WJC Official: Don't trust French, Moroccan Jews — They're like Arabs
If ever you needed confirmation that the American Jewish community is led by a bunch of lunatics with entirely questionable beliefs, look no further than here:
A newly leaked memorandum, appearing to be from the secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, gives a bracingly detailed inside picture of the outsized egos and personal machinations behind the recent fissures at one of the world’s most influential Jewish organizations.
The 10-page memorandum purports to be from WJC secretary general, Stephen Herbits, a former right-hand man to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who came to the WJC three years ago as a close confidante of the organization’s aging president, Edgar Bronfman. The letter was addressed to Bronfman’s son, Matthew, who, at the time of the memo, in November 2006, had begun to be discussed as a potential successor to his father.
The memorandum suggested that while Herbits was publicly positioning himself as a neutral professional leader of the WJC, behind the scenes he was setting up a battle with WJC leaders around the globe on behalf of Matthew Bronfman. In one of the most inflammatory sections of the memo, the author, apparently Herbits, lashes out against one of the main opponents of Bronfman’s candidacy, Pierre Besnainou, the head of the European Jewish Congress.
“He is French. Don’t discount this. He cannot be trusted,” the memo stated. A few lines later the author adds: “He is Tunisian. Do not discount this either. He works like an Arab.”
Full story.
Seriously — we need to boycott the American Jewish leadership and launch a MoveOn.org like organization to administer our own affairs. These miscreants have abused their power and influence for far too long, without any internal checks and balances. Contrary to their belief, the American Jewish community is not an oligarchy. Their reign must come to an immediate end, and true Jewish self-government and self-determination must be instituted post-haste.
http://krumasabagel.blogspot.com/2007/05/stephen-herbits-taking-world-jewish.html
Let’s do it. A Jewish MoveOn that positions itself as the mid point extending from Israel neutral non zionists all the way to strident two staters.
JG- any particular reason for leaving out the not-so-neutral non-zionists? seems to me they’re part of the American Jewish community too.
Could any of you Americans explain, once and for all, how this happened in the first place? Why is there no democratic body, like the board of deputies or the CRIF or even the Zionist Congress, which has the authority to speak (or better yet, to not speak) in the name of “American Jews” (whoever the hell they are)? Is it the American penchant for free for all capitalism, in which money always has the last word?
i think there would be huge support for such a “moveon” organization. go for it mobius.
but if this is about american judaism, why not take the focus off of israel? it frustrates me that the agenda of the institutional jewish community in America revolves around Israel. Everything is viewed through that lens. Local community programs are marketed by leveraging “israel as a brand”. The major identity-building program is birthright — which is, more or less, exposure to the Epcot-version of Israel.
The previous comments on this thread are all about the Israel-agenda of this hypothetical “moveon” organization. But that type of thinking is exactly what we need to move past.
Haha, that’s the spirit!
Completely agree. You’re definitely onto something. It could parralel the International Student Free Culture movement by way of example.
I’d be careful to base anything to per se on one pre-existing model.
My link is to USC’s group and here’s the intl. one homepage – http://freeculture.org/. If the central node launches, the network would sprout like wildfire. I’d definitely join an LA one.
Is it the American penchant for free for all capitalism, in which money always has the last word?
Yes.
a mobius moveon would be good.
it sounds like erev rav to me
http://www.israel613.com/EREVRAV1.htm
i go to american public school by the way – and im not psycho nuts
im in total support for new political jewish leadership, as long as its somewhat moderate enough. a good leader is something to pray for. i heard moshiach is supposed to be a politician.
1. According to JTA, Edgar Bronfman just resigned from the WJC.
2. Amit- Unlike the European, South American, etc. Jewish communities, the American Jewish community is far too diverse and fragmented to have a single governing body. While it has its attractions (particularly the notion of communal professionals being hired by “the community” rather than individual synagogues or organizations), it’s unlikely that Americans would buy into the notion of joining “the community,” because there is no such thing in America. Sad, perhaps, but true. We also have far stronger barriers between church and state here (which is all to the good, IMHO). I was under the impression that in some cases, head representatives of “the community” in other countries are actually on the government’s payroll and that the government funds private religious schools. (The latter is the case in Canada.)
3. Mobius- Precisely because the American Jewish community IS so vast, I don’t think we can refer quite so cavalierly to “THE American Jewish leadership” and insist they all need to be taken out. While I heartily agree with you that many of these organizations need to be dismantled or drastically shaken up, we also need to remember that people like Ruth Messinger are also leaders of the American Jewish community. We might do well to support them and insist that their voices are heard at the table.
But yeah- I’m as peeved as anyone about how much money matters in the US if one is to become a leader. It just pretty much stinks.
Um, and as I’ve said elsewhere, all power to the soviets.
The previous comments on this thread are all about the Israel-agenda of this hypothetical “moveon†organization. But that type of thinking is exactly what we need to move past.
Israel has played its cards in the US Jewish collective so well, there is nothing *but* Israel to most Jews in the US, the Modern Orthodox included. (go satmar?)
Mobius-
In 2004, MoveOn supported John Kerry, the candidate of the far left. The fact that you would even make a comparison to MoveOn shows the extent to which Jewschool has been taken over by the most extreme elements.
(There, I said it before anyone else could.)
If you guys keep talking about moveon.org, that guy is gonna show up again and start saying all those things, and this time you’ll have asked for it.
I’m just warning you….
