An American Jewish - German Information & Opinion Newsletter

1. GERMANY EDITION
July 26, 2012
Dear Friends:
No one can tell me that there is no such thing as Global Warming. We are in the
midst of a very hot summer here in New York after a winter wherein we had almost
no snow. As one who hates the cold, I’m not complaining but it has been very hot
here.
Events affecting the Jewish world are also quite heated. The circumcision debate in
Germany has created quite a stir even here. The ineffectiveness of the German BfV
in dealing with terrorist neo-Nazis has caused unease among those who care about
Germany (of which I am one)
The terrorist attack in Bulgaria has raised the anxiety level of Jews, not only in Israel,
but worldwide. If terrorist murder can happen in that part of the world why not
elsewhere? There are strong indications that Iran and Hezbollah are behind it. It
seemed very well organized.
The big worry as far as I am concerned has to do with Syria. The potential for war is
there. While the revolution in Syria has, thus far, been contained in that nation alone,
the possibility of the use of chemical weapons runs the risk of expansion into Israel.
Certainly the Israelis are not just going to stand by if those sorts of weapons fall into
the hands of radical groups or are utilized by the current government. The possibility
of spillover into Lebanon would pose another difficult problem. Of course, what is
happening to the refugees is awful but an expansion into a war with Israel would be
infinitely worse and there would be a lot more refugees.
Before getting to the rest of the news, a personal note. Since there are quite a few
new readers on my mailing list at present you all should know that, though I have a
long (45 years) connection the American Jewish Committee (AJC), my newsletter is
mine alone. I write it myself and personally pay for its e-mailing. There is no formal
AJC connection. If you’re slandered, sue me – not AJC. If you’re a glutton for
punishment and want to receive both just drop me a note at
dubowdigest@optonline.net.
In addition to the Germany Edition I also do an American Edition which is totally
different in that it mostly reports on things happening in Germany. Both are posted at
www.dubowdigest.typepad.com for you to read.
O.K., let’s get on with the news…
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2. IN THIS EDITION
GEORGE WASHINGTON & THE JEWS – An important piece of history for Jews
and all Americans.
CIRCUMCISION – A German court makes a religious matter into a legal one.
HUNGARY – If you thought Nazism was dead, you haven’t been reading about or
visiting Hungary lately.
UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL – When it comes to Israel it doesn’t seem to have
many human qualities.
BDS – It’s not a physical disease or an inefficient government organization.
However, it’s causing a lot of trouble.
WORLD REFUGEE DAY – Only for some refugees.
BLACK JEWS – A minority within a minority.
GEORGE WASHINGTON & THE JEWS
Since July is the month in which we celebrate our “National Day” (July 4th) I think it
appropriate to include a piece about the first letter that the first President of the
United States, George Washington, addressed to American Jews.
According to The Times of Israel, “The 1790 letter written by President George
Washington to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, is ,,,on display
at Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History.
Regarded as Washington’s most eloquent statement on religious liberty, the letter
has America’s first president pledge to uphold the Constitution’s offer of “invaluable
rights of free citizens.” It also affirmed rights and privileges generally unknown to
Jews elsewhere at the time.
The famous Washington letter was sent to Congregation Kahal Kadosh Yeshuat
Israel, better known as the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island after the
warden of the congregation [Moses Seixas] had sent a letter to the new President
when he visited Newport. According to Jewish Virtual Library “Washington’s visit to
Newport was largely ceremonial—part of a goodwill tour Washington was making on
behalf of the new national government created by the adoption of the Constitution in
1787. Newport had historically been a good home to its Jewish residents, who
numbered approximately 300 at the time of Washington’s visit. The Newport
Christian community’s acceptance of Jewish worship was exemplary, although
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3. individual Jews such as Aaron Lopez and Isaac Elizer were unable to obtain full
political equality as citizens of Rhode Island. The Jews of Newport looked to the new
national government, and particularly to the enlightened president of the United
States, to remove the last of the barriers to religious liberty and civil equality
confronting
Not surprisingly, it is Washington’s response, rather than Seixas’s epistle, which is
best remembered and most frequently reprinted. Washington began by thanking the
congregation for its good wishes and rejoicing that the days of hardship caused by
the war were replaced by days of prosperity. Washington then borrowed ideas – and
actual words – directly from Seixas’s letter:
“The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for
giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of
imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is
now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class
of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For
happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to
persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection,
should demean themselves as good citizens.”
