September 9, 2008 | 1:31 pm

Republican Jew takes issue with his party’s politics and a ‘no Jews’ policy

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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David Benkof, a Ph.D. student in American Jewish history at New York University, belongs to the not-as-tiny-as-you-would-think family of Republican Jews.

“I believe in free enterprise, traditional family values and people’s basic liberties as guaranteed by the text of the Constitution,” Benkof writes in The Black Hills Pioneer. “But sometimes my fellow conservatives and Republicans say and do things that I find so objectionable that I wonder if I’m on the wrong side.”

That list includes positions on guns, marijuana, ethanol, the treatment of transgender and marriage and discrimination, which he says Proposition 8, the California ballot measure to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage, well, has married on the campaign trail. He explains:

I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, so I supported the man-woman marriage Proposition 8 in California—until I discovered the Proposition 8 campaign tolerates discrimination against Jews. ProtectMarriage.com’s legal counsel, the Alliance Defense Fund, has in effect a “No Jews Need Apply” policy for legal and even secretarial positions. They say they’re not a law firm, they’re a “ministry” and thus have a right to discriminate against Jews and other non-Christians. But even if that’s true, Proposition 8 had hundreds of law firms to choose from. The fact they chose one that refuses to hire a Jew like me is very disturbing. Interestingly, Jesus himself was a Jew, so when a group has a policy that would lead them to refuse to hire their own Messiah, you know something’s seriously wrong.

I agree with Benkof that ProtectMarriage.com made a misstep by hiring the Alliance Defense Fund. That move made it clear that Prop 8 was about religion. But it doesn’t surprise, or bother, me that the ADF, which has bills itself as an ACLU for conservative Christians, would only want to hire fellow travelers. Of course many faith-based organization employ followers of other religions—I work for one—but there is no constitutional expectation that they do so.

(Thanks for the link, Web Guy)

September 9, 2008 | 12:21 am

Group offers $50,000 to lure Jews to rural ‘Bama.

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Not that they would want me anyway, but the Jews of Dothan couldn’t pay me enough to make aliyah to the tiny Alabama town. And $50,000 certainly wouldn’t cut it.

This plot, hatched by the Blumberg Family Jewish Community Services of Dothan, to absorb moving expenses and provide an added monetary incentive was motivated by an aging Jewish community that has lost many of its members to urban migration and death. This offer was made in New Orleans last year, but the organizers of the Dothan program say their effort is unique because they are trying to recruit Jews to rural America. Very rural America. I mean, Peanut Elvis—you guessed it: Pelvis—rural.

The story from the AP:

Trying to lure Jewish families to a quiet Southern town in a state with a reputation for hard-right politics and racial intolerance might be difficult. About 20 Jewish families have sought information about Dothan, though none has made the move.

(skip)

Dothan lies at the heart of the South’s peanut region, in Alabama’s southeastern corner just minutes from Florida and Georgia. It’s dotted with big fiberglass peanuts painted to resemble characters and people — there’s even an Elvis peanut.

Little things are big here: The city boasts what it calls the world’s smallest city block, a triangular traffic island near the civic center.

But Blumberg’s group is selling prospective Jewish residents on Dothan’s quality of life — its low cost of living, the heritage of its synagogue and its proximity to Florida beaches, about 80 miles away.

The city is the site of the down-home National Peanut Festival each fall, and it has a full schedule of community cultural events. It has two hospitals, a branch of Troy University and is just a short drive from Fort Rucker, the Army’s main helicopter training base.

Downtown is filled with quaint red-brick buildings and colorful murals, and traffic never gets too bad on Ross Clark Circle, the perimeter road.

“We have Friday afternoon rush minute, and that’s about it,” said manufacturing executive Ed Marblestone, 69, who grew up Jewish in Texas but married a Dothan girl and has lived in the town since 1961.

Valerie Barnes grew up in Panama and moved several times before settling 20 years ago in Dothan and becoming active at the synagogue. She’s never experienced any anti-Semitism and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“The biggest thing Dothan has to offer is that it’s just a very family-oriented community,” said Barnes, who directs a hospital foundation. “Our congregation is very vibrant, and we have a lot of things that we get involved in.”

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September 8, 2008 | 7:59 pm

Azzam the American—aka Adam Gadahn—believed dead

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

“Killer computer nerd” Adam Gadahn, the California native who converted to Islam and took over al Qaeda’s propaganda machine, hasn’t been heard from in months, leading intelligence officials to speculate that he’s dead. here’s the story from The Telegraph:

Mr Gadahn has been credited with helping transform al-Qa’eda’s al-Sahab propaganda wing into a slick operation which communicates in fluent English and produces professional quality DVDs, including one for Osama bin Laden last year.

