There is a meme starting in the far right about Jews voting against their interests by not voting Republican - about how “our much vaunted intelligence” is in question. Very shortly, of course, this will be followed by claiming that we are traitors. Fascist types - and the far right wingnuts certainly are - always latch onto that meme.

So please let me address this right out. The reason we don’t go for fascism is simple. One part is the faith itself and the other is our history.

The planks of the far right are evil as per Jewish law.

Let me please be clear, I don’t mean evil as an hyperbole or an emotional debating tact. I don’t mean that I personally think it is evil (though I do think so). When I write evil here, I mean that our Tradition, which has 3,000 years of discussing such things in minute detail, is very clear on what evil constitutes, and our Law, ethics and philosophy clearly, stridently and obviously calls many of the GOP planks, and many of their actions, evil.

Let’s look at Isaiah, chapter one. He, as always, speaks quite eloquently.
(I am using the Stone, Artscroll translation here i.e. a translation written by observant Jews for Jews).

“Wash yourselves purify yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes. Learn to do good, seek justice, vindicate the victim, render justice to the orphan, take up the grievance of the widow.”

We see part of this discussion quite clearly here. God is really angry at those doing evil, and says to do good instead. He then defines some good things to do, that were not being done, which had rendered people evil.

Specifically, He points out being just and compassionate and sticking up for the victim, the widow and the orphan (the weakest members of society). Torah teaches directly, in its own verse, that the poor will always be amongst us so we have the opportunity to do right by them. The GOP teaches that they are lazy, whine too much, and should not be noticed.

This is made even more compelling because immediately before, is a harsh discussion about how public displays of piety are odious to God, when the supposedly “pious” do not judge honestly, stick up for the victim, the widow and the orphan.

Just to drive the point home, Isaiah immediately continues:

How the faithful city has become a harlot!… Your princes are rebellious and associates of thieves; each of them loves bribery and pursues payments. They do not render justice to the orphan, take up the grievance of the widow.

Some rhetorical questions:

Do we know any “ohh so holy” GOP types who bang bibles all day, but in the end put corporate needs ahead of everyday people, or sleep with anything that moves, or more importantly, support things like sweatshop and child labor in third world countries? Do we know any GOP types who would happily prop up dictators who savage and abuse their people, so that we can have things like cheap oil and sugar or chocolate? What does the GOP tie to the oil patch and the Saudis have to do with this? Do we know any GOP types who have a “I’ll take mine, screw you!” attitude towards helping others? What about Wallmart? Shall we discuss Haliburton or BP? How much money flows from these types into GOP coffers and to Fox? When someone like Senator Barton apologizes to BP, for having to take some responsibility for desecrating the Gulf, isn’t it obvious our “princes” pursue payments, do not render justice to the victim and are associates of thieves?

Do we know any “ohh so holy” types like Beck, Rush, Malkin and Coulter (to name a few) who argue that calls for social justice are evil communism and rail about it even from churches and synagogues?”

Isaiah and all of Torah are pretty clear about striving for social justice. This is simply not optional. “Justice, justice shall you seek.”

The written Torah itself, is clear about:

Do not put a stumbling block before the blind.

This means don’t convince people to do things that will hurt them. Do we know any GOP types who fought against things like tobacco regulation, or worker safety regulations, or EPA standards or AGW action? Do we know any GOP types that knowingly lie about such things being safe when they aren’t? What about GOP dirty election tricks like fake fliers in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods telling them to vote on the wrong day, or not at all?

That brings me to another point.

The only transgression that God can never forgive we claim, is taking His name in vain. It’s actually, in a way, worse than murder. This does not mean cussing.

The unforgivable sin is doing evil in His name - like claiming that He doesn’t want you striving for social justice while cloaking yourself as His representative. Preachers who bilk their flocks, or sell gold taken from conflict regions in the third world are examples. Calling to murder or abuse innocent people in His name, is a strong example. Priests who rape boys, jihadis and preachers who call for wiping out all Muslims are horrifying examples in the news today. More on that point later, it is a recurring theme that religious hypocrites should be especially worried about - or would be, if they actually believed in the God of Jacob.

You can argue with me all you want about what is evil or not. Torah is quite clear on the matter though. Even secular Jews still go by these definitions.

There is a tosefta, that asks the following question. Why did God only create one Adam when he could have peopled the world at creation?

The answer:

So that all men would know they are brothers and that no man could claim he was descended from a more distinguished Adam than another.

Obviously, racism is evil, and the Jews, having been terrible victims of it, need no scriptural or rabbinic injunction against it, to know it is evil. Obviously, the GOP plays the race card in terrible ways, breeding and stoking endless fear that angry black Muslim communists and Hispanics are going to murder whites in their sleep, impose socialism and destroy Christianity.

Pirkei Avot, 2:11

11. Rabbi Joshua would say: An evil eye, the evil inclination, and the hatred of one’s fellows, drive a person from the world.

There is that word evil again.

Any message of blind hatred is both untrue and pure evil. Baseless hatred has its own injunction in the Tradition as well. We are taught that we lost the Second Temple for that sin. Of course, malicious lying about others is its own sin as well. Just the endless negative attack adds and smears are the worst sort of Loshan Ha Ra. But, I want to point to the second part of that tosefta about there being only one Adam.

So no man could claim he was descended from a more distinguished Adam than another.

The So-con wingnuts have replaced in Texas schools, Thomas Jefferson with John Calvin. They spread a Dominionist philosophy in general that claims God loves some more than others. It is not that all men are equal, but some are destined from birth to be loved by God and the others damned.

This is anathema to Judaism. All good people go to heaven, Jewish or not. All good people get there by doing good deeds. All people matter. Consider the following from Rabbi Akiva.

