Goldstone and Slander

I urge all of us to read all of us to read an incredible article by Richard Goldstone himself. It is the closest thing to a person "al chet" that we will see from him. Considering that damage that he did to the state of Israel, it is an exasperating article to read. Those in our community who wish to honor him or to make him into a hero should really think twice. Here is a man who sadly was used to smear Israel because he was a South African judge and a Jew by the detractors of Israel to do great harm to the international reputation of Israel.

By the way, the same could be said of those who were so critical of Israel's response to the Flotilla given that last month a ship laden with arms for Hamas attempted to run the embargo.

The Goldstone article is at:

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/reconsidering-the-goldstone-report-on-israel-and-war-crimes/2011/04/01/AFg111JC_story.html

See also the excellent article by David Horowitz on this at

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=214866
and the statement from the American Jewish Committee at

http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=9313921

In a commentary on this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Metzora, my colleague Paul Citrin writes: “”A person sees all plagues except his own.” (Nega’im 2:5). This phrase from the Mishna makes it clear that the Sages already understood that the disease spoken of in Metzora is not a physical blight. It is universally known in the Jewish world that the Rabbis understood Metzora to point to “motzi shem ra”, a slanderer. The unclean nega was an outer sign of inner moral deficit."

I was struck buy these words given the recent almost “al Chet” by Richard Goldstone.
Unfortunately there are many within our midst who are so quick to believe every slanderous assertion against Israel and who are so hesitant to even give Israel any credit where credit is due. Those who are guilty of this are indeed engaging in the sin of being a “motzi shem ra.”

Consider the following. When Judge Goldstone encountered difficulties in attending his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, a letter of support was written. Taanit Tzedek- Jewish Fast for Gaza , Shomer Shalom Institute for Jewish Nonviolence, Tikkun and The Shalom Center. This letter from last May may be found at http://www.theshalomcenter.org/node/1715.

Now I have no problems with saying that Goldstone should be able to attend his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, but the letter said so much more. Specifically the letter stated

“We affirm the truth of the report that bears your name…. We affirm your findings and believe you set up an impeccable standard that presents strong evidence that during the war in Gaza Israel engaged in war crimes that revealed a pattern of continuous and systematic assault against Palestinian people and land that has very little to do with Israel’s claim of security…. Your report made clear the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructures such as hospitals, schools, agricultural properties, water and sewage treatment centers and civilians themselves with deadly weapons that are illegal when used in civilian centers…. Judge Goldstone, we want to offer you our deepest thanks for upholding the principles of justice, compassion and truth that are the heart of Jewish religion and without which our claims to Jewishness are empty of meaning…. We believe your report is a clarion call to Israel and the Jewish people to awaken from the slumber of denial and return to the path of peace.”

Much of the content of this letter has now been rejected by Goldstone himself. I urge all who signed this letter to consider carefully their actions. Were you too quick to condemn Israel for Operation Cast Lead or for that matter the flotilla incident? Will you be so quick to condemn Israel next time or will the words of Pirke Avot to “Be Patient in Judgment” be taken to heart? My hope, my prayer, is that those who are so quick to slander Israel will be more careful next time.

Last spring on its 25th anniversary, Tikkun Magazine gave Judge Goldstone its Ethics Award. I call upon Tikkun to rescind this award in light of the most recent admissions by Goldstone himself. TO ITS CREDIT – Tikkun published on its website an article entitled “Rethinking Goldstone?” by Mitchell Plitnick. http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/rethinking-goldstone Although I may not agree with this article in its entirety, I applaud Tikkun for its intellectual honesty in “Rethinking Goldstone.”

So this Shabbat, maybe we should all take a closer look at our willingness to believe anything terrible about Israel.

Now please do not accuse me of seeing only Israel’s’ good side and not its blemishes. I am a supporter in word and financially of BOTH AIPAC and the New Israel Fund and frankly see no conflict in supporting both of these fine organzations, As a matter of fact, my brother in law is the program director for AIPAC in Jerusalem and my sister in law, his wife, is the associate director of the NIF. It works for them and it works for me!