All of Islam bears some responsibilty for 9-11 and the epidemic of terror carried out in its name and by its adherents,” wrote Rabbi Benjamin Shull of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake in an e-mail to The Jewish Standard.

Asked to elaborate, he added, “I realize that there are many Muslims who practice a moderate form of their religion and who do not condone terror or violent jihad, but it is obvious to anyone who has studied the history of Islam that the violence we see today is not a mere aberration. There is endemic to Islam an aggressive and imperialistic strain that, many times in the past, has reared its head and brought much religiously fueled violence to the world. Many truly moderate Muslim leaders have acknowledged this and called for a reform of Islam. The leader of the World Trade Center mosque has not — though he will condemn terror in one breath he will excuse it in another. He actually once claimed that Osama bin Laden was created in the United States (by U.S. foreign policy).

“I don’t think that the government should stop the mosque, but I do believe that we, the Americans, can demand accountability. This is not Islamophobia, it’s common sense.”

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Alex Grobman, a historian who lives in Englewood and is the author, most recently, of the ironically titled “The Palestinian Right to Israel” (Balfour Books), was similarly negative about the mosque site.

He wrote in an e-mail to the Standard that “If those building the imposing 13-story $100 million mosque were truly interested in portraying Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance, this is clearly the wrong place to do so. Allowing a mosque to be built so close to the destruction of the Twin Towers will be seen as an act of triumphalism. What else are we to assume when the projected name is Cordoba House, a term obviously identified with conquest? As one analyst noted, the first Cordoba mosque was erected in Cordoba, Spain, following the Muslim conquest of Christian Spain in the eighth century.

“A very transparent and unmistakable message will be conveyed to the faithful,” Grobma added, “that they have been given a premier platform from which to preach their form of Islam under Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He is a prominent member of Perdana, which is ‘the single biggest donor’ to the Free Gaza Movement, according to David Horowitz, and refuses to say if Hamas is a terrorist organization.”

Grobman wrote that in “Abdul Rauf’s book, published in Malaysia, ‘A Call to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa in the Heart of America Post-9/11,’ the word ‘dawa’ refers to spreading sharia [Islamic law] by any way except through violence, according to Islam expert Robert Spencer.

“Is this mosque not then a Trojan horse?”

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Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an Englewood resident and a columnist for this newspaper, has written frequently of his qualified opposition to the mosque. The author, most recently, of “Renewal: A Guide to the Values-Filled Life,” he wrote on the Huffington Post website on Tuesday that he is, in fact, “a supporter of the mosque being built, but only under two conditions. First, that its builders consult the families of the Ground Zero dead, who are the people whose opinion matters most. Second, that the 13-story complex include a museum detailing the events of 9/11 with exhibits explaining the modern abuse of Islamic teachings by extremists and their repudiation by Islam itself.”

Responding to accusations of bigotry against opponents of the mosque, Boteach wrote, “There are bigots in America but Americans are not bigots. There are a hundred mosques in New York alone and nobody objects. But the average American is souring on Islam not based on any intrinsic prejudice but based on the violence they constantly read in the newspapers….

“[T]his is where the builders of the Ground Zero mosque squandered a unique opportunity to portray Islam in a favorable light,” he continued. “They could have said that while they are firm about their intentions of creating an Islamic presence at this hallowed site, their intention in so doing is not to offend the families’ sensibilities but to repudiate the fanatics who have tarnished the name of Islam and hence, the builders wish to proceed with the greatest sensitivity and understanding.

“Sadly, … none of this happened. Rather, it was announced that a mosque is being built adjacent to a giant American cemetery irrespective of the families wishes, that it’s a First Amendment right, and that all those who oppose it are bigots.”

Sen. Robert Menendez met with a dozen Conservative rabbis from across the state in his Newark office on Feb. 10. During the 90-minute meeting, the conversation ranged from international concerns, including the unfolding events in Egypt, to sanctions against Iran to such domestic issues as health-care reform and bullying.

“It was a positive exchange,” said Rabbi Benjamin Shull of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, in Woodcliff Lake. “There wasn’t much in the way of disagreement of any kind.”

The meeting was arranged by the senator’s office, as part of an ongoing outreach to hear concerns of members of the community. It was coordinated by the New Jersey region of The Rabbinical Assembly.

“It was interesting that the senator was interested in hearing the voice of the rabbis of the Conservative movement,” said Rabbi Joshua Cohen of Temple Emanuel of North Jersey, in Franklin Lakes.

The rabbis coordinated beforehand what questions to ask the senator. “Especially on some of the specifics of the future of the Middle East, and on health care, there was some disagreement among the rabbis,” said Rabbi Robert Scheinberg of the United Synagogue of Hoboken.

“Egypt visually and verbally dominated the discussion,” said Shull. “He spoke favorably about the desire of the Egyptian people for a more democratic government.”

“As we were speaking with him, we were watching the developments on the television right behind him. It was breaking news,” said Cohen.

On other international matters, “he spoke in favor of strengthening the relationships between Israel and the United States,” said Shull. Shull said he brought up the issue of “the Jewish people’s historical right to a country. I thanked him for the fact that he had spoken on the Senate floor after President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, noting that the president had omitted the link of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and that the Jewish connection to the land was not just due to the Holocaust.

“I asked him if this point would be brought up with the Palestinians, pushing them to publicly acknowledge that the Jewish people have a connection to the land. His response was rather evasive,” said Shull. “He said he would continue to make the point that needs to be made about the historical connection.”

The rabbis raised the issue of Iran, and Menendez stressed the importance of stopping Iran’s nuclear efforts, they reported.

On domestic issues, the rabbis raised the issue of bullying. “He emphasized that while the government can do certain things, lots has to be done at home. Parents have to teach our children not to bully and how to stand up against bullying,” said Shull.

Also on the agenda was Obama’s health-care reform. “It affects small businesses, which include many members of our congregations,” explained Cohen.

Menendez said that legislation isn’t always perfect, said Scheinberg. “He said that doesn’t mean you throw out the legislation, it means you improve the imperfections.”

The group also discussed immigration.

“I was remarkably impressed with his total command of the details of every issue,” said Scheinberg. “I appreciated his directness and passion.”

Also at the meeting from this area were Rabbis Fred Elias of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County in New Milford, Randall Mark of Cong. Shomrei Torah in Wayne, David Seth Kirshner of Temple Emanu-El in Closter, and Neil Tow of the Glen Rock Jewish Center.