My letter to Mr. Mann, Ms. Ashton’s Cheif Spokesperson
Dear Mr. Mann (Michael.MANN@eeas.europa.eu),
As an American Jew, a rabbi here in Florida, I write to say how disappointed I am to hera Ms. Ashton’s words (cited below from the Wall Street Journal) regarding the murder of Jews in France. I understand there has been effort from your office to clarify her words and I appreciate this effort. However, Ms. Ashton’s comments still equate the murder of Jews at the hands of an Islamic terrorist (and the murder of other innocents by radicals) and the torment of children in southern Israel to the “situation” in Gaza. Her words, at this terrible time in the global Jewish community, are not only insensitive, they are also dangerous as they equate the murder and torment of innocent people (Jews and non-Jews) to the self-defense of the sovereign nation of Israel which is under attack by Islamic militants. Such words incite violence and hatred against Israel and it is irresponsible that a global leader would say them.
“And in days when we remember young people who have been killed in all sorts of terrible circumstances, the Belgian children having lost their lives in a terrible tragedy… when we remember what happened in Toulouse today, when we remember what happened when I was in Norway last week a year ago, when we know what’s happening in Syria, when we see what’s happened in Gaza and Sderot. In different parts of the world, we remember young people and children who lose their lives.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577293580827858776.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Andrew Jacobs
1 Comment
The Shoah, the White Paper, the Inquisition, imperialism, supporting Arab Dictators were a Human Rights Violation. Europe has generations of blood on their hands.