We, the members of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, are heartsick regarding the spate of violence and senseless loss of life. The loss of life, whether in El Paso, Dayton, here in Kansas City (whether occurring in the Crossroads or east of Troost) begs for a response that goes beyond our thoughts and prayers. Both with recent events and throughout our history, we as Jews know the pain of being targets of violence.
We hold to the paramount Jewish value of pikuach nefesh — the sanctity of human life. We urge our political leaders to move beyond politics and beyond hate, division and the demonization of those not like us; to act as moral leaders. We, in the most desperate way, seek leadership that will lead to healing the moral wounds inflicting our country rather than exacerbate divisiveness, and that the bloodshed will stop.
Dr. David Jacobs’ letter in last week’s Chronicle (Aug. 1, ICE under protest) apparently wanted to make the case for President Trump that illegal immigrants have among them those who commit many crimes. Dr. Jacobs quotes statistics from Fox News. Do we think Fox News is a reliable source?
When I researched statistics on this matter, I found that there are a number of contradictory views on this subject. I did, however, find that CBS took the position that there were more crimes committed by U.S. citizens than those committed by illegals. Its source was the Cato Institute and the University of Wisconsin.
It is my view that one should focus more on the caged children separated from their parents then quarreling about crime statistics. Which is the most outrageous?
Rabbi Rafi Peretz , the education Minister of Israel, is being criticized by the ADL for stating that the scale of assimilation in North America and the world is like a “second Holocaust.” Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz wrote he does not like the comparison in a recent article circulated by JTA and published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle (opinion, July 18, 2019). While I am aware that this comparison is hurtful to the survivors of the Holocaust and their children, I said the same thing years ago; at that time I was attacked by survivors and the press for my opinion.
There is so much intermarriage today; people don’t realize that it is 50-90% depending upon the city. If there is not a kosher conversion in the case of the mother, the child is not Jewish and that line of Jewish lineage dies. I have converted many to Judaism. Rabbis must not stick their heads in the sand. We must convert as many people as we can back to Judaism, especially in the case of a baby born to a non-Jewish mother. As a rabbi I write this to help, not criticize. We need a courageous solution. If you do not like the term “second Holocaust,” consider it Juicide since it’s Jews killing off future generations themselves. Bring these children back to us and continue revitalizing our lineage and faith.
Our relationship goes back many years and I just want to point out something I’m sure you already know: It’s possible to love Israel and its people but, at the same time, disapprove of its right-wing government that keeps building unlawful settlements in the West Bank, pushing a lasting peace with the Palestinians further and further away from becoming a reality. Supporting settlements in the West Bank means putting more and more Israeli lives at risk.
The Aug. 1 opinion piece entitled “Israel’s Critics” totally ignores centuries of Jewish leadership speaking truth to power. From the ancient prophets calling out kings and priests to modern day rabbis and journalists, our tradition has encouraged those moved by Torah teachings to call out those who would use their power to advance their own idolatrous agenda. To mention politicians who represent their districts, Jewishly commited journalists or IfNotNow in the same piece as an avowed anti-Semite such as Louis Farrakhan seeks to deny people who care about the heart and soul of the State of Israel their right to criticize the country they love.
When Jewish leaders declare that to criticize Israel is to be anti-Israel it often results in Jews becoming apathetic toward Israel and/or disenchanted with Jewish institutions.
It would be better for us to put our energy into teaching the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so that members of our community can come to their own conclusions and respond accordingly. To limit or discourage criticism out of love is to deny an age-old Jewish tradition and, possibly, one more reason to disengage with Judaism and the Jewish people.
Even before it was declared a state, Jews that resided in Palestine were subject to criticism. After it was declared a state, Israel became the object of criticism from many individuals and organizations and began facing frequent attacks by terrorists
Nonetheless, Israel has not only survived for 71 years, it has created forces to defend itself and has made significant progress in the fields of technology, medicine, water preservation, agriculture and energy alternatives, sharing its achievements with the entire world.
Despite these achievements a large number of individuals, organizations and entire countries continue to call for Israel’s destruction. Here’s my version of the list of individuals and organizations that are critical of the Jewish state and often even call for Israel’s demise. I hope other members of the community can benefit from my research.
Individual Critics of Israel
1. Jeremy Corbyn is the leader of England’s Labour Party. He has honored and is friendly with the Palestinian terrorists Hamas and Hezbollah. He has caused anxiety among Great Britain’s Jews, 40% of whom have considered leaving that country.
2. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) is a Somali-American and outspoken critic of Israel. She also blames AIPAC for bribing congressmen to act favorably toward Israel.
3. Alexandrea Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) admits that she is uninformed about Israel yet has declared that Israel “massacred” Palestinians at the Gaza border. Supports Ilhan Omar’s position on the Arab/Israel conflict.
4. Keith Ellison (attorney general of Minnesota and former U.S. Representative) was the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. He had a relationship with vicious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. He is critical of Israel and supports the BDS movement.
5. Louis Farrakhan (leader of Nation of Islam movement) is a notorious anti-Semite and anti-Israel.
6. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) opposed Nikki Haley’s defense of Israel’s actions against hostile Palestinians in the United Nations and called for an investigation of incidents at the Gaza/Israeli border.
