Cranked up from crank status

SINCE man first turned his gaze to the heavens in search of the Creator, he has also sought manifestations of that Creator on earth in human form. Over the millennia, that spiritual quest has led him to invest his belief, his aspirations and his faith in countless leaders, hailing them as prophets and messiahs.

In some cases, devotees were decried as blasphemers or heretics; in others, they became the forefathers of great religions. In some cases, they were viewed as subversive elements; in others, they were dismissed as cranks.

What then to make of the “Moshiach Men”, the Chabad splinter group that preaches that the late Lubavitcher Rebbe was himself the Messiah?

Certainly, their beliefs are at odds with mainstream Judaism, and likewise with the Chabad movement as a whole. But perceived as misguided rather than malicious and harmless in their exuberant escapades, the Honk4Joy brigade who dance daily in the streets have to date been largely ignored.

For many Jews, the decision of some members of the group to feast instead of fast on Tevet 10 may be of no consequence. Indeed, for many Jews, unaware of the significance of the day, the commemoration three weeks ago would have passed by unnoticed. To that end, their action could be viewed as little more than an internal Chabad dispute.

What marked their celebration, however, was the fact they chose to make it public, broadcasting their revels on YouTube. In so doing, what could once be dismissed as “a little local difficulty” became a global slap in the face to Chabad and a blatant contravention of Jewish law.

One can further understand the disquiet among the Lubavitch community, who fears that the display will be misconstrued as both representative of their beliefs as well as what the widely revered Rebbe stood for.

In short, while they may not have intended to do so, the Moshiach Men effectively threw down the gauntlet.

Quite how this saga will now play out remains to be seen. Rabbi Zvi Telsner has called for those responsible to stand before a beth din and apologise for their actions. However, to do so one imagines would be to deny their own beliefs. But if they don’t, perhaps the community will be forced to take a dimmer view of their perceived eccentricity – to crank them up, if you will, from cranks, into something a little more subversive.

Bruchah haba’ah, Shahar Peer

WHAT is it about Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer that has put her at the centre of so much controversy over the past few months? Last year, she was greeted with protests at the ASB Classic in Auckland, and just last week, at the same event, things got even more bizarre.

First, the protesters wrote Peer a letter requesting that she withdraw from the event “as a demonstration of your commitment to world peace”.

Outside the arena, the amplified demonstrations created such a ruckus that police were compelled to make arrests. The mayhem continued over several days, tarnishing the event to the embarrassment of organisers and sports commentators.

Yet the New Zealand protests have not been the most serious problem to confront Peer. Last February, the United Arab Emirates infamously denied her a visa to play in Dubai, a move that outraged tennis pros and tour officials alike.

It goes without saying, and yet needs to be said, that absolutely nothing that Peer has said or done has invited this sort of treatment. On the contrary, all that she has asked is the opportunity to compete like everyone else.

“Unfortunately, I have to deal with politics because of where I come from,” Peer told reporters in Auckland. “It’s not fair,” she said, “because I have nothing to do with politics, I’m only a tennis player who wants to enjoy the tour like the other players.”

Isn’t that the virtue of sport, after all?

In the 1992 film A League of Their Own, actor Tom Hanks memorably admonished a teary-eyed player that there was “no crying in baseball”. There’s no politics in tennis, either.

The greatest irony of the Auckland protests is that the demonstration of an athlete’s commitment to world peace is not to withdraw from competition, but exactly the opposite. Sports serve the cause of peace, and the best thing we can do to help facilitate that is ensure that our athletes remain outside politics.

“I also want peace in the world,” Peer said. “But I don’t think this is the place for this protest.”

She is absolutely right. Moreover, especially now, the tennis star deserves a warm welcome in Australia, and our community will surely lead the way to see to it that she gets it.