Er, no she wasn’t.
Strictly speaking, you excommunicate yourself. And it means you can no longer receive the Eucharist (i.e., communion), and is not a form of shunning or physical exile.
However, the legal process of excommunication is an extremely lengthy process, rarely undertaken even in the case of dissident “Catholic” professors, politicians and authors who “give scandal” for decades and lead countless souls astray, never mind some singer the Vatican never heard of.
So:
What else did Schmuley “I was Michael Jackson’s rabbi!!!” Boteach get wrong in this article?
The bigger story, of course, is that Boteach accuses Coren of spreading Protocols-style myths about Jews (!?)
Here’s the segment:
UPDATE this morning:
UPDATE — Richard at EyeOnACrazyPlanet:
Rabbi Shmuley seemed to take great issue with the contention by Coren that Jews are influential in Hollywood. I was a Strategic Planing and Creative Executive for a major Hollywood film production company and during my time with it was involved with a slate of films that were nominated for 14 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Documentary.
The fact is that there are a lot of Jews in very important positions in Hollywood. Anyone who is familiar with the history of the film industry knows it was virtually founded by Jews. This is not something to be ashamed of. Movies are the great American art form of the 20th Century and Jews should take pride in their role in its birth and life.
UPDATE — Coren in the Huffington Post:
We knew Rabbi Shmuley Boteach would be a difficult guest when he insisted on a meal being provided, and then kept us waiting for 10 minutes while he worked on his computer outside the studio.
Once inside all began amicably, if a little cliché-ridden from the Rabbi. (…)
After the interview he refused to leave the studio, threatened me, insulted a young Orthodox Jewish intern who works with us, and then got down to writing, calling, and tweeting the world about the Jew-hater Coren.
It’s all come as a bit of a shock to leaders of the Jewish community in Canada, who just last week had me MC the launch of a book by one of their most senior staffers. There are, however, serious issues here. I almost wept when that young intern pleaded with me to not think all Orthodox Jews behaved thus. I told him not to worry — there were plenty of arrogant and rude Catholics and Protestants as well.
UPDATE — an excerpt from a statement by the JDL:
The Jewish Defence League of Canada rejects the smear and false claim of anti-semitism made by Rabbi Boteach against Michael Coren. Rabbi Boteach has a responsibility to issue an apology.
UPDATE — Bumpkins!
BumpkinWatch UPDATE — Let’s not forget Borat.
And Danny Strong and Jay Roach are Jewish. (Just sayin…)
The film adaptation leaves out much of the book, of course. You know: due to time constraints and such…
The book also detailed an hour-long meeting between Hillary Rodham Clinton and pollster Mark Penn, during which Clinton accused Obama of “playing the race card” and importing people into Iowa to improve his chances at the caucus.
The book also alleges that Hillary Clinton wanted to make a bigger issue out of Obama’s drug use, but was dissuaded by certain members of her staff. Also during this meeting, she allegedly said, “I hate the choice that the country’s faced with. I think it is a terrible choice for our nation.”
Game Change also included reports about presidential candidate John Edwards’s handling of his affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter before it was made public. According to the book, Edwards angrily rejected requests by his advisers to distance himself from Hunter.
Also reported for the first time was a comment Bill Clinton supposedly made in trying to convince Ted Kennedy not to back Obama’s candidacy but rather that of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton reportedly said to Kennedy that a few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee; the belittling of Obama’s candidacy helped lead to Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama shortly thereafter.
And don’t forget the Reverend Wright stuff in the book. . The same types of people who love this book/movie mocked Sean Hannity mercilessly for when he broke this info during the election.
