Statement by the CRC - September '23

 

Statement by the Central Rabbinical Congress on Anti-Semitism and Free Speech

In response to the current public dispute between the ADL and Elon Musk, we would like to publicize the clear stance of the Torah.

1. The Torah is the Jewish people’s sole authority, and therefore the ADL and such organizations do not speak for the Jewish people. They do what is beneficial for their agenda and not necessarily for the Jews.

2. The Torah approach is summed up in the words of Proverbs 3:17, “Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace.” The Torah teaches us to be gentle and humble people. Boycotts, sanctions and the like are not the way of the Torah; they run against our Jewish character.

3. As American Jews, we are deeply opposed to politicizing anti-Semitism. Also, drawing attention to every minor infraction only gives rise to more hatred. The result is a loss for us, and a gain for the Israeli immigration agencies, who benefit from any rise in anti-Semitism in the Jewish Diaspora.

4. As American Jews, we are obligated by the Torah to be humble, law-abiding citizens with our focus on what is in the best interest of the USA. No foreign country represents us in any way whatsoever.

5. Jews and Judaism are a religion, not a form of nationalism. The Zionist movement arose with the goal of transforming Jews and Judaism into nationalism. For this purpose, they created a sovereign state, a language and a culture. Naturally, this is painful for traditional Jews to see. Thus, Judaism actually demands that we show our disapproval of this movement.

We admire the efforts of the organization “True Torah Jews,” the mouthpiece of Torah Jewry, for their holy mission of publicizing the truth: that the Israeli government and all their affiliated organizations do not represent world Jewry.

Just as every person has the right to defend or criticize the policies of his own country – this is indeed part and parcel of democracy – everyone has the right to express an opinion about Israel and its policies. This is free speech, protected by our Constitution.

We hope for the day when the glory of G-d will be revealed and there will be peace throughout the world.

The Central Rabbinical Congress of USA and Canada

Click here to view the CRC statement as a PDF.