paterno
A friend who is involved in the Jewish community in New York writes:
Over the last week, rabbis have been talking and writing about the devastating child molestation case that involved a former Assistant Football Coach at Penn State University. Not surprisingly, there is hypocrisy coming from the voices and keypads of these moral leaders.
These rabbis note that Head Coach Joe Paterno, Graduate Assistant Coach (and future Assistant Coach) Mike McQuery, and other school officials did not live up to their legal and/or ethical obligations with regards to protecting the unfortunate young victims of the alleged pedophile, Jerry Sandusky. Many were quick to note the shortcomings of these individuals in comparison to the Prophet Abraham, who argued with God to save the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the text of last week’s Torah portion, Vayera.
While people who are not critical towards or unfamiliar with these Rabbis could easily support their logical and ethical ideas, those who are aware of the role many of these communal leaders have in supporting and/or enabling the Government of Israel in its direct and indirect attacks on Palestinian and Bedouin children are well aware that these leaders, who have failed to stop one-sided incursions, separation of families, dispossession of homes, Occupation, and a siege of collective punishment, are as guilty in the eyes of God as any athletic official at Penn State.
Rabbi Moshe Leib Gray, Spiritual Leader of Chabad at Dartmouth, which promotes Israel to a faretheewell, writes, What Joe Paterno could have learned from Abraham…
Joe Paterno had a chance; a moment to do the right thing. It would have been devastatingly uncomfortable and, yes, he would have been forced to betray his friend, risking the loss of a deeply valued relationship. He would have endured many sleepless nights as a consequence but he would have been undeniably right in doing so.
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, Spiritual leader of Ohev Shalom (Washington D.C. – Modern Orthodox), who hosts an Israeli reservist, writes in the Washington Post,
“In the Jewish tradition it is an absolute sin to stand by while another person is being hurt.”
Rabbi Gerald Skolnik, Spiritual Leader of the Forest Hills Jewish Center, Vice President of the Rabbinical Assembly – Conservative, a pro-Israel group, writes in the NY Jewish Week:
Joe Paterno told people to “pray for the children.” My prayer for the children is that they be kept far away from people like him and his ilk.
Rabbi Joshua Hess of Congregation Anshe Chesed in Linden, NJ– which trumpets AIPAC on its facebook page– writes at Huffpo about Paterno:
Among the myriad of verses which implore us to protect the vulnerable, the most critical one is, “Do not stand idly by, while your fellow’s blood is shed.” This commandment requires us to do whatever we can to save and protect the life of a fellow human being.
The indictment. Read the whole thing and you will really get it.
http://www.wltx.com/news/pdf/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf
Robin Young did an interesting piece on this issue
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/11/15/legal-experts-sandusky
Frank De Ford on NPR.
Is Football Culture The Core Of The Problem?
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/16/142355144/is-football-culture-the-core-of-the-problem
“While people who are not critical towards or unfamiliar with these Rabbis could easily support their logical and ethical ideas, those who are aware of the role many of these communal leaders have in supporting and/or enabling the Government of Israel in its direct and indirect attacks on Palestinian and Bedouin children are well aware that these leaders, who have failed to stop one-sided incursions, separation of families, dispossession of homes, Occupation, and a siege of collective punishment, are as guilty in the eyes of God as any athletic official at Penn State.”
You hit it out of the park Phil. Consistent moral values. What a concept
Is there an opportunity they will not grasp to paint halos on their portraits? If it’s not Dr King’s bones, it’s the debris of a paedophile scandal. Who asked them anyway? Did they just volunteer?
“Among the myriad of verses which implore us to protect the vulnerable, the most critical one is, “Do not stand idly by, while your fellow’s blood is shed.” This commandment requires us to do whatever we can to save and protect the life of a fellow human being.”
What utter hypocritical rubbish. To condemn Paterno is fine, he deserves it. But to misrepresent scripture is quite another thing. Please bear in mind that in Classical Judaism, the source of reference is the Talmud, not the Torah. The Talmud is the accepted Rabbinical interpretation of the Torah. In the Talmud, “fellow” refers to “fellow Jew.” The way a Jew is supposed to relate to the safety of a gentile was expounded upon at length by Moses Maimonides, Judaism’s greatest philosopher and Rabbinic authority. Suffice it to say, that Rabbi Joshua Hess has totally misrepresent Judaic teachings on this topic. For those interested, I highly recommend “Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years,” by Israel Shahak.
Leave it to Monsieeiss to exploit the Penn State case to make a cheap point about Jewish American clergy.
Glass houses, Phil. I don’t see you requiring American Muslim clergy to issue condemnation of human rights violations in the Muslim world, which dwarf those in Israel.