FEATURED JOBS
Comments (3)A quick comment on Newt Gingrich’s rise in GOP presidential sweepstakes: I interviewed him several times while editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times in the 90s and in early 1995 wrote a 4,000 word cover story on him. He is deeply paradoxical: He has a truly flawed ethical past regarding his marriages, had a number of close Jewish supporters, a highly respected intellect, fantastic speaking skills, a remarkable grasp of complicated issues and a strong Likud orientation on Israel. He also is a ruthless politician with remarkable focus. In short, it was hard to argue with Newt because he knew so much. Rather, it was best to listen then go home and think about it—a luxury of time that politics does not often allow. On Israel he was a center-right and not hard right. In other words, he was… read more
BLOGS
Newt Gingrich and The Jews
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/30/11 at 09:08 AM
Will Egypt Attack Israel?
Among the frightening scenarios facing Israel these days as the Arab Spring sputters and spurts along is the uncertainty of the Israel-Egyptian relationship, which some fear could ultimately result in Cairo tearing up its famed 1979 peace treaty with Jerusalem. Only yesterday (Thursday) the important natural gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel was purposely exploded by anti-Israel radicals for the seventh time since February (when Egypt’s revolution was in its initial days. See more at: http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-10/egypt-s-natural-gas-pipeline-to-israel-jordan-struck-by-double-explosion?category=%2F ). This all raises fears that the Cold Peace between the neighbors will become a Cold War. In truth, it’s been that way for a while. Yet holding the formal ties together – prompted by the U.S. “buying the peace” in 1979 with billions in military aid each year to both countries – have been long-time Egyptian leaders Hosni Mubarak and intelligence boss… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/11/11 at 10:24 AM
How Obama Muffed It With American Jews—And Seeks To Recover
Long-time Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Correspondent Herb Keinon had some interesting words at a lunch meeting today, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and the Baltimore Jewish Council. Only days after President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were heard – when they thought the microphone was off—insulting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Keinon gave a “so what” response. As the product of Denver’s Jewish community and Israeli since the early 1980s said, whose surprised? Sure, it’s news, he added, but it doesn’t really matter because leaders don’t have to like each other; they just need to work together and by all accounts the U.S.-Israeli relationship in the sphere that counts most – the military one – is thriving. And, I add, if the U.S.-Israel relationship is only as strong as the person in the White House, it’s pretty… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/10/11 at 04:57 PM
How Anti-Jewish Are Americans?
A new Anti-Defamation League national survey finds that 31 percent of Americans still agree that “Jews were responsible for the death of Christ.” (See more on the report here: http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/6154_12.htm ) On the one hand – sadly – this is progress. After all, until 1965 the Roman Catholic Church (whose policy still sets the pace for a huge swathe of the Christian world) still technically blamed “the Jews” for the death of Jesus. Of course, then and now the notion was indefensible by any logic. That is because Jesus and his disciples were all Jews and to them, the world was divided into Jews and non-Jews (albeit on the one side “good Jews” and “bad Jews”). They always saw themselves as Jews. Period—albeit ones who followed the teachings of Yeshu ben-Yosef – a.k.a. Jesus, son of Joseph, whom we… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/08/11 at 09:41 AM
How U.S. Jews Can Make Abbas Mean It
In what might be seen as a stunning revelation, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has told Israel TV that the Arab rejection of a separate Palestinian Arab and Palestinian Jewish state (yes Jews there were Palestinians, too, until May 15, 1948) was wrong. “It was our mistake. It was an Arab mistake as a whole,” the Palestinian Authority president told Israel’s Channel 2 TV in an interview translated by the Associated Press (according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency). “But do they punish us for this mistake for 64 years?” It’s quite easy to scoff at the remark, and there is much to “punish” in those 64 years – chief among them never making a realistic counter-offer to Israeli concessions whose stated end result was an independent Palestinian state. Still, these words could be the start of Palestinian self-reversal of… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/30/11 at 07:28 AM
Peres’ Spinning Ben-Gurion And Himself
Here’s a brief review of the new book by Shimon Peres on David Ben-Gurion called: Ben- Gurion: A Political Life, 2011, (Shocken Books). A link to it is here: http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Gurion-Political-Life-Shimon-Peres/dp/0805242821/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319741451&sr=1-1 David Ben-Gurion has rightly entered the annals of modern Jewish history as a prophet in his time (and perhaps for all time), and Shimon Peres can rightly claim the title of Ben-Gurion’s anointed disciple. At the height of power, both were praised and reviled – although we cannot yet know if the still remarkably vigorous 88-year-old Peres will be remembered as a visionary (for engineering the Oslo Accords) or a fool (for engineering the Oslo Accords). So it is only fitting that Peres (with journalist David Landau) has penned “Ben-Gurion: A Political Life,” a fascinating book that offers one historical leader chronicling and analyzing the life and times of… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/27/11 at 01:50 PM
Gilad Shalit And Us
For many of us, this morning (Tuesday) it is difficult to explain the emotions of seeing Israeli Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit salute the Prime Minister of Israel, embrace his parents and speak to the citizens of the world’s only Jewish state. Why in particular does it mean so much to so many of us who live outside of the State of Israel? Why is it so emotional? Why is it a day that we will remember where we were when we heard, just as has happened so many other times in our life? It is because in Gilad Shalit we see the embodiment of the modern Jewish state – as well as our nephews and nieces, friends’ children and other Israeli soldiers we have met along the way in our own Jewish identity journeys. In Gilad, we see… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/18/11 at 07:55 AM
American Jews And Israel’s Black Eye
When a house of worship is firebombed, a cemetery is vandalized or protestors call for deportations, it’s vicious hatred. And it must be aggressively combated. When it happens in the State of Israel – to Jews, Christians and Muslims within a few days – it represents incendiary agents tossed upon the region’s proverbial gunpowder of inter-religious, inter-ethnic conflicts. So it was that last week – just before, during and after Yom Kippur – that Israeli society again found itself nursing a self-inflicted black eye. But this time, American Jews can do something by actively impressing on Israeli leaders how despite our many differences, instead of ripping each other apart we actually coalesce around loosely defined goals and at least strive to respect our differences – ones that in Israel can literally bring a government’s demise. I speak of how… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/12/11 at 11:49 AM
God’s In The Hallway
So I’m sitting in synagogue on a recent Shabbat morning, the familiar and comforting prayers being chanted and my joining in as scripted. Then I get up and leave. Like I do every single week. And as I do so, no matter what I tell the person sitting next to me, I know it might be some time before I get back in and ask the closest person, “Did I miss anything we didn’t do last week?” What is it about going to synagogue that drives me and other regulars (including periodically the rabbi) into the hall to talk about matters both profound and trivial? It is simply that synagogues attract like-minded people, ones who enjoy ritual and prayer as well as chatting with fellow seekers of the unattainable “understanding the purpose of life” thing. In some way, we… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/30/11 at 02:30 PM
Rick Perry, Jesus And The GOP
When Texas Gov. Rick Perry jumped into the GOP presidential sweepstakes this week, he overtly spoke of his desire to enter the Oval Office with his savior, Jesus of Nazareth, leading the spiritual way. In fact, last week alone the elected official said that he was “called” to the presidency. Then at a massive prayer rally he appealed to Jesus to save America. One might justly ask, “save American from whom?” No one cannot deny our country’s damaged economic, environmental and employment standing. Yet, they stem from joint Democratic AND Republican leadership, which is what it will take to improve the situation. And, by the way, the country is not “lost” or in need of “saving.” Rather, it is struggling. Mightily. And by playing the religion card, Perry can only divide the nation even more, purposely or otherwise. That… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/16/11 at 04:42 PM
Change Tisha B’Av
As I write, the Jewish world (or at least the more traditional, observant part of it) is preparing to commemorate Tisha B’Av. It is not a holiday (as an Israeli shop keeper once lectured me when I asked him if he was closing early for the “chag”). Rather, it is a commemoration – somewhat of a committee decision to remember many of the greatest tragedies of the Jewish people. The truth is that historically many of these events did not exactly occur on the Ninth Day of Av. Yet they did occur on and around there. Never mind, the centuries blur such distinctions, which really is not problematic at all when creating national memory. The real issue, however, is that the vast majority of Jews today do not commemorate Tisha B’Av. In fact, many have never even heard of… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/08/11 at 03:49 PM
Good News On Settlements—Maybe
Here we go again. The State of Israel’s Supreme Court ruled this week that the largest illegal West Bank Jewish outpost must be disbanded. The government even admitted that Migron, which has 50 families, was built with state funds on Palestinian-owned lands. That same government has in the past agreed to evacuate the outpost (and some 101 others declared illegal) but not followed through. The court ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Peace Now, a leading anti-settlement group. (For more, read: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=232107&R=R1). In this case, illegal settlements are ones that then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (a political architect of settlement acceleration from the late 1970s) declared were not begun with state approval after March 2001. Migron’s residents have in the past consented to relocate to undeveloped land within the nearby settlement of Adam. Yet, in a pathetically… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/03/11 at 08:24 AM
What if Syria’s Assad Does Lose Power?
