Jewish Response Publishes Open Letter to the United States Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In connection with the Zivotofsky case, Rabbi Yoel Klein of Jewish Response has published the following letter to the Supreme Court:

April 12, 2011

Dear Honorable Justices,

In 2002, Congress passed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which requires the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem and write "Jerusalem, Israel" on all American documents such as passports. In effect, this law recognizes Jerusalem as the State of Israel's capital - in direct contrast to the longstanding American policy to respect the UN resolution of 1947, under which Jerusalem was to be an international city.

Former President Bush signed this law but stipulated that it could not be put into practice since it conflicted with his executive role to determine foreign policy. This month, you, honorable justices of the Supreme Court, may decide to hear the case of Zivotofsky v. Secretary of State and rule as to whether the Constitution allows Congress to impose such a law on the executive branch.

We request your honor to give us the opportunity to say a few words, for we, American Orthodox Jews, feel that our fate is hanging in the balance. That's because this case is not just about the status of Jerusalem; it's about the survival of the Jewish people.

Ever since 1947, when Rabbi Joseph Z. Dushinky, chief rabbi of Jerusalem, pleaded with the UN not to recommend a Jewish state at all, and if they did, at least not to include the Holy City as part of that state, our Orthodox Jewish communities have been vocal in our opposition to Israeli rule over Jerusalem. Our community in Jerusalem would have vastly preferred to live under the UN, as mandated by the UN partition plan, than under the Zionist government. This is indeed what would have happened, had the Zionists not invaded Jerusalem and taken it for themselves.  

The Zionist movement, from its very inception, was the worst news for our people because it  sought to reinforce the central premise of anti-Semitism: that it is not in the best interest of any nation to have the Jews living in its midst. Unfortunately, these self-hating Jews played a major role in obstructing rescue efforts while the Nazis extinguished almost half of our people.

Today, by pursuing their Zionist dream, they have rendered a good part of the world uninhabitable for Jews - countries that were our haven and shield during times of persecution for 2000 years. Due to the perception of Zionists as representative of all Jews, a billion people in these countries have become our enemies, leaving us with very few true friends. And these self-hating Jews continue now to speak in our name, using all Jews as human shields for their interests. The Jewish people have not wandered and waited 2000 years in exile so that this band of hoodlums could take power over them and act in their name.

Even the name "Israel" was stolen by them, for in truth Judaism is a religion, not a race. The proof is that the descendents of all those who abandoned the Jewish faith centuries ago are not considered by anyone today as Jews, while on the other hand, some of the most famous Jews in history - King David, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Meir, to name a few - were converts or descendents of converts. The Zionists can as much claim to represent us religious Jews as monkeys can claim to represent lions. Therefore it is only right for America to brand those manipulators as the identity thieves they are.

We plead with you to declare unequivocally that Congress has no right to dictate foreign policy to the President. Former President Bush and President Obama know well that the United States must stay on the moral side of this issue and not reward thieves - thieves of both land and Jewish identity - for taking what the international community declared, and continues to declare, is not theirs.

To do otherwise would not only be an injustice; it would literally endanger us, American Jewish communities, because we would be seen, more than ever, as using our congressmen and the judicial system to push this country into blindly following the Zionist agenda.

I remain respectfully,

Rabbi Yoel Klein

Spokesman for Jewish Response

Jewish Response is an organization of Orthodox Jews in America founded with the purpose of defusing anti-Semitism by refuting common stereotypes about Jews. Visit us at www.jewishresponse.com.

SOURCE Jewish Response