Please note that Gary Rosenblatt, who is the editor of the New York Jewish Week chose to publish a letter to the editor that called for the murder of those who advocated for the civil rights of survivors of confessed rapist, Marc Gafni (AKA: Mordechai Winiarz). If anything should happen to either the survivors or Gafni or those who advocated for the survivors –– Gary Rosenblatt should also be held responsible.
Letter to the Editor
Abhorrent Column
By Rabbi Arthur Green
Jewish Week - October 1, 2004
Jewish Week - October 1, 2004
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| Rabbi Arthur Green - Enabler of Sex offenders |
I have known Rabbi Gafni for several years and think
highly of his abilities as a creative teacher of Torah. As a trusted friend,
I also know how he struggles with a personal history that includes some genuinely
bad deeds done when he was quite young, some 20 years ago. He has been
relentlessly persecuted for those deeds by a small band of fanatically committed
rodfim, in whom proper disapproval of those misdeeds
combines with jealously, anger at his swerving from Orthodoxy, and a range
of other emotions.
Perhaps this rabbi should be made to confront his past
more fully. A bet din before a mutually accepted rabbi would be the right
setting for that. But the public press? Who set you up as ruler and judge
over us? Is this responsible journalism?
Rabbi Gafni has more or less been assassinated in the
Jewish community. None of his explanations will mean much against the whispering
that will accompany him forever, thanks to your article, within the confines
of our extended gossipy shtetl. You have taken it upon yourself, on erev
Yom Kippur, to drive a man away from Jewish life. In the absence of anything
like a "smoking gun" evidenced in present or recent conduct, I find this
journalistically and Jewishly abhorrent.
Rabbi Arthur Green
Newton, Mass. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clarification regarding the use of the term
rodef
© (2004) The Awareness Center
The Awareness Center - October 11, 2004
Some have questioned why the Awareness Center posted
a very strong, immediate and public response to Rabbi
Arthur Green's public letter stating:
"He has been relentlessly persecuted for those deeds
by a small band of fanatically committed rodfim, in whom proper disapproval
of those misdeeds combines with jealously, anger at his swerving from Orthodoxy,
and a range of other emotions."
It is the position of the Awareness Center that the
use of such language to designate an alleged victim of any form of violence
that seeks justice against their abuser as a rodef is utterly irresponsible
and unacceptable. It is also a dangerous event to allow to pass without
unequivocal public condemnation. This is a term which as we have seen in
Israel with Prime Minister Rabin can lead to tragic consequences. Such language
cannot be ignored or tolerated by advocates of victims of sexual or physical
violence.
We cannot allow victims, their families, friends and
supporters to be labeled as rodfim. A reckless public libel such as Rabbi
Arthur Green's must be responded to with in an unequivocal public condemnation.
It is a dangerous thing to let stand or ignore. This type of language has
no place in civilized discourse.
"Rodef" or the plural form "rodfim" when used as a
noun has one meaning "a pursuer with murderous intention". A person who meets
the definition of a rodef/rodfim is subject to din rodef / law of the pursuer
and is subject to death on sight. It is forbidden to transgress the sabbath
to save the life of a rodef/rodfim.
The term rodef/rodfim is commonly known due to its
use in rationalizing and excusing of the murder of Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzchak Rabin. It is claimed that the use of the term rodef against Rabin
by community leaders at the time contributed to the charged atmosphere in
which Rabin was murdered.
His murderer uses that designation as justification for killing Rabin. Today the use of the term rodef in Israel is widely seen
as "incitement for murder" and those who make such statements in public are
reported to the police.
It has been suggested that rodef literally means pursuers
in some benign, innocent way. That is incorrect. In Hebrew, many words have
a three letter "shoresh" or root. There can be numerous words with differing
yet similar root meanings that have the same derivation from the same shoresh.
There are numerous words with the same shoresh as rodef but they are mainly
adjectives, verbs and adverbs. There are a few nouns with the same
shoresh.
They include:
Redifah = pursuit
Meradeh = one who pursues vanities
Mordaf = persecuted/pursued.
Rabbi Arthur Green used rodfim
as a noun. As a noun, there is no modern Hebrew usage of the term rodef/rodfim.
It is a biblical term and a Halachic designation. It does not mean a mere
benign pursuer. It means "a pursuer(s) with murderous intention". A
person who meets the definition of a rodef/rodfim is subject to din rodef
/ law of the pursuer and is subject to death on sight. It is forbidden to
transgress the sabbath to save the life of a rodef/rodfim.
The average person in any hebrew speaking community
in the entire world who saw a person shake his fist at a group of people
and shout "RODFIM" would instantly recognize, understand and appreciate the
"blood libel" being stated. That is exactly what Rabbi Arthur Green has done
here.
We call on Rabbi Arthur Green to publicly withdraw
his comment and issue a full public apology for the use of the term rodfim.
We call on Jewish institutions affiliated with Rabbi Arthur Green and that
work with victims of violence to condemn his comments and distance themselves
from him until he takes those steps.
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