Friday, June 18, 2010
Last week we discussed the spectacle of 70 Rabbis and Rabbinical students taking to the pages of Boston's Jewish Advocate to attack local uber-activist Charles Jacobs on behalf of one of their colleagues: When Rabbis Attack: Standing Up for Charles Jacobs. I won't rehearse what I said then and where I stand on the general matter. Please go back and take a look if you're not up to speed on the controversy.
As expected, this week's edition is full of the fallout. Charles Jacobs dedicates his weekly column to a response, and the letters page was expanded to accommodate the correspondence, the majority of which is favorable to Jacobs.
Below, you will find the letters, including a couple that I received that were not published, followed by the Jacobs column.
I would like to feature one letter in particular, and then offer a personal comment:
Maligning a 'thoughtful rabbi'
I am writing in support of Rabbi Eric Gurvis who has been unfairly maligned these past couple of weeks in The Jewish Advocate and in interviews with Charles Jacobs. Rabbi Gurvis, who is the senior rabbi at Temple Shalom in Newton, has been a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council for several years, first as a representative of the Mass. Board of Rabbis and then as a community representative. Rabbi Gurvis has always been thoughtful in his analysis and review of all issues local and international. Rabbi Gurvis has been an important representative of the Jewish community in all interfaith matters.
As Barry Shrage eloquently said in a recent d'var torah in his synagogue: "Words are sacred and have the power to build and to destroy. And they must be used with great care." We can and must come together and raise questions of concern in a civil, thoughtful manner. My experience with Rabbi Gurvis is he has always done just that!
NANCY K. KAUFMAN
Executive director JCRC
When I saw this letter I did a double take. Is the head of the local Jewish Community Relations Council really sticking her ferbissenah ponem into this matter? It appears so. OK... Is she wrong? Certainly. Is this inappropriate? I think so. Is it her right? Sure.
Let me say this...
Since coming into contact with other activists in the Boston pro-Israel community, I have found one common theme that binds many of them together -- a feeling of utter disrespect and cynicism toward the local JCRC and the Jewish establishment groups. Everyone wants to work with JCRC -- they have the resources in staff and funding. But when it comes down to getting down and dirty in the trenches, when it comes to getting out of the cordial meetings and the Congressmen's offices, JCRC is seen as sadly lacking. (In fact, I may be being too kind in that respect as well. So far, only one member of the Massachusetts delegation has signed on to either the Poe-Peters or the Reid-McConnell letters in support of Israel, and that one is Barney Frank who certainly signed on out of weakness after the stinging rebukes he got for his silly comments to the Herald editorial board immediately following the flotilla incident.)
When I talk about critics of the JCRC, I am talking about the street level activists -- the people who do this for no money, who hold the signs in the rain, who go into the unfriendly meetings to take notes and video... I am not talking about the people who get the generous salaries and benefits and attend the cocktail parties and fundraising dinners.
Sometimes the criticism has struck me as unfair, particularly when it has gotten personal. I have written many times here and in print with my criticisms of the local and national Jewish establishment, but I have always maintained a respectful consideration for the individuals involved and their motivations and have found myself often placed as a moderate voice between the "street" and the "boardroom," between the professionals and the amateurs.
I can no longer do so. It is clear, having utterly lost the respect, indeed, earned the contempt of the heavy-lifting community activists, and now having committed herself in a most inappropriate manner to a matter that her organization has no business getting involved in, that Nancy Kaufman must resign.
This is not a left/right issue. It is not an Obama issue. It is a who fights for the Jews issue. It is a who can tell friend from enemy issue. Nancy Kaufman has proven that she cannot. She must go.
Here are the rest of the letters:
First the anti-Charles. A few more Rabbis add their names to the roll of dishonor:
Attack on rabbi was offensive
We, the undersigned, are colleagues of Rabbi Eric Gurvis. We know him to be an intelligent, thoughtful and caring person of great probity who has selflessly devoted many hours to communal leadership. We are offended by the op-ed piece in the June 4 issue of The Jewish Advocate [Charles Jacobs' "What's up with Patrick?"], which mocked him, maligned his motives and excoriated him for reaching out to the Boston Muslim community. We call on the Advocate - and on your editorialists - to show greater respect for our community's leaders, and to desist from such gratuitous condemnation (sinat hinam).
