Shalom All,
Just before Rosh Hashanah, the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, came to the United States in order to address the United Nations. I am not going to address the issue of whether or not he should have been invited to do so. Instead, I would like to look at some of what he actually said in his address.
What Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the UN on September 23:
"The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big countries have to visit these people, take part in their gatherings, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support. This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people. These nations are spending their dignity and resources on the crimes and occupations and the threats of the Zionist network against their will."
Those who believe that Judenhass, the hatred of Jews, ended with the Holocaust, think again. I questioned myself as to whether or not I should include his words in this article or simply summarize them because they are so offensive. I decided that bringing them to light in our community was the best way to make clear the threat that Iran poses to Israel, to the United States, and to its allies. I could have simply said that Ahmadinejad had blamed the evils of the world on the Jews and you might have been upset, but it would have made little of an impact upon you. You might have said, "No, he really is anti-Israel, not anti-Jewish."
Ahmadinejad rejected accusations he was anti-Semitic, saying his criticism was aimed at the "Zionist regime" for its oppression of the Palestinians rather than at Jews. You might have seen or heard his denial, "As soon as anyone objects to the behavior of the Zionist regime, they're accused of being anti-Semitic, whereas the Jewish people are not Zionists," Ahmadinejad said. "Zionism is a political party that has nothing to do with Jewish people."
By actually looking at what he said, there is no doubt that it is classic anti-Judaism that is at work. By "Zionists," the President of Iran clearly meant "most Jews."
He meant that Jewish causes, Zionist causes, clearly violate the "dignity, integrity, and rights of the American and European people." In his mind, Jews manipulate the politicians of the world through deceit and stealth. Further, Jews control the world's finances, politics, and media. Ahmadinejad argues that world leaders need to obey these Jews, "obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people."
This is NOT criticism of Israel. This is not even criticism of America and Europe's support for Israel. This is blatant Jew-hatred, full of conspiracies straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. That such words were uttered in the United Nations is a disgrace to the institution, an institution whose mission to bring peace to the nations of the world is jeopardized by its inability to take the side of righteousness and justice as well as by the ease in which a tyranny of the majority is allowed to corrupt its ideals and persecute minorities.
Ahmadinejad did not end his despicable address with the above. He continued with words eerily similar to another Jew-hating dictator who attempted to confuse the opinions of world leaders and mask his intentions by calling for peace. Ahmadinejad stated:
"Friends and Colleagues, all these are due to the manner in which the immoral and the powerful view the world, humankind, freedom, obeisance to God, and justice. The thoughts and deeds of those who think they are superior to others and consider others as second-class and inferior, who intend to remain out of the divine circle, to be the absolute slaves of their materialistic and selfish desires, who intend to expand their aggressive and domineering natures, constitute the roots of today's problems in human societies. They are the great hindrances to the actualization of material and spiritual prosperity and to security, peace and brotherhood among nations."
Simply put, it is the fault of the Jews called "Zionists" that there is no "actualization of material and spiritual prosperity" or "security, peace and brotherhood among nations." It is amazing to realize how powerful Jew-haters believe Jews to be. It is shocking to us to see those words in print, to hear them said.
We can act as if we understand Jew-hatred. We can rationalize the use of the verb "To Jew Down," perhaps as some in the Asian world do, as a compliment to Jewish business savvy, rather than as an insulting statement about Jewish concern for money. They don't mean any insult by it. Neither do those who accuse Israel of oppression of the Palestinians on a par with the Nazis and Apartheid South Africa. They are making criticisms of Israel! Really? Of course they are doing more than that. They are demonizing Israel and often by inference all Jews, at least those Jews who do not join them in demonizing Israel.
Ahmadinejad wants "peace!" so he says. He and other leaders of his nation continue to speak of a world without Israel or America. His nation, rich with oil wealth, seeks nuclear power. No thoughts about creating a warhead or two from the project, so they say. Yet they have accelerated their nuclear program and have worked to create missiles both capable of reaching Israel and parts of Europe and capable of arming with a nuclear warhead or a biological or chemical one.
Ahmadinejad wants "peace!" so he says. So said another dictator who hated Jews. This November, we mark the 70th anniversary of Krystalnacht. Posters from around that time are eerily familiar.
In one, the man, whose name should be blotted out, stands with his hand raised. Underneath his picture are the words, "I now ask the German people to strengthen my faith and to give me through the strength of its will the strength I need to continue to fight courageously at any time for its honor and its freedom, and to be able to further its economic prosperity. I ask it particularly to support me in my struggle for true peace."
In a second, from a few years later, around 1943, we see a curtain pulled back to reveal the face of a Jew proudly staring down at a burning village with the caption, "The Jew: The inciter of war, the prolonger of war."
It has not gone away, my friends. The President of Iran stood at the podium in the General Assembly of the United Nations and stated plainly, "They are the great hindrances to the actualization of material and spiritual prosperity and to security, peace and brotherhood among nations."
Yet this man was hosted, in fact, honored and feted, by pacifist Christian groups during his visit to America during an interfaith celebration of Ramadan, an iftar meal, breaking the fast. The groups, behind the September 25th event at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and who should rightly be ashamed are the Americans Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, Quaker United Nations Office, Religions for Peace and the World Council of Churches. Ahmadinejad dined with around two hundred people of various faiths including Mennonites, a Jew (only one of which I know was in attendance, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, founder of the Shomer Shalom peace movement and one of the early forces behind the Jewish Renewal movement in America) and Zoroastrians who said they wanted to promote peace by meeting such a prominent foe of the United States.
The President of the Catholic League, Bill Donohue, said in response to hearing about the participation of Christian groups in welcoming Ahmadinejad, “Catholics need to stand with their Jewish brothers and sisters in protesting this obscene event. Ahmadinejad is a menace to freedom-loving people the world over, and the sight of religious groups embracing him is nauseating,”
I cannot agree more. Honoring such a man makes a mockery of the pursuit of peace and the pursuit of well being for the nations of the world. Hundreds of Jews, Christians, and others protested outside the hotel during the dinner.
