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.
Lee Levin is an icon of the community. Huddled in his cave on the extreme right of the political spectrum, he sends messages that attempt to unsettle the perspective of the general community. In his latest salvo, he has imagined a world distorted by the immigration at the southern border. He seems to argue that people who seek to enter the country have no skills, will make no contribution to the American way and will be content to survive on the charity of others. He contends that the rest of us support ourselves.
The only problem with his colorful tale is that there is no truth to it.
The would be immigrants will prove, as have their predecessors, that they will work and contribute to this country in many ways, including the enrichment of a diverse culture.
His depiction of an independent citizenry is inaccurate. Let me provide just two examples.
I have worked since I was 14 and have been for more than a decade the recipient of Social Security and Medicare benefits. While I contributed to the funds that support these programs, my contribution is long used up. My benefits now come from the contributions of millions of other Americans who work to maintain the system.
My family, and all of us, are protected by a police force. Yet all the local taxes that I pay will not provide the salary of a single law enforcement officer. But all of us contribute to make this protection available for everyone.
These are just two instances that demonstrate how the system works for all of us. And this also demonstrates that we do live up to the vision of Emma Lazarus engraved upon the Statue of Liberty. That vision is not available for amendment.
Kaddish.com by Nathan Englander.(Alfred Knopf. 2019)
When Larry’s Orthodox father passes away, his religious sister Dina insists that he take on the responsibility of saying Kaddish for the year to come. Larry, however, has ceased to be religious. He doesn’t want to attend daily minyans for a year, so he trolls the internet until he happens on a website called “kaddish.com” where he can hire Orthodox scholar Chemi to recite the Kaddish for his father.
What happens next is that Larry recovers his orthodoxy and becomes a rabbi and a teacher in a religious school in New York. He marries Mira, an Orthodox woman, has two children, and life is going along well until he become involved with a troubled student Gavriel, who is suffering the recent loss of his own father. To help Gavriel, Larry, now known as Shuli, tries to locate Kaddish.com online. He receives no responses to his inquiries, so he takes a leave of absence from his job and flies to Israel to find the organization.
There in Jerusalem, Shuli cannot locate the organization, but he finds a small Yeshiva and eventually discovers the mysterious Chemi, who is now a rich man making money from the Kaddish requests which he does not fulfill. How Shuli solves all the problems is the finale of the novel. Englander’s focus on the need for Kaddish is not the first time he focuses on the issue. In his first collection of short stories, “For the Relief of Unbearable Urges,” his story “The Twenty-Seventh Man” describes a group of Russian Jewish authors who are about to be murdered by Stalin, one of whom is concerned about who will be left to say Kaddish. His latest novel is another way to look at the need for Kaddish and is well worth the time.
Andrea Kempf is a retired librarian and an award winning book reviewer.
