Einat Wilf's Sham and Shanty

Not too long ago I learned about a Jewish member of the Knesset, Einat Wilf, who is married to a gentile. As my aunt used to say, "Such a shonda!" I previously expressed my great dismay at the fact that someone like this serves in the Israeli Parliament here (Be sure to check out the post and the comments!).

Using the power of Google I uncovered an article by Einat Wilf written over five years ago: "Mitzvot of peoplehood". In it she outlines her plan to recreate the Jewish People in her image:

"But if Peoplehood is to become the Jewish Holy Grail of identity for our age, it must emerge as an effective source of meaning and guidance in our lives.

It must have content and depth. It must go beyond who we are, to become what we must do. It must say something about how to lead a good life in this world at this time.

We all need guidance and structure in our lives. It is our human need. But when traditional guidance is no longer relevant and old structures fail, we search for new ones. If we’re truly blessed, we not only find them, we create them.

So this is our great opportunity - to create new movements, institutions and ideas that will provide Jews around the world with structure and guidance suited for a global age.

It is our chance to harness the awesome power of science, technology, instant communications and cheap transportation to be one people, undivided, in a quest to fathom what it means to be human and moral in our time.

What are the mitzvot of Peoplehood? What should we do as members of the Jewish People when we wake up in the morning? What does it mean to be a good Jew in our time? Answer this question, and you square the circle of our generation."

She's a charmer, isn't she? One who is not steeped in Torah learning and observance could easily be swayed by such sweet talk. The slick rhetoric, so disconnected with God and Torah proves that she is a protégée of Shimon Peres.

After reading her article, it is not surprising at all that she ended up "marrying" a gentile! After all, she and her friends are the ones who are going to define what Jewish Peoplehood is, what is moral, what mitzvot must be performed etc. Maybe her "husband" Richard will also put in his two Deutsche Mark.

What is surprising is that I had already seen that article way back when. Not only that, I even left a comment:

"There is only one definition of Jewish Peoplehood - that which the Torah offers. Anything else is destined to find itself in the dustpan of history . "

I did not know back then how quickly Einat Wilf would find herself in the dustpan. The house that she has built is not a holy Jewish house of "kiddushin", but an impure edifice, a sham and shanty that is condemned to collapse. Lies, even backed up with academic degrees and spoken fluently in several languages, remain lies.