The Rainbow Swastika (PDF book) - Scattered Seed Ministries

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The Rainbow Swastika - New Age Missionizing Among Jews are part of Kaballah." (cover text, _New Age Judaism_, published by Simcha Press). The only kind of "Judaism" which could "fundamentally" agree with NA is the Renewal kind, and predictably, both author and publisher turn up elsewhere in Schachter's Jewish Renewal orbit. Page 7 of 15 [This would be a good place to demonstrate how a concerned researcher can use thenetwork effect to uncover hidden NA foundations. This book with its full title, _New Age Judaism - Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World_, has a seemingly positive goal: to show that Judaism already possesses what New Age religion offers, therefore Jews need not leave Judaism. However, the first thing we note is that it was written by Jewish Renewal teacher Melinda Ribler. Although her mentor, the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, recommends her as someone "who never forgets there is one God", and although she claims the endorsement of unnamed "prominent Orthodox rabbis", Ribler is on the faculty of the very unorthodox Elat Chayyim Center, whose curriculum clearly rejects any "one God" idea - except in the sense that He/It is everything. We also find Ribler's book promoted by the similarly eclectic Metivta Center. Moving one step behind this scene, we discover is that "Simcha Press", the Jewish-sounding publisher of Ribler's book whose official specialty is "Jewish spirituality", is actually a brand-new (June 2000) subsidiary of "Health Communications, Inc." Taking one more step backstage, we identify HCI as a "a full-service medical education and communications company... publishers of _The International Journal of Drugs, Devices and Diagnostic Research_". This seems strange after Simcha describes them as "publishing books in the realm of personal growth", a NA code signal. We probe further. Upon entering the HCI on-line bookstore, among the links we notice a tiny word: "Spiritual". Clicking there, we see the books offered by HCI include titles like _The Tao of the Ride_ and _Wings of Soul: Releasing Your Spiritual Identity_; featured are personalities like the Luciferian Barbara Marx Hubbard, billed as one of "the most brilliant thinkers" of today, and Hindu author Kauthilya, "the Aristotle and Machiavelli of India". Sampling one HCI book, _Golden Eggs: Spiritual Wisdom for Birthing Our Lives_, we find ourselves coming full circle, with the authors urging us to follow Carl Jung, Barbara Marx Hubbard and other teachers of "personal and global transformation"; by the end of Chapter One, the book has become nothing more than a hymn of praise to the gnostic goddess Sophia. Our possible conclusions: (a) The author of _New Age Judaism_, its publisher, the mother company and its market have all failed to notice that Ribler's orientation and book diametrically oppose the other "wisdom books" being promoted here. (b) Ribler, a well-meaning but naive Jewish writer is being used to lend legitimacy to HCI's new Jewish division. She is also being used by Metivta, Elat Chayyim and Jewish Renewal in general, while she herself is totally unaware that she is spiritually out of step with all her colleagues. (c) Ribler, Simcha Press, HCI and I are all assuming this book to be totally in harmony with NA idolatry. The only people fooled by the "Jewish" title, the "Jewish" publisher and the "orthodox" endorsements are the unsuspecting Jewish browsers at the Jerusalem International Book Fair where Simcha Press has a table.] 4d. The Kabbalah Centre and Rabbi Philip ("Shraga") Berg: As the most controversial promotor of Jewish Kabbalistic teaching, yet possibly the most successful, the Kabbalah Centre (KC) deserves a detailed report. The Centre has been strongly denounced as a dangerous cult by the Task Force on Cults and Missionaries (See"The Truth about the Kabbalah Centre" published by the LA branch). The orthodox community of Toronto, where KC headquarters are located, declared a harem on Berg (divorced him from community involvement). Unethical conduct and fraud, manipulation and violent intimidation, cultlike exploitation, hard-sell tactics and profit margins of up to 500% are included in the charges from different branches of the Task Force on Cults and Missionaries, Jews for Judaism and other community cultfighters. According to the Los Angeles Task Force on Cults, some of his quotes from the Talmud and the Zohar are also fictitious. So is his "Yeshivah Kol Yehuda in the U.S." which he claims to head (reportedly an attempt to pose as a branch of a respected Jerusalem yeshivah by the same