In a stunning turn of events amongst the radical American Jewish left, it has just been announced by Rabbi Gordon Tucker of Temple Israel Center of White Plains that he is taking a long sabbatical...
Rabbi Tucker became known recently for his financial support and vocal endorsement of the controversial New Israel Fund and its grantees.
In 2013, he assigned Temple’s discretionary funds to New Israel Fund, and did not inform his congregants that he is a leader of the organization, serving on its International Council. The New Israel Fund backs the boycott of Israel, seeks to delegitimize the IDF and fund efforts to see Israel brought before the Criminal Court at the Hague, to name just a few of what they fund.
Rabbi Tucker is further a prominent supporter and donor to Rabbis for Human Rights, which has been recently linked to payments toward Ezra Nawi, an Israeli activist who admitted to passing names of Arabs who are seeking to sell land to Jews to the Palestinian Authority. Nawi, who was on the payroll of Rabbis for Human Rights, admitted that the people he reported were killed.
After months of news items about Temple Israel, highlighting Rabbi Tucker and his steadfast support of these anti-Israel causes, he is now taking a significant step away from his duties in White Plains.
Sources have informed us that synagogue membership has dwindled. Finally, the members of Tucker’s synagogue have had enough – although he claims to be coming back in May, in hopes that pressure will die down. It will not. His synagogue must not allow him back.
Other American Jewish congregations that fund the NIF include: The Congregants of Temple Beth El of Santa Cruz, CA; Tzedakah Hevra at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, MA; Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun in WI, Kehila Chadasha of Bethesda, MD; Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia, PA; Temple Beth Avodah of Newton Center, MA.; Temple Shalom of Newton, MA.; and Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, CA.
As Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We must not cave into the pressure, [we must] expose the lies and attack the attackers. We shall unite forces in Israel and abroad, expose our enemy’s lies, and fight for the Israeli citizen’s right to live their lives peacefully and safely.”
Those who support a boycott of Israel are wrong.
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