Very Groundbreaking Orthodox Jewish News from the UJA’s NY Newspaper!

by David Kelsey [➚] · Thursday, August 17th, 2006

“Our first loyalty is to the truth.” – The NY Jewish Week.

I hate to be provincial, but I was really a bit disappointed when Ner-David’s story, the story of how a non-Orthodox woman granted non-smicha to become a non-rabbi was heralded as a landmark achievement for Jewish feminism within Orthodoxy in the Jerusalem Post instead of in the UJA’s absolutely independent NY Jewish Week, whose stable of writers includes Deborah Nussbaum Cohen and Elicia Brown, to whom virtually all “gender” stories are assigned.

So I am pleased that this week’s Jewish Week features a similar story about K.O.E.’s hiring of Dina Najman-Licht for an essentially rabbinical position. K.O.E. is a Conservative post-denominational synagogue’s that broke from the JTS in 1983.

Look who she is replacing:

Rabbi Weiss Halivni, the founding spiritual leader of KOE, reflects its blend of tradition and innovation. Trained and ordained in Orthodox yeshivas in Europe, he was a professor of Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary before leaving over the Conservative movement’s decision to ordain women.

So what does this prove about Orthodoxy? Why obviously, everything!

Elicia Brown reports,

“KOE has confirmed the arrival of women to places of leadership in the Orthodox community,” said Devorah Zlochower, a dean at Drisha, an Upper West Side institution for women’s study of Jewish texts.

“This is something we have been hoping for and pushing for,” said Carol Newman, the president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, which will mark its 10th anniversary in February.[…] Jonathan Sarna, a keen observer of American Jewish life, sees the decision as “part of a larger trend in Orthodoxy of pushing the boundaries.

Of course, a “keen observer” would also note that, once again, Orthodoxy is being defined by Jewish media not by the Orthodox themselves, but by developments at congregations definitively outside of Orthodoxy.  Again, to be clear — no matter who attends their vegetarian Friday night potluck dinners, K.O.E. it is a break off of the Conservative Movement.  It is not Orthodox, it was never Orthodox, nor does it claim to be. 

So all this discussion about what Najman-Licht’s hiring means for Orthodox Judaism is not merely speculative, but based on nothing specifically Orthodox.

Beyond this specific issue, I have to wonder if it is simply too much to even hope for honesty on any issue where the Jewish Week’s editors have an agenda.  This is a newspaper which, at its core, attempts to submerge its relationship with and implicit obligation to promote the UJA, and therefore promote the preferred views of the Jewish establishment’s donor base by suggesting they have a broader appeal and acceptance than they do, be they left or right, or (as these views are always presented) — center.

Lillian Edelstein: The Forgotten Heroine

by David Kelsey [➚] · Thursday, August 17th, 2006

The Bronx, outside of Riverdale, is no longer known as a particularly Jewish borough. This wasn’t always the case, though.

Once it was a vibrant area for working class Jews. 

The fall of the Jewish presence in the Bronx was not a gradual or organic process.  Rather, one of its most Jewish neighborhoods, East Tremont, was bulldozed into oblivion. 

One woman tried to save her neighborhood.  There are no pictures of her to be found.  If it weren’t for Robert Caro, the details of her story might have been lost.

But she is an important figure, and should be remembered. 

Find out how and why in this week’s Forward.  

Art Exhibition Brings Clashing Civilizations Together

by David Kelsey [➚] · Monday, August 14th, 2006

Artists are different than you and I. They are not bound by the social constructs of religion or nationalism.  They can transcend the intentional divisions placed between us by the politicians and business interests of The Establishment. 

If only artists were brought into the forefront of the dialogue, surely we would have a better chance at letting ourselves see the others humanity, particularly through the art favored by the young.  If only we could all dance together at a hip-hop concert, or learn to understand and appreciate one another through the visual arts, including graffiti and comics.

By, say, going to Iran’s cartoon exhibition on the Holocaust. 

Let the healing begin.

Republicans Tacitly Endorse Joe

by David Kelsey [➚] · Monday, August 14th, 2006

Hawkish Democrats Say “No!”

In a brilliant move, the Republicans are declining to endorse Connecticut’s Republican senatorial candidate Alan Schlesinger, but according to White House press secretary Tony Snow, are instead endorsing “the democratic process” in CT generally.  Since it can be safely assumed that the President of the U.S. of A. would publicly support “the democratic process” even when he has a preference of candidates, this endorsement only of Connecticut’s general “democratic process” without a stated candidate preference is clearly a signal to Republicans that voting for Lieberman is fine by him, even preferable. The Republican National Committe is doing the same.