Peace with Israel will not be on the way. Hezbollah might still be receiving weapons freely. Western businessmen will not be building new hotels. Cultural delegations will not be heading to the United States. Islamists may gain a foothold. So much for the optimistic scenario of the outcome of the street revolutions now gripping and spreading throughout President Bashar el-Assad’s Syria. Despite now daily protests increasingly met with violent military response by snipers, tanks and occupation troops, Assad remains in control. He is, of course, following the example set by dad – the late Hafez – who in 1982 killed about 15,000 or so people in Hama (which is in revolt again) by simply surrounding it with artillery and nearly destroying the whole town. That example held up well for nearly 30 years, but a combination of factors has… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/02/11 at 07:57 AM
The End Of ‘The Christian Mission To The Jews”?
On Wednesday, July 27, what could be a major document in the religious world was released. The five-page text – “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World” – was released by the Vatican (Roman Catholics), World Council of Churches (an ecumenical group of churches from across the Christian spectrum) and the World Evangelical Association (Evangelicals). It took five years to hammer out; the fact that these three huge umbrella organizations agreed on anything is in itself a major accomplishment in the ecumenical world. It is akin, let’s say, to ALL Jews agreeing on one standard for kashrut. (Yeah, ain’t gonna happen.) The full statement is here: http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2011pdfs/ChristianWitness_recommendations.pdf The perennial parochial question: “Is it good for the Jews?” The answer is a decided yes. How good, of course, cannot yet be known. But clearly, it is better to live in a… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/29/11 at 03:11 PM
Glenn Beck’s Blabber
What should be a timeless lesson about the Holocaust was yet again mocked this week by a high profile public figure. In his Monday morning segment on the Premiere Radio Network’s “The Glenn Beck Program,” the entertainer by the same name spoke of the recent tragic mass murders in Norway. They were, he said, “a shooting at a political camp, which sounds a little like the Hitler Youth. I mean who sends their kids to a political camp?” Mind you, not only are there similar summer retreats all over the world, but at this one at least 76 people were killed, some as young as 16. They were the alleged victims of Anders Behring Breivik and were at a camp that draws young members and children of the governing Labor Party. Breivik allegedly also set off a bomb in… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/26/11 at 02:02 PM
The Meaning Of Another Dead Iranian Scientist
Another Iranian nuclear scientist has been killed, this one by unknown gunman on a motorcycle. A certain Middle East country whose leadership speaks Hebrew has had no comment. “Darioush Rezaei, a 35-year-old physics professor involved in Iran’s nuclear program, and said he was shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle in front of his home in Tehran,” according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. (See: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iran-murder-of-nuclear-scientist-is-israeli-american-act-of-terror-1.374975) Apparently the physics professor specialized in neutron transport, which is integral to nuclear chain reactions (the type necessary to create a nuclear explosion). By my count, this is at least the third high-ranking person working on the program that has met an untimely and unnatural death in the past two years. Interestingly, one has not heard much in recent months from Israeli officials about the threat of a clearly nuclear-aspiring Iran. (The standard rhetoric,… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/24/11 at 08:14 AM
Hagee’s Rare Blunder
Back in the summer of 2005, I was ushered into a swank hotel suite in Washington, D.C. to meet with Rev. John Hagee – founder of the now huge Christians United For Israel (CUFI) operation – on the first day of his organization’s first national conference. I was wearing a kippah (a habit at all Christian events so that people know that I’m a proud Jew who is willing to engage them). Moments earlier, I had been hugged and blessed in the lobby by a woman from Alabama who was thrilled to meet a real Jew. Two days earlier, Israel had been attacked by waves of Hezbollah rockets. That sounded the alarm for this new pro-Israel Christian group, quickly lifting an expected 1,000 participants in the conference to around 3,000. Clearly, something important was happening in the pro-Israel lobby,… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/20/11 at 01:00 PM
Targeting Syria
It takes a lot for the U.S. government to finally call for regime change—Afghanistan’s harboring Osama bin-Laden post 9/11, intelligence that Iraq is stockpiling weapons of mass destruction (wrong as that ultimately was) and Libya’s leader warring on his citizens. Often it leads to U.S. military involvement, which is why people should pay attention to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton words earlier this week regarding Syria’s leader. “President [Bashar al-] Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power,” she said. “Our goal is to see that the will of the Syrian people for a democratic transformation occurs.” It’s about time. For four months Syrian security forces have killed an estimated 2,000 demonstrators who are fed up with the regime’s brutal beating and killing dissidents, and denial of human rights. For the… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/12/11 at 04:00 PM
Morocco’s Lessons For Obama And Jews
The Moroccan people went to vote today on a historic constitutional referendum to limit the power of their longstanding (and highly respected) king and give more power to parliament. Three of the largest political parties are backing it while one that is not simply says it does not go far it. (See: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/07/01/morocco.vote.reforms/index.html?iref=allsearch ). But the real story here is that the Arab world is undeniably more democratic today than it was one year ago – and largely without the help of the United States or the Europeans. Rather, the people – due largely to the combination of aging leaders, technological leaps and sharp leaders on the ground – are speaking up for their inherent rights. I also wonder, and this could be a leap, if there is a residual effect of five years or so of somewhat democratic… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/01/11 at 10:13 AM
New Flotilla, New Worries
Here we go again. This week 10 ships were set to sail from European ports and somewhere in the Mediterranean Seat form a relief flotilla to the Gaza Strip (See: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-flotilla-begins-to-form-as-first-ship-heads-toward-maritime-meeting-point-1.370261). In doing so, they are ignoring repeated requests to stop in an Israeli port for inspection or to simply deliver the aid through Egypt (which is still quietly helping Israel out with the Gaza blockade, albeit in a much less predictable manner than before the recent Egyptian revolution). Last week, in fact, the European aid group Miles of Smiles successfully coordinated their relief efforts for Gaza through Egypt. Mind you, the Egyptians slowed up those deliveries for almost a month. (What, you didn’t hear of the protests? Oh, right; there weren’t any. See more at http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=239282 ). I believe the activists in the new flotilla are looking to… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/29/11 at 10:44 AM
Who’s A Good Jew?
In this modern Jewish world of two superpowers – American Jewry and the State of Israel – we are struggling mightily to figure out how responsible we really must be for one another. For example, should the Israeli government fund the wildly popular Taglit-Birthright Israel trip because not only does it bring in tourism dollars, but it cultivates Jewish identity for a large swathe of Jews who are not going to wind up living in the Jewish state? And should American Jews continue to send hundreds of millions of dollars a year to Israeli social service projects – via the Jewish Agency for Israel – when the argument can be made that the Israeli government should be doing this and, besides, it is not as if American Jewish relief agencies are flush with cash. Amidst that debate, comes one… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/28/11 at 03:28 PM
Ban Circumcisions And Mezuzot?
