…don’t behave like rabbis. I’m guessing they’re all “reformed.” Perhaps more reformation is due.
29 thoughts on “When Rabbis”
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…don’t behave like rabbis. I’m guessing they’re all “reformed.” Perhaps more reformation is due.
Comments are closed.
My reading comprehension is in the pits today. I read “When Rabbits … don’t behave like rabbits.” You did not link to the biology article I expected.
Yours,
Tom
What a tsurris that these rabbis act not like mensch, but instead putz….
Rand,
Whether you agree with the rabbis or not, whether they are right or wrong, whether or not they are complete idiots, I think it is not appropriate to speculate on whether the rabbis are Reform, Orthodox, etc. Like the different denominations of Christianity, the different branches of Judaism each attract congregants who span the political spectrum.
I think you wouldn’t criticize the Baptist denomination on your blog, even if you heard about a group of Baptist ministers engaged in a political activity you didn’t agree with.
While Reform Judaism might very well attract more Democrats than Republicans, the same might be true for Orthodox Judaism. In any case, the differences between Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, etc are religious differences, not political differences. If you actually have an opinion on these religious differences, I look forward to reading to your blog posts or commentary on the subject.
Actually, I’m pretty sure that he used the term “reformed” (note the lower case, not capitalized, and the fact that it was in quotes) because the first two definitions of the word “reformed” have nothing to do with religion, and refer to the character of a person:
1. Improved by the removal of faults or abuses.
2. Improved in conduct or character.
And, well, it’s quite ironic to think of a people who are improved in conduct or character acting in such a malicious manner.
Not that Rand can’t defend himself, of course, but there’s still a difference between “reformed” and “Reform”, just the same as there’s a difference between “orthodox” and “Orthodox”.
For example, it’s quite unorthodox to remove rust from a chrome bumper with Coca-cola. But that has nothing to do with the religious views of any particular person.
Bob, have you recently moved up higher on the sense of humor transplant waiting list?
Carl, If I call the Westboro Baptist church a bunch of protesting protestants who need to protest less, no one will think it is funny — why is Rand’s comment different? John B offers one possible answer, but I bet that’s not what Rand meant.
So that would be a “yes?”
Hey Bob-1, so it’s okay to curse at Jesus, a rabbi (so called by his followers), but it would be rude to wonder if He was Reformed, Conservative, or Orthodox? Also, being a proud Jewish-Atheist, why do you care? I’m not Christian, I don’t care what they do or people say about them as long as it isn’t out and out lies like “The Westboro Baptist Church is a Christian church.”
I do care. If Rand didn’t intend any disrespect to the Reform branch of Judaism, that’s great. I’ll say silly or disrespectful things about Jesus due to my own religious beliefs, but I mean absolutely no disrespect toward Christians themselves.
Well, you know what, Bob? I was displaying disrespect of Reform Judaism, and appropriately, just as I display disrespect of Islam as practiced by those who make war on us in its name. Being able to display disrespect about religions is one of the things that America is all about.
Fortunately, my penalty for the former is just being chastised on the Internet by someone named “Bob-1,” which I can safely ignore, whereas my potential penalty for the latter is being decapitated with a rusty knife. So don’t accuse me of not being equal opportunity.
Silly rabbis! Kicks are for Trids!
Bob-1, translated: “I’m allowed to disrespect any religion* but you’re not allowed to disrespect mine, even though I don’t actually believe in my religion!”
*As long as it’s a certain religion, and I’m not talking about Buddhism.
my penalty for the former is just being chastised on the Internet by someone named “Bob-1″
Heavens, Rand, be reasonable. Who would name her son “Bob-1”? I’ve always assumed the “1” is just a nickname, or perhaps a serial number.
I’ll bet it’s his license plate.
“I think it is not appropriate to speculate on whether the rabbis are Reform, Orthodox”
Quite right. Given that the briefest glance at the “headline” signatories clearly reveals that none of them is Orthodox, there is no need for any speculation.
Or is it your contention that this is another topic that, for mysterious and arbitrary reasons, is off-limits?
A Peaceful Sabbath to all.
Three of the seven headline signatures are Conservative rabbis, two of the seven headline signatures are Reconstructionist rabbis; only two of the seven headline signatures are Reform rabbis.
The letter is signed by 400 rabbis total, including Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, president of an Orthodox Social Justice organization, who certainly is politically liberal, but who is not Reform.
So, yes, there is no need for any speculation about whether all of the signatures are from Reform rabbis, since you can just look up the answer, and the answer is no.
I also don’t see the issue. Glenn Beck said of Soros “Here’s a
Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps.”
Who thinks this is a reasonable thing to say?
In the previous thread we were told that the truth doesn’t help Here, Bobone tells us the truth isn’t reasonable.
Bob, the fact that Soros did help the SS send Jews to the camps, and feels no remorse to this day doesn’t bother you?
