Latest news with #JewishOrganizations
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Jewish Celebration at the E.P.A. Also Has Some Jewish Critics
It was a moment of religious reflection, perhaps a rare one, in a Washington federal building. Lee Zeldin, the first Jewish administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Thursday affixed a mezuza — a parchment scroll inscribed with Jewish prayers, encased in a small rectangular case — to the door frame of his wood-paneled executive office at the agency's headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue. The grandson and great-grandson of rabbis, Mr. Zeldin invited the media, saying he wanted to offer others 'a moment to take a break from their normal routine, and to reflect and think about some other spiritual aspects of their day and their life.' He was joined by other members of the Trump administration and representatives from several Jewish organizations. A rabbi attached a second mezuza to another door frame inside the office suite. A mezuza has verses from the Torah, which commands Jews to inscribe those Hebrew words 'on the door posts of your house.' A mezuza is not required in the workplace, but they are increasingly common in Washington. Several members of Congress have placed mezuzas at their office doors. And, during the Biden administration, Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, affixed one at the entryway of their official residence. Many Jewish religious leaders praised Mr. Zeldin for publicly celebrating his identity. But for Jewish environmental activists, the reflection was on something different: Mr. Zeldin's role in weakening rules designed to limit pollution and global warming. The obligation to repair the world, or tikkun olam, is a central concept of Judaism. But in his position as leader of the E.P.A., Mr. Zeldin is overseeing a profound overhaul of the agency. He is seeking to reduce staffing to levels last seen during the Reagan administration and working to weaken or repeal more than 30 regulations — all of which are considered burdensome by oil, gas and coal companies — that protect the air, water and climate. Those regulations include limits on greenhouse gas pollution from automobiles and power plants; restrictions on mercury, a neurotoxin that can cause developmental problems in infants and children; and limits on fine particulate matter, one of the most common and deadliest forms of air pollution. 'His repealing dozens of environmental protections is an assault on Jewish values, and I would even say a desecration of Jewish values,' said Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, the founder of Dayenu, a Jewish nonprofit climate organization. There is no single interpretation of how Judaism addresses environmental protection. But Jewish tradition teaches, as do other religious groups, that people are stewards of God's creation. In addition to affixing the mezuza, a rabbi on Thursday also inscribed on parchment Hebrew passages from Genesis and Deuteronomy that are related to the environment and that will be incorporated into a new Torah being created in Washington. One was a commandment to 'work and guard' the Earth. Another passage said, 'Do not destroy its trees, for man is like a tree in the field.' Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said he was moved by Mr. Zeldin's decision to hang a mezuza by his office door and called it a 'beautiful thing.' But he, too, said he was concerned by Mr. Zeldin's actions as E.P.A. administrator. 'The levers of government can either be pulled to protect the planet and to keep creatures healthy and thriving, or they can be pulled in a way that would preference either corporate interests or the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the planet,' Rabbi Pesner said. 'Our hope for Administrator Zeldin is that as he refines the regulations, that they will be grounded in the same values of not only Jewish tradition but other faith traditions that love this Earth that God gave us,' he said. When asked about those criticisms on Thursday, Mr. Zeldin drew a line between faith and policymaking. 'I am not going to start analyzing the decisions we have to make inside of this building based off various interpretations of everyone's religion across this country,' he said. 'It's based off the law, and our obligations, and the merits and the science.' Others defended Mr. Zeldin's actions. 'To the extent Zeldin is saying we need smart regulations or need to make sure the economy is growing while we also protect the air and water, that's not inconsistent with Jewish values,' said Alex Brill, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative policy research group. 'I don't say that as a Jewish scholar, I say it as a Jewish guy' said Mr. Brill, who has advocated for a carbon price to address climate change. 'We need to protect our environment and we need to protect our economy.' Representative Randy Fine, Republican of Florida, who is Jewish, attended the E.P.A. ceremony and called Mr. Zeldin's mezuza 'a proud statement of our faith.' He also dismissed the criticism by Jewish environmental leaders. 'Look, I think there's a lot of people who use Jewish values very conveniently,' he said, adding, 'I think President Trump has been given an overwhelming mandate to run this country.' Herb Leventer, a professor of philosophy and environmental ethics at Yeshiva University in New York, said it was difficult to specify what Judaism says about sustainability since the Torah has 'a zillion complexities' and apparent contradictions. For example, he said, there is a justification in the Torah for chopping down trees, but it also says that, even at a time of war, a tree that bears fruit must not be felled. Mr. Leventer, who is Orthodox, criticized Mr. Zeldin's event and said he felt a public display of religiosity, particularly by a political figure, was inappropriate. 'It's a common enough thing,' he said of hanging a mezuza in a place of work. But, Mr. Leventer said, 'The public ceremony nature of it in the context of politics leaves a bad taste.' Mr. Zeldin's great-grandfather, Moshe Efraim Zeldin, was an Orthodox rabbi who immigrated from Russia in the early 1900s, and was a leader of the early Zionist movement in Brooklyn. His great-uncle was Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, who founded the Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, and his grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Jacob Zeldin, founded Farmingdale Jewish Center, a synagogue on Long Island. On Thursday, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch, who led the E.P.A. ceremony, recited the Shema, a central prayer in Judaism, with Mr. Zeldin. Rabbi Shemtov said the administrator's great-grandfather 'couldn't imagine in his wildest dreams that this would be happening here.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2 Trump nominees raise red flags for GOP