Now, no one can fault the Republicans for seeking to divide and conquer their opponents. 

And certainly, there are plenty of reasons for hawkish Democrats to be concerned with their party’s continually troublesome far-Left flank.   

But Lieberman is not our hero.  Even beyond his support of Bush in this war, he has been problematic.  Not because of the reasons the far-Left offered, but because of why TNR says so.

He has supported capital-gains tax cuts, ultra-loose financial regulations and the crucial vote on the grotesque bankruptcy bill. He has an almost pathological need to be liked by the far right.

Above all, he has maddeningly failed to acknowledge just how badly the Iraq war has turned out, which is different from insisting that we have to fix the mess we created. After all, many hawkish Democrats such as Senator Joe Biden of Delaware supported the war and don’t want to retreat but fully acknowledge President Bush’s catastrophic management of the occupation.
Lieberman’s persona has therefore tainted his admirable foreign policy instincts with his un-admirable domestic and political ones […]Still, the Lieberman rationale held together, just barely, as long as he was fighting the good fight within the Democratic Party. But now that he’s running as an independent, the last pillars of that rationale have crumbled. 

Even for hawkish Democrats, Lieberman has long been suspect.  But now, by dismissing (inexplicably, even before the primary took place) the wishes of Democratic voters, he has turned into our greatest foe, as he is currently the most powerful advocate that there is no place for us in the Democratic Party.

He no longer deserves our support. 

Now he deserves our full wrath. 

Clarification of Diebold Post

by David Kelsey [➚] · Sunday, August 13th, 2006

So, okay…my previous post was not actually meant to seriously suggest collusion by cunning, conscious machines, but was meant to be a spoof of the “flipping” issue, hence the “humor” tag.  I do not actually believe robots or machines have a will of their own or group solidarity.  I am shocked this post was taken as serious by many, some who commented on the post itself, and even by others rather bitterly on other posts, as I only meant to offer a different take on the defeat of a very controversial congresswoman. 

To be clear, I am relieved Congresswoman McKinney lost the primary, and trust that this occurred because of her own inappropriate and irresponsible behavior as a public servant, not because of the machinations of others, either machine, human, or Neocon (kidding!). But the fact that so many were confused does, as Cole noted, suggest a flaw in my writing (I guess) of that post.  

But at least “J” liked it.

Diabolical Diebolds

by David Kelsey [➚] · Friday, August 11th, 2006

I’m usually not a conspiracy theorist, but there are definitely nefarious motivations to consider before dismissing these Diebold voting machine “flipping” allegations.

Let’s be honest. Who benefits most from Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney’s defeat? That would be the J-E-W-S Neocons.

But these Diebold voting machines had every reason to side with the Zionists Neocons in this primary.

Who more than any other group wants to outsource labor? Who believes in “market solutions” through privatization?

The Neocons.

And who will replace labor at the voting booths themselves if the Neocons have their way?

Machines.  Diebold machines. 

Of course, Neocon defenders might counter that if this were true, the Diebold machines would have conspired to back Lieberman, but no one is saying the goals of Diebold machines and the Neocons are one and the same.  Lamont is no Luddite, and will be sensitive to fiscal pressures and cost cutting realities.  And therefore a Dieboldist. It was therefore prudent for the Diebold machines to avoid machinations and maintain neutrality in that primary.  When in doubt, just do your job.  

But McKinney’s election was a less ambiguous situation for the Diebolds. Not ambiguous at all, in fact.

Was it a coordinated effort?

I’m not going to say for sure. 

But McKinney stood as a brave bulwark against the goals of both constituencies.

And now she’s out.

Making an Example of UOJ

by David Kelsey [➚] · Monday, August 7th, 2006

Today, the haredi world can rejoice.  The anonymous blogger UOJ has (perhaps, perhaps not) finally been outed.  Even if it is someone else (UOJ says it is), it doesn’t really matter. The point has been made.

For generations, our response to criticism of our gedolim (great leaders) or their insitutions has been to silence those who criticize through various forms of communal pressure or excommunication.

But these blogs proved outside our grasp.  So we banned the internet, and blamed it on porn.

But the wicked did not listen, and their evil counsel led many weak souls astray.

But the greatest source of all our woes—UOJ (or at least this guy named Paul)–can hide no more. 

