Top Reform Rabbi Addresses Largest U.S. Muslim Group and Urges Increased Dialogue
Allan C. Brownfeld, Editor
Special Interest Report
September - October 2007
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, became the first top Jewish communal leader to address a major American Muslim organization. In September, Yoffie addressed the 44th annual conference of Chicago’s Islamic Society of North America, and called for an end to discrimination against Muslims, more dialogue between religions, and for Jews and Muslims to unite in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A “profound ignorance” about Islam in the U.S. had helped spread the image of Muslims as the enemy, Yoffie said, pushing for a more active denunciation of those promoting such beliefs. “The time has come to stand up to the opportunists in our midst — the media figures, religious leaders and politicians who demonize Muslims and bash Islam, exploiting the fears of their fellow citizens for their own purposes,” Yoffie said. “The time has come to end racial profiling and legal discrimination of any kind against Muslim Americans.”
The Forward (Sept. 7, 2007) reports: “Liberal Jewish organizations such as the URJ have sought Muslim partners at the national level for some time to bridge the gap widened in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the ongoing violence in the Middle East. But it was the emergence of a more moderate leadership at the helm of ISNA, which has been accused of supporting Hamas, that made the breakthrough speech possible, URJ leaders say. ISNA’s condemnation of terrorism, included that conducted by Hamas and Hezbollah, and its open support for a two-state solution, as well as the participation of the Pentagon, Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security in this year’s conference, were key factors in Yoffie’s decision to accept the invitation to speak.”
In addition to his denunciations of anti-Muslim stances adopted by, among others, Christian leaders Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham and radio host Dennis Prager, Yoffie won plaudits by criticizing what he described as the Bush administration’s encroachment on civil liberties and its lack of involvement in seeking a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. He warned, however, that while Jews should support Muslims in their fight against Islamophobia. Muslims should help fight against antisemitism and Holocaust denial.
Yoffie’s overture drew criticism from David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee. “Here is another discredited group eager for mainstream recognition,” said Harris. “Inadvertently, in the name of inter-religious dialogue, he gave it.”
According to The Forward, “Critics of Yoffie’s participation in the Conference ... have pointed out that ISNA is named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a major terrorism trial against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based charity shut down after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks for its alleged ties to Hamas. ISNA insists that it is not a target of the prosecution and that government officials have indicated the move was a tactic to allow the admission of evidence at the trial ... In a statement released during the conference, the organization said that its condemnation of terrorism also included acts perpetrated by Hamas and Hezbollah, groups often considered in Muslim countries to be legitimate resistance movements.”
Columnist Leonard Fein (The Forward, Sept. 14, 2007) provided this assessment: “Rabbi Eric Yoffie ... in a speech that drew a standing ovation at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America, called for an end to discrimination against Muslims, for more dialogue between religions, and for Jews and Muslims to unite in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Predictably, his readiness to appear before that audience elicited a critical response from sundry others, including David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee. But ISNA, America’s largest Muslim umbrella organization, with 100,000 members and 300 constituent groups, has condemned terrorism, including that conducted by Hamas and Hezbollah, and has endorsed a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Must Muslims convert to Judaism before we talk frankly and even amicably with them? Bravo, Yoffie.”
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