Say no to rabbis’ racism

[Scurrilous]

Judaism being utilized as political tool to advance agendas of Israel’s far Right

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4130091,00.html

<snip>

"It’s difficult for me not to hold a sense of warped admiration for some of the prominent Orthodox rabbis here in Israel. The level of ignorance that many in the rabbinical establishment display in social, political and military affairs never ceases to astonish. Their indissoluble faith in God, Judaism and the Torah grants them the profound audacity to make declarations that surpass any statement that a well-educated, secular individual would have the courage to say even in the privacy of their closest associates, much less to the international media. If anything, it would be unfair to call them disingenuous. Maintaining such unquestionable faith in an age of logic, reason and immense scientific achievement is an aptitude that I personally lack.

Last week, Kiryat Arba’s Chief Rabbi Dov Lior called for the IDF to impose “collective punishment” on rioters in response to the death a father and son whose car flipped over after a rock hurled by Palestinians. Just recently, Lior also claimed that Israel’s growing isolation and hatred of the Jews worldwide is punishment for the demolition of three meager shacks in the Migron outpost two weeks ago. He said Arabs are “evil camel riders” who should be expelled from the Land of Israel and given a right of return to countries like Saudi Arabia. As usual, Rabbi Lior also reiterated the Jewish claim to settlement of Judea and Samaria as an inalienable Jewish right.

Unfortunately, Rabbi Lior’s statements are common fare here in Israel, and the rabbinical religious establishment has never been shy about postulating bigotry and racism – based firmly in the framework of Jewish religious law - towards other Jews and non-Jews alike.

Back in 2010, some 50 of Israel’s most prominent rabbis issued a religious edict against Jews renting property to gentiles, especially Arab-Israelis. Thirty-nine of those rabbis are on the government’s payroll, although their opinions vary drastically from the State of Israel’s official laws and ethos. After this incident, no rabbi was fired or brought to court for incitement."

[LeftishBrit]

1. Argh. The religious right seem to be pretty much the same everywhere..

regardless of the specific religion.

Too often, religion gets used 'as a political tool of the far right', and gets corrupted in that way.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. No, I don't think that's at all true.

I think that, for example, these rabbis are significantly worse than Nadie Dorries, but nowhere near as bad as Fred Phelps, who in turn is nowhere near as bad as the Taliban.

And I'm not at all convinced that it's religion being used by the far right rather than religion resulting in far right views. The Jewish Patriarchs, St Paul* and Mohammed all left writings which commend far-right positions on social issues (although generally left-wing ones on economic ones).

*Jesus probably agreed with them, but as far as I can tell there's very little specific instruction directly attributed to him in the Bible; Christianity appears to have mostly been codified by his successors.

[Cherchez la Femme]

3. Oh? Is Phelps burning down Mosques or other churches now?

Or non-Phelps owned orchards?

[Scurrilous]

4. Hasidic Rebbe Calls President Obama "Black Dog" And "Arab"

The rebbe also called Israel's president, Shimon Peres, "evil" and said the world will end soon with the wars of Gog U'Magog, and those wars will be an instantaneous worldwide nuclear holocaust.

<snip>

"The Shomrei Emunim Rebbe Shlita granted an interview with the Morasha Magazine for Sukkos. In the interview, he warns of the outbreak of World War III, and spares no words in a scathing verbal attack against President Shimon Peres, who he labels a “rosha”, blaming him for much of the tzoros that has befallen Am Yisrael.

The interviewer, Rabbi Turnauwer, asks the Rebbe how he views the changes taking place on the global scene."

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2011/10/city-workers-remove-sexist-yiddish-signs-345.html