7. Jewish columnist Tom Freidman writes for The New York Times, is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and attended Israel’s Hebrew University. His two children were born in Israel. Nonetheless, he has a consistent record of criticizing Israel and AIPAC. In a recent column he declared his love of both Palestinians and Israelis. On July 14 he appeared on CNN and warned that Israel may become a “Jewish Banana Republic” (a politically unstable country).
8. Democratic senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont spent time on a kibbutz in Israel in 1964. He has been both a supporter and critic of Israel. He is one of the first to object to Israel’s defensive action as “overreaction.” He has met with Palestinian leader Hanan Ashwari and his support for Israel appears to be waning as he takes up the cause of the Palestinians.
9. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) is the first Palestinian-American to be elected to Congress. She admits not being informed about the Israel/Palestinian conflict, yet she supports the BDS movement and is hostile to Jews and Israel.
10. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, another candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, has been a supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself. She now claims that Israel is treating Palestinians badly and overreacts to “peaceful” Palestinian demonstrations. She joined Sanders in condemning Israel for planning to annex part of the West Bank before details were published. The two have been joined by other Democratic presidential candidates on that issue. Recently she endorsed efforts by IfNotNow (see below) to end Israel’s occupation and stealing of Palestinian land.
Organizations, movements critical of Israel
1. BDS — This is a Palestinian-led movement that calls for a boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. It proclaims that Israel is an apartheid state, Israeli Palestinian Arabs do not have equal rights, wants an end to the occupation of the “occupied territories” (West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights) and the right of return for Palestinians. Some feel that BDS wants to delegitimize Israel’s existence and that it is anti-Semitic. Many states have passed resolutions against BDS. Germany recently joined opposition to this movement. The ACLU has protected the BDS movement under freedom of speech guarantees of the first amendment.
2. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) represents the 3.5 million American Arabs that reside in the USA. It is now subject to investigation for its ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, two terrorist groups that are sworn enemies of Israel.
3. IfNotNow (INN) is an organization of young Jews which opposes the “occupation” over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
4. Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) also opposes the “occupation” over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. JVP calls for the end of U.S. aid to Israel, accuses Israel of apartheid policies and promotes the BDS movement.
5. Muslim American Society (MAS) attracts speakers who justify armed resistance against Israel and delve into anti-Semitic prevarications. These supplications are often couched in religious language, such as the notion that the eradication of the State of Israel is a religious duty incumbent upon all Muslims.
6. Students for Justice in Palestine has some 75 chapters at American Universities. They have annual “Apartheid Week.” Chapters at some universities organize events that feature speakers that describe Israel as an “ethnocentric racist society” and Zionism as “inherently undemocratic”.
Legal immigrants have provided much to our country, and I support such immigration. The illegal immigrants pouring over our national border create sympathy but are in violation of the integrity of our immigration laws.
Someone named Ben Sales (JTA reporter) advocates protests at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and promotes his ideas beginning on page 1 of the KC Jewish Chronicle of July 18, 2019. Sales encourages various misdirected individuals to join in protests against ICE. Does Sales address all immigrants or only those who enter illegally?
Here’s the rundown on alleged ICE arrests 2017/2018, compiled from Fox News:
Assault — 99,207
Larceny — 40,596
Burglary — 25,499
Sexual assault — 10,468
Robbery — 11,177
Kidnapping — 4,112
Homicides — 3,914
Meanwhile the Democrats in the House of Representatives are playing their political games. The problem at the southern border could be resolved if the Democrats in the House of Representatives would serve the best interests of America rather than those of their political party.
Donald Trump and his father restricted and kept black Americans from purchasing or renting office space and/or condos in their developments. With this knowledge, how can anyone of the Jewish faith vote for him for president in the 2020 elections?
I knew Mark Talisman, who passed away July 11. When he directed the Washington Action Office for the Council of Jewish Federations of North America, he visited Kansas City and was a guest in my home. It was then that I first heard his comment about being a short person. He said that when he first arrived in Washington, he was 6 foot 2. “Washington wears you down,” he said.
Talisman was quick witted and highly intelligent. He was so very devoted to the Jewish people. Mark held key positions related to Congress, including conducting orientation sessions for new congressmen. There was nobody like him. He can never be replaced. May he rest in peace.
Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, now U.S. Ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom, has started to expand his terrifying agenda on a global scale. At a State Department summit on religious freedom last week he gave the opening speech, heralding the start of a global religious rights movement.
We should be clear — the religious rights that Brownback proposes to protect are not our rights. As governor of Kansas, Brownback revoked former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’s executive order protecting state workers from being fired on the basis of sexual orientation. He consistently signed legislation that would limit a woman’s federally-protected right to access appropriate reproductive health care, including comprehensive sex education and contraception.
Sam Brownback — and his co-conspirator Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — are seeking to promulgate an evangelical religious right agenda under the seemingly benign term “religious rights.” This agenda seeks to limit equal rights for people in the LGBT community, limit women’s access to information and health care, and create a society — here in America and abroad — that is modelled after the evangelical Christian view of religion and morality.
As Jews, we must recognize that this agenda will start by infringing on the rights of women and the LGBT community. Next will be Muslims. Then us. We should not be fooled.
