Goldstone Banned From Grandson's Bar Mitzvah

Helping Israel's enemies has its consequences:

Following negotiations between the South African Zionist Federation and the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol in Sandton, an affluent suburb of Johannesburg where the event is due to take place, an agreement was reached with the family that will keep Goldstone from attending the synagogue service early next month.

Goldstone was the head of a United Nations-appointed commission that investigated the Gaza war in the winter of 2008-09. The commission's final report accused Israel and Hamas of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.

Some of the participants in the negotiations were tight lipped about the decision when contacted by JTA, with Avrom Krengel, chairman of the South African Zionist Federation, saying that “We understand that there’s a bar mitzvah boy involved – we’re very sensitive to the issues and at this stage there’s nothing further to say.”

Jewish groups, including the SAZF, had planned to organize a protest outside the synagogue if Goldstone was in attendance, according to reports.

(For those of you who want more on the bigoted and factually challenged Goldstone Report, this is a good start.)

What we're dealing with here is Jewish concept known as cherem:

Although developed from the Biblical ban, excommunication, as employed by the Rabbis during Talmudic times and during the Middle Ages, it became a rabbinic institution, the object of which was to preserve Jewish solidarity. A system of laws was gradually developed by Rabbis, by means of which this power was limited, so that it became one of the modes of legal punishment by rabbinic courts. While it did not entirely lose its arbitrary character, since individuals were allowed to pronounce the ban of excommunication on particular occasions, it became chiefly a legal measure resorted to by a judicial court for certain prescribed offenses.

Apparently Rosh Beth Din Rabbi Moshe Kurtstag was in total agreement with the ruling:

Signalling his agreement with the turn of events, Rabbi Kurtstag said he believed Justice Goldstone had done “a tremendous disservice not only to Israel but to the Jewish world. His name is used by hostile elements in the world against Israel and this can increase anti-Semitic waves.

“I understand that he is a judge, but he should have had the sense to understand that whatever he said wouldn’t be good and he should have just recused himself. People have got feelings about it, they believe he put Israel in danger and they wouldn’t like him to be getting honour (in synagogue).

“I think (the agreement) was quite a sensible thing to avert all this unpleasantness.”

Needless to say, the 'anti-Zionist' Left is having a fit over this, as you'll see from the above link.

I think this is an absolutely wonderful idea, and quite fitting. It ought to be used more often. When someone allies himself with Jew haters and has done as much harm as this self-serving, lying quisling has done, he deserves to be shunned...and not just at this synagogue.

I'd love to see Justice Goldstone refused service at markets, restaurants and any other establishment where the management cares about freedom, justice and the right of the Jewish people to live in peace.

He picked his side,now let him live with the fallout.


h/t, Carl

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