Strangely enough, both a mezuzah and a brit milah (or Jewish circumcision ceremony) are part of a series of legal initiatives that—unintentionally or otherwise—could hamper freedom of religion. At issue are these two efforts of note: • In California, several local ballot initiatives to ban circumcision of males under age 18 have persuaded Los Angeles-area Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) to ask the U.S. Congress to prevent such measures. (A similar drive in Santa Monica, Cal. was dropped last week.) • In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has signed a law that would require homeowner associations to permit religious displays on residents’ doors, such as mezuzot. In the first case, everything began when San Francisco activists gained enough signatures for a November election initiative to make circumcisions for males under age 18 illegal; if approved, performing such acts would be punished… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/22/11 at 01:12 PM
Breaching Israel’s Borders
Were hundreds of angry, chanting Indians to charge the Pakistani border, Islamabad’s army certainly would act to protect the nation’s sovereignty. Likewise for either nation on the Polish-Ukrainian border, the South African-Mozambiqui border, the Nicaraguan-Honduras border and so many others. So who is surprised that last week, when hundreds of Palestinians charged Israel from Syria, the Israel Defense Forces responded? And this came after warnings to Syrian counterparts about the need to prevent a planned breach, and after the use of gas on the scene to try to disperse advancing, angry crowds. Sadly, up to several dozen Palestinians were killed and many more were wounded (reportedly in part from landmines set off by Palestinian Molotov cocktails). Not shocking was the quick condemnation in some corners of Israel. This is all inspired by the retinue of different but mutually inspired… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/10/11 at 02:53 PM
What President Obama Should Say At AIPAC
Sunday, May 22, 2011 7:45 a.m. Later today President Barack Obama will speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Conference (AIPAC) annual policy forum. It will decidedly be the most skeptical Jewish audience he has ever faced. With his speech last week, he set himself up for an unlikely cold reception – despite what we will be dutifully polite applause. (But let’s see if the 500 or so usual college students there are polite about it). That is tragic because the truth is most American and Israeli Jews (definitely not all) agree with large chunks of the president’s recent comments on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. How he said it, however, was disastrous for him as well as for the region. So here’s some of what I hope the president says later today: “Dear Friends: “I know some of you are… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/22/11 at 06:44 AM
Obama’s Biggest Mideast Mistake Yet
Let’s look at a little closer at President Barack Obama’s speech yesterday on the Middle East, whose section on Israel and the Palestinians infuriated many in the pro-Israel community. That’s because the President said something in stark terms that no U.S. president has ever said – that the 1967 borders (the ones Abba Eban once called “Auschwitz borders”) – were the starting point for negotiations. After that, nobody heard that he also said “… with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.” In principal, most American Jews (definitely not all) have no problem with that. Likewise in Israel. The rub is that President Obama has failed miserably to show empathy for Jewish/Israeli fears, which like it or not is an important component to peace making. Contrast him to President Bill Clinton, who… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/20/11 at 01:22 PM
Shoah: From Memory To Moral Legacy
Amidst all the remarkable headlines of recent days—Osama bin Laden’s death, the Hamas-Fatah rapprochement, the Reform movement’s strife over the “pro-Israel” credentials of its incoming head and more – we paused this past week to commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. In the faces of often somber crowds, we were reminded that the era of those who experienced the depths of humanity’s self-inflicted horror is drawing to a slow close. That is a natural progression, but cause for profound sadness and deep reflection. In a remarkable chapter in the annals of Jewish history, the American Jewish community has built the museums, created the educational curriculums, printed the books and produced the movies to remember. Unfathomably, some still deny the Holocaust, allowing their intense hatred of Jews to undermine its powerful lessons for all humanity. For certain, we must always… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/04/11 at 02:22 PM
Un-Orthodox Good News
Sadly, when Israeli Orthodox leaders unite against violence aimed at Reform Jews it is news. That is both a pathetic commentary on our times and provides a ray of light as intra-communal strife continues to cast its chilling shadow over the Jewish people. That light must be allowed to shine brightly across both sides of the Orthodox, non-Orthodox divide that increasingly defines the Jewish people. So I’m encouraged by last week’s release of a letter signed by 14 Orthodox rabbis and public figures from the Israeli city of Ra’anana (which happens to have a lot of South Africans and Americans, including some friends of mine – a.k.a. people who hopefully understand the importance of religious pluralism). The letter condemned an attack on the city’s Reform synagogue—the third one in a year. Most importantly, Ra’anana Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz—who is… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/22/11 at 01:36 PM
Move Over AIPAC
If political birds of a feather do flock together, look for the District of Columbia police force to clean up some nasty stains after May 25. That day ends the inaugural “Move Over AIPAC” conference in the nation’s capitol, which seeks to counter the concurrent AIPAC policy meet, always a major pro-Israel political and media event. The Move Over goal: “to learn about the extraordinary influence AIPAC has on U.S. policy and how to strengthen an alternative that respects the rights of all people in the region,” according to its statement. Now criticism of Israel can be both valid and helpful. But it only works when done by people who care for the Jewish state AND recognize the real suffering of Palestinian people, something not entirely due to those evil Israelis. (As any perusal of any Israeli or American… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/18/11 at 01:01 PM
Keolis `Holocaust Rails’ Derailment
In a remarkable act of poor public performance – actually, insulting behavior – a French national train company and its Maryland-based subsidiary keeps adding insult to proverbial injury. At issue is the ongoing saga of the Rockville-based Keolis America’s ability to bid on future MARC train contracts. To shorten a long story, Keolis America is owned by the French-based Keolis, which is owned by the French national railroad (SNCF), which happened to deport 76,000 French Jews to Germany and near certain death in 1942. In fact, only 2,600 people on that hell ride survived the war, and only 650 of them are still alive. One is the wonderful Leo Bretholz of Pikesville, who just turned 90 and is an uber-mentsch. In recent months, Maryland legislators, with the help of pro bono attorneys, Holocaust survivors and survivors’ children, put forward… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/31/11 at 02:01 PM
Facebook Relents—Finally
Freedom of speech does not guarantee freedom of platform. Case in point is the hate-mongering page that executives of the wildly popular social networking site Facebook – after a slew of complaints—finally shut down early Tuesday, March 29. The “cause” page, “Third Palestinian Intifada,” sought a violent uprising against Israel on May 15, Israel’s Independence Day. As of Monday, March 28 the page had 344,828 “friends”. YouTube and Twitter links called for killing Jews and Israelis and violently “liberating” Jerusalem. In a region seething with revolution, and at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, such calls really could encourage those who believe harming “the enemy” is acceptable political behavior. Until early this week, Facebook officials said they would only “monitor” the page. That was absurd. Would Facebook allow a page calling for a forced return… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/29/11 at 02:29 PM
Who To Blame For Libya?