Washington’s concluding paragraph perfectly expresses the ideal relationship
among the government, its individual citizens and religious groups:
“May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit
and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his
own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
Washington closed with an invocation: “May the father of all mercies scatter light
and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here,
and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.”
The letter, a foundation stone of American religious liberty and the principle of
separation between church and state, is signed, simply, “G. Washington.” Each
year, Newport’s Congregation Kahal Kadosh Yeshuat Israel, now known as the
Touro Synagogue, re-reads Washington’s letter in a public ceremony. The words
deserve repetition.
It goes without saying that such a letter has enormous importance far beyond the
Jewish community. It was and remains today one of the touchstones of American
religious liberty, Sometimes Americans forget about such things. It’s a good thing
we’ve got the words of the father of the country around to remind us.
CIRCUMCISION
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4. I probably do not have to tell you that the practice of circumcision has come under
attack in Germany from a District Court in Cologne. The court ruled that it is a bodily
harm and therefore a crime. It has caused an international protest from both Jewish
and Muslim groups.
Aside from the legality of the practice in Germany which will either be decided in the
courts or the Bundestag by new legislation, there are political, religious and ethnic
considerations that come into play by virtue of the court decision.
Rather than trying to argue the legality of the court’s ruling here, I think, perhaps, it
would be better for me to point out why male circumcision of newborns in Jewish
families is such an essential matter. According to The Local.de, “The Los-Angeles-
based Jewish group [Wiesenthal Centre] called on German lawmakers to provide
legal safety for the practice, saying it would be "a stain on today's Germany" to let
the court ruling stand.
Criminalizing circumcision was “an attack on one of the fundamental principles of
Judaism," wrote Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, founder and dean and
associate dean of the Centre in a letter to Merkel.
"For 3,500 years, every male child has entered the Jewish people through the rite of
circumcision. We are not talking about a mere custom, but a biblical principle that
has defined the Jewish people from time immemorial."
Wikipedia reports, “For Jews, circumcision is mandatory, as it is prescribed in the
Torah:
• In the Book of Genesis as a mark of the Covenant between God and the
descendants of Abraham: "Throughout all generations, every male shall be
circumcised when he is eight days old...This shall be my covenant in your
flesh, an eternal covenant. The uncircumcised male whose foreskin has not
been circumcised, shall have his soul cut off from his people; he has broken
my Covenant" and
• In Leviticus: "God spoke to Moses, telling him to speak to the Israelites:
When a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy ... on the eighth day, the
flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
In Hebrew the event is call a B’rit Milah, “covenant of circumcision”. It is usually
accompanied by a celebration as another male child is welcomed as a member of
the Jewish people. For more explanation click here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brit_milah
From a public relations point of view I cannot fathom an incident such as the court’s
decision that would raise more anger and negative publicity for Germany –
especially Germany!
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5. The Local.de further reported, “They [Wiesenthal Centre] noted that Nazi dictator
Adolf Hitler said "in one of his infamous anti-Semitic rants" that "conscience is a
Jewish invention, it is a blemish like circumcision."
"Since the defeat of Nazism, Germany has come a long way, and worked very hard
to successfully chart a new course after the horrific legacy of the Holocaust by
guaranteeing religious freedom and democracy," they wrote.
As many of us hoped all along, the Bundestag stepped in and took some action. In
fact, the American Jewish Committee in a press release noted, “AJC applauded
German parliamentarians for reinforcing the legality of circumcision. Germany’s
lower house of parliament, meeting in emergency session during the parliament’s
summer break, passed a resolution that will overturn a court decision banning the
procedure.
“The age-old tradition of male circumcision is an integral part of Judaism and Islam
said Deidre Berger, Director of AJC Berlin. “The swift action by German
parliamentarians reinforcing the right to circumcision underscores the importance
German leaders accord to vibrant Jewish and Muslim minorities in Germany.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel told party members that Germany would become a
“laughing stock” if a way was not found to protect the rights to circumcision.
In the parliamentary resolution supported by the governing Christian Democratic and
Free Democratic Parties, as well as the opposition Social Democrats, German
parliamentarians demanded that the government present draft legislation in the fall
to guarantee the right to male circumcision.
