Reform rabbis and circus clowns

"Krusty the Clown" - another  beneficiary of Israel's Ministry for Culture and Sport?

There has been a lot of publicity in the Israel and Jewish media about the 'recognition' of reform clergypeople by the Israeli government insofar as a handful of them will now qualify for a government salary. It is obviously a move by the Israeli government to basically "shut up" the Reform movements stirrers in the US, some of who have far too much influence on ministers and Israeli internal affairs.

It is telling that the single 'redeeming feature' (if that's what it can be called) of this news was that the salary to be paid will not be forthcoming from the Ministry of Religion budget but rather from the Sports and Culture Ministry. AJNWatch presumes that this is the government department that allocates funds to theatres and actors, circuses and clowns. In a way this seems quite apt when considering the acting out and farce of Judaism that those clergy-performers do within and without their religion's temples.

 AJNWatch has yet to notice any Reform commentator mentioning this underhanded insult to their leaders.

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Meanwhile our local rabbinate responds with the (more or less) as expected feeble statement to this outrageous stab in the heart of traditional Torah Judaism.  (See here.)

What is it with our respected rabbis? Is there really nothing that is holy and dear to them to be worthy enough to issue a firm and unyielding condemnation upon this shameful travesty? Had this happened a decade or two ago there would've been loud protests and no shortage of condemnations. But these days the only time we hear strong statements from rabbis are when it comes to Rabbi Meir Rabi and his Kashrut supervision organisation. Everything else is hushed up and swept under the rabbinical carpets.  

The explanation usually whispered is that they fear upsetting some congregants should they be seen as criticising anything done by the Israeli government. Of course that is total nonsense as rabbis are expected to fight for and defend our religion. And doing so, their members will respect them for being open, honest and fearless.
Have they forgotten the Torah's command לא תגורו בפני איש?
 
And in the case of Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, who to the best of our knowledge no longer occupies a pulpit - and isn't known to be a shrinking violet, what's his excuse? He certainly has no membership to fear. Why couldn't he say something more substantial then what we read in the article?  His wise and eloquent father, the late Rabbi Chaim always showed the way on how to put forward the Torah viewpoint loudly and fearlessly - even if unpopular with certain segments of the community. It's a shame, really.
 
Looks like it'll again be up to the conscience of rabbinical Australia, Rabbi Chaim Ingram to again go into battle in defence of the Torah.

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Meanwhile a reader who states that he is a Chabad Chassid is most upset about the way the Australian rabbinate - the majority of whom are Chabad - have forgotten the unyielding campaigns led by the late Rebbe against the Reform movement.

He sent us a link to a website from where we bring the following words of the Rebbe: (There is much more there for those interested.)

Chutzpah: Look who's sermonising Rambam and Remah!!

Should we laugh or cry? An assistant "rabbiette" from Melbourne's Reform Temple is "delving into Jewish sources" - quoting Shas and Poskim about the "religious obligation" to report child abuse allegations. The hypocrisy is mind-boggling.

[Just to make it clear, AJNWatch does not at all disagree with her conclusions about this sad and tragic issue and we accept the Psak Halacha of the gedolei hador, Rav Wosner, Rav Elyashiv, Rab M Shafran and others, that abuse claims should at the first instance be referred to the police and those authorities who are legally qualified and trained to investigate and handle these charges.

Having said that,] we express our incredulity at the unbelievable gall of a Reform clergyperson piously lecturing us and referring to the Chazal, Rambam, Rema and even Rav Eliezer Waldenberg.

(The same condemnation, by the way, goes to the AJN and its editor. Zeddy Lawrence really couldn't find a more suitably qualified writer, ie, an Orthodox Torah observing rabbi to state the Halachic case? Does anyone doubt that eg, Zeddy's brother. Sydney's Rabbi Jeremy couldn't have given the Torah viewpoint?) 

But seeing that you are "delving into Jewish sources", why don't you, Madam Rabbi, tell us what all of them have to say about the lifestyles of you parishioners and indeed members of the clergy of the Reform religion? Eg, the desecration of the Shabbat, intermarriage and/or consumption of Nevelot uTreifot? Indeed deleting almost the entire body of Halacha!

Or maybe you can inform us of their views regarding the way that you have duped hundreds of thousands of naive gentiles into believing that your hocus-pocus ceremony in a "Temple"  transforms them into Jews. And how they then marry them to trusting but ignorant "Kosher" Jews who have no idea that Halachically their new spouse isn't Jewish at all. And in cases where the 'convert' is female, neither are her children. Though, as this blog has previously revealed, being a 100% gentile is no holdback from becoming a rabbiette - as is a  colleague of yours (an unconverted daughter of an unconverted gentile woman). We wonder what any of the "Jewish sources" you quote would say upon hearing that not being Jewish is no bar to being employed as Temple clergy. 

Seriously, you sure have a nerve lecturing on what "Jewish sources" decree. Sources that you and your colleagues have disregarded and defied from the day that the deformed Reform idea was launched.

In addition to the reader having to endure your disingenuousness you mislead and deceive by 'cherry=picking' both your Rambams and your Chillul Hashems. This is unforgiveable.

You sanctimoniously quote Rambam thus:

but completely and deliberately overlook a few paragraphs on, where he so perfectly describes the appalling Chillul Hashem (and immeasurable damage) that you Reform clergypeople have been responsible for for almost 2 centuries - promoting assimilation and spiritually destroying vast segments of Jewry. 

Read here what else the Rambam has to say about Chillul Hashem and put his words in your next AJN article.

By the way, we wonder, seeing that Kim is such an expert on the Rambam, did she happen to notice how she and her religion contravene and corrupt thousands and thousands of edicts stated in that very same Mishnah Torah? How could she not feel hypocritical when writing that article?

Furthermore, seeing that you are in to Psika of Rav Waldenberg maybe you could bring yourself to be honest enough to tell us about his views on you and all other Reform "rabbis" and about the caricature and mockery of Judaism that your version of religion has created.