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From: wkp@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Human rights and Judaism: A hope for 5746.
Message-ID: <31430@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 4-Oct-85 08:49:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: lanl.31430
Posted: Fri Oct  4 08:49:08 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 6-Oct-85 06:24:26 EDT
References: <31087@lanl.ARPA> <97@unc.unc.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 33


In article <97@unc.unc.UUCP> fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) writes:

>If the Orthodox rabbis in South Africa publicly express their disapproval
>of apartheid, what will this accomplish? 

     In the words of Rabbi Isaacson:  "As Jews we should have known better.
     We should have instincively recoiled from perpetrating on others
     the injustices that we, more any other people, have suffered from."

>These rabbis have no influence on the non-Jewish community there. 
>Most rabbis have a hard enough time getting their own congregations to
>listen.  I believe their role should be to try to prevent South African
>Jews from absorbing the racist mentality of their fellow citizens.

     This viewpoint seems a little provincial, and not worthy of an "am
     segula" [chosen people].  Recently, another orthodox rabbi (R. Barry
     Marcus of the Northern Suburbs Hebrew Congregation in South Africa)
     has called publicly for "a new spirit of brotherhood."  The South African
     Jewish Board of Deputies has for the first time criticized the
     government's apartheid policies.

>But when Rev Ben Isaacson did speak out, why did the other Rabbis "ostracize"
>him (assuming your information is correct)?  Were they afraid of a white,
>anti-Jewish backlash, or what?

     For those of you who don't read Hebrew, an account of this appears in
     the September 18th Israel edition of the Jerusalem Post, p. 2.  It is not
     uncommon for outspoken rabbis to be ostracized from their peers because
     of social and religious disagreements.  [B'karov etzl'cha, Meir Kahane!]
--

bill peter                                       ihnp4!lanl!wkp