Diaspora Jewish communities have been macher-ocracies for more than a thousand years. It would useful to have a taxonomy of the various groups that claim to represent the American Jewish community, with information on the size of their membership and how their leadership is selected. The WJC is a classic organization with an impressive name and small membership, rife to become the plaything of a macher like Bronfman. On the other hand, certain organizations (e.g. the RAC) strike me as fare more representative and less amenable to takeover by an individual macher.
I dont think MoveOn is a good organization to model anything after, as I do not see it as being very influential or effective (and i’m a super-liberal).
But I agree with the general idea of creating some sort of non-Zionist Jewish coalition
“true Jewish self-government and self-determination must be instituted post-haste.” It has – in that mystical place called Israel
really? I was under the impression that Israel has made itself culturally and economically dependent on the United States, thus killing the “self determination” that you decided we have.
Had we had said determination, we would have been talking to the Syrians.
friends, make a tax-deductible donation to matzat to help pay for the manhours it will take to build the website (i need a civicrm specialist) and i will happily devote myself to getting it done.
then we need to come up with funds to hire the staff it will take to lobby on behalf of our community…
mhpine, there is a good resouces on the ABC’s of the Jewish umbrella groups, albeit without the numbers you seek, here: http://btvshalom.org/resources/abc.shtml
I am not sure if Moveon is a good model, but I would welcome and support a Jewish organization that represents the silent, sane majority…as opposed to the myriad of organizations which presently cater to the lunatic fringe.
I guess it’s difficult for those of a leftist persuasion to acknowledge reality – that the overwhelming majority of Jews in America support a strong successful Jewish Israel. Can anyone point to a single legitimate survey that indicates otherwise?
incorrect, broken record here: huge list of polls of American Jewish (and Israeli, Palestinian polls too) opinion here: http://btvshalom.org/resources/am_polls.shtml
strong successful israel ≠ oppressor/occupier
Kung Fu, did you read what I wrote – it was only a single sentence – and did you read what you posted: because I did, and there was not a single poll result that in any way came even close to disagreeing with what I said. So can I assume you did read what I said and made your post assuming your mere citation would carry some weight, even though the actual citations actually supported what I said -or perhaps your invocation of the words “broken record” is some magic shoboleth that is suppose to refute my words. I repeat,
American Jews want a strong successful Jewish Israel, and all the leftist cant in the blogosphere, George Soros, Jews for Peace Now, Jews for we love the Muslims better than our fellows, Jews for Palestinian supremacy, Jews for reducing Israel to 10 square blocks, and Jews for an unarmed Israel doesn’t change that.
And Mobius, obviously you state a truism: strong successful israel ≠ oppressor/occupier – Israel is trying not to be an occupier, she unilaterraly gave up the Gaza (a move which I supported), and the Muslims instead of using that area to create a state immediately voted into office a terrorist group that has used Gaza to bombard Israel civilians with missiles. Before that I had wanted Israel to leave the majority of the West Bank, now I’m not so sure. The core evil of the Muslims is that they would rather destroy Israel than have their own state and their own fulfilled lives. Based on their education of their children to hate/destroy Jews, I don’t see the Muslims changing for several hundred years – and Israel will probably be forced to continue to be an occupying power as a result. Sorry for the sad conditions of the Palestinians, but they have brought that on themselves, I feel way sorrier for the Israelis who have to suffer living next doors to a bunch of maniacal terrorists.
she unilaterraly gave up the Gaza (a move which I supported), and the Muslims instead of using that area to create a state immediately voted into office a terrorist group that has used Gaza to bombard Israel civilians with missiles.
everyone here — palestinian and israeli alike — said that the palestinians would view a unilateral withdrawl as a victory for palestinian violence. in rahat, the bedouin told me they opposed the withdrawl. in sderot, the jews told me the same. khalil shikaki, the palestinian pollster, said that this view was universal throughout the territories. but israel, nonetheless, refused to negotiate a withdrawl. and that’s because, as dov weisglass noted, this is what sharon wanted: another “proof” of palestinian rejectionism that would enable israel to proceed with drawing its own borders, irrespective of the will of the palestinian people. also, if you watch the bbc documentary on hamas that came out a few years ago, you will see quite clearly that israel did all in its power to insure hamas’ victory in the PA elections. that’s why, ultimately, i came to oppose the disengagement, even though i support an end to the occupation and a full withdrawl from the territories. it was not a move towards peace.
The core evil of the Muslims is that they would rather destroy Israel than have their own state and their own fulfilled lives.
“the muslims.” feh. palestinian extremists ≠ “the muslims.” you’re making rash generalizations and demonizing an entire religious group comprised of 1 billion people because of the actions of less than 1% of the palestinian population.
she unilaterraly gave up the Gaza (a move which I supported), and the Muslims instead of using that area to create a state immediately voted into office a terrorist group that has used Gaza to bombard Israel civilians with missiles.
Incorrect – incorrect again. Israel in no way “gave up” Gaza. It retains effective control of the borders, water, electricity, import/export and population registry. The shekel is still legal tender in Gaza. It reserves its right to invade Gaza at any time. It reserves the right to kill, without trial or judicial review, any person in Gaza suspected of “terrorist activity”. The Palestinians should have done better with Gaza, but the blame lies equally on Israel. Had Israel wanted to “give up” Gaza, it would have “given up” the west bank as well, withdrawn to the green line and told the Palestinians to have fun with their lives. But instead they still terrorize the west bank, build a wall in the middle of it and settlements on both sides of it, and say “look, we gave up Gaza”. ha ha.