name). The KC was banned in South Africa by the Chief Rabbi and Rabbinical Association; but Canadian Rabbi Emanuel Schochet, who was instrumental in bringing this about, found himself being sued by the KC in Canada for libel as a result. Other rabbinical councils (possibly intimidated by R. Schochet's ordeal) have contented themselves with simply posting public warnings about Berg. Leading Kabbalists in Israel such as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef have reportedly joined in denouncing his conduct and teachings. As a sort of response to all the above, the KC official website [featuring high-class graphics but poorly edited text], lists as one of the FAQs the question of why there is so much rabbinic opposition to them. Their answer is revealing: Every pioneer bringing "positive and profound change" to human "civilization" has met with resistance; "the establishment" simply doesn't appreciate them. [This hints that their mission is not to affirm Jewish tradition but to challenge and "transform" it, for which they are willing to suffer persecution.] Yet in spite of rabbinic opposition, Berg has managed to amass a small fortune - in 1989 he registered a net worth of $9.6 million, with net gains of $6.1 million and gross profits of $2.5 million from sales of the 24-volume _Zohar_ ...at the New York Centre alone. New branches are springing up every year. Besides Toronto, the KC now has branches in the U.S. (NYC - Queens and Manhattan, Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Fernando Valley, Philadelphia, North Miami, Boca Raton) and in Mexico City, Paris, Sao Paulo (Brazil), London, Santiago (Chile) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). Not to mention four branches in Israel (Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tiberias, Jerusalem). But our main interest in this report is KC's teaching about Kabbalah itself, which strongly follows NA thought. According to the KC website, their brochures [I have one in Hebrew] and their salespeople [I have met two at my door], studying Kabbalah brings life-changing benefits on all levels: cures for any illness, domestic harmony, wealth, career success, relief from emotional problems, spiritual enlightenment, answers to all life's questions, supernatural powers, divination of the future, elimination of war and hatred. Actually, Kabbalah is just another spiritual path which unlocks one's limitless human potential: "It is important to understand that the spiritiual [sic] knowledge of our universe is already known within our souls. The act of learning Kabbalah is merely the instrument that stirs and awakens this knowledge from within us." Not only that, but the KC is not even about Kabbalah really: "Unfortunately, division and separation does cause severe damage. Once again, the sole purpose of The Kabbalah Center is to remove these negative and destructive barriers and to look for ways to unite." (from the website FAQ, emphasis mine) This single-minded determination to end "separation" [commanded by G-d for the Jews but forbidden in the NA] comes from, of all places, Kabbalah itself: "Kabbalah teaches us that unity can only occur through diversity." To benefit from the KC's "unity in diversity" [a clear code phrase used by NAers everywhere], participants need not accept Judaism. Torah and the mitzvot are optional and need not enter the equation at all. Berg's students, Jews and non-Jews alike, may come from any spiritual background, absorb whatever they find useful at his Centre (for a hefty fee), and continue on the spiritual path of their choice. In every city where KC has offices, the _Zohar_ is sold door-to-door by Berg disciples, without regard for whether the buyer is a Jew or non-Jew, monotheist or pagan (In Israel, the sales efforts range far beyond the immediate vicinity of their offices). Berg admits that most students (and some teachers) cannot even read Hebrew, but no matter. Not only is basic Torah study not required, or identification with Judaism, but one doesn't even need to read and understand the _Zohar_ itself - just staring blankly at it by day and putting it under your pillow at night will bring you spiritual fulfillment. This is Berg's interpretation of "open study of Kabbalah," and he cites Kabbalists such as Rabbi Abraham Azulay for support. He could have also cited Kabbalists Sabbatai Zevi and Jakob Frank, as the Task Force article observes. And what is Berg's personal commitment to orthodox Judaism, which he says he embraces? "Judaism is not concerned with conforming to a strict religious way of life [involving] certain ritual tasks. On the contrary, the goal is to connect to metaphysical forces through which we http://philologos.org/__eb-trs/naI.htm 2/26/2012
