Blogging the Omer, Day 11: Don’t go to China
Week Two, Day Four
Netzach of Gevurah
Orthodox Rabbis Irving “Yitz” Greenberg and Haskell Lookstein have begun a drive asking Rabbis to sign a statement asking Jews not to attend the Olympic Games in China. JTA reports that more than 175 Jewish leaders, including the heads of the Reform and Conservative movements, have signed the appeal. Rabbis Greenberg and Lookstein, began circulating the petition, timed to be released before Yom Hashoah commemorations Thursday, after they learned that Beijing had set up a kosher kitchen to accommodate Jewish tourists.
“We are deeply troubled by China’s support for the genocidal government of Sudan; its mistreatment of the people of Tibet; its denial of basic rights to its own citizens; and its provision of missiles to Iran and Syria, and friendship for Hamas,” the statement says. “Having endured the bitter experience of abandonment by our presumed allies during the Holocaust, we feel a particular obligation to speak out against injustice and persecution today.”
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Its about time!
—Amit · May 1st, 2008 at 2:42 am
what we need now is abe foxman to stand up and say, “it’s not appropriate for the jewish community to be the arbiter of justice on this issue,” because after all, israel’s relationship with china is of superior importance to, say, recognizing a genocide, and we should therefore butt out of the issue.
then, ariel beery can write about how everyone supporting tibetan independence and whatnot are far too concerned with the plight of non-jews, and because they’re willing to compromise israel’s trade interests for the sake of helping non-jews, that liberal jews are therefore pushing the jewish people towards assimilation and extinction.
—Mobius · May 1st, 2008 at 7:11 am
One down!
—Mobius · May 1st, 2008 at 11:19 am
Did they set up a kosher kitchen specifically for the Olympics tourists? And is this completely separate from the kosher restaurant that has been in Beijing for about a year now? I’m not supporting China and the Beijing Olympics, but the argument as presented is not quite right.
—alisha · May 1st, 2008 at 11:26 am
Mobius, stop encouraging them.
—BZ · May 1st, 2008 at 11:50 am
At least let them say such things before we get mad at them for saying them . . . you just sound like you have a giant chip on your shoulder. Anyhow, lets enjoy the moment of Jewish leaders making such a wonderful statement!
—jewtah · May 1st, 2008 at 7:17 pm