The sandstorms of Libya’s deserts are again giving life to the twisted adage of “to every silver lining there is a foreboding cloud waiting to burst out.” How else should one read into Sunday’s condemnation by the Arab League regarding the enforcement of a no-fly zone, which it declared the “bombardment of civilians”? (See more at: http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=213010 ) After all, this is the same Arab League whose support for the action last Thursday was critical in gaining the U.N. Security Council’s approval to the impressive score of 10 approving and five abstaining votes. For the record, Arab League Chief Amr Moussa is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying,“What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians.” Giving… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/22/11 at 09:40 AM
U.N.-Style Arab Democracy
The seismic waves of popular unrest sweeping the Arab world has indeed made an impact on the once-venerable United Nations – just not the one desired. After all, for decades many of the now troubled dictatorial countries have sent representatives to 1 U.N. Plaza in New York City, using their numerical superiority to diplomatically mug democracies, particularly the United States and Israel. But alas, ringing truth to the adage that no good deed goes unpunished, Libya – whose unstable leader is for the moment ostracized for wanton murder of rebelling citizens – cannot retain its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council. Yet Syria is moving to take its spot in the 47-nation group in the upcoming May 20 elections, according to the JTA Wire Service. Let us forget for a moment that the Libya of barbarous leader Moammar… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/16/11 at 01:04 PM
Followup: Sexual Harassment And Baltimore’s Rabbinate
A Baltimore City paper cover story this week features the incredibly courageous work of my friend, mentor and colleague Executive Editor Phil Jacobs for exposing allegations of sexual molestation in the Orthodox rabbinate here. As editor on much of this series, I can assure you that for Phil there has been no personal glory and a lot of emotional pain with this. Befitting his modesty, he did not even let me know that this story was coming out. This subject is uncomfortable in every way. Please read when time permits: http://citypaper.com/news/silent-no-more-1.1116004 And if you missed the series, much of it is here: http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news_list/jt/sexual_molestation/ read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/09/11 at 09:08 AM
Those Illegal Israeli Settlements
Anyone who has ever visited West Bank settlements knows that the vast majority of them – particularly the ones where some of my friends live—are neatly gardened, bucolic communities with multi-generational families living in a sort suburban utopia. They certainly belie the common media picture of brimming with gun-toting, brash talking Israeli militants hell bent on killing people for an unachievable, violent messianic vision. But that darker picture, too, exists. Mind you, many such outposts are very small and adjacent to established settlements; their residents seek to expand Jewish boundaries to thwart a future Palestinian state. So it’s no surprise that within the American Jewish community – as to a much greater degree in Israel itself—the issue of Jewish towns on West Bank lands Israel won in the 1967 Six-Day War (prompted by weeks of bellicose actions by Arab… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/08/11 at 04:04 PM
Why The Insults?
We are either failing as a nation or there is a toxin in our national discourse that cannot be extracted from our verbal drinking water (weird metaphors, I know). Clearly, despite calls for civility since the tragic and deadly January shooting in Arizona that targeted a Congresswomen, hate talk remains a dark reality. Three recent cases, however, do not come from the political realm, but the world of entertainment: • Noted British fashion designer John Galliano was fired this week by the prominent Christian Dior house after allegedly harassing a British couple with anti-Semitic and racist slurs. On Monday, a video of him praising Adolf Hitler also came to light. No doubt pushing Dior to move is that noted actress Natalie Portman declined to work with them when the news about Galliano became public. (See: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/03/01/2743106/dior-designer-suspended-for-anti-semitic-racist-slurs ) • Entertainer… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/02/11 at 08:59 AM
Intersecting With J Street
Why has J Street struck such a chord – for some happy and for others cursed – in so many people? Earlier this week, I went to Washington, D.C. to attend part of the 2,000 delegate national convention for the not-quite three-year-old lobby that bills itself as “pro-Israel and pro-peace.” (Check it out at http://www.jstreet.org ). For the most part, I found people who deeply care for Israel but do so along liberal lines. That is, they voice out loud what many American Jews I know say privately: We love Israel but we surely don’t love its actions of West Bank/East Jerusalem settlement building, policies of demolitions of homes of families of Arab terrorists and even the need to maintain a “united, eternal, undivided Jewish capital of Jerusalem.” Of course, I know plenty of other Jews who agree with… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/01/11 at 04:39 PM
The Arab Zatar Revolution
As most fans of Middle East food know, Zatar is a particularly unique and wonderful spice that is tasty on nearly any meat or vegetable. So should we call the wave of unrest in the Arab Middle East a Zatar Revolution? Yes and no. Despite what many commentators are saying, each spot – Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Yemen – is remarkably different. One overall question unexplored by most commentators: Are these countries facing a Russian 1918 moment? Back then, the Great Bear was amidst civil war between a tottering democratic government and a populist communist movement willing to turn on its own. Should we replace “communist” with “Islamic fundamentalists”? Still, there are real differences in these countries brimming with discontent. Egypt: As of this writing, the street unrest is in day four and very serious. It could quickly turn… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/28/11 at 03:33 PM
Daily Diet Of Jewish News
With yesterday’s serious snow storm giving us all a break from the normal hectic routine today, I’m digging into my preferred diet of Jewish flavored websites – http://www.jta.org , http://www.tabletmagazine.com , http://www.haaretz.com and http://www.theatlantic.com/jeffrey-goldberg/#middle . (There are more, to be certain, but these are on the “must” lists.) I dare say that if you look at these every few days, you’ll pretty much know what’s of importance in the Jewish world – at least to organized Jewry, the State of Israel and the leading malcontents always (fortunately) pushing Jewish life forward from just outside its traditional structure. A few stories that caught my eye today: 1: It’s hard to click on this Hall of Fame Headline from the :Atlantic’s” Jeffrey Goldberg: “Hookers, Poverty, Desperation, Enrique Iglesias, and a Holocaust Memorial.” Quips aside, he raises an important question in this… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/27/11 at 04:11 PM
When The War Began
It turns out that the joint U.S.-Israeli Cyber War On Iran began about two and ½ years ago. And to the best of our knowledge it’s been highly successful, has pushed off an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear sites and has had the strong backing of the Obama administration (so sorry to report that to the Barrack Hussein “Must Be Part Of The Muslim Horde That Wants To Destroy America” Obama crowd). Most importantly, it has not resulted in the cataclysmic response expected from a conventional strike. We know this in large part due to the New York Times, which this past weekend offered a remarkable piece on how the Stuxnet worm was introduced into Iranian software after being jointly tested by the Israelis and Americans. (Read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=stuxnet&st=cse ). The virus has pushed off Teheran’s nuclear timetable… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/19/11 at 09:53 AM
An Amazing Story
Just a quick note today: This morning National Public Radio broadcast a piece on President Obama’s nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic—Norman Eisen. He is currently the White House “ethics czar” (and once an attorney with the ADL). Eisen’s 89-year-old mother, living in a retirement home in the L.A. area, is a Czech Holocaust survivor who made it out of Auschwitz. But it gets much better: The U.S. ambassador’s residence in Prague is the former headquarters of the Nazi General staff in the region. As Eisen said, “We have the privilege to be moving in, and we will put up mezuzot on the doorposts.” The report went on to add, “They will make the kitchen kosher, say blessings in Hebrew and light Shabbat candles on Friday nights.” Eisen added, “So for me, the freedoms that… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/14/11 at 09:32 AM
Denial: A River In Egypt
Denial is a river in Egypt. That’s what my Aunt Myrna, using her New York-tinged accent, likes to say. (Let’s forget for the moment that she lived in Baltimore her first 28 or so years and then New Orleans for eight or so more.) Perhaps Malcolm Hoenlein, widely seen as one of American Jewry’s top leaders, should visit Aunt Myrna for a cup of java during his next jaunt to South Florida. Mr.. Hoenlein, the long-time executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (aka The Presidents’ Conference), spent a few hours on Monday in Damascus, Syria. While there, he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. He almost immediately began denying reports that he was forwarding a message from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, one designed to get Syrian-Israeli talks back on track. (See:… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/04/11 at 10:56 AM
The Rise Of Ethical Kashrut
I like my meat – even though I don’t eat it often due to kosher meat’s insanely high prices in this country. But when I do buy it, I’d like to know that child labor laws, environmental standards, communal responsibility and general decent human behavior has not been violated in its preparation. (Knowing of such things does govern where I shop, which is why I don’t care to step in a Walmart or a certain kosher market in Baltimore, which are stories I’d be happy to share…). Now, thanks to the Conservative movement – in which I was raised and remain – I and so many others are poised to actually feel good about the kosher meat available. Many remember how scandal rocked the kashrut industry three years ago. That’s when the behemoth (pun intended) Agriprocessors was cited for… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/20/10 at 03:56 PM
WikiLeaks And Nazis
