Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
At 93, Rabbi Leonard Beerman still stirs passions with pacifist views
Racked by pain, the 93-year-old rabbi walked shakily to the lectern to give his sermon on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Then his spine straightened. His gaze grew firm.
"Another Yom Kippur," he said. "Another 500 children of Gaza killed by the Israel Defense Forces, with callous disregard for their lives."
Tension rippled through the Jewish congregants seated hip to hip inside one of Los Angeles' most prominent synagogues.
Rabbi Leonard Beerman criticized the militant group Hamas for launching thousands of rockets into Israel, sparking fear and havoc. But in a calm yet insistent voice, he saved most of his ire for his own people. Where among American Jews were the critics of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip this summer?
http://www.latimes.com/local/great-reads/la-me-c1-rabbi-beerman-20141126-story.html#page=1