Are You Listening, Joe Lieberman?

Kudos to Rabbi Eric Yoffie, head of the Union for Reform Judaism, who has publicly spoken out against Jewish political cooperation with those Evangelicals who label themselves "Christian Zionists," with their most prominent organization - Christians United for Israel - and with its leader, Rev. John Hagee. Yoffie's words:

The heart of Pastor Hagee's message is to be found in these words: "Stop giving the land away. The land belongs to you. Keep it."

...mainstream Christian Zionists are, by their own admission, not "advocates" of Israel but "Biblical advocates" of Israel, and this means that they oppose any territorial concessions by the Government of Israel for any reason whatsoever. It follows that their vision of Israel rejects a two-state solution, rejects the possibility of a democratic Israel, and supports the permanent occupation of all Arab lands now controlled by Israel.

Are they entitled to such views? Of course. But we are entitled to say, and are obligated to say, that such views may advance their theology but they do so at the expense of Israel's security and well-being. If implemented, in fact, these views would mean disaster for Israel...

Hagee's intolerant views of Catholicism have received considerable attention since his public endorsement of Sen. John McCain. The Texas mega-church pastor's views on Israel and Judaism have received less srutiny - in part because some pro-Israel activists have given him their seal of approval. Hagee spoke at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference last year. Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, has used that fact to defend McCain's acceptance of Hagee's support:

"The fact [Hagee] has been kashered by AIPAC makes it very difficult to attack him," he said.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, another McCain backer, not only spoke to Christians United for Israel's big gathering last summer, he compared Hagee to the biblical Moses as someone who "has become the leader of a mighty multitude in pursuit of and defense of Israel."

But Yoffie, leader of the largest Jewish denomination in America, is right: Hagee's views on Israel are pernicious. In fact, Yoffie could have said more. As I've written elsewhere, Hagee has expressed uncommon sympathy for Yigal Amir, the man who murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His enthusiasm for Israel is predicated on the belief that its existence heralds the "terminal generation" of history - when Jews will all accept Christianity. Now that's love for Israel and Jews.

Yoffie, speaking at a Reform rabbinical meeting, also criticized televangelist Rod Parsley for his vitriol against Islam. Parsley, too, is in the McCain camp. Yoffie didn't mention McCain; he didn't need to.

Are you listening, Joe Lieberman?

Cross-posted at South Jerusalem.

Comments

[provgrays]

I thought you were going to write about Lieberman 's betrayal to this country instead of the limitless web of religious and fundamentalist mania that undescores our dealings with Israel.

Just call Traitor Joe what he is: McCain's Brain.

[marko77]

It's sad that Isreal chooses to accept millions from wack-job Christain Fundamenta­lists..... Of course, it's not a bad deal.....play nice and be polite when the backwoods nut-jobs visit Israel and then laugh (very quietly) all the way to the bank.

Lieberman??? Hard to say. He's pretty wacked out as well as he makes the rounds at Rapture Ready conferences. Is he playing the game for millions of easy bucks or does he really feel an affinity for the Fundies? It doesn't matter in the end. He's acting like a jack-ass either way.

[MizJ]

Religion has played such a destructive role for thousands of years. Look where we are as a result.

[ESerafina42]

I would think you would have noticed, Gershom, that Joe Lieberman is Orthodox, which means that he probably holds the Reform movement in the same high regard as Pastor Hagee holds the Catholic church. Well, maybe not that bad, but not much better. Do you really think he's going to listen to Rabbi Yoffie, who he probably doesn't even recognize as a rabbi and barely recognizes as a fellow Jew?

[outnow]

From the Dead Sea Scrolls:

Deuteronomy 3:14-28:

"The LORD your God has given you this country to possess. You must go as shock-troops, warriors all..."

San Diego Natural History Museum., by Risa Levitt Kohn, Ph.D.

Is this passage where Bush got the idea of shock and awe? "The things that you are liable to read in the Bible, well, it ain't necessarily so." Gershwin, Porgy and Bess. Now who are you going to believe? Which version of the myth? I say if you want something just take and pay the consequences. Don't try to justify your conduct on the basis of some book, even the Bible. First, you don't know what the original said. Second, maybe the person is being misquoted. Third, maybe something was lost in the translations. Fourth, maybe somebody just made this stuff up.

[PTTY]

Hagee and Christians think they can turn Jews into Christians and make them repent and believe in Jesus. That is the reason they say they are for Jews. Hagee thinks he is doing the Will of God by bringing Jews into the Christian fold.

[PioneerKing]

politics and religion - avarice and greed
cut to the chase
it's all about money and power

[happytrails]

AMEN!

