Tornado Alley (PROG)

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When Will it Stop? Daniel Pearl Latest Dead Jew Baptized by Mormons

Reports emerged yesterday that Daniel Pearl Z"L was the latest Jew to be posthumously baptized by members of the LDS Church. This, unfortunately, is far from a new problem. It comes despite repeated apologies from church officials and promises to not continue the practice except at the request of a descendant. Last week, I wrote about a site that uses humor an attempt to respond to this practice. This week, frankly, I am infuriated.

Earlier this month marked the tenth anniversary of Daniel Pearl's murder. His yahrzeit was the day after my grandfather's. Like my fellow Jews who were murdered by Hitler and his evil henchmen in the Holocaust, Daniel Pearl was murdered because he was Jewish. Moreover, his parents and widow are still alive and his only descendant is his son, who was born after his father had been brutally murdered.

In response to this news, his parents, Judea and Ruth Pearl, said the following:

“To them we say: We appreciate your good intentions but rest assured that Danny’s soul was redeemed through the life that he lived and the values that he upheld,’’ Judea and Ruth Pearl said in an e-mail. “He lived as a proud Jew, died as a proud Jew, and is currently facing his creator as a Jew, blessed, accepted and redeemed. For the record, let it be clear: Danny did not choose to be baptized, nor did his family consent to this un-called-for ritual.’’

His widow, Mariane, in addition to joining Holocaust survivor, and Nobel laureate, Elie Wiesel in calling upon Mitt Romney to speak out against the practice, pointed out just how disrespectful this is not only to the families, but also to the person subjected to the practice:

“But there is a more serious concern behind it, of respecting people’s identity and integrity,’’ said Mariane Pearl, who is Buddhist. “It doesn’t traumatize me but, as a matter of ethics, I think it’s wrong.’’

In an op-ed in Canada's National Post today, Bernie M. Farber, the former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, and himself a child of a Holocaust survivor, decries the practice. He points to the agreement made by Mormon leaders. He points to the many incidents, whether with Anne Frank or Simon Wiesenthal's parents or Elie Wiesel's parents. He points to the fact that Hitler and Stalin are among those that have received this posthumous baptism. The most compelling part, however, is his conclusion, which discusses the history of our people:

Throughout the ages, Jews always have been targeted for conversion. Whether it be the oxymoronic and deceptive “Jews for Jesus,” using subterfuge and artifice to convert modern Jews, or the work of Spanish Inquisitors forcing Jews to convert centuries ago, all Jews have viscerally felt this denial of our faith and traditions. The effort of posthumous conversion stings our collective Jewish soul.

While there may be those who will wonder what all the fuss is about, in Judaism there can be no greater good than honouring our dead, especially those who were murdered by the Nazis sanctifying God’s name (in the Hebrew faith tradition, al Kiddush ha-shem) many with the words of the sacred Jewish prayer Shma Yisroel — Hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is One — as they were sent to their graves. LDS practices not only re-victimize Holocaust victims, they dishonour their memory and disrespects our own holy tradition. They must stop.

While church officials have repeatedly apologized for this practice, and promised that it would not occur again, those apologies and promises ring hollow. This practice continues and there are no indications that those that engage in them suffer any repercussions. If this happened, the apologies and promises were issued, and the practice generally ceased, that would be one thing. However, report after report emerges that it continues despite the apologies and despite the promises. It pours salt in the wounds of survivors. It pours salt in the wounds of their families. It pours salt in the wounds of the families of those that were murdered. It pours salt in the wounds of the Jewish People. Enough!

5:43 PM PT: My friend wiscmass, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors and were subsequently posthumously baptized by some Mormons, has an absolutely righteous rant up.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/29/1069512/-When-Will-it-Stop-Daniel-Pearl-Latest-Dead-Jew-Baptized-by-Mormons?via=siderec