May 8,2008
Liberal Jewish groups have had a less full throated reaction to the hoopla surrounding Israel’s 60th, tempering their celebrations with reminders of the still unfulfilled promise of Israel’s creation. Rabbis For Human Rights-North America’s celebration, held Thursday at the southwest entrance to Central Park, billed itself as an “alternative” ceremony.
Debbie Friedman was there, guitar in hand, as were about 60 others. Two trees were planted for peace, echoing RHR’s work protecting Palestinian olive trees. And Rabbi Gordon Tucker taught from RHR’s new Talmudic-style commentary on Israel’s Declaration of Independence:
RHR, like its Israeli counterpart, has been criticized for seeming to be more concerned with Palestinian rights than Jewish ones. Thursday’s ceremony cleverly focused on Israel’s founding document, holding the country to the very standards it has established for itself. Though I wonder if I was the only one who felt the singing of Hatikva at the end was something of an afterthought.
Breaking News
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- "You Tube carries some viciously antisemitic videos that smear not only the State of Israel but also " Rabbi Moshe Adler on Hasbara 2.0 (beware of bugs)
- "An Israeli Lubie renting apartments in Postville to the illegal immigrant employees of the plant. W" Daniel on Ghostville
- "who fighting with nazi and terror, who help up today to Israel? Sad but thank you Gorge and Laura B" miron,ny on Hanging with Bush in Israel
5 Responses for "Justice @ 60"
Why in the world would the writer think that singing Ha-Tikvah is an afterthought or that reading from Israel’s Declaration of Independence is nothing other than “clever”? What chutzpah! Doesn’t he have the capacity to imagine that the Declaration of Independence actually means something? . . . that it is the founding document of the State and that it articulates the vision they held for it? Is referencing that vision nothing more than “clever”? And could it not be possible that the members of RHR-NA (full disclosure: I am a member) are patriotic and sing Ha-Tikvah often and with deep feeling? Where in the world does the writer get off making comments like this? What a cynic!
what fools. they have learned nothing from history. through out our history such naive folks have been killed, lost every fight often by not fighting. these liberals and leftists are heading for the dust bin of history as have all the ones who went before them. they do not deserve our prayers nor our sympathy because they are dangerous deluded persons.
we spent thousands of years asking others, being nice, seeking protection of those more powerful. that got us nowhere. only when we fought for our rights, our land did we achieve anything.
my forebearers went out onto the roads to meet murdering cossacks who ran or lost when they showed up with sticks and stones. it was by beating up anti-semites in my school that it stoped not by cookies and parties. after a few lost fights some became friends and the others learned not to bother me/us or our friends.
We are aghast at your short memories of Arab arsonists burning trees in Israel’s forests, and the terrible act of Arabs tearing down greenhouses in Gaza. They could have been in good economic conditions if they had used what the Israelis left behind. Instead, they burn and destroy. Your trees could have been planted in honor of Israel’s forests and greenhouses. We have nothing to atone for. It is time for our enemies to come to us with trees in their hands.
2604
Afterthought, because if you do not understand Judaism and do not understand politics and do not understand Hashkafa, chances are you shouldn’t make public statements like those. The real Chutzpah is that of of a guy who calls himself a rabbi and probably eats pork, mechallel shabbes and weds Jews with shiktzas — or at the very least is associate with those who do. Shame on you.
[...] think that everything can be solved by fairness, economic development, and communication. Recently Rabbis for Human Rights held an ‘alternative’ 60th anniversary celebration for Israel, in which they emphasized the need for Israel to ‘live up’ to ethical [...]
Leave a reply