Entries by Matthew Hausman, J.D.

Interfaith Dialogue – A Failure by Definition

Non-Orthodox rabbis embrace the progressive ideals of their Christian counterparts, using modern terms for an ancient hatred. In an outrageous display of moral vacancy, the Presbyterian Church (USA) recently labelled Israel an apartheid state – despite an abundance of evidence and legal precedent to the contrary. Though mainline protestant churches have grown increasingly hostile toward […]

Jewish Illiteracy in Academia – View from the Trenches

There’s an apocryphal story about Leyzer Zamenhof, the inventor of Esperanto – an artificial language created with the utopian aim of promoting global harmony through linguistic uniformity. As the story goes, Zamenhof gave the opening address at the first international conference of Esperanto speakers and, wishing to welcome his audience as warmly as possible, he […]

We must stop sweeping woke antisemitism under the rug

Ignorance may not be antisemitic, but crafty denial of history is, as is skewing Jewish values to bolster up false claims. How effectively is the Jewish establishment confronting intolerance? In a recent editorial, Morton Klein and Elizabeth Berney of the Zionist Organization of America criticized the ADL’s latest report on radical violence, “Murder and Extremism […]

Antisemitism, the story of multilayered hatred

Jewish identity is religious, but also ethnic and bespeaks national existence going back thousands of years- all reasons for hatred. Current law enforcement statistics show that Jews are targets of bias and hate crimes more than any other minority group, and these numbers are consistent with increases in violent antisemitism seen worldwide. The one constant […]

Jewish Assertiveness

Judaism has to be authentic, with values my father held dear, innately and organically Jewish, not progressive attempts to ‘pass’. There’s a crisis in American Jewish leadership and it involves the misuse of communal authority to sanction dogmatic politics. As reported in the Jewish media in December, a scheduled speaking engagement by Professor Alan Dershowitz […]

The Decline and Fall of Journalistic Integrity

The decline of American journalism has been realized by reporters and editors acting as partisan foot soldiers instead of watchdogs. This is not the free press envisioned by the Founding Fathers or taught by my journalism mentor. Media collusion has always been essential for enabling authoritarian government and dictatorial rule. Historically, state-run media systems have […]

What My Mother Taught Me About Charity

The humanitarian impulse was so ingrained over the generations that Jews became known for donating more than any other group. The commandments regarding charity are set forth in the Torah and elucidated in the Talmud. In Tractate Baba Batra (9b), Rav Yitzhak said: “Anyone who gives a coin to a poor person receives six blessings, […]

Progressive Politics Don’t Define The ‘Righteous Gentile’

The Jewish concept of righteousness cannot be molded to fit a preoccupation with “social justice” that threatens the Jewish future. The concept of the “Righteous Gentile” is originally rooted in the Torah’s recognition that members of other nations can serve the G-d of Israel by accepting and faithfully observing the Noahide Commandments. Known as “Gerei […]

Antisemitism in America: What would Émile Zola say?

Eerily, the hatred of French Jews during the Dreyfus Affair foreshadowed the antisemitic slogans that now fill the American landscape. Though hate-crimes against Jews appeared to spike during the recent Gaza hostilities, the escalation was actually part of an antisemitic trend that began more than a decade ago and steadily worsened with the complicity of […]

A Crisis of Jewish Leadership — Politics Trumps Jewish Issues

Biden is never challenged by the media and a progressive Jewish establishment to whom liberal politics means more than Judaism. There is a crisis of leadership in the American Jewish establishment, and it was highlighted during the 2020 presidential election by communal leaders who trumpeted Joe Biden’s supposed affinity for Jews and Israel despite his […]

Jewish Left Cries Antisemitism to Silence Critics but Ignores its Prevalence on the Left

Strangely, many Jewish liberal progressive leftists have become inured and blinded to the Jew-hatred prevalent on the left. Despite its affinity for extremists who delegitimize Israel using classical stereotypes, the Jewish left often attempts to silence critics by branding them antisemitic. Progressives have no problem excusing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (“BDS”) movement, validating Hamas, […]

The Antisemitism Pandemic

Liberals who tolerate no bigotry from conservatives will excuse antisemitic leftists who call for the destruction of Israel. Upon awakening in the morning, an observant Jew’s first thought is supposed to be directed toward G-d with the recitation of Modeh Ani (מודה אני), the prayer expressing thanks for the return of the soul to the body. Thereafter […]

Is it anti-democratic for Israeli MKs to be required to pledge loyalty to the state?

Contrary to what critics might argue, pledges of loyalty are mandated by western political tradition. Opinion. After the last Israeli election and before the installation of the current unity government, the Joint Arab List offered to support the Blue and White Alliance in forming a minority government and excluding PM Netanyahu and the right-wing block. In […]

History revised is history denied

Once upon a time, Jewish progressives embraced their people’s history and were willing to die for its modern political realization. Though they eschewed traditional observance, they typically substituted faith in history for belief in G-d. Edmund Burke famously stated that “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it” and this adage has proven true […]

Left progressive antisemitism must be a US electoral ‘wedge’ issue

As the Democratic primaries approach, leading candidates seem to be reinforcing their anti-Israel credentials to appease their progressive base. Antisemitism already is a ‘wedge’ issue – although Democrats are urging voters to ignore it. The left’s anti-Israel agenda has been energized recently by radical politicians using their Congressional visibility to slander the Jewish State and […]