The Coalition for Jewish Values, a public policy institute representing hundreds of Orthodox Rabbis, today rebuked Jewish clergy who publicly announced their refusal to participate in an annual conference call with the President preceding the Jewish High Holy Days. Rabbis from four liberal Jewish organizations said last Wednesday they would not hold the annual call with the president, claiming that his response to racist violence in Charlottesville was “lacking in moral leadership and empathy.”
The CJV noted that the Union for Reform Judaism was recently identified as the most consistently liberal American religious denomination in a survey of the party registration of religious leaders — and suggested that Reform and associated clergy were judging Presidents by a double standard. Rabbi Aryeh Spero, a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the CJV, dismissed the Rabbis’ statement as “left-wing politics masquerading as rabbinics.”
“For eight years,” his colleague Rabbi Dov Fischer explained, “these rabbis raced to participate in New Years’ phone calls with a President who worked vigorously against Israel, snubbed and shamed its democratically elected leader, and who called Jewish homes in the Jewish homeland ‘illegal.’ They have not suddenly found their consciences. Is liberalism more important to them than Judaism?”
The CJV also challenged the claim of liberal Jewish leaders to represent Jewish rabbinic opinion. “Despite their arrogated prominence,” said Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, also a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the CJV, “the liberal denominations now represent a minority of Jewish clergy. The great majority of American rabbis revere Jewish tradition, including our responsibility to show respect for government officials and to work amicably with them for the physical and moral betterment of all.”
“President Trump has proven himself a great friend of Israel and the Jewish People,” he concluded. “Any rabbi should be honored to receive High Holy Day greetings from the leader of the free world, especially when we owe him thanks for the many things he has done on our behalf.”
The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), directed by prominent rabbinic leaders and representing hundreds of rabbis across North America, articulates an authentic Jewish perspective on current events, and promotes Jewish values through writing and teaching derived from traditional Jewish thought.
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14 Responses
where might one find the list of the individuals referred to by ” representing hundreds of rabbis across North America, ..”?
The CJV is a sham. Who does this body represent? Who appointed them? Shame on them for being defenders of a President who refused to distance himself from David Duke, made bigoted comments to the RJC, equated Neo Nazi’s with counterprotesters and said that they were many fine people at the Neo Nazi Friday night march. Shame on the CJV for putting their distorted partisan worldview ahead of true moral values. Since when have demagoguery, xenophobia and the stowing of hatred of others been Jewish values? Shame on the so called CJV. There is nothing Jewish and certainly no values that are represented by this self appointed body.
‘“For eight years,” his colleague Rabbi Dov Fischer explained, “these rabbis raced to participate in New Years’ phone calls with a President who worked vigorously against Israel, snubbed and shamed its democratically elected leader, and who called Jewish homes in the Jewish homeland ‘illegal.’ They have not suddenly found their consciences. Is liberalism more important to them than Judaism?”’
Fischer appears to have replaced or conflated Judaism with Zionism.
You can start by searching onine for “coalition for jewish values”, go to their website and ask them who their members are. the leadership is listed on their website.
The “CTJV Coalition for True Jewish Values” representing “hundreds” of Rabbis herby officially rebukes the right wing Jewish organizations such as the CJV for hypocritically getting mad and expressing all forms of outrage when Obama took positions they felt were not in the best intrest of Israel yet they still refuse to condemn Trump for refering to Neo Nazi protestors as fine people and for his sowing of hate and division in America.
@crazykanoiy…and I suppose we should get our Jewish values from you? the person who sounds like he ate a leftist for breakfast….maybe get your own original thought and then start attacking…..if you can’t have perspective as to the other side of ones thoughts or words then you have no right to talk whatsoever.
crazykanoiy,
They represent me and many, many others. Extend your question then to, ” Who represents anybody?” Who represents you?
The president was absolutely correct. He faulted BOTH sides. For good reason, we Jews are disturbed by the white, racist KKKs & Nazis. Yet , at the same time so many Jews ignore the virulent anti-white, anti-Semitic violence of the left which is growing across the country. Thankfully, Duke and his ilk are mavbe a few thousand, while the stormtrooping radical left is in great part a paid organized 5th column against Jews, whites, Israel, free speech especially on campus , and number in the millions. .They riot , beat, burn and threaten, yet Jews, especially the liberal Jews, fail to see it .David Duke is irrelevant.
Thank you CJV– continue your great work.
Ipchamistabra says — “Fischer appears to have replaced or conflated Judaism with Zionism.”
No, he didn’t. BTW, Ipcha, whether you like it or not, most umos haolam equate the two— as should be.
Except of course, for pseudo-meraglim– Let’s learn Torah in this here midbar— who needs EY?
My pseudo-meraglim is a typo. Should read Neo-meraglim.
……and for his sowing of hate and division in America….
No, he isn’t. It was Obama who sowed division with his class warfare, inviting the Sharptons and the CAIRs and the rest of the race baiters for multiple WH hooplahs..T’was Obama who never sided with law enforcement, Who famously popped his garbage ” They didn’t build it” referring to rich business people ( read whites), pardoning hundreds of rapists and murderers because in his twisted racist mind, these ( mostly minority) criminals didn’t get a fair shake in the justice system.
What Trump is doing, is calling out this hypocrisy, and the other side is raging like a wounded bull because they’ve been gored. Trump speaks for millions who saw the Antifa hoodlums show up with bats and weapons to terrorize people and nobody called them out on it.
The KKKs are nobodies. The radical left that has hijacked the Dem Party is the real threat, both to Jews and to our Constitution and American values.
Way to go, prez..
crazykanoiy You are right you are crazy; yes how can a Jew support the leftist. These Jews think leftism is a religion
Zion Gate: Calling an organization the Coalition for Jewish Values is an attempt to claim to represent Jewish values. In the above article they claim to represent “hundreds” of rabbis. There a few Rabbis on their website but hardly “hundreds” Hence the question who are they claiming to represent? Furthermore, there is no Jewish Value that would support an unrepentant adulterer who demonizes others, lies on whim, has a blatant disregard for the truth and sees fine people at a neo-Nazi march. They should change their organization name to ORT Orthodox Rabbis (who will always support) Trump but to claim that defending Trump is a Jewish value makes a mockery of everything that true yiddeshkeit stands for.
Realistic Guy; CJV is entitled to “their perspective” but it is the sheer height of haughtiness and chutzpah to claim as they appear to that there misguided support of Trump is somehow a Jewish Value.
“The great majority of American rabbis revere Jewish tradition, including our responsibility to show respect for government officials” Yeh right. Just read what some CJV rabbis have written about President Obama. The hypocrisy cuts both ways.
Zion Gate: Obama is blamed for “pardoning hundreds of rapists” yet Trump who boasted of being one is not to be blamed.