When secret documents enter the public domain – often purposely decades later – they change how we see history. Indeed, we finally have confirmation that Franklin D. Roosevelt could have bombed Auschwitz’s railroad tracks, that John F. Kennedy almost sent us to nuclear war, that Richard M. Nixon was not foreign to anti-Semitic expressions and more. But what happens when such documents are released amidst the decision making process to which they give light? Take the two very different cases of late involving WikiLeaks and the National Archives. In the first, revelations of Arab nervousness regarding Iran’s clear drive for nuclear weapons confirms what we have always claimed: At stake is far more than Israel’s well-being. However, publishing such cables deeply complicates the U.S. State Department’s challenge to build a diplomatic coalition to force Iran into opening nuclear sites… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/16/10 at 03:42 PM
Cynical Bishops’ Synod
The latest shot across the bow in the global battle to capture religious sentiment regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes from the Synod of Bishops of the Middle East. These kind fellows – and they are indeed all men – have just declared according to the JTA Wire service that the State of Israel cannot use the Bible to justify territorial claims to land in Israel. This came at the end of their recent two-week meeting in Rome. (For more of their narrishkeit check here: http://www.lpj.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=414:le-synode-des-eveques-pour-le-moyen-orient-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=71&lang=en .) Specifically, they rejected the use of the biblical position of the Promised Land to justify Jewish settlement of the West Bank. The statement called for a two-state solution to the conflict and to create a peaceful atmosphere that will prevent an exodus of Christians from the region. (No problem with that, but don’t… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/25/10 at 11:43 AM
Israel, Palestinians: Disagreeing To Disagree
News reports from Jerusalem this week were aflutter with a half-hearted offer from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to the Palestinian Authority to extend a [Jewish] building ban in West Bank Jewish communities. Mr. Netanyahu asked his quasi-partners in these tortuous talks to “say unequivocally to its people that it recognizes Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.” That was met by a patently offensive response by P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas. “If we showed flexibility on these [core] issues the peace agreement would have been signed a long time ago,” he said. Israel, he added, must agree upfront to create a Palestinian state on all West Bank territory captured in the stunning 1967 Six Day War. (Click here: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-we-ll-never-sign-deal-demanding-recognition-of-israel-as-jewish-state-1.319329 .) In other words, give us what we want before we talk and then we can negotiate on more.… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/15/10 at 12:13 PM
West Bank Good News
It is agonizingly rare to find a positive headline emanating from the West Bank, which recently saw a mosque burned and graffiti spray-painted on the walls in Hebrew, including the words “revenge” and “price tag,” referring to in-kind reprisal of Jews against Palestinians for attacks. It was the third Palestinian mosque to be torched, allegedly by settlers, in the past year. But the continuation of the story did not get much additional focus. A few days later, some prominent West Bank rabbis visited that same mosque, bringing Korans to replace the ones burned by the vandals. Leading this effort was Rabbi Menachem Froman, chief rabbi of the settlement of Tekoa. He is a veteran in interfaith efforts and has even conducted face-to-face dialogue in past years with religious leaders of the Hamas Islamic fundamentalist group. (He has been heavily… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/12/10 at 02:52 PM
Fidel’s Strange Rosh Hashanah Gift
What a strange Jewish New Years’ gift – a denunciation of anti-Semitism and praise of the Jewish people from the last standing (at least occasionally) giant of the Cold War. So it was that forever revolutionary Fidel Castro sent a message earlier this week to Iranian President Mahmound Ahmadinejad via a guy named Jeffrey Goldberg, one of today’s great journalists and coincidentally a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces. (Goldberg’s blog, which is both very smart and very witty, is a must read: http://www.theatlantic.com/jeffrey-goldberg/#middle.) Goldberg was in Holy Havana for his publication to interview the iconic and ailing 84-year-old about life in a world with communism as a receding shadow, long-view death bed thoughts and the likes. And the topic seemed to keep coming back to the Jews – which would not be strange for the descendants of Abraham… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 09/08/10 at 01:15 PM
Third Temple Being Rebuilt
For more than a millennium Jewish philosophers and theologians have pondered the mysteries of a Third Temple, the one said to be part of the long-awaited messianic era. Will it come at the start of that era, or after it begins? Will it be something concrete, or something figurative? Are Jews allowed to build it prior to a messianic era to usher in that period? Or must we patiently wait, as we have done for so long? For some modern Zionists, the state of Israel – known as the Third Jewish Commonwealth – is known as the Third Temple. But now it seems that construction of a large replica of King Solomon’s temple is under way – in Sao Paulo, Brazil – and not by Jews. (For the record, the one where the cafeteria was kosher was destroyed in… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/31/10 at 11:06 AM
Ground Zero’s Mosque
The proposed Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero in New York City took yet another controversial turn this week. In protest of the Anti-Defamation League’s opposition, CNN host Fareed Zakaria returned his 2005 ADL Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize and an accompanying honorarium. The up to 15-story structure will house a mosque, a 500-seat auditorium, a pool and be modeled on the Y.M.C.A. and Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, according to the “New York Times.” (Ironically, the building is called the Cordoba House, which echoes the medieval era in which Islamic-controlled Spain reached the world’s greatest level of religious coexistence to that date.) Mr. Zakaria, whose move “stunned” ADL national director Abraham Foxman, was well within his rights to protest. It is for certain extremely difficult to defend a Jewish group that opposes a house of… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/10/10 at 02:52 PM
Are Swastikas Always Anti-Semitic?
Can the appearance in today’s world of a swastika ever be anything other than a viciously anti-Semitic act? Surprisingly the Anti-Defamation League – the nation’s premier chronicler of anti-Semitism and hate in general – is now saying that the appearance of the infamous Nazi Socialist Party symbol is not always targeting Jews. Indeed, last week the ADL took the controversial step of shifting how it records such incidents in its well-known annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents. It did so by dropping appearances from the report of what it deems “random swastikas.” “We know that the swastika has, for some, lost its meaning as the primary symbol of Nazism and instead become a more generalized symbol of hate. So we are being more careful to include graffiti incidents that specifically target Jews or Jewish institutions as we continue the process… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/03/10 at 03:43 PM
So Who Is A Jew?
Who would have thought that some of the bad guys – from the perspective of non-Orthodox American Jews –would now be the good guys? That’s one revelation from a glance at the latest round of the “Who Is A Jew” controversy. But first meet David Rotem, a newcomer to the roughly 2,000-year-old debate. In recent months, the secular Israeli politician from the Yisrael Beitenu (“Israel Is Our Home”) Party brought forward various versions of a “conversion bill,” one that would formally define in Israel a Jew as being one who either was born to a Jewish mother or converted in the Jewish state by an Orthodox rabbi paid by the Orthodox-controlled Chief Rabbinate’s office. Last week Rotem surprised everyone by getting out of committee and onto the Knesset floor a bill for the first of three required votes. Fortunately,… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/28/10 at 11:52 AM
The Passion Of ‘Christians United For Israel’
It’s not often that you’re tapped for a minyan in a room full of 4,000 evangelical Christians. Nonetheless, Wednesday night one of the 20 or so Orthodox men also there—no doubt noticing the kippah on my head – walked up to me at the press table and simply said, “Minchah” and pointed over yonder. No need for a Talmudic debate on what that meant. So I joined the group heading toward a corner of the cavernous hall turned banquet space. As we walked, Hebrew songs blared and people sitting at the several hundred large round tables waved Israeli and American flags to the tunes. Welcome to the Christians United for Israel (http://www.cufi.org ) annual gathering in the nation’s capital, one that features two days of workshops followed by a journey to Capital Hill to lobby Congress on further cementing… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/22/10 at 01:47 PM
Maryland’s Shoah Rails
Now – more than six decades after the Nazi’s “final solution to the Jewish question” rightly was crushed by civilized humanity, debates over the Shoah’s moral legacy seem to appear with increasing frequency. The latest chapter in that painful effort has come to our own state. It’s in the form of a roughly $1 billion bid to the Maryland Transit Authority by Keolis Rail Services, which wants to operate the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) train service lines for Brunswick and Camden – the ones thousands of people take every day. The problem: The majority owner of Keolis is the French railway company SNCF or the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais. That line, partially owned by the French government since 1938, transported nearly 77,000 Jews and other victims from France to Nazi concentration camps. Even more horrifying… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/14/10 at 01:35 PM
White House Photos
U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu may not have embraced as long-lost friends on the White House portico this week, but what’s being dubbed their “make up” summit went smoothly. And that’s good for all concerned about the Jewish state, as well as all Americans. It is no secret that until now Mr. Obama has poorly handled the public side of his differences with Mr. Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Israel’s leader at best could not control his domestic partners’ actions when it came to ill-timed announcements relating to the building of homes for Jews in East Jerusalem. But this week a different tone seemed to resonate. As Mr. Obama said, a smiling Mr. Netanyahu at his side, “Israel has unique security requirements. It has to be able to respond to threats or any combination of threats… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/06/10 at 05:16 PM
Does Farrakhan Still Matter?
