web analytics
May 21, 2013 /12 Sivan, 5773
At a Glance ▼
InDepth
Sponsored Post
jumping Following a Passion for Sports to Israel

In Israel, a new five month scholarship program being offered to young aspiring athletes – one of them could be you.



Being a Critic of Israel Does Not Make You Pro-Arab, Congressman Pascrell

tell a friend
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Congressman Pascrell’s failure to speak out in favor of the Arab Spring and condemn the mass murder in Syria – even once – from the floor of the House is an egregious dereliction of duty for an elected representative of a large Arab constituency. Over the past few years Congressman Pascrell has found the time to sponsor legislation on recycling plastic, to reduce tax on pickled pepper, and to commend the New Jersey Devils’ goalie with an official Congressional proclamation. But in all that time, he has not found even a moment to address, from the floor of the House, the bombings of Arab civilians under Kaddafi in Libya, the murder of unarmed protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo, or the shooting of children in the head at point-blank range in Syria. He has yet to call on the United Nations to indict President Assad for crimes against humanity. This unforgivable omission makes the notion of Congressman Pascrell being the pro-Arab candidate downright farcical. You are not pro-Arab simply by being a critic of Israel. You are pro-Arab when you advocate that the 400 million Arabs of the Middle East enjoy the same political freedoms and human rights that we enjoy here in the United States.

In New Jersey’s Ninth Congressional district we have one of the largest Arab-American populations in the country. They deserve a congressman who promotes and protects Arab life, and they deserve a discussion where they hear the two candidates for office discussing an American response to the Syrian slaughter, one of the great humanitarian tragedies of our time. It is in this spirit that I repeat my invitation to Congressman Pascrell to join me in a public debate about what each of us will do to end immediately the murder of innocent Arabs in Syria.

tell a friend

About the Author: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “America’s Rabbi” whom the Washington Post calls “the most famous Rabbi in America,” is the international best-selling author of 29 books, including The Fed-up Man of Faith: Challenging God in the Face of Tragedy and Suffering. Follow him on Twitter @RabbiShmuley.


You might also be interested in:


2 comments so far

You must log in to post a comment.

2 Responses to “Being a Critic of Israel Does Not Make You Pro-Arab, Congressman Pascrell”

  1. Lenore Desalvo says:
    July 23, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    It’s also childish…we’re not on the play ground anymore

  2. Hartley Macklin says:
    July 23, 2012 at 8:53 PM

    Depends on what you criticize Israel about. If it is a double standard, then yes it might be simply pro Arab

  3. Chaiya Eitan says:
    July 23, 2012 at 9:39 PM

    Rabbi Boteach, forget about a political career in the U.S. – have one in Israel!

  4. Marsha Greenberg Motzen says:
    July 24, 2012 at 12:11 PM

    Great article. But you already ha my vote!

  5. Bernie Goodman says:
    July 24, 2012 at 1:31 PM

    Pascrell is quite right he just does'nt like the yids.

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Current Top Story
Arafat and the Temple Mount: His successor, Mahmoud Abbas, undermines a planned UNESO visit to the Temple Mount site
PA Outsmarts Self, Loses Out on UNESCO Old City Mission
Latest Indepth Stories
The Gospel according to the Palestinian Authority
News → Antisemitism

How far the PA will go to present the lie as the truth and the truth as a lie? Its claim that Jesus was a Palestinian is old hat. But now the “resurrection” also refers to “the Palestinian state.”

Dreamland bully
InDepth → Columns → Daniel Greenfield

The progressive consolidation imagines that organization can contain the messier side of man.

Russian Yakhont missile
InDepth → Op-Eds

The Russian Yakhont missiles already delivered to Syria threaten Israel Navy ships carrying out vital missions in the Mediterranean.

Eid al-Adha celebrated in Moscow
InDepth → Op-Eds

Islamism represents the transformation of Islamic faith into a political ideology.

InDepth → Analysis → Rubin Reports

America could be said to be building a united front against Iran, but at what price?

InDepth → Op-Eds

The Japanese do not feel the need to apologize to Muslims for the negative way in which they relate to Islam.

InDepth → Columns → Khaled Abu Toameh

Palestinian youths from Hebron, though, who met with Israelis near Bethlehem to share their problems and insights have been forced to issue a statement distancing themselves from the meeting.

InDepth → Columns → Daniel Greenfield

Benghazi isn’t likely to keep Hillary out of the Democratic field in 2016, but after 2008, she is justifiably paranoid.

InDepth → Op-Eds

The contractors received the land at a bargain basement price, moved the prices up to 1.8 million NIS and pocketed one million NIS per apartment.

InDepth → Op-Eds

Many of my fellow college students are quick to voice their acceptance of their LGBT friends, but they turn up their noses and frown slightly when they speak of a Hasid.

InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

The growing revelations that the Obama State Department watered down public statements on the attack in order to cleanse them of any mention of al Qaeda and terrorism is a travesty.

InDepth → Op-Eds

We must confront Islamist groups with what Prime Minister David Cameron referred to as “muscular liberalism.”

InDepth → Columns → Khaled Abu Toameh

Al-Qaradawi’s visit and statements also serve as a reminder that the Israeli-Arab conflict is centered, more than ever, around religion.

InDepth → Columns → Louis Rene Beres

Everyone who reads newspapers should know at least one thing. Threats to annihilate Israel have always been unremarkable. Almost never, it seems, have Israel’s existential enemies sought any reason for concealment.

InDepth → Interviews and Profiles

Mark Treyger, a candidate for city council in New York City’s 47th council district, met recently with the editorial board of The Jewish Press at the newspaper’s Boro Park office.

InDepth → Columns → Moshe Feiglin

Israel’s government did not want to liberate Jerusalem. Or to be more specific, the Labor and National Religious Party ministers did not want to liberate Jerusalem. “Who needs that whole Vatican?” Defense Minister Moshe Dayan explained at the time.

More Articles from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
William Dodd, the United States ambassador to Germany, in 1934.
InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

The growing revelations that the Obama State Department watered down public statements on the attack in order to cleanse them of any mention of al Qaeda and terrorism is a travesty.

The author with Stephen Hawking.
InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

When in 1948 President Harry Truman recognized the new Jewish State of Israel, Einstein declared it ‘the fulfillment of our dream.’

InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

In the Hebrew Bible everyone is flawed and everyone makes mistakes.

InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

Forgetting how to hate can be just as damaging as forgetting how to love.

InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

Let us also not forget that Adelson criticized many of the social values of the Republican Party before it became fashionable to do so.

InDepth → Op-Eds

Whatever your feelings about how permissive or repressed our society is, certainly not in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s ,or 90’s was the sexualization of women this young.

InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

Through the process of the ten plagues, the Jews saw the Egyptians for what they were, just another group of petrified humans.

InDepth → Columns → America's Rabbi / Shmuley Boteach

When all the ribbetting is silenced, we begin to hear an old, familiar tune: the melodious song of our own souls.

    Latest Poll

    Which is the most beautiful location in Jerusalem?









    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/columns/america-rabbi-shmuley-boteach/being-a-critic-of-israel-does-not-make-you-pro-arab-congressman-pascrell/2012/07/23/

Scan this QR code to visit this page online:

No related posts.

Close