As we mark the 70th anniversary of Krystalnacht this month and celebrate Chanukah, a holiday symbolizing a time when our people triumphed over those who would have destroyed us, let us remember the threats that our people face in the world today. The leading face of that threat was invited to address the United Nations, received applause for his remarks which contained blatant anti-Jewish sentiments, and was honored by people who seek to bring peace to the world. That should give us all pause.
-David
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Resignation after the Resignation
Shalom All,
That Ehud Olmert will not run for the leadership of Kadima in upcoming elections is hardly surprising. Not only is he facing accusations of corruption, but almost no one thinks that he has done a good job as Prime Minister. He led Israel through a disasterous mess in Lebanon, allowed Hamas to take over Gaza, watches as qassam after qassam lands in S'derot and simply gave in to Hizballah in a prisoner exchange. If the Israeli economy were not doing very well, Olmert would have been ousted long ago. Frankly, Olmert is no longer the issue. The issue is what happens now.
For certain, Israel cannot procede with any serious negotiations until a new Prime Minister takes office. The peace process is therefore on hold. For a little while, so are any plans to attack Iran or seek an agreement with Syria. Who will become the new PM?
Tsipi Livni is the favorite choice of many. She is a moderate who unlike the other choices does not have a long laundry list of negatives. I tend to believe that with the threat of a nuclear Iran increasing, Bibi Netanyahu has a fair shot at becoming the next Prime Minister and a strike on Iran would almost certainly follow his election.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
-David
That Ehud Olmert will not run for the leadership of Kadima in upcoming elections is hardly surprising. Not only is he facing accusations of corruption, but almost no one thinks that he has done a good job as Prime Minister. He led Israel through a disasterous mess in Lebanon, allowed Hamas to take over Gaza, watches as qassam after qassam lands in S'derot and simply gave in to Hizballah in a prisoner exchange. If the Israeli economy were not doing very well, Olmert would have been ousted long ago. Frankly, Olmert is no longer the issue. The issue is what happens now.
For certain, Israel cannot procede with any serious negotiations until a new Prime Minister takes office. The peace process is therefore on hold. For a little while, so are any plans to attack Iran or seek an agreement with Syria. Who will become the new PM?
Tsipi Livni is the favorite choice of many. She is a moderate who unlike the other choices does not have a long laundry list of negatives. I tend to believe that with the threat of a nuclear Iran increasing, Bibi Netanyahu has a fair shot at becoming the next Prime Minister and a strike on Iran would almost certainly follow his election.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
-David
Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Deal that Made No Sense
Shalom All,
This week, Israel's captured soldiers finally were brought home. The amazing rescue effort, reminiscent of Entebbe, in which Israeli commandos rescued Regev and Goldwasser alive while delivering significant casualties on the side of Hizballah served to both raise the confidence of the Israeli population in its military and to scare those who would try to kidnap its citizens. The Arab world is laughing at Hizballah now!
Laughing. Well that much is true. The difference is that the Arabs are laughing at Israel and Israel is crying. Two mutilated corpses. That is what was brought home. That is what Hizballah handed over to Israel in order to receive the bodies of dozens of Hizballah fighters and to assure the release of several of its fighters including Sami Kuntar, a notorious child killer terrorist. Elation, joy, exstasy, pure unadulterated glee greeted Kuntar as he crossed into Lebanon and laughter at the weakness of Israel.
Negotiate with terrorists? Not Israel. No, Israel will simply give in to demands, going the extra mile to ensure that every organization that wants to kill its citizens will try to capture them in order to trade their mutilated corpses for live child killers. Hamas' leadership said today, "How much more should a live Israeli be worth?"
I did not write when this first was announced. I was too angry, too disgusted. I had dreamt that Israel had implanted Kuntar with a bomb and would detonate him alongside Nasrallah. There he is on TV for all the world to see, alive...and laughing.
A commentator that I heard recently remarked that "Why should groups bother to keep Israelis alive after capture if Israel will pay that much for them dead?" Israel needs to force Hamas to give up Shalit. It cannot negotiate.
This was a sad week in the history of Israel.
-David
This week, Israel's captured soldiers finally were brought home. The amazing rescue effort, reminiscent of Entebbe, in which Israeli commandos rescued Regev and Goldwasser alive while delivering significant casualties on the side of Hizballah served to both raise the confidence of the Israeli population in its military and to scare those who would try to kidnap its citizens. The Arab world is laughing at Hizballah now!
Laughing. Well that much is true. The difference is that the Arabs are laughing at Israel and Israel is crying. Two mutilated corpses. That is what was brought home. That is what Hizballah handed over to Israel in order to receive the bodies of dozens of Hizballah fighters and to assure the release of several of its fighters including Sami Kuntar, a notorious child killer terrorist. Elation, joy, exstasy, pure unadulterated glee greeted Kuntar as he crossed into Lebanon and laughter at the weakness of Israel.
Negotiate with terrorists? Not Israel. No, Israel will simply give in to demands, going the extra mile to ensure that every organization that wants to kill its citizens will try to capture them in order to trade their mutilated corpses for live child killers. Hamas' leadership said today, "How much more should a live Israeli be worth?"
I did not write when this first was announced. I was too angry, too disgusted. I had dreamt that Israel had implanted Kuntar with a bomb and would detonate him alongside Nasrallah. There he is on TV for all the world to see, alive...and laughing.
A commentator that I heard recently remarked that "Why should groups bother to keep Israelis alive after capture if Israel will pay that much for them dead?" Israel needs to force Hamas to give up Shalit. It cannot negotiate.
This was a sad week in the history of Israel.
-David
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Obama, AIPAC, and Conspiracy Theories
Shalom to All,
Much of what I send out to my Israel list is purely informative and often includes statements made by anti-Israel sources, anti-Jewish sources, and other sources that are prominent players in the Middle East. We need to know what our enemies are thinking. That is why, for example, when the news about Postville came out, I didn't just look at the DMReg, the Times, and CNN. I looked at Vanguard News Network to see what the American Nazi Party was saying.
