Rabbis against Glenn Beck's rally in support of Israel

Beck, an American journalist identified with the right, wants to demonstrate at the Western Wall for Israel's policy. Several rabbis oppose participation in the demonstration on the grounds that the event has a Christian agenda: "It is a theological crusade against the Jewish people" Yehoshua Breiner, Walla News, August 23 2011 [Hebrew original here] The pro-Israeli journalist and broadcaster Glenn Beck announced about three months ago on his radio program in the US that he intends to hold a mass rally in Jerusalem this summer. The rally will be held under the title of "Restoring Courage," like "Restoring Honor," the name of the rally Beck held in Washington that drew tremendous attention. The goal of the rally is support for Israel and its policy and it will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) near the Western Wall and Safra Square in Jerusalem. Several rabbis have come out against the rally and called on their students not to attend it because they claim it has a Christian agenda. Mina Fenton, a former Jerusalem council woman for the National Religious Party, says she recruited seven leading rabbis who called on their students not to attend the event. Among the prominent rabbis on the list are the leader of the Lithuanian-Haredi community, Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv, the Rabbi of Samaria and head of the hesder yeshiva in Alon Moreh, Elyakim Levanon, head of Ateret Cohanim, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, rabbi of Kiryat Arba and Hebron Dov Lior and the rabbi of the settlement of Shilo, Elhanan Bin-Nun. "A danger of Christianity" blurring the lines between Judaism and

"Glenn Beck is leading a theological crusade against the Jewish people," said Fenton, adding: "Beck cries, laughs and exercises all of his rhetorical skills in order to draw the Christian public to Jerusalem so that they experience the same supposed religious climax that he supposedly experiences in Jerusalem, all under the slogan that Jesus operated in the area of the southern Western Wall. He did not choose that particular spot to hold his rally for nothing." Fenton said of the American broadcaster that "anyone who listened to his broadcasts would understand that his goal is to promote Christianity and Jesus. True that we need propaganda for Israel and we need to raise money,
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but there is a clear Christian agenda here and some people are not blinded." In a conversation with Walla News, Rabbi Levanon confirmed that he asked his students not to attend the event, but said he did not do so publicly. "I did not have time to learn about Glenn Beck in depth so I did not issue a call to the public, but I told anyone who asked me not to attend the event. I do not feel comfortable with there being Christian elements here. We do not need to receive support from everyone. There are many organizations of pro-Israel Christians who invest money in institutions in an attempt to attach them to their agenda." Rabbi Bin-Nun also joined the call yesterday and even issued a statement forbidding participation in a similar event that Beck and his people held last night in Caesarea, even though free transportation was offered to the event from the settlements of Efrat, Ariel and Karnei Shimon. "There is no doubt that politically the relationship with Beck is important," said Bin-Nun, but added that "if it involves a religious element then it is forbidden." The rabbi of the settlement of Shilo expressed his concern over the influence the event would have on its participants and said that "the Christian faith is idolatry. There is a danger here of blurring the boundaries between Judaism and Christianity and a person who is unaware and comes to such an event might think we are brothers. The missionaries use that method and that is why we have to draw a line. Beck's events are religious and therefore participation in them is forbidden." According to Fenton, Rabbi Dov Lior also expressed his opposition to participation in the events, even though a month ago Walla News exposed that among the major donors to the yeshiva he heads is a Christian church. The church is the Brotherhood Church in Florida, which for many years has been donating tens of thousands of shekels a year to Rabbi Lior's yeshiva. At the time, sources at Lior's yeshiva claimed it was a church whose members are not missionaries. Rabbi Lior's reaction about Glenn Beck's event could not be obtained by the time of publishing this report.

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