ADL Condemns Beck For Comments About Reform Judaism (AUDIO)

The Anti-Defamation League condemned Glenn Beck on Wednesday for comments he made about Reform Judaism.

Speaking on his Tuesday radio show, Beck brought up the recent letter that 400 rabbis from the Jewish Funds for Justice group took out in the Wall Street Journal against him. He claimed that the list was dominated by Reform rabbis, and dismissed the branch as akin to "radicalized Islam."

Reform rabbis, he said, "are generally political in nature. It's almost like Islam, radicalized Islam in a way." His comparison was "not about terror," he stressed, but "about politics, and so it becomes more about politics than it does about faith."

In a statement on Wednesday, Abe Foxman, head of the ADL, said that Beck's comments were evidence of his "bigoted ignorance." He urged Beck to apologize to the Reform movement--which, according to Media Matters, makes up 35 percent of American Jews. (Full statement below)

It is not the first time the ADL has put out statements criticizing Beck's comments. In November, they called statements he'd made about George Soros "offensive" and "horrific."

Other Jewish groups also condemned the statements.

LISTEN:

The full ADL statement:

Glenn Beck's comparison of Reform Judaism to radical Islam demonstrates his bigoted ignorance. Despite his feeble attempt to suggest that he was not equating Reform Judaism with Islamic extremist terrorism, the simple fact that he would mention them in the same breath is highly offensive and outrageous.

The truth is that every religious body has political points of view, whether one agrees with them or not. To compare Reform Judaism, which supports democratic institutions, to Islamic extremism, which supports anti-democratic movements and the repression of basic rights - including, for example, the denial of women's rights - is beyond the pale.

Glenn Beck has no business discounting the faith of any people, and he should think twice before commenting on something he doesn't know much about. He owes the Reform movement an apology.

Comments

[Jerry Barry]

04:04 AM on 02/26/2011

I hope Mr. Abe Foxman, head of the ADL, keeps the pressure on Beck and FoxNews so Beck gets fired.
Beck is always showing that his is a Bigot and Anit-Semetic with his constant attacks on George Soros and other Jewish people Beck hates. Beck has a very diseased mind and is obessessed with Nazis, Hiltler and the harming Jews by his words and his constant bashing of people who are Jewish.
If FoxNews ever wants to be taken serious in there coverage or stories they need to get rid of this crackpot because he isn't a very good example for the FoxNews Network.

[GlennBeckReview]

12:30 PM on 02/27/2011

Help apply pressure: sign the petition calling on Murdoch to fire Beck:
http://www.sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/2010/11/petition-fire-glenn-beck.html

[RTFanatic]

01:37 PM on 02/25/2011

Beck's a MORMON, fer cryin' out loud! 'Nuff said.

[ChiKevin]

01:19 PM on 02/25/2011

Glen Beck reminds me of every high school bully.

Unintelligent and picks on people for self gain...

What a Child.

[modrocker]

01:03 PM on 02/25/2011

Glenn Beck will soon go the way of Morton Downey, jr. Remember him? Exactly.

[Sydroky]

01:00 PM on 02/25/2011

Have you ever been some place and you hear someone who is talking authoritatively on a subject they know nothing about? That is Glenn Beck. Glenn Beck is making a ton of money out of saying ignorant things. He makes a living off of an ignorant audience. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, same thing.

[RTFanatic]

01:38 PM on 02/25/2011

I think Sarah has a bigger pair than Beck.

[GlennBeckReview]

10:13 AM on 02/25/2011

Beck appears to have a personality defect, McCarthyesque Malignant Narcissism.
http://www.sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/2011/02/freedom-threatened-by-glenn-becks.html

His personality and manipulative propaganda is a danger to our country and mostly his gullible followers.
Understand Glenn Beck:
http://www.sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/2011/02/understanding-beck.html

[JLTurner]

11:14 PM on 02/24/2011

I see the robots and mediators are hard at censoring any comment that gives any information.

[GlennBeckReview]

10:14 AM on 02/25/2011

I hope you're wrong; this is too important.

[ChiKevin]

01:23 PM on 02/25/2011

If this were run by the government, they would be held to constitutional standards. If they were to squelch your comments and misinformation, you could sue them and rightfully so.

However, in the land of of the free market and privatized everything, the constitution holds little weight...

You do not get a voice in the private sector.

Hmm...

[Deborah M Noble]

07:29 PM on 02/24/2011

He should be fired! Shame on him.

[Zeta]

05:58 PM on 02/24/2011

We need that guy from the Buffalo Beast calling Beck pretending to be one of these high profile Reform Rabbis. Then, "let the chips fall" as Beck likes to say.

[John C. Bonser]

02:36 PM on 02/24/2011

The man has no shame!

[omobob]

02:24 PM on 02/24/2011

> "Reform rabbis", Beck said, "are generally political in nature. It's almost like Islam, radicalized Islam in a way."

Its like a day without dark clouds and pelting rain, if Beck is not insulting someone or some group in an entirely inappropriate manner.

[kdlaiusa]

02:18 PM on 02/24/2011

Condemning Beck in one thing, need to exert continuous effort to encourage people to stop watching and listening to his shows, unless they are treated as comedy.

[mynamesyow]

01:56 PM on 02/24/2011

Wow...Beck truly DOES NOT understand the problem with equating something with the something that fundamentally wants to destroy it....someone PLEASE get this man AN EDUCATION...STAT!

[David01]

02:23 PM on 02/24/2011

He belongs in prison for his incitement to the unhinged which has led to the death of several police officers.

[52tucker]

01:42 PM on 02/24/2011

Beck never learns from his offenses against others. Rather, he turns them into cause for larger fights and as some sort of proof that his argument is a correct one.
This guy is a master propagandist and manipulator. Though I'm not praising either of those traits. He needs his show yanked.

[Clevelandinwi]

01:34 PM on 02/24/2011

bek is a defamer. That's what he does. That's all he does. That's what he is. That is all he is capable of, like his hero limpbugger. Sad, but very, very true. MURDOK pays him well to defame whomever MURDOK wants defamed.