The Times has reported that the SA Jewish board of deputies has denied that any barring has taken place. YNet News reported that the 'banning' is indeed in place. According to the Business Day, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies called the reports of banning "completely untrue".
I think the Goldtsone report is a travesty of justice.
Judge Golstone led the UN fact finding mission on Gaza. The mission kicked off in April 2009 and the report was published in September 2009.
The "Judge Goldstone event of 2009" irrevocably damaged Israel's reputation. It 'exposed' Israel as being a war-hungry, blood-thirsty colonialist state. It 'presented' the inhumane tactics used by Israel's war machine and blatant disregard the Israeli military, and government, has for Palestinian life and Palestinian territory.
(An often ignored and overlooked "by-the-way": The report accused both the Israeli Defense Force AND Palestinian militants of war crimes and, alleged, crimes against humanity)
But, should the outcome and recommendations of that report be of any surprise to Israel and the international Jewish community?
Has the UN and any of it's agencies been 'friends of Israel' over the past decade, two decades, four decades?
The feeling among the general Jewish community, and supporters of Israel, is that Goldstone has undermined the Jewish state, and fueled the flames of anti-Jewish, anti-semitic and anti-Israel sentiment
While the Jewish Board denies reports of the 'barring' of Judge Goldstone from attending his grandson's barmitzvah, there are many members of the Jewish community (and leaders too) who would (and do) support such a barring
Should he have declined the opportunity to lead the fact-finding mission?
Yes
But the findings would have been the same. In fact, Israel probably could have expected an even worse, more damaging report from the 'we-haven't-supported-Israel-since-1947' UN
"Anti-semitism", "anti-Torah", "anti-Jewish lifestyle", "anti-Jewish homeland" movements (and wide support for those movements) have always existed. There is nothing new about these movements, sentiments, lunatics.
Judge Goldstone did not invent anti-semitism, anti-Torahism and anti-Jewish Homelandism
And he hardly fuels it
Judge Goldstone sits way down on the list of issues and people who undermine the Jewish community, our beliefs, our Torah values. Judge Goldstone is small fry when it comes to fueling anti-semetism, anti-Jewish lifestyle, anti-Torah views and anti-Israel sentiment
Judge Goldstone should NEVER be banned from any shul, or Jewish institutions. There should be NO debate about such bannings, barrings or Taliban style community dealings
But that does not mean barrings, bannings, and possible beheadings should be entirely ruled out. The target of these efforts needs to be the people and activities that threaten the Jewish community, what it stands for, and what it believes in.
Judge Goldtsone does not feature on that list
Who is undermining the Jewish community's credibility? Who is bringing disrepute to the Jewish way of life and our Torah values? What type of people are weakening the standing of Israel within the community of nations? What activities are sabotaging our efforts to be a 'light unto the nations'
So, who should we be banning from our shuls and communities?
- Jewish businessman and religious leaders convicted of fraud, employment and abuse of illegal worker, and cruelty to animals
- Israeli mayors who take bribes
- Rabbis who molest children
- Jews who don't respect other human beings
There's has been a lot of talk about Judge Goldtsone
Maybe, maybe too much talk
