Progressive Rabbis: Be Still My Bleeding Heart
The actions of some rabbis may be detrimental to Israel’s existence.
In a recent essay I wrote about the “useful idiot rabbis” who signed the Brit Tzedek petition for “peace.” These rabbis gave legitimacy to an organization whose policies are about as supportive of Israel’s continued existence as the so-called Saudi peace initiative. Sustained by the legitimacy given it by its signatories, Brit Tzedek almost immediately issued libelous accusations about Israel’s use of white phosphorous in Gaza; accusations contradicted by the International Red Cross, no friend of Israel.
To date, I have seen none of these rabbis demand that their names be withdrawn, such is the need to be symbolically aligned with even the allusion of peace.
One of Brit Tzedek’s prominent signatories is Rabbi Peter S. Knobel, president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. As such, his words carry a certain weight. What fascinates me about Knobel’s column in the conference’s recent newsletter is how quintessential it is in illustrating the perverse mentality of Jewish progressives.
Predictably, Knobel begins with moral equivalence. On the one hand, there is the vulnerability of the people of Sderot to rocket attacks; on the other hand, the rabbi says, “I feel the pain of the people of Gaza.” What the rabbi fails to acknowledge is that the people of Gaza elected a group of fanatics who actively celebrate a culture of death that has resulted in the people of Sderot living in fear for their own lives and those of their children. The rabbi equates the actions of those who shoot rockets at civilians with those who seek to stop them.
Echoing the sentiments of Palestinian propagandists, Knobel says, “I am sure some of the Israeli decision- making had a great deal to do with its own domestic situation and a lack of confidence in our new administration.” Perhaps the rabbi should look for a cause in the dramatic increases in rocket attacks on all of Southern Israel when Hamas terminated its selectively adhered to cease fire. Indeed, Hamas appears to have learned nothing from Israel’s incursion into Gaza, launching 110 missiles and mortars since the ceasefire. Hamas launched an Iranian Guard missile into Ashkelon on March 1 that destroyed a high school, an act that will in all likelihood result in another Israeli retaliation.
“The rhetoric and actions of both Israeli and Palestinian sides makes each culpable to a greater or lesser extent,” the rabbi intones in another invocation of moral equivalence that is not simply immoral but obscene. I don’t recall the Israelis airing television programs instilling hatred for Arabs in five-year-olds or glorifying killing Arabs as a message from God. Perhaps I missed these as I missed comprehending Brit Tzedek’s position that surgically assassinating mass murderers is equivalent to randomly blowing up school children.
What I have come to understand from reading Knobel’s words and looking at rabbis’ resumes is that ultimately the actions of progressive rabbis may be more detrimental to Israel’s existence than all the clumsy propaganda that the Saudis have been able to generate through their increasing hold on the American media.
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Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science and a former head of the Intelligence Studies Section of the International Studies Association.
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17 Comments
1. LynnS:Truly devastating news that a Saudi Arabian Prince has a stake in the Fox News Network. I recall that they were the first ones to show the blood on the market streets, on the buses, outside the pizza parlors, and inside the restaurants in Israel while the other networks were ignoring the evil until it became too blatant to pretend it didn’t exist. I have zero confidence that it will not have a negative impact on their reporting.
Mar 9, 2009 - 5:08 am 2. SAF:There have been anti-Israeli rabbis since the founding of Israel, this is nothing new.
Bet you can’t find an anti-Hamas Imam anywhere on the planet.
But then again the majority of Jews voted for Obama who will sooner or later sell Israel down the tubes. It is completely self consistent.
Mar 9, 2009 - 5:25 am 3. gboisjo:In the end the left will have to confront itself and the choices they have made. As Islam will put us in that eventual situation. The progressives will learn, at least some of them, that at the root of there appeasement was backstabbing fear. That as they served up one anthor the enemy was laughing and killing. Ask most Islamist what it is that they hate about the west and they will tell you it is there liberal ways. In some ways they are right. What kind of people serve up to the enemy there own people. Cowards not worth there weight in salt..
Mar 9, 2009 - 7:05 am 4. David Levavi:Anti-zionist rabbis are merely merely one grotesque extreme of a absurdly broad and diverse American rabbinate. Mr. Miller is wasting his time worrying about these Jeraboams. They are a minute albeit noisy minority like the J Streeters and their following is limited. Voluntary, self imposed dhimmitude isn’t an idea likely to catch on among Jews.
Nor do these craven rabbis give any comfort to our enemies. Study the body language and expressions of Arabs and their supporters at a rally sharing a platform with bearded, Israel-hating Jews got up in Hasidic black hats and coats. Not exactly come hither. Jew haters are understandably uncomfortable with Jews, sincere traitors though these Hebrews be.
The only genuine threat such rabbis present to Judaism is that the definition of rabbi has so degenerated as to include their like.
Mar 9, 2009 - 8:23 am 5. Diana Grant:Calls for a cease fire in the midst of this war might, in theory at least, indeed constitute a moral position.But only if the caller had previously been calling for an end to rocket attacks on Israeli civilians before the push back started.The problem with virtually all of the leftist ideologues, rabbis and otherwise, who wrap themselves in the the increasingly shrinking fig leaf of humanitarian concerns associated with the middle east, is that, strangely,it is only the “humanitarian” issues facing Palestinians that arouses them.Actually, not all that strange.
Mar 9, 2009 - 9:50 am 6. Oscar the Grump:We have a strange situation in LA. A group of left wing Jews, dressed as Israeli soldiers, set up crossings at the Universal Studios City Walk stopping everybody and asking them where they were going. They are scheduled to demonstrate against Israel’s action in front of the Israeli consulate on the 29th of this month. They are worse than the Arabs. Their propaganda value is enormous and believe me they will be video taped. Their images will be shown to the entire Arab and free world. Its hard enough to take on the Islamists of the world; but, when your own brothers are helping them, it makes what you are doing seem futile. Those of you who can, please join me in a counter demonstration on the 29th of this month. Oscar will be there.
