Rabbi Michael Lerner's Home Attacked by Right-Wing Zionists

Below is a press release issued by Tikkun Magazine, regarding an act of vandalism evidently committed against Rabbi Lerner because of his outspoken "progressive" views.

All decent people should condemn acts of violence committed against anyone just because of their opinions. The act is inexcusable, and will certainly not serve the cause of Israel or Zionism. The first party to resort to violence in a political argument is wrong, no matter what their arguments might be and no matter how just their cause might otherwise be.

Lerner's support for Judge Goldstone's allegations is despicable. His logic below is that Israel is guilty until proven innocent:

Goldstone's courageous willingness to stand up for human rights in Israel (his report called on the Israeli government to do its own independent, pulbic and credibly objective investigation, punish those responsible for the crimes or show that they didn't happen

The man says that you your sister is a whore. Go prove that you don't have a sister! Wy should Israel be forced to prove that Hamas propaganda is untrue?

But resort to violence of any kind is even more despicable. It is not an appropriate or moral way to express disagreement. Whoever did it does not represent the Zionist movement and should not get the support or sympathy of any decent people.

Ami Isseroff


Rabbi Lerner's Home Attacked by Right-Wing Zionists
Berkeley, Ca. May 3, 2010

Release date: May 4, 2010

Berkeley police today confirmed that the attack on Rabbi Lerner's home late Sunday June 2nd or early morning Sunday July 3rd was in fact a crime and was being investigated.

The attackers used a powerful form of glue to attach posters to his door and around the property of his home attacking Lerner personally, and attacking liberals and progressives as being supporters of terrorism and "Islamo-fascism." They posted a printed bumper sticker saying "fight terror--support Israel" next to a carcature of Judge Goldstone whose UN report on Israel's human rights violations in its attack on Gaza last year has been denounced as anti-Semitic and pro-terror by right wingers in Israel and the U.S.. The caricature has Goldstone talking about his being kept from his grandson's bar mitzvah, and the caricature of Rabbi Lerner responds by saying "any enemy of Israel is a friend of mine." This attack and vandalism follows on a week filled with Lerner and Tikkun staff receiving hate mail, prompted apparently by Tikkun's announcement that in case the South African Zionists had succeeded in preventing Judge Goldstone from attending his grandson's bar mitzvah, as they threatened several weeks ago, that Rabbi Lerner would gladly hold the bar mitzvah in the SF Bay Area instead, and following Tikkun's announcement that in light of Goldstone's courageous willingness to stand up for human rights in Israel (his report called on the Israeli government to do its own independent, pulbic and credibly objective investigation, punish those responsible for the crimes or show that they didn't happen, and thereby show that these actions were not government policy but the mistakes or evil choices by people in the IDF who were acting as rogue elements and not as a manifestation of the people of Israel) that Tikkun will award our prestigious Tikkun Award to Judge Goldstone in 2011 at the event celebrating our 25th anniversary! This story, which was prominent in Ha'aretz and many other Jewish magazines and websites, has intensified anger against Lerner and Tikkun among those who seek to perpetuate the Occupation, and great support among those who realize that the Occupation is really hurtful both to Israel and to the Jewish people world-wide. More