The liberal press of late has been enamored of late of collecting gaffes from Pat Robertson on his "700 Club" broadcasts, with an assist from that liberal opinion-show watchdog website. But AP's Kristen Hays is reporting -- without any disagreement or comment from conservatives within the article -- that "The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them 'zealots' who claim a 'monopoly on God' while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's."
What? A major Jewish leader comparing conservatives to Nazis? Here's the money quote from Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism: "We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage. But there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry." For his smear in Houston before a gathering of Reform Jews, AP reports, "The audience of 5,000 responded to the speech with enthusiastic applause."
It's fair enough to say that Rabbi Yoffie doesn't have a major cable program and has never run for president, but where is the media attention when liberals say wild things? (Besides the AP reporter who can't find a conservative for comment, I mean.) Hays also makes clear that Rabbi Yoffie meant not only conservative Christians, but also conservative Jews in his Nazi metaphor. This is a bit comical, considering Rabbi Yoffie's remarks in response to the Anti-Defamation League's latest campaign against the religious right:
The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, said he would likely attend any parley Foxman convened, but he urged caution. "I'm fundamentally sympathetic to the concerns, many of which we have raised," he said, "but we have to avoid apocalyptic language and... giving the impression that we are subjected to immediate danger to our well-being. America is big, diverse. Some of these people are our potential allies. We don't want to be perceived as attacking religious people."