But he may have fallen victim to an expanded programme of predator assassinations which in the last year has targeted and killed many of al-Qa’eda’s military commanders, terrorist trainers and facilitators.

Jihadists around the world will be watching as closely as intelligence officials this week to see whether Mr Gadahn - also known as Azzam al-Ameriki - produces a new video message to mark September 11, as he has done every year since 2003.

If there is no message it will be taken as near certain confirmation that he is dead – killed either in a strike by Hellfire missiles, or perhaps by jihadi colleagues who have grown jealous of his success.

To be sure, this is not the first time Gadahn, who was born Adam Pearlman and grew up in Riverside County, has been suspected dead.

Gadahn’s notoriety—he’s spent years on the FBI’s most-wanted list and was charged with treason—made him the subject of countless news profiles. This is the best.

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September 8, 2008 | 6:19 pm

Robert De Niro is Jewish?

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

The young Vito Corleone, really? Doubtful, but somehow the speculation of “conspiracy theorists” that Robert De Niro is a crypto-Jew made their way into The Independent.

The article was about the delay in Mel Gibson’s Hollywood comeback, caused by De Niro walking off the set of Gibson’s new film, “Edge of Darkness.” The paper reported:

It was by no means certain if De Niro’s “creative differences” were with Gibson, another co-star, or with a member of the production team. But conspiracy theorists have been quick to point the finger at Gibson, thought by many to still hold anti-Semitic beliefs. Some claimed that De Niro has Jewish ancestors.

With reporting like that, how can I be so skeptical?

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September 8, 2008 | 3:38 pm

Russia moves to ban ‘South Park’ for religious extremism

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Well, The God Blog better not relocate to Russia.

In addition to being a generally awful nation straddling the line between European democracy and despotic oligarchy, Russia began proceedings today to ban “South Park.” Not only would I have nothing to watch on TV late at night, except from my collection of Seasons 1-10, but I might not be able to post all the clips and quotes I regularly do.

Here’s the story from The Times of London:

Prosecutors took action against the 2x2 television channel for broadcasting an episode of the animated comedy show that featured Christmas songs including a medley duet performed by Santa Claus and Jesus Christ.

The Basmanny regional prosecutors office in Moscow has announced that the programme “bore signs of extremist activity”.

The episode in question called Mr Hankey’s Christmas Classics was aired in Moscow in January. It shows a number of regular and guest characters including Satan, Adolf Hitler and an anthropomorphised human faeces called Mr Hankey performing in a Christmas variety show. An accompanying CD is available to buy.

Valentina Titova, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors office said: “In accordance with the conclusions made by experts from the court investigations committee, a claim has been filed against 2x2 for its broadcast of an episode of South Park.”

The cartoon series made by Matt Stone and Trey Parker since 1997 has attracted criticism throughout its award-winning run and often targets special interest groups and religions for mockery.

A statement by Moscow prosecutors read: “It offends the honour and dignity of Christians and Muslims alike.” It could just have easily included Jews, Scientologists, Catholics, Mormons and Moonies all of whom have been mercilessly targeted by American series.

Let me get this straight: In Russia, you can’t watch “South Park” but sexual harassment is part of God’s natural order? Right ...

It is curious that the prosecutors singled out Christians and Muslims, because “South Park” disparages everybody, which is how they can get away with denigrating anybody. In reality, I’d say Mormons and Scientologists have gotten it the worst. Muslims, Christians and Jews tend to be peripheral victims in jokes about cultural absurdities (similar to the Muslims offended by the Barack Obama bin Laden New Yorker cover).

But at least the prosecutors picked a good target here. If they wanted to make a case against “South Park” as being rife with religious hatred, “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” was the best example they could find. I’m not sure, though, how they will prove that a set list that includes songs like “O Tannenbaum,” performed by Hitler, “Christmas Time in Hell,” performed by Satan, and “Merry F—-ing Christmas,” courtesy of Mr. Garrison, bears signs of “extremist activity” or incites religious violence.