Let all Jews who think they can publicly criticize anyone or anything in the haredi world (no matter how egregious) understand: It is futile to fight us.

If you succeed in gaining traction and a significant following in the ultra-Orthodox world, we will:

1) Place your picture all over the net, and make fun of how you look.

2) Fabricate in a suggestive manner unsavory details about your personal past.

3) Attack your motivations, and ignore the important issues you raise.

4) Declare you mentally insane.  You must be.  You are fighting against us.

5) Harass you at your business and place of work, and list your work and home telephone numbers in hopes of getting you fired and harassing you into silence.

6) Mock your wife.

7) Assert that you are not rich (even if by our own depiction, you clearly are), as this is perhaps the most damaging form of character assassination for a layman in the charedi world, where the many, many impoverished know their place.
 
This is not to say rabbis are completely infallible, or deny that there are sometimes problems.  It is to say they know better than we do, and even if they are contributing to the  problems or blocking their alleviation, they will figure out how to correct these problems themselves, even if they have declined to do so for decades.

Once there were prophets, who once they were recognized as such by the Sanhedrin, were able to act with a measure of independence, and criticize all aspects of our society.

Today, the checks and balances are a faint memory.

There are no kings.  There are no temple priests.  There are no prophets. 

In our community, our decisions are final.  Our power absolute. 

Submit or leave.

But if you stay…you have to shut up.

Apology

by David Kelsey [➚] · Thursday, August 3rd, 2006

I would like to apologize for the suggestive and inflammatory language I used in an earlier post. There is no excuse for that, especially during war, and it was irresponsible and wrong.

The Mystery of Antisemitism

by David Kelsey [➚] · Thursday, August 3rd, 2006

For traditional Jews, it is the Three Weeks culminating with the 9th of Av that commemorates the tragedies and persecution of the Jewish people.  In the secular world, a significant segment of our population focuses on the threat of antisemitism all year long. 

On an organizational level, this focus is justified in terms of fighting antisemitism and the role education plays in promoting tolerance.

But in our personal conversations and certainly our literature, both classic and modern, the secular Jewish focus on antisemitism is more complicated than the interpretations offered in press releases and fundraising letters from Jewish organizations combating it.

More »

The Jewish Community and Immigration Policy

by David Kelsey [➚] · Saturday, July 29th, 2006

It is long past time to end the debate.  It is time to stop entertaining the idea that merely addressing  disenfranchisement, root causes, and entering into dialogue alone will safeguard this nation generally or our community specifically from domestic terrorism sufficiently. It will not.

It is time for the mainstream Jewish community in its entirety to back a moratorium on immigration from those nations where either the leadership or the population is hostile both to this country and to our community. 

Obviously, dissidents should be exempted, and certainly there are other categorical exceptions as well that need to be considered, and more still on a case by case basis.

When it comes to terrorism, no one is saying “most.”

It is a very small percentage of Muslims that directly cause quite a bit of mayhem. But even if the percentage stays at the same very low percentage, more domestic Muslims equals more domestic terrorists and hate criminals.

It is a cruel numbers game.  It is in our interest to preempt an increase in their numbers here through immigration.

It’s nothing personal. 

It’s just war.

International Federation of Yellow Journalists

by David Kelsey [➚] · Saturday, July 22nd, 2006

I Want My Hezbullah TV!

There are many topics to debate about in Israel’s war against Hezbullah.  Both morally and strategically.

But what is not (I would hope) up for debate is the legitimacy of Hezbullah itself. 

Having said that, Hezbullah TV itself is clearly part of the democratic free press community that the fundamentalist Islamic world is known and admired for.

Take Al-Manar.

Certainly you shouldn’t expect a leader of the International Federation of Journalists to recognize a qualitative difference between a mouthpiece for a terrorist organization and say, CNN.

And they do not. Not one bit.

“The bombing of Al-Manar is a clear demonstration that Israel has a policy of using violence to silence media it does not agree with,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “This action means media can become routine targets in every conflict. It is a strategy that spells catastrophe for press freedom and should never be endorsed by a government that calls itself democratic.”

Shockingly, “press freedom” for Al-Manar has been denied by staunch Zionist Entity supporters such as…France.   Which IFJ dismisses by noting, along with their ties to Hezbullah. Al-Manar’s, not France.

Some have expressed anger that the IFJ has not seen fit to condemn Hezbullah for targeting Israeli journalists with rockets.

