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Editorial Discuss this and other issues with fellow RRFEI members in the network's new Facebook group by January 25, 2015 clicking HERE! Dear Friends After the tragedy in France, a local woman said to me, "I know the right thing to do, I just don't want to do it." She didn't want to allow Muslims A snippet from Jewish Theology and World into the U.S. She knew it Religions, Chapter 8 was wrong. She knew we have for decades protested A book edited by Alon Goshen­Gottstein and that had Jews been allowed Eugene Korn into the U.S. before WW II In his book, JEWISH THEOLOGY AND hundreds of thousands of WORLD RELIGIONS, Rabbi Eugene Korn lives may have been saved, writes in summary in the eighth chapter: with millions of Jewish descendants. Now others "If one looks at this map temporally, flee for their lives. But she is one can plot four stages in the frightened. Perhaps two evolution of Jewish religious thinking years ago you read about about Christianity under different the neo­Nazi who murdered historical circumstances: three religious Christians 1. In the first and second centuries, Jewish Christians coming out of Jewish came to be regarded as heretics(minim) or apostates facilities in Overland Park, from Judaism. For Jews to believe in Jesus and the KS. He was gunning for ‘new covenant’ was considered avodah zarah. Jews but couldn't 2. In the Middle Ages, when Jews lived in small distinguish between gentiles communities in Christian Europe and were dependent and Jews. This woman lives on economic interaction with Christians, most Rishonim in one of those facilities. in Ashkenaz ruled (in accordance with the Talmudic She's frightened. Who can opinion of R. Yohanan previously cited) that Christians blame her? were not idolaters, but they still considered belief in Perhaps Nahman of Christian doctrine to be illegitimate avodah zarah. Bratslav had it right, "The 3. In the late Middle Ages and early modernity, the entire world is a narrow majority of Aharonim did not consider Christianity to be bridge, and the ikar is not to avodah zarah for non­Jews. be afraid." 4. From the seventeenth century to the twentieth, when Christian toleration of Jews grew,Christianity as a Do we judge others as positive historical and theological phenomenon for non­ tselem elokim, or is Jews that helped spread fundamental beliefs of "V'ahavta l'reyecha Judaism (for example, God, revelation, and the Noahide komocha" really only about commandments) and thus advanced the Jewish our relations with Jews? religious purpose. These questions confront us daily. With the ... Jews who have been touched by modernity and who value publication of Torah openness to Western culture, dignified relations with HaMelech we shuddered at Christians, and appreciation of Christianity’s moral and a halakhic justification for spiritual values can also find ample halakhic justification for murder of "the other." With their aspirations." the publication of Derech HaMelech by Ariel Finkelstein, we are Basic human decency: a proto­Toraitic presented with a halakhic understanding refutation. by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Orthodox Posek We witness the human האם הפוסק באמת יכול לגשת להלכה כשיש לו confrontation with the fear הנחות יסוד תורניות מוקדמות? מסתבר שלא רק of the "other," whether the שהוא יכול, אלא הוא אף חייב, במיוחד כאשר הוא other is perceived as a Jew דן בדיני נפשות. בהקשר זה ראוי לראות את דבריו .or a gentile של פוסק מובהק כמו הרב יעקב אריאל, על מספר On the right side column, רבנים ש"הקלו" בהריגת גוי לפני כחמש עשרה Orthodox posek Rabbi שנה: Yaakov Ariel speaks of basic human decency, a השאלה הבסיסית היא: מהי נקודת המוצא לכל דיון proto­Toraitic בדיני נפשות? האם נקודת המוצא היא החרדה understanding, that murder מפני העבירה החמורה של שפיכות דמים של כל אדם ואדם, וההיתר ליטול is wrong. Anything נשמתו של אדם הוא חידוש ואין לך בו אלא חידושו, או שנקודת המוצא הפוכה, forbidden to gentiles in the אדם שאינו מישראל הוא חלילה כדגי הים והאיסור לשפוך את דמם של חלק Noahide commandments is מבני האדם הוא החידוש? לא מצינו חלילה היתר כל שהוא לאיסור חמור זה forbidden also to Jews. של שפיכות דמים, שלא כפי שת"ח שלא שימשו כל צרכם התבטאו בתקשורת שלפי ההלכה מותר, כביכול, להרוג גוי. אין ספק שאת שורש העיוות הנורא I write this knowing that our הזה יש לחפש במידותיו של האדם, ביראת שמים הבסיסית שלו, בדרך ארץ mutual daily concern in שקדמה לתורה. המחריד הוא שצורבים שלא פסקו מעולם בדיני עגונות RRFEI is the soul of the והפלות, "פסקו" בהבל פיהם בדיני נפשות, כשחסר להם הרקע הבסיסי לעצם Jewish people. Here are הדיון בנושא כה רגיש, ששפיכות דמים היא העבירה החמורה ביותר בתורה. two links to important ולא עוד אלא שהוציאו דיבתם הרעה לתקשורת לתת חרב בידה נגד תורת articles by Tamar Rotem [link], writing about changes ישראל, לומדיה ומקיימיה. in the Haredi world; and Anshel Pfeffer [link], predicting that a family leaving the Haredi world is just the tip of what's coming. Resources You will see that some in Chief Rabbi Lau attacks Bennett over pluralism Israel are naturally, on their own, arriving at some of our J­REC / AJC Mission to Israel shared conclusions: that the Giyur K'halacha Chief Rabbinate of Israel has no business controlling Acts of violence people's lives, that Jews Kashrut regulations for hotels and event halls should be allowed to freely choose our religious practices. Contact us

Even so, the struggle for email: [email protected] the Jewish soul continues. Phone (US): 646­334­5636 Who gets to define Phone (Isr): 054­779­1179 legitimate Judaism? Which Jews does the Chief Rabbinate represent? How Not yet a member? do we build a Jewish state Please register here » for all of the world's Jews? Please take a look at the articles, and let us know in the Facebook group for RRFEI [link] what you think. Kol tuv, Mark

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Rabbis for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel represents a broad spectrum of Jewish belief and practice, and champions the values of religious freedom and equality fundamental to World Jewry, in partnership with Hiddush for the realization of these principles in Israel and the Diaspora.

Rabbis for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel Website: WWW.RRFEI.ORG | Email: [email protected] | Tel. [US] 646­334­5636; [Israel] 054­779­1179