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Posted on 11/17/2005 4:49:03 PM PST by Alouette
Heading an organization whose entire purpose is to promote friendship and mutual respect between Jews and Christians, egregious assaults on this friendship really bother me. As I reported last week, it gives me little pleasure to admit that most of these assaults come from my side of the fence. Well, here we go again.
In Bellevue, Washington, just a few miles from my home, a Jewish Reform temple has been upsetting its neighbors by insisting on hosting an encampment of homeless people on its property. Fearful neighbors in this upper middle class enclave of young families point to countless offenses, ranging from assault and relieving in public to drug possession, perpetrated by this group of homeless during their earlier sojourn on the grounds of a church in a neighboring city.
Last Thursday, forced to adjudicate between neighbors’ unhappiness and the fervent do-goodism of the temple, the city of Bellevue imposed a time limit of 60 days on the encampment—far less time than the temple requested. The city also imposed a limit on how many homeless the temple grounds could accommodate, based on the number of toilets and showers available.
On Monday the temple filed a lawsuit against the city in King County Superior Court claiming that the city violated the temple’s religious freedom. I have already debated this matter on the radio with senior rabbi, James Mirel, who happens to be a really decent guy and a thoroughly nice person. He claims that the limits imposed by the city are unacceptable because "The whole idea of reaching out to the poor and needy is part of our Jewish tradition."
On the air I pointed out to Rabbi Mirel that very few of the temple’s leadership and members live within the quarter-mile radius of the temple that experience tells us will be deleteriously impacted by the presence of a crowd of indigent squatters. This meant that others would bear the burden of the temple’s pick-and-choose piety.
I use that phrase because most Reform temples reject much of Jewish tradition. For instance, they usually ignore the obligation to live within walking distance of their temple, as the Sabbath laws dictate.
I felt that a family that had worked hard, scrimping and saving in order to be able to afford a home in that locale shouldn’t have their quality of life destroyed by the local Jewish temple. Especially since the temple was doing something that zoning laws would prohibit any of them from doing—namely allowing campers with a history of anti-social behavior to hang-out on the front lawn.
Needless to say, the neighbors have protested mightily. They have obtained over 60 pages of sheriff’s reports of hundreds of run-ins with the law that these campers have had during their previous stays at houses of worship in King County. I have seen these reports and they make for shocking reading.
During our radio debate, Rabbi Mirel assured listeners that security guards had been engaged to supervise the harmless homeless. Although I regard the rabbi as a friend, I couldn’t resist showing him that one of those very security guards had been arrested at the encampment for distributing illegal narcotics. This is not very reassuring for the young mother living next to the temple who called me, sick with worry about her children’s safety.
One of the most astounding aspects of this entire affair is that almost nobody is speaking up for the rights of the homeowners in the area. Since when in America do the rights of the homeless trump those of the homeowners?
Indeed, is there a right of the homeless to be anywhere other than in homeless shelters? There is an almost insufferable aura of sanctimoniousness and self-righteousness about these so-called tent cities. Politicians race for the television cameras to demonstrate their compassion. Do Americans who have practiced self-discipline and moral restraint in order to be able to purchase a home, forfeit their rights to compassion?
My right to my property’s value is protected from my neighbor’s zealous efforts to help the homeless by housing 50 of them on his lawn next to the newly installed porta-potties. Why should my rights be any more vulnerable if my neighbor happens to be a house of worship? Why is someone, who is often at least partially complicit in his homeless status, more important than a homeowner?
Why do some people feel they owe more compassion to the homeless than to their very own middle class neighbors?
All these questions are really only one question—why does the culture loathe those who have achieved a little financial success?
The answer is because the culture has rejected the Abrahamitic model of Judeo- Christian values which promotes work, achievement, private property, and yes, charity to the deserving. Instead, our left-leaning culture has adopted the socialistic thinking of the Tower of Babel.
In that worldview, scorning the civilized norms of society confers virtue; the homeless vagrant becomes a hero. To the mandarins of modern Marxism, wealth is evidence of malfeasance. Utopian believing bureaucrats hate private property wanting us all out of our cars and into mass transit and regard all property owners as nuisances who buy absolution for the sin of achievement with ever higher taxes.
To my shame, far too many Jews have fallen for the failed promises of socialism instead of for the rapturous embrace of the Torah as a blindingly incandescent source of truth. Not surprisingly they then disappoint and baffle the many Christians who do see the values of the Ten Commandments as central to our society.
Is the Temple doing anything to find jobs for these people so that they can pay rent for their own apartments? Or are they just using these bums as props to show off how "compassionate" they are.
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Ugh.
So, exactly what is it they are intending to do with all these homeless people ~ maybe convince some of the neighbors to move away and sell their McMansions on the low side to the Temple?
So many questions, so few answers. Now, if Reform (and other non-proselytizing Jewish groups) would take up the encouragement of new members, we really wouldn't have any questions to ask of them.
No, I don't buy the "We're just doing charity" response. If Jewish charity is "good enough", then Judaism itself is equally "good enough" for these guys and might lift them out of their lives on the streets. It's time for the rabbi to earn his keep.
The highest form of charity is helping another person become a productive member of society.
This is showing off to impress the liberal media and get attention.
These same "homeless advocates" would get court orders to prevent a Chabad House from opening up down the block.
Funny how the local press hasn't reported this...
Just being as honest as usual, I guess.
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I've heard who I presume was Rabbi Mirel, or someone from his synagogue, on the radio a couple times. That question never came up.
"He claims that the limits imposed by the city are unacceptable because "The whole idea of reaching out to the poor and needy is part of our Jewish tradition.""
I think the best idea for the Temple members would be to each take a "homeless family" into their own private homes - reaching out to the poor and needy necessarily demands a personal sacrifice of time, money, etc.
On the air I pointed out to Rabbi Mirel that very few of the temple’s leadership and members live within the quarter-mile radius of the temple that experience tells us will be deleteriously impacted by the presence of a crowd of indigent squatters. This meant that others would bear the burden of the temple’s pick-and-choose piety.
Lapin hits the nail on the head right here, folks!
"Palestine is the wrong name for their State. It should be called Anarchy."—FReeper sgtbono2002
"Then let's wait and see what the Arabs do after they take Gaza. There's nothing like Arab reality to break up a Jewish fantasy."—FReeper Noachian
A student told his professor he was going to "Palestine" to "fight for freedom, peace and justice,"—Orwellian leftist code words that mean "murder Jews."
The Nature Of Bruce ~
this is just like the liberal judges that put halfway houses, and low income housing projects in someone elses neighborhood
The "rabbi" sounds like a fruitcake..
That is, the reform "rabbi", not Rabbi Lapin.
Medved had this guy on just the other day.
Medved always has the screechiest barking moonbats on his show. It's some kind of control thing for him to see how long he can let these idiots vomit all over his shoes while he stays calm and cool.
Whenever he has a guest who is normal, his show is boring and I lose interest.
Could you please post a link to the article? Thanks.
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