3/26/12

Rabbi Electrifies NY Religious Liberty Rally

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At Scores of Rallies, Thousands Hear Calls to Restore Constitutional Right to Religious Liberty (5580) Stand Up for Religious Freedom marks second anniversary of Obamacare with peaceful, impassioned demonstrations against HHS contraceptive mandate. Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/at-scores-of-rallies-thousands-hear-calls-to-restore-constitutional-right-t/#ixzz1qG6092VH New York City’s rally drew as many as 1,000 to Federal Hall on Wall Street. Cardinal Dolan’s letter to attendees noted the symbolism of the site. George Washington, described by the cardinal as one of the great defenders of religious liberty and whose statue dominates the steps, was inaugurated at Federal Hall in 1789. New York was the nation’s first capital. Speakers included Alveda King, the late Martin Luther King’s niece, civil-rights activist and self-described “pro-life warrior”; Rabbi Yehudah Levin of the Rabbinical Alliance of America; Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/at-scores-of-rallies-thousands-hear-calls-to-restore-constitutional-right-t/#ixzz1qG5iWTSf National Catholic Register


3/24/12

Leading Rabbi pleads with Christian leaders to fight abortion and gay agenda in Holy Land

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March 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Rabbi Yehuda Levin, an Orthodox Jewish leader who often functions as a spokesman for the Rabbinical Alliance of America and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada, is calling on Christian leaders to take a more active role in defending Israel from pro-abortion and homosexual activist ideology.
In a recent interview with LifeSiteNews.com he spoke of “Christian Zionists” who support the state of Israel politically and even economically. Levin said that they are ignoring spiritual issues of great importance in what both Jews and Christians refer to as the Holy Land, including the mass murder of the unborn, as well as the “homosexualization” of Israeli culture.
“The Christians do not understand, the American Christian community of tens of millions, they don’t understand their power,” Levin told LSN. “When they tour Israel and they meet with government officials, when they are taken to holy sites, they should be clamoring and expressing in their leaders, the leaders of the Christians here in America, should be clamoring and speaking out against abortion, against the tens of thousands of abortions, against the homosexualization of the Holy Land, against all of this immoral craziness, and they could absolutely have an effect.”
Although a minority of more traditional Jews oppose these trends, said Levin, they are generally mistreated by a secularized majority, and are receiving little support from other religious groups who share their values.
“While there are tremendously devout people in Israel, Hasidic people, what is referred to as ultra- Orthodox, on the other end of the spectrum, among the irreligious Israelis, we see an eagerness, to embrace Madonna, to embrace Michael Jackson, to embrace all the craziness, and it saddens me that the Christian, so-called Christian Zionists, whether Catholic, or whether Evangelical, those who support Israel do not understand that they have a strength” while “we Orthodox that are treated literally like second-rate citizens in many areas in Israel, many areas of social life, we are frowned upon,” he said.
“If the next time a Netanyahu comes and he is addressing a Christian audience, and the Pat Robertsons and others and the people, most of all the people, were to say: ‘how do you do this? How do you allow these abortions, homosexual parades, and teaching children from a homosexual curriculum? Is this the Holy Land today? We’re shocked, we’re ashamed!’  You know, I think this would have an effect. I think if enough religious leaders, politicians, and Christian tourists spoke out we would see positive changes in Israel.”
According to Levin,“we are in a civil war within the Catholic Church, within the Jewish religion,” and the two groups must support one another in their battles to preserve moral teachings.
Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan and New York’s homosexual “marriage” vote
While expressing his profound respect for New York City’s Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Rabbi Levin said that he was “disappointed” with the lack of help from the prelate during the debate over homosexual “marriage” in New York state in 2010, as well as his silence on Israel’s moral problems during Dolan’s recent trip to the Holy Land.
