The apologists and the excuse-makers in the American Jewish community have begun their work. No need for concern, they say. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Israel’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, is not really an extremist. He may have some unconventional ideas and have said some unfortunate things, but he is basically a mainstream politician who poses no threat to U.S.-Israel relations or to relations between Israel and American Jews.
Much of the debate until now has focused on whether or not Lieberman can be accurately classified as a racist or a fascist. But this debate is largely beside the point. A far-right politician on the European model, he has risen to prominence at a time of uncertainty and fear by alleging that Israel faces a threat from within. Like other demagogues of this type, he has been sly in his rhetoric so that allegations of racism cannot be established with certainty.
Nonetheless, the thrust of his campaign was anything but ambiguous. His intention was to inflame hatred of Arab Israelis among the Jewish Israeli public. His major policy proposal was a loyalty oath clearly intended to disenfranchise Israel’s Arab citizens and turn them into residents without rights. It was an outrageous, abominable, hate-filled campaign, brimming with incitement that, if left unchecked, could lead Israel to the gates of hell.
The challenges posed by the relationship between the Jewish state and its Arab citizens are certainly real. Demagogues thrive by focusing on real issues. It is legitimate to be concerned about the distancing of Arab Israelis from the Jewish state and about ensuring a Jewish majority in Israel. But no one in his or her right mind believes that these problems will be solved by rescinding the Israeli citizenship of more than a million Arabs.
American Jews — the vast majority of whom are strong supporters of Israel as both a Jewish and a democratic state — are dismayed by Lieberman, mostly because he represents values that we abhor. Furthermore, we know that America’s commitment to Israel rests far more on shared values than on strategic interests, and thus we see him as a threat to the U.S.-Israel alliance. In addition, there is reason to worry that he will blacken Israel’s name among the democratic nations of the world.
It would, of course, be a mistake to obsess about Lieberman and to grant him greater importance than he deserves. Remember that he received only about 12% of the vote, much of it a protest against the perceived weakness of the other major-party leaders. And, it’s safe to say, most Israelis find his views utterly unacceptable. Still, Israel’s bizarre parliamentary politics could elevate him to a position of real power. What is important, therefore, is for all concerned to do what is necessary to limit his influence and visibility.
If the party forming the next government can keep Lieberman out of the coalition, it should; if not, he should be exiled to the margins of the government, and it should be made clear at every opportunity that he does not speak for Israel.
But American Jewish leaders, too, face a significant test. For all those who claim to speak and lobby on our behalf, who fight antisemitism whenever it appears, and who champion Jewish rights everywhere, this is a moment of truth. If we are silent or speak the language of equivocation, we will weaken rather than strengthen Israel’s cause. We will also undermine our credibility with our government and with American Jews, who are looking to us for leadership. We do not make excuses for the haters, the bigots and the demagogues who incite against Jews and other minorities around the world, and we must not make excuses when the inciter is one of our own.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie is president of the Union for Reform Judaism.
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I agree with Rabbi Yoffie that Avigdor Lieberman's political success is really bad news. The rabbi has stated: "it’s safe to say [that] most Israelis find his views utterly unacceptable" - and that is certainly true for myself and for all people whom I know. However, Mr Lieberman, whom I really don't like at all, has actually taken upon himself to live in Israel, and to participate in the shaping of what is clearly the very central story of the Jewish collective drama. Rabbi Yoffie, whom I really like very much, hasn't (unfortunately). The rise of Israel has been an inspiration for western Jewry and a tool in its tough battle to maintain Jewish identity against the forces of assimilation. Sadly, Israel has not really captured the hearts of American Jewry in the sense of actual participation. What a difference it would be if hundreds of thousands of American Jews would actually participate in our society, in the elections, in the decision making process, etc. So, I agree with Rabbi Yoffie's political analysis (to keep Lieberman out of the future coalition, inshallah), but "na-eh doresh, na'eh meqayyem" as Rabbi El'azar ben-'Azaryah once said (tosefta yevamot 8,7). One should live by one's point of view. If one prefers a very different election result in Israel, it would be a bit helpful if one would actually participate therein.