But that’s ridiculous. Al-Manar never claimed to be pro-Democracy or a bastion of free speech!

It simply isn’t constructive for Israelis to get so upset about one little double standard and focus on applying hurtful labels, such as who is or isn’t a terrorist organization.  Bombing is not the way to express a different opinion to that of a “media organization.”

Especially during war time!  We should agree to disagree.

Clearly if the Israelis knock out the communications mouthpiece of Hezbollah, Hezbollah has already won.

At least in the U.S., let us not give the terrorists victory.  We should be offering Al Qaeda a public access show in all major metropolitan areas, and allow them to explain their side, as well as attempt to recruit Americans, and instruct them why and how to create bombs, gas subways, and destroy tall buildings.

Anything to make the IFJ happy. 

Tragically, some misguided Israeli journalists do not understand that IFJ is merely trying to build a better tomorrow for all media everywhere, and six immediately submitted their resignation.

Modern Orthodoxy Holds Its Evolutionary Ground

by David Kelsey [➚] · Wednesday, July 19th, 2006

Rejecting the scope of the ban of Rabbi Eliyashiv and many haredi leaders against Natan Slifkin and his book The Science of Torah, Slifkin launched his “revised edition,” The Challenge of Creation, which seeks to explain why an old earth and evolution is not a contradiction to Orthodox Judaism. 

But this is clearly not meant to appease the haredim, as is demonstrated by the cover, which is graced by the lovely profile of a skeletal Tyrannosaurs Rex.  Rather, Challenge of Creation delves into greater explanation of classic sources useful for allowing reconciliation of an old earth and evolution (not Intelligent Design, which Slifkin rejects) and Orthodox Judaism, including those that will allow a “license for non-literal interpretation (p. 21)” of Torah verses when needed.

At the book launch at the Young Israel of Kew Garden Hills tonight,  Rabbi Dr. Weinreb, who also wrote the foreword for the book, offered three sectors of Orthodox Jews harmed by the ban and contempt for grappling with science: Baalei Tshuvahs (newly Orthodox Jews), alienated youth, and “those educated to the wonders of sciences.”

Rabbi Gil Student offered three reasons (see his site) why he assesses that the ban against Slifkin is not appropriate for Jews with a different ideological orientation than the haredim, and insisted that, “There are communities for which the books are dangerous, and there are communities for which the ban is dangerous.”

Rabbi Slifkin asserted that his biggest complaint about the ban was that the signers and their supporters “didn’t give an alternate explanation” for the “objective physical reality.”

“Dinosaurs were really there!”

What is critical here is that with all the talk of Modern Orthodoxy moving to the right  – on the core area of disagreement between Modern Orthodox and Haredim – the value of secular education, including science, and scientific method – has not changed, and the Modern Orthodox have not budged one iota.

The Orthodox Union may not be willing to officially attach its name to Rabbi Slifkin or his books, but they are quite willing to have a most senior staff member back him in a significant and public way.

This was a critical fight for the future of Modern Orthodoxy (Normative Judaism), and critical players rose to the occasion.  Carefully and thoughtfully, but valiantly.

Sinas Chinum

by David Kelsey [➚] · Monday, July 17th, 2006

The sin of sinas chinum, (translated as “baseless hatred,” “needless hatred,” and “unwarranted hatred”) was given by our sages as the root cause for the destruction of the second temple.  It is frequently invoked as an admonishment for how we treat our fellow Jew.

But common attempts to explain this term as strictly referring to Jewish divisiveness and lashon hora (evil speech) specifically during the second commonwealth do not add up historically.

During the first commonwealth, there was idol worship and murder, a split in the kingdom, and a civil war.  Do we really believe there was less divisiveness and evil speech than in the second commonwealth? 

Even during Moshe’s reign, there were detractors and even a full scale attempt at rebellion.   

What was unique during the second commonwealth was not signature Jewish divisiveness, but rather, striking Jewish unity and unchecked power during the peak of the fundamentalist Hasmonean regime. And it was their sinas chinum, and the sinas chinum of zealous Jews in subsequent generations, that led to a continued deteriorating situation with Rome, and the subsequent destruction of the second commonwealth, in varying and increasingly severe stages.

The Hasmoneans sure did hate the Greeks.  And there were certainly good reasons to hold a grudge.  But the Greeks were defeated, even if only to the point the Americans were defeated in our conflict with Cuba.  Even today, the U.S. military base remains.  But unlike Castro, who continues to accept Guantanamo Bay as a reality he must swallow, the Hasmoneans were blinded by their hatred, and invited Rome in to drive out the Greeks, even though the Greeks were no longer the threat they once were, nor did they have the designs for us they once did. 

