Earlier this month my coreligionist (and coBaltimoreOriolesist) Rob Browne of Dailykos challenged Rabbi Saperstein of the Union for Reform Judaism for being outspoken on Darfur when he was silent about oppression in Palestine. Browne has now exchanged emails with Saperstein's office over the criticism, and passes along this report:
I just read this post from Rabbi Brant Rosen at Shalom Rav. In this post, he states that, as a Jew, he has no choice but to put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict first in terms of his activism. He then goes on to describe his local actions to help heal this divide.
Rabbi Saperstein and the Reform Action Coalition seem to take the opposite approach to Rabbi Rosen. They appear to use their Jewishness as a way to deal with many world problems except Israel/Palestine. Being a Rabbi is, and should be, a holy profession. As such there is a tremendous responsibility that goes with the job. Part of that responsibility is to speak out about injustice wherever it is (which is the point of Gila Orkin's op-ed). So often their powerful movement is only critical about Israeli when the Reform movement there that is under attack. With respect to the Palestinians within Israel or in the Occupied Territories, they stay fairly quiet.
While I applaud Rabbi Saperstein and the officials of the RAC for their stand on issues of health care, choice, poverty, and gender & sexual equality, their minimal public responses to the injustices done by the Israeli government towards the Palestinians is much less than holy.I know that Rabbi Saperstein may be Newsweek's most influential American Rabbi in 2009, but I think next year's list needs to have Rabbi Rosen take over the top spot.
First Post Script, Introduction from Rabbi Rosen's "I Can't Dance Anymore":
I know there are those who wonder why, with all of the various injustices going on in the world, do I seem to dwell on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians? It’s a fair and important question. For me it boils down to this: I’ve come to believe that too many of us in the Jewish community will unabashedly protest persecution anywhere in the world, yet remain silent when Israel acts oppressively.
I know all too well how we actively avoid this truth. We use any number of rhetorical and political arguments to deny it, to mitigate the discomfort and pain it causes us. We engage in a kind of tortured dance of rationalization that we save for no other world issue but this one. But for me, at least, but none of it really addresses the core issue at hand: however difficult it might be for us to face, Israel is unjustly oppressing Palestinians.
Second Post Script. Recent email exchange between Micaela Hellman-Tincher, of the Reform Judaism's Religious Action Center, and Rob Browne. Three emails follow, with some extraneous material removed. I have eliminated Browne's first letter, which restates the criticism of Rabbi Saperstein he made in that original post.
Hellman-Tincher indicated that it was OK to quote from this exchange.
1. Mr. Browne,
Thanks for your concern for human rights issues around the
world. Rabbi Saperstein is pleased to be able to join the
Darfur Fast for Life, and to lift up this important issue,
especially on Thursday when over 70 rabbis from around the world
will be joining his fast.
At the RAC we understand that there is a multitude of challenges
at any time that need activism. We do not believe that
addressing any one of them requires addressing all. With the
knowledge that we cannot work on all issues at the same time, we
try our best to practice activism and social justice leadership
when we can be most effective. With regards to the dire
humanitarian conditions in Gaza, we have been supportive of the
Administration's efforts to send aid, and we continue to work
for a viable solution to the crisis there.
Sincerely,
Micaela Hellman-Tincher
Legislative Assistant
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
2. Dear Ms. Hellman-Tincher:
Thank you for your response to my letter. I must admit that, although not surprised by your comments, I am disappointed.
I can certainly understand your statement, "With the knowledge that we cannot work on all issues at the same time, we try our best to practice activism and social justice leadership when we can be most effective." As North America's largest Jewish movement, I do believe that you have the numerical, economic and religious strength to be very effective with respect to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In reality, the RAC and the URJ has more of an opportunity to influence Prime Minister Netanyahu, than President al-Bashir.
While I am appreciative of your comment that the RAC is supportive of the Obama Administration's effort to send aid, I have not been able to find any information stating that idea. If there are any statements or action alerts that any official of the RAC has published, I would greatly appreciate a link to them….
Once again, I thank you for your response and I hope that you will re-evaluate your public position on this vital issue for the people of Israel, Palestine, and America.
Sincerely,
Robert Browne
3. Micaela Hellman-Tincher email to Rob Browne, on June 17:
You can find a recent statement by Rabbi Saperstein on supporting the Administration’s efforts to fund humanitarian aid here: http://rac.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=3324 and our most recent resolution on Middle East peace here: http://rac.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=3514
religious action? Isn't that something of an oxymoron?
It seems the Rabbis, unlike yourselfs, can morally distinguish between the suffering of an innocent population of Africans just trying to live their lives and the supporters of Islamic Fascism who demand the genocidal extincntion of the Jews in Israel.