“Archbishop Dolan, Cardinal Dolan, was in Israel, and he spent days there. Did he comment at all on the moral situation in any way?” asked Levin . “So here is the united Catholic conference of bishops, and I respect him, I respect him but does morality and respect for life, does that stop at the Catholic Church door, or is this something which Catholic teachings tell us is international and applies equally in every nation of the world, and certainly the nation that previous popes have called ‘older brother’ and ‘the tree from which we were grafted?’”
“Now of course it might be politically unpopular for him to say this, and it might rankle, but you know how many people would feel inspired, would feel motivated, would feel embarrassed that a foreign clergyman said such a thing?” he asked.
Noting his three decades of work supporting Catholic pro-life activists and defending the pope and other clergy from unjust attacks, Levin said that he would like to see more reciprocity from Catholic and Christian prelates. However, he noted, “I’m an equal opportunity criticizer..My disappointment is with anybody: rabbis, cardinals, priests, common folk, we’re on this ship together.”
Levin expressed his gratitude to Vatican officials for intervening against permitting a homosexual march in Jerusalem in 2006.
“I’m happy to say that based on my appeal to the Vatican, the Vatican did speak out and did instruct, I think his name is Msgr. Franco, who is the papal representative, the nuncio…who spoke out strongly against the parade in Jerusalem, who actually testified in my presence in front of a Knesset subcommittee shortly after arriving in Israel, so this was great. And I look forward to continued interreligious participation in a concerted way as it applies to moral issues, worldwide but especially in the Holy Land….”
An “absolute prohibition” against voting for anti-life and anti-family politicians needed
Rabbi Levin urged Catholic clergy to join with Evangelical, Jewish, and even Muslim leaders, to institute an absolute prohibition against voting for those who support anti-life and anti-family agendas.
“Occasionally I go to the Vatican, and whenever I’m there I always tell these prelates that ultimately, we have to draw a line in the sand, and there has to be a teaching from the major religions that it is absolutely positively prohibited to vote for anyone who is supportive of any part of the abortion, homosexual, or anti-religous-liberty agendas,” he said.
“Once that’s done, although it might to a certain extent thin out the pews, the remnant will be so empowered and so much stronger, and if the Catholics do this in tandem with the Southern Baptist convention in the United States and Orthodox Jews, there will be Muslims that will join, believe me this pushback is the equal and opposite reaction that we need at this late stage in the devolving culture with more and more states embracing homosexual marriage, with more attacks on religious liberty, we have only have a certain amount of years left to reverse this.”
He expressed admiration for Dr. Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), for his strong defiance of the Obama administration’s coercive contraceptive mandate, which will require religious institutions to fund contraception, including drugs that cause abortions, and urged Catholic leaders to coordinate more closely with Baptists.
“He said that Martin Luther King went to prison in Birmingham, and we are prepared to go to prison in Nashville,” noted Levin. “We never saw such strong talk from Dr. Land.” Levin added that “If tomorrow the Catholic bishops were to join with the Southern Baptist Convention, and Dr. Land were to talk about the fact that they are now contemplating this kind of a prohibition [against voting for anti-life and anti-family politicians], I promise you that politicians will take note. Will it change overnight? No. But believe me if they institute this and they take a few political scalps you won’t believe the amount of reversal we can still accomplish with God’s grace.”
Levin’s final point, which he regarded as the most important, was that ultimately, responsibility for the decaying morality of modern society lies with religious leaders, who have not acted with sufficient vigor to counteract such trends.
“Who is ultimately responsible?” he asked. “Ultimately the ones who are going to bear the responsibility for not issuing this stand and for not teaching the flock the absolute, without equivocation, uncompromising, black and white prohibition … on voting, supporting, honoring [anti-life and anti-family politicians]...are going to be the religious leaders.”

