Jewish Response, in reaction to a recent op-ed piece published in "The Jewish Press" called "Failing to Recognize Jerusalem", written by Congressman Anthony Weiner, whose district in Brooklyn and Queens, NY includes several large Jewish communities, is calling for Jews to contact their Congressmen and Senators stating their opposition to Zionists speaking in their name and attempting to influence American foreign policy.
In 2002, Congress passed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, part of which declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel and ordered then-President George W. Bush to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, since our embassies around the world operate out of foreign countries' capital cities; however, the White House issued a signed statement saying it considered these parts of the law non-binding and that the administration would not implement them. President Bush said that Congress was trying to dictate foreign policy to the Executive branch, and that the President alone has the power to recognize foreign states.
But Congressman Weiner, who evidently believes he is speaking in the name of all his Jewish constituents, says Congress should force the President and State Department to accept Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and issue passports to American citizens born in Jerusalem reading "Jerusalem, Israel."
"Every traditional Jew should write or call his representative and let him know that not all Jews are Zionists. It's only right that our views should be represented in Congress alongside theirs," said Leo Greenbaum, spokesperson for JewishResponse.com.
"The last thing traditional Jews like myself want is to dictate foreign policy to the President and the State Department, " continued Greenbaum. "We want our President to continue doing what's best for our country - not what's best for a foreign country. And we are not interested in pushing the Zionist political agenda in the Middle East - an agenda that can only endanger us as Jews.
"We are alarmed by the fact that in the public mind, all Jews are associated with the State of Israel and blamed for its faults. Whenever we see policemen guarding our synagogues, we are reminded that Jews - non-political religious Jews like ourselves - have become a target of terrorists due to the actions of the State of Israel, as well as the high profile of Zionist political pressure groups. For decades, these groups have been bringing only trouble upon the heads of the American Jewry.
"And what's most upsetting of all is that congressmen representing the some of the most highly concentrated religious Jewish communities in the country, here in Brooklyn, are giving into pressure from Zionist groups rather than than listening to their constituents, the vast majority of whom are not Zionists."
Sample letter:
To the Honorable Ed Towns,
Thanks for doing a great job. There is something I would like to bring to your attention, after reading an article written by Congressman Anthony Weiner in The Jewish Press. (The article can be viewed here: http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/45774)
As a Jew living in your district, I am tired of allowing Jews with a particular political agenda, Zionism, to speak in my name. I hope you realize that not all Jews are Zionists. In particular, Orthodox Jews like myself believe in the coming of the messiah and that therefore, no Jewish group has the right to establish a Jewish state in the Holy Land before the messiah comes.
One example of the results of Zionist pressure on Congress is the debate over recognizing Jerusalem as the State of Israels capital, culminating with the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2002, which ordered the President to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and ordered the State Department to issue passports to American citizens born in Jerusalem reading "Jerusalem, Israel."
The last thing non-Zionist Jews like myself want is to dictate foreign policy to the President and the State Department. We want our President to continue doing what's best for our country - not what's best for a foreign country. And we are not interested in pushing the Zionist political agenda in the Middle East - an agenda that can only endanger us as Jews.
We are alarmed by the fact that in the public mind, all Jews are associated with the State of Israel and blamed for its faults. Whenever we see policemen guarding our synagogues, we are reminded that Jews - non-political religious Jews like ourselves - have become a target of terrorists due to the actions of the State of Israel, as well as the high profile of Zionist political pressure groups. For decades, these groups have been bringing only trouble upon the heads of the American Jewry.
It would make us feel much safer if you, as our representative in Congress, would do more to represent our point of view alongside that of Zionist Jews.
Yours sincerely,