Jackie Mason as you pointed out has every right to be irritated at someone using his likeness for something he does not support.

His seeming agreement with the War On Christmas crowd may be the result of a question worded in such a way as to leave no "out" for example: Don't you think attacking Christmas is awful? As opposed to "Do you believe there is an orchestrated attack on Christianity?"

But as to his suing j4J, that's just common sense. It's the guy's living, after all.

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More and more as things develop this "values" thing is spreading. We're swimming in Medieval waters it seems; best keep eyes to shore - witch hunts, inquisitions, persecutions were not too pleasant as history trudges along... . I'm no longer quite as confident in reason as I once was (as exemplified by cavalier uses of such 'words' as "philoso-babble". And dialogue has left the building.

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I think what the cult Jews for J should do is put Evan Derkacz's likeness, address and phone number on all of their pamphlets !!

What is your problem !! What does Jackie Mason's personal anything have to do with about suing JFJ.

If ANYONE has their image used, especially a celebrity on a brochure, without their approval, then it is misleading advertising, pure and simple. JFJ are in effect stealing.

What is to be of concern is the intentional misleading of the Christian Fundementalist funded JFJ group. They are intentionally trying to mislead people with Jackie's likeness. Besides, whatever they want to call themselves, JFJ or messianic Jews, they are NOT JEWS, but CHRISTIANS. Like some of the othe Christian Missionary groups (cults), like James Dobson's Focus on the Family, they will do anything and everything to enhance their money and power. I am not putting down Christians with this remark at all. I live in the same town as Focus and I am aware of their shady dealings, especially to evade paying taxes. They are a cult who worshop at the feet of James Dobson, they have nothing to do with any religion. Religion is just the "front".

JFJ are a evangelical Christian group that should be sued for implying the support of a celebrity that I am sure would have nothing to do with them.
Could you tell me what is wrong with a Jews and Christian's showing unity and respect? Is that some kind of ridiculous criticism you are trying to make with Jackie.

I love Jackie Mason, besides being one of the the brightest and innovative comics for what has to be at least 5 decades, he has enormousd courage and says what is on his mind. But, how I feel about JAckie really has nothing to do with this nor does Jackie being a Jew have anything to do with it. We dealy need more organizationsl ike the Conference of Christians and Jews. I have been involved with joint thanksgiving celebrations that include the Temple I belong to and some churches around town. Part of this was also to get some Christian's to attend services in our Temple.

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Jackie is pissed because he's been trying to pass for gentile lo these many years. Now his cover is busted because it's hard to claim gentile-ness when you're a poster boy for a Jewish organization. Jackie's latest comment was, "Just when I thought I had freed myself of all Jewishness, they pulled me back in." Sorry, Jackie, I thought you had made it too.

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Jackie Mason's a pretty right wing guy for the most part, old school, a bit Archie Bunkerish. "My position is that anybody who is in favor of gun control is a fucking moron" --Jackie Mason.

But he draws the line at business. Nobody, but nobody, can use his likeness without payment and approval. "Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money" --Jackie Mason

It's not about money. "I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something" --Jackie Mason. It's about principle, about stealing his likeness and his reputation.

Jackie is of course extremely cynical. "It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like" --Jackie Mason. Cynical enough to probably admire the JFJ for trying to steal his likeness.

I'd submit that Jackie's hatred of Islam is very simple, it's his zealous commitment to Israel and as a Jew, fear of Islamic militantism that makes him unable to distinguish between those and regular Islamists. "Islam: religion of oppression, discrimination, violence, terror, war, superstition, intolerance and prejudice... Muslims, married to a failed past, offer little hope for integration into modern society" --Jackie Mason

All of the above Mason quotes are from the Wikipedia entry on Jackie Mason.

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Sorry folks - you don't get it. Jackie Mason is not only a very proud Jew, who has always identified himself as such and has never tried to "pass off" as something else, he also happens to be an ordained Orthodox rabbi. Being tied in to the Jews for Jesus, against one's personal beliefs, can be extremely disturbing. No one has the right to do that. In Jackie's case, it is even worse because it can affect his career. Certainly if someone wants to be identified with this group, that is their right, but no one has the right to identify another individual with this very controversial organization.

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Jackie Mason is a schmuck and an ass. That is old news. While he has made common cause with the Christian Right and has stupidly become yet another right wing nut because of his support for Israel, he is religiously a Jew. Anyone, who considers themself a believer in Judaism (whatever the level of particular belief) would be horrified to be used or identified with J4J. While Mason has shown his hypocrisy many times in his past, on this particular issue there is no hypocrisy in his discomfit.

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The idea behind Jews for Jesus is incredibly insulting to all with pride in their Jewish heritage; that’s why Jackie is “so pissed at having his likeness on a J4J pamphlet”

That said, Jews for Zeus explicitly makes the claim that Mason is a member—but they’re also explicit about it being a joke. Somehow I don’t think Jackie will mind that at all.

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http://www.jewsforjesus.org/blog/20061108jackiemasondenied

Jackie Mason Charges Against Jews For Jesus Denied By U.S. District Court

A decision by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman was reached today in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York denying a preliminary injunction to Mr. Jackie Mason who sought to stop the distribution of one of the Jews for Jesus gospel pamphlets, entitled, "Jackie Mason, A Jew for Jesus?!"

In the eleven-page finding the Judge ruled that the pamphlet was protected speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Religious pamphlets with pop culture themes like the Mason one have been freely distributed by the organization for over 34 years and while this is a small win for Jews for Jesus, it is a big victory for gospel protected speech.

Judge Berman also addressed the two other contentions in the Mason injunction and could not find merit in them, ruling that a reader of the pamphlet could reasonably see that Jews for Jesus was not asserting that Jackie Mason was a Jew for Jesus and that the Jews for Jesus did not look to gain any commercial benefit from the pamphlet.

David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, said ‚"We never intended to hurt Jackie Mason's feelings. To many of us Jews for Jesus, Jackie Mason is an icon who reminds us of our Yiddish-speaking grandfathers. We appreciate his good-natured humor. We thought that he would appreciate ours and were surprised by this lawsuit. Nevertheless we felt we had to defend ourselves and are gratified by the court's decision upholding our 1st amendment rights. It is our hope that this can now be ended amicably." A further court date is scheduled for November 16th.

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