Listen closely to this joyous, heartfelt reggae and you may notice that he's a Hasidic Jew rather than a Rastafarian -- yet it shouldn't be any surprise that the classic reggae themes of devotion, redemption, exodus, perserverance, and rhythm flow through as powerfully as with the best of the genre.

"We are particularly offended by the suggestion that the opposite of the religious right is the voice of atheism," said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. "We are appalled when 'people of faith' is used in such a way that it excludes us, as well as most Jews, Catholics and Muslims. What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God and that anyone who disagrees with you is not a person of faith?"

For years I've seen most of my peers, and much of the progressive community in general, eschew and even disdain not only organized religion but also anything we can learn from religious institutions -- almost entirely as a backlash against the bigotry and intolerance of the religious right.

> So why is it that Jews are hated? My best guess would be that Jews are
> blamed for the death of Jesus Christ, right?

Oh, it started long before that.

A lot of Jewish tradition -- including keeping kosher -- is either explicitly or implicitly intended to keep Jews distinct. Even when you get rid of the language about commandments, one major recurring theme is "we are different from everyone else because we do these things."