So, we now wait until the fall when the Bundestag will be back in session. I imagine
that some perfectly acceptable legislation will be passed, the matter legally taken
care of and male circumcision handed back to the religious authorities where it
belongs.
HUNGARY
Germany is not Hungary (Thank God!) because what’s brewing in the latter is ugly in
its openly anti-Semitic politics. While I normally keep this newsletter focused on
Germany, Israel and America Jews Hungary presents such a disturbing picture –
and because it is in Europe, I thought I should, at least, devote one article to the
subject.
Israel Hayom reports, “It begins with the routine comments regarding “rich, smelly
Jews,” proceeds onto the vandalism of Jewish symbols, veers into public
discussions over “which kind of rope is best suited for hanging Jews,” and warnings
over “Jewish control of the homeland.” It has even escalated to the point where the
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6. chief rabbi was assaulted in the middle of a crowded street. Anti-Semitism in
Hungary is erupting. The far-right Jobbik party is gaining strength and holding rallies.
The Jewish community is apprehensive and the communities in neighboring
countries are fearful that the ugly wave will spread. “The anti-Semites always blame
Judaism for Hungary’s troubles,” said a local journalist, who warned that the hatred
will soon turn into hatred on the ground. In the 21st century, Jews in central Europe
are afraid, just like it was then.
One strange, yet terrifying, aspect of current anti-Semitism in Hungary is that it is
largely theoretical. It exists almost entirely without any direct contact between the
anti-Semite and the Jew. The Jews of Hungary pose a challenge for the anti-
Semites because they are a somewhat transparent community. Nobody knows the
exact number of Jews there. Estimates range from 50,000 to 150,000, depending on
whether one asks an Orthodox rabbi or a grandfather who still has a number
tattooed on his arm from Auschwitz.
A century ago, many Hungarian Jews changed their surnames to Hungarian names
as a show of patriotism. There are few Rabinowitzes, Greenbergs, or Berkowitzes
there. The names of Jews in Hungary are very much similar to the names of
gentiles.
European anti-Semitism doesn't need actual Jews in order to exist. Their violence is
aimed at symbols. It is a psychological state.
Nonetheless, words are hurtful for a community that has existed for over 1,000
years. It is a community that views itself as an inseparable part of Hungary.
Ironically, “most Jobbik voters wouldn't even recognize a Jew,” Renyi says. “These
voters most likely have never met a Jew, at least not one that they knew was a Jew.
Their hatred is more abstract, and it’s aimed at concepts like ‘Jew,’ ‘Zionist,’
‘America’ and ‘Europe.’ The Jews are one of three or four main targets, alongside
the European Union, the Roma and the homosexuals. But there is not one specific
Jew that Jobbik voters single out.”
There is more to the story and you should read it. Click here.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4969
The problem is, of course, that this sort of anti-Semitism can, first, begin to play itself
out in Hungarian internal and external policy and, second, that it, like a virus (which
anti-Semitism is), can spread to other countries. Unhappily, in Europe anti-Semitism
never seems to go away. Given difficult political and/or economic times it emerges.
Of course, it is a genuine danger for Jews in particular; however, it is also
devastating to democracy and, therefore, a danger for all.
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7. UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
TH UNHRC is at it again. Over the years it has singled out Israel as a violator of
human rights and has many committees and commissions “investigating” all the
“crimes” and assorted other bad things Israel has done vis a vis the Palestinians. No
doubt that since 1967 when it was captured, the “West Bank” has seen human rights
violations and poor treatment of Palestinians. However, in both the West Bank and
in Gaza the treatment of Palestinians by other Palestinians is not a small problem.
Hamas people and Fatah followers are not in love with each other. The violations
are worse than those perpetrated by the Israelis. They are killing each other.
While there are really horrible human rights violations in both other places in the
Middle East and Africa, the UNHRC seems fixated on Israel. Of course, the anti-
Israel group which is very strong in the Council determines the agenda. Therefore,
another investigation is planned.
However, this time the Israelis are not at all willing to cooperate. JTA reports, “Israel
will not cooperate with a United Nations fact-finding mission on the West Bank
settlements, the foreign ministry announced.