In this particular case, it is really interesting to see how those who oppose Israel have reacted to Barack Obama's extremely pro-Israel speech at AIPAC. Many among Israel's antagonists saw Obama as a candidate for changing America's pro-Israel stance. Especially in the Arab world, this was true. At AIPAC, Barack Obama made a speech that upset Israel's antagonists in a big way. He declared himself, not only a friend of Israel, but a strong friend of a strong Israel. In fact, Obama's speech at AIPAC was more pro-Israel's bargaining position in negotiations with the Palestinians than was Ehud Olmert's.
People like Avnery and Tikkun, along with others on the political far left who regularly bash Israel were shocked by what was said by the man who they thought was "their candidate" at AIPAC as opposed to Hillary Clinton, who they already knew to be a strong supporter of Israel. Those on the far left believed that as a black man and a "Muslim," and they regularly cite his Muslim upbringing (having a Muslim father and going to a Muslim school in a Muslim country)and not his espoused Christian beliefs, Barack Obama would understand the plight of Muslims and non-whites around the world and that he would certainly take on the "Zionists" that are "oppressing" the non-white Arabs, be they Muslim or Christian. The political right among Israel supporters also assumed this to be true and therefore had been strongly opposed to Obama. A lot of that changed with Obama's speech at AIPAC.
In Israel, Sever Plocker, a regular columnist (not remotely politically correct) for Ynetnews wrote that the fact that he, seen as the champion of those who regularly bash Israel, simply stood up and prominently supported Israel in numerous ways was one of the greatest gifts that Israel could have received. It was clear that a President Obama would be a friend of Israel and not a friend of those who would destroy it.
Condemnations came swiftly from President Abbas concerning Obama's Jerusalem statements and from many on the political left concerning what had to be "American Zionist influences." Even aside from the "undivided Jerusalem" statement, there was concern about that. How else could Barack Obama be a friend of Israel, much less such a strong friend. Some have said, particularly among Republican supporters, that he was saying what the group wanted to hear and not what he actually believes. Perhaps, it is simply because he is a brilliant man and knows right from wrong that he is a supporter of Israel? I tend to think that is why most of us support Israel. Regardless, this declaration opened up a field day for Israel and Jew haters around the world. There had to be a conspiracy at work. Obama, a black man with a Muslim father, could not possibly be an ally of Israel, symbol for them of white power and oppression.
Gaddafi's opinion is one of many similar statements that I have seen. His is the only one that I have ever seen that blames JFK's assassination on the Mossad. Yet, it is amazing just how broad the level of conspiratorial thought goes and just how scary the anti-Israel sentiments are, particularly among Palestinian activists. All you have to do is google "Obama Zionist" and you will find tens of thousands of citations, no small number discussing the nature of the conspiracy at work that led to Barack Obama's support for Israel. We will likely see much more of this coming from the Arab world as we near the election. The Arab world and Walt and Mearsheimer, who no doubt will add this episode to their list of evidence of influence by the "Israel Lobby," will without fail argue that it is because of a vast Zionist conspiracy.
Gaddafi is a nut case who thankfully no longer has a nuclear weapons program, but unfortunately the general sentiments of his statements seem to be more widespread in the Arab world and Gaddafi is still the leader of a nation, so his opinion actually has some influence. Having seen numerous "scholars" in the Arab world go about blaming Israel from everything from 9/11 to AIDS, it is not surprising to see Arab leaders blame Israel for just about anything. There are even leaders in the Arab world who will tell you that PEPSI stands for "Pay Each Penny Save Israel." The fact that statement makes no sense is besides the point.
Israel's detractors simply cannot understand how Barack Obama, who they thought was their champion, supports Israel unless he is facing threat. That is the mindset at work.
I do not know what conspiracy theories will arise concerning John McCain or the various candidates for VP positions. Should Joe Lieberman find his way onto the Republican ticket, I'm sure that there will be no end of conspiracy theories.
In the meantime, having heard from all of the candidates at AIPAC, I feel secure in the knowledge that the next President of the United States will be a friend of Israel, whoever he may be.
-David
Much of what I send out to my Israel list is purely informative and often includes statements made by anti-Israel sources, anti-Jewish sources, and other sources that are prominent players in the Middle East. We need to know what our enemies are thinking. That is why, for example, when the news about Postville came out, I didn't just look at the DMReg, the Times, and CNN. I looked at Vanguard News Network to see what the American Nazi Party was saying.
In this particular case, it is really interesting to see how those who oppose Israel have reacted to Barack Obama's extremely pro-Israel speech at AIPAC. Many among Israel's antagonists saw Obama as a candidate for changing America's pro-Israel stance. Especially in the Arab world, this was true. At AIPAC, Barack Obama made a speech that upset Israel's antagonists in a big way. He declared himself, not only a friend of Israel, but a strong friend of a strong Israel. In fact, Obama's speech at AIPAC was more pro-Israel's bargaining position in negotiations with the Palestinians than was Ehud Olmert's.
People like Avnery and Tikkun, along with others on the political far left who regularly bash Israel were shocked by what was said by the man who they thought was "their candidate" at AIPAC as opposed to Hillary Clinton, who they already knew to be a strong supporter of Israel. Those on the far left believed that as a black man and a "Muslim," and they regularly cite his Muslim upbringing (having a Muslim father and going to a Muslim school in a Muslim country)and not his espoused Christian beliefs, Barack Obama would understand the plight of Muslims and non-whites around the world and that he would certainly take on the "Zionists" that are "oppressing" the non-white Arabs, be they Muslim or Christian. The political right among Israel supporters also assumed this to be true and therefore had been strongly opposed to Obama. A lot of that changed with Obama's speech at AIPAC.
In Israel, Sever Plocker, a regular columnist (not remotely politically correct) for Ynetnews wrote that the fact that he, seen as the champion of those who regularly bash Israel, simply stood up and prominently supported Israel in numerous ways was one of the greatest gifts that Israel could have received. It was clear that a President Obama would be a friend of Israel and not a friend of those who would destroy it.
