Likelihood of Success

Sad, but not surprising. (And evidently not an April Fool’s joke!)  Here’s the link to the story put out by Der Sturmer the Iranian news agency on behalf of Iran’s Jews — emphasis added for the fast readers among us:

The Association of Iranian Jews…renewed its commitment in a message issued on the threshold of the Jewish religious festival of the Passover, which starts Monday night.

“In obedience to the instructions of Jesus, in the new Iranian year, which has been declared year of national unity and Islamic solidarity, Iranian Jews voice their readiness to defend all national interests of Iranians and to observe the guidelines set by Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei) for the sake of strengthening national unity and solidarity in the fight against present-day pharaohs,” the message said.

Courtesy of Instapundit. Yes, the “instructions of Jesus,” probably the world’s most famous Jew and surely the one least frequently cited as an authority by them.

As Michael Rubin at The Corner says (link added), “Two possibilities emerge: Either revolutionary appartchiks who know nothing of Judaism or Christianity are penning pro-Islamic Republic solidarity messages in other peoples’ names—in which case ignorance is astounding as no one caught the mistake—or Iranian Jews living in the Islamic Republic (there are still around 20,000) are signaling that something is very wrong.”

Jews are good at that, actually.

Reb Chaim HaQoton reports on the statement from the Agudath Israel of America, of which I am an active member (explanatory link added by me):

Upon consultation with its rabbinic leadership, Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement:

Since September 11, 2001, the United States has been involved in a war against forces of evil and terror. These forces pose a grave danger not only to the United States and its allies in the Western World, but also to our Jewish brethren in Israel and across the globe.America’s efforts in Iraq have been part of this larger battle. While, in retrospect, the planning and execution of some of these efforts may have been less than perfect, there have also been significant achievements. The bottom line, at this time, is that the stakes in Iraq remain high, and that there still remains much to be done.

Agudath Israel of America believes that President Bush is entitled to great deference in his ongoing efforts to stabilize the situation in Iraq. Such deference is appropriate both because of the constitutional authority that inheres in the President’s position as Commander in Chief, and also because of the moral authority the President has consistently displayed in leading the battle against international terror.

We feel compelled to express our views at this time because the Union for Reform Judaism, purporting to have arrived at its position through an application of “halachic norms” and “Jewish values,” has publicly proclaimed its opposition to the President’s policies in Iraq. This group is entitled to its own organizational position, but that position is neither a legitimate expression of halachic Judaism nor reflective of authentic Jewish values.