Rabbi and
Free Speech
Activist

RABBI & ACTIVIST

Rabbi Jonathan Hausman is a second-generation American with a passion for learning and knowing: philosophy, history, politics, religion and languages. He also has a passion for doing good, not just sitting on the sidelines.

This has meant that he has put his position as a rabbi on the line. He knew he needed to act on behalf of freedom of speech, through the speakers series he had created in memory of his parents. One of the people he invited was Geert Wilders. It created quite a stir,


Jonathan - most commonly called Rabbi J - is fluent in Hebrew and Arabic and is highly credentialed. He has a BA in Judaic Studies and an MA in International Affairs focusing on the Middle East from The George Washington University, a JD from Emory University, and Rabbinic ordination from Tifereth Israel Rabbinical Yeshiva.

He's spent significant time in Israel, as well as in Egypt before and during the Camp David process.


It was in Egypt where he saw the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood up close and personal, and where he also witnessed the dissociative treatment of the Coptic Church and its adherents.


He's presently involved with organizations such as Christians United for Israel, serves on the Advisory Board of Christians and Jews United for Israel, is a co-founder and VP of Rabbis and Ministers for Israel, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the American/Canadian Friends of ALYN Hospital located in Jerusalem.


Rabbi J is in certain respects an anomaly in his profession. He feels that many who should be defending the liberal traditions of Western democracy are instead running and hiding.

He's different. He's bravely created the Hausman Memorial Free Speech Forum (in memory of his parents) at his Massachusetts synagogue in order to feature controversial speakers such as
- Wafa Sultan,
- Bat Ye’or (Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis),
- Andrew C. McCarthy (author of The Grand Jihad),
- commentator and radio talk show host Mark Steyn,
- Lt. General Jerry "Black Hawk Down" Boykin,
- European free speech advocates Lars Hedegaard and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wollf
- and, of course, the Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders who produced the film Fitna, amongst many others.

For all of this he has been roundly criticized in some quarters. But when history has its say, Rabbi J wants to be seen as on the side of Churchill, and not Chamberlain.


How did he start out? How is it that he's turned out the way he has? What keeps him going?

Click here for
THE INTERVIEW
and for more about the
Hausman Memorial Speakers Series,
notably some of the speakers

For information on all the people
interviewed in July 2014, click here


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Rabbi Jonathan Hausman,
with a passion for learning and activism.
Ardent free speech advocate,
freedom of speech activist,
through his Hausman Memorial Speakers Series.

To go to the home page of this project
about Rabbi Jonathan Hausman and
many other freedom of speech activists,
many other human rights activists,
click here.

To go to more resources on this series on
From Ethics to Human Rights Activism,
click here.

To discover the first 5 of 20
people interviewed in 2012-2013, click here..

WORLD TRUTH SUMMIT



From Ethics and Caring,
to Activism for Human Rights
including Freedom of Speech,
and to Truth Telling instead of
Political Correctness.






MORE PEOPLE
OF INTEREST

Bat Ye'or


Bruce Bawer


Jamie Glazov


Phyllis Chesler


Hege Storhaug