Friday, October 22, 2004

Bronfman redux

Edgar Bronfman has issued a semi-apology for his comments two weeks ago in the London Jewish Chronicle regarding intermarriage. Since the letter for some reason is not available online, here's what he wrote:
Your paper was correct in chastising me for using the Nazi example in discussing Jewish attitudes towards intermarriage. I was trying to say that efforts to keep the Jewish bloodline clean and intact reminded me of the racial theories of the Nazi party. It was like using a 2x4 to swat a flea, and apologise to your readers for such a tasteless comparison.
I congratulate you on taking seriously my main point; that if we don't take a different look at intermarriage but keep our heads in the sand about it, we will continue to diminish as people. This would have two very tragic effects: one would be the loss of political clout, especially in America, where such clout is, in my opinion, fundamental to the security of the state of Israel. And it would diminish our ability to do what Torah commands us to do -- be a Light unto the Nations and to engage in Tikkun Olam.
Please accept both my apology and my praise.
The point is, I think, that no one really objects to reaching out to intermarried couples after they have married out. It's something completely different, however, to advocate abandoning the fight to stop people intermarrying in the first place.

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