Jewish Atheist

“She said, ‘Leah if you try to go to college we are going to have you locked up.’”

For some reason the embedding for the video isn’t working, but check out the link for an amazing interview with Leah Vincent on Katie Couric.

P.s. Nice article from Rabbi Fink about the interview here.

Now, I’m a heretic, and I resent being grouped in with obviously religious believers just bc they’re zionists! lol… ok, kidding aside, this is quite the inane argument. Does he really think that all jews are heretics if they’re pro-Israel?! Damn. That takes misguided elitism to a new level. I’m also curious why he thinks the messiah is coming now. Personally, I’d give him another 2,000 years at a minimum. And besides, most jews aren’t religious and are therefore heretics. No need or reason to lump in religious people just bc they have a slightly different interpretation than you.

What I’m on about is that clearly there are people who understand the torah but see things differently. But clearly, for this guy, the only explanation is that they’re deluded heretics who don’t trust Hashem. And again, as someone who is a heretic, and is used to noticing insane trust in an imaginary being, I can assure you that these people are just as deluded as yourself. (Well, maybe not just as deluded… but pretty close.)

Why are you asking me? I’m not a zionist or a believer. Why not actually go out of your bubble and talk with some zionist rabbis?

Just like how “religious yidden” don’t use the internet?

My point is that you’re defining what’s correct (or in this case “truly religious”) by what conforms to your personal beliefs. Don’t do that. It’s insulting to others as well as yourself.

Zionism is the real enemy of the Jews

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Just said now by Rov at the NY protest. (via hishbati-eschem)

Sadly, these kinds of idiotic statements are common. “Internet is the enemy!” “Immodesty is the enemy!” etc etc etc

And yet, they never mention actual, observable, real dangers. Like people attacking Jews in Israel with bombs and the like, which is why Israel needs an army.

I have no doubt that during WWII there were people saying the same kind of nonsense instead of identifying Hitler as the actual danger. So instead of getting the hell away from Hitler’s forces, or fighting back, they sat around praying until they were rounded up. And of course, we know how that whole thing worked out. ugh.

By the same token, whenever I hear about a haredi disrespecting an IDF soldier, I want to give him a smack across the face. He is literally insulting the person who is actually protecting his ignorant and superstitious ass. But even suggest that god might not be perfect, and might not actually help… well.. anyone… ever, and they freak out.

(Source: )

The argument goes something like this: Since our prayer is more upsetting and horrifying to the Haredim, the right and decorous thing to do is to honor them with our capitulation. But the whole enterprise of speculating about each side’s relative sensitivity is like speculating about relative purity of body or religious conviction. It is an argument that merely repurposes all the stereotypes recited above: that women seeking to pray as they choose in the women’s section of the Kotel are less passionate, less sensitive or less heartfelt than other Jews. These are efforts to delegitimize and stigmatize the opponent, in lieu of entering into a meaningful debate about ideas. It’s an age-old — dare we say “political” — tactic. It’s also cheap. Take us on our own terms, accept that we are as worthy of our views as you are. That would require seeing us as equally human, which might also end the chair throwing. But it is the only, and happily the most Jewish, path to resolution.

—Susan Silverman and Dahlia Lithwick “The Kotel is for Us, Too” (via baruchobramowitz)