Condemnations came swiftly from President Abbas concerning Obama's Jerusalem statements and from many on the political left concerning what had to be "American Zionist influences." Even aside from the "undivided Jerusalem" statement, there was concern about that. How else could Barack Obama be a friend of Israel, much less such a strong friend. Some have said, particularly among Republican supporters, that he was saying what the group wanted to hear and not what he actually believes. Perhaps, it is simply because he is a brilliant man and knows right from wrong that he is a supporter of Israel? I tend to think that is why most of us support Israel. Regardless, this declaration opened up a field day for Israel and Jew haters around the world. There had to be a conspiracy at work. Obama, a black man with a Muslim father, could not possibly be an ally of Israel, symbol for them of white power and oppression.
Gaddafi's opinion is one of many similar statements that I have seen. His is the only one that I have ever seen that blames JFK's assassination on the Mossad. Yet, it is amazing just how broad the level of conspiratorial thought goes and just how scary the anti-Israel sentiments are, particularly among Palestinian activists. All you have to do is google "Obama Zionist" and you will find tens of thousands of citations, no small number discussing the nature of the conspiracy at work that led to Barack Obama's support for Israel. We will likely see much more of this coming from the Arab world as we near the election. The Arab world and Walt and Mearsheimer, who no doubt will add this episode to their list of evidence of influence by the "Israel Lobby," will without fail argue that it is because of a vast Zionist conspiracy.
Gaddafi is a nut case who thankfully no longer has a nuclear weapons program, but unfortunately the general sentiments of his statements seem to be more widespread in the Arab world and Gaddafi is still the leader of a nation, so his opinion actually has some influence. Having seen numerous "scholars" in the Arab world go about blaming Israel from everything from 9/11 to AIDS, it is not surprising to see Arab leaders blame Israel for just about anything. There are even leaders in the Arab world who will tell you that PEPSI stands for "Pay Each Penny Save Israel." The fact that statement makes no sense is besides the point.
Israel's detractors simply cannot understand how Barack Obama, who they thought was their champion, supports Israel unless he is facing threat. That is the mindset at work.
I do not know what conspiracy theories will arise concerning John McCain or the various candidates for VP positions. Should Joe Lieberman find his way onto the Republican ticket, I'm sure that there will be no end of conspiracy theories.
In the meantime, having heard from all of the candidates at AIPAC, I feel secure in the knowledge that the next President of the United States will be a friend of Israel, whoever he may be.
-David
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sermon on Postville
Postville
May 23, 2008
Rabbi David Jay Kaufman
In his commentary on this week’s Parasha, Behukotai, Rabbi Yehuda Appel wrote:
In the parsha, God addresses the Jewish people collectively, informing them of the severity of judgements - ranging from illness to exile - that they will face if they do not follow His path. The harshness of these afflictions can be seen as a direct correlation to the importance of the Jewish people's mission. As the nation who has been entrusted with God's instructions for creating a perfect society, the Jewish people are held to a higher standard.
Rabbi Shraga Simmons wrote:
The idea that "choices are meaningful" is so basic to Judaism that it is expressed in the very first verse of the Bible: "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth."
In my mind, in the Jewish Tradition, we are told to “Remember the stranger, for you were a stranger in the land of Egypt.” We are told to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Hillel taught us, “Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn.” Maimonides Ladder of Tsedakah places giving someone the opportunity and ability to support him or herself on the highest rung. To embrace and help the needy is not only encouraged in our Tradition, but literally commanded of us. With this all in mind, how are we supposed to react to what occurred in Postville?
It is difficult to figure out where to begin responding or even from which perspective to begin. There are the immigration issues, the worker abuse allegations, questionable Kashrut practices, environmental violations, fines and criminal charges that have piled up over the past few years alone. Then there are concerns of how this event affects the Jewish community both as perceived by others and as we interact with each other. Finally, there are broader Jewish religious issues and issues of social action to address.
Not long ago, in December of 2004, a video produced by PETA during an undercover investigation at the Agriprocessors plant was released which showed animals suffering horribly as they were being slaughtered. These same practices were in principle defended as Halakhic, meaning according to the Jewish legal code, though numerous rabbinical authorities have strongly questioned that argument and challenged the Orthodox Union’s assessment.
The inhumane slaughter practices at Agriprocessors are so out of accord with proper Kosher slaughter that the Orthodox Union’s own leadership in Israel has questioned whether or not it should be allowed to be imported. Even the Orthodox Union has begun to agree with the liberal branches of Judaism that for meat to be considered “Kosher” it must be morally and ethically slaughtered.
Reports about the practices in Postville in the past few years are why many Reform and Conservative Jews are working to establish Hekhsher Tzedek, a righteous Kashrut certification, and not simply a minimally acceptable slaughter technique which in my mind, our minds, is not even minimally acceptable, but unacceptable.
On Tuesday (last week), members of the Conservative movement's Hekhsher Tzedek Commission condemned the company, saying that keeping kosher requires more than just adherence to ritual matters, but also sensitivity to the environment and respect for workers and animals. The Hekhsher Tzedek initiative is in part a response to past allegations of misconduct at Agriprocessors.
"The actions of this company have brought shame upon the entire Jewish community," the commission said.
"Yesterday’s discovery, along with the other violations of the ethical standards set forth by our Torah and our tradition underscore the need for Hekhsher Tzedek. To be sure, halacha has never limited its concern to the ritual elements of kashrut alone."
Yet as troubling as issues related to the nature of the Kashrut at the Agriprocessors plant are, they are far from the most problematic in my mind.
The massive violations of immigration laws and accusations of worker abuse, paying below minimum wages, and employing underage workers are simply not acceptable in any form. They not only violate the sovereign law of the land, but they violate so many principles of Jewish law that I do not have the time to list them all, violate a basic level of human ethics, violate the trust of those who would have purchased from the company, and cannot reflect worse on the Jewish Tradition and the Jewish people.
