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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

"Rabbi Obama" And The Shame Brought By Leaders of Conservative Judaism


Yesterday afternoon President Obama and White House Chief of Staff Jack "Hey I'm Jewish and Love Obama" Lew met with leaders of the Conservative Jewish movement.  That's Conservative Judaism, not conservative politically.  The leadership of Conservative Judaism, as well as much of the rabbinate is progressive politically.

For example, you may remember last year when two leading conservative and 398 other Rabbis broke Jewish law when they joined a socialist-oriented organization in a politically based (and false) attack on Glenn Beck.

The reason for the meeting was for the president to shore up a voting block which has already cut way back on donations and may vote for him to a lesser extent than they did in 2008 (Obama will most definitely win the Jewish vote in 2012 but even the most liberal based polls project him reviving much less than the 78% he garnered in 2008).

According to ynet news.com
During the meeting, Obama told the rabbis that when he was running for Senate some accused him of being the Jewish lobby's "puppet" because of his many Jewish associates in Chicago. Now, he said, the Republicans are trying to portray him as not being supportive of Israel by stressing the fact that his father was Muslim and he has a Muslim name, as well as by claiming that he had been overly aggressive in pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to promote the peace process with the Palestinians. 
All I can say is חרא של פרות! (translated as Cow Sh*t! in English)

How dare he lie like that? How dare the Rabbis not admonish the president for making false accusations!

I have never been more ashamed of the Conservative Jewish Movement. Our leaders have allowed the president to publicly slander Republicans; forgetting that some of them (this writer included) are counted in their congregation’s minyans (the quorum of ten Jews needed for communal prayer).

As someone who has often accused the president of being anti-Israel, I have never based that accusation on his name or the heritage of his father. In fact there isn't a serious writer I've read that has based their opinions on his name or his father.

Most writers base our opinions on three and a half years of anti-Israel policies such breaking previous agreements between Israel and the US govt., surrounding himself with anti-Semites and Israel haters, making demands on Israel without making the simplest demand on the Palestinians (the recognition of Israel as Jewish State). And let's not forget the times he used rhetoric in an attempt to portray Israel as some sort of war-mongering human rights violator the court of world opinion.

And I won't even get near his lie about ever being called a puppet of the Israel lobby. Surely his anti-Semitic preacher Jeremiah Wright, his former office-mate the anti-Israel Bill Ayers or his good friend the anti-Semitic former PLO spokesman Rashid Khalidi never made that charge.

Here comes the weird part:
Obama also stressed he probably knows about Judaism more than any other president, because he read about it - and wondered how come no one asks Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner or Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell about their support to Israel.
"Well whaddaya know folks," we no longer need to learn Rashi script and the Rambam is now obsolete. Barack Obama is now a Jewish scholar.

One question though, if Obama knows so much about Judaism, why doesn't he understand the concept of Lashon Hara (wronging people through speech)?

The Torah says Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people (Lev. 19:16). The ancient Jewish Sages took that passage and said that there are three transgressions that would cause a man to lose his place in the world to come: murder, adultery, and idol worship, but lashon hara is equivalent to all three (Bab. Erchin 15b). Jews believe that the harm done by telling tales about people is worse than the harm done by something like theft because one can repay stolen money, but harm done by speech can never be repaired.

The president and his progressive compatriots are constantly telling lies about their political opponents, not their policies but their persons. The president and mainstream progressives have called us racists, xenophobes, haters of the poor, aged, women, and infirmed.

Sure there have been conservatives who have questioned Obama's religion and birthplace, there is a name for them in the Republican and political Conservative movements and it's not very nice. Let's just say that those types of claims are not supported by the conservatie mainstream. However those claims are supported by and even voiced by our president.


Honestly I cannot blame the president, he wants to get re-elected so (as he told Russian President Medvedev) he can have more flexibily in a second term.

However, I do have a beef with the leadership of Conservative Jewry. It seems that nothing matters to them, his anti-Israel policies, his support of anti-Semites, his Lashon Hara right to their faces--none of it.

Perhaps they are so wrapped up in "social justice" justice politics (itself an anathema to Jewish law) that they've lost all powers of reasons. These Conservative Jewish leaders have thrown out their "higher calling" their love of the Jewish state, and have begun to worship the golden calf of big government and a progressive political theology committed to replacing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as the Gods of other faiths.

Shame on these supposed leaders for forgetting the words "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning." Shame on them for allowing themselves to become political pawns of an anti-Israel, anti-religion President--Shame on them for forgetting why they became Rabbis in the first place.






18 comments:

Reliapundit said...

conservatives?

hah!

they are reformed - and have allowed gay marriage.

Bmac said...

