JTA News and Features

HOUSTON ‹ The Reform movement in the United States has voted overwhelmingly to oppose both the war in Iraq and the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito for the U.S. Supreme Court.

The resolutions passed here last weekend put the Union for Reform Judaism, the umbrella body of Reform congregations, front and center in the political debates roiling Washington.

The stances also place the movement, the largest stream in the United States, at odds with much of the organized Jewish community, which has avoided controversial stances on key political issues in recent years.

A White House official called the movement's Iraq resolution "deeply disappointing and short-sighted." The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, suggested the Bush administration went into Iraq to fight political and religious persecution. He compared Iraq to the genocide in Darfur, where the Reform movement has sought White House intervention.

"You can't say you want us to get out of this conflict, if you want the president to get involved in Darfur, which are the same issues," the official said.

But participants at the movement's biennial convention here last week said the positions are in tune with what many American Jews are saying at home, or at least where they likely will be heading.

"I honestly think we're ahead of the curve," said Rabbi Jack Paskoff, 44, of Congregation Shaarai Shomayim in Lancaster, Pa. But, he added, he didn't think the movement was as outspoken as it should be.

On both resolutions, participants said, they were angry and fearful of the impact decisions made today would have on future generations.

"There is a ... disgust of politicians in Washington who aren't getting the job done," said Richard Davis, a retired salesman from Houston.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie used his address Saturday to chastise the religious right.

"We are particularly offended by the suggestion that the opposite of the religious right is the voice of atheism," Yoffie said. "We are appalled when 'people of faith' is used in such a way that it excludes us, as well as most Jews, Catholics and Muslims. What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God and that anyone who disagrees with you is not a person of faith."

He called the religious right's opposition to gay rights reminiscent of the Nazis.

"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said.

The Iraq war resolution called for some troops to be withdrawn beginning next month, and sought more transparency on the war and a clear exit strategy for the conflict. The resolution also calls for an examination of prewar intelligence.

While the resolution doesn't explicitly oppose the war, the movement hailed it as such, making it the first major American Jewish group to take that stance.

The vote came a day after Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a senior lawmaker known for his military expertise, called for an immediate withdrawal of forces ‹ and on the same day that the House of Representatives, after a rancorous debate, voted against bringing troops back home right away.

Some here wanted the union to debate an immediate withdrawal as well, officials said, but an amendment to the resolution was not introduced.

Indeed, only one person lined up to speak against the war resolution, and it passed by an overwhelming voice vote, after limited debate.

Rabbi Warren Stone of Temple Emanuel in Kensington talked about the war in Iraq at the High Holidays this year and in other sermons. He favors "rapid timetables" and a withdrawal from Iraq "to allow the process of Iraqi democracy to unfold."

Most of his congregants tend to agree with his position, Stone believes, noting that after his talks on the war, no members told them they objected to what he had said.

Jim Jaffe, president of Temple Sinai in the District, also believes the resolution passed in Houston reflects the thinking in his synagogue.

"I think it [the resolution] reflects a general uneasiness with the war in Iraq and with the current policy," he says. "I don't think there are many people at Temple Sinai who are terribly happy with the way the war is going."

Mark Pelavin, associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said his organization would be evaluating the various legislative proposals on the war circulating on Capitol Hill to decide "what approach is most consistent" with the resolution.

Pelavin said he was surprised that the Iraq resolution did not engender more debate, but said that might be a sign that the drafters of the document did a good job "capturing the mood of the movement."

The debate on Alito was more extensive, but focused largely on the merits of speaking out against the nomination before his confirmation hearings conclude in January.

"No man should be presumed guilty before getting a proper hearing," said Rob Weisgrav of Cardiff By The Sea, Calif. "Before this process has gone through, I don't think we can take a stand."

Despite a spirited presentation from Jeff Wasserstein, a self-proclaimed liberal Jew who clerked for Alito and said the judge had a strong respect for precedents, few seemed convinced the judge would further the movement's core values.

"For us to sit this out, knowing 10 years from now we will have wished he wasn't there, is wrong," said Jane Wishner of Albuquerque, who chairs the union's Commission on Social Action.

The resolution said Alito "would threaten protection of the most fundamental rights which our movement supports" and "would shift the ideological balance of the Supreme Court on matters of core concern to the Reform Movement," including reproductive rights and separation of church and state.

The union became the second major Jewish group to oppose Alito, joining the National Council of Jewish Women. While several Jewish leaders have expressed concerns about Alito's stance on reproductive rights and other civil rights issues, many Jewish groups have chosen to stay out of confirmation battles.

The White House official called the Alito resolution "misguided."

"If you look at Judge Alito's record, he has a tremendous record on welcoming religion into our lives and arguing we all should have the freedom to worship," he said.

The social action debates this year were a change from recent biennials, when congregational issues dominated the agenda.

JTA correspondent Sue Fishkoff and WJW's Aaron Leibel contributed to this report.