Guest post: Tea Partiers and Orthodox Jews
Rabbi Yaakov Menken is the Director of Project Genesis, a Jewish cyber-outreach organization based in Baltimore.
The Passover break gave me an opportunity to catch up on some reading, and I came across an article in Commentary Magazine (by Andrew Ferguson, a senior editor at the Weekly Standard) about the NY Times' Caricature of the Tea Party Movement. It is an interesting read, exploring the methodologies employed by a purportedly unbiased media to subtly -- and not-so-subtly -- discredit, and even demonize, a wave sweeping across the American political landscape.
This is a particularly compelling topic, because the media's campaign has apparently been surprisingly effective -- and come to think of it, I haven't been immune. I acquired a dim view of these Tea Partiers through media reports, and still don't know enough about them. So please don't come away thinking I am a supporter of anything other than accuracy and impartiality in the media.
There is a strange disparity between how people perceive the views of the Tea Partiers, and how they perceive the movement itself. In a recent Rasmussen poll, respondents were asked whether the views of the president or the average tea party member were closer to their own. 48 percent went for the Tea Partiers, vs. only 44 percent for the president.
Especially given that 44 percent is within a couple points of the president's approval rating, one might expect that roughly half of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement -- and one would be wrong. In fact, whereas in December a WSJ/NBC poll found the Tea Party movement was held in higher esteem than either the Democratic or Republican Party, a recent Fox News poll shows just the opposite is true today.
It wasn't until the ninth paragraph of the Commentary piece that I recognized how relevant all of this was to the Orthodox Jewish community, which, though relatively conservative politically, is not well represented at the tea parties. That's when I encountered this sentence: "It was difficult to find a story mentioning the Tea Partiers in which the words fear or anger didn’t figure prominently." That sounded all too familiar -- after all, when is the last time you read an article about a conflict involving Orthodox Jews, especially charedim, "in which the words fear or anger didn’t figure prominently?" Typical are these words from a Conservative Rabbi: "Since the death of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the Haredi community has become more radicalized because of their hatred and fear of modernity in general and especially egalitarianism." Revisiting Ferguson's list of the methods used to discredit the Tea Party Movement, I was struck by the parallels.
Accusations of Bigotry: For the Tea Parties, it's ABC reporting that they are “driven, in part, by a refusal to accept a black president.” The Charedim are portrayed as racist (against blacks, hispanics and Sephardic Jews), anti-women, and as believing that non-Orthodox Jews are not Jews at all.
The fringe "nutcakes" are deemed representative of the group. For the Tea Partiers, it's the fellow with a sign portraying Obama as Hitler. For the Orthodox, it's Bernie Madoff, Niturei Karta, hooligans in Meah Shearim, and a chassid selling kidneys out of his house in Brooklyn.
Associations with violent extremists: Orthodox Jews would be lucky to "merely" be grouped with Randy Weaver, the John Birch Society, and Lyndon LaRouche supporters. Instead, Rabbis are bunched together with Muslim Jihadists. To cite but one example, "Spokesmen for the Despised: Fundamentalist Leaders of the Middle East" covers Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, Hizbullah, Radical Shi'ites, Hamas, and "the group of Jewish rabbis who appear to have inspired the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin." Not only is the myth that Yigal Amir operated under rabbinic guidance or "inspiration" taken as fact, but his insane act licenses the inclusion of Orthodox Rabbis in what is otherwise an encyclopedia of Islamic terrorists and their supporters.
Staged Provocations, in which the media is invited to witness attempts to elicit a violent or otherwise inappropriate response, seem to be a common tactic as well. As Andrew Breitbart pointed out, having the Congressional Black Caucus wade through a "majority white" Tea Party protest -- rather than using the tunnels built to convey congressmen to Capitol Hill -- was a media stunt that more than likely was intended to draw a reaction that they didn't get. During the massive protest against the Israeli Supreme Court several years ago, a woman in revealing dress was similarly sent through the crowd with the media watching, and no one reacted. When women boarded the separate-gender bus lines, specifically to deny others the service which they had requested, the media even noted that "contrary to expectations, the protest did not provoke a violent response from the haredi public" [emphasis added]. Apparently, it takes provocations at a holy site (i.e. the "Women of the Wall") to draw a reaction -- perhaps the media will remember that the next time a Tea Party group gathers near a church.
