A local rabbi recently received a prestigious civic award. The gentleman is well known in South Florida for his display of pluralism and outreach. Throughout his long career, he has embraced diversity. He welcomed interfaith speakers, ministers, priests –even a Tibetan Buddhist leader. They shared his pulpit. They were treated with respect.
The rabbi was open-minded and accepting to a multiplicity of orientation and life-style variables. He extended a hand to a smorgasbord of causes and ideas. Courtesy was shown to all.
The rabbi encouraged community service in attempts at tikkun olam, repairing the world. The congregants in his Reform temple were inspired to perform various deeds on “mitzvah day” to achieve this lofty goal. The undertakings were wide in scope and certainly not limited to the Jewish community. Humans were not his only concern. He was a champion of the environment.
Last week I had occasion to attend an event at which the rabbi spoke. The audience kvelled. After all, they were in the presence of a man who was the epitome of tolerance and love.
As I sat in the audience, my mind drifted to a time many years ago. The rabbi had sponsored a left-wing Israeli speaker for a lecture at his temple. I brought a group of demonstrators to the lecture. We stood outside the building holding posters and handing out literature.
The rabbi bolted from the synagogue. He was apoplectic. His face was red. He grabbed a nearby policeman by the arm. He identified himself. He pointed a shaking finger in my direction. “Officer,” he entreated, “arrest that woman! She is obviously responsible for this outrage!”
The police officer looked and then shook his head. “Rabbi,” the cop said, “this is the United States of America. These people are not breaking the law. They have a right to have a difference of opinion.”
It’s quite ironic that the liberal mindset that proudly espouses plurality is actually quite restricted in its scope. Acceptable opinion is now a one-way street. Anyone on the other side of the road is discredited. We see it on college campuses. We see it in public schools and in government regulations.
I am sure that if I’d been leading a gathering of disgruntled Israeli-Arabs or angry Palestinians complaining about the “occupation,” I would have been welcomed in, served coffee and cake, and encouraged to engage to join in dialogue.
The open-door policy of many is a sham. In reality, it slams shut and only those who agree are allowed entrance.