Would someone please ask what exactly he read that educated him thoroughly about Judaism? That would be telling since he is basically saying his knowledge of Judaism makes criticism of him above reproach

Bob M

Daniel in Brookline said...

I agree that these rabbis should be ashamed of their silence. They should not have let such statements pass without comment... and they should certainly know the dangers of staying silent.

Although frankly, I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt -- and assume that they didn't answer the President's "I know more about Judaism than any other president because I've read about it", because they were trying too hard not to laugh...

Republican Jews (yes, they exist): if you want President Obama to lose in November, pray that he never learns to keep his mouth shut. Keep talking, Mr. President, and above all, keep telling us how great you are. Assume we would never know if you didn't tell us... which is actually pretty close to the truth!

cheers,
Daniel in Brookline

Anonymous said...

Well, at least George W. Bush knew enough about the Holocaust to blame the Nazis rather than the Poles.

JAL said...

Thank you for your posting on this.

Obama's comments were featured on Drudge earlier today. They are entirely gone now. (Not even dropped down.) Curious.

Jewish Odysseus said...

That is a beautiful analysis, Mr. D! Obama's mouth resembles nothing so much as a a trash disposal in reverse, spewing nothing but filth and lies, w/that disgusting smirk...WTF is wrong w/ANY Jewish person who's got an ounce of self-respect, to grin and laugh and suck up to him?! Let alone a rabbi!!

I need to calmly ask any rational Jewish person: "Please tell me what you find appealing and persuasive about Obama and his policies?"

BTW, in Israel, Obama is hated by ~75% of the Jewish population...Of course, they LOOOVE him in Gaza...

mbecker908 said...

I share your disdain and disgust Jeff, I feel exactly the same way toward Evangelical Christians and Catholic hierarchy who support Obama's "social agenda".

Fat Man said...

I am a very long way from being Mr. Super Jew. I was raised in a Reformed synagogue, and I am still a member of a Reformed synagogue. m Hebrew is very shaky and I have never "learned" Talmud.

But, this guys claim that he knows more about Judaism than I do is an insult. My guess is that what little he does know is superficial, and distorted by the context in which he learned it, and more importantly, he has no idea of the incredible depth of the ocean of Jewish knowledge and the amount that he does no know.

Dick Stanley said...

Yep, it's those Polish death camps that prove Obozo's great knowledge of Judaism.

el polacko said...

obama knows that the way to celebrate hannukah two weeks early is to light all the candles on the menorah at once. he read about it !

Ashan said...

Or in more common, everyday Hebrew, which is how most Israelis feel about Comrade Barry Hussein: בולשיט

Anonymous said...

So, even as you explain the concept of lashon hara, you write that anyone who has the audacity to question Obama's birthplace or religion is Nuts? Way to go.

Personally, I think his birthplace is sufficiently relevant to merit at least discussion - surely there can be no harm in free speech - given the Constitutional requirement that the president be a "natural born citizen," the definitive meaning of which has never been totally resolved. And as for his religious upbringing (and adult choices thereof), I don't see how that can be anything but relevant, in light of the threat of Islamic jihad.

You're welcome to think I'm Nuts, but for you to broadcast such a pronouncement doesn't seem exactly in keeping with the ideals to which you say you aspire.

Just sayin' ...

Unknown said...

I would love to know what Rabbis attended the campaign appearance. Is there a list somewhere?

Anonymous said...

Nice write-up. I do not understand the hold that the democratic party and progressive politics have on American Jews.

Doug Santo
Pasadena, CA

Gottrocks said...

Where has the author of the blog post been? The Conservative Movement began selling its soul to the left when it purged the likes of Rav Halivni all for the sake of twisting halacha to support their leftward lurch. As the years have rolled on, the tilt has become even more extreme, where as, just like its liberal compatriot the Reform Movement, both have practically left the precepts of Torah behind for the planks of the Democrat party.
about a minute ago

Unknown said...

You're always welcome to join us the orthodox. Sure, we have our problems, but we have three advantages: 1) We're not the democrat party with holidays. 2) We are not dooming ourselves demographically by not having enough babies. 3) That mechitzah. Nothing ruins a boisterous gathering of men like a bunch of women.

Bilwick said...

I always wonder how "liberal"* Jews and Christians get around that comment about not coveting thy neighbor's goods. If people actually obeyed that commandment, what we call "liberalism" would evaporate into nothingness. Certainly "Il Dufe" wouldn't have much of a re-election campaign.


*and by "liberal" I mean, of course, "tax-happy State-fellating coercion-junkies"

APRPEH APRPEH said...

maybe you should just check out your local Chabad shtieble.... and learn to enjoy shul again....!