RABBI ALFRED BENJAMIN
RABBI MILTON FEIERSTEIN
RABBI SUSAN P. FENDRICK
RABBI JEFF FOUST
RABBI WESLEY GARDENSWARTZ
RABBI JONAS GOLDBERG
RABBI GEOFFREY J. HABER
RABBI WILLIAM HAMILTON
RABBI RAPHAEL KANTER
RABBI EARL KIDECKEL
RABBI DAVID KLATZKER
RABBI DAVID LERNER
RABBI ABE MORHAIM
RABBI CARL M. PERKINS
RABBI BARRY STARR
RABBI STEPHEN E. STEINDEL
RABBI SARA ZACHARIA
And now the letters in support:
A Muslim rises to Jacobs' defense
The rabbis who signed a letter in last week's Jewish Advocate condemning the work of Americans for Peace and Tolerance are dead wrong in claiming that Charles Jacobs is "waging a destructive campaign against" and "spreading calumnies" about Muslims. I was educated at Egypt's Al Azhar University and lead the reform Islamic movement known as Ahl-al-Quran. For my work in fighting Muslim extremism, I was persecuted and jailed in Egypt. After I received asylum in the US and was accepted into Harvard Law School's Scholars at Risk program, I came to Boston and looked for a place to pray. In Cambridge, I encountered the Islamic Society of Boston's old mosque, where I found the same hateful ideology that was used to justify my persecution in Egypt. Since then, I have worked hand-inhand with Charles to fight this ideology here in America. The rabbis do truly reform-minded Muslims no favors by defaming our work and embracing ideological movements hostile to all free people - Muslim and Jewish alike.
DR. AHMED SUBHY MANSOUR
President, The International
Quranic Center, Springfield, Va.
***
We ignore Jacobs at our peril
The New England community is fortunate to have the benefit of Charles Jacobs' leadership. He has championed causes such as freeing slaves from Sudan, educating people to advocate for Israel and exposing radical Islamists in the community.
His founding of the David Project filled a tremendous void. Its mission was educating college students and others "how to effectively" advocate for Israel.
Mr. Jacobs has become the de facto leader of hundreds of grassroots Christians, Jews, Hindus and Muslims who are fighting for Israel and against terrorism. The mainstream Jewish leaders ignore his research and findings at the Jewish community's peril.
KAREN WEINSTEIN
Salem, N.H.
***
Rabbis' letter lowered dialogue
I'm dismayed to see that the level of communal dialogue has sunk to a new low with the publication of a malicious letter signed by 70 rabbis. The rabbis express their disapproval of his comments about Rabbi Eric Gurvis, but Jacobs is a spirited community activist sounding the alarm bells about Islamist radicals - not a rabbi. For rabbis to use a Biblical narrative as a basis for a public excoriation is not only over-the-top but shameful. Ironically, people who are so concerned about interfaith dialogue appear to be blinkered when it comes to intra-faith dialogue.
Ultimately, this is not about two individuals, but rather about how we conduct ourselves in dealing with fellow Jews with whom we disagree, and how we as a community deal with Islamist radicalism. This is an issue of real concern to many in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities.
As Barry Shrage noted, "I think we need to listen to Jacobs." We must face up to the challenge that Jacobs has set for us "to crack the code" on what to do about Islamist radicalism.
PAUL SASSIENI
Newton Centre
***
Critics miss Jacobs' point
With all due respect, I invite the 70 rabbis who signed the open letter "Rabbis come to defense of a colleague under fire" to reexamine Charles Jacobs' assertions in his article. Jacobs' main point was not to discredit Rabbi Eric Gurvis' past service to the community or to wage a "destructive campaign against Boston's Muslim community." Rather, Jacobs' main point was to bring to light the danger of closing one's eyes to specific leaders' support of indicted and jailed terrorists, such as Aafia Siddiqui.
We mustn't falsely accuse or limit freedoms of any Muslim citizen simply because he/she is Muslim. But every political and community leader - indeed every citizen must be on the alert for those who are found to support acts of terror and anti-Semitism.
REV. FUMIO TAKU
President, Christians and Jews United for Israel
[This appears to be an edited version of the letter I posted in the original entry. -MS]
***
A champion of ignored causes
By exposing those Muslim leaders who are attempting to radicalize Boston's Muslim community, Charles Jacobs provides an opportunity for genuine moderate Muslims to come to the fore. Charles Jacobs has a stellar record as a community activist raising awareness for numerous causes that were all but ignored.
In the early '90s when very few people were talking about slavery and torture in the Sudan and Mauritania, Mr. Jacobs founded American Anti-Slavery Group.
