Glenn Beck: The Grinch Who Stole Yom Kippur

Last April, a blogger asked if Glenn Beck is Jewish. If there were any doubt, Beck's tweet from Rosh Hashanah morning (last Saturday and the start of the Jewish New Year) puts that to rest. At 10:37 a.m. on September 19th @GlennBeck tweeted:

Sept 28. Lets make it a day of Fast and Prayer for the Republic. Spread the word. Let us walk in the founders steps.

Instituting "a day of Fast and Prayer for the Republic" may not exceed Beck's capacity as a Fox News talk show host, but co-opting Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, may be beyond even Beck's highest powers.

In the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, I've sought to understand the thinking behind Beck's decision and I have come up with three possible explanations.

First, perhaps this is an attempt by Beck to connect with his Jewish brethren. In this scenario Beck sees a parallel between the greatest day of atonement for the Jewish people and his newly invented holiday. In fact, Beck may borrow from the Yom Kippur liturgy:

When the High Priest emerged from the Holy of Holies unharmed, having successfully achieved atonement for the people, he would offer a moving prayer for them. ... [L]ater he would prepare a celebration to thank the Almighty for allowing him to complete his monumental task.

Of course, as the founder of this new holiday, Beck would fill the airwaves in the role as High Priest of Fox News, in all of his greatness.

A second possible explanation is that placing Beck's "day of Fast and Prayer for the Republic" on Yom Kippur would allow Beck's September 29th show to be titled: "Millions Fast Worldwide on Beck Holiday." Given that Beck's holiday also falls on the most widely observed Jewish fast day, Beck and Fox News would be able take credit for more than 10 million people fasting from across the world. Unfortunately for Beck and his crew, they chose a day from one of the world's least populous religions. Had they chosen a Muslim fast day, which comprises about one-fifth of the earth's population, they could have gotten better bang for their buck and taken credit for billions who fasted.

Lastly, there's probably the most likely scenario -- Beck just didn't know. Is it possible that Beck wasn't aware of the holiest Jewish day of the year? What happened to Jews controlling the media? You would think that us Jews would at least be able to control the media events that fall on Yom Kippur. Maybe Beck will be surprised when his Jewish staff doesn't show up on Monday. I bet he will be surprised when they take the Fast and Prayer Day for the Republic that seriously. He will be proud that he has such devout followers. In fact, how many of us are going to take off work on Beck's "day of Fast and Prayer for the Republic" for "religious" reasons? I certainly will, and Beck and I don't agree on much.

All of this is why the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) will be sending Beck a Jewish New Years card and will be providing Beck a Jewish Calendar for 5770 to post in his office so he's aware of all the Jewish holidays for the upcoming year. Make sure Beck understands the importance of these holidays! Sign your name to the New Years greeting that will accompany the calendar.

It's not insignificant that Beck chose the holiest day of the Jewish calendar to launch his "day of Fast and Prayer for the Republic," but if this is simply a mistake we ask that Beck take another look at the date he chose. In the meantime, here's an online calendar for Beck and his staff.

UPDATE: Looks like Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's Countdown, may have read this post before he gave Beck the "Worst Persons" gold last night. Take a look for yourself. Of course, Media Matters may have had something to do with it too...

Follow Aaron Keyak on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NJDC

Comments

[amir rahim]

Millions of Muslim Americans and 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide just finished the Ramadan fast Sunday, but he can't mention any arabic facts or his ratings may plummet.

[jde]

So next week is Beck going to claim that the millions of Americans fasting are doing so because of him?

[IllinoisTexan43]

Yep. That's the plan. He'll be consulting with the University of "I don't know " to back up the numbers.

[brandnewstuff]

A stunt as FOX programming literally will dance on the backs of anyone and anything.The end result of a non conformity and social discord of destruction and calling it a creative process.

[EWeiss]

This is clever. Since his "Million Man March" myth was busted, his next trick is going to be to tack onto an already existing group and claim that they're following him. His cult is going to fall for it, and that's 90% of what matters.

[techylah]

Check it out. The updated police figures are 1.2 million.
Decide for yourself. Look at the pictures and videos.
I have and I think 1.5 million is possible, even probable.
I'm not a cult member. I think one HAS to include Foxnews since they cover stuff that
are indeed screened out by CBS, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN.
The Van Jones fiasco and the whole ACORN meltdown are two stories I wnated to follow and be aware of. You can only do that with FOX. Last year they had over 330 ACORN stories, to CNN's 34, and only 1 each for ABC and CBS.

[jelly450]

BS

[jde]

The photos showing millions were fake.
The "police estimate" is an urban legend. Just made up. I called the DC police myself. It's not real.
David Barna's estimate of 1.8 million was cut and paste from an article on Obama's inauguration.