And Roman intervention was (surprise, surprise) not for free.  The Greek base was merely replaced with a Roman one.  And we were now on the expansive Roman map. 

Even the pro-Roman King Herod can be traced to Hasmonean sinas chinum, as he was a paternal descendent of Hasmonean conversions by sword.   So too, after eventually being conquered by the Romans, many Jews continued to resist out of bitter rage, consistently rejecting realpolitik.  It had all the success of pulling on a slip knot.  The destruction only increased in severity with each ill-fated rebellion. 

As we look with anger towards Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, it is important that we do not emotionally focus on the wrongs that are being done to us, or even the wrongs that are intended for us. 

It is simply not a luxury that a small civilization with one tiny country can afford.  We always have to think rationally, and not set policy out of anger. 

It is not enough to condemn sinas chinum towards each other.  We must not have sinas chinum towards others.  Even towards our enemies.

The Fire of Waco

by David Kelsey [➚] · Friday, July 14th, 2006

In a similar recruitment tactic to Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre, the fundamentalist (no judgments!) Aish HaTorah cultivates celebrity association with their movement in order to increase their visibility and attraction, including actors Elliot Gould and Kirk Douglas. 

On Luke Ford’s site, Jon Papernick claims that they aren’t maximizing an important one, the Waco wacko himself, David Koresh.  This makes no sense, as he wasn’t Jewish, but that is what Papernick insists.

Jon: “It [Aish HaTorah] was the same yeshiva David Koresh went to.”

Luke: “I didn’t know David Koresh went to Aish HaTorah.”

Jon: “They won’t admit it, but it’s true. There’s a Koresh street in the old city. That’s where he took his last name.”

C/O: Failed Messiah

Was Creating the State of Israel the Jews’ Worst Strategic Mistake Ever?

by David Kelsey [➚] · Thursday, July 13th, 2006

So often on the subject of the State of Israel, the debate is framed by moral questions.  This preferred focus is based on the axiom – both in left and right Zionist camps – that a Jewish state is tenable.

Maybe it just isn’t.  

It is useful to empathize with the enemy.  The enemy – activist fundamentalist Islam – is not the majority of Muslim people. 

But it doesn’t need to be.  Most Germans were not Nazis.  Most Russians were not communists. 

It simply doesn’t need to be most.  Especially now, when you don’t need a state to wage a war. Though having a few backing you certainly doesn’t hurt.

If I were a fundamentalist Muslim, I would do the basic math. 

I would figure that there are 1.2 billion Muslims, and 14 million Jews.  That if I went one for one, at the end of the day, there would be zero Jews, and 1.2 billion Muslims.

And though I would try to do better than one to one, I would be willing to sacrifice one hundred for one. The only thing that would restrain me would be my concern to retain the ability to fight another day.  Martyrs hardly hinder that possibility. Not with their odds and recruitment methods.

I do not see a happy ending here.  Not with a tough and expansive policy, not with a smaller Israel. 

For the fundamentalists, there is little reason to cut a permanent deal.  

They have 1.2 billion people to draw support from. With many states, of which many of those offer varying levels of support, even if minimal and peripheral.  Their hand grows stronger.  Ours grows weaker.  Terrorism is to fanatics and nations what the gun was for petite men versus strong men: a great equalizer.  For those seeking to inflict their will upon them. 

At least our believers have their faith to rely on when considering the future of Israel.

Our tradition promises us that Jerusalem will not fall a third time.

Or does it?

The Talmud warned us of our oath not to take back the land by force.  That if we did, that “our flesh will be made free like wild animals in the field.”

Good thing halacha can change and evolve, due to the excessive oppression of the nations of the world, the U.N. vote, etc. For we have the power to reinterpret Jewish law, and to declare this oath null and void.

Unless we’re wrong.  Unless we don’t. 

Then we may have a very big problem.

Even College Educated Orthodox Jews Reject Theory of Evolution

by David Kelsey [➚] · Sunday, July 9th, 2006

Is the Flat Earth Society just another way to say minyan?

