US Jewish leaders call on community to ‘denounce and disassociate from’ fringe anti-Zionist sect

Has Neturei Karta gone too far? A recent visit by the ant-Zionist sect’s representatives with Hezbollah officials in Lebanon has mainstream US Jewish leaders calling for “all parts of the Jewish community to denounce and disassociate from those who embrace the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people.”

A statement released Tuesday by Richard Stone, chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said “The Jewish community should act collectively now to cut off the extremist group and end these repeated acts of betrayal that embarrass the community and undermine its vital interests.”

Stone and Hoenlein welcomed a statement by representatives of an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem based group, Badatz Eidah Charedis, distancing itself and denouncing activities of members of the Neturei Karta sect, who also participated in last week’s Global March to Jerusalem Land Day protest.

A senior leader of the Eidah Charedis organization was quoted by haredi newspaper Kikar HaShabbat as saying, “Our problem is that the media identifies them as members of the Eidah Hareidis. [Eidah Hareidis] has come out against them in an official letter, so how can it be said that they are a part of us?”

“Yes, we are opposed to the path chosen by the Zionists but to go from there to meet with terrorists who murder children? Who permits such an act? This is not our way and not the path of the Torah! They attend these insane meetings in chareidi garb and the media identifies them as belonging to the Eida,” read the Kikar HaShabbat report.

Stone and Hoenlein said, “We welcome the declaration by representatives of the Eidah Charedis repudiating the outrageous actions of the fringe Neturei Karta group, including their repeated embraces of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other anti- Israel and anti-Jewish elements.” (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 04/04/12)