Monday, September 15, 2014
The Poison of Anti-Semitism Takes Many Forms
A Sunday rally to protest against the recent surge of anti-semitism in Germany drew an 8,000-strong crowd at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. Among the protesters at the rally, organized by the Central Council of Jews in Germany, were non-German minorities including Syrian Christians, Moslems, and Africans seeking recognition of their own struggles at home and abroad. German Chancellor Angela Merkel headlined the rally and unequivocally condemned the anti-Semitism that came to characterize this summer’s demonstrations against Israel and its offensive in Gaza. She said those who have used criticism of Israel to veil their anti-Semitism have “abused our dear fundamental right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.” The theme of anti-Semitism hiding as anti-Israelism was echoed by Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit. He also called on the government to ban the far right nationalist party NPD (National Democratic Party of Germany). Comments by Ron Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, were greeted by roaring applause. ~~~~~ But earlier this summer, on June 14-21, at the 221st General Assembly (GA) of the Presbyterian Church USA in Detroit, anti-semitism won the day. The Reverend Dr. John Wimberly, co-convener of Presbyterians For Middle East Peace (PFMEP), championed the vote on divestment from companies that do business with Israel, a position that supports the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, a secular, non-church group that rejects the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The General Assembly voted 310-303 to approve an overture calling for divestment from Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. The pro-BDS and anti-Israel elements within the Presbyterian Church USA who won the vote alleged that these companies are engaged in “non-peacefu pursuits” in the region. While similar overtures failed in 2012 (333-331) as well as in 2006, 2008, and 2010, this time the enemies of Israel carried the day. The 2014 Presbyterian General Assembly embraced the course of divestment and the radical, polarizing agenda of the international BDS movement. The international BDS movement’s stated goal is to create one non-Jewish state replacing Israel and Palestine, a position that is totally at odds with the Presbyterian Church's longtime commitment to a two state solution. It is also in opposition to the bi-partisan US government policy, which supports the two state solution. The Israel-targeted international BDS movement has lobbied the denomination since 2004 to divest from companies that supposedly support Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. It does not matter to them that the targeted companies work closely with the Palestinian Authority in an effort to build up the Palestinian economy. For the past decade, the BDS advocates have denied that they want to harm the Jewish state. But, the BDS anti-semitism is obvious. Professor Jonathan Marks, writing in the Wall Street Journal Opinion page on June 23, titled his essay “Presbyterians Join the Anti-Israel Choir.” He pointed out that the Presbyterian Church USA is “bleeding members.” Between 2000 and 2013, about 765,000 members left the church. The vote he said “Is a victory for anti-Israel forces within the church.” Marks concluded :“With dwindling membership the PCUSA clearly needs new friends, but the church does itself no favors by courting Israel’s enemies.” Speaking at a June 14 breakfast, Gaith al-Omari, a former advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said : “if you want to support Palestinians you invest in Palestine, and if you are for a two-state solution, you cannot be for divestment or BDS. If you want to be pro-Palestine, you don’t have to be anti-Israel.” ~~~~~ According to "The 2013 International Religious Freedom Report," the US State Department's most recent report on religious freedom, many Moslem nations can put Christian converts to death. In some Islamic-majority countries, Moslems who convert to Christianity or another religion face execution, according to the State Department's report, which observes that these nations consider conversion away from Islam to be "apostasy" and a capital offense. In Afghanistan, where American troops are fighting and dying to ward off a takeover of the country by Islamic militants, Islam is "the religion of the state," and "conversion, considered an act of apostasy and a crime against Islam, is punishable by death if the convert does not recant," the State Department report states. Afghanistan is far from alone in this. The Moslem world is replete with religious intolerance of the most extreme kinds. Consider the destruction of churches, the beheading of priests and mass killings in Syria, the persecution of Christian Copts in Egypt, and the recent murder of Christians in Iraq. There are 22 Arab-Moslem states governed by Sharia Islamic law where non-Moslems are perpetually discriminated against. ~~~~~ And because anti-semitism, and occasionally Christian intolerance, can rear their heads anywhere, it is perhaps not so surprising that US Senator Ted Cruz was booed off the stage because he made pro-Israel remarks at a conference for Middle Eastern Christians. The Texas Republican was the keynote speaker at the gathering in Washington on Wednesday, sponsored by the new and relatively unknown nonprofit organization "In Defense of Christians" (IDC), as reported by The Daily Caller. Cruz said : "Tonight, we are all united in defense of Christians. Tonight, we are all united in defense of people of good faith, who are standing together against those who would persecute and murder those who dare disagree with their religious teachings. Christians have no greater ally than Israel."
At that point, the crowd erupted in a chorus of boos. Cruz continued : "Those who hate Israel hate America," as the booing and calls for him to leave the stage grew louder. "Those who hate Jews hate Christians." As the jeers filled the room, Cruz declared : "I am saddened to see that some here, not everyone, but some here are so consumed with hate." He was interrupted by shouts of "all of us!" and "leave the stage," and one audience member shouted "you speak for yourself."
IDC's President Toufic Baaklini came out on stage to ask the crowd to quiet down, but Cruz had heard enough, and said : "If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Good night, and God bless." With that, Cruz walked off the stage. Senator Cruz was folliwed by several supporters of Hezbollah and the Syrian regime. Among them were Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Rai, who has defended Hezbollah's right to attack Israel and expressed his willingness to meet with the terrorist group's leader.