The United Nations' Human Rights Council on June 6 appointed three independent
experts to conduct a fact-finding mission on how Israel's West Bank settlements
affect Palestinians.
"The establishment of this mission is another blatant expression of the singling out
of Israel in the UNHRC and of the uncandid approach that characterizes the
Council's dealing with Israel," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This fact-finding mission will find no cooperation in Israel, and its members will not
be allowed to enter Israel and the Territories. Its existence embodies the inherent
distortion that typifies the UNHRC treatment of Israel and the hijacking of the
important human rights agenda by non-democratic countries. The latter, unbothered
by and dismissive of human rights, are taking advantage of their political and
numerical weight in order to distort systematically the proceedings and rules of the
UNHRC and to empty its workings of all moral content," the statement continues.
Israel suspended its ties with the Human Rights Council in March after it voted to
establish the settlements fact-finding mission.
One might ask why Israel is so opposed to the actions and findings of the UNHRC?
If you were playing in a card game with a “loaded” deck wherein your opponents
were assured of defeating your every move, wouldn’t you be somewhat reluctant to
even be involved in the game? That’s the situation for Israel and the UNHRC.
The name “Human Rights Council” a misnomer because among its members are
such violators of human rights as China, Cuba, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and
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8. Qatar. There seems to be only one organization that closely monitors the Council
and that is UN Watch. For purposes of transparency it is underwritten by AJC.
Its director, Hillel Neuer fights a lonely battle in Geneva trying to shed some sunlight
on the totally anti-Israel stance of the Council. In a July 2, 2012 press release UN
Watch noted, “Despite continued killings of civilians in Syria, today the U.N.’s top
human rights body devoted its entire proceedings to its ritual Hate Israel Day. A day
against Israel is a permanent feature of every council meeting, under its only
country-specific agenda item, entitled “the Human rights situation in Palestine and
other occupied Arab territories.”
The meeting opened with Richard Falk, the pro-Hamas 9/11 conspiracist who
serves as the human rights council’s “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.” His report was followed by
detailed status updates on the 2009 Goldstone Report, the 2010 Flotilla Report, and
the developing council inquiry and report into settlements.
Twenty states and six non-governmental organizations took the floor this morning.
UN Watch was the only one to challenge Mr. Falk.”
I will not reprint Neuer’s summary which you can read by clicking here
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2012/07/03/hate-israel-day-at-the-u-n/#more-2470. Nor
will I go into Richard Falk’s background. Suffice it to say he is a noted 82 year old
Princeton professor with many academic credits. However, when it comes to Israel
to say he is “anti-Israel” would be an understatement. If you wish you can Google
him.
The point of all of this is to point out that when it comes to the UNHRC there is no
way Israel can get a fair shake. The anti-Israel politics of the Middle East and the
Third World just do not allow it. I wish it was otherwise.
BDS
What is BDS? When I first heard the term I thought it might be some sort of a social
disease. Now that I know what it is, I’m convinced it’s some sort of politico-social
disease – but a disease none the less.
BDS stands for, Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions but against whom? You guessed
it. Of course, it’s Israel. Where did it start and who’s behind it? According to
Wikipedia, “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a campaign started on 9
July 2005 by 171 Palestinian non-governmental organizations in support of the
Palestinian cause for boycott, divestment and international sanctions against Israel.
In January 2005 the Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Advocacy
Initiative (OPGAI) presented a call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)
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9. against Israel to the 5th World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil (26 January and
31 January). The launch of the campaign coincided with the first anniversary of the
International Court of Justice ruling on the Israeli West Bank barrier.
While the component organizations that make up the “movement” all have seem to
have economic goals, there is little doubt that their real intent is so to delegitimate
Israel as a country. It’s not a secret that in the Arab world there are many (many!)
who feel Israel is an interloper on Arab land and, therefore, not a legitimate nation.