Israel does really captured the hearts of American Jewry in the sense of actual participation - see below:
After some hesitation, Debbie Weinglass, a Jewish West Bank settler (the Detroit-born West Bank settler from Nokdim), finally decided not to vote for her neighbour, Avigdor Lieberman. She was worried he might tilt a little too far to the left. To be fair, Mrs Weinglass doesn't put it quite like that. Instead, she says she was worried that Mr Lieberman, despite being routinely described as a neo-fascist by his more vociferous Arab and left-wing Israeli opponents, might deliver power to the centrist Kadima leader, Tzipi Livni, by joining her, rather than Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, in a coalition. So she voted for the National Union, committed to a greater Israel stretching all the way from the Mediterranean to the Jordan river.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-land-of-the-toxic-kingmaker-1622489.html
I agree, that Abrham Liberman may be the most dangerous Jew in the entire Jewish world and he must be barred from entering polotics. He is a threat for Israel's survival.
I would like Zionists to tell me why Lieberman is worse than Sharon, Livni, Olmert, Netanyahu or Barak? After all, Lieberman never went into kill and wound thousands of Palestinians! Why are they better than him? They all want to create a politically correct regime all over historic Palestine in which the Palestians are relegated to Bantustans and plantations!
Lots of venom against Lieberman but it all ignores one thing. Israel does face a threat from within. Sorry for the inconvenient truth, but, to site just one example, during 2006, an Arab-Israeli Knesset member gave Hezbollah information that helped them in their rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. That legislator had much support among Arab-Israelis. It's time to stop being ashamed of Israel. Israel is not, nor should it be, another America. While Israel comes closest to America's ideals than nearly any other country, it is still, and should be, a Jewish state: one Jewish state along side dozens of officially Muslim, officially Christian and legislatively anti-Semetic states. Israel gives its non-Jewish citizens more rights than they would get from any of Israel's neighbors. That's as it should be. But in return, all of Israel's citizens should agree not to destroy the country.
R. Yoffie uses the weight of Reform Jews in America to argue against Lieberman. But were he in Israel, does he really believe Reformniks would garner 12% of the vote - LOL. It is incomprehensible - I was going to use stronger terminology - to assume that his opinions are the only view of matters, and which matter, either here in the states or in Eretz Yisrael. His constant hammering against traditional Jewish values turn one off, and his ad hominem polemics against valid arguing points cause one to tune him out. What's wrong with Israeli citizenship requiring loyalty to the State of Israel? Israel is a nation at war, and unfortunately Arab representatives in Knesset and elsewhere are demonstrating such a reality constantly.
Lieberman is no dope and knows the difference between rhetoric and the "art of the possible" that is politics. Unfortunately folks like the author of "Confronting Our Demagogue" do not and wax hysterical whenever someone speaks the truth. The Netanyahu/Lieberman government will be a strong one, able to address our enemies in an effective way. They will restore worldwide respect for Israel.
Who is the real demagogue? It is the Yoffies of this world who are far more likely than Lieberman to "lead Irael to the gates of hell." In the name of tolerance, Yoffie chooses to ignore the pervasive Arab 5th column in Israel and its very real threat to that nation's existence. Anyone with a sense of history knows what blind hopes of peace and turning the other cheek have meant to Jews, not just in the Holocaust, but since the ill conceived and failed Oslo Accords.
It is all too evocative of the 1930s to read Yoffie's concern about the threat to America's relationship with Israel if it stands up for itself. It was American Jewish leadership in the 30s, fearful of how the country would view them that failed to stand up for the Jews who were ultimately slaughtered by Hitler. Now it is the Yoffies of the world who are afraid that an Israel that acts to protect itself will threaten its relation with the United States.
