August 6, 2008 – Rabbi Milton Balkany, respected Jewish community leader and leading faith-based initiative advocate, today said that the case of accused Jewish spy David Tenenbaum, a Department of Defense employee, is so egregious and provocative and demonstrates the deep level of intolerance and ignorance within the U.S. government, and perhaps the country.
Tanenbaum was publicly suspected of providing classified information to Israel, and recently exonerated, and left to reassemble the pieces of a destroyed career and reputation; but why? On July 13, 2008, an Inspector General’s report was released that showed the reasons Tenenbaum was accused: He was an Orthodox Jew.
Balkany said, “According to a July 13, 2008, 62 page report from the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Defense on Tenenbaum, he was accused because, He is Jewish, He covers his head with a kippah, He speaks Hebrew, He keeps kosher, He leaves work early on Friday afternoons and on business trips, he stays in hotels that are “Sabbath friendly,” even as his colleagues stay in other, usually more upscale, hotels.”
“That is scary.” Balkany said. “By those criteria there are countless spies for Israel running around this country.” Balkany said, “This demands a very public apology and acknowledgement from the military and perhaps even the President that religion is not a crime, nor are religious people any less devoted to America.”
“It is both outrageous and frightening to know that this could happen to a person simply because he is Orthodox,” said Rabbi Balkany. “The obvious reference here is to a time over 60 years ago, in Germany, when Jews were once again the target for destruction.”
Rabbi Balkany himself was once publicly accused by the U.S. Government of impropriety, who was then exonerated with little fanfare, but was left to restore his sullied reputation within his community and the with the many people had worked with him prior. He feels that this case needs to be publicly apologized for from the highest levels of our country’s leadership.
What happened to both Balkany and Tenenbaum reveal a reality very different from what many Americans would like to believe. How is it possible that the government of the United States could subject a person to “unusual and unwelcome scrutiny because of his faith and his background.”
(PRESS RELEASE SUBMITTED TO YWN)
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9 Responses
yeah, pretty interesting,
and he wants an apology hahaha
You know, instead of being an idiot, you can see that Balkany’s point is very valid in this case. Also, I think the apology wasn’t for him, but for the government’s targeting this Tenenbaum guy because he kept Shabbat and kosher. No matter what you want to say about the Rabbi, you must not ignore the issue here.
He forgot to mention one thing:
He is the SON IN LAW OF RUBASHKIN ! So he has an agenda.
Plus some other things better left UNWRITTEN HERE !
He speaks the truth. There is no guilt anywhere to be seen. It is not up to us to judge people thru the media and their biased stories.
In the USA we have a court system where people are tried — and they are innocent until PROVEN guilty.
In Jewish Courts (Bais Din) we have something similar.
Dont go assuming guilty just because the NY Slimes or some other paper said the person is guilty. We have courts for that.
Rabbi Balkany has BH come thru his nisayon. It makes no difference who he happens to be related to. BTW, zamilenger, this story has NOTHING to do with Agri so leave them out of it for now.
In this case, it certainly seems that the “evidence” is pretty lousy and I would place my money (so to speak) on Mr. Tenenbaum.
This leads me to my next question…. if they could get Tenenbaum because he stayed at cheaper hotels, covers his head with a yarmulka, speaks hebrew, etc., why dont they ask questions about Hussein Obama who has been hanging out with people whom we know to be haters of this country. “People” like the Wrong Rev Right & Bill Ayers who was a domestic terrorist in the 60s & 70s and is quoted as saying, “I don’t regret setting bombs” and “I feel we didn’t do enough”, and, when asked if he would “do it all again” as saying “I don’t want to discount the possibility.”
The poor defenseless person is the one they go after.
I left a lengthy comment here yesterday but I see it has disappeared.
Perhaps it’s because I agreed with Rabbi Balkany even though he is related to the Rubashkins.
Guess what?
He made very relevant and justified comments. He did not sit back and say, “Hashomer achi anochi?”
What happened to al the comments about the lined up trucks outside the Rubashkin store in Boro Park to deliver TONS of food to Tomchei Shabbos? What about all the erev Pesach free deliveries. Jealous people do not fargin. That means that jealous people will find reasons to attack any act done by the envied.
I know David – he is a fine individual and has gone through more than you can imagine. I am very happy to see that he has been exonerated. B”H!
Rabosaiy: We are in Galus! Get it through your thick heads!
mark levin:
What exactly is the connection between Barack Obama & Bill Ayers? Yes, they’ve definitely met, because they’re both well-known people who live in the same city, but the connection is much more tenuous than the connection between Obama & Wright.
That’s not to say that I think Bill Ayers is a good person (or that I think Obama is the better candidate). Personally I think it’s unconscionable that he’s a tenured professor, let alone a professor of education. But I think the reason he & Bernadine Dohrn got off so easily had less to do with a liberal mindset & more to do with the fact that his father was the CEO of Commonwealth Edison (now Exelon), one of the largest electric utilities in the country.
Balkany pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, didn’t he? And Tannenbaum himself has not proved his career wasn’t hurt–if he was accused, I would hope he cooperated fully with the investigation–not sure that was the case.