Popular Rabbi’s Comments on Treatment of Arabs Show a Different Side of Chabad

Popular Rabbi’s Comments on Treatment of Arabs Show a Different Side of Chabad
The Jewish Daily Forward

Like the best Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis, Manis Friedman has won the hearts of many unaffiliated Jews with his charismatic talks about love and God; it was Friedman who helped lead Bob Dylan into a relationship with Chabad.

But Friedman, who today travels the country as a Chabad speaker, showed a less warm and cuddly side when he was asked how he thinks Jews should treat their Arab neighbors.

“The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle),” Friedman wrote in response to the question posed by Moment Magazine for its “Ask the Rabbis” feature.

Friedman argued that if Israel followed this wisdom, there would be “no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war.”

“I don’t believe in Western morality,” he wrote. “Living by Torah values will make us a light unto the nations who suffer defeat because of a disastrous morality of human invention.”

cont
http://www.forward.com/articles/107112/

A Rabbi calling for Genocide, who would've thought it was possible.

That WWII thing does not inform Jews in both directions - only that it should not happen to them (again). Other people are fair game.

"That WWII thing"- also known as the Holocaust, informs Jews in many ways. To some, Never Again does, sadly mean only that it should not happen to them again. To others it means never again for any group. Your broad brush smear is in interesting little reflection of a disturbing pov. Smears of ethnic groups don't belong on DU. The belong on hater sites like Freeperville or Stormfront.

Saying that to Jews other ethnic groups are fair game for genocide is sick and disgusting. Please refrain from making such bigoted comments in the future.

Encouragingly, he's receiving harsh criticism from all sides.

“I don’t believe in Western morality,” he wrote. “Living by Torah values will make us a light unto the nations who suffer defeat because of a disastrous morality of human invention.”

seeing as how we constantly hear how "Western Morals" as Judeo-Christian in origin, I guess he kicked that in the balls so to speak

I have read the article twice and for the most part the criticism seems to be for airing this view so publicly and bluntly.

BTW I was not surprised to find out this guy is from St Paul I believe it is his group that hold almost daily Pro Israel/Anti Palestinian demonstrations

when about Chabad House last November when its members when massacred in Mumbai last November

Why wouldn't any sane person do that? And one man's hateful words don't make that murder any more justified or understandable. duh.

but as I also said I see it every day, I live in the same area.

or that his views are popular among many Israeli Jews associated with the IDF?

it wasn't long ago that the Allied powers were relentlessy bombing the women and children of Germany and Japan in order to put an end to WW2, so you're actually living in a country that waged war according to this Rabbi's thoughts.

Did I say that this particular Rabbi represented all of Chabad? However he does represent at least a portion of Chabad and how many Jews associated with IDF are also associated with Chabad? besides some of the Jews in IDF wear t-shirts airing their views if I remember

Oh and did Allied soldiers in WW2 swear that every German or Japanese man, women and child should killed along with their livestock? So no I am not living in a country that waged war as the Rabbi preached. Can we assume that you have now left the US your profile claims Boston. As to causalities I'll gladly debate which side lost more in WW2

most here would argue that those RW'ers are hateful warmongers who base their views of most Muslims on a few extremists. What's your excuse? I especially like the part in your post where you question my patriotism. So like many hardline RW'ers who question people's patriotism and base their hatred on the views and actions of a few, you are their "leftwing" counterpart.

:eyes:

Individual IDF officers, whether Chabad or not, must serve according to IDF standards and when they break any they're responsible for their actions.

Whether allied solders swore every German or Japanese man, woman, and child (and livestock) should be killed is besides the point. Not "all" Chabad or IDF swear any such thing. The indiscriminate bombing of Dresden and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki shows you are living in a society that waged war according to this Rabbi's preaching.

While I agree with you that the Rabbi is wrong, and I'm glad he's not an IDF commander, your criticism is hypocritical and dishonest.

where did I say anyone had anything coming? I did not question your patriotism at all only your residency

all or most Israelis do so with the Arabs. This is one particular rabbi.

But if you think that no one in Britain expressed such ideas, you are mistaken. Here is a poem by A. P. Herbert, a popular verse-writer of the 1940s:

"There's always be a Hitler
Beside the silver Spree
If Germans are such silly sheep,
As Germans seem to be.
There'll always be a Hitler
To worry you and me
Unless we take the German race
And sink it in the sea."

He didn't represent all British, but he represented a portion; just as this rabbi represents a portion of Israeli Jews. There are hardline hawks everywhere.

I gave an example of British opinion, as that's what I'm most familiar with; but I would be most surprised if there were not American equivalents.

Let us note that, even if the military aim was not explicitly to kill all Germans/Japanese, some actions showed extreme disregard for civilians' lives, ranging from the bombing of Dresden, to the actual use of the *atom bomb* on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Much more extreme than anything that has occurred on either side of this conflict.

by the Allied was the RAF fire bombing of Dresden and the Rabbi in question here is not Israeli he is American and lives less than 1 mile from me