This is what over a million people looks like.
http://www.statepress.com/files/images/012109-Obama.jpg

[nk007]

Why is is so absolutely essential for right wingers to tell lies that are, for the most party, easy to refute? Is it because you are so used to your core base buying absurd lies that you expect all of us to fall for the same BS?

[ESerafina42]

The inauguration took weeks to prepare for and disrupted life in downtown Washington, from the subways to the Mall. Where are the comparable stories for 9/12? Oh, and as has been pointed out elsewhere, on that day and for every day afterward, Obama has "kept us safer" for longer than Dubya did.

[Eykis]

Acorn has received about 23 million dollars in 20 years - MOST of it UNDER BUSH. Get a life. Acorn is not a story. Well, now that they are suing the lying filmmakers, it is a story and Ihope the filmmakers go down in flames.

[Bonwell Parker]

It seems to me that God in his infinite wisdom would have made it clear that anyone who took a holy day for themselves would be assured an eternity of retribution and damnation.

[Joe The Nerd Ferraro - Huffpost Blogger]

I think it goes the other way. Kind of like the guy performing miracles in the name of God in the next county. He's not ripping God, so why would God worry?

[Bonwell Parker]

Actually, I would posit that the guy performing miracles in the name of God is doing the same thing. That was the stance that many Jewish people had with Jesus—that he was a man claiming to be doing God's work, and even Jesus himself (if we are to presume the New Testament is accurate) was very P.C. about not really confirming that he was in fact the one doing the miracles.

Glenn Beck's idea of making Yom Kippur a day of observance of the conservative philosophy lacks some of that panache of trying to pass it off as God's own will, I guess that would be the only difference.

[norepublicanleftbehind]

What part of secular nation does Beck not get?

[suec03]

I thought Yom Kippur was a day to reflect deeply on one's relationship with the divine and duty to one's fellow beings. There are 364 other days on the secular calendar to consider one's relationship to government and how through changing government policies we can improve life for the rest of the human community. Beck should apologize, get out his calendar and choose a different date. Do I think he will do this? No.

[mrskorn]

There is no reason for him to apologize. It is not through the government that we should improve the life for the rest of the human community. It is through our individual deeds. The highest form of charity is teaching someone to become independent so they don't need charity. THAT is what elevates people. Not being taken care of by the government. I think it is a great day for non-jews to fast and pray.

[Mortifyd]

Non Jews do not get to appropriate our holy days.

[dax49]

another example of beck's appeal to the great un-educated

[noamjunior]

Beck has declared dec 25 "give a gift for freedom" day. Anyone can support Fox news and Glen Beck by giving a gift on Dec 25

[IllinoisTexan43]

;-)

[dimplesmile7]

Beck did admitted that he had a cocaine and alcohol problem before. I still believe he does.

[gs-425]

I am beginning to think that BluffPo is becoming just as obsessed with Beck as it is with Palin.

[dax49]

you go where the fire is, jack

[tantrictim]

The Mormon cult claiming Jesus to be Satan’s Brother is a far bigger lie than a virtuous mortal being called a pedophile or a prostitute, and a vote for someone who holds a leadership position in the Mormon cult, which teaches that lie, is an affirmation of the lie and a betrayal of Jesus.

You should also consider the impact of a President from the Mormon cult on four groups of people: (1) those engaged in the struggle to deliver people from the Mormon cult; (2) those who have escaped from the Mormon cult but who still bear their scars; (3) the millions still trapped in the Mormon cult; and (4) non-Mormons whom the Mormon cult continues to try to seduce.

http://www.godvoter.org/mormon-cult.html

[dax49]

and this has what to do with the topic?

[ESerafina42]

Beck is a Mormon, though a lowly follower as far as I know. Maybe they think he's going to run for President. Palin/Beck 2012 - Crazy or Stupid. Which is which?

[Mortifyd]

Put down the pipe, dude.

[olddognewtrick]

They need to put a wind farm next to this guy's studio.

[springsm]

Beck is a "case" for the analysts. Why are we getting non stop editorials on Glenn Beck? It would be best to make a comment and leave it alone...let him preach to his followers. He is a mormon and probably as ignorant as most of them when it comes to anything else. His insane remarks really aren't worth several blogs on him on one page, daily. Slow news? I don't think so. This country is falling apart, bush put it in the sewer, the hatred spews...and beck helps this. So why concentrate on him.

[bujudude]

Beck constantly contradicts himself. Less than half a minute after he accused Obama of being a racist, he said "I'm not necessarily saying he is a racist" (or something to that effect, can't remember the exact quote). He, like Limbaugh claim to be entertainers when they make vile and disgusting comments and are criticized for it, yet still crave to be taken seriously as legitimate journalists. His true agenda on the Yom Kippur controversy will most likely reveal itself on a future Beck show, but he still remains clueless and unrepentant about how many people he has insulted, degraded and torn down as less than human and not deserving of respect. He is a liar, a racist and an insane demagogue who only cares about money, ratings and inciting fear and hatred.