Whenever I hear the charge of “racism” these days, I’m immediately suspicious because I’m so used to the accusation being tossed around without evidence.
I’m also tired of Jews using their putative Orthodox status to lobby for non-Orthodox positions.
I’m really tired of liberal Jews such as Brad Hirschfield waving their Orthodox rabbinic semicha (ordination) around like a bloody flag while yelling that the normally Orthodox are racists.
If Brad Hirschfield could not call himself an “Orthodox rabbi”, then he’d be just another lefty Jew calling for tolerance. What makes him special is his Orthodox ordination. Everything else appears cliche.
I want you to understand the kind of person Brad Hirschfield is (and I read his book on tolerance and thought it was fine so I had nothing against the guy until tonight when I read his latest blog post).
Here’s the first paragraph of Rabbi Hirschfield’s lengthy and laudatory self-description at the aptly named BradHirschfield.com: “An acclaimed author, lecturer, rabbi, and commentator on religion, society and pop culture, Brad Hirschfield offers a unique perspective on the American spiritual landscape and political and social trends to audiences nationwide.”
What kind of rabbi writes about himself like that? He calls himself “acclaimed.” Why not leave that to others?
Later on in his self-description, we learn that he is a “leader for pluralism and interfaith dialogue.”
