Posted on 06/01/2011 10:04:52 PM PDT by ventanax5
No day of the year in Israel is more agonizing than Yom Ha-Zikaron—the Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars. For 24 hours, the country’s unceasing sniping gives way to a pervasive sense of national unity not apparent at any other moment; honor and sanctity can be felt everywhere.
Israel’s many military cemeteries are filled to capacity with anguished families visiting the graves of loved ones. Restaurants are shuttered. One of the country’s television stations does nothing but list the names of the 23,000 men and women who gave their lives to defend the Jewish state, some of them killed even before independence was declared and the last of whom typically died only days or weeks prior to the commemoration.
Twice on Yom Ha-Zikaron, once in the evening and once again in the morning, the country’s air raid sirens sound. On sidewalks, pedestrians come to a halt and stand at attention, and even on highways, cars slow and stop; drivers and passengers alike step out of their vehicles and stand in silence until the wail of the siren abates. For two minutes each time, the state of Israel surrenders itself to the grip of utter silence and immobility. During that quiet, one feels a sense of belonging, a palpable sense of gratitude and unstated loyalty that simply defies description.
I mused on this fact as I read a recent message sent to students at the interdenominational rabbinical school at Boston’s Hebrew College, asking them to prepare themselves for Yom Ha-Zikaron by musing on the following paragraph: “For Yom Ha-Zikaron, our kavanah [intention] is to open up our communal remembrance to include losses on all sides of the conflict in Israel/Palestine. In this spirit, our framing question for Yom Ha-Zikaron is this:
(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...
Article isn’t readable for me, but I can guess what it says.
The sad truth is Judaism is in crisis. Intermarriage, and secularization has taken it’s toll, but almost worse is how far from traditional mainstream Judaism many denominations have strayed.
The majority of Rabbis and Cantors ordained in the last 25 years are a joke. Hebrew University in Israel is known for turning out Leftist creeps who incorporate a mish mosh of made up stuff, with some Catholicism, and Eastern Religion, plus a bunch of New Age crap. The flipside would be the Hasidic movements, who have their own sets of issues.
Zionism is built into the religion. It’s part of being a Jew. Nobody can read the Torah and say otherwise.
The crisis is with Consevative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and other Leftist Jews that don’t take Torah seriously. They are intermarrying and not having many children. Then you look at the Orthodox and Hareidi (aka Ultra Orthodox) and you find that the ranks are growing by leaps and bounds. They have their own social problems but intermarriage and secularization are not.
Gordis’s article and observations are right on the nose. I’ve been reading the names and school or shual affiliations of the “new” Jewish Rabbis ( aka “kumbaya rabbis”)who sign onto J Street, or whatever, and am upset at some of them. (I know a few of the older rabbis and they are fine people, but politically naive or left-liberals).
I cut my political teeth on Rabbi Balfour Brickner of the Steven Wise Synagogue in New York when he was defending the Viet Cong, and as turns out, also the Rosenbergs, and was supporting a fundraiser for KGB agent Wilfred Burchett (1977). I always wondered why he was so far Left and nobody has supplied an honest answer so far.
I admired Rabbi Abraham Heschel for his lovely writing though I would disagree with some of his political positions, but he was a mensch.
My first rabbi was Rabbi Samuel Rosenblatt, son of the famed Cantor Yossef Rosenblatt, and a well respected leader of the Baltimore Orthodox Jewish community. Another of my rabbis was Herschel Liebowitz, also Orthodox, who stunned the Jewish community (to much applause), for his ringing denunciation of Mayor Tommy D’Alessandro III (1968), for his abject failure to protect Jewish businesses during the riots there. (His sister is Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was born on the same street, if not on the same block, as my mother. We’re all from the same “hood”).
I proffer this background, and the following in order for the readers to understand where I came from, what I have see and learned, and why Gordis is so correct in what he has written.
I wrote for Jewish newspapers for decades, but only two would carry my column “Back to Babylon”, about my Jewish soldier son who helped to liberate Iraq, and who drove thru Ur and Babylon on his way to Balad Air Force base when Baghdad fell to American forces in April 2003.
Here a Jewish kid from Arlington, Virginia, helped to liberate 25 million Moslems and Christians from tyranny, and most papers weren’t interested in the story (a few other papers later did carry similar stories about Jewish soldiers and rabbis in Iraq, but I think mine was one of the first).
Today, if you look at ancient and modern maps of the world where Jews once lived, and still do, you might notice that the Arab world has become literally “Judenfrei” (Jew free), something that Hitler dreamed of doing (along with his Arab allies) and nearly accomplished.
The few remaining Jews of Iran are hung whenever Achmedgenocide and the ruling Mullahs of Qom decide to have some human sacrifices to the 12th Caliphate.
Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt (my friend was tortured by Nasser’s men in 1967 during the war because he was the head of the ancient Jewish community, and another fled from his family’s 2,000 year sojourn in Libya: his name was Roumani - I wonder were that came from, perhaps as in the Roman Empire) - all are basically or totally Jew free. Tunisia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia (Jews wiped out in the 600’s), Oman, Qatar, etc. Not many Jews left there either despite the fact that they had thriving communities until only a few decades ago.
