
That all changed a few months ago after I watched several YouTube videos of Boteach’s March appearance on the Dr. Phil show. These videos convinced me that some of the worst things people say about Boteach are unfortunately true.
Boteach appeared on the show together with Pearl Perry
Reich, a formerly chassidic woman fighting to retain at least partial custody
of her children. Her husband, mad at her for abandoning Orthodox observance –
Reich worked as a model at the time of filming – wanted to ban her from their
children’s lives. Dr. Phil’s third guest was Reich’s boyfriend. (Note: Reich is
still legally married).
What did Boteach say on the show? First, he advanced the
controversial thesis that “both parents [being] involved in a child’s life is
essential regardless of level of observance.” Anyone, he said, “who would
suggest otherwise is in complete violation of normative Jewish values.” Really?
In complete violation?
It gets worse. Later in the show, he claimed the Bible
prohibits arranged marriages. Now, I am no fan of arranged marriages, but this
statement is just staggeringly false, and Boteach – who surely has studied a
bit of Bible and Jewish history – knows that.
Boteach continued displaying more mendacity, plus a touch of
crudeness, when Reich’s boyfriend asked Boteach whether he had violated Jewish
law by kissing Reich (who, as you will recall, is a married woman). Boteach’s
one-line answer – delivered with a coy smile – was: It depends on what kind of
kiss it was.
The clincher for me, though, was Boteach’s statement –
remember, this show aired on national television – that he would have no
problem if all his daughters became models. Mind you, he wasn’t talking about
high-class, high-end, modest-clothing models (if such even exist). He was
referring to models like Reich who strike the type of poses that inspire people
to call America’s culture degenerate. (Dr. Phil showed pictures of her
modeling work on the show.)
What made Boteach’s statement so bizarre is that he offered
it unsolicited. An Orthodox Jew in the audience was criticizing Reich for
displaying her body to make money, arguing that it violates Jewish values, and
Boteach actually cut him off to say he would have no objection whatsoever to
all his daughters entering the modeling industry. Unbelievable!
Watching Boteach on Dr. Phil was like watching a con artist
in action. There was no saying what he would say or do next.
Many people dismiss Boteach. “Ah, he’s just a meshugana who loves
publicity,” they say. But dismissing him is a mistake. To millions of people
across America, Boteach is the face of Judaism. What he says is Judaism.
Now, none of us can stop him from writing books and making
TV appearances. But we can make it clear that Boteach does not
represent Judaism and most
certainly does not represent Orthodox Judaism. We can also do our very best to
ensure Boteach does not win his congressional bid on November 6.
Think about it: Do we really want a full-bearded rabbi who
boldly misrepresents Torah values in Congress ? Do we really want this
publicity hound to be the face of Orthodox Judaism in Washington? Do we
really want the first rabbi in Congress’s sacred quarters to be America’s “sex
rabbi””?
Unless we work against him, Boteach’s influence will
continue to grow. The man is terribly ambitious. Closing our eyes and ignoring
him will not solve the problem of Boteach. Only a unified Orthodox effort to
disassociate ourselves from him, denounce him, and work against him will.
Elliot Resnick is a Jewish Press staff reporter and holds a
Masters degree from Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel School of Jewish Studies.