Garrison’s song and dance is, in my mind, funnier than the others. He’s uber-offensive, but Garrison’s success lies in the all-too-real juxtaposition between his words and deed. The lyrics are very profane, so viewer beware:

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September 8, 2008 | 3:16 pm

More praise for Sharlet’s ‘The Family’

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Jeff Sharlet, one of the best religion reporters out there, mines the depths and finds another positive review of his book, “The Family,” in the United Church Observer, the oldest continuously published ‘zine in North America. He summarizes the review at The Revealer:

“From the early evangelical efforts of Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century, through the ministry of the Family’s founder, Abraham Vereide, in Seattle starting in the 1930s, to today’s efforts at channeling mainstream American politics by the Family’s current leader and Washington insider Doug Coe, there has been a solid and silent movement to foster a particular kind of obedience to God in America…. Sharlet is a skilful writer who brings eloquence and a sense of wonder to this important story. Though he restrains himself from making judgments, his descriptive abilities encourage us to think carefully about the role of evangelical Christianity in this postmodern world, where everything and everyone is somehow connected.”

I agree with that analysis, and with the importance of Sharlet’s reportage. Click here to read a Q&A I did with him in July and an excerpt from his book.

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September 8, 2008 | 1:04 pm

‘Palin’s Pastor Urges Flock to Pray for the Press’

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

When I first saw the headline—Palin’s Pastor Urges Flock to Pray for the Press—I thought: Well, prayer is meant to comfort the afflicted and the press do exist to afflict the comfortable, but has Pastor Larry Kroon really had it so bad over the past week that he needs God to reign in an unnecessarily intrusive press. My answer, despite some of the harsh portraits painted of Kroon, would be no.

But then I read the AP’s short dispatch on Kroon’s sermon yesterday, and I realized what a gracious host he has been to the droves of reporters who have come through town looking for political and theological dirt on Sarah Palin and who even sit through his sermons and then report on the most mundane of messages. (Conversely, The New York Times had a wonderfully written profile yesterday of how Palin’s Christian beliefs affect her politics: “Her foundation and source of guidance is the Bible,” the Times reported, “and with it has come a conviction to be God’s servant.”)

The more forgettable example of religion reporting, tied to the headline, is after the jump:

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September 7, 2008 | 5:21 pm

Pot church leaders plead guilty

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Craig X Rubin

Despite Craig X Rubin’s legal problems, it appears Temple 420, the church he created, where cannabis is a sacrament, is still trucking . Many people are skeptical of Rubin’s sincerity of belief. It’s just another loophole, the logic goes, for smoking pot under the auspice of legal protections. Though Rubin has had no legal protections here:

“I JUST WANT TO GET THIS JAIL OVER WITH AND MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE AND FAMILY…I AM NOT A CRIMINAL….” Rubin wrote me in an email this spring, the most recent time we’ve spoken. “I PUT MY FAITH IN THE BIBLE…I KNOW THAT EVEN IF I DIE IN PRISON THAT JESUS IS THE RESURECTION…I MAY BE JEWISH, BUT I KNOW WHAT WHO I AM…AND THAT IS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST (THEY CAN’T KILL US)...I KNOW THIS TOO…CANNABIS IS THE TREE OF LIFE….SO, LOOK WHAT IS HAPPENING…MILLIONS IN JAIL, ON PROBATION AND ON PAROLE…THEY DON’T CALL IT A MARIJUANA CHARGE…THEY CALL IT A PROBATION VIOLATION, BUT THERE ARE LITERALLY MILLIONS OF POOR AND DISENFRANCHISED PEOPLE IN JAIL FOR NOTHING MORE THAN MARIJUANA….BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WASTED…THE STOCK MARKET FALLING…THE GOVERNMENT TAPPING PHONES…LOOKS LIKE GERMERY ALL OVER AGAIN…AT LEAST TO MY FRIENDS WHOSE CHILDREN ARE BEING SEIZED FOR THEIR FAITH THAT CANNABIS IS A HEALING PLANT”

I’m not sure where Rubin is at (I’ve sent an e-mail to find out) but it looks like the use of pot for religious ceremonies, and the punishment that comes with it, has spread.

Dan and Mary Quaintance, founders of the Church of Cognizance, last month pleaded guilty in an Arizona federal district court to two marijuana-related charges. They will now pursue an appeal of the court’s refusal to dismiss charges against them on free exercise grounds. The Arizona-based church which has “monasteries” in members’ homes around the country, has as its motto: “With good thoughts, good words and good deeds, we honor marijuana: as the teacher, the provider, the protector.”

The difference between the Quaintances and Rubin, whose middle name really is X, is that the Church of Cognizance appears to worship marijuana, the giver of life. Rubin, by contrast, preaches from the Bible and prays to God, though one that includes a very different Tree of Life than

most

any theologians would recognize.

