On Sept. 23, the first day of Rosh Hashanah, I attended services at the Park East Synagogue. Rabbi Arthur Schneier called on me to address the congregation observing the start of the Jewish New Year, 5767. He remarked that the shofar (a ram’s horn) is blown to introduce an important message, and this year that message was being delivered by Ed Koch. I began:
Dear Friends:
During the service this morning an elderly man came over to me and said, “Tell the Jews how foolish they are not to appreciate how good and supportive the president has been to the Jewish community. When I look back on the Nazis and remember what they did, I know how important it is for the President to stand up for Jews and others who are being terrorized throughout the world.”
I replied, “I have and I will.”
I pray that our President, George W. Bush, continues to have the strength and resolve he has displayed to date in standing up to the Islamic terrorists in the world.
I admire the strength and intelligence of Pope Benedict XVI. He understands the Muslim threats of violence against people unwilling to convert to Islam. He has called for a dialogue with the Muslim world.
The Pope’s recent statement that aroused the fury of the Islamic world, according to The New York Times, “recount[ed] a conversation on the truths of Christianity and Islam that took place between a 14th-century Byzantine Christian emperor, Manuel II Palaeologus, and a Persian scholar. ‘He [the emperor] said, I quote, ‘Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,’ the Pope said. While making clear that he was quoting someone else, Benedict did not say whether he agreed or not. He also briefly discussed the Islamic concept of jihad, which he defined as ‘holy war,’ and said that violence in the name of religion is contrary to God’s nature and to reason.”
Pope Benedict expressed no judgment on the truth or falsity of the emperor’s statement, but he raised the need for dialogue. In response Muslims throughout the world, including many Muslim leaders and clergy, called for angry marches and the burning of churches and urged the murder of the Pope.
In a fatuous editorial, the Times lectured the Pope. It stated: “A doctrinal conservative, his greatest fear appears to be the loss of a uniform Catholic identity, not exactly the best jumping-off point for tolerance or interfaith dialogue. The world listens carefully to the words of any pope. And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly. He needs to offer a deep and persuasive apology, demonstrating that words can also heal.”
What wrong did the Pope commit? Quoting a 14th-century emperor? Condemning violence as a religious tactic and urging a dialogue? We should be applauding the Pope for his bravery and supporting his call for dialogue.
Now let’s turn to the United Nations and what took place when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez addressed the General Assembly. He vilified President Bush, referring to him as “the devil,” and stated that he could still smell the scent of sulfur on the speaker’s podium from President Bush’s earlier address to the Assembly. He mockingly crossed himself for protection and went on at length with his vilification of President Bush and the United States.
What offended me even more than Chavez’s ludicrous remarks were the responses of the U.N. delegates. No one stood up to denounce Chavez. Instead they are reported to have applauded and laughed with him. The Times reported: “So while there was official outrage over Mr. Chavez calling Mr. Bush ‘the devil,’ there was also a lot of applause and giggling, from dignitaries including the president of the General Assembly herself, Haya Rashed al-Khalifa of Bahrain, who was caught chuckling from her seat on the dais behind Mr. Chavez.”
Where was the official outrage? Many of the countries whose delegates were amused by his vitriol receive their sustenance from the U.S. We feed their people and provide much of their medical care, and some of them are even formal allies. Yet none of them walked out. The two nations not in the chamber when Chavez took the dais were the U.S. and Israel. We should forever remember the craven behavior of those who stayed and cheered.
Imagine if the United Nations meeting had taken place in Caracas, Venezuela, and President Bush in his address had viciously attacked President Chavez. What do you think would have happened? There would have been riots in the streets and Americans in Venezuela might have been assaulted and possibly murdered.
What was the reaction in the U.S. to Chavez’s speech? While I am certain that most Americans were affronted, others invited Chavez to the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Harlem where he was applauded when he referred to George W. Bush as an “alcoholic,” a “tyrant” and a “sick man.”
Remember the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl taken hostage by six terrorists in Pakistan? They forced him to say on television, “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.” Then they slit his throat and decapitated him.
The Rabbi told us this morning that we recite very important prayers today, and we should be conscious of their special significance. I hope that some day soon we will add Daniel Pearl’s words to a special prayer to be said today, as I say it now, “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.” And I am proud.
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch can be heard every Friday at 6 p.m. on Bloomberg Radio.
