24 Comments

This stuff really is the universal solvent. If it can do this to Judaism, it can do it to...anything.

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Such ignorant folk who yet arrogantly claim moral superiority are so upsetting. See

https://no-pasaran.blogspot.com/2022/11/thanksgiving-myth-or-problematic.html

which talks about the barbarity of many successful Native American (bloodthirsty Indian) tribes. It's likely that in America since 1619, more Indian women and children were killed by other Indians than by white soldiers or settlers - with even more dying of European diseases like smallpox, which is not really anybody's fault.

See also https://donsurber.substack.com/p/i-thank-the-lord-for-the-pilgrims for more on the history of the Pilgrims, including the huge death rate of those on the Mayflower.

Logically, what is not owned, cannot be "stolen". According to Indian customs, the better hunting grounds are controlled by the victorious tribe - with tribes constantly fighting each other to determine who controls, temporarily, what land. Thanks to superior guns & technology, the white tribe(s) usually won fights and, over time, took control of the most of the land, including changing the laws to allow private ownership.

Under US law, "warriors" are not allowed to pillage other villages, raping and killing and taking prisoners as slaves, or for human sacrifice. Wherever this behavior was part of a culture, that culture has been changed, and made illegal, enforced by gun-wielding gov't agents. Such a warrior-killing culture is incompatible with civilization.

Glorifying tribalist brutality to other tribes should be morally disgusting to any informed, thoughtful, civil people who want to live with toleration of other non-violent customs.

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The Neopuritans (woke) function like any other religion. Instead of outright destroying the local religions, customs, or cultures, they typically just commandeer them.

So what you end up with is Neopuritanism with a Judaic flavor.

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Ugh, yes, if you start hearing Tikkun Olam invoked with conspicuous regularity, it is time to hit the road. I don't know much about Reconstructionist Judaism, but this is a bummer to read.

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As a member of a Reform congregation that is also pretty far left, focused on Tikkun Olam, but also among other good things (IMO) is friendly towards interfaith families, I see similar ideas percolating. Our congregation is in the midst of a clergy turnover. The previous sr. rabbi was a traditional civil rights era guy. He was thoughtful and articulate. While he was of the left he didn't let that be (much of) a barrier. The new sr. rabbi's sermon on Yom Kippur (at his old synagogue) was about reparations. IMO the Tikkun Olam that these congregations need to be focused on is stopping/minimizing the amount of politics that are part of their programs/sermons. I don't think I'm likely to see that happen.

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Very sad. It would be so much better if religious groups would seek reconciliation instead of fanning the flames of political & social strife.

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Thank you. I was not aware of this movement in Judaism. By the way I have long thought the kibbutz to be socialism done right; local, voluntary, right to exit. That’s an impression though, not direct knowledge. Also perhaps disingenuous of me because I really hope these characteristics are the antithesis of ideological Marxism.

The appeal of group identity based on resentment seeking reparation has long been exploited in the USA. This is enabled by the hypocrisy of our history versus a constitution based on individual liberty. Hypocrisy means the people were wrong, not the concept.

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How much do you expect the passage of this resolution to affect the daily life of your congregation, if at all? How much, if at all, have official resolutions through similar channels affected the life of the congregation before? Do you for instance have any congregational obligation to even publicly affirm your assent to the resolution, much less act substantively on it?

I understand and respect the principled offense one might take at belonging to an organization which has this official position, but it's unclear to me whether there's anything at stake beyond that principled offense.

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Counter/Post-Enlightenment Progressivism has an endless thirst for Gleichschaltung.

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So where do you go as a liberal (small l) Jew? The URJ is just as bad. Asking for a friend. It is becoming hard to be a liberal Jew, as opposed to Orthodox, in America.

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I've heard that CRT promotors are anti-capitalist or Marxist without a clear reason for the claim other than they are. Now Kling seems to that one step further claiming "To the extent that it is adopted, Reconstructing Judaism will be reconstructed as Marxism." I see no compelling reason to believe this is or isn't true but I'd be most interested to hear one.

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This also makes me think of Yuval Levin’s book - it’s an example of institutions becoming platforms for individuals and failing to do the social task they originally set out to do.

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Reparations Resolutions are one of the several ways that the radical left relies to gain support from minority groups everywhere, not just the U.S. Once the radical left accepted the impossibility of overthrowing their enemies by force, they shifted to the new strategy of taking over formal and informal organizations in which young people learn and entertain and those in which adults may protest and push government to meet specific demands. Everywhere there are too many corrupt politicians and intellectuals willing to do anything to gain power, including collusion with the radical left (just think of Joe Biden and Tyler Coward in your country but I can give you a long list for Chile, Spain, and Argentina).

To your readers that focused on the particular example you provided in your post, I ask them what you think about Biden's acceptance of climate reparations at world level. Do you think it's just an exception or part of a much larger phenomenon?

BTW, Arnold. How do you think we can help for the CCP to collapse?

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As an atheist I have had to do without the sense of community that religious fellowship provides. It seems that you are being thrust into the same situation (since your adherence to Reconstruction suggests serious dissatisfaction with more standard factions within Judaism).

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Karl Marx himself was only one generation removed from religious Judaism. From Wikipedia: “Marx's family was originally non-religious Jewish, but had converted formally to Christianity before his birth. His maternal grandfather was a Dutch rabbi, while his paternal line had supplied Trier's rabbis since 1723, a role taken by his grandfather Meier Halevi Marx. His father, as a child known as Herschel, was the first in the line to receive a secular education.” I infer that it is not such a stretch that post-religious Jews would be attracted to Marx.

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If you objective is power and you aren't smart enough obtain power by competing in open markets by producing more value for your customers, the choice of being becoming a con-man spinning images is still available. You become a self proclaimed leader of poor exploited people who will take the wealth and power from the creators and producers and give it to the "people" with a big cut to yourself.

The only skill required becomes convincing people that all their individual unhappiness is caused by some target (capitalist, white people, wall street, etc.) group having nothing to do with their own life choices and decisions. You don't have to actually deliver results like the poor business man does and aren't restricted by the truth and reality in the statements you make like good scientists are.

It is nice to have a "GOD" to answer all unanswerable questions and a focus group for all the S***T that happens in real life. Life becomes simple and little thinking is required.

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