Debunking false charges of anti-semitism against MoveOn.org

[Ian David]

From: Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006
Subject: False charges of Anti-Semitism -Heschel centenary-Beyond Oil


A prophetic voice in Jewish, multireligious, & American life
http://www.shalomctr.org

DEALING WITH FALSE CHARGES OF ANTI-SEMITISM;


Dear friends,

As you know, The Shalom Center as a 501c3 tax-exempt organization is not permitted to and does not endorse or oppose candidates for office. MoveOn.org is one organization that does. Opponents of MoveOn.org have launched a concerted campaign to smear the grass-roots online movement with false charges of anti-Semitism.

The scurrilous attacks on MoveOn have been based on the brief appearance of anti-Semitic comments written by non-staff people on its open forum. When the staff at MoveOn.org learned about the comments, they acted swiftly to remove the offensive remarks. The Anti-Defamation League praised their response, declaring themselves "satisfied with {MoveOn's} responsiveness" and characterizing the matter as having been "resolved satisfactorily."

Moreover, many of MoveOn's staff are not only Jewish, but Jewishly motivated to repair the world (tikkun olam) through righteous action (tzedekah) and acts of loving-kindness ( gemilut hasadim ).

Yet this politicization of anti-Semitism has continued unabated, with charges migrating from The Washington Times to the Wall Street Journal to the Jewish press, repeated ad nauseam on the internet.

No matter what anyone thinks of MoveOn's political views and those of its opponents, it is absolutely unacceptable to charge it with anti-Semitism. False charges of anti-Semitism are not only rechilus – slander – in Jewish law, and reprehensible in any society --– they also risk weakening into meaninglessness any attempt to deal with real anti-Semitism where it does exist. The story of "Crying wolf" is not a Hassidic or Talmudic tale, but it is truth nevertheless

The Jewish FundS for Justice, a vigorous grass-roots foundation bringing Jewish values and money together to empower the poor and seek justice, has put this petition on-line. We urge you to sign it:

"As American Jews, we condemn the manipulation of fear of anti-Semitism for political gain, including the recent campaign against the online movement MoveOn.org. We stand for the Jewish value of placing hope over fear by expanding opportunity and creating justice for all Americans."

Click here to sign the petition.
http://ga6.org/campaign/MoveOn_Petition

A prophetic voice in Jewish, multireligious, & American life
http://www.shalomctr.org