Qur'an Oath Controversy of The 110th United States Congress - Prager Dismisses Tanakh Oaths

Prager Dismisses Tanakh Oaths

Prager's Nov. 28, 2006 article claimed that "for all of American history, Jews elected to public office have taken their oath on the Bible, even though they do not believe in the New Testament". While for all of American history Jews elected to public office have indeed taken their oath on the Bible, several American members of Judaism elected to political office "have departed from the Bible as well. Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle used the Tanakh when she took her oath in 2002, and Madeleine Kunin placed her hand on Jewish prayer books when she was sworn in as the first female governor of Vermont in 1985." In the Federal Congress Debbie Wasserman Schultz also used a Tanakh (see above), as did Ed Koch (D-NY) who served in the US House from 1969 to 1977. Likewise, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) who is now entering his seventeenth term of office, stated "he had never used a Bible at his own swearing-in ceremonies."

When asked about this Prager said these "Jewish officeholders who had insisted on the Hebrew Bible were "secularists" who didn't believe what was in it anyway."

When confronted on November 30, 2006 CNN's Paula Zahn Now by Eugene Volokh with the fact that " Justice Goldberg used the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible." Prager responded "Justice Goldberg used Old Testament, which is part of the American Bible." Volokh began to point out that the lack of New Testament in Goldberg's Bible proved that Prager's assertions were mistaken, but was cut off as the segment ran out of time.

In his Dec. 5, 2006 article Prager again acknowledged some Jews had used the Tanakh, "Even the vast majority of Jews elected to office have used a Bible containing both the Old and New Testaments, even though Jews do not regard the New Testament as part of their Bible. A tiny number of Jews have used only the Old Testament. As a religious Jew, I of course understand their decision, but I disagree with it."