[DumbDad]

Amen indeed. Don't forget, these big-time evangelical entrepreneurs are entirely focused on the message that brings in the contributions. If they find an angle, though, that brings in big contributions from, say, ISRAEL because his preaching is holding a sizeable block of Texas politics in line with the neocon view of the Middle East, then the preaching will follow the money. Contributions do not ncessarily come from the 'believers' , and what is being preached is not necessarily even remotely connected to Christianty, even 'evangelical' versions. These guys are Rush Limbaugh on stage, that's all. Entertainers.

[straightshooter]

Israel's love affair with "Christian" dispensationalists, who are in essence anti-semites, is indictative of how desperate that country is for support. Hagee and his ilk have no problem whatsoever with Israel's illegal and brutal occupation of Palestinian lands (i.e., the West Bank, East Jerusalem/the Old City and the Gaza Strip which is still "occupied" by Israel under international law) and other Arab lands (Syria's Golan Heights and Lebanon's Shebba Farms) let alone its decades of ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians, collective punishments, imprisonment without charge and an an ever increasing litany of violations of the UN Charter, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva Convention which came about in large measure due to the Jewish Holocaust during WWII.
It is Joe Lieberman's own total and unquestioning support for expansionist Israel and his enthusiastic willingness to act as its agent that concerns me. His love affair with Israel, a country viewed with scorn and derision around the world, does not serve the United States.

[hawkeye58]

What can one say about people with a belief system that would best be explained by starting with...once upon a time.

[robiform]

Excellent post, Mr. Gorenberg, and it is worth repeating--the so-called Christian Zionists only want Israel to exist as a means to the Rapture. Since Jews don't accept Jesus Christ as their savior, they are S.O.L. when it comes to being among the "saved". Every time I hear or read about some Jewish group honoring Hagee, Parsley, or one of the other dipwads who espouse Christian Zionism, I cringe!! As for Senator Lieberman, there is a Yiddish expression that describes him perfectly: "goyishe kop"! (Look it up in "The Joys of Yiddish"!)

[Annoula]

Thank you for an insightful and enlightening post!
And for reminding all of us that one can find "Talibans" in every single denomination!
How is Rev. Hagee different from the Afghan Mullahs? Or from the Wahabists? Or from Moqtada al-Sadr and the Iranian Ayatollahs? Or from Adolf Hitler for that matter?
They are all expressions of intolerance and extremist ideology.
They only differ in the power they have at hand.
Give Hagee some more power and you'll be looking at the next Hitler.
And if McCain feels he owes him votes, he may feel compelled to oblige by making him his Billy Graham...!
God Help America!

[JimReed]

"How is Rev. Hagee different from the Afghan Mullahs? Or from the Wahabists? Or from Moqtada al-Sadr and the Iranian Ayatollahs?"

They are fighting for control of their country. Hagee also wants control of their countries, perhaps so that they can be destroyed along with their countries.

[JimReed]

Fortunately McCain doesn't really believe that rapture stuff that he panders to.

[liz]

If McCain is this willing to pander to someone representing ideas this obhorrent, why would anyone of sound mind vote for him?

[white mende man]

...and seeing they may not see
and hearing they may not understand.
...and after me comes many false prophets
...i didn't come for the righteous i came for the sinners
...do unto others has you would have others do unto you

[maddogbitesback]

mende man - I understand. Do you?

[Dandy12]

Hagee scares the hell out of me! Under the guise of an Israel First doctrine , he's like a neocon's dream! McCain and Lieberman both like to do alot of long distance arm wrestling in the Middle East.

Reverend Wright is a bit much sometimes with his rhetoric. Yet, his voice against injustice is one that should be heard. He is not one the neocons supporting perpetual war, and bleeding America.

[S1m0n]

Lieberman's middle east policies are just as contrary to the state of Israel's long-term interests as Hagee's. Why do you think he would disapprove?

[wldnswmmr]

Hagee presents other problems for Lieberman. If you read his books, you will see that Hagee buys into the "curse of the Chosen People" argument; it's not an exaggeration to say that Hagee lays the Inquisition and the Holocaust, along with pogroms and other systematic oppression of Jews, on the Jews themselves for worshipping "false idols" way back in Old Testament times. If you don't buy into theological rationales, just imagine what he's saying, and how comforting it would be for Hitler's conscience, if he had one. Six million Jews slaughtered during World War II, and Hagee is essentially arguing they had it coming for "breaking God's heart" [more or less exact quote]. Lieberman might want to pick up one of this guy's screeds and read it cover to cover, airsick bag on his knee.

[wmfor]

Of course Fox news isn't playing his screeds over and over 24/7. Let me get this straight.

Jeremiah Wright Bad -----> Barack Obama bad

Rev. Hagee nice Christian man ----- > McCain is looking "presidential".

[GoodwithWood]

You’re right. This is more details of Hagee’s cult in addition to what I posted earlier. The Rapture retards are truly frightening. And again, they have much more influence in congress and the White house than ya all realize.

GWW