This is particularly true because our local newspaper went out of its way to reinforce the Jewish religious nature of the owners of Agriprocessors and even used decade old stock photos of Orthodox Jews at prayer in Postville to illustrate that point. In looking at reactions to the events in Postville, I checked several anti-Jewish hate sites. As you might imagine, there was no small amount of glee. The Vanguard News Network, the website for the American Nazi Party, went so far as to say its efforts in working undercover at Agriprocessors and reporting to ICE, Immigration Customs Enforcement, helped lead to ICE raiding the company and that they would continue to work hard to rid the community of the criminal Jews.
On these websites, the owners of Agriprocessors were not simply business owners that were caught breaking the rules, but they were portrayed as Jews flaunting the rules and exploiting their local community in order to make a buck off of needy immigrants.
Then this week, AFTER the arrests of hundreds of workers at the plant, Federal authorities charged that a methamphetamine laboratory was operating at the site and that employees carried weapons to work!
In the 60-page application for a search warrant, federal agents revealed details of their six-month probe of Agriprocessors. The investigation involved 12 federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the departments of labor and agriculture. According to the application, a former plant supervisor told investigators that some 80 percent of the workforce was illegal, evidently including at least some rabbis responsible for kosher supervision, who, a source included in the document suggested, entered the United States from Canada without proper immigration documents. The source also claimed to have confronted a human resources manager with Social Security cards from three employees that had the same number. The manager laughed when the matter was raised.
There seems to have been a callous disregard for the law, both Jewish law and Civil Law, at Agriprocessors. One cannot justify any of the criminal behavior that took place in Postville, nor the impact that behavior had upon the employees in the plant, their families, and the community. Our thoughts are with all of those who have been adversely impacted.While it is clear that the centerpiece of this investigation was illegality and immorality on the part of Agriprocessors, the story is also a reflection of our nation’s failed immigration laws and practices which regularly result in trauma for illegal workers and their families as well as in reduced wages and benefits for legal workers. It is time for immigration reform.
There is another lesson in the Torah portion from this week that is relevant. Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, talking about the curses mentioned should the people not follow the right path taught about the verse "And you shall run the flight of one who flees from a sword, yet no one is pursuing you" (Leviticus 26:36). He wrote:
Simply explained, the Torah is telling us of the inherent fear that we shall have from the suffering that we have endured. We shall run at the slightest thought, even when there is no one in pursuit.
Perhaps this week, the Torah alludes to another form of curse. "When there is pain and suffering, when there is persecution and oppression, yet the world ignores the cries of those suffering - as if " no one is pursuing," -- that is a terrible curse, too. Perhaps that curse is as unfortunate as when the aggressors are clearly recognized for whom they are. Often our greatest enemies are not recognized as such. We are told that they are our partners and our fears are nothing but paranoia. Even our past experiences are being discredited by deniers, scoffers and skeptics.
We cannot control the ears and eyes of our detractors, but we can do our utmost to tell the story and make sure that they live on. And we can do our best to hear, too, the pain and suffering of those who cry to us, to make sure we understand the pursuers behind the pain.
What does all of this mean for the Jews? Well, those who hate the Jews will still hate the Jews tomorrow. They have a bit more fodder to work on recruiting the next generation. The Vanguard News Network will move on to bashing Obama again.
For the most part, the broader community will treat Postville the way that it should, namely as yet another meat processing plant that employed a large number of illegal immigrants and which was raided. Granted there are some additional criminal complaints in addition to those. There will be questions about the future of Postville, a town which was struggling before the Rubashkins came to town and which now faces the loss of no small percentage of its population and wealth. Yet, the greatest problem remaining to be faced may actually be one within the Jewish community.
We have a very real dilemma. There is one Kosher deli in the metro area, Maccabee Deli. It’s owner is a member of Chabad, a friend of the owners of Agriprocessors, who sends several of his children to school in Postville and who purchases his meat from the plant there. This is not surprising since Agriprocessors provides most of the Glatt Kosher meat in this country. Many Kosher Delis are in the same boat.
The Maccabee Deli is a community institution. In many ways, it is the heart of Orthodox community. Do we boycott it? What happens to those who need Kosher food in Des Moines if we do? The meat that has come from that plant has been approved as Kosher by the Orthodox Union. Will we insist on Hekhsher Tzedek, telling the Orthodox Union, the dominant group dealing with Kosher food in this country, that we Reform and Conservative Jews, most of whom don’t even follow the Halakhah much if at all, know what should be Kosher and what should not be so and that they are wrong?
Many among us, Reform and Conservative Jews, do not even keep Kosher, yet perhaps that is only in the traditional sense. Some of us buy Fair-Trade products when we can, eat organic foods if we can, and avoid purchasing products made by companies and in places wherein workers are exploited. Many drive hybrid vehicles and many more would likely do so if we could afford one. We change out our regular light bulbs for energy efficient ones and we push for divestment from places like Darfur.
The social activist in me asks, “How can we not boycott anything having to do with Agriprocessors?”
The rebel, the prophetic part of me, asks, “How can we not condemn these actions?” and suggests further that, “Of course, we can tell the Orthodox establishment that we disagree, after all, isn’t that how Reform Judaism came to be in the first place?” The advocate for Klal Yisrael, concerned with the implications for our Jewish community asks, “How can we take action that will harm, possibly irrevocably, an institution vital to the life of a good part of the Jewish community in which we live?”
The answers to these questions will be different for each of us. You will make your own decisions. As for me, I have decided not to knowingly consume products that come from Agriprocessors and that I will join with those pursuing Hekhsher Tzedek, a righteous Kashrut. Yet I will not act beyond those decisions in such a way that will harm our Jewish community though my own advocacy. We all, as Jewish adults, must take the responsibility for our actions and inaction.
Let us, strive for a higher standard, whether or not we feel that we should be held to one. Let us continue to “Remember the stranger, for you (WE – all of us) were a stranger in the land of Egypt.” This Shabbat may we, laboring to repair our broken world, in the words of Rabbi Kamenetzky, “Do our best to hear the pain and suffering of those who cry to us.”
Shabbat Shalom.