It is a reasonable thing to say if it is true.
It is also relevant if Soros’ willingness to sell out his people to benefit himself speaks to how he became so wealthy.
It simply isn’t true — Soros was a 14 year old being victimized.
60 Minutes from 12/28/98:
Doesn’t sound like he was victimized to me. Sounds like more like he’s a sociopath.
By Jewish tradition a 14 year old male is a man. As the parent of two teenagers, I agree. Soros is guilty, guilty, guilty. And I expect the self-knowledge of that explains a lot about him.
Hmm. We have a conundrum here. Bob-1 disapproves of Glenn Beck’s statement: “Here’s a Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps.” He seems to think it was a big ol’ lie (“It simply isn’t true”). But then JP Gibb produces part of a transcript of a 60 Minute interview with Soros, in which Soros himself admits:
1) He was Jewish
2) He was a boy (“child”)
3) He helped his guardian steal (sorry, “confiscate”) property from Jews who had been sent to the camps.
I’ll grant you that it might be a stretch to make no. 3 into “helping send the Jews to the death camps” in the sense that he wasn’t stuffing them into the trains, but on the other hand most civilized countries consider it being an accessory to a crime if you benefit from it — say, if you accept stolen (or “confiscated”) property knowing it was stolen. Even if you don’t “make the connection” to what happened to the owners. Maybe young Soros was told some story or something to keep him quiet but it’s more likely that he was just an average amoral teenager who didn’t care about some people he didn’t know. And even that would be forgivable if Soros ever indicated that he felt the slightest bit of guilt, but all he seems to have learned from his past was to look out for Number One.
Related: RKV said “By Jewish tradition a 14 year old male is a man.” Hey! Don’t you know that “Jewish Tradition” is whatever Bob-1, Proud Jewish-Atheist, says it is?
I think JP Gibb, above, snipped the 60 minutes interview one question too early and thus concludes Soros is a sociopath. Here was the next question and answer:
KROFT: No feeling of guilt?
Mr. SOROS: No.
KROFT: For example that, ‘I’m Jewish and here I am, watching these people go. I could just as easily be there. I should be there.’ None of that?
Mr. SOROS: Well, of course I c — I could be on the other side or I could be the one from whom the thing is being taken away. But there was no sense that I shouldn’t be there, because that was — well, actually, in a funny way, it’s just like in markets — that if I weren’t there — of course, I wasn’t doing it, but somebody else would — would — would be taking it away anyhow. And it was the — whether I was there or not, I was only a spectator, the property was being taken away. So the — I had no role in taking away that property. So I had no sense of guilt.
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From Wikipedia:
In 1944, at age 14, Soros lived with and posed as the godson of an employee of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. On one occasion, the official was ordered to inventory the remaining contents of the estate of a wealthy Jewish family that had fled the country.[20] Rather than leave the young George alone in the city, the official brought him along.
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Michael Kaufman described what happened next in Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire:
Shortly after George went to live with Baumbach, the man was assigned to take inventory on the vast estate of Mor Kornfeld, an extremely wealthy aristocrat of Jewish origin. The Kornfeld family had the wealth, wisdom, and connections to be able to leave some of its belongings behind in exchange for permission to make their way to Lisbon. Baumbach was ordered to go to the Kornfeld estate and inventory the artworks, furnishings, and other property. Rather than leave his “godson” behind in Budapest for three days, he took the boy with him. As Baumbach itemized the material, George walked around the grounds and spent time with Kornfeld’s staff. It was his first visit to such a mansion, and the first time he rode a horse. He collaborated with no one and he paid attention to what he understood to be his primary responsibility: making sure that no one doubted that he was Sandor Kiss.
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My thought: If a kid has to keep his identity a secret for fear of being killed, he’s a victim. I think it is a valid ethical question to ask whether Soros should have stopped hiding in plain sight, and instead run away to join the resistance or in some other way tried to help stop the Nazis, instead of just trying to survive. But at 14, I think it is morally acceptable to just survive. Soros didn’t send anyone to their death.
But there was no sense that I shouldn’t be there, because … if I weren’t there … somebody else would be taking it away anyhow … And I would say that that’s when my character was made.
Go Bob, defend away.
Bob, Soros’ answer to that question doesn’t really help your argument. It’s pure rationalization. He might as well be saying “I was only following orders”.
The fact remains, the man admits feeling no guilt, either then or now.
Also Soros seems to have a different story than what Michael Kaufman says. Soros doesn’t indicate that he was just a kid taken out one time to watch. Why agree to the statement “Went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscation of property from the Jews.”, if he had just watched and it was just one time?
My thought: If a kid has to keep his identity a secret for fear of being killed, he’s a victim.
Which reveals that your inner voice is all spin. There is no indication at all that he feared being killed. ‘No sense of guilt’ is the give away.