Exactly what relationship is that? The nonsense he spouts about our contry's "shared values" with Israel shows his ignorance. Our country will stand up for Israel only as long as it believes it is in our economic and strategic interest. And as long as the Muslims have oil and Israel does not, our country will continue to give lip service to its committment to the Jewish State. Can Yoffie possibly believe that America will risk American lives for Jews in the Middle East, particularly when it would threaten our supply of oil and when we have already shown our unwillingness to act in our own interest against the Iranian nuclear threat?
When wil the Yoffies of this world wake up to the fact that no one cares what happens to Israel, or Jews in general, for that matter. Any European holocaust guilt -- if it ever existed -- has long faded over thirst for Muslim oil and fcowardly fear of Muslims in their own countries. If Jews and Israel don't defend themselves, no one else will.
And what's wrong with loyalty oaths for Arab citizens who have proven their disloyalty by supporting the destruction of the very nation that has not only given them citizenship, but also more rights than they could possibly expect in any Arab country? Liberman is no Joe McCarthy dredging up unwarranted fears, but a watchman at the gates warning of a real and fatal threat.
I am sick of people like Yoffie who show more concern for our enemies than for Jews who have the courage to defend themselves. At best, he is a fool. He has never learned that the price of appeasement is death and that the only Jews the world shows concern for are those who are dead.
Mr George K Bernstein has encapsulated my feelings precisely, and written them far better than I would have. Unfortunately, the Yoffies of this world are not amenable to reason; they are prisoners of their prejudice and emotion.
On a personal note, my congregation requires membership in the UAHC, or whatever it calls itself now, but in recent years I found myself increasingly uncomfortable with the politically correct liberal viewpoints taken by the group. I told our administrator that I no longer wanted my name associated with the UAHC and if it meant my congregational membership would be cancelled, then so be it. A compromise was reached: I pay the dues, which go in under my wife's name.
The only way to beat islamists is to confront them - and destroy them. Kindness won't accomplish that. Killing them will.
If Mr. Yoffe thinks otherwise, he's an idiot. When he references "the vast majority of American Jews", the reference is skewed because "the vast majority of American Jews" are liberal-Democrats like him. They comprise the 'psycho-seventy-eight" percent who voted for Obama.
Idiots.
If some Reb Goofy of the Deformed Judaism sect would have made the comments that Rabbi Yoffee did, one could dismiss them as the ravings of a wing nut. Typically of self identifying left wingers, Yoffee uses personal attack and denigration to assert the superiority of his views, without even once attepting to justify them. Lieberman's demand for a loyalty pledge applies to ALL Israelis, not just Arabs or Haredi. Citizens who refuse to swear loyalty to their nation - like the USA Pledge of Allegiance - or who refuse to pay taxes or do their national service have no right to vote in the running of a state. When they identify with people hostile to their nation, they forfeit their right to remain in the state and need to exercise their inalienable rights to emigrate. Yoffee needs to keep in mind that the USA jailed its Japanese citizens during WW2 and stole their property something Lieberman is not even hinting at. And the USA Japanese proved their fierce loyalty with their blood despite the discrimination they suffered. Israel is entitled to defend itself against its fifth column as much as the Csechoslovakians did against the Sudetenland Germans. It really behoves a man who has s'miha to worry more about right and wrong than about Right and Left.
There are two major problems with Yoffie's analysis:
1) This is a one-dimensional portrait of Lieberman. Wherever one stands with his stance on Israeli-Arabs, Lieberman does have other major platforms which Yoffie seems to conveniently ignore just to make the point he wants to make. Lieberman has placed a priority on civil marriages for those who do not want to go through the Orthodox Rabbinate; and he is a champion of easing the conversion process. These are views I would have thought would be in line with what the Reform movement wants to see in Israel. More than a little curious that Yoffie walks right past this in a rush to pain Lieberman as a rascist.