May 23, 2008
Rabbi David Jay Kaufman
In his commentary on this week’s Parasha, Behukotai, Rabbi Yehuda Appel wrote:
In the parsha, God addresses the Jewish people collectively, informing them of the severity of judgements - ranging from illness to exile - that they will face if they do not follow His path. The harshness of these afflictions can be seen as a direct correlation to the importance of the Jewish people's mission. As the nation who has been entrusted with God's instructions for creating a perfect society, the Jewish people are held to a higher standard.
Rabbi Shraga Simmons wrote:
The idea that "choices are meaningful" is so basic to Judaism that it is expressed in the very first verse of the Bible: "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth."
In my mind, in the Jewish Tradition, we are told to “Remember the stranger, for you were a stranger in the land of Egypt.” We are told to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Hillel taught us, “Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn.” Maimonides Ladder of Tsedakah places giving someone the opportunity and ability to support him or herself on the highest rung. To embrace and help the needy is not only encouraged in our Tradition, but literally commanded of us. With this all in mind, how are we supposed to react to what occurred in Postville?
It is difficult to figure out where to begin responding or even from which perspective to begin. There are the immigration issues, the worker abuse allegations, questionable Kashrut practices, environmental violations, fines and criminal charges that have piled up over the past few years alone. Then there are concerns of how this event affects the Jewish community both as perceived by others and as we interact with each other. Finally, there are broader Jewish religious issues and issues of social action to address.
Not long ago, in December of 2004, a video produced by PETA during an undercover investigation at the Agriprocessors plant was released which showed animals suffering horribly as they were being slaughtered. These same practices were in principle defended as Halakhic, meaning according to the Jewish legal code, though numerous rabbinical authorities have strongly questioned that argument and challenged the Orthodox Union’s assessment.
The inhumane slaughter practices at Agriprocessors are so out of accord with proper Kosher slaughter that the Orthodox Union’s own leadership in Israel has questioned whether or not it should be allowed to be imported. Even the Orthodox Union has begun to agree with the liberal branches of Judaism that for meat to be considered “Kosher” it must be morally and ethically slaughtered.
Reports about the practices in Postville in the past few years are why many Reform and Conservative Jews are working to establish Hekhsher Tzedek, a righteous Kashrut certification, and not simply a minimally acceptable slaughter technique which in my mind, our minds, is not even minimally acceptable, but unacceptable.
On Tuesday (last week), members of the Conservative movement's Hekhsher Tzedek Commission condemned the company, saying that keeping kosher requires more than just adherence to ritual matters, but also sensitivity to the environment and respect for workers and animals. The Hekhsher Tzedek initiative is in part a response to past allegations of misconduct at Agriprocessors.
"The actions of this company have brought shame upon the entire Jewish community," the commission said.
"Yesterday’s discovery, along with the other violations of the ethical standards set forth by our Torah and our tradition underscore the need for Hekhsher Tzedek. To be sure, halacha has never limited its concern to the ritual elements of kashrut alone."
Yet as troubling as issues related to the nature of the Kashrut at the Agriprocessors plant are, they are far from the most problematic in my mind.
The massive violations of immigration laws and accusations of worker abuse, paying below minimum wages, and employing underage workers are simply not acceptable in any form. They not only violate the sovereign law of the land, but they violate so many principles of Jewish law that I do not have the time to list them all, violate a basic level of human ethics, violate the trust of those who would have purchased from the company, and cannot reflect worse on the Jewish Tradition and the Jewish people.
This is particularly true because our local newspaper went out of its way to reinforce the Jewish religious nature of the owners of Agriprocessors and even used decade old stock photos of Orthodox Jews at prayer in Postville to illustrate that point. In looking at reactions to the events in Postville, I checked several anti-Jewish hate sites. As you might imagine, there was no small amount of glee. The Vanguard News Network, the website for the American Nazi Party, went so far as to say its efforts in working undercover at Agriprocessors and reporting to ICE, Immigration Customs Enforcement, helped lead to ICE raiding the company and that they would continue to work hard to rid the community of the criminal Jews.
On these websites, the owners of Agriprocessors were not simply business owners that were caught breaking the rules, but they were portrayed as Jews flaunting the rules and exploiting their local community in order to make a buck off of needy immigrants.
Then this week, AFTER the arrests of hundreds of workers at the plant, Federal authorities charged that a methamphetamine laboratory was operating at the site and that employees carried weapons to work!
In the 60-page application for a search warrant, federal agents revealed details of their six-month probe of Agriprocessors. The investigation involved 12 federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the departments of labor and agriculture. According to the application, a former plant supervisor told investigators that some 80 percent of the workforce was illegal, evidently including at least some rabbis responsible for kosher supervision, who, a source included in the document suggested, entered the United States from Canada without proper immigration documents. The source also claimed to have confronted a human resources manager with Social Security cards from three employees that had the same number. The manager laughed when the matter was raised.
There seems to have been a callous disregard for the law, both Jewish law and Civil Law, at Agriprocessors. One cannot justify any of the criminal behavior that took place in Postville, nor the impact that behavior had upon the employees in the plant, their families, and the community. Our thoughts are with all of those who have been adversely impacted.While it is clear that the centerpiece of this investigation was illegality and immorality on the part of Agriprocessors, the story is also a reflection of our nation’s failed immigration laws and practices which regularly result in trauma for illegal workers and their families as well as in reduced wages and benefits for legal workers. It is time for immigration reform.
There is another lesson in the Torah portion from this week that is relevant. Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, talking about the curses mentioned should the people not follow the right path taught about the verse "And you shall run the flight of one who flees from a sword, yet no one is pursuing you" (Leviticus 26:36). He wrote:
Simply explained, the Torah is telling us of the inherent fear that we shall have from the suffering that we have endured. We shall run at the slightest thought, even when there is no one in pursuit.
Perhaps this week, the Torah alludes to another form of curse. "When there is pain and suffering, when there is persecution and oppression, yet the world ignores the cries of those suffering - as if " no one is pursuing," -- that is a terrible curse, too. Perhaps that curse is as unfortunate as when the aggressors are clearly recognized for whom they are. Often our greatest enemies are not recognized as such. We are told that they are our partners and our fears are nothing but paranoia. Even our past experiences are being discredited by deniers, scoffers and skeptics.