The Wikipedia article (which you can read by clicking here)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott,_Divestment_and_Sanctions lists many supporters of
BDS and spells out the criticism. For instance, it notes, “A number of analysts,
journalists, and policy groups have argued that the BDS movement promotes the
delegitimization of Israel. In The Jerusalem Post, Gil Troy argues that the BDS
movement does not target Israel's polices, but rather targets Israel's legitimacy.[69]
Similarly, the Reut Institute argued that by what they perceive as singling out Israel
and applying double standards, the BDS movement delegitimizes Israel. These
groups and individuals argue that regardless of whether or not the participants in
boycotts seek to threaten Israel's legitimacy, the movement itself and the organizers
behind it have the same goal: isolate Israel like South Africa. Although BDS has
tried to finesse the question of whether the movement is seeking a one-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, many of its leaders have gone on the
record as seeking the anathema-to-Israelis "secular bi-national Palestine", including
Omar Barghouti.”
BDS has had a few victories but some defeats as well. Just recently, as reported in
Commentary by Jonathan S. Tobin, “By the narrowest of margins, the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA defeated a resolution calling for
divestment from companies that do business with Israel’s security forces. The 333-
331 vote was the closest the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divest and sanction)
movement has come to getting a major American Christian denomination to endorse
such a measure. The close vote is a victory of sorts for the Jewish groups, such as
the Jewish Council on Public Affairs (JCPA) that lobbied hard to defeat the motion.
But the narrow margin is a virtual guarantee that divestment advocates will be back
next year with expectations of victory at the Presbyterian conclave as well as at
other gatherings of mainline Protestant groups.
Though there is little support for Israel divestment among the rank and file members
of Presbyterian congregations, there is no denying the growing appeal among
church activists for BDS proposals. The defeat of BDS this week may show that a
narrow majority of Presbyterian delegates still understands that a vote for such a
resolution involves the church in what amounts to an economic war against the
Jewish state and a potential break in relations with American Jews. But the close
call may indicate that support for anti-Zionism among liberal Protestant groups such
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10. as the Presbyterians is on the rise and it may only be a matter of time before they
prevail.
I think it goes without saying that the Arab – Israeli conflict is not coming to an end
anytime soon. It’s not a conventional dispute. There is nothing more basic than
legitimacy – who deserves to live and where, especially in the Middle East. This is
about as basic as questions get. Sadly, throughout history Jews have had to face
those who questioned their peoplehood, nationhood and even their individual right to
exist. Germany in the 20th Century is, of course, the prime example.
I have said before that the best we can hope for presently is a situation of “no war”. I
still think that’s possible, however, I’m convinced that a signed piece of paper will not
end the dispute. Jews will not give up easily this time when their legitimacy is
questioned. Make sure your seatbelt is on. It’s going to be a long tough ride.
WORLD REFUGEE DAY
On June 20th each year the UN Human Rights Council marks World Refugee Day to
raise awareness of the plight of the estimated 42 million displaced people worldwide.
I think we should all be on record and do whatever we can to resolve this awful
problem. I realize that countries involved in wars, civil and otherwise, are too
involved in the killing to worry about the poor civilians who flee their homes in order
to stay alive. Syria is the most recent example of what happens when strife breaks
out.
The Israel – Palestinian refugee situation is probably unique. After, what the Israelis
call the 1948 War of Independence, many Arabs fled to Syria, Jordan (then known
as Trans-Jordan) and Lebanon. And there they have stayed. They continue to live in
camps under strict rules and are not accepted as citizens. Now even their children
and grandchildren and maybe even their great grandchildren remain “refugees”. For
the last 64 years they have been used as political fodder by Arab leaders in the war
of words against Israel.
Incidentally, those Arabs that remained in Israel became Israeli citizens. While there
are many complaints about their being second class citizens, they are much better
off than those in the refugee camps in the surrounding countries.
What about the Jewish refugees who lived in Arab countries who, on pain of death,
fled to the Jewish State. In an article in Huff Post World Israel’s Ambassador to the
UN, Ron Prosser states, “At the end of World War II, 850,000 Jews lived in Arab
countries. Just 8,500 remain today. Their departure was no accident. After Arab
leaders failed to annihilate Israel militarily in 1948, they launched a war of terror,
incitement, and expulsion to decimate their own ancient Jewish communities.
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11. Within years virtually all of Iraq's 2,500-year-old Jewish community had fled,
emptying the country of many of its greatest artists, musicians, and businessmen.
Similar scenes played out across the region, from Egypt to Syria to Libya to Yemen.