The Rainbow Swastika - New Age Missionizing Among Jews can fulfill our Desire to Receive.... To say that a particular deed or action is 'halachically incorrect' is not to say that one is doing wrong, is not an observant Jew or is not fitting into the mainstream of Judaism. We are merely making the observation that the particular action in question is not properly connecting with the energy pattern available to it." (_The Kabbalah Connection_, p.43,44) Thus the object of Berg's "Jewish" worship moves from G-d to the familiar NA "forces", and "Jewish" conduct becomes an issue of energy alignment rather than obedience to Divine commands. As for the Torah, its purpose is to "completely fulfill all our needs" - and the _Zohar_ is its magic charm. Berg dismisses out of hand the Torah references to G-d rewarding those who do good and punishing those who do evil: "We are taught from childhood [this idea]. Never believe it." (_The Wheels of the Soul_, p.46) [Compare this with Bailey's call to rid the world of this and other "primitive" ideas, as well as the call by NA educators to shed our poisonous childhood teachings.] Freed from the Torah prohibitions against divination and communing with the dead, Berg is accustomed to using astrology and seances as often as Torah and _Zohar_ to "counsel" his disciples. 5. Undermining Orthodox Judaism From Within In contrast to the above mutants of Judaism which are self-proclaimed breakers and re-makers of Torah, this segment deals with leaders and groups who claim (and are believed by many) to be working for change within the parameters of Torah. While Jewish Renewal rabbis will identify themselves as "post-denominational" or "flexidox", this group will unflinchingly say "orthodox Jew". It takes patient probing to peel off the public image and the "kosher" teachings, revealing where their inner loyalties lie. [Separating the Baby from the Bathwater: Under these conditions, misjudgments are easy in either direction: to mistake fifth columns for pillars of the community - or the opposite. The key is to make a distinction between legitimate protest and covert sabotage. It's entirely proper to say that Judaism can benefit from changes in ways permitted by Jewish law, and to point out the many options which are not being utilized. It's also right and necessary to criticize areas of Judaism which have deviated from Torah, with the intent of bringing Jewish practice more in line with both the letter and spirit of the commandments. But it's quite another thing to say that Judaism can benefit by "freeing itself" from the Torah.] [Some orthodox factions view any criticism of today's orthodox Judaism as subversive - any demand for change is a sinister plot, and any exposure of corrupt leadership is a betrayal. This attitude ignores both the message of the entire Tenach (which obligates small and great to the same standards of righteousness) and the historical development of Judaism itself (which has periodically changed to reflect new situations and disagreements among the sages). In fact, I submit that it is this orthodox refusal to clean house which has alienated so many Jews from the Torah community, and has allowed NA to become so overpopulated with Jewish disciples. Leaders who deny real sins in the orthodox world think they are protecting the reputation of Torah Judaism, but they are actually harming it. Not only are they failing to deal with malpractice of Torah which is to blame for those sins, but pretending that the community's Torah-keeping is above reproach gives credibility to the NA claim that it is Torah itself which is to blame for those sins. They are driving honest, disillusioned Jews into the arms of the NA infiltrators named below, for example in dealing with the "orthodox feminist movement". Perhaps some of the NA infiltrators themselves have embraced NA transformation in reaction to the see-no-evil attitude of orthodox leadership. If so, they are Jews who can perhaps be brought to repentance, but only after orthodox Judaism repents and stops excusing its own Torah-breakers.] Following are some influential leaders and organizations identifying with orthodox Judaism, who are actually working for the "liberation" of Judaism from the confines of the Torah. [The real tip-off is when the supposedly "kosher" names keep turning up in organizations diametrically opposed to what orthodox Judaism stands for. Another tip-off is the recurrence of well-known NA phrases repeated by ostensibly orthodox Jews. This throwing about of phrases is a recognized method of "networking" and "code-signaling" among NA "change agents" who are trying to avoid public detection while communicating with one another. If the collusion is energetic and the pool of NA leaders is relatively small - the situation we have in the Jewish community - it produces what I call the network effect: the same handful of names and phrases keep turning up in an unexpected variety of places and contexts, signaling a covert connection. Earlier, I showed how the network effect can be used to spot NA missionaries in the Jewish community. The effect is even stronger in the smaller orthodox community.] 