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September 6, 2008 | 1:51 am

Love, Luke Ford and getting named in the NYT

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Congratulations, Luke Ford. You’ve matriculated from the cover of The Jewish Journal to the Style pages of The New York Times. Luke appears there tomorrow courtesy of my former colleague Amy Klein, who spent several years as the object of his affection.

Amy’s column is called “My Very Own Cyberstalker,” and it’s really, really good. Luke definitely knows how to create interesting copy. A healthy portion, including Luke’s disappointment at being interviewed by me and not Amy, after the jump:

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September 5, 2008 | 8:58 pm

Huckabee on Palin, teen pregnancy and faith in politics

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Now that he’s not running for president, I like Mike Huckabee a lot more. The former Arkansas governor sat down with Christianity Today’s Sarah Pulliam at the RNC yesterday. Here’s a snippet:

How does Sarah Palin’s candidacy change the race?
I think it’s really energized the base of the party and given people a reason to be excited about the ticket. There was a lot of anxiety about McCain picking Lieberman. He really gave people a reason to be not just accepting about the ticket. Everyone I’ve talked to is excited about the ticket. It’s a completely different atmosphere than it was a week ago.

Do you think Palin’s pregnant daughter will change whether people will vote for her?
The way the media went after the daughter is the most shameful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. If anything, it just caused [evangelicals] to run to her. Everyone understands that the basis of being a Christian is that everyone has fallen short of God’s ideal. Everyone understands that. We do understand is that when there’s a problem or failures, the family sticks together. We saw a mother who gave her unconditional love to her daughter. That embodies what Christianity means. We all mess up, the issue is how we respond to it. What she showed us is exactly what we wanted to see in terms of a witness.

(skip)

Do you think the issues that evangelicals care about have changed?
I think one of the things that is positive is that while they are still steadfast on life and marriage, but there’s a broadening of the issues. People are care about hunger, poverty, and diseases. It’s one of the things I’m very, very thrilled to see. I’ve advocated for a long time education reform, health care reform, and conservation. Those are issues that touch everybody.

How has your faith affected your policies?
In two ways. I don’t have to wake up every morning and think what do I want to believe today. You sense that public policy ought to be a direct result of your deep convictions, not just trends that you can pick up on through polling. I believe in my heart of hearts that sanctity of every human life is important. I don’t support traditional marriage because polls show I should. It’s the foundation of our society. In that way, I think it’s a part of shaping your views and the priorities you have.

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September 5, 2008 | 7:07 pm

Students angry about removal of Muslim passage calling for murder of Jews

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

“The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.”

That passage comes from the 41st book of the Hadith, which contains the oral traditions of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. It is a historic passage that has long been identified as an innate source of anti-Semitism in Islam. And last month the provost at the University of Southern California required the Muslim Student Union remove the passage from a compendium of Islamic texts on the USC server.

“The passage cited is truly despicable,” Provost C.L. Max Nikias wrote in a letter to USC trustee Alan Casden.

I wrote about the action last month. But it’s now gaining new life because the Muslim students allege the university, at the urging of members of the Jewish community, censored their religious texts without speaking with them.

“We are outraged at the censorship of a complete religious and classic text without consulting us or any religious authority first,” the group said in the statement. “The ‘compendium’ is now incomplete. There are verses in many religious texts (be it the Torah or the New Testament) that when taken out of context can be taken as offensive.”

Certainly there are violent and offensive passages in the Tanakh. I’m particularly a fan of how Simeon and Levin avenge the raping of their sister, Dinah. But I can think of none in the Christian New Testament. More importantly, though, was that this passage, vile regardless of its tradition, was hosted on a university Web site. If members of the Muslim Student Association were prevented from displaying this passage on a private Web site, that would be an entirely different case.

(Thanks for the link, Web Guy.)

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September 5, 2008 | 4:58 pm

Dog has $10,000 Bark Mitzvah

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Sadly, some people cannot afford a $1,000 surgery to save their pet’s life. On the other side of the coin, a New York man threw a Schwartzmanesque party for his dog, Elvis. Believe it: David Best called the $10,000 soirée a “Bark Mitzvah.”

Such a ceremony, though hardly a spiritual rite of passage, is not entirely unusual. (Read more here.) But spending that kind of green for a doggy’s big day, well, that’s just ridiculous.

Thanks to the GeekHeeb for sending this report along.

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