A Disturbing Trend From the White House Toward the Jewish People

Let’s first get THIS out of the way: I do NOT believe the President is a Muslim. OK? I believe he is a Christian. I’ve seen his Pastor in action.

That being said, I DO believe that a pattern has developed in the Obama White House to not only bend over backwards in praise of the Islamic faith, but to give what can only be described as short shrift (bordering on insult) to the Jewish faith.

The recent news about the second-class status given to the White House Hanukkah Party, in comparison with the Bush Administration’s handling of the event, brings to light a continual diminishing of the importance of the Jewish Holy Days. Case in point:

Last Fall, the Jewish Holy time of Rosh Hashanah was acknowledged by the President with a 2:37 video greeting. Unfortunately, President Obama used the occasion of the Rosh Hashanah greeting to lecture Jews around the world about the importance of tolerance. (Lecturing JEWS about the importance of tolerance??? Because THEY keep blowing children up at pizza parlors?)

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[T]his sacred time provides not just an opportunity for individual renewal and reconciliation, but for families, communities and even nations to heal old divisions, seek new understandings, and come together to build a better world for our children and grandchildren.

At the dawn of this New Year, let us rededicate ourselves to that work. Let us reject the impulse to harden ourselves to others’ suffering, and instead make a habit of empathy – of recognizing ourselves in each other and extending our compassion to those in need.

Let us resist prejudice, intolerance, and indifference in whatever forms they may take — let us stand up strongly to the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is still prevalent in far too many corners of our world.

That is our President using the occasion of the Jewish High Holy Days to instruct Jews around the world to “resist prejudice, intolerance and indifference”. You know, because the intolerance and prejudice of Jews are the big problem facing us these days….

But to really use this as a “Teachable Moment” we should take a look at the President’s Ramadan message he made the month before his Rosh Hashanah lecture. Ramadan, the holy time for Muslims was acknowledged by the President with a video twice as long as the Rosh Hashanah video.

Surprisingly (or not) the President did not mention anything about tolerance or prejudice to the world’s Muslims. On the contrary he kowtows via YouTube with sycophantic lines like:

As I said in Cairo, this new beginning must be borne out in a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground. I believe an important part of this is listening, and in the last two months, American embassies around the world have reached out not just to governments, but directly to people in Muslim-majority countries. From around the world, we have received an outpouring of feedback about how America can be a partner on behalf of peoples’ aspirations.

We have listened. We have heard you. And like you, we are focused on pursuing concrete actions that will make a difference over time – both in terms of the political and security issues that I have discussed, and in the areas that you have told us will make the most difference in peoples’ lives.

And:

Beyond America’s borders, we are also committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure. That is why we are responsibly ending the war in Iraq. That is why we are isolating violent extremists while empowering the people in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we are unyielding in our support for a two-state solution that recognizes the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.

The President also had a special Ramadan Dinner where he gave a speech (this one over eight minutes) where he did not come anywhere near the lecturing and semi-scolding tone of the “You better start being tolerant” speech for the Jewish People of the world. Instead, he spent a good chunk of time making sure we all acknowledge the contributions Muslims have made to the world:

The contributions of Muslims to the US are too long to catalog because of Muslims being so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country. American Muslims are successful in business and entertainment; in the arts and athletics; in science and in medicine. Above all, they successful parents, good neighbors and active citizens. So on this occasion we celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, and we also celebrate how much Muslims have enriched America and its’ culture in ways both large and small.

Tonight we celebrate a great religion and its commitment to justice and progress. We honor the contributions of America’s Muslims and the positive example that so many of them set through their own lives. And we rededicate ourselves to the work of building a better and more hopeful world.

Do I think the President is Muslim? Of course not.

Do I think he is anti-Semitic? Of course not.

Do I think that he has an instinctive need to ingratiate himself to the Islamic world, despite the fact the extreme fringes of that world make up the most dangerous enemy our nation faces at this time in history? And, do I fear that he takes for granted the single ally we have in the region this enemy inhabits, publicly humiliating and insulting them with lectures for tolerance on their Holy Days? Do I think the President could truly serve our national interest by using his tremendous clout in the Islamic Community to lean on them and pry a little tolerance from THEM, (not to mention SERIOUS condemnation of the violence done in the name of their Faith)?

What do YOU think?