Shevat 1, 5777
January 28, 2017
Follow-up to yesterday’s blog . . . the death knell of Conservative Judaism . . .
Regular readers of israelstreet may remember that your humble servant wrote these words yesterday when discussing why American Jews are increasingly indifferent to Israel:
“Assimilation is occurring on such a massive scale that it is estimated that Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism will vanish in fifty years.”
Today comes this news from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
“Responding to a rising number of interfaith families, Conservative synagogues will be voting on a measure from their umbrella body that would allow congregations to admit non-Jews as members. Currently, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s Standards for Congregational Practice restrict synagogue membership to Jews. But the new language, which congregations will vote on in March, would allow individual congregations to decide whether to grant membership to non-Jews.
USCJ supports every affiliated kehillah (congregation) in developing its own criteria for membership. The proposed resolution grew out of a commission set up last March to explore ways to engage intermarried couples.
The official description of the new by-law says, ‘We celebrate the diversity among and within our kehillot and encourage the engagement of all those who seek a spiritual and communal home in an authentic and dynamic Jewish setting. We call on all of our kehillot to open their doors wide to all who want to enter.'”
Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism went this way a long time ago with the result that many such congregations are now predominantly non-Jewish, and the Judaism they practice is laced with elements of Buddhism, Christianity, and even Islam. “Diversity”, “open their doors wide”, and “inclusion” are the watchwords which sound the death knell of Reform and Conservative Judaism.
Follow-up to our previous blogs about Netanyahu, the American Embassy, and the status quo . . .
Again, if you read this blog, you know that I wrote this last week in reference to the fact that President Trump appears to be backpedaling on moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem:
. . . I am beginning to smell a rat. The Bibi Netanyahu rat . . . Benjamin Netanyahu is wedded to the status quo, and will fight tooth and nail to keep it–even if a proposed change is to Israel’s benefit.
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According to a Trump insider today, Trump has not backpedaled at all:
“Trump unambiguously supports the transfer of the embassy, and there has been no change in his position, but [the transfer] is proceeding cautiously because of concerns raised by officials in Israel. “
Namely concerns raised by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking of Netanyahu, his Trumpification has begun . . .
Not only did Netanyahu come out in full-throated support of the wall between Mexico and the U.S. today (thereby infuriating Mexico), he also began referring to Channels 2 and 10 in Israel as FAKE NEWS.
No matter how your humble servant might feel about the wall (and I think yesterday’s blog makes it clear), one wonders why in the world Netanyahu would become embroiled in American politics. As for Channels 2 and 10–which are not part of American politics–fake news is all they purvey day after day.
Hypocrisy personified . . . France and Germany condemn Trump’s order on refugees . . .
Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande issued blistering condemnations of President Trump today.
In Germany’s case, Merkel’s comments came on a day on which Bavarian police revealed that 48% of all crimes in 2016 were carried out by “non-Germans”. Of this 48%, 18% were carried out by migrants (aka refugees).
On the Palestinian terror front . . .
*Today is the “anniversary” of the gruesome suicide bomber attack carried out by female terrorist Wafa Idris on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem on January 27, 2002. The PLO of Mahmoud Abbas celebrated the day on their Facebook page by urging all Palestinian women to follow her example.
*The terrorist who carried out the shooting yesterday at Nilli has been captured; he was armed with a gun he used and a knife.
*Several Palestinian infiltrators were captured along the Gaza border this morning.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.