Alexander Nussbaum writes in Skeptic Magazine that,

The sample of 176 Orthodox Jewish students surveyed showed almost complete denial of evolution and other central tenets of modern science (such as the age of the universe); the survey also revealed that these students received their scientific beliefs not from their college science courses, but from rabbinical authorities, or from Orthodox Jewish scientists, who in turn propagate the anti-science views of rabbinical authorities. Perhaps the most surprising result of the survey was that the Orthodox Jewish students who were science majors were even less accepting of mainstream science than those who were not science majors.

Read the startling stats here!

The good news? Well, only 22 of 173 answered that the Sun revolves around the Earth.

Nussbaum expects this paltry number to grow over the years.

Nussbaum writes, “According to a recent poll, our education system continues to fail our Orthodox students who go to college.”

Or is instead it that the Orthodox educational system is succeeding?

Perhaps the leaders of Orthodox Judaism have assessed that there is no future for Orthodox Jewry nor (by their standards) for Judaism without all but a categorical denial of science in regards to both strict creationism and theories of human history.

Are they correct?  Sure, they may lose some of their most precocious to the secular world, but won’t they retain more of the masses?

Orthodox Jews are fast earning a reputation as one of the most intellectually reactionary groups in the Western world.  Perhaps it is well deserved.

Hat tip: Mis-nagid

Jews for Jesus Campaign Exposes Jewish Community’s Failures

by David Kelsey [➚] · Tuesday, July 4th, 2006

It seems noteworthy that according to the NY Times, Jews for Jesus are specifically running campaigns “aimed at Russian-speaking Jews, Israelis and Hasidic Jews.”

This would make sense if they are doing so because they perceive these communities to be particularly vulnerable to their message.

We fought hard for Russian Jews back in the 70’s and 80’s.  But did we consistently fight for them once they were here? Have we reached out to the Russian Jewish community to make sure they feel they are indeed a part of the fabric of American Jewish life? Or do we often treat them as unequals, and sideline them as a separate community, a community that lacked knowledge even of the very basics of Judaism after seventy years of crushing communism?

And which ”Hasidic Jews” are J4J targeting, and why?  Do we really think they are going to be spending most of their energy on the side locked yeshiva bochrim of Belz? Or are they targeting a specific group that has already– to a shocking extent– allowed crossover from Christianity to subsist within its midst? Chabad contains a real point of entry for those seeking to mix Judaism and Christianity with Rebbe worship.  And the Jewish community frequently continues to shrug it off, and generally downplay its significance.

As for the Israelis, it is quite clear that Zionism has not proven a satisfying replacement for Judaism.  But the Haredim, with their fundamentalism and their antics and bile have successfully partnered with the Labor-Zionists to convince many secular Israelis that Judaism is not for them.  Jews for J shrewdly assesses that maybe they are willing to consider something different.

And certainly with the continued rise and fallout of assimilation, it seems logical that Jews for J may find more frequent fertile ground in the offspring of a mixed marriage.  It is no surprise that they are listed on the links page of halfjew.com.

If the overall Jewish community hadn’t developed large pockets of weakness, this campaign would never be happening on such a massive level.  Our anger is primarily at our own failure.

Or at least, it should be.

Rally in September

by David Kelsey [➚] · Thursday, June 29th, 2006

Following up on the D.C. rally in April, there will be another Israel Day parade Save Darfur rally in New York this September in order to save on commuting costs and time take the message to the U.N.

And don’t worry! My previous fears about it being perceived as “too Jewish” were completely unwarranted. It’s a real melting pot, no less than the demands for U.S. military intervention against Iran.

As the JTA reports,

Though she [Gitta Zomorodi, senior policy associate at the American Jewish World Service] said key players, such as AJWS President Ruth Messinger, may use their contacts to reach out to leaders in other religious or ethnic communities, “generally speaking it works better when we play to our strength, and that’s with the Jewish community.”

Raffel agreed.

“Our principal responsibility is to work within the Jewish community,” he said. “To the degree that we have relationships outside the Jewish community, we’ll certainly take advantage of those relationships.”

While he hoped that other groups “will be encouraging greater participation from their end,” Jews don’t need to tone down their level of involvement, Raffel said.

“A question I often get is, ‘Are we over-participating?’ ” Raffel said. “The answer to that is no.”

Well, that settles that!

So please remember, this is an opportunity for us to make a kiddush Hashem with all the gentiles at the rally, and there will be many such opportunities. Policemen and food vendors will be out in full force, as well as the media.  So please be on your best behavior! And remember, as Jews it is our historical responsibility to shout out to the world that Islam sucks and look at the mentality of the type of people Israel is fighting! ”Never Again!”