The very liberal use of Judaism

There is a perception that mainstream Jewish organizations, especially those under the umbrella of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, have diverted resources to the pursuit of causes that have little or nothing to do with Jewish issues. Yet it's more than just a perception. It's a fact.

Whenever a mainstream Jewish organization like the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) proclaims that "pursuing social justice" is one of its primary goals, it's generally a given that this has little to do with actual Jewish interests and a lot to do with liberal or even far-left causes. The very term "social justice" has long since become co-opted as part of the lexicon of American Jewish leftists, who use it as a banner to advocate, fundraise, and recruit members for their latest left-wing cause du jour.

Other Jewish organizations have also joined the trend to propagate nonsensical leftist causes, such as the American Jewish Congress, with their odd fixation on fighting Christian Nativity displays on public property, the result of which has only caused to alienate mainstream Christians. Not content with simply aggravating Christians, they've also initiated litigation to ban Chanukah menorahs on public land.

Martin Solomon, the founder and proprietor of the on-line Jewish news and commentary service, Solomonia, recently produced a carefully documented critique of the JCRC. He analyzed the JCRC official notices, called Action Alerts, sent out to their extensive e-mail list over a one year period, from November 2007 through October 2008. Mr. Solomon documented that "37% of Boston of JCRC Action Alerts had nothing to do with Jews or Israel."

Some of the JCRC Action Alerts include:

"Reminder to join us at the State House for the Interfaith Pledge for Climate Action: A Day of Prayer and Advocacy." One of nine Action Alerts dealing with global warming, which the JCRC adamantly believes in. Problem is, a lot of us don't.

"Support is needed for Affordable Housing." Using tax dollars (i.e., your money) to provide housing for those who can't or won't seek gainful employment.

"CARE for Youth: Action Needed on the Health Education Bill." Echoing the call of Planned Parenthood and the AIDS Action Committee for more instruction on condom usage in the public schools.

"Ask your Congressman to vote in favor of the Energy Bill." Again the global warming controversy, this time on a federal level.

None of these issues which the JCRC advocates on behalf of the Jewish community has anything to do with Jews, Israel, or Judaism, but, invariably, the JCRC claims they do. As Mr. Solomon observed, global warming is not a Jewish issue, but rather, a political issue. Yet on this and similar matters, the JCRC seems not to know the difference between Jewish and political issues.

Or as Brian Camenker of the conservative advocacy group Mass Resistance offered, "The JCRC is a hardcore leftwing organization that purports itself to be the voice of the Jewish community." Nowhere was this more evident than on three recent controversial issues: illegal immigration, higher taxes, and gay marriage.

The JCRC disseminated at least five Action Alerts this past year to advocate for tuition discounts and state scholarships for illegal aliens in the state university system. They even sent Governor Patrick a letter urging him to grant these financial subsidies to students "regardless of immigration status." Aside from the obvious fact that the JCRC has trouble understanding the "illegal" part of illegal aliens, what is appalling is that as a Jewish organization it presented the notion that giving illegal aliens taxpayer money is something that the Jewish community is in favor of.

The JCRC came out in favor of keeping the state income tax (Action Alert 9/18/08 -Vote No on Ballot Question 1). Why higher taxes are vital to the interests of Jews, the JCRC did [not] elaborate on. But they did conclude that eliminating the state income tax, (i.e. citizens keeping more of their own money) could adversely affect the middle and working classes already affected by the economic downturn. Got that?

Perhaps the most egregious example of the JCRC advocating for an issue that is not and never will be a Jewish issue is the gay marriage controversy. Yet there they were, on the ramparts with gay activists, imploring the state legislature to allow gays to marry. Actually, if the JCRC had any real knowledge of their own religion, they'd know that Judaism does in fact take a stand on gay marriage. The Torah forbids it.

Yet the JCRC is hardly alone in confusing extreme liberalism with Judaism.