Rabbi Arthur Weiner

Among the most pernicious aspects of Israel’s current war against Hamas has been the assault on truth, facts, and memory. As we have painfully learned, this brutal war is waged not only with military weapons, but also through an extensive disinformation campaign waged by Israel’s enemies, and their willing accomplices throughout the western world. We see this daily in irresponsible reporting in the media, the tolerance and even acceptance of antisemitic rhetoric and behavior on college campuses, and mouthed by politicians. We are told that Israel is a colonial enterprise, denying the 4000 year history of the Jewish people in the land of Israel. We were told that Arab and Muslim narratives regarding Israel must be accepted uncritically lest we be accused of racism and Islamophobia, while Jewish and Israeli narratives are subject to a level of scrutiny unparalleled in modern history. We are told regularly that Gaza is under Israeli occupation when the truth is that Israel withd...

Today, Friday December 22, 2023 is Asarah B’Tevet , the fast day of the 10th of the Hebrew month of Tevet.  Asarah B’Tevet is one of several minor fast days associated with the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC. On this day in Jewish history, the Babylonians began their siege of Jerusalem. This event marked the beginning of the battle that ultimately led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple. It also sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile. The event is chronicled in the Bible. An identical description of the tragic event is found in both the Book of Jeremiah and II Kings: And it came to pass in the ninth year of his (King Zedekiah’s) reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about. (Jeremiah 52:4, II Kings 25:1) Two weeks ago, I wrote to the congregation a...

There was a good article in yesterday's edition of The Record about how Jews are celebrating Chanukah this year in the shadow of Israel's war with Hamas. I deliberately point out that this was a good article because most of the reporting about the war in The Record has been terrible. It relies on wire services and news agencies that faithfully report the information provided by Hamas controlled news services and institutions while simultaneously challenging Israel's narratives and claims. The Record originally reported that the attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza was Israel's fault without evidence, and was still making this claim almost a week later even after Israel, President Biden, our Defense Department and even international observers hostile to Israel proved that it was the fault of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization.   The Record has consistently undercounted the number of participants in last month’s National Rally for Israel, cla...