Read the genocidal sermon a notable Atlanta rabbi gave this Rosh Hashanah Last Thursday Rabbi Shalom Lewis of Congregation Etz Chaim in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia gave what can only be understood as a call to genocide in his Rosh Hashanah sermon to welcome in the Jewish new year. The sermon, republished in full below, calls for a war on Islam and Muslims worldwide. Lewis says a “holy crusade” against Islam is needed to”exterminate it utterly and absolutely.” Rabbi Lewis’s bio on the Etz Chaim website says his “religious services are a stimulating, uplifting blend of the past and the present. Whether on the bima or in his office, he generates a caring warmth.” Yet, this is not his first foray into racist and inciteful rhetoric. Three years ago Rabbi Lewis gave a very similar sermon on Rosh Hashanah, again attacking Muslims and comparing them to Nazis. In fact he fashions this speech as a sequel to the earlier one: The enemy has eyes and ears. Fingers and toes. Speaks with lips. Runs with legs. Eats. Drinks. Has the face of a human being – but, has a much different heart and a much different soul. Three years ago on this bima, on this very same day, standing at this podium, I cried out, “Ehr Kumpt – they are coming.” 3 years later on this bima, on this very same day, standing at this podium, I cry out not “Ehr Kumpt – they are coming,” I cry out, “Ehr daw – they are here.” The fury of ultimate evil is upon us and we must act – not to contain it. Not to degrade it. Not to manage it. Not to tolerate it, but to exterminate it utterly and absolutely. It’s important to note that while Rabbi Lewis says only a small minority of Muslims worldwide should be considered “committed Islamists” he says nearly all Muslims are guilty. “Most Muslims are not terrorists – but it does not matter.” Again the racism is astounding: There are one billion Muslims in the world and authorities agree that 5% are committed Islamists who embrace terror and wish to see, by any means possible, the Muslim flag fly over every capital, on every continent. I was relieved when I heard only 5%. Thank God it’s only 5%. Now I could sleep soundly. But wait, let me figure this out, 5% of a billion is… 50 million Koran-waving, Allah Akbar-howling Muslim murderers out there planning to slit our throats, blow us up or forcibly convert us. . . . But what disturbs me is, where are the other 950 million Muslims who are not terrorists? Who are not bomb-blasting, acid-throwing zealots? Where are the other 950 million Muslims who tuck their children in at night with a lullaby, who are okay with Christians and Jews, crave a peaceful world and wish nothing more than a tasty bowl of hummus and a friendly game of Shesh Besh with a neighbor? I want to believe they are out there, for their sake and for ours. I want to believe they weep in pain over the desecration of their faith. I want to believe that we have partners who dream the dreams we do and wish upon the same star. I want to believe – – but where are they? A silent partnership is no partnership. Sin is not just in the act of commission – it is also in the act of omission. Most Germans were not Nazis – but it did not matter. Most Russians were not Stalinists – but it did not matter. Most Muslims are not terrorists – but it does not matter. Rabbi Lewis is not only alarmed by the expected au courant bogeymen such as ISIS, but also criticism of Israeli policy and BDS activism which he attributes to an “alarming surge in Islamist rhetoric, violence and influence”: Let’s get Jewish-personal. A Zim Line cargo ship was prevented from offloading it’s cargo for 3 days because of pro-Palestinian mobs in Oakland, California. A young man from our shul on his 1st day of university was taught by his PhD, tenured professor that Israel committed ethnic cleansing in 1948… In Dade County a synagogue was defaced with swastikas and the words Hamas scrawled on its walls. A JCC in Seattle was attacked. A pro-Palestinian rally in Miami called for “the massacre of the Jews.” University campuses across the country, hot beds of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish hostility. A local merchant in Roswell told one of our members (not realizing she was Jewish and vocal) that she was fed up with Israel’s brutal treatment of the children of Gaza. We are not Europe, but connect the dots. I am concerned, as we all should be, of the alarming surge in Islamist rhetoric, violence and influence. I am equally concerned, as we all should be, of the alarming silence and inaction of mainstream Muslims. I fear political correctness run amuck. I fear the worship of multiculturalism. I fear progressive voices of repression. I fear a distorted media tolerant of intolerance. I fear politicians who prefer the easy, still of the night to the noble, necessary struggle of the day. I fear we are not so far away from where we thought we would never be. You can read the whole thing below. It’s as hateful as any you would expect from any fringe religious demagogue. Except Lewis isn’t a fringe figure. As the website Loonwatch points out, Lewis was given commendations by the Georgia legislature and the US House of Representatives. He has been at Etz Chaim for nearly 40 years. In fact when he recently announced his retirement in 2017, congregation President Cheryl Miller said, “Rabbi Lewis will continue to be an active participant in the leadership of our congregation, a wealth of information and resources, a trusted friend, and a role model to our future clergy.” This man who has called for the annihilation of millions of people is apparently a beloved figure. Lest there was any confusion Rabbi Lewis followed the sermon with a blog post presenting a strategy “to combat the enemy without and the enemy within.” The whole thing is worth reading as it offers insight into the worldview of a wide swath of the American Jewish community, including a warning indicating the community’s political direction: Old rules no longer apply. We must watch out for the Left and for the “Progressives”. Some of our most enthusiastic and morally clear friends are in the Evangelical, Conservative Christian community. I know for some it’s uncomfortable and yes, their stand on choice, gay rights, etc. many of us find disturbing, but we must recognize the urgency of the day. Survival trumps all other issues in this war of values and decency. Here is Rabbi Lewis’s full sermon: mondoweiss.net/2014/10/genocidal-atlanta-hashanah
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:58:52 +0000
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