A key hasbara talking point is the accusation that those who attack Israeli de facto policy (or recent bills in Israeli's version of Congress) are picking on Israel when there are so many other negative regimes in the world. Hence, a hardly veiled accusation of antisemitism is directed at any messenger critical of Israel. This of course instantly silenced any non-jewish messenger nearly all the time because they are then risking their careers, the actual decent survival of their family etc in the economic world as we know it in the West. For jews in the diaspora, in addition, this hasbara approach adds the reality of conflict within one's own Jewish extended family, though jews still have more license to speak than any non jew, so I'm not sure who is risking more. But you can't neglect the emotional trauma of disagreeing with your own immediate family. A key point lost in this is that AIPAC, and all US congress spokesmen/women, and federal government agents, is that the US does not give a blank check to any other government except Israel's. All Americans should be concerned theref ore whether this is really in the USA's best interest. The issues raised as internal American Jewish conflict need to be made public by the MSM as all Americans are affected by USA foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the creation of the state of Israel, it was one thing to not air dirty linen in public, but post 1948, and especially post 1967, the dirty laundry hanging on the line is no longer only Jewish laundry–and the loose change that fell to the ground and blood on the underpants, the shit stains etc–are gentile too. In simple terms, you cannot have only jews as valid stakeholders when the USA owns so much stock in the state of Israel. Forced investors will eventually balk.
September 9, 1993 — the date that the PLO officially and formally recognized Israel’s right to exist in peace and security: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace... LETTER FROM YASSER ARAFAT TO PRIME MINISTER RABIN http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace...
You mean Arafat lied? No!
A key point made by those who seek to destroy Israel is to blame the well-educated public of being uneducated. Won't work.
The public is not well-educated. Just check issue-awareness polls of Bush voters for his 2 victorious elections. And as a matter of common sense, no, most people are not well-educated on American foreign policy. And evidenced by your hysterics ('Everyone wants to kill the Joooos!'), you are an imbecile.
The public is certainly well educated. Didn't they elect Obama? Or are you implying that Obama is in office thanks to 50 million idiots? Or perhaps you were the idiot that put him over the top? Eiuther way, it appears that you are the imbecile that has little knowledge of American foreign policy.
The public is certainly well educated. Didn't they elect Obama? Or are you implying that Obama is in office thanks to 50 million idiots? Or perhaps you were the idiot that put him over the top? Eiuther way, it appears that you are the imbecile that has little knowledge of American foreign policy.
This message holds the key. All Americans ( by understanding of the USA's highest professed values) should note it, and act accordingly.
LOL The USA masses are totally ignorant of the I-P history. The MSM media and Hollywood have insured that.
BS. Very few Americans know the history of the Middle East. All they know at most is the Movie Lawrence of Arabia and the movie Exodus. Most don't even know that.
Yes, because there's no way a Muslim or an Arab can ever tell the truth? What about the supporters of the Jewish Taliban (i.e. the settlers) who demand the ethnic cleansing of Arabs from the whole Greater Palestine/Israel area?
The US public, although reasonably educated, are totally ignorant of the outside world and non-US related affairs. Study after study has shown this, with many not being able to answer even basic questions about other places in the world.
Again, they elected Obama on domestic issues, not foreign policy ones. American foreign policy up until Obama failed for one reason and one reason only, the false belief in American exceptionalism. Most people here know a lot about world affairs in general. If you have something worthwhile to contribute to the discussion (whether you Zionist or anti-Zionist), then please do. If not, then there's no point in you being here.
the american public voted bush in… twice.
Then you are truly a real american. Ignorant as sin.
Seems (maybe) religons should be banned from owning properties or being publicly admired in financial areas when it comes to support yearly.Higher Tarrifs should be placed when a sqeeze is needed since resolutions have never been followed through. So by eliminating the "church/s/m/etc from tax exempt. They take so much money and DO NOT give" a half " of what they could to help people in need from this financial catastrophe the mortgage / real estate / credit industries. Has anyone been following the players and whom recieved what?God should be in our way of life and hearts not in our "pocketbooks". Same with the pharm industry dish it out.
It would be truely glorious if a complete west bank pull out/ a right of return enforved along with reparations/ a wall along the 47 boarder just into the sea as a pier (also of concrete decorated by Palestians) which would separate the two enough? Or an 8 lane street with crossunderpass walkways id card swipe for into the occupied aparthied to work if ……..——–? Seems Arafat is still alive and well since all the promises of with drawl have not been completed. the ecuses are endless. A cable tv network need to be created to "get the word out and deprogram these masses show them for what they do. Then prosecute already, someone should get a petition to suspend "statehood" lockdown on "All inport and export" deliver the Palestinians to the gaza port, use an old usa boat from the second hand store to help (haha) with the separation into the waters off the