Like a bad rash that keeps coming back when it gets too hot, Nation of Islam leader the Rev. Louis Farrkhan has returned. He did so last week with a truly wacky letter to, of all people, Abraham Foxman, the national head of the Anti-Defamation League. For good measure, he sent it to some other American Jewish leaders as well. (What, Louie, my insults aren’t good enough to gain a copy? No more chocolate/toffee matzah Pesach packages for you!) The letter was wrapped around a two-volume work called “The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews,” which was written by the Nation of Islam’s alleged “Historical Research Department,” whose staff probably attended marketing seminars put on by the posse of North Korea’s Kim Jong Il. In his June 24 note, the Rev. Farrakhan accused Jews of perpetrating “the most vehement… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/29/10 at 02:05 PM
Abramoff Among Us
As the adage goes, when you do the crime you do the time. Former influential Capitol Hill lobbyist and businessman Jack Abramoff – newly of Baltimore – knows that well. In 2006, the once super lobbyist pled guilty to three felony counts related to defrauding Native American tribes and corruption of government officials. His well-funded lifestyle was part of a national scandal that led to new limitations on lobbying and much discussion about political ethics. This week, after 43 months in prison, he began a stint at Tov Pizza on Reisterstown Road in Baltimore (Check out our story: http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/local_news/abramoff_to_work_at_tov_pizza/19332) It’s a decidedly less glitzy gig than his past one, but hopefully one imbued with much more personal meaning. A former kosher restaurant owner himself, he will help that business focus on marketing strategies, according to its owner. So if… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/25/10 at 02:12 PM
Gilad Shalit And American Jews
It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to figure out that more seems to divide than unite American Jews who care about all things relating to the State of Israel. However, the fate of Gilad Shalit is finally – definitely later than should be the case – catching on here as a unifying issue. Shalit was captured on June 25, 2006 by Hamas operatives who dug a tunnel from the Gaza side of the border into Israel. In addition to killing several Israel Defense Forces soldiers, they captured Shalit. The International Red Cross, Israeli government officials and even Shalit’s family have not been allowed to see or to speak to him. Occasionally, a letter from him is released to the media. In exchange for Shalit, Hamas says it wants 1,000 prisoners held by Israel, including those “with blood on their hands.”… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/09/10 at 01:58 PM
An Uncomfortable Video
“Jews Film Back” – might be the headline of an article about the new video Gaza flotilla that’s making the rounds of the pro-Israel circuit these days. It’s called “We Con The World” and is a spoof on that ever-popular “We Are The World” one of years past in which entertainment stars raise money for valid causes. The roughly 4.5 minute video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOGG_osOoVg . This well-done spoof on the cynical anti-Israel arguments made by the pro-Palestinian crowd features American-Israelis crooning in stereotypical Arab outfits (and with stereotypical Arabic accents) about how they are duping the world when it comes to the charade of innocents in Gaza being held hostage to the evil whims of an imperialist Israel. Hold on! Stereotypical dress and accents? What if the pro-Palestinian crowd had done something from their perspective using Hasidic garb… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/07/10 at 01:09 PM
Battle Of Videos: Flotilla Fight’s New Phase
Surely a sign of our e-connected times, there is a battle of videos on the Internet taking place between the Israel Defense Forces and the Free Gaza movement that directed the relief flotilla. On the radio going home yesterday afternoon, I heard Adam Shapiro – who runs the Free Gaza movement – speak on the Marc Steiner radio show about the many cell phone videos that captured Israeli soldiers beating on the “humanitarian protestors.” I have yet to find those videos on YouTube and the Free Gaza web page (http://www.freegaza.org/) or Al-Jazeera (http://www.aljazeera.com), but welcome someone sending them to me. All I can find are videos of protests like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvErJSJUWL4&feature=youtu.be&a . There are links on something called http://witnessgaza.com/ , which are witnesses testimonies – but no live videos of the event itself. However, many people have already… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/02/10 at 01:19 PM
Gaza Flotilla Flotsam
It all had the tragic and predictable outcome of an ancient Greek play that, despite being staged 1,000 times before, yet again evoked powerful emotions amongst its intended audiences. For certain, the pro- and anti-Israel crowds – Jews and gentiles – took expected stands after Monday’s deadly debacle in the Mediterranean. During it, at least nine people died on a ship in a once Gaza-bound relief flotilla, one staffed by humanitarian activists who pummeled Israeli commandoes seemingly more prepared to disperse an impolite crowd than to combat a motivated enemy armed with rudimentary weapons (which still kill). But in a subdued manner, many American Jews with whom I spoke were left grappling with what to think, how to respond and to where it would lead. They were angry at Israel for messing up the mission – which is undeniable.… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/01/10 at 02:13 PM
Noam Chomsky’s Bitter Journey
When the Israeli Army last week forbade entry into the West Bank from Jordan by American anti-Israel, hard-left intellectual Noam Chomsky, it gave a gift wrapped present to the detractors of the Jewish state. Now they could add to their false claims of Israel being a fascist, apartheid state that it also rejects free speech. What, they argue, is the use of Israel calling itself a democracy if it cannot even get that right? Dr. Chomsky was scheduled to teach at Bir Zeit University on the West Bank, which is a hotbed of violent Palestinian Islamic radicalism. After four hours of questioning – a time in which someone higher on the military and likely the political food chain had to be in touch with the situation – he was sent back to Amman, Jordan. The next day, from there… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/28/10 at 10:51 AM
Shoah vs. Slavery
So just what was worse? Slavery or the Holocaust? That’s precisely the question educators warn us that we should never ask. But it keeps coming up amongst the general public when blacks and Jews convene publicly to talk about their issues. I yet again saw the animosity to which this inquiry can give rise when, on Monday night, I and about 100 other people gathered at Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Central Library to hear Dr. Hubert G. Locke (who happens to be an African American) give a lecture on the responsibility of black churches after the Holocaust. It was hard to miss the four-foot high promotional posters adorning the library’s large front windows in recent weeks. Thus, the audience was a mix of black and white, young and old, Christians, Jews and a few Muslims (one who literally shouted about… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/26/10 at 02:40 PM
Comedy Central’s Joke
As even occasional viewers know, the axiom “almost anything goes” defines the Comedy Central cable network. After all, it is home to Jon Stewart’s mock news report “The Daily Show,” the raunchy cartoon “South Park,” the bizarre situation comedy “The Sarah Silverman Show,” (all of which I’ve been known to watch – for research purposes only, of course), and much more. Many of those shows occasionally slip in humor poking fun at Jews (often barbs delivered by Jews who actually know what they’re talking about). This week, the network simultaneously took one step forward and one step backwards when answering the legitimate concerns of Jews and others about a new video game on its website. The game, originally called “I.S.R.A.E.L. Attack,” was renamed “Drawn Together: The Movie: The Game.” Also eliminated from its program is its once incredibly offensive… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/25/10 at 02:03 PM
Abusing Jews For Judaism
The Baltimore-based Jews for Judaism, a national operation, has as its raison d’etre fighting Christian missionaries seeking to convert Jews into believing that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. In particular, they focus on the alleged deceptive practices of such groups. Having had some experiences with Christian missionaries both here and in Israel (ironically the one in the Jewish state being the much more deceptive one), I understand the concern. But in no way should the language Jews for Judaism is using in its new campaign to fight Hebrew Christians – a truly convoluted name for these groups – be acceptable. Jews for Judaism Executive Director Ruth Guggenheim, whom I know as a very solid and respected Jewish professional, went beyond the rhetorical pale with this quote: “There is no difference between a sexual predator on the Internet and… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/11/10 at 01:30 PM
Ahmadinejad: Not So Stupid
In colloquial western terms, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a wacko. Alas, his heart – in such a different way than that of the famed medieval Jewish poet Yehuda HaLevi – faces east. As he speaks in New York City today at the United Nations every five-year Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, take a glance at past choice statements (courtesy The Israel Project, http://www.theisraelproject.org). • Sept. 15, 2005: “With respect to the needs of Islamic countries, we are ready to transfer nuclear know-how to these countries.” (In other words, he wants to do for nuclear technology what Starbucks has done for coffee – available anywhere, any time for the right price.) • Oct 26, 2005: “Israel must be wiped off the map.” (This makes him the only world leader threatening to annihilate another U.N. member’s existence.) • Sept. 24,… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/03/10 at 03:17 PM
