Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Is an Idiot
Sad news to deliver boys and girls. Two of Israel's most important rabbis have been kidnapped and replaced by mentally challenged versions of themselves:
The Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel on Sunday sent a letter criticizing the pope for his remarks on Islam to a leading Sunni Islamic legal scholar in Qatar. In the letter, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar wrote to Sheikh Yusef Kardawi, "our way is to honor every religion and every nation according to their paths, as it is written in the book of prophets: 'because every nation will go in the name of its lord"...
Rabbi Menachem Froman, chief rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, who is known as a champion of inter-religious reconciliation... added to Amar's remarks, saying "every Jew who learns the writings of the great sages - who, at the head of them all stands Maimonides - knows that our great thinkers wrote in the Arabic language, lived in Islamic states and participated with the great Muslim thinkers in the effort to explain the words of God, according to the paths of the sages and amidst the difficult bloody battles that we have had since the beginning of Zionism with the Muslims. We know... that the war between the Jews and the Muslims is the work of the cursed devil. We know that Islam is named after peace," wrote Froman.
This will of course be news to the Iranians, who think that the war between the Jews and the Muslims is the work of the 12th Imam.
And while we don't want to give the appearance that we're violating our "don't be an arrogant idiot" rules and contradicting a Jewish theologian on Jewish theology, we were kind of surprised to learn that as Jews it is "our way is to honor every religion and every nation according to their paths". Because, you know, we've read Exodus. And the entire rest of Judaism that commands you to defeat your enemies if they intend to kill you. Anyone want to make the suggestions that vast swaths of the Muslim world aren't gearing up to destroy Israel?
As for Maimonides, please. From earlier this afternoon:
Even Maimonides, who is often cited by apologists as a Jew who flourished under enlightened Muslim rule, wrote "the Arabs have persecuted us severely, and passed baneful and discriminatory legislation against us... Never did a nation molest, degrade, debase, and hate us as much as they..."
But remember, "Islam is named after peace". Written by a West Bank rabbi - who right now may even be able to look out his window and see smoke rising from the West Bank churches that have been firebombed today. Firebombed peacefully.
UPDATE: Our lovely readers inform us that Froman is not exactly normal. Google's quick guide to the (J)Blogosphere guide on this charmer:
Lynn - pictures, links, and analysis on Froman and Arafat being quite friendly.
Israel Perspectives - Froman was the lackey that Amar sent out to beg forgiveness from West Bank Arabs after the 2005 bus shooting
Israellycool - Froman got himself in trouble when Arafat's people reported that he condemned the IDF for ending the reign of Hamas terror master Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. He had to walk it back.
The Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel on Sunday sent a letter criticizing the pope for his remarks on Islam to a leading Sunni Islamic legal scholar in Qatar. In the letter, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar wrote to Sheikh Yusef Kardawi, "our way is to honor every religion and every nation according to their paths, as it is written in the book of prophets: 'because every nation will go in the name of its lord"...
Rabbi Menachem Froman, chief rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, who is known as a champion of inter-religious reconciliation... added to Amar's remarks, saying "every Jew who learns the writings of the great sages - who, at the head of them all stands Maimonides - knows that our great thinkers wrote in the Arabic language, lived in Islamic states and participated with the great Muslim thinkers in the effort to explain the words of God, according to the paths of the sages and amidst the difficult bloody battles that we have had since the beginning of Zionism with the Muslims. We know... that the war between the Jews and the Muslims is the work of the cursed devil. We know that Islam is named after peace," wrote Froman.
This will of course be news to the Iranians, who think that the war between the Jews and the Muslims is the work of the 12th Imam.
And while we don't want to give the appearance that we're violating our "don't be an arrogant idiot" rules and contradicting a Jewish theologian on Jewish theology, we were kind of surprised to learn that as Jews it is "our way is to honor every religion and every nation according to their paths". Because, you know, we've read Exodus. And the entire rest of Judaism that commands you to defeat your enemies if they intend to kill you. Anyone want to make the suggestions that vast swaths of the Muslim world aren't gearing up to destroy Israel?
As for Maimonides, please. From earlier this afternoon:
Even Maimonides, who is often cited by apologists as a Jew who flourished under enlightened Muslim rule, wrote "the Arabs have persecuted us severely, and passed baneful and discriminatory legislation against us... Never did a nation molest, degrade, debase, and hate us as much as they..."
But remember, "Islam is named after peace". Written by a West Bank rabbi - who right now may even be able to look out his window and see smoke rising from the West Bank churches that have been firebombed today. Firebombed peacefully.
UPDATE: Our lovely readers inform us that Froman is not exactly normal. Google's quick guide to the (J)Blogosphere guide on this charmer:
Lynn - pictures, links, and analysis on Froman and Arafat being quite friendly.
Israel Perspectives - Froman was the lackey that Amar sent out to beg forgiveness from West Bank Arabs after the 2005 bus shooting
Israellycool - Froman got himself in trouble when Arafat's people reported that he condemned the IDF for ending the reign of Hamas terror master Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. He had to walk it back.