Mr. Jacobs was also one of the founders of Boston's CAMERA and The David Project, disclosing media biases against Israel and anti-Israel propaganda being promoted on college campuses.
Given Mr. Jacobs' record, the rabbis who signed the letter denouncing him would do well instead, to take heed of his warnings.
RABBI GERSHON SEGAL
Congregation Beth El Atereth Israel
Newton
***
Look at the proof
The June 11 letter in defense of Rabbi Eric Gurvis would be more helpful if the 70 signers had suggested just which of Charles Jacobs' facts qualify as "spreading calumnies." Have they examined his evidence? Many in the Jewish community, me included, live in hope that Charles is wrong, but it looks to me, sadly, that his facts and documents are on the mark. Our community has good reasons to be fearful - precisely because Charles and his staff have spelled it out so well.
RABBI JOSHUA L. SEGAL
Congregation Betenu
Amherst, N.H.
***
We should know the cost of silence
I was born in the year after WWII. When I learned about the details of the war in high school the question that I continually reflected on was, "Where were the voices of outrage and protest in Germany." Unfortunately, silence is the outcome when we choose not to know what we wish not to know. Such ignorance is folly. Heroes are those who at personal risk take on endeavors for the greater good. In this context, Charles Jacobs stands the test. His careful and critical research tempered with wisdom and a clear sense of justice has provided us with a window into the arena of one of today's greatest dangers, namely the insidious threat among us of radical Islamists and their supporters within the Muslim community who parade themselves as friends but are not. We do well to join with him to be the voices raised in order that we do not again fall prey to the evil that is afoot in the world.
GAIL THOMAS
Woburn
The following were forwarded to me, not published:
Basher of His Own anti-Israel Bishop Backs Jacobs
Several years ago I criticized the Episcopal bishops in Boston - my own bishops - for their ignorant and dangerous anti-Israel incitement, after they demonstrated outside the Israeli consulate downtown, holding signs decrying "Destruction in Bethlehem" and calling for a "Christian-Muslim Alliance." In return, I was called a bigot by Episcopal leaders and laypeople, who refused to see the facts about the Israeli-Arab conflict, insisting on the Muslim narrative of "occupation" and "oppression." I believe that Rabbi Eric Gurvis and those who have joined him in denouncing Charles Jacobs are of a type with the bishops of the Episcopal Church. Trust me: this is not a compliment. Like the Bishops, Rabbi Gurvis and his colleagues are so determined to occupy the moral high ground, to be considered "tolerant" and "multicultural", that they will ignore all of the evidence about the leaders of the Roxbury mosque and the dangers that they present, not only to Jews, but to Christians and moderate Muslims as well. This is especially disturbing in the case of Rabbi Ronne Friedman, of Temple Israel Boston, who has already been fooled by these people once before, by mosque trustee Walid Fitahi - who was spreading poisonous anti-Semitic propaganda in the Arab press at the very moment he was engaged in "interfaith dialogue" with Rabbi Friedman's congregation. The old saying applies: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Dennis Hale
***
Human Rights Coalition Backs Jacobs
We are an organization of Christians, Jews, Sikhs, and moderate Muslims, who are victims and targets of Jihad. We are a rainbow coalition, black, brown and white.
We stand with our brother Charles Jacobs, who works hard to rally forces against radical Islam which are penetrating our society with the help of misguided people who embrace them -- out of ignorance or fear.
Rabbis of all people should first and foremost protect the Jewish community at a time when, according to the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, Islamic Jew-hatred poses the largest and an existential threat to the Jews since WWII. That 70 Rabbis in N.E. attack and defame Jacobs for exposing the threat to their communities is appalling. But perhaps this controversy will finally force the Jewish community to confront what if fears but has hidden from. They should not repeat the appeasement and capitulation of the 1930s with their Messianic illusions as they now twin with and support radical mosques, especially those spewing hatred against the infidels, such as Charles Jacobs has so clearly documented.