Screaming For Nazis
A few loyal blog readers are triggering a debate regarding my last entry on the sentencing of the noxious and toxic Bishop Richard Williamson, now convicted for uttering Holocaust denial in Germany – something that would be legal in the United States. (“An Evil Bishop” http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/neilrubin/hes_an_evil_bishop/) The question: Isn’t the conviction a violation of freedom of speech? As evil as his words were – no Jews were burned in Nazi ovens and no more than 300,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis—isn’t his right to expound such mental midgetry something we Jews and Americans should protect and even cherish? After all, we’ve always been told that when free speech is squashed, democracy itself is endangered, and that’s never good for minorities. The easy answer, and the very Jewish one, is “yes, but…” That is, yes this is a violation… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/22/10 at 03:30 PM
He’s An Evil Bishop
As a veteran of interfaith dialogue, I’m somewhat loathe to judge another person’s religious beliefs by my standards. But the fact that Bishop Richard Williamson can call himself a believer in God’s love is unfathomable. In fact, by now one is hard pressed to describe him as anything other than evil. How else can one approach the news that the Catholic bishop – denounced by his own Roman Catholic Church – will appeal last week’s court ruling that found him guilty of Holocaust denial? Williamson, a bishop from the breakaway Society of Saint Pius X, keeps defending absurd declarations about how no more than 300,000 European Jews could have been killed in the Shoah. In 2008, he even told a Swedish reporter in a recorded broadcast that there is no way any Jew was murdered in Nazi gas chambers.… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/21/10 at 03:11 PM
Would Iran Really Nuke Israel?
Iran might want nuclear weapons, but would it really use them – which would invite massive retaliation? After all, remember that as a huge thank you for sitting out of the 1991 Gulf War, Germany and the United States basically gave Israel a few Dolphin class submarines, which were reportedly modified to carry nuclear-armed cruise missiles. That gave the Jewish state “second strike” capability. That means that Israel now has underwater boats that can launch a series of missiles at the Republic of Iran even if – God forbid – the State of Israel were seriously damaged or basically wiped out from nuclear attack. So would Iran really hit Israel, let alone Eastern Europe (already in its missile range) and Western Europe (which technological advances show will be in range within a few years at most)? Would Iran be… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/12/10 at 03:09 PM
Baltimore Archbishop’s Shining Moment
The quiet talk in Baltimore’s renown interfaith dialogue circles in recent years has often gravitated toward how Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien – while far from an obstacle –seemed uninterested in the rapprochement of the religious communities. That was a sharp contrast to the work of his immediate predecessor, Cardinal William H. Keeler, the Vatican’s respected North American point man on Catholic-Jewish ties. But in recent weeks, Archbishop O’Brien’s actions should be applauded for reversing that notion. In a candid address to the Baltimore Jewish Council on March 24, he did not flinch when asked about the controversial process toward sainthood of World War II-era Pope Pius XII, whom some criticize for inaction in the face of the Nazi Holocaust. Now with Vatican archives being opened – too slowly for some Catholic and Jewish scholars – “there may have been… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/04/10 at 10:13 AM
Weird Passover News
Another season of self-imposed affliction/liberation is almost over, but lots of weird news took place before and during the holiday. Here’s a few tidbits from my friends at the JTA Wire Service Passover Blog (http://blogs.jta.org/passover/), as well as some of my own commentary: • Amongst the seder parodies out this year was a “Wizard of Oz” one that offered the line “If I only had some chrain” (that being the Yiddish word for horse radish). (Hey writer of that: I’m guessing if you did have a chrain, you’d be writing real music, eh?) • The Jewish state’s 120,000 dairy cows received kosher for Passover bedding. You got a beef with that? • Then—and how does a mind conjure this?—there was a “Flinstones” parody with this theme song: “Moses, he’s our Moses/ he’s the man that took us on a… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/02/10 at 07:33 AM
Jimmy Carter’s Crooked Reality
So much for Jimmy Carter’s recent brief love affair with Yom Kippur and the Jewish people. America’s most naïve former president – who had some real foreign policy triumphs (and disasters) while in office – is at it again. The newest anti-Carter complaints come after a speech at an Atlanta conference last week. The peanut farmer turned president accused this country of being “much more attuned to the sensitivities of the Israelis” and of having “yielded excessively to the circumstances in the Holy Land as Israel has confiscated several lands within Palestine,” according to the JTA Wire Service. Likewise, he labeled the Obama administration’s shuttle diplomacy efforts “feeble.” Heightening disappointment in Mr. Carter is that in December 2009 he publicly sought an al chet—the traditional Yom Kippur prayer seeking God’s forgiveness – due to perceptions that he was anti-Israel.… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/01/10 at 08:02 AM
AIPAC’s Triumph
Who won? We did. That’s the internal dialogue many of the 7,500 pro-Israel advocates were having in recent days as the two-week crisis in U.S.-Israel ties seemed to end with this week’s triumphal American Israel Public Affairs annual conference. That is despite a seemingly chilly end to a private, two-hour meeting last night between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. At its conclusion, there was no customary meeting with the media. Still, in recognition of the inevitable close bond between the two countries, their leaders are talking tachlis, which is much more important than the usual public praise and platitude. Back to AIPAC. During the event, activists flexed political muscle and gained national headlines. But they should be wary of gloating, which never helps. That’s because the American-Israeli relationship won due to the candor both sides… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/24/10 at 02:41 PM
Obama’s Israel Problem
This week U.S.-Israeli relations seems painted into the proverbial corner from which there is no clean escape. The question now is how to help everyone emerge cleanly from that tight spot. Some background: Last week, Vice President Joe Biden was in Jerusalem to reassure the Jewish state about its unbreakable bond with Washington. But an Israeli government office announced plans to build 1,600 homes in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood on the city’s eastern side, a territory the Palestinians claim as their future capitol. Mr. Biden was embarrassed and claimed it highly provocative. Mr. Netanyahu apologized, as did the minister who runs the office that offered the decree; both Israelis were apparently not aware of the pending declaration. Still, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly berated Mr. Netanyahu on an extended telephone call, demanding more concessions. Even Israeli Ambassador Michael… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/16/10 at 03:23 PM
Joe Biden’s Israel Problem
What are we to make of VP Joe Biden’s trip to Israel this week, which just created unexpected controversial headlines, and what are American Jews – who are getting as fed up with this intractable mess as anyone – to do about it? First the facts, Biden, long praised as a stalwart pro-Israel ally on the Democratic Party front (where there are real problems with the hard Left), nearly had a “broh-affair” with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu upon arrival in Jerusalem. He warmly noted their 30-year friendship and joked that one of them was getting older. Netanyahu, as charismatic in front of American TV cameras as one could imagine, was equally warm in his praise. Not much later came an announcement by an office of the Israeli government – apparently not pre-approved by Netanyahu – about the building… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/11/10 at 11:26 AM
Farrakhan’s Back
Back in the 1990s, the Rev. Louis Farrakhan seemed to make headlines left and right for choice comments such as Judaism being a “gutter religion,” his praise of Adolf Hitler as a great leader and his chastising Pope John Paul II for wearing a dress. I have some interesting memories from attending one of his speeches in Atlanta back in 1996 in the Georgia Dome. The Nation of Islam gave me a “guide” to make sure I’d stay in the press box. I got up and walked around anyway – to the displeasure of my friend. I felt the need to stretch out since Farrakhan is notoriously late for talks (this time 2.5 hours!). My guard insisted on walking close to me as I spoke with some of the 30,000 or so African Americans at the event. Farrakhan, by… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/05/10 at 01:10 PM
Wiesenthal Center’s Poor Choice, Part III
I’ve written in the past about the poor choice of the Simon Wiesenthal Center – known globally for promoting racial, religious and ethnic harmony – in wanting to build a new museum on disputed Jerusalem land. But I just can’t get over how they are continuing this fight. To quickly recap, the Center purchased some land in the center of the city that is part of an old parking lot adjacent to a Muslim cemetery, part of whose graves were long ago moved and reburied elsewhere. Muslim challenges to the construction of the new building eventually went to the Israeli Supreme Court, which just ruled in the Wiesenthal Center’s favor. But this can only be seen this as a pyrrhic victory. That’s because the way the Center has gone about this has only given more ammunition to the haters… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/03/10 at 02:49 PM
Do GOPers Like Israel More?
