I see that Cynthia Greenberg of Brooklyn posted the following fine statement as a comment on the post about the Brooklyn congregation Kolot Chayeinu's encounter meeting following the Gaza attack. Seems to me it should be a post:
Participants were asked to stand up or sit down in response to dozens of questions (including some about personal and family history "I have family that lives in Israel" "I have personally experienced anti-Semitism") to indicate whether right then, in that moment, the questions represented their experience, beliefs, opinions. The exercise itself was meant to help us as a community draw out and note the wide range of experiences and perspectives we shared and was, by all accounts of those at the gathering---because we had significant conversation following this exercise, which itself was part of a 2-hour discussion touching on many issues about what it means to be in a sacred, synagogue community and have differences and diversity among our membership---a thoughtful, meaningful tool and happened in a context where participants felt respected, heard by the others there and able to speak openly about their views and feelings. Taken as wildly out of context as it is posted here on mondoweiss and mis-attributed to be the words of our wonderful rabbi, who is a longtime and well-respected leader of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, the statement we asked Kolot Chayeinu members to respond to which actually helped us talk openly with each other about our deep passions about Israel sounds instead like it was used as a litmus test. It was not. As our mission and values statement (http://www.kolotchayeinu.org/values.html) makes very clear: "We believe that Jews have an obligation to grapple with the many issues and emotions connected to our historic attachment to Israel and the current political situation in Israel and Palestine. While we join Jews everywhere in facing Jerusalem while we pray, we have no consensus on political solutions nor their philosophical underpinnings."
Weiss responds: I'm sorry I got that wrong about Rabbi Ellen Lippmann. (Though my source got it wrong; and as Ben Bradlee always said, we depend on what people tell us.) I completely honor what Kolot Chayeinu was trying to do. In fact, I wish I'd had a videotape of this, or a full record, I'd post it. This is an essential conversation. Was I sensationalizing? This is a news site. I try and report news. This was an important moment. As a reporter, I have always seized on things. I believe the spirit I offered this in--of encounter, self-interrogation--was the spirit of the meeting. I love the statement, I have family that lives in Israel (Elliott Abrams and Paul Wolfowitz both stand up). I can only repeat, this is an essential conversation, and we must bring this spirit of transparency to the Jewish engagement in public life. The blogosphere is the royal road to the discourse...
How many times must a comment from Phil's phools be proven wrong, a lie, or just plain antisemitism before Phil gets the message that there is good reason no one will hire him?
Lack of credibility. No one believes you are honest. Your little group of neo-nazis may love you, but they are not putting food on your table.
Step away from the dark side, Phil. We know it is seductive. But we also know it is wrong.
Who is 'we'? You and your gang got off the short yellow bus not that long ago. I don't think any rational person takes your inanely idiotic diatribes against Phil and the other commentators you disagree with, seriously.
Phil corrected himself. That's what people do when they make mistakes.
A liar knows the truth but tells a falsehood instead.
An honest person who makes a mistake, will correct themselves after they realize they were wrong.
A liar can be proven wrong time and time again, and will either continue lying/blame someone else while issuing a non-apology apology/play rhetorical games to deflect/divert/avoid the issue.
You – Chris the douchebag sockpuppet – are a liar. A stubborn liar. A liar who knows the truth quite often, at the very least, the rhetorical truth. You know how inanely stupid you sound when you call everyone who disagrees with you a Nazi/Holocaust denier/antisemite/etc.
You are either a pathological liar or a pro-Palestinian advocate who is creating a sockpuppet account portraying a foam-at-the-mouth moronic Zionist to turn off the many people who view this site but do not post.
Poor little LD. He has become a raving lunatic with nowhere to call home. However, he is rapidly climbing the ladder to become the #1 phool of Phil's Phools.
Thanks for the apology.
Did you look into how it got by you? What is important? I think so, as it was very substantive relative to your point, and you got on an emotional role.
@ chris berel
"Step away from the dark side, Phil. We know it is seductive. But we also know it is wrong."
Phil, thank god you don't think reality is a Star Wars movie, like chris.
Phil is far more removed from reality than any star wars movie, as are you.
More existential affirmations from those we love:
"If there's anything tragic about Zionism, it's that the Palestinian anti-Semite rejectionist population isn't isn't reduced frequently enough."
-Sabra, Pearlman
"People/Jews who want to separate Zionism and Judaism simply can't be trusted."
-Wits
"I may be wrong, but Zionism seems to mean: a lot of lying about a lot of killing."
-Weiss, Silverstein, et al
"Blood and soil!"
-Berelly/Suzanne
"Get Lost, Babylon"
-I & I (seen and raised, Haygood!)
Who is removed from reality, living in a Star Wars world? Reasonable onlookers would conclude it is chris berel, who says above, ""Step away from the dark side, Phil. We know it is seductive. But we also know it is wrong."