State-sanctioned pogroms descended on Jewish neighborhoods, killing innocents
and destroying ancient synagogues and Jewish cemeteries. New, draconian laws
prevented Jews from public worship, forced them to carry Jewish identity cards, and
seized billions of dollars in their property and assets. The total area of land
confiscated from Jews in Arab countries amounts to nearly 40,000 square miles --
about five times the size of Israel's entire land mass.
The vast majority of these Jewish refugees came to Israel, nearly doubling its
population. Most entered the Land of Milk and Honey with no milk, no honey, and no
money. They were embraced with full citizenship rights and ambitious programs for
integration, rising to the highest levels of society.
The years have passed, but the injustice inflicted upon these Jewish refugees
continues. Many around the world have remained silent and complicit as Arab
governments have sought to erase all memory of their stories.
While Arab leaders have found a refuge from reality at the U.N., they have been
unable to outrun the consequences of religious and sectarian persecution,
incitement, and violence at home. In the rubble of Aleppo's former Jewish
neighborhoods, Assad's Allawite-led regime continues to brutally suppress Syria's
Sunni-led uprising. In Egypt mobs burn Coptic Christian churches in the same way
that they attacked synagogues years ago. In Baghdad, where Jews once constituted
a third of the population, Sunnis and Shiites remain pitted against each other after
years of bloodshed.
Forging a peaceful future in the Middle East will require Arab governments to finally
learn the lessons of their pasts. They must build inclusive societies that protect
minorities and offer everyone a seat at the decision-making table.
The first steps toward true pluralism will come when Arab countries acknowledge
the history of persecution and intolerance in their own lands. They should start by
unearthing the 850,000 untold stories of Jews ripped from their ancient homes.
I fear that Ambassador Prosser is dreaming when he hopes that Arab countries
“should start by unearthing the 850,000 untold stories of Jews ripped from their
ancient homes” and “build inclusive societies that protect minorities and offer
everyone a seat at the decision-making table”. So far, even with the tumult referred
to generally as the “Arab Spring”, I don’t see any indications of any Arab country
moving in that direction. I would be thrilled to be proven wrong.
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12. BLACK JEWS
Let’s start off with a time honored joke that is often told in the Jewish community. It
goes something like this:
A woman on a train walked up to a man across the table. "Excuse me," she said, "but are
you Jewish?"
"No," replied the man.
A few minutes later the woman returned. "Excuse me," she said again, "are you sure you're
not Jewish?"
"I'm sure," said the man.
But the woman was not convinced, and a few minutes later she approached him a third
time. "Are you absolutely sure you're not Jewish?" she asked?
"All right, all right," the man said. "You win. I'm Jewish."
"That's funny," said the woman." You don't look Jewish."
For many white American Jews the humor above may no longer seem appropriate.
The Jewish daily Forward reported recently, “For many mainstream Jews… the
differences between them and … black Jews, who have long been ignored or
dismissed as inauthentic by the Jewish establishment, seems more like one of
culture and ethnicity than Jewish identity.
While they once called themselves Hebrew Israelites exclusively to distinguish
themselves from Jews of European extraction, the black Jews now readily count
themselves among the Jewish people without qualification. An increasing number
seek out formal conversion, a practice previously seen only as a concession to the
expectations of mainstream Jews. Some 85% of the members at Beth Shalom have
done so, according to Rabbi Capers Funnye (pronounced Fun-NAY), their spiritual
leader, who is himself a member of the mainstream Chicago Board of Rabbis (and
cousin to First Lady Michelle Obama).
Today, a cadre of teens and young adults have graduated from yeshivas and Jewish
day schools, creating educational parity and a shared frame of reference with the
wider Jewish community. And last year, Israel’s ambassador to Washington,
Michael Oren, paid an unprecedented visit to a black synagogue, Temple Bethel in
Philadelphia, and told them, “We are a single people endowed with the same
blessings and obligations. Israel belongs to us all.”
The point of the matter here is that Judaism (at least to me) is both a religious and
ethnic affair. It is not racial. Jews may look different and, indeed, come from very
different backgrounds, but the connection is there. Some of the practices might be
different but there is a common set of basic beliefs and a sense of common
responsibility.
The Forward article is very interesting and can be accessed by clicking here.
http://forward.com/articles/159587/black-jews-gain-wider-acceptance/?
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07-22
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DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by
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