ZGram - 9/6/2002 - "U.S. Jewish groups and their anti-Christian hostility"/

[irimland@zundelsite.org]

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

September 6, 2002

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

Well, there you go!  Judaeo-Christians, pay heed!  Another member of 
the Tribe sees fit to tell it like it is - and better late than never!

[START]

Religious Wars
U.S. Jewish groups and their anti-Christian hostility.

By David Klinghoffer

Smokers try to quit smoking and often fail. Alcoholics try to quit 
drinking and likewise often fail. Jewish anti-defamation groups try 
to quit defaming Evangelical Christians, but old habits die-hard.

On the question of what attitude to take toward conservative 
Christians, the intensifying crisis in the Mideast has opened many 
Jewish minds. Some minds, however, remain tightly shut. The point can 
be expressed simply: To survive, Israel needs America. And the 
present Republican administration and Congress support Israel mainly 
because their Christian constituents demand it.

A year ago, the most prominent Jewish organizations were united in 
viewing the so-called Christian Right as the chief threat to Jewish 
interests. Today, even Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, 
once a foremost Christian-basher, admits that "the need for 
Evangelical support is overwhelming, consistent, and unconditional." 
Yet not all the Jewish anti-defamation groups see it this way. Among 
the top three - the ADL, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the 
American Jewish Congress (AJC) - the AJC perceives no connection 
between ensuring Israel's safety and cultivating the good will of 
Christians.

That's the only conclusion to be drawn from a recent fundraising 
letter from AJC president Jack Rosen. Reminding supporters that "we 
are all focused on the war against terrorism in Israel and the U.S. 
fight against terrorism abroad," Rosen points out that in America too 
we have "religious extremists=8A If you and I are not vigilant, the 
Religious Right may be able to achieve in this country what our men 
and women in uniform are fighting overseas: a government where those 
who do not share their religious views are, in effect, second-class 
citizens." In other words, while the tactics differ, Christian 
conservatives seek for their faith what al Qaeda seeks for Islam: 
total domination.

Which is a total fiction, of course. Rosen immediately denies that he 
means to "equate the Religious Right in America with the terrorists 
abroad" - having made just that equation in the preceding sentence.

Let's assume this isn't just a cynical attempt to incite paranoia for 
profit ($100 for "Century Club" membership in the AJC, $1,000 for 
"Lifetime"). Evident from the group's website is an enmity toward 
Evangelicals that can't be faked: in a press release charging that 
"Protestant Evangelical Christianity permeates" a federally funded 
jobs program in Texas; in another attacking an Iowa school board for 
including a recital of the Lord's Prayer at a school graduation, thus 
"advanc[ing] the Christian religion."

=46or Jews, the question posed by the developing relationship with 
these Christians is both moral and practical. Christians ask for 
nothing in return for friendship. But morally, Jews owe them 
something. The alternative is to be content as users of the good will 
of others - an unattractive position to find yourself in. At a 
minimum the Jewish community needs to revise patterns of charitable 
giving, and stop sending checks to groups that preach resentment of 
Israel's best friends.

Practically, considered solely in terms of self-interest, American 
Jews have been accustomed to viewing secular liberals as our allies. 
If voting records are any guide, this perception also needs to be 
revised. In May, the U.S. House and Senate voted on symbolically 
charged resolutions of solidarity with Israel. Both passed over 
objections from the secular Left. In the House, 21 voted against, of 
whom 18 were Democrats. In the Senate, 2 voted against, both 
Democrats.

The old idea zealously adhered to by the American Jewish Congress - 
Republicans and conservatives, bad; Democrats and liberals, good - is 
not only outdated. It is not only counterproductive. When you 
consider that Israel's future hangs in the balance, the addiction to 
anti-Christian rancor seems positively insane.

[END]

(Source:  http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-klinghoffer090602.as=
p)