2) Perhaps Yoffie is not aware, but Israel is a sovereign democracy. This means that people VOTED for Lieberman. These are all people who are citizens of the State of Israel, either because they were born here or because they chose to make aliyah. Yoffie may not agree with their choice, but they have the right to vote for whomever they choose. As an Israeli, I may not agree with whomever Yoffie voted for for U.S. President. But it's really none of my business because that is his right. Yoffie does have, as does any member of the Amercian Jewish community, an interest in the makeup of the Israeli government. But it is not appropriate for him to suggest someone in Israel shouldn't be part of the government if actual Israel citizens duly voted for him.
The State of Israel is unique in many ways in that it as the only jewish homeland and it is sorrounded on all sides by Arab enemies with whom it has been fighting since its founding.Presently, its large Arab minority is not required to serve in the Army or to perform any form of national service. Its politicians have openly sided with the enemy and is garnering support to do away with the exclusive Jewish character of the State. To suggest that in these circumstances requiring a loyalty oath from its ciizens to insure the State's continued viability on the principles upon which it was founded is somehow racist and unethical is ludicrous and preposterous.
In all the postings attacking Rabbi Yoffe, I am struggling to find any semblance of Jewish values and ethics. Call me naive, but aren't we supposed to be a light unto the nations?
Yoffie is an hysterical fear monger living in the comfort and safety of the U.S. far away from harsh realities of the Middle East. Let him move with his family to Sderot and see how long his extreme left wing views hold up.
When we hear of attacks or vitriol coming form the Arab/Muslim side, we demand to hear from moderates, and when we don't we denounce all of Islam as evil (even as we willfully ignore the moderate voices). Yoffie is a voice of moderation, and it is hypocritical to try to shut down his voice while calling for that same type of voice among Muslims.
It is important to not that 80% of Israeli voters (or so) voted for politicians to the left of Lieberman. To say that he represents more than a significant minority is foolish. To ignore the threats of his modest popularity is also foolish.
Does anyone imagine any U.S. administration (and especially the current one) willing to use its political capital in favor of a nation that actively tries to disenfranchise a significant minority? Such anti-democratic moves can only hurt Israel in the long run even if it creates a secure solution in the short run.
Granted I sit here in the U.S., but like it or not( from both my perspective and the perspective of Israeli's), the actions of Israel do affect me and do reflect on me because they are the representative of the Jewish people among the nations. Therefore, it is proper to criticize it when appropriate, to call it to actions and to demand that it lives up to its promise of creating security for all Jews everywhere. I don't get a vote in elections, and neither should all those Israeli "citizens" that spend 11 1/2 months a year in Crown Heights and other similar places. But all of us do get a voice.
Two things: First, the fact that this issue is being openly and vigorously debated says a great deal about the nature of the Jewish people and about the nations in which the issue is primarily being debated (the US and Israel). Second, is it really possible to have a religious (Jewish, Muslim, other) state that is at the same time democratic when a significant portion of the population falls outside of the sanctioned faith? I'm not sure those concepts are reconcilable.
I have never been more proud of being Jewish and a Reform Jew than when I read Rabbi Yoffie's column. I have never been a fan of the URJ. Nonetheless, it is about time that a representative of the Union, the largest denomination in America challenged the so called groups that allegedy speak for me, AIPAC, ADL and AJC on Israel. They don't and now we Diaspora Jews have a dilemma. What do we do now when Lieberman may be in a Netanyahu Government? Thank you Rabbi Yoffie.