Mythology brings up the rear -- when you can't find a sufficiently incendiary fact, you make it up. Breitbart has offered a $100,000 reward for anyone, whether TV cameraman or citizen with a cellphone, able to prove the claim that the N-word was tossed at the CBC as they walked through. No one seems able to claim the cash. Similarly, we have been informed by an "unbiased" media that excrement was thrown at the Western Wall, that Rabbis refuse to believe an observant Jew might commit a crime, or even that a disabled Jew was assaulted for using an electric wheelchair on Shabbat.
Have I missed anything? Or have we found a common arsenal of media tactics? It is something to keep in mind when reading any "news" article about either group -- or any other that a liberal-leaning pool of journalists might be predisposed to dislike.
The conclusion of Ferguson's article, at least, provides the glimmer of hope. He claims that there has been "a discernible shift in tone and attitude" as the Tea Party groups have become more and more mainstream. He concludes: "sure, those right-wingers are raging lunatics, volatile, out of control, a threat to law and decency -- until they start to win."
Has anyone else read the latest Jewish demographics?
Comments
We didn't need much organization for the love-ins in the sixties when we would all meet in the local parks. We still managed to get the issues of the day discussed.
I feel the reason behind most of our troubles and the need for TEA Parties is the government's ability to print up whatever money it wants to get their way.
Maybe this will help make the danger of fiat money clear.
Imagine you and me are setting across from each other. We create enough money to represent all of the world's wealth. Each one of us has one SUPER Dollar in front of him.
You own half of everything and so do I.
I'm the government though. I get bribed into creating a Central Bank.
You're not doing what I want you to be doing so I print up myself eight more SUPER Dollars to manipulate you with.
All of a sudden your SUPER Dollar only represents one tenth of the wealth of the world!
That isn't the only thing though. You need to get busy and get to work because YOU'VE BEEN STIFFED with the bill for the money I PRINTED UP to get YOU TO DO what I WANTED.
That to me represents what has been happening to the economy, and us, and why so many of our occupations just can't keep up with the fake money presses.
They have been beating us with our own stick!!!!1
Posted by: Carson | April 14, 2010 6:46 AM
Some similarities I notice are: 1. Thousands upon thousands of tea partiers can march in Washington and cover the mall and yet it isnt reported to any extent except on Fox. Dont Jews often get ignored by the press? 2. There is certainly a biased view of both tea partiers and Jews in the media. 3. The press is basically pro Obama and therefore by definition pro Muslim and anti Jewish. 4. Christ was a Jew and most tea partiers are Christians. 5. As mentioned above, tea partiers will become more accepted by the press when their candidates are winning. When Christ returns, most people who are left here and dont rise with Him will be real supportive of Him after six years of being eaten by flying locusts with razor teeth and having water that turns into blood.
Posted by: Clay | April 14, 2010 10:12 AM
Accusations of Bigotry: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B&H_Photo_Video, where the Orthodox-owned store settled a discrimination suit against Hispanic workers for over four million dollars, and is now being sued for discrimination against women.
The fringe "nutcakes" are deemed representative of the group: Rabbi Elyashiv says that orthodontic braces invalidate mikveh immersion http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3848598,00.html. Rabbi Elyashiv bans Shabbat elevators http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3804294,00.html. Rabbi Elyashiv says that selling chametz is invalid when done by secular Jews http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3872140,00.html. Rabbi Elyashiv bans Crocs shoes for T"B and Y"K http://www.revach.net/article.php?id=2599.
