If you bet that the Democrats are against judging people using race as a factor and the Republicans support using the color of a person’s skin to make such judgments…You lost!
Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued four sensible decisions – a rarity these days. One was that an employer must make reasonable accommodations to a worker to be able to observe his or her Sabbath or other religious needs. This was a unanimous 9-0 decision and was welcomed universally, especially by Orthodox Jews and their representatives. The second was a decision that allowed a Web designer to reject an order, such as a website that would promote LGBTQ matters, if it is contrary to the designer’s religious/moral beliefs. The third was to declare that President Biden had no authority to forgive many billions of dollars in student loan debt. Finally, perhaps the most significant politically, was the decision that struck down the racist Affirmative Action, which for decades encouraged universities to give advantage to college applicants of African American background over equally or more qualified non-Black applicants (especially many Asian students).
There are so many ironies here in some of those decisions. President Biden reacted to the decision on student loan forgiveness by declaring, “Today’s decision has closed one path; now we are going to pursue another.”
This comes from a man and his administration who refuse to meet with the prime minister of Israel and his government representatives due to their support of Judicial Reform in their country. How rich is that? Netanyahu must not support sorely needed judicial reform in his sovereign country, yet Biden proposes doing an end run around the Supreme Court in his country. Leaves you scratching your head. How do you reconcile that? Does he understand his own words?
It was pathetic to listen to the debates by politicians and pundits over the Affirmative Action decision. I’m listening and wondering: Am I hearing right? The Republicans refuse to allow race to be taken in consideration when making school application decisions, and the Democrats are all for it? The Republicans are declaring it like the Jim Crow Laws of segregation, while the Democrats are saying that in some cases racism is acceptable. Are we speaking the same language as we were just a few years ago?
Like with geopolitics, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Words, words, words.
This decision left the secular Jewish organizations in a tough spot. Do they support the SCOTUS decision on Affirmative Action? After all, the ADL et al combatted racism their entire history, and Affirmative Action has been declared racist. In addition, many Jews suffered rejection to school and work applications (especially government positions) due to preferential treatment given to minorities.
But for the ADL, it was no dilemma. It was in liberalism’s and Biden’s interest to criticize the decision, so they did. Jews never did come first in their eyes.
The decision in favor of the Coloradan Web designer who refused to design a site contrary to her beliefs is also a landmark and can pose a dilemma, as well. I heard a good point from a commentator on Fox News. Supposing a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was asked to design a website for a zoo or for an animal-based medical research center, would anyone have a problem with his or her refusal to do so? Why are religious beliefs treated differently? Why can religious people not feel free to enjoy their freedom of religion rights?
A major municipality in northwest New Jersey has a sizable Orthodox and non-Orthodox community. (In order to spare any public shame, I would rather not name the town.) The local Orthodox baker was given an order by a non-Orthodox synagogue to make cookies conforming to Pride Week. As an observant Jew, he refused the order.
The reaction by the non-Orthodox temples and the local Federation was swift: They no longer would order anything from him for their affairs.
A Jew remains firm to his Judaism, and other Jews reject him for it. How awful is that? Rumor has it that the Federation subsequently apologized, but I don’t know that for a fact. A few of us in the rabbinate, including the RCA, are trying to help this baker with outside support. But the results remain to be seen.
It seems the big liberal thinkers are not so liberal when it comes to crossing their own belief system. It’s all words, words, words.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.