Eric Yoffie, president of the Union of Reform Judaism, does not speak for me. In the past, he has often written silly things, e.g. he has claimed that Reform provides a better Jewish education than Chabad. Nevertheless, I am taking a fresh look at this article and would appreciate relevant hard evidence from Israelis who have heard or read Avigdor Lieberman. One question of interest is this: If some Israeli Jews hate some Israeli Arabs, to what extent has this hatred been caused or significantly intensified by Lieberman? In this item, Yoffie equates Avigdor Lieberman with "the haters, the bigots and the demagogues who incite against Jews and other minorities around the world," but he provides no evidence of such actions by Lieberman. Yoffie himself resorts to demagogic techniques, including labels like "racist" and "fascist" (which he admits are irrelevant) and "a far-right politician on the European model" and "sly" (which he claims are relevant). He presents no evidence to show that Lieberman is more demagogic than other politicians, e.g. Netanyahu, Livni, Obama, or FDR, or than Yoffie himself. Yoffie claims to know that Lieberman's "intention was to inflame hatred of Arab Israelis among the Jewish Israeli public." He charges Lieberman with "an outrageous, abominable, hate-filled campaign, brimming with incitement." Yoffie gives no evidence. Yoffie accuses Lieberman of not being "in his right mind." Making several tacit jumps, Yoffie accuses Lieberman of believing that Israel's "problems will be solved by rescinding the Israeli citizenship of more than a million Arabs," a proposal and a claim that Lieberman has not made. Yoffie claims that Lieberman represents values which American Jews abhor. I was unable to find such abhorrent values in Lieberman's platform. While claiming to defend the values of freedom and democracy, Yoffie asks Israel to "limit [Lieberman's] influence and visibility," keeping him out of the coalition if possible, and at least "exil[ing him] to the margins of government" and making it "clear at every opportunity that he does not speak for Israel." Isn't this a recipe ("The lady doth protest too much") for giving everyone the impression that Lieberman does speak for Israel? I would like to ask Yoffie: Why does not he personally ask the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state? Why doesn't he encourage Netanyahu and Livni to make this demand? Why should Lieberman be the only figure to make this perfectly legitimate demand? (Olmert made it in November 2007 but quickly dropped it when the Palestinian leaders said "No.") Curiously, Yoffie does not explain why he did not object to Lieberman's being in the government in 2007.
An friend whose job it is to read and analyze the Israeli media on a daily basis has written the following devastating comments about Eric Yoffie's article:
"If some Israeli Jews hate some Israeli Arabs, to what extent has this hatred been caused or significantly intensified by Lieberman?"
Comments by expert on Israeli media: The suggestion is that 15 MKs instead of 11 is an illustration of a growth in the "extent" of "hatred." There are many reasons why it was 15 and not a predicted 20. These have nothing to do with hatred of Arabs, as Yoffie claims. It does have to do with the war in Gaza and the support voiced by Israeli Arab MKs for HAMAS and the ignoring of rocket attacks on Israel over 8 years. You can see all this in the Israeli Arab press, which MEMRI does not translate.
I presume that if Mexico attacked the southern United States over a similar period, immigrant Mexicans would not feel comfortable, and doubly so if they sided with the people launching those rockets. So instead of trying to convey a racist trend, I look at the specific reason for 4 more seats -- yet nor 9.
Yoffie: "the haters, the bigots and the demagogues who incite against Jews and other minorities around the world,"
Comments by expert on Israeli media: Difficult for me to stomach this one because of its gross ignorance. On the contrary, the bigotry, hatred, and incitement comes from the Arabs. I do not believe it is inciting to say that a minority that sides with the enemies and attackers of their state should not do that. I don't believe any state in the world should tolerate that. It is like a rocket from within. Remember Lord Haw-Haw [William Joyce] broadcasting from Hamburg to England for the Nazis. He was hung. In fact, I would say that they are lucky to be given the free speech to do this. And on the basis of that, they won 1 more seat in the election.
They do not believe in integration, but in national separation, or, in their case, the dream of one state here. Yet there are Arabs who do believe in integration, a social role, and cooperation. On that I want to be clear. Their public representatives believe in assisting, aiding, and abetting the enemy. There were many cases, however, of Arabs being ignited and spurred into either executing or aiding terrorist attacks in the years 2000-2006. Yoffie does not know about that.
Yoffie: "intention was to inflame hatred of Arab Israelis among the Jewish Israeli public." He charges Lieberman with "an outrageous, abominable, hate-filled campaign, brimming with incitement."
Comments by expert on Israeli media: Deliberate misrepresentation (see first quote above) of intention, a common charge by the left, and attempt to ignore the behavior of Israeli Arabs during the war in particular. Adoption of "Arab Israelis" in that order indicates a sympathy. Full of adjectives taken from the US liberal left's vocabulary.