Yours for truth and justice,
Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam
***
LONG-TIME CHRISTIAN ACTIVIST FOR ISRAEL BACKS JACOBS
Imagine all the people living life in peace. Imagining is easy, pursuing peace is where the rubber hits the road and requires individuals who will stand for truth and sound the alarm when there is danger. Truth and the fantasy of P.C. are locked in a struggle and a number of leaders seem incapable of responding to the tuning fork of reality. The price will only go higher if imagination is allowed to continue to fill the place rightfully held by truth. Why have these spiritual leaders of greater Boston chosen baseless hatred for their brother, Dr. Jacobs, rather then research the available resources of reality? I'm in a quandary as they must realize they have struck a blow to the very foundation of the Jewish community. The MAS has certainly noticed. While the signatories of the letter denouncing the work of Peace and Tolerance have now shown themselves to be tone deaf and willing to endanger rather then strengthen their community, I'm convinced that many in your readership are still discerning and can detect another Jabotinsky, who might not be needed, were it not for leaders asleep and lost in their imaginations.
Denette Abers
Here is Charles' column from this week's edition:
Given the daunting challenges facing the Jewish community, what would unite 62 Boston area rabbis and a few rabbinical students to release a letter that is equivalent to a kind of a Jewish "fatwa"? The rabbis didn't speak out against any of the many anti-Semites who have recently defamed and attacked the Jewish people - not against Helen Thomas or the UN or Iran, but against someone who claims that the leadership of the largest Islamic organization in Boston is radical - and takes to task a rabbi for denying that fact.
While the rabbis' letter - and my
Advocate column that provoked it - has generated heat, it has also finally unveiled a quiet, almost hidden but fierce battle within the Jewish community to determine the appropriate strategy for dealing with Islamic extremism in our midst.
My organization, Americans for Peace and Tolerance, believes it is best to expose this threat by reaching out to Muslims we can trust and work with, by distinguishing between radical and moderate Muslim leadership, and by holding civic and religious leaders accountable for failing to confront the threat. The rabbis have adopted another strategy: Be silent or minimize the problem while preaching love, brotherhood and multiculturalism in the hope everything will be just fine.
Many of the rabbis understand that the problem of Islamic extremism in Boston is real - they've seen the facts and have acknowledged as much in private. These rabbis face a difficult ethical dilemma: How can they conduct a smiling public dialogue and at the same time let their congregants know that they know they are taking a risk, that there really may be a problem with these folks? They cannot. So there is only pretense. This must be agonizing. There is no transparency, neither with the Muslims nor with the Jewish community. That's why anyone who exposes this kabuki dance is a threat to the whole performance.
However, I'm not sure that all the rabbis who signed the letter actually understand this debate. Many, I believe, signed on only to support a colleague, not to defame me or claim that there is no Islamist threat. None of the signed leaders approached Americans for Peace and Tolerance to get the facts on the Deval Patrick controversy.
Rabbi Eric Gurvis is an intelligent and caring rabbi without a doubt. His wisdom in matters of personal morality was unquestioned - until the publication of this defamatory letter. His wisdom in political matters is something else entirely, and it was on his political involvement that I criticized him - under the assumption that rabbis who enter the political arena can be criticized. The political arena is rough-and-tumble. Rabbi Gurvis inserted himself into the campaign for governor and defended the demands made on Patrick by the Muslim American Society, a radical organization that has been called "the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood" by federal prosecutors and assailed for its ties to anti-Semitic extremists by the Anti-Defamation League.
In fact, this is not the first time that Rabbi Gurvis took a clearly ideological public stance on a controversial issue, and it is not the first time that some of the 62 rabbis have been recruited to join him. Ten of them, together with Rabbi Gurvis, signed onto another rabbinical petition four years ago, this one demanding that the United States continue sending aid to the then-newlyelected Hamas government. But again, I did not criticize the rabbi on a personal level. I am simply very worried that his political actions are doing us harm.
Yet the response to my criticism was to mobilize once more a team of progressive rabbis to launch an open letter accusing me of "lies, half truths and distortions in leading a campaign against local Muslims," all without providing a single fact to support their accusations. These are false and dangerous charges given the tendency of some Muslim preachers to promote the view that Muslims and Islam are under attack.
I am fine receiving counterpunches on behalf of their offended colleague. But I trust that the rabbis, once they examine the issue in the cool light of day, will rescind their untrue charge that I am campaigning against all Boston's Muslims.
It is getting late. This is a dangerous time: Our community is under siege at home and abroad. We need to unite our community with the truth; and for this to happen, our liberal brethren must abandon their uncritical acceptance of the doctrines of political correctness. I want to directly ask the signers of this letter to withdraw their names from the accusations that defame me. I am reaching out to each and every person who signed the letter with an offer to meet with you and show you why you should be concerned about the Muslim American Society.
I propose that the Jewish community have an open and honest dialogue about these extraordinarily difficult dilemmas. It needs to have two separate phases: first understanding the problem by fairly examining the evidence, and later a democratic discussion on what policies should be adopted.
