The Dan Seals (D) campaign for the IL-10 seat yesterday criticized House candidate Robert Dold (R) for attending a campaign event and political rally on Friday night, the start of Yom Kippur. Dan Seals spokeswoman Aviva Gibbs said:
(Attending the event) "on the most sacred day of the Jewish year is just plain disrespectful".
I disagree with this statement in the strongest possible terms. I cannot believe that a Democrat’s campaign has actually said that a candidate for office must observe any religious holiday, especially one not of the candidate’s own religion. This is base political pandering and a clear violation of the separation of church and state.
No citizen of the United States shall be compelled to observe any religious ceremony or holiday against his wishes. Using a failure to observe as a political attack in a federal campaign certainly qualifies as compelling. It is also a violation of the 1st Amendment right of free assembly to mark a day as off limits due to the activities of another religion. And the Jewish community agrees:
"Nothing in Jewish law or practice prohibits non-Jews from doing anything they would usually do on Yom Kippur or any other Jewish holiday", said Rabbi Michael Balinsky, executive vice president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis.
Yet while the Seals campaign states it was disrespectful for Dold to attend a rally that day, the decree to rest from all work is only one condition of Yom Kippur’s observance. Dan Seals claims he did no work Friday night or Saturday, out of respect. But did he also observe the other prohibitions? No eating or drinking, no wearing leather shoes, no bathing or washing, no perfumes, colognes or lotions, and no marital relations? Unless Seals faithfully observed all conditions, his conduct was just as disrespectful, if those are the rules he wishes to live by.
I categorically reject this attack and am deeply disturbed by it’s implications. Are these the new requirements for our elected representatives? To observe any and all religious holidays regardless of the candidate’s affiliation? To pander ceaselessly and shamelessly and remove all meaning from a candidate’s actions? And if we are to be fair and equal, are all religious holidays now off limits, or just those with large voting blocks? What of Ramadan, which runs from July 20th to Aug 18th for the 2012 Presidential election?
And what of us, the rational, who find it grossly distressing for religion to be used in this manner? It is not Dan Seals', nor any other person’s place to tell American citizens how or when to worship, nor to force another’s religion on them. On the contrary, what is highly disrespectful and insulting is the belief that pandering to a religion grants that religion respect. It does not.
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