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Mail.Liberal-Judaism |
| Volume 10 Number 109 | Sat Apr 21 23:55:01 US/Pacific 2001 |
From: Marc Sacks <msacks@world.std.com> Date: Fri Apr 20 15:12:30 US/Pacific 2001 Subject: Re: Easter Sunday B.C. Comic Julian Yudelson sends us the following: "In BergenCounty, New Jersey, the people gave $30,000 to have that copy of the newspaper destroyed and new newspapers were printed without the cartoon." A few weeks ago, a student newspaper at Brown University ran an ad from David Horowitz that a number of black militants found offensive. Rather than argue against the ad, they destroyed all the copies of the paper that they could find, and attacked the paper's office as well. Though "the people" in Bergen County, whoever they may have been, used money rather than vandalism, the purpose and effect were the same: suppression of a viewpoint they disliked. They broke no laws. They didn't damage property. They did, however, damage freedom, including their own. It's a sad notion that we shouldn't be exposed to ideas we may not like, or that may offend us. And as little as I approve the actions at Brown, I find it even more disquieting that money should interfere with expression. Of course, it does all the time these days: when advertisers in newspapers spike articles critical of their products, or public-service ads critical of specific industries or companies are kept out of the media. But I can see no reason for using money--"Jewish money", no less!--to buy out a comic strip with Christian content. If this tactic had succeeded everywhere, very few people would know that the strip ever existed, with the results that there would have been no open debate on the subject and that antisemitic conspiracy theorists would have more evidence that Jews really do control the media. Marc Sacks msacks@world.std.com
From: johanna <rebiljo@erinet.com> Date: Fri Apr 20 15:15:47 US/Pacific 2001 Subject: Re: Easter Sunday B.C. Comic Jerry Blaz wrote: > the offending cartoon had been in its possession for as long as two weeks, > because the Sunday cartoons are prepared long ahead of their publication > date and sent to the newspapers by the syndicates long before their > publication date. It is my impression that they did not see the offense > until it was too late, but that is because the staff of the newspaper did > not possess the sensitivity to see the offense until it was pointed out to > them, apparently by the Reform rabbi to which the message referred in the > posting by Johanna Smith. In most circumstances, what Jerry says is true, however, in the paper's defence, because it is such a small paper, the Sunday comics are produced elsewhere for it and other small city papers and sent to the DDN right before they are inserted into the Sunday packet. I have known several people who work for the Dayton Daily News over the years, and the editors have always been pretty sensitive to these issues. In this case, I believe them. Johanna SMith
From: Michael Horowitz <michaelh1@hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 15:24:20 -0000 Subject: Missing Tfilllin - Hashovas Aveida If anyone flying on El Al from JFK to Israel on Wednesday night, April 18 (eve of 26 Nisan) happened to find a bag with Tfillin and a passport belonging to Dov Herzog, please get in touch with me ASAP. Please pass this email on to anyone on your lists. This email is being written on Friday, April 20, 27 Nisan 5761 at 4:00 P.M. Israel time. Please leave this date in the body of the letter so as not to create an urban legend. Thanks for your help. Carl
From: Michael Horowitz <michaelh1@hotmail.com> Date: Fri Apr 20 15:15:05 US/Pacific 2001 Subject: Re: Sanda's Story > I am also a convert to Judaism through the Reform movement. My rabbi > performed a "kosher" conversion, including the mikvah, but his authority, > and therefore my conversion, has no validity to the Orthodox sect. I don't > let this bother me. I practice Reform Judaism... I would like to point out that the reason your conversion is invalid is not the "authority" of the Rabbi but the fact it obviously could not conform to Jewish law. There are multiple factors that determine a kosher conversion. 1) A religious court of three Sabbath observant men. Few, if any reform Jews are sabbath observant according to halacha. Therefore you probably did not have a kosher court according to halacha. 2) Immersion in mikva This you said you did. FOR MALES ONLY 3) circumcision or drawing of blood if already circumcised. FEMALE CIRCUMCISION IS FORBIDDEN UNDER TORAH LAW!!!!! 4) Acceptence of mitzvot Obviously this requirement is never met in reform conversions. The reform movement basic ideology is that the individual has the autonomy to make his/her own religious decisions. This is the exact opposite of the halachic viewpoint. No one who believes mitzvot are binding on all Jews would "convert" thru a movement that rejects that belief. My point here is not to attack the methodology of reform conversions, but to explain the reason halachic Jews reject them. It's not about politics or authority, but rather the fact that reform conversions are always in violation of Jewish religious law.
From: Iris <iris@hagalil.com> Date: Fri Apr 20 15:11:46 US/Pacific 2001 Subject: Sanda's Story It was not the first time that I read about Sanda`s efforts to convert to Judaism and to be accepted as a Jew. This issue was raised some time ago in Wellspring or Bridges and another Jewish mailing list and some Jewish professionals were busy with it. I remember that the assistant dean of Leo Baeck College (London) offered support to Sanda such as to bring her in contact with the European Liberal Bet Din. Sanda was also given an address of a liberal group near Stuttgart where she lives now. This group planed to found a liberal community.The rabbi of Stuttgart is an orthodox one. So he doesn`t accept liberal conversions. The assistant dean of Leo Baeck College told Sanda very clearly that a conversion by internet as she planed - will not be accepted in Europe even in the liberal framework. Sanda also wanted the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism to support her case, and they refused, as she had not gone through the proper procedures. I work for haGalil online www.hagalil.com , a European Jewish internet magazine with the focus on German speaking countries. In our discussion boards sometimes liberal rabbis are recommended who perform conversions by internet. I think what happened to Sanda is really a tragedy: There is a lost soul looking the wrong way in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting the wrong answers from some well-meaning but misguided would-be helpers. And I would like to suggest that the board of ethics of the CCAR should discuss the issue of internet conversions. For those who are interested in the situation in Europe I recommend the essay of Diana Pinto: Towards European Jewish Identity http://www.hagalil.com/golem/jewish/pillar.htm B`shalom Iris Weiss
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