3/14/12

Rabbi Levin featured in anti-Romney robocalls to hundreds of thousands

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Birmingham, AL (MMD Newswire) March 12, 2012 -- To deny Mitt Romney any southern state victories, drive a stake into Newt Gingrich's candidacy, and test whether greater numbers of churchgoing African-American voters may walk away from President Obama over gay rights issues this fall, an ecumenical group of Jews and Christians which supports Rick Santorum is aiming religious robo-calls at registered voters from both parties in Tuesday's Alabama and Mississippi GOP Presidential primaries. Starting a week ago in Ohio, millions of such robo-calls and emails began hitting Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney on his gay rights record. The robo-message:
"Hi, my name is Brian Camenker; I'm a Jew from Massachusetts.
"And, this is Darcy Brandon; I'm a Christian from California. If you believe as we do that marriage and sexuality should only be between a man and a woman, please help us stop Mitt Romney.
"As Governor, Romney signed 'Gay Youth Pride Day' proclamations, promoted homosexuality in our elementary schools, and unconstitutionally ordered state officials to make Massachusetts America's first same-sex marriage state. Romney supports open homosexuality in the military, the appointment of homosexual judges, and the ENDA law, making it illegal to fire a man who wears a dress and high heels to work, even if he's your kid's teacher. When you vote tomorrow, please vote for social sanity and Rick Santorum, NOT for homosexuality and Mitt Romney.
"Rick Santorum is the ONLY candidate who can be trusted to uphold traditional marriage, a straight military, and the rights of American children to have both a mother and a father. This message paid for by Jews and Christians Together.org and not authorized by any candidate. To get the facts before you vote, visit Jews and Christians Together.org."
That website, urging Alabama and Mississippi voters to "get the shocking facts on Mitt Romney," links to a page called "The Romney Files" . That page, identical to email content blasted to over a million Ohio residents a week ago, documents Romney's progressive record on gay issues, a record that matches up closely with Obama's and which may be problematic for both men among black, evangelical, Catholic and southern voters.
"The Romney Files" , assembled by the Boston-based group Mass Resistance, show a gubernatorial proclamation Romney signed declaring "Gay Youth Pride Day"; a video comparison of RomneyCare to ObamaCare, two similar approaches to socialized medicine; a Planned Parenthood questionnaire Romney signed in favor of publicly-subsidized abortion, abortion drugs and contraceptives; and a claim that "Romney's wife Ann personally donated to Planned Parenthood."
That page links to a video by Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Brooklyn, NY, director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, a 70 year old organization of over 850 Orthodox Jewish Rabbis in the United States and Canada, serving approximately one half-million religious Jews, in which Rabbi Levin challenges Romney's pro-gay record. "By all measuring sticks, Gov. Romney is not at all socially conservative... not Biblically conservative. I don't think his positions are in accord with his Mormon faith."
Rabbi Levin appeals to evangelicals, Catholics and church leaders to join Jewish leaders in spreading the word on Romney's "atrocious homosexualist agenda." It also links to a more in-depth "Mitt Romney Report" full of details that trouble GOP conservatives, and which may move Democratic voters, including traditionalist African-Americans, to cross over for Santorum in southern GOP primaries. Should Santorum face Obama next fall as the GOP nominee, both will be coveting those voters.
Brian Camenker, one of the robo-call voices, president of Mass Resistance and compiler of much of that Romney research, recently said, "Mitt Romney would be the most liberal Republican ever nominated for the Presidency. Romney is so far left, he spoke against the right of the Boy Scouts to screen-out homosexuals. Mitt Romney proved during the January 8 Meet the Press debate that he's still as far left on the gay agenda as always. He proudly announced, 'a member of my cabinet was gay. I appointed people to the bench regardless of their sexual orientation.' Asked when he last stood up and spoke out for increasing gay rights, Romney said 'Right now.'"
Dr. Gary Cass, president of DefendChristians.org and a member of Jews & Christians Together.org said, "Santorum is the only viable alternative to Romney. All Jews and Christians are aware that the Bible, from the Jewish Books of Moses to the Christian Gospels to the epistles of Saint Paul, commands God's faithful to love the sinner but hate the sin, and indeed to recognize homosexuality as sin. Romney, on the other hand, endorses homosexuality as a good choice for young people."
Cass said that he supports Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Senator, because last year Santorum signed The Marriage Vow, a political pledge document from Iowa also embraced by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). That eventually earned Santorum a narrow victory in Iowa and the endorsement of conservative radio personality Dr. James Dobson and other evangelicals. Santorum, said Cass, "courageously put his name to some very bold, very Judeo-Christian, and extremely politically-incorrect statements about marriage and sexuality." Santorum's pro-marriage vow:
- Recognizes "the overwhelming statistical evidence that married people enjoy better health, better sex, longer lives, greater financial stability, and that children raised by a mother and a father together experience better learning, less addiction, less legal trouble, and less extramarital pregnancy;"
- Rejects "anti-­scientific bias which holds, in complete absence of empirical proof, that non-­heterosexual inclinations are genetically determined, irresistible and akin to innate traits like race, gender and eye color;"
· Rejects "anti-­scientific bias which holds, against all empirical evidence, that homosexual behavior in particular, and sexual promiscuity in general, optimizes individual or public health;"
- Contains a pledge of "Personal fidelity to my spouse" and "Respect for the marital bonds of others" which Gingrich, Cain, Romney and Ron Paul declined to sign, but which Bachmann and Perry joined Santorum in signing.
Cass, an ordained Presbyterian minister, said, "Rick Santorum signed the Iowa vow last summer while Romney was calling for more gay hiring." Another link at Jews & Christians Together.org connects to a voter guide from Family Research Council that shows Romney in support of ENDA, the proposed federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act "that adds sexual orientation as a protected class." Camenker, the Jewish Romney opponent from Massachusetts, said ENDA "would forbid the firing of transvestite elementary school teachers, open bisexuals, and other bad examples to America's young people."