We cannot control the ears and eyes of our detractors, but we can do our utmost to tell the story and make sure that they live on. And we can do our best to hear, too, the pain and suffering of those who cry to us, to make sure we understand the pursuers behind the pain.
What does all of this mean for the Jews? Well, those who hate the Jews will still hate the Jews tomorrow. They have a bit more fodder to work on recruiting the next generation. The Vanguard News Network will move on to bashing Obama again.
For the most part, the broader community will treat Postville the way that it should, namely as yet another meat processing plant that employed a large number of illegal immigrants and which was raided. Granted there are some additional criminal complaints in addition to those. There will be questions about the future of Postville, a town which was struggling before the Rubashkins came to town and which now faces the loss of no small percentage of its population and wealth. Yet, the greatest problem remaining to be faced may actually be one within the Jewish community.
We have a very real dilemma. There is one Kosher deli in the metro area, Maccabee Deli. It’s owner is a member of Chabad, a friend of the owners of Agriprocessors, who sends several of his children to school in Postville and who purchases his meat from the plant there. This is not surprising since Agriprocessors provides most of the Glatt Kosher meat in this country. Many Kosher Delis are in the same boat.
The Maccabee Deli is a community institution. In many ways, it is the heart of Orthodox community. Do we boycott it? What happens to those who need Kosher food in Des Moines if we do? The meat that has come from that plant has been approved as Kosher by the Orthodox Union. Will we insist on Hekhsher Tzedek, telling the Orthodox Union, the dominant group dealing with Kosher food in this country, that we Reform and Conservative Jews, most of whom don’t even follow the Halakhah much if at all, know what should be Kosher and what should not be so and that they are wrong?
Many among us, Reform and Conservative Jews, do not even keep Kosher, yet perhaps that is only in the traditional sense. Some of us buy Fair-Trade products when we can, eat organic foods if we can, and avoid purchasing products made by companies and in places wherein workers are exploited. Many drive hybrid vehicles and many more would likely do so if we could afford one. We change out our regular light bulbs for energy efficient ones and we push for divestment from places like Darfur.
The social activist in me asks, “How can we not boycott anything having to do with Agriprocessors?”
The rebel, the prophetic part of me, asks, “How can we not condemn these actions?” and suggests further that, “Of course, we can tell the Orthodox establishment that we disagree, after all, isn’t that how Reform Judaism came to be in the first place?” The advocate for Klal Yisrael, concerned with the implications for our Jewish community asks, “How can we take action that will harm, possibly irrevocably, an institution vital to the life of a good part of the Jewish community in which we live?”
The answers to these questions will be different for each of us. You will make your own decisions. As for me, I have decided not to knowingly consume products that come from Agriprocessors and that I will join with those pursuing Hekhsher Tzedek, a righteous Kashrut. Yet I will not act beyond those decisions in such a way that will harm our Jewish community though my own advocacy. We all, as Jewish adults, must take the responsibility for our actions and inaction.
Let us, strive for a higher standard, whether or not we feel that we should be held to one. Let us continue to “Remember the stranger, for you (WE – all of us) were a stranger in the land of Egypt.” This Shabbat may we, laboring to repair our broken world, in the words of Rabbi Kamenetzky, “Do our best to hear the pain and suffering of those who cry to us.”
Shabbat Shalom.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Endorsers versus Candidates
Shalom All,
We are at a point in elections where it seems to matter MORE who endorses a candidate than it does what the candidate actually stands for. There is a choice of TWO parties here people. EVERYONE will be choosing one of them or else not voting. McCain will be supported by people who don't support Obama/Clinton. They will be supported by those who oppose McCain. What a revelation! Someone who opposes reproductive choice opposes Obama/Clinton! I'm shocked! Shall we point out that there is no short list of those who are Pro-Choice who have views on Israel that are slightly problematic? Should I be making my electoral decision on Farrakahan/Sharpton vs Hagee/Paisley???
Perhaps I should look to the debate between Pastor Wright and Pastor Manning (the latter, a Harlem based African-American whose ridiculous tirade against Obama in favor of Clinton was in my mind purely despicable)? If you want to see Pastor Manning point out the exploitation of Obama girl and talk about Obama's family ancestry in a manner that I would have thought no minister would do, much less one in the African-American community just google "Manning Obama" or go to Youtube, look it up, and watch it until it makes you sick, which won't be long.
We certainly shouldn't be forgetting separation of church and state, but we have to stop acting as if the election is between endorsers. Obama, Clinton, and McCain should be chosen or not chosen because of what they believe and what they can do to make our nation and our world better, not because of the idiots (of course defined by whom you personally support and whom you do not) who have chosen them already.
Just a thought,
-David
We are at a point in elections where it seems to matter MORE who endorses a candidate than it does what the candidate actually stands for. There is a choice of TWO parties here people. EVERYONE will be choosing one of them or else not voting. McCain will be supported by people who don't support Obama/Clinton. They will be supported by those who oppose McCain. What a revelation! Someone who opposes reproductive choice opposes Obama/Clinton! I'm shocked! Shall we point out that there is no short list of those who are Pro-Choice who have views on Israel that are slightly problematic? Should I be making my electoral decision on Farrakahan/Sharpton vs Hagee/Paisley???
Perhaps I should look to the debate between Pastor Wright and Pastor Manning (the latter, a Harlem based African-American whose ridiculous tirade against Obama in favor of Clinton was in my mind purely despicable)? If you want to see Pastor Manning point out the exploitation of Obama girl and talk about Obama's family ancestry in a manner that I would have thought no minister would do, much less one in the African-American community just google "Manning Obama" or go to Youtube, look it up, and watch it until it makes you sick, which won't be long.
We certainly shouldn't be forgetting separation of church and state, but we have to stop acting as if the election is between endorsers. Obama, Clinton, and McCain should be chosen or not chosen because of what they believe and what they can do to make our nation and our world better, not because of the idiots (of course defined by whom you personally support and whom you do not) who have chosen them already.
Just a thought,
-David
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Carter, Kadish, and Oh the Tsuris!
