Thursday, April 04, 2024

'Rabbis' that are Jews by Birth Only

IDF soldiers praying near Gaza (Arutz Sheva)
This is one of those moments (and it seems like there have been many of late) where I am thoroughly disgusted but not surprised by what was reported in the Jerusalem Post.

First there is the moral equivalency implied by a comment of a group of 450 so-called rabbis and cantors acknowledging the ‘unfathomable suffering of Israelis and Palestinians’. And second there is this: 

A large group of US-based rabbis and cantors pinned a letter towards US President Joe Biden in early March demanding that he work "to use the full force of America’s leverage and global leadership to end the war."

I didn’t know that there were rabbis n America that actually support the idea of spilling Jewish blood. Of course they will vehemently deny that and be outraged at the suggestion. But that is in essence what they will accomplish if they get their wish. A wish that even the President doesn’t support. Despite his dismay over the high number of civilian casualties. 

If Israel is forced to back off from its goal of destroying Hamas’s ability to strike again, they will indeed try to strike again. And they may very well succeed again. Israel has the right, indeed the obligation to protect its people the best way they can. In this instance even the president acknowledges that Hamas must be destroyed, So instead of using leverage to stop the supply of US arms to Israel he has just sent them a new shipment. Thank you Mr. President.

These so called rabbis and cantors would be better termed leftist ignoramuses. The idea that a rabbi would call for cease fire against a virtual army of terrorist (supported by Iran) whose stated purpose is the genocide of the Jewish people removes any claim of rabbinc authority. The title of rabbi should certainlynot apply. No matter who ordained them.

I am virtually certain that none of these so-called rabbis (and cantors) have the foggiest notion of what a rabbi really is. Their stated mission of T’ruah – the organization these fools belong is the following: 

(To brings) the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Canada, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Yeah… that is what the Torah is all about. Social justice (as they define it). The Torah has nothing do with religious obligations. Nope. Aside from social justice the rest of the Torah is just a bunch of archaic gobbledygook written by an ancient people whose primitive values do not reflect the more enlightened values of our time.

Is there any wonder why Israel ought not give these people the recognition and legitimacy they so desperately desire. It might be true that not all heterodox rabbis are leftists or agree with their views here. But there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that their demand of pluralism would include these anti Israel social justice warriors.

I’m sorry. Even though they call themselves rabbis, Israel must never give legitimacy to people whose demands would increase the likelihood of more Jewish bloodshed. Even if in their infinite ignorance they believe it would reduce Jewish bloodshed. 

Nope. I am far more inclined to agree with Robert Harris whose admittedly over the top response to these 450 ‘rabbis’  and cantors was published in Arutz Sheva. Which in part says the following: 

You have chosen not to be rabbis. Even worse, you offer legitimacy to congregations that have chosen not to observe Shabbat, study Torah texts, celebrate Jewish holidays, maintain kosher homes or properly educate their children.

And now, in yet another act of defilement as you bow to your pagan woke religion, you seek to separate yourselves from Judaism by not standing with those remarkable brave Jewish men and women fighting for their lives in Israel…

What should we call those North American leftist rabbis who bow down to the gods of leftist fashion? Perhaps they are Hellenists, or followers of Marx or Freud or their beloved Bernie Sanders.

But when they turn their backs on the Jews of Israel as we fight for our lives, we know for sure what these "rabbis" are not to be called.

And that is Jews.