Yoffie: "problems will be solved by rescinding the Israeli citizenship of more than a million Arabs," [Norman's comment:] "a proposal and a claim that Lieberman has not made"
Comments by expert on Israeli media: Correct, he has not made it.
Yoffie: "We will also undermine our credibility with our government and with American Jews"
Comments by expert on Israeli media: Yoffie's key concern and point. His comments will obviously fall on open ears in the administration.
Yoffie calling somebody a "demogogue"? Well it takes one to know one.
Not sure what I think about Lieberman, but I'm very sure that I find Yoffie's attempts to speak on behalf of American Jews to be a tad presumptuous. Beyond the effrontery of attempting to speak on behalf of a very large and diverse group of people (who did not appoint him their spokesman), there is a certain chutzpah in making pronouncements about Israeli elections and how they should turn out-- if Yoffie wants to vote in those elections, he can feel free to move to Israel.
Jack, George, Barry, Paul, Chanya.... You're absolutely right.
Israel does face a growing internal problem with its Arab population. Israel has tried its best to incorporate these Arab "Israelis", but it's obvious that they have a dual loyalty. One cannot simultaneously be an Arab and a citizen of Israel, and as long as they remain within its borders, they will present a danger to the state and its real, Jewish citizens.
Perry Berman has it exactly right--these people are incapable of listening to reason, and negotiations can help us.
Killing them is the only option we have left. It is time for a final solution to the Arab Problem.
Funny ... that sounds strangely familiar. I could swear I've heard that somewhere before.
Yoffie's continuous extreme left-wing views are getting to the point of being disturbing. He promotes extremist diversity, except for those on the right. He is going to drive many people away from the Reform movement. In fact I will not be giving another dollar to my local synagogue (outside of dues, which may end soon too) until Yoffie is removed.
I discussed the effectiveness of loyalty oaths in the last issue of my newsletter. Anyone who wants to get a complete copy of the newsletter can send their e-mail address to chovevai@gmail.com.
Here is an excerpt:
I had a wonderful English teacher in High School. His name was Dr. Bowman and he had taught at a university before coming to Malden High. Those were the days of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, its antisemitic member John Rankin, and rampant anticommunism. Dr. Bowman was a man of principle, who was fired by the university when he refused to sign a loyalty oath. His misfortune was the good fortune of all of the high school students who were privileged to have him as a teacher. I once asked Dr. Bowman about his refusal to sign and his response was (more or less), “If I were a communist, dedicated to the overthrow of the government, I wouldn't have any qualms about lying and wouldn't hesitate to sign a loyalty oath. Although I am not a communist, nobody has the right to try to control how I think, and I refused to sign the oath”.
Although more than fifty years have passed since I finished high school, Dr. Bowman's response still rings in my mind. Thought control is the death of democracy. A government only has the right to control actions by passing laws and enforcing them in the courts. Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) campaigned for the Knesset with a loyalty oath plank that appealed to the fears of many Israeli voters. (He also successfully wooed secular voters by getting Rav Ovadia Yosef, the religious leader of Shas, to denounce him.)
Who could swear a loyalty oath to a Jewish State? First of all, anyone dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Israeli government would have no trouble signing such an oath, as Dr. Bowman pointed out many years ago. However, loyal Israelis, including Druze, Muslims and Christians, might well object to any such oath. A loyalty oath to a Jewish State would be objectionable to several groups of Jews as well. No member of the Neturai Karta could sign such an oath they don't even recognize the existence of Medinat Yisrael. No member of the greater Israel cult could sign a loyalty oath to Medinat Yisrael in good conscience. They consider themselves, not the government, to be the arbiters of the law on territorial issues; democratic consensus be damned. Most of Lieberman's core constituency, the secular Russian immigrants, as well as other secular Israelis, would have trouble taking a loyalty to a Jewish State, although they might be willing to take a loyalty oath to a State of Jews. And then there are the nonJewish Russian immigrants who should be strongly opposed to taking a loyalty oath to a Jewish State; they want a state of all of its citizens. If a loyalty oath had been in place for this election, there would not be many people left to vote for Lieberman.
