Jewish Leader Blasts 'Religious Right'

AP ^ | Nov. 19, 2005 | Kristen Hays

[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.

[Torie]

This guy’s a kook.

More likely the guy is kicking off some fund raising campaign, mining the fields of the moneyed paranoid.

[goldstategop]

Reform Judaism is a joke. It is so liberal that its safe to say its beliefs are secular liberalism with some Yiddishkeit flavor thrown in. I can't think of anything that makes it authentically Jewish.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[50sDad]

A little girl that is a friend of my eldest daughter is Jewish by heritage, is an agnostic if not an outright athiest, and has never been to Temple that I know of...and considers herself Jewish. Sounds like she would fit right in with this fellow.

[FormerACLUmember]

Looks like a kind of child molestor that gets off on torturing his little victims.

Yeah, Yoffie does look seriously evil.

The reason of course is that Yoffie IS seriously evil.

[willyd]

"What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?"

I guess he was referring to the religious right and the mussies. Side note from a Christian: If anyone proclaims to have a more sacred text than the Jews or a more appropriate relationship with God they are playing with fire. LOL I don't think you would catch me telling anyone that God favors me over his chosen people or that King James had a better idea about christianity than Moses. I just hope we all have a shot at the afterlife based on our individual behavior.

[CzarNicky]

What does that have to do with the rabbi invoking the first use of Hitler rule e.g. he invoked that his opponent is either Hitler or the Nazis in his argument first and that proves that he lost the argument?

[goldstategop]

What do you get when you marry a Jew and a liberal? The joke is a Reform.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[SpaceBar]

JINO

[goldstategop]

I was pointing out the nature of the Nazi movement. Don't tell me gays were innocent victims of Hitler. Its just PC Barbara Streisand from Yoffie. Today, the Left rewrites history when its convenient for them and of course if you have to invoke Hitler in an argument, you know its no good.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Ann Archy]

This same group just voted almost unanimously to get out of Iraq ASAP! They think Christians are their enemy instead of the Muslims who want them dead!!

[Witch-king of Angmar]

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism

I stopped reading right after this part. Another leftist moonbat, nothing more.

[Inyokern]

I thought Reform Judaism was considering seceeding from Judaism. Whatever became of that idea?

It really isn't Judaism anyway. It is just liberal politics.

[GSlob]

"but we're really just a bunch of poseurs protecting each others perversions and worship of Beezlebub"
Nah. B. L. Zebub has repudiated them long ago.

[concerned about politics]

"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations,"

Excuse me, but he was funded by homosexuals and that's how he rose to power in the first place. Had it not been for queer money, Hitler would have never made it anywhere. He killed them off after he was done with them.
Gays aren't good for anything but political money. If they weren't funding democrat politicians today, the nation would have kicked them over the boarder years ago. History is just repeating itself.

[DoughtyOne]

"...while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's."

Let me see, has the religious right said that homosexuals property should be seized?
Has the religious right said that homosexuals should have to wear a sign that revealed them to be homosexuals?
Has the religious right advocated homosexuals to be jailed?
Has the religious right advocated homosexuals to be placed in boxcars and transported to prison camps?
Has the religious right advocated homosexuals to be forced into free labor pools?
Has the religious right suggested that homosexuals should be shot en mass and buried in communal graves?
Has the religious right suggested that homosexuals be placed in gas chambers and killed en mass?
Has the religious right supported the creation of lamp shades and other objects from the skin of dead homosexuals?
Has the religious right advocated the removal of gold dental work from dead homosexuals?

I don't care much for bald faced liars who get up and try to judge others.

This guy is perfectly willing to slander a whole group of people based on a whopper of a lie.

[goldstategop]

I couldn't put it better myself. Liberal first, Jew second. And I guess Yoffie doesn't know the greatest enemy Jews have today are not evangelical Christians but head-hacking Muslim jihadists like Al Zarqawi. His entire address is a cheap political shot unworthy of the leader of a religious movement.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Cicero]

Here's his official bio, which naturally puts a good face on all his activities.

It boasts that he was the only religious leader who participated in the Million Mom March.

[Cicero]

Oops. Forgot to post the link.

http://urj.org/yoffie/bio/

[DoughtyOne]

...and their sympathizers in today's DNC.

[Fenris6]

"Reform Judaism is dying from lack of interest and assimilation."

Which is why he needs to attack Christians. Maybe he'll even write a book, call it "My Struggle" or something. Really surprised that Jews in the audience would be cheering this hatefulness. So much for Leftist Tolerance.