Posted on 11/19/2005 3:40:09 PM PST by Alouette
HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them "zealots" who claim a "monopoly on God" while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, said "religious right" leaders believe "unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person."
"What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?" he said during the movement's national assembly in Houston, which runs through Sunday.
The audience of 5,000 responded to the speech with enthusiastic applause.
Yoffie did not mention evangelical Christians directly, using the term "religious right" instead. In a separate interview, he said the phrase encompassed conservative activists of all faiths, including within the Jewish community.
He used particularly strong language to condemn conservative attitudes toward homosexuals. He said he understood that traditionalists have concluded gay marriage violates Scripture, but he said that did not justify denying legal protections to same-sex partners and their children.
"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage. But there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."
The Union for Reform Judaism represents about 900 synagogues in North America with an estimated membership of 1.5 million people. Of the three major streams of U.S. Judaism — Orthodox and Conservative are the others — it is the only one that sanctions gay ordination and supports civil marriage for same-gender couples.
Yoffie said liberals and conservatives share some concerns, such as the potential damage to children from violent or highly sexual TV shows and other popular media. But he said, overall, conservatives too narrowly define family values, making a "frozen embryo in a fertility clinic" more important than a child, and ignoring poverty and other social ills.
One attendee, Judy Weinman of Troy, N.Y., said she thought Yoffie was "right on target."
"He reminded us of where we have things in common and where we're different," she said.
Yoffie also urged lawmakers to model themselves on presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, who famously told a Houston clergy group in 1960 that a president should not make policy based on his religion.
On other topics, Yoffie asked Reform synagogues to do more to hold onto members, who often leave after their children go to college. He also said the Reform movement, which is among the most accepting of non-Jewish spouses, should make a greater effort to invite spouses to convert.
My Jewish b-i-l describes Reform Jews as "athiests who haven't kicked the temple habit".
That's not what he's saying, as far as I can tell. Though his rhetoric is somewhat unpalatable. From what I can read, he wants a central Jewish religious authority established to prevent the further slippage of Jewish values. Thus, this religious body would adhere to an orthodox (in the literal sense, not the denominational sense necessarily) interpretation of the Torah and the Scriptures. I believe he's also arguing for a chief rabbinate, though I may be mistaken. Perhaps America does not have one, which is certainly possible. Some countries do (Ireland, France, Israel, Britain), but it's possible America doesn't. Canada may not either, now that I actually think of it. And I definitely don't think he's suggesting they be given the right to condemn people to death.
Of course I could be wrong, in which case it's just a stupid suggestion.
Yes, the German Jews did assimilate easier, and were much more conservative. I remember in college when I was a poll worker in a GOP precinct worker in Chicago (in 1970), a well dressed German Jew lady of about 85, telling me about the glory days of Republican rule of some mayor of Chicago in the 1920's named Thompson (as a sidebar, the guy who said that if the King of the UK ever came to Chicago, he would hang him), and about the importance of property rights. LOL. But in Cincinnati, their considerable numbers were never cut by the Ashkenazim, and they become part of the GOP establishment.
Not only did he believe in the pagan Od rays drawing men to men but men to boys, and found nothing wrong with it. He only gave lip service to his "dislike of homosexuals to keep the Catholicc Church quiet.
This Rabbi better do his homework.
I think they are frightened and confused and lost, and they think they can wish the world a better place and it will become so. These people are generally very intelligent and quite caring, but they've lost their faith, and have forgotten G-d, dismissing the Lord as a cultural shackle or religious relic of a bygone age. Many also have a very poor sense of reality or long-term vision as well, which is disturbing. You'll find a lot of these people generally support the status quo.
That would be cruel to Pat.
Interesting anecdote.
As if leftism and political correctness actually are a help to poverty. Even Yoffie probably knows better. And he certainly knows that vague phrases like "other social ills" are perfect levers to move the country further leftwards.
Yoffie probably voted for Buchannan by mistake anyway.
"The appeaser feeds the crocodile in the hope that it will eat him last" - Winston Churchill
Just what is it Yoffie is trying to appease? Who is the crocodile?
I submit that it is the growing alliance of leftists and antisemites, the latter including the whole range of rabid Jew-hate from Cynthia McKinny to David Duke.
The institutional media ("MSM") are complicit in this for systematically ignoring the growth in openly antisemitic declarations from the left, as during Cyndi Sheehan's rants and various media-driven campus demonstrations.
The MSM have completely ignored the anti-War and pro-Islamic positions of KKK and neo-Nazi leaders and the increasing involvement of this scum in the lefty-instigated anti-war movement.
I could post a list of typical anti-Jewish statements and readers would be hard-pressed to guess whether they came from the left (including many JINOs), the "right" (Duke, etc.), or dead Nazis like Streicher and Goebbels.
I love it, but I suspect that fourth generation estimate is off -- at least because what would the centrist have to be centrist to by that point?
The Reform have become America Firsters like the anti-semitic Henry Ford and Charles Lindbegh of last century. That's crazy too.
Very interesting perspective. ;) Thanks for sharing it. I'm not so sure the Day of Judgement is imminent, but I do think we are in a time of troubles, and I do think that G-d will see us through it.
It's a very strage turnabout, yes. And they're not so much America first as modern social-liberal values first.
Ford and Lindbergh saw themselves the great defenders of the modal American values of that era, 1870 thru 1930, a starched-collar cookbook morality. Yoffe and the Reform congregations equally. They see themselves as the great defenders of the modal American values of this last modern era, 1940 thru 2000, a tye-tied I'm-Okay-You're-Okay libertineocrity.
Evangelicals believe salvation depends on acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and is not at all based on morality. Acceptance of Christ and his offer of salvation means all our sins, past and future, are forgiven.
Of course we're expected to repent, but a true evangelical cannot judge the morality of someone else.
Jesus loves both of you.
For 90% of the Reform Jews that I know, the synagogue is a place they attend at most twice per year.
I'm really under the impression that Reform Judaism has blanded the religion down almost to the point of non-existence.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but honestly, that's my impression.
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