[Peace-discuss] Michael Lerner

[C. G. Estabrook]

Lerner's magazine supported the first Gulf War.  Lerner himself had a
well-publicized role during the Clinton/Gore Presidency (and bombing of
Iraq) as "Spiritual Advisor" to Hillary Clinton.

The initial letter of protest against ANSWER included the following
statement: Rabbi Lerner said, "I'm honored that some people wanted me to
speak, and dismayed that the specific reason I'm not allowed to speak
is my criticism of the anti-Israel bias of A.N.S.W.E.R.  But I
believe that the message of peace is far more pressing at the moment
than the message of fighting the anti-Semitism among some of the
march's organizers." 

On February 12, the Wall Street Journal gives space on its Op-Ed page to a
piece entitled "The Antiwar Anti-Semites", by Michael Lerner.  The piece
is ornamented with a drawing of a protestor with a peace sign on his back,
holding a sign depicting a Star of David crossed by the circle-bar "NO"
symbol.  The piece is actually the same as this piece which was sent out
on Tikkunmail:
<www.tikkun.org/Tikkunmail/index.cfm/action/Tikkunmail/issue/79.html> --
with a few editorial changes for space and style.  

In addition to attacking ANSWER and "other anti-war groups" who "make
unprincipled compromises with ANSWER", he calls for "Israel's admission
into NATO -- or some other equally powerful military alliance -- to give
the Jewish state genuine security."

Regards, Carl


On Thu, 13 Feb 2003, Karen Kohn wrote:

>   I am curious whether anyone knows more about Michael Lerner.  I've
> read his magazine, Tikkun, and he strikes me as a little weird (faults
> Palestinians for not welcoming with open arms all the Jews who came to
> then-Palestine after the Holocaust) and touchy-feely (likes to talk
> about how Israelis and Palestinians need to heal their emotional
> wounds), but until this issue came up I didn't realize people had
> major issues with him.  Sometimes he seems overly fastidious about
> reminding everyone that Palestinians have done things wrong, too, but
> it seems like most Zionist anti-Occupation groups do that.
>   I guess I was missing more information than I realized, because to
> me he seemed mildly annoying but basically doing something important.  
> What is it that people don't like about him?
>