Republican senators are warning that two of President Trump's nominees for national security positions who have championed radical views will face tough scrutiny. Elbridge Colby, Trump's pick to serve as Defense undersecretary for policy, and Darren Beattie, his choice to serve as undersecretary of State for public diplomacy, in particular have raised eyebrows for statements or policy views at odds with those of many GOP senators. Even though other controversial nominees, most recently Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have won confirmation with near GOP unity, Republicans say Colby and Beattie could face some challenges. And they say the fact that Colby and Beattie are lesser-known names who would be placed in under-the-Cabinet roles means they could come under more, not less scrutiny. 'I think Tulsi Gabbard is flawed but [is] she going to be harmful? No, because I think that there are going to [be] enough strong intelligence people around her. I feel the same way about RFK Jr.,' said a Republican senator, referring to Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'When it comes to those nominees below the Cabinet who may be less on people's radar, who will be able to facilitate things, that's where I think it can be dangerous. I'm going to be looking at them more critically,' said the senator, who requested anonymity to discuss the skepticism facing Trump's next batch of nominees. Colby is coming under criticism for advocating that the United States cut back its military posture in Europe and the Middle East to focus on the growing threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told Congressional Quarterly that some of Colby's views are 'a concern to a number of senators.' The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations wrote a letter to Wicker and Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel, voicing the concerns of their member organizations about Colby's view of the role of the American military in the Middle East and U.S. policy toward Iran. The group urged senators to press Colby about his views on a range of topics, including his previous support for drawing down U.S. military forces in the Middle East. Reed told The Hill that several of his Republican colleagues have 'serious questions' about Colby. 'I had a chance to speak with him, and he has made it very clear in the last few years in writing that he feels there should be a dramatic shift to Asia and minimal involvement elsewhere, and that raises a lot of strategic questions,' he said. 'I heard there are colleagues on the other side that have serious questions.' Several Republicans on the Armed Services Committee have already met with Colby, including Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), but are withholding judgment until his confirmation hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. 'I have sat down with him. We had a really great discussion. I've worked with him on projects in the past. I hope he does well before our committee,' Ernst told The Hill. Rounds said he, too, 'had a very good discussion' with Colby but said he would 'wait and see' on how to vote on his nomination. A key figure in the debate over Colby and other sub-Cabinet level nominees will be Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the chair of the powerful Appropriations subcommittee for Defense. McConnell has kept his cards close to the vest but opposed both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gabbard on their final confirmation votes. He asserted that Hegseth 'failed' to show he could manage 3 million military and civilian personnel and an annual Defense budget of nearly $1 trillion. And he voted against Gabbard on Wednesday, citing her refusal to call former government contractor Edward Snowden a traitor despite his theft of 1.5 million classified records, which McConnell said 'endangered sources, methods and lives.' McConnell has repeatedly argued that the United States should build up its defense capability to deter threats posed by Russia, Iran and China simultaneously, and he would oppose cutting back the U.S. military posture in Europe and the Middle East. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), another member of the Armed Services Committee, said he knows Colby 'pretty well' and plans to meet with him soon. Sullivan has already raised concerns over some Pentagon moves, specifically those by deputy assistant secretaries (DAS). 'You had a DAS — maybe they don't have these views now — but a DAS who had a plan a couple years ago to cut 12 brigade combat teams from the Army,' he told The Hill. 'That's like [former President] Obama.' 'There's concern about who's in the policy shop there. There are some concerns, not just me,' he added. Sullivan said he also had questions about Michael DiMino, Trump's nominee to serve as secretary of Defense for the Middle East, who was sworn into the administration last month. DiMino said in a webinar a year ago that the Middle East does 'not really' matter to U.S. national security interests and that the existential threats in the Middle East are 'best characterized as minimal to nonexistent.' 'I've seen statements by him that are total, unequivocal head-scratchers,' Sullivan said of DiMino. Beattie, who serves as the State Department's acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, is starting to come under criticism for past controversial statements and social media posts attacking Republican senators. The former Trump speechwriter has voiced support for sterilization and suggested paying smart people to have more kids, according to NOTUS. Beattie's social media posts have been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group dedicated to fighting antisemitism, which said he 'has no place in a role representing American values abroad.' The ADL said that Beattie throughout the years 'has participated in several conversations and events organized by notorious racists, antisemites and white supremacists and has continuously promoted an array of conspiracy theories.' Beattie has also taken shots at Graham and Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on social media. 'Where do they get some of these guys?' asked one Republican senator, who requested anonymity to voice frustration with some of Trump's personnel choices. 'If you really want to do something publicly, put your phone down.' Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was not familiar with Beattie. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
