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Reacting to the U.S. State Department’s recent release of its “International Religious Freedom Report” for 2009, Agudath Israel of America’s executive vice president Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel issued the following statement:
“Much of the criticism of Israel in the U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2009 is misplaced.
“The report’s disapproval of traditional Jewish religious law’s role regarding certain personal status issues in Israel – a role enshrined in an agreement made by her founders more than 60 years ago – ignores the country’s self-declared identity as a Jewish state. Only a common Jewish denominator of religious standards can preserve the integrity of Israel as a Jewish state.
“The report’s disapproval of El Al’s respect for the Jewish Sabbath, the closing of roads in religious neighborhoods on the Sabbath, pre-marriage counseling of Jewish couples and limitations on proselytization likewise reflect obliviousness to Israel’s relationship to Judaism.
“The United States is rightly proud of its tradition as a republic that embraces no official religion. But numerous other countries, with equal pride, define themselves as Muslim or Christian. One country was created as a Jewish state. Israel’s choice of timeless Jewish tradition in the public realm and with regard to issues of personal status requires no apology. Criticism of Israel for being true to its foundational ideal is ill-conceived.”
(YWN Desk - NYC)
Bravo!
Comment by borninthebronx — October 29, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
The article makes it look like the US is singling out Israel for criticism; this is not true. You can find hundreds of such reports, for just about every country in the world, on the US State Department web site, and many are far more critical than the report on Israel.
Furthermore, some countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia justify their oppression of human rights by claiming they are Muslim states. The State Department reports are full of criticism of those states. Do we really want to be put in the same category as Iran and Saudi Arabia?
Comment by charliehall — October 29, 2009 @ 7:08 pm
This U.S. State Department report is the responsibility of Secretary of State Clinton, who may be ready to kiss Mrs. Arafat again.
Agudath Israel: Please do not let her off so easy on this one. Please call a public press conference and demand that this “report” be retracted by her.
I sincerely believe that she and former President Bill Clinton (who abused Monica Lewinsky) were never friends of the Jews.
Comment by Avraham — October 29, 2009 @ 7:12 pm