Another speaker, Syriac Orthodox Church Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, has disclosed that he had a recent meeting with a "high-level delegation from Hezbollah." Church of Antioch Patriarch Gregory III Laham, who also spoke, has blamed terrorist attacks against Iraqi Christians on a "Zionist conspiracy against Islam" designed to give "a bad image of Islam." A few hours after he left the stage, Cruz said in an interview with the Free Beacon: "I've certainly encountered audiences that disagreed with a particular point of view. But this virulent display of hatred and bigotry was remarkable, and considerably different from anything I've previously encountered. The division and anti-semitism expressed tonight by some of the crowd is not reflective of the teachings of Christ, and is in fact directly contrary to the tenets of Christianity." ~~~~~ And so, dear readers, we come full circle back to anti-semitism. From Germans rallying to shine a light on the evils of anti-semitism to an historic anti-Israel vote by one of the oldest Protestant Christian churches in the West to what seems to have been Middle East Christian sects attacking Israel -- because they prefer being persecuted and murdered by Middle East Moslems of bad faith? Seems a bizarre position to take, but anti-semitism knows no boundaries. Take time to read Ted Cruz's remarks slowly. Think about them. Remember that Jesus and his Disciples were all Jews. Search your hearts to find your own tendencies to stereotype Jews or Jewish culture. And then, promise yourself to do better. Literature is full of comments, good and bad, about Jews, but none is more direct than Shakespeare's monologue for Shylock, the Jewish merchant in The Merchant of Venice : "I am a Jew Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?"
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Hip Hip Hooray for you and this wonderful blog tonight. I'm a Presbyterian and I'm ashamed at what they did at General Assembly.
ReplyDeleteI was a Presbyterian from birth you might say. My Great-Grandmother had my oldest sister and I baptized (without anyone knowledge at the time) by her W.C.T.U (Women's Christian Temperance Union) group.
DeleteThe Minister at my small town Presbyterian Church was one of the kindest, gentle individual I have ever known. He is now gone - but must be distraught at his Churches action. I had long ago mentally left the church I was brought up in for nothing more than being away from most things religious for a long time.
Since the action of the Presbyterian General Assembly this past June I have (and did so instantly) to never step foot inside a Presbyterian Church.
I can not stand antisemitism in any shape,size, or form. If you are ever near a Holocaust museum - do yourself and your family a favor and go in and spend some time 9at least as much as you can stomach). The Museum in Los Angeles, CA. has a long entrance corridor that the walls & ceiling are covered with shoes (of various sizes) with 1 shoe representing each person that was killed in WW II Death Camps.
"No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee."
- John Donne, English Poet 1/1572 -3/1631
Supposedly there were Germans that were ashamed of what the Third Reich was doing. But for their own safety they kept quiet, went along, marched, sent their kids to camps to be good followers, attended rallies – but believed none of it?
DeleteIf I were a practicing “anything” and the hierarchy of my church took a stand as the national Presbyterian General Assembly did, or If I were a guest speaker (as was Sen. Cruz) at a meeting of “believers in God” and was treated directly (as Sen. Cruz was) or in-directly (as all Presbyterians were), I would do some serious soul searching to examine my connections to these people of faith.
ReplyDeleteBecause the way I was taught growing up this type of action doesn’t mesh with God’s words. So being anti-Semitic is Ok, but for an individual to speak his own thoughts about people of confused gender, same sex being married, ethnicity, etc., etc. is considered a no-no … some by the same people who practice in the own life style anti-Semitism.
Our “thinking caps” have somehow become tilted a bit.
The cartoon character Popeye use to say …” I am’s what I am’s and I ain’t no more.” Bad English, but the message is there.
DeleteAmerica is not Camelot. Never was, isn’t now, and never will be. We make mistakes and every 4 years we have the opportunity to rectify those mistakes.
ReplyDeleteMore children have died because of Roe v. Wade than were killed during the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteWe've become so divided, so antagonistic, so morally separated that for the first time in over a century there are people asking hard questions how much we really have in common with other Americans. If you're comparing let's say a conservative from South Carolina to a liberal from California, the honest answer is "not much that matters." Perhaps not even enough to hold a country together over the long haul if one group or the other ever became politically dominant.
Morality matters and if we forget that, our nation is doomed to descend into decadence, decay and perhaps one day, even dissolution. It's a cultural problem with our morals and what we value as a society on the most fundamental levels. . We have a higher moral standard for the NFL than we do for our own leaders in Washington. We have a political party dedicated to the idea taking things from people who've worked for it and giving it to people who haven't. We make little effort to assimilate immigrants into our society and instead, encourage them to embrace the culture they fled for the United States.
In practice, our society focuses almost exclusively on the short term without thinking about the long-term consequences of our actions. And certainly anti-Semitic actions - the ones that nearly enslaved the world is at the top of the list.
Hatred comes in many sizes, shapes, and colors – and all anti-Semitism is simple, stupid, blind hatred with a fancy name.
ReplyDeleteLook at what has been done to the Jewish community over hundred, no thousands of years in some name other than what it really is – H A T R E D. And quite possibly throw in a little jealousy of the Jewish people. If every race of people had the drive, the get up and go, the over achievements, the strength of character – we wouldn’t be having the serious problems in the Middle East today.