A quick follow-up to our story about Jewish qualms about working with Christian Zionists like John Hagee. A few weeks back Omar Sacirbey reported about Jewish “uneasiness” with prominent evangelicals like Hagee, who are some of the most vocal supporters of Israel but a) resist a permanent two-state solution with Palestinians and b) think that Jews will either convert or perish at the Second Coming.
(It’s no small matter to note that Hagee’s endorsement of John McCain has recently caused the presumptive GOP nominee a case of heartburn.)
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, head of the Union for Reform Judaism (America’s largest Jewish movement), has always taken a dim view of Hagee’s crowd, but now lays it all out on the table, calling Hagee an “extremist” who should be persona non grata in Jewish circles.
Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, said Hagee and his group, Christians United For Israel, reject any Israeli land concessions to achieve peace with the Palestinians.
Reform Judaism supports creating a Palestinian state; Hagee sees a biblical mandate for the territory so End Times prophecy can be fulfilled.
Yoffie also condemned Hagee’s views on Roman Catholicism and Islam. The San Antonio pastor has suggested that Catholic anti-Semitism shaped Adolf Hitler, among other comments. Hagee has vehemently denied he is anti-Catholic and said his remarks have been mischaracterized.