Associations with violent extremists: The grave of murderer Baruch Goldstein bears the plaque "To the holy Baruch Goldstein, who gave his life for the Jewish people, the Torah and the nation of Israel." and he is on occasion celebrated http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/685792.stm.
Staged Provocations: Accusing the attempt of Women of the Wall to pray at the Kotel as they, not the Orthodox, see fit as being a "provocation" speaks for itself.
Mythology: The throwing of feces was described by Rabbi Andrew Sachs of the RA in 1997, who was present when it happened http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/13/world/orthodox-israelis-assault-jews-praying-at-western-wall.html?scp=1&sq=Orthodox%20Israelis%20Assault%20Other%20Jews%20at%20Western%20Wall&st=cse.
Posted by: Hyman Rosen | April 14, 2010 10:44 AM
Clay, when you say "tea partiers will become more accepted by the press when their candidates are winning," are you suggesting that winning and acceptability are somehow equivalent to being right and moral?
Posted by: Dana LaRocca | April 14, 2010 10:50 AM
Mr. Rosen,
Most of the links you provided were dead links, either outdated or "access denied." Maybe yo can provide us with some better resources.
Posted by: Dana LaRocca | April 14, 2010 1:43 PM
The linkifier appended punctuation to the links. Just remove the trailing period or comma and they'll be fine. Here they are, for the record:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B&H_Photo_Video
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3848598,00.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3804294,00.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3872140,00.html
http://www.revach.net/article.php?id=2599
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/685792.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/13/world/orthodox-israelis-assault-jews-praying-at-western-wall.html?scp=1&sq=Orthodox%20Israelis%20Assault%20Other%20Jews%20at%20Western%20Wall&st=cse
Posted by: Hyman Rosen | April 14, 2010 2:23 PM
If you think Madoff ran a huge scam, Amway has ripped off millions of people for several decades, to the tune of 10s of billions of dollars.
Amway is a scam, and here's why: Amway pays out as little money as they can get away with, so they support the higher level IBOs ripping off their downline via the tool scam.
As a result, about 99% of IBOs operate at a net loss, while the top 1% make several TIMES more from their Amway tool scam than from the Amway products. This was made illegal in the UK in 2008, but our FTC is unable to pull their heads out of their butts to stop it here.
Read about it on this website: http://thenetprofitgroup.yolasite.com and forward the information to everyone you know, so they don't get scammed.
Posted by: Tex | April 14, 2010 2:25 PM
“the protest did not provoke a violent response from the haredi public"
Why the haredi public has to be praised when they do NOT behave like animals.? Just like Lakers’ fans do not have be praised for NOT rioting after their team won.
In any case , I am not sure what the connection to the Tea Party is. There is no proof that that members of the Tea Party shoot Racial epithet to Blacks legislators but there is a lot of information of haredim involved in violence, child molestation, crime and beating up women on buses.
Why the demographic of haredim is relevant ? the issue is their behavior not their demographic.
Posted by: Leib Tropper | April 14, 2010 2:28 PM
Have you seen this? Publisher of Baltimore Jewish Times to file for bankruptcy
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-alter-bankruptcy-20100414,0,7793147.story
Posted by: Anonymous | April 14, 2010 2:58 PM
Thank you for the links,
Does Rabbi Elyashiv ban all the Crocs shoes or only certain styles ? what about fake Crocs, are they banned as well ?
And what about other comfort shoes like the ones from Timberland and Deckers, are they also include in the ban ?
Did rabbi Elayashiv ever wore Crocs ? what is his favorite shoe/boot ? What is his favorite fashion magazine ?
Posted by: Chaim Kanievsky | April 14, 2010 3:45 PM
Is it the poster's intention to mock the Rabbi, to mock Mr. Rosen, or to mock Judaism?
Or is he mocking himself?
Posted by: Dana LaRocca | April 14, 2010 4:05 PM