When my daughter asked me last night why there were so many helicopters flying over our home, I told her there was probably an accident on the expressway closest to our house. I left out the possibility that they were hovering over a nearby portion of the Hudson River into which someone may have fallen, but that was about as bad a thing as I could imagine.
About an hour later, the local news informed me that terrorists had attempted to blow up two synagogues, blocks from my house. And you know what; it’s really not that big a deal. At least it’s not as big a deal as either my fellow Beliefnet blogger, Rod Dreher, or many Jewish organizations would have us believe. If anything, this is a story about the efficacy of both local and federal agencies doing their jobs and keeping Americans safe.
This is certainly not the “horror” that some groups are labeling it. The horror would have been if they had succeeded and people were killed or injured. But in this case, there was not even any damage to property! So let’s keep things in perspective and not stir the pot of moral outrage anymore than is necessary.
Yes, there are real security challenges which we face both as Americans and as Jews, challenges which are bigger and more serious than they were some years back, and we must be vigilant about them. But especially as Jews, we are a whole lot safer than we were a generation or two back, even here in America and for that fact not to balance the fear created by this FAILED ATTEMPT, is inappropriate.
For Rod to suggest that political correctness drives the New York Times to “bury the lead” by not telling us in its headlines that the terrorists are Muslims is a little over the top as well. After all, which is more important, knowing what happened and how, or the religious ideology which may have had a role in shaping those actions?
I am no apologist for radical Islam. And the comments to my post about “The Third Jiahd” indicate that at least some readers think I actually an Islamophobe. But it seems to me if those who see Islamic terror everywhere and those who see it nowhere are equally annoyed, then I have it just about right. While there is certainly plenty of skittishness about seriously exploring the linkage between some people’s Muslim identity and the hatred and violence which define both their thinking and behavior, it’s actually not clear in this case how central the issue was.
The FBI tried for months to link these guys to some larger network of terrorists or to some specific religious community, as well they should have. But they ultimately failed to find any such linkages, which should make us happy. I hope that they keep doing their jobs and that they keep arresting those who conspire to harm others in the name of any tradition. I also hope that Muslim leaders address the challenge of people using Islam, more than any other faith tradition right now, to rationalize their violent behavior. At the end of the day, we should be careful about making both less, or more, of this event than it was.
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
posted May 21, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Your daughter is very fortunate to have you as her father, Rabbi Brad.
posted May 21, 2009 at 1:52 pm
You have it just right, Rabbi Brad. Thanks for your excellent post.
posted May 22, 2009 at 10:40 am
Your criticism of Rod Dreher’s chastisement of the NY Times for not including in their headline the fact that those attempting these acts of terror are Muslims is off the mark. Their religious affiliation is not something incidental or besides the point in this situation. For these men, the very acts of terrorism they attempted were intended at expressions of commitment to their Islamic faith and co-religionists. It was their Islamic identity which was their prime motivator. While they were criminals and violent men before their conversion to Islam, it was not until after their conversion that they would have ever conceived of expressing their violent nature in this manner.
This is not to say that ALL Muslims are potential terrorists or even that Islam itself promotes terrorism. However, when the heated rhetoric about Israel and the Jews, which can be readily found within Islamic settings, is combined with believers who are personally prone to violence, the results can be lethal. To that end, the Islamic community has to accept some of the responsibility for inciting such acts. By the way, the same can be said for our own Jewish community, for we, too, have within our fold those who are prone to violence and who are directed by Jewish anti-Islamic and anti-Palestinian rhetoric to perform acts of violence against those people. We have seen them join the ranks of the JDL and are among those who have settled in the West Bank. Indeed, one of them even assassinated the Prime Minister of Israel – Yitzhak Rabin – because he dared to dream of peace and coexistence with the Palestinians.
Yet there is an even more frightening aspect of this incident. Some, if not all, of the conspirators in this case converted to Islam while in prison or shortly thereafter. We know that the Muslims are active in recruiting converts throughout our prison system. In their prison proseletyzing, they are bringing to their faith many other individuals who have a history of violent behavior. Could this incident be just the tip of an iceberg of further anti-Jewish violence conducted by such converts wishing to express their loyalty to their new found faith through the patterns of violence which led to their imprisonment in the first place?
posted May 22, 2009 at 11:40 am
Good Morning Rabbi Herschfield,
It was a pleasure to read your blog today. Very balanced and rational.