As a small and vulnerable minority, we need to strive for unity in the face of the severe challenges we face. We need to bridge this Jewish political divide by dialogue and mutual understanding based on the truth.
Update: Special meeting to discuss Jewish leaders' response to radical Islam in New England, June 24
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: When Rabbis Attack: The Fallout -- JCRC Needs New Leadership.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.solomonia.com/cgi-bin/mt4/mt-renamedtb.cgi/18186
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A special meeting for those who would like to learn some of the facts behind the controversy (When Rabbis Attack: The Fallout -- JCRC Needs New Leadership) from American for Peace and Tolerance: As you may know, the Jewish political... Read More
Partners in Shame Only the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council could conceive an event honoring Stephen Lynch, Democratic Congressman representing a melange of rough and tumble blue collar voters along with upscale suburbanites. Aside from the o... Read More
In full from Jewish Russian Telegraph. Looks like the Rabbis are outnumbered: We, undersigned members and representatives of the Russian Jewish community of Massachusetts, are writing to you to express our deep concerns about the state of affairs in ou... Read More
[Boston Jewish Community Relations Council Executive Director Nancy Kaufman has been a controversial figure for some time. Back in June, I took a turn from my usual policy and openly called for her removal when I felt she had gone... Read More
1. Disappointment in seeing Rabbi Hamilton's name on the list of rabbis supporting Rabbi Gurvis.
2. Nancy Kaufman's letter is bizarre, to say the least. I agree - it's time for her to go.
Having known both of them for years, Nappy is very disappointed to see Sharon's Rabbi Starr and Needham's Carl Perkins shamefully pile on in demonizing Charles while ignoring the important, substantive issues Charles has been fearless in raising.
JCRC is most interested in political issues (GBLT, immigration, choice, etc.) that many consider non-Jewish and even anti-Jewish. Unfortunately, the JCRC actually represents the majority of the Boston non-Jewish and anti-Jewish Jewish community. :-(
"Needham's Carl Perkins"
Don't step on my Zionist Blue Suede Shoes!
I believe there is a relatively simple 3-step solution to this controversy:
1. Charles Jacobs (along with his muslim and chrisitan colleagues) presents his facts in a meeting open to public
2. People who signed the letter attend the meeting
and listen
3. After everybody is equally informed, it will be relatively easy to separate "innuendo, half-truths and unproven conspiracy theories" from the facts.
The point of the column by Charles Jacobs was clearly not a personality of R. Gurvis, but rather a perceived danger to our society. We are all in the same boat and if a percieved danger is actually a real one, then 60+ rabbis should be as much concerned as everybody else.
Let's come to a common platform by discussing the facts, not personalities.
Who will agree to host this fact-finding and reconciliation meeting?
This is an excellent idea.
I fear that the problem is the airing of the facts, not the conclusions derived from the facts.
I've followed Martin's posts on this matter and, look as I may, I can't seem to find any facts coming from Rabbi Gurvis or his supporters.
The PC game, when played with Moslems, doesn't allow for facts because they can be so ugly.
"The PC game doesn't allow for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, period."
Fixed it for you.
As someone who is on the JCRC of New York mailing list, and occasionally looks at its website, www.jcrcny.org, I must admit that I do wish that the Boston JCRC were more like the New York one. JCRC in New York currently is leading a petition effort requesting the US State Department to carefully investigate those who were behind the Gaza Flotilla before issuing them visas for entry into the US for a New York PR tour. You can find the petition at http://jcrcny.org/flotilla/statedeptpetition.html. Unlike JCRC Boston, JCRC NY is a consistently strong supporter of Israel, holding strongly pro-Israel parades, leading Iranian sanctions efforts, and similar things. Our local JCRC has done some good things also, but often some of its leadership does seem to be overly preoccupied with political correctness, and also has a clear partisan slant, as compared to the New York one.
I am trying to get the names and affiliations (Reform, Conservative, Humanisitc, Orthodox) of the 70 rabbis. It might be in the items above but I did not see it. Could you tell me where I could find the list?
I received your link from Rabbi Hausman.
The original letter (note: there are more in the entry above) is here: http://www.solomonia.com/blog/archive/2010/06/when-rabbis-attack-standing-up-for-charl/index.shtml
It lists the Rabbis and their shuls, but you will have to research the affiliations one by one.
Rabbi Abe Morheim is a conservative Rabbi.