-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Hardliners condemn Sacks over Israel stance Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Steele and Duncan Campbell Tuesday August 27 2002 The Guardian Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, was yesterday on the receiving end of fierce criticism from sections of the Jewish community after his strong warning to Israel about its conduct in the Middle East crisis. A hardline Israeli rabbi said Dr Sacks had become "irrelevant" in the world Jewish community because of his comments. But other Jewish leaders applauded the chief rabbi for speaking out and claimed his words would find sympathy with many Jews. Professor Sacks launched his unprecedentedly strong warning to Israel in an interview with the Guardian yesterday. "I regard the current situation as nothing less than tragic. It is forcing Israel into postures that are incompatible in the long run with our deepest ideals," he said. "There is no question that this kind of prolonged conflict, together with the absence of hope, generates hatreds and insensitivities that in the long run are corrupting to a culture," added Dr Sacks, who during his 11-year tenure as head of the Jewish community in the UK and the Commonwealth has previously steered clear of commenting on Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The fiercest of his critics yesterday was Rabbi Shalom Gold, dean of Jerusalem college for adults, who told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "We who are living here day in and day out, our perspective is the one that really counts. I have a great deal of respect for the chief rabbi and therefore it is extremely sad for me to hear him make comments of such a nature which for all intents and purposes will now make him irrelevant in the world Jewish community." But Rabbi Charles Middleburgh, executive director of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, applauded the chief rabbi for his courage in speaking out. "It is incredibly important when someone says something controversial at a difficult time for people to think not just about what they have said but why they have said it. This is a man who rarely comes off the fence but this time, to his great credit, he has." The chief rabbi also received support from Paul Usiskin, chairman of British Friends of Peace Now. "I share, with many Jews and Zionists, the chief rabbi's anguish at Israel's conduct and I welcome his desire to find dialogue to help resolve the Middle East conflict," he said in a letter to the Guardian. Neville Nagler, director general of the Board of Deputies, said: "The Jewish community shares everyone's concerns for a just and peaceful outcome in the Middle East; the views expressed by the chief rabbi do not necessarily reflect the opinions held by every section of the community." Eric Graus, president of the British section of Ariel Sharon's Likud party, accused the chief rabbi of being naive. "I think what he has said is wrong and that the Israeli government has acted with great restraint. The great worry is that the terrorist organisations will see this as a split in the Jewish community and see it as evidence that their tactics are working." Israel's state radio, the Voice of Israel, carried reports on the chief rabbi's interview throughout yesterday. The early reports focused on his comments about the incompatibility of Israel's stance in the occupied territories with Judaism's deepest ideals, but later the story's emphasis was switched so as to highlight his meeting with an Iranian ayatollah and his comment that they quickly "established a common language". "Perhaps it was an effort to discredit him", said Rabbi Arik Aschermann, the head of Rabbis for Human Rights, a Jerusalem-based group. "What he says is very much in line with what we think, and what many others believe who are hesitant to say so out loud". In the United States, the organisation Jews Against the Occupation welcomed the chief rabbi's remarks. "Our group has been saying this for a while and I am glad he is now saying that publicly," said the organisation's Lorne Lieb. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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