These new Jewish rabbis are, in reality, very ignorant of Jewish history, very liberal to the point of being anti-Israel leftists, very blind to reality, very naive to say the least, and, for some, they are the “New KAPOs”.
I believe it was Heinrich Heine who said that “The road to hell was paved with good intentions”, and some of these “new” rabbis are laying down 8-lane highways to genocide, all the while thinking that they are heading towards paradise.
“Paradise” to Jews is a peaceful world. “Paradise” to most Moslems in the Middle East/parts of Africa,and some in Asia Minor and Malaysia, is a world “without Jews.”
As Justice Jackson once said, “The Constitution is not a suicide pact”, so too must we say that these “New Rabbis” are not our spiritual deliverers and teachers, but are the medchanisms of our spiritual and physcial destruction.
Mr. Gordis: Name names. Let us know who within our community is the internal termite, the rot that will destroy our house, the corrupter of young Jewish minds, and who act as “intellectual” and “spiritual human shields” for our enemies.
The problem with the Hasidic movement is that they’re often following trends as well, and their traditions stem from a reformist movement of it’s own. It’s not as if you can write off all the denominations who aren’t keeping Orthodox. People doing that miss the point. Plus Judaism allows for such differences, and the nature of the diaspora means some traditions are thousands of years old, and perhaps of equal validity.
The bottom line though is Zionism is a tenet of the Jewish religion.
Jews have been fleeing Torah observance ever since Sinai. It’s only been since the early 1960s that Jews started coming back to the faith. The Prophets said one day this would happen.
Yes, the Chasids that follow the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov are a reform movement in and of themselves but you don’t see them saying that intermarriage or assimilation are okay or permissible. Judaism does teach that differences are allowed but there are some red lines you just don’t cross.
You have Rebbe Shneerson who taught his own students to bring Yehudim back to Torah with amazing results. I think the Rebbe saw the spiritual vacuum created in young Jews and decided to do something about it. He was not of the opinion to write them off but to simply give them direction. Even diaspora Jews in places like China and India are coming back to Torah.
Yes, Zionism is integrated fully into Torah and rabbinical teachings. You can see verse after verse about the love of the Land and what happens if you don’t take care of it properly.
“but you don’t see them saying that intermarriage or assimilation are okay or permissible.”
The big criticism is their promotion of easy conversions, which opens the door for a form of intermarriage and assimilation.
I would still feel safer pointing Christians, or someone like Glenn Beck to Chabad for guidance, or outreach than any other denomination. I fully agree that the Lubavitchers do good work.
Which group of Chasids are promoting easy conversions? I am not aware this was going on.
Here’s an article from a Chabad blog out of Crown Heights talking about a crisis with Israeli school children lacking Jewish identity and not even knowing basic prayers.
http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=35207
You sad it all. Me— I don’t have a high opinion of young doctors
The number of Torah observant keeps growing each year in Israel. I’ve heard that about 20% of the Israelis are so.
I don’t know if the Israeli public schools ever taught the Shema or other basic bits of Judaism within the school but you have to remember that the chiloni run the schools and are a bit hostile to any attempt to teach children the basics of Judaism.
If the Torah observant yell long enough and loud enough this situation will change. Based on what I know eventually all schools in Israel, public and religious, will teach Torah.
Just as the Left in this country are on the decline so are the Left in Israel. And both are running scared.
Well, the accusation is that Chabad was selling conversions to Russians who were trying to buy their way into Israel. Obviously the idea was to locate refuseniks who lost their heritage, and bring them back into the fold so to speak... but supposedly they can get aggressive about it.
In general, Chabad is very open minded about conversions, and expanding their membership.
Chabad is freaking everywhere! Even places like Uzbekistan! I’m serious! I wouldn’t be surprised one day if they set up a place in Antarctica!
I think the Israeli government went a little too easy allowing Russians, who had questionable lineage or conversions, into the country when they made aliyah. As a result the Russian mafia set up shop and started causing problems.
the treife clergy are not real rabbis
...a recent message sent to students at the interdenominational rabbinical school at Boston's Hebrew College, asking them to prepare themselves for Yom Ha-Zikaron by musing on the following paragraph: "For Yom Ha-Zikaron, our kavanah [intention] is to open up our communal remembrance to include losses on all sides of the conflict in Israel/Palestine...
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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I think we’re all saying pretty much the same thing, in different ways.
The Orthodoxy has failed in their own ways, by turning generations off from observance. Their attitude and approach didn’t lend itself to Judaism, and it’s still a problem today when practicing Jews come in so many varieties, and sub sects.
Anyway, it’s no secret that a lot of post-WW2 Jews became disenfranchised and culturally Jewish. Reform and Conservative Judaism existed long before, and can’t take all the blame. Reconstructionism on the other hand....
Anyway, it’s no secret that a lot of post-WW2 Jews became disenfranchised and culturally Jewish. Reform and Conservative Judaism existed long before, and can’t take all the blame. Reconstructionism on the other hand....
You have know idea how bad Reform and Mastori (I refuse to call it Cosnervative) have become. Both ordain homosexuals. Deform and Reconstructionist do gay weddings.
“Thei attitude has kept Judaism alive for 2 millenia. And people like me are disaffected by liberal Judaism.”
You’re talking about specific movements that started in the 1800’s, not 2 millenia.
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