Pirkei Avot, 3:15-16

15. All is foreseen, and freedom of choice is granted. The world is judged with goodness, but in accordance with the amount of man’s positive deeds.

16. He would also say: Everything is placed in pledge, and a net is spread over all the living. The store is open, the storekeeper extends credit, the account-book lies open, the hand writes, and all who wish to borrow may come and borrow. The collection-officers make their rounds every day and exact payment from man, with his knowledge and without his knowledge. Their case is well founded, the judgement is a judgement of truth, and ultimately, all is prepared for the feast.

Consider this from Ben Zoma.

Pirkei Avot, 4:3

3. He would also say: Do not scorn any man, and do not discount any thing. For there is no man who has not his hour, and no thing that has not its place.

I should say some more on the GOP/fundie Christian convergence. Any Christian who “loves” us so much that he thinks we should abandon our faith, history, and culture, and cease to be Jews - or burn in hell, is not our friend. We’ve seen what happens when those types run governments before, and it never, ever turned out well for us.

What of GOP saber rattling and hawkishness?

Hillel from Pirkei Avot, 2:6

6. He also saw a skull floating upon the water. Said he to it: Because you drowned others, you were drowned; and those who drowned you, will themselves be drowned.

What of the GOP’s anti-intellectual bent and hatred of learning? Do I really need to explain that Jews as a culture, love, value, and cherish education? Does anyone really think there are many Jews who do not wince when someone like Palin or Inhofe or O’Donnell speaks? Our culture despises ignorance. But what we despise more, is the sort of arrogance that is proud of being both ignorant and stupid. That is the GOP to a T.

Pirkei Avot, 3:1

1. Ben Zoma would say: Who is wise? One who learns from every man. As is stated (Psalms 119:99): “From all my teachers I have grown wise, for Your testimonials are my meditation.”

Who is strong? One who overpowers his inclinations. As is stated (Proverbs 16:32), “Better one who is slow to anger than one with might, one who rules his spirit than the captor of a city.”

Who is rich? One who is satisfied with his lot. As is stated (Psalms 128:2): “If you eat of toil of your hands, fortunate are you, and good is to you”; “fortunate are you” in this world, “and good is to you” in the World to Come.

Who is honorable? One who honors his fellows. As is stated (I Samuel 2:30): “For to those who honor me, I accord honor; those who scorn me shall be demeaned.”

In fact, learning and study are at the heart of Judaism.

Pirkei Avot, 4:12

12. Rabbi Eliezer the son of Shamua would say: The dignity of your student should be as precious to you as your own; the dignity of your colleague, as your awe of your master; and your awe of your master as your awe of Heaven.

How do you think most Jews feel about repeated GOP attempts to gut public education and force dogmatic Christianity into public schools? How well do you think open hatred of the educated sits with us?

What of the environment and the GOP notion that raping it is just fine? From the very opening of the Torah, man is seen as a gardener and a partner in creation, whose goal is the perfection of the physical world. We are taught that our purpose temporally is Tikun Olam. Spiritually, we are to learn Torah, so that we can do the things that Tikun Olam (the repair of the world) requires. This does not just mean bringing moshiach. It means making just communities, elevating the physical to the spiritual and not destroying creation. Making the world uninhabitable through pollution and AGW is directly against the very notion of what we are supposed to be created for.

What of the GOP anti-government theme?

Pirkei Avot, 3:2

2. Rabbi Chanina, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive.

Did you ever notice that all that GOP talk of deregulation and shrinking the government, frequently means that corporate interests get to eat common people alive? Shall we ask about Enron, the SNL crisis, apologizing to BP for having to pay damages for the oil spill, or resistance to Wall Street reform? Why would any sane person fight for insurance companies to be able take more money out of the healthcare system? Why would anyone fight for credit card companies to be able to arbitrarily raise rates and create hidden fees? Why would anyone create loopholes to EPA protocols to allow more arsenic and strontium in the water as in the Orwellian named Clean Air act of 2005 and the Halliburton loopholes? What of all that third world labor?

To really sum up how Judasim would come down on the “greed is good,” blind hating, self-serving, malicious lying, hawkish, aggressive, ignorant GOP, who “love” us so much, they want to perfect us, but not more than Arab oil, Rabbi Yochanan said it wonderfully.

Pirkei Avot, 2:10

10. [Rabbi Yochanan] said to them: Go and see which is the best trait for a person to acquire. Said Rabbi Eliezer: A good eye. Said Rabbi Joshua: A good friend. Said Rabbi Yossei: A good neighbor. Said Rabbi Shimon: To see what is born [out of ones actions]. Said Rabbi Elazar: A good heart. Said He to them: I prefer the words of Elazar the son of Arach to yours, for his words include all of yours.

He said to them: Go and see which is the worst trait, the one that a person should most distance himself from. Said Rabbi Eliezer: An evil eye. Said Rabbi Joshua: An evil friend. Said Rabbi Yossei: An evil neighbor. Said Rabbi Shimon: To borrow and not to repay; for one who borrows from man is as one who borrows from the Almighty, as is stated, “The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous one is benevolent and gives” (Psalms 37:21). Said Rabbi Elazar: An evil heart. Said He to them: I prefer the word of Elazar the son of Arach to yours, for his words include all of yours.

But I would be remiss if I did not quote something that summed it further:

Pirkei Avot, 2:1

1. Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] would say: Which is the right path for man to choose for himself? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind.

The bottom line is that as per Jewish Law, the GOP planks are evil. I mean RA. I did not make the definitions either. If you don’t like what the Torah says, take it up with the author.

That, and the fact that most Jews are educated people, who aren’t heartless pricks who like the idea of screwing others over, is why we don’t vote Republican.

For those interested, here is an entire online class (that is fabulous!) on Pirkei Avot.

torah.org