The first thing that hit me when reading the posts to this Article is that they are predominently opposed to the views of the so called Liberal left, which this paper is aleading advocate. Are you not surprised at the vitriol cast upon your paper and your journalists. To my mind Yoffie abrogated the prefix of Rabbi when he wrote such incitement as this article invoked. Reform Judism is certainly not a spokesmen for American Jews. I am a member of the JWV. I have no problem noting that the mebership my Post(250 strong but declining rapidly through attrition) are pro a strong military and the use of force in the ME as the savior of Israel and the Jewish people. Maybe it is because they put there lives on the line for a principle.Without having won that War all these opinions would be mute. As for Lieberman's Loyalty Oath, it applies to only those who have not served in the Military ot other services to the State. It Applies to probably most Arabs as they have never served in the Military and have shown traitorous actions, that any other country would have imprisoned or deported for such actions.Bye the way, the Druze serve in the Military so they should not be included in the Loyalty Oath. Most of the People I associate with here in South Florida are affluent Jews or Yuppies. They have taken a great deal from this country and I wonder, many times, what they have done for this country.
I worry less about Lieberman than the demoagogues who have brought us the Oslo process and the gaza withdrawal. All of these people have as much blood on their hands as Barghouti does. It is a shame that Israelis have been killed by Israeli arms delivered to the PA. Lieberman does not have any blood on his hands. Lets administer the loyalty oath-not only in Umm al Fahm but in Tel Aviv as well
Yoffe's attempt to ignore the ~12.5% of Israelis who voted to Avigdoe Lieberman, suggests to me that he does not hold to Democratic values. So not only does he pretend to represent the entire body of the Reform members, he suggests that Israel should ignore a significant part of the Israeli population. I guess the Reform movement has a rotten apple in its hands, and they need to drop it in the trash can of history. Get someone with brains.
I've seen no evidence to back up Reform Rabbi Yoffie's contention that Lieberman is a proto-fascist. If anything, he has a Russian penchant for discipline in Israeli governance. I support wholeheartedly his entry into a coalition government and rebuke sternly the undemocratic values espoused by Yoffie who is busy fending off the leftist concerns of his diminishing flock.
Go Rabbi Yoffe!...a true Jewish voice for peace A solution for justice...36 times in the Torah God says do not oppress your neighbor...
The facist Forward deletes my comments but keeps comments from the nazi David Sabotene. What a bunch of appeasing wimpy kapos! Just like yiur hero the so-called Rabbi Yoffie. It's no wonder you people support the phony Rabbi when both support and appease the Jew-killing terrorist Muslims.
The Forward is made up of Judentrats!
"It is legitimate to be concerned about the distancing of Arab Israelis from the Jewish state and about ensuring a Jewish majority in Israel."
VS
"It is legitimate to be concerned about the distancing of Jewish-Americans from the Christian state and about ensuring a Christian majority in the United States."
Between these two sentiments there is not a lick of difference.
Perhaps Mr. Lieberman has changed his tune a bit from his 2004 plan to accept only "loyal" Arabs in Israel. But in essence I still have a profound disagreement with him on what is right for our Jewish state. I feel we should follow the American model with these principals: All immigrants, regardless of former nationality or religion, must be held to the same standard. In the U.S. all immigrants take an Oath of Citizenship in order to officially become Americans. For Israel, it should be "all or none" (that is, if I don't need to take an oath, no one needs to). Those who currently reside in Israel, regardless of religious beliefs, should be treated the same in one important respect - they are "loyal citizens" until PROVEN (by law) otherwise. (Just like the American "innocent until proven guilty") A deviation from these principals would, in my view, strengthen the Carter-Apartheid view of Israel, and that's the last thing we need.