It is good to hear the voice of reason instead of hysteria whenever people of ill will do something terrible.
There are people who bend the Scriptures to their own devious uses. I find that so sad, as surely that is not the intention of the scriptures. Is not the intention of the scriptures to show mankind how to do good to each other, live in harmony, and worship God? I read the three scriptures and this is what I have learned.
These people of ill will, will answer for their actions one day either when the law catches them or unless they repent of their actions, in the hereafter.
Islam, like Christianity, is a Missionary religion and many people have converted to Islam while serving “time”. Also, one could say the same about conversions to Christianity while in prison. In fact, and who can know the heart of another, many people use Christianity and say that they are “born again” so that they can get out of jail earlier. I do not have the right to judge, but I do know that their actions will show what the truth is regarding their conversion sooner or later.
Keep up the good work, Rabbi, and thank you once again for being a voice of reason in this rather mad world! May God grant you good health and bless your family.
posted May 22, 2009 at 11:42 am
Sorry, I had trouble reading the spam guard thing, and did not notice that my name was no longer on the e-mail.
My apologies.
posted May 22, 2009 at 11:54 am
Rabbi Karp – really great words and very poignant – must say I agree totally with the critique and how this can have happened. At some point – a religion must take responsibility for the actions being committed by its members or, at the least, admit it is playing some minor role in this type of behavior.
“Could this incident be just the tip of an iceberg of further anti-Jewish violence conducted by such converts wishing to express their loyalty to their new found faith through the patterns of violence which led to their imprisonment in the first place?” (Hirshfield)
That’s the real fear ain’t it? New converts looking to make a name for themselves and show God their ‘loyalty’ who go out on these types of missions and ‘act a fool’ (for God mind you). I think that is something Islam and all faiths need to address – the extremism + conversion + appeasement to the faith = trouble. If we can correct the dogma’s of faith and rhetoric then at least we will be attacking the heart of the matter – the actual thing that stirs someone up to extreme action.
They wanna bomb synagogues…well then let’s not relent on our attack of breaking down and dismantling doctrines that allow it to exist in the first place.
posted May 22, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Good post, Rabbi. I admire your balanced, rational and kind attitude. I wish it would rub off on more people!
The real horror is that in the twenty-first century, there are still people (not just Muslims but others, as well) who will persecute or kill in the name of God. Unfortunately, even as we develop more sophisticated technology (which leads to more leathal weapons) we are not developing greater maturity as fast as we should. Humanity needs to grow up!
posted May 22, 2009 at 2:08 pm
“the beginning of wisdom’ is to call things by their right names.
Words matter.
When we talk about radical Islam, what should be said, for the sake of accuracy, is that it is radical FRUM Islam – emphasis upon the FRUM, just as the zealot troublemakers – such as the assassin of PM Rabin- in the Jewish community are not merely extremists, but FRUM extremists, and originate exclusively from the right, not the left.
Extremist Islam should ALWAYS be identified as extremist FRUM Islam, just as Muslim radicals are all frummies – especially the converts.
posted May 22, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Very balanced, Rabbi, because a religion is not always responsible for its adherents’ actions…however… there should be a moral imperitive for that religion to publically condemn such horrible actions.
posted May 23, 2009 at 12:12 pm
FROM ALTER NET
FBI Blows It: Supposed Terror Plot Against NY Synagogues Is Bogus
Turns out it is really the handiwork of a creepy FBI informant. The story strengthens the narrative that the “homeland” is under attack. It’s not.
By Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation
Posted on May 23, 2009, Printed on May 23, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/140209/
posted May 29, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I have to agree with you on this Rabbi Hirschfield.
By the way, I am not of the opinion that that Muslim extremists or radicals “exist nowhere.” I loathe Al Qaeda and all terrorist groups as they have hijacked the Muslim faith.
I just think the “Third Jihad” was one of those films that tried to claim that radicalism “exists everywhere” among Muslims, even the everyday American Muslim groups who – while not perfect – work honorably and righteously to the best of their abilities to represent their constituency, fight for their rights, and condemn terrorism at every opportunity. I thought it was unfair to criticize groups like CAIR for flagging this sort of fear-mongering flick which is their job to do as “crying wolf.”
But we’ve had that argument already, I’m just writing now to say kudos on a clear-headed post and to offer my prayer for Synagogues everywhere to be safe and sound.
Mo