5a. Rabbi Irving ("Yitz") and Blu Greenberg: No other "change agents" can match the credibility and influence attained in the orthodox community by this husband-wife team. Between them are so many credentials, chairmanships, speaking tours and books that an entire section could be devoted to them. [We'll have to settle for a small sample.] Page 8 of 15 The main thing worthy of the reader's attention is the strategy employed by both Greenbergs. When speaking in the orthodox world, they themselves stick to statements which are sometimes daring but always kept within boundaries acceptable to orthodoxy. As a result, they are viewed as representing the orthodox community in many Jewish frameworks, including Bnai Brith, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Hadassah and various university courses on Judaism. For an example of Blu's "kosher" statements, one can pick up one of her excellent books, _How to Run a Jewish Household_, or read her statements as President of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. When speaking to a wider, more receptive audience, however, they hint at their agenda but take care to use terminology which cannot be pinned down as subversive. In time-honored NA fashion, they use ambiguous code words which are interpreted in different ways by initiated and uninitiated listeners. Examples are seen in the context of "dialog" with the Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama. [This purposeful ambiguity used by many "change agents" is exemplified in the NA universal prayer, "The Great Invocation".] Clearer hints of the Greenbergs' NA sympathies are found in those leading the organizations they have founded and still help to steer - while the well-groomed and charismatic personalities are publicly promoting NA teaching, Blu and Yitz remain nearly invisible in a background supportive role. [Watch for this methodology used by others, which is tremendously successful in preserving an image of respected orthodox leadership. Don't just analyze their public pronouncements - check the views of the editors whose magazines feature their articles, the philosophies of the educational facilities inviting them to lecture, the beneficiaries of the fundraisers they attend, whose Boards they serve on. If you find mutually exclusive identities being silently supported by the same person, you can suspect either a NA infiltrator or someone about to be humiliated by his/her own naivete. There are cases where a respected name in the community is recruited for simple PR value, and he/she lends support based on a superficial review of an enterprise which seems to have good references. Community leaders, please take personal responsibility to check the affiliations and worldviews of a group before you let them use your good name. It is no longer enough to know that some other reputable leader has endorsed them - for all you know, your colleague may be totally relying on the endorsement which preceded his... and so on... back to the "change agent" who benefits from all of you!] The best evidence of the Greenbergs' true inner orientation is the ease with which they team up with overt NA leaders and organizations: they seem to see no problem with teaching, writing and otherwise working for the success of enterprises totally at variance with monotheism - not to mention orthodox Judaism. Only on rare occasions are they found "slipping": personally espousing views that would be considered http://philologos.org/__eb-trs/naI.htm 2/26/2012
Page 1 and 2: The Rainbow Swastika - Education fo
Page 9 and 10: The Rainbow Swastika - The Gods of
Page 17 and 18: The Rainbow Swastika - Human Histor
Page 25 and 26: The Rainbow Swastika - Nazism and t
Page 37 and 38: The Rainbow Swastika - New Age Miss
Page 41: The Rainbow Swastika - New Age Miss
Page 51 and 52: The Rainbow Swastika - New Age View
Page 59 and 60: The Rainbow Swastika - The Plan of
Page 67 and 68: The Rainbow Swastika by Hannah Newm
Page 69 and 70: The Rainbow Swastika - Introduction
Page 75 and 76: The Rainbow Swastika - The Transfor
Page 85 and 86: The Rainbow Swastika - A Jewish Res
Page 91: The Rainbow Swastika - A Jewish Res

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