tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052856495751826593.post6319810560959304013..comments2023-10-07T04:19:32.403-04:00Comments on Conservadox & Single: Memo to the American Organized Jewish Communitykatrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428267916507575555noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052856495751826593.post-952001731253706052008-03-11T15:40:00.000-04:002008-03-11T15:40:00.000-04:00ha-ne'eqad: I'm not saying that individual Jews or...ha-ne'eqad: I'm not saying that individual Jews or groups of Jews should not express their values in public, in an outspoken matter. My problem is when individual Jews or groups of Jews claim to speak in the name of ALL JEWS regarding values (whether I agree with the values or not). Also, these groups are 501(c)3s, which mean that they are supposed to focus on issues, not candidates. I know that that gets enforced just about as often as the law that people have to pay social security taxes for their cleaning ladies, but, silly me, I care about those laws. <BR/>Your point about Israeli opinions about the candidates is well-taken; I think I was overly sensitive to that. I don't think Muslims vote as a block, and I don't think that Jews do, either.katrinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428267916507575555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052856495751826593.post-16337271750886201692008-03-10T00:33:00.000-04:002008-03-10T00:33:00.000-04:00The monolith will CRUSH. Seriously, though, don't ...The monolith will CRUSH. <BR/><BR/>Seriously, though, don't you think the "don't embarrass the Jews" angle is a dangerous one to take for left-wing Jews? "Don't be outspoken socialists, it will make the country think we're unpatriotic. Don't favor social justice over the immediate national interest, or people will worry we're not for the national interest." And especially don't connect these political positions with Judaism and Jewish ethics, or you're playing right into the anti-Semites' hands! Clearly this kind of argument is a double-edged sword. Anti-semitism has shown a healthy capacity for hating the Jews collectively no matter what politics they have individually. I have no illusions about this despite having strong political opinions of my own. <BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, the nature of democratic politics is such that if you think a candidate is bad, you must convince others that he is bad, and thereby prevent him from being elected. People's values will inevitably come out in the election. If there are Jews who feel the way you do about the candidates (I supposed you'd call them the "not treacherous" Jews), then they'll show it by voting, yes? In the meantime, we're allowed to argue that one candidate is better than another. <BR/><BR/>I also don't understand why a CNN segment on ISRAELI Jews' opinions on the candidates shows that media people think that AMERICAN Jews care only about Israel. I saw a feature on BRITISH people's opinions on the candidates and that doesn't prove that British Americans are undermining the democratic process. FARC seems to want Obama to win, but that doesn't mean all Columbian-Americans do. God knows there's plenty of concern about worldwide Muslim opinion; I'd be drubbed for suggesting that Muslims vote en bloc. <BR/><BR/>By the way, your post on Conservative Judaism was really interesting. It came up at Shabbes lunch in my New England college town.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com