Liberal Jews and the Religious Right

Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in North America, has long been a force for progressive politics. The reform Union of American Hebrew Congregations, under the leadership of the late Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler, supported the rights of lesbians and gay men as early as the 1970's. South Florida’s Congregation Etz Chaim, of which I am a member, was the second GLBT synagogue to join the UAHC (in 1979; Los Angeles’ Beth Chayim Chadashim was the first). Reform Jewry was also a pioneer in the ordination of openly LesBiGay - and now Trans - rabbis; an issue that conservative Judaism is still struggling with and that orthodox Judaism perhaps never will. More recently, the Union for Reform Judaism (the UAHC’s new name) has come out in support of civil marriage for same-gender couples. Meanwhile, reform rabbis (gay or not) have been marrying same-sex couples for years.

If anyone still doubts in which side of the political fence reform Jewry stands, recent comments by Rabbi Eric Yoffie, who succeeded Rabbi Schindler as leader of the Reform Union, ought to put such doubts to rest. In a sermon he delivered at the URY’s 68th Annual Assembly in Houston on November 19, Rabbi Yoffie attacked the religious right for its intolerance: “We are particularly offended by the suggestion that the opposite of the Religious Right is the voice of atheism. We are appalled when ‘people of faith’ is used in such a way that it excludes us, as well as most Jews, Catholics, and Muslims. What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God and that anyone who disagrees with you is not a person of faith?” Though Yoffie denies that he was singling out fundamentalist Christians, there is no question that they were on his mind while he wrote his sermon.

According to Rabbi Yoffie, “religion involves concern for the poor and the needy, and giving a fair shake to all....It means that ‘family values’ require providing health care to every child and that God cares about the 12 million children without health insurance....It means valuing a child with diabetes over a frozen embryo in a fertility clinic, and seeing the teaching of science as a primary social goal...And it means reserving the right for each person to prayerfully make decisions for herself about when she dies.” On the issue of GLBT rights, Yoffie noted that “when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations. And today, we cannot feel anything but rage when we hear about gay men and women, some on the front lines, being hounded out of our armed forces. Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage. But there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hell fires of anti-gay bigotry.”

Yoffie’s comments about the religious right were sensational; and rightly made the front pages of newspapers that ordinarily couldn’t care less about what goes on at a religious gathering (except the College of Cardinals). If Yoffie wanted to get the public’s attention, he knew how to do it. But Yoffie did more in his sermon than just attack the fundies. He also warned his audience about “teenage destructive sexual behavior” in terms that even Jerry Falwell might appreciate. He encouraged URY-member synagogues to make concerted efforts to encourage non-Jews to convert to Judaism, especially non-Jewish partners in interfaith unions: “It is a mitzvah [good deed] to help a potential Jew become a Jew by choice.” (Full disclosure: I myself converted to Judaism in 1976.) As if all this was not enough to ensure the URY’s liberal credentials, delegates at the Biennial Convention also voted to oppose the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court; opposed the war in Iraq and denounced the use of torture by U.S. government officials; and required “that government scientific data not be colored by ideology and that appointments to governmental bodies be made on the basis of the appointee’s scientific experience.”

Not every Jew would agree with the text of Rabbi Yoffie’s sermon - Ken Mehlman, the Jewish Chairman of the Republican National Committee would certainly disagree - and even some people who agree with the contents of his sermon will be quick to criticize Yoffie for being “political.” Evangelical Christians in the United States, after all, are the main non-Jewish supporters of the State of Israel. But if conservative clergy like Pat Robertson can dabble in politics, so can liberal ones like Eric Yoffie. On December 5 Yoffie met with Abraham Foxman, national director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, and other Jewish leaders to develop an organized response to what Foxman calls “an emerging Christian right leadership that intends to 'Christianize' all aspects of American life.” As Michelle Goldberg wrote in the on-line news magazine Salon.com, “the honeymoon is over” between American Jews and the Christian right.

We will see what comes out of all this. Meanwhile, I applaud Rabbi Yoffie and the Union for Reform Judaism for their courage and commitment; and for reminding us that religious faith is not synonymous with right-wing politics. We can agree with Yoffie’s call for a national dialogue on religion and politics; and we can agree with what Yoffie calls his “starting points” for such a dialogue: “that tolerance is an American value and a religious necessity; that religion is far too important to be entangled with government; that we need beware the zealots who want to make their religion the religion of everyone else; and that we all need to put our trust in America, the most religiously diverse country in the world.”

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and unabashed lefty (in both senses of the word) who lives and writes in South Florida. Send him a note at jessemonteagudo@aol.com.