It has been a bit of a strange week on the Israel issues front. First, former President Jimmy Carter decided to personally solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by meeting with Hamas and relaying his demands, oops, I mean THEIR demands, to Israel. Should Israel give in entirely, Hamas will consider "peace," which as was clarified recently means a "tactical peace" during which Hamas would work toward gaining military advantage so as to be more effective when breaking the "peace" at a later time. The real negotiations happened when Carter came to Israel and relayed Hamas' demands, namely, "Give us what we want or we'll continue to attack your women and children with qassams and bombs and we'll blow up your crossing posts, your means of continuing occupation and oppression of our people by supplying our population with necessary humanitarian aid!" Israel's response to Carter was of course, "Couldn't you have wandered around Sderot for a while? It's fun there. The 'color red' alert means the game is starting and you need to run into the open and try to catch the qassams before they hit the ground."
Pardon my sarcasm. I know that President Carter at least had some hope, however misplaced, that he could indeed have made a positive impact toward bringing peace, though one could argue that peace would be more for Hamas than for Israel. Clearly, President Carter's foray into Israel-Hamas relations could not have been a bigger waste of time, unless its purpose was to allow both Hamas and Carter to vent about their disdain for Israel.
Then, of course, on the heels of the Carter visit, Mr. Kadish was arrested and charged with espionage dating back 25 years. Not that he has been conducting espionage FOR 25 years, but that it occurred 25 years ago. Furthermore, it appears that whatever "secret" documents, not "Top Secret" documents like Jonathan Pollard, were involved, they are likely now no longer "secret." This arrest some suggest was aimed at making a Presidential pardon of Jonathan Pollard more difficult. Others suggest that it was timed to undermine President Bush's visit to Israel for its 60th anniversary celebration.
I would argue that it is more likely that the timing of the arrest is meant to pressure Israel into revealing its nuclear capabilities as part of a comprehensive Middle East peace plan that was supposed to begin taking shape with President Carter's visit and that the two events, the arrest and Carter's visit, were coordinated. Yet, there is an even more likely source of pressure, James Baker III or Brent Snowcroft, who some say may be John McCain's choices as Middle East envoys and who were prominent players in the Reagan Administration.
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=19275220&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=618959&rfi=6
You may remember James Baker for his "F--- the Jews! They don't vote for us anyway." You may not have seen his even worse 1992 statement, ""Don't worry, Jews remember the Holocaust, but they forget insults as soon as they smell cash." N.Y. Post, March 6, 1992.
Another possible reason for charging Kadish at this point was the revelation of photos related to the Syrian-Korean nuclear reactor that did not exist and which the US refused to support Israel when it attacked. Perhaps, there was concern that the US would be accused of failing to work with its closest ally and holding back vital security information? Another possibility is that Kadish is the one responsible for relaying information on the Syrian nuclear reactor to Israel and that some did not want Israel to possess that information for fear that it would do exactly what it did, namely destroy the reactor while drawing attention to strong links between Syria, North Korea, and Iran relating to cooperation on producing NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Perhaps, the US State Department or another agency did not want this information, so contrary to the recently revealed NIE on Iran, to be brought to light and was not happy, even embarassed and angry, when it was?
That said, Israel should not have spied on its ally in the past and should not in the future. It just gives people like these reasons to hate Israel and Jews. Furthermore, there are clearly elements that do not care about supporting Israel as an ally, if not outright anti-Israel elements, at work in the US State Department and intelligence agencies, who will seize every opportuntiy to demonize Israel.
Pardon my sarcasm. I know that President Carter at least had some hope, however misplaced, that he could indeed have made a positive impact toward bringing peace, though one could argue that peace would be more for Hamas than for Israel. Clearly, President Carter's foray into Israel-Hamas relations could not have been a bigger waste of time, unless its purpose was to allow both Hamas and Carter to vent about their disdain for Israel.
Then, of course, on the heels of the Carter visit, Mr. Kadish was arrested and charged with espionage dating back 25 years. Not that he has been conducting espionage FOR 25 years, but that it occurred 25 years ago. Furthermore, it appears that whatever "secret" documents, not "Top Secret" documents like Jonathan Pollard, were involved, they are likely now no longer "secret." This arrest some suggest was aimed at making a Presidential pardon of Jonathan Pollard more difficult. Others suggest that it was timed to undermine President Bush's visit to Israel for its 60th anniversary celebration.
I would argue that it is more likely that the timing of the arrest is meant to pressure Israel into revealing its nuclear capabilities as part of a comprehensive Middle East peace plan that was supposed to begin taking shape with President Carter's visit and that the two events, the arrest and Carter's visit, were coordinated. Yet, there is an even more likely source of pressure, James Baker III or Brent Snowcroft, who some say may be John McCain's choices as Middle East envoys and who were prominent players in the Reagan Administration.
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=19275220&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=618959&rfi=6
You may remember James Baker for his "F--- the Jews! They don't vote for us anyway." You may not have seen his even worse 1992 statement, ""Don't worry, Jews remember the Holocaust, but they forget insults as soon as they smell cash." N.Y. Post, March 6, 1992.
Another possible reason for charging Kadish at this point was the revelation of photos related to the Syrian-Korean nuclear reactor that did not exist and which the US refused to support Israel when it attacked. Perhaps, there was concern that the US would be accused of failing to work with its closest ally and holding back vital security information? Another possibility is that Kadish is the one responsible for relaying information on the Syrian nuclear reactor to Israel and that some did not want Israel to possess that information for fear that it would do exactly what it did, namely destroy the reactor while drawing attention to strong links between Syria, North Korea, and Iran relating to cooperation on producing NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Perhaps, the US State Department or another agency did not want this information, so contrary to the recently revealed NIE on Iran, to be brought to light and was not happy, even embarassed and angry, when it was?
That said, Israel should not have spied on its ally in the past and should not in the future. It just gives people like these reasons to hate Israel and Jews. Furthermore, there are clearly elements that do not care about supporting Israel as an ally, if not outright anti-Israel elements, at work in the US State Department and intelligence agencies, who will seize every opportuntiy to demonize Israel.
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