Mar 9, 2009 - 12:23 pm 7. Shef Rogers:“They are worse than the Arabs.” That bad, huh? You really have a talent for bringing out the bigotry and sheer craziness of your cause.
Mar 9, 2009 - 1:49 pm 8. Shef Rogers:These bleeding-heart rabbis sound like decent people, trying to reconcile their sense of compassion with the ethnic attachment they absorbed in childhood. Most of the respondents here have resolved that tension in a more brutally simple manner, opting for ethnic loyalty above all else. Not surprising, not unusual, but hardly something to be proud of.
Mar 9, 2009 - 3:39 pm 9. David Levavi:Shef:
I can’t help wondering what “ethnic attachment” you “absorbed in childhood,” Shef and whether it influences your lofty opinions.
Have the courage to respond and let’s do an honest comparison of ethnics and attitude.
Mar 9, 2009 - 3:53 pm 10. Oscar the Grump:Shef Rogers
What you cooking buddy? They are worse than the Arabs. Arabs simply are loyal to their beliefs. These “guys” have turned their back to their beliefs and their people. Groups like Peace Now are shown on Arab TVs. It affirms them and their cause. We had Jews who led other Jews to the gas chambers. They were called Kapos. These “guys” stiffen Arab resolve and convince the Arabs that they’re right. There-by they cost Israel more Jewish lives.
If you think I’m crazy, so be it. Bigot yes, i’m proud of it.
Mar 9, 2009 - 5:08 pm 11. Turkey Brain:Gobble gobble
Sheff you’re stoopid!
Gobble gobble
Mar 9, 2009 - 5:37 pm 12. Martin:I met one of these.
The guy ‘Rabbi’ said he was responsible for the Gillette shaver slogan. And he proudly announced that he accepted money from CAIR for an advertising campaign! He waxed on about chairing a UN meeting and that religious unity is a matter of dialogue and that he has written numerous books – my God he really believed what he was saying.
I challenged him at the dinner table where he was holding forth on the keys to world peace
“OK mate” I asked him, “given you’ve never visited the MEMRI site, and you casually accept money from CAIR members of which are constantly being indicted for terrorism etc, and you seem to know how to achieve peace – how bad is the anti-Semitism in the Middle East? If its a matter of dialogue. Who are the kind of people Israel should dialogue with?”
Evasion
“No come on mate – you tell us how bad it is?”
“Well it could be better.”
“No you were speaking with authority – tell us exactly how bad it is.” Realising the facts were indisputable. He said.
“Its pretty bad”
I stood up, and excused myself from the table.
They have to be confronted, their delusions will only expand otherwise. These individuals are contemptible.
Mar 9, 2009 - 9:19 pm 13. Bug Eye Guy:Get your banjos folks, its singin time
(Tune goes to the Beverly Hill Billys)
Did you hear the story bout a man named Sheff
Had a pallet that was only slightly cleff
then one day he was messin with some Jews
Got told off and now he paid his dues
Sheff my boy heres a lesson that is dear
The way you sound is mighty q*eer
What you need is to get off this here blog
take some time and spend it with your dog
House that is
Water bowl
scraps of chow
Now I know this won’t change your mind
If you were here I’d kick your behind
So if you really don’t want to lose
For God sake, don’t mess with them Jews
thank you folks, thank you very much.
Mar 9, 2009 - 9:29 pm 14. Marc Malone:Put three Jews in a room, and you get five opinions. This is why they deliver up their own. Everything right and wrong is equivalent. There are not things more important or right than others. Pathetic.
Mar 10, 2009 - 1:49 am 15. Oscar the Grump:Jewish thought is based on the Talmud which is argument and counter agruement. (Aristotle way of teaching) That is why three Jews can have five opinions. There are higher moral judgements of right or wrong. The individual has to arrive at the proper conclusion. Its sort of a self discovery. This “pathetic” process is the foundation of all western ethics.
Mar 10, 2009 - 8:30 am 16. Marc Malone:Spinoza, a converted Jew, translated much of this process for Christianity and it became the basis of law and ethics.
#15 Oscar – You’re right… and that’s why our legal system is such a mess. Attorneys routinely pursue one side of an argument, then later in the trial, pursue the other side. It’s not about right and wrong. It’s about scoring points in a game. Whoever scores the most points wins.
This is how Jews argue. They get lost in the argument and miss the point entirely. There are simply absolute rights and wrongs, and they have orders of importance. It’s like the Ten Commandments. #1 is, “I am the Lord….” That trumps everything else… and for good reason.
Self-discovery is nonsense. That path leads to moral relativism. That’s why so many Jews end up voting far-left, against the existential interests of Jews as a race. The U.S. has always supported Israel, because we believe that “Thou shalt not Murder!” ranks way up there in terms of righteousness. They want to kill all the Jews, and we won’t let them.
Moral relativism undermines that. It allows the alleged grievances of “Palestinians” to be used as justification for genocide. I’m sorry, but “Thou shalt not Murder.” trumps the petty grievances of the other side. With this in mind, suddenly, propoganda becomes ineffective, and the bleeding hearts stop bleeding. One’s values have to be rooted firmly in some absolutes, or you just blow with the wind and all arguments become equal.
Mar 12, 2009 - 1:56 pm 17. deguello:Shouldn’t this suicidal mental affliction be called:”progressive Rabies”?
Mar 16, 2009 - 10:36 am