First the good news: For all the talk about how anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe and the Middle East is on the rise – and it is – out on Main Street America, Israel is now ranked fifth among countries viewed most favorably by Americans. That’s according to an update of Gallup’s annual World Affairs survey, conducted between Feb. 1-3. In fact, a near-record 63 percent of U.S. citizens gave Israel a “favorable” (the highest mark since 1991) and 25 percent chose “unfavorable”. Meanwhile, only 20 percent viewed the Palestinian Authority favorably, actually an increase over last year’s 15 percent. Still, that’s fourth from the bottom – a position not surprisingly held by the Republic of Iran, which came in with a 10 percent favorable rating. (That proves it: One in 10 Americans are mentally unstable, which also… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/02/10 at 02:52 PM
The Inanity Of U.N. Insanity
As a guy who keeps promoting dialogue amongst Palestinians and Israeli Jews (and their very vocal supporters in this country), I’m baffled by how the United Nations keeps allowing the Palestinians to make so many pro-Israel advocates despise them. Consider the latest: The U.N. Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) – the world’s only permanent refugee agency (meaning they are not trying to resettle people under their care) is hosting a youth soccer tournament. The Shahid (Martyr) Abu Jihad tournament is being held in Ramallah. For those keeping score, that’s the seat of the “moderate Palestinians,” the ones who are not Hamas and say that they want to negotiate a two-state solution with Israel. Let’s get real: If a German right-wing nationalist group named its U.N.-sponsored swimming tournament for Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann, how would the world respond?… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/25/10 at 04:18 PM
Breakfast Prayers
To say that President Barack Obama has a lot on his plate is akin to saying that Baltimore saw a little snow in recent days. But the president did have the time on Thursday, Feb. 4, to take his plate to the 58th annual National Prayer Breakfast. The audience, comprised of numerous political and religious leaders, presented a strong opportunity to share thoughts on the role of religion in public life. As expected, the president praised diverse groups, including the evangelical World Relief, the American Jewish World Service, “Hindu temples, and mainline Protestants, Catholic Relief Services, African American churches, the United Sikhs…” Unfortunately, other than such expected generalities, he did little to advance the conversation about government’s critical role in working with such religious operations and their often successful social service programs. After all, it was candidate Obama who… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/09/10 at 03:57 PM
Meet Zionism’s Replacement
Sorry to break it to major Zionist organizations – who have transformed themselves into defenders of Israel’s every sneeze – but Zionism is a hackneyed, well-traveled ideology that long ago achieved its central goal of creating a Jewish state. Fortunately, something has come in its stead, something American Jews need to pay more attention to. Once you get beyond the headlines of political, military and cultural strife, Israelis and Jews around the world are teaming up to change the world for the better – just like we always said we were supposed to. In fact, if the early Zionist dream in the first decades of the 20th century was to make the dessert bloom, in the second decade of the 21st century the emerging vision is one of making the air cleaner – in the process setting a remarkable… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/05/10 at 01:52 PM
Rush Limbaugh’s Mouth
With apologies to Ronald Reagan in his 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter, “There they go again.” Some Jewish organizations are madly in love with the idea that one cannot criticize Israel under any circumstances because Israel’s enemies will eat it up (as if not saying something will make them love Israel and the Jewish people). In particular, they believe you cannot criticize non-Jews who say outlandish things but are deemed friends of the Jewish state. Enter Rush Limbaugh, America’s leading mean-spirited populist masquerading as a political commentator. (For the record, I devour intellectual based right-wing arguments in publications such as Commentary, to which I’m a long-time subscriber. It makes me rethink positions upon which I was raised. Yeah, I know… “but some of my best friends are…”) Rush recently said on the air, “To some people, banker is a… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/28/10 at 09:29 AM
Is Anti-Semitism A Threat?
First, the conclusion: While we always have to watch out for it, anti-Semitism is no longer a major threat in the United States. In fact, non-Jews willingly marry us, there are two U.S. Supreme Court Justices who openly identify with their Jewish roots and Sen. Joe Lieberman (modern Orthodox) failed as a 2004 presidential candidate because he was, frankly, a really lousy candidate – not because he was Jewish. And on a much lighter note, a woman named Madonna has done more to popularize Jewish mysticism than 10 generations of scholars. In Europe, however, a different picture emerges and American Jews better get used to being alarmed about coming to the aid of European co-religionists. In fact, a recent poll by Germany’s University of Bielefeld showed that 42 percent of Europeans agreed that “Jews exploit the past to extort… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/26/10 at 10:56 AM
How To Embrace Islam
We in the media who report on religious leaders spend a lot of time on conflict – after all, it excites people, which creates reader interest (not to mention insane letters to the editor). But we don’t spend enough time noting those important and influential theologians who offer a different political view. So I was intrigued to read yesterday that Syria’s foremost Muslim leader had declared that Islam commands its followers to “protect Judaism.” “If the Prophet Mohammed had asked me to deem Christians or Jews heretics, I would have deemed Mohammed himself a heretic,” Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun, the Mufti of Syria, was quoted as telling a delegation of American academics visiting Damascus, according to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. He added, “If Mohammed had commanded us to kill people, I would have told him he was not a prophet.”… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/20/10 at 11:27 AM
Grave Matters
Award-winning architect Frank Gehry is no stranger to international acclaim for his remarkable designs. This week, however, he should be applauded for what he is not doing. That’s because he announced he will not build the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, according to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. The center was to be placed on the site of a former Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem’s city center. While part of that land is already a parking lot, there still are some nearby Muslim graves, which is adjacent to a well-traveled park. Placing this structure here is simply incongruent with the center’s desire of spreading the broader moral messages of the Holocaust. For the record, Mr. Gehry announced that he was withdrawing due to a request by the center to reduce the building’s scope as well as financial disagreements.… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/19/10 at 03:48 PM
Jews And The Bris Of Jesus
Let’s not mince words: Millions of Jews on planet earth are about to celebrate what technically is the welcoming into the covenant of Abraham for a guy who would grow up and alternatively be called: a carpenter from the Galilee, an itinerant preacher, a rabble rouser, the son of God, God and the Messiah. I speak, of course, of the one who would be called to the Torah as Yeshua ben-Yosef, aka Jesus, son of Joseph. If that’s the case, how can any of us American Jews who struggle to maintain the path of Moses celebrate this event – even if most Christians see no religious significance whatsoever to the day? After all, it’s not our holiday. It’s theirs. Besides, this year it merges into Shabbat, which is infinitely more important and should be given preparation of its own.… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/30/09 at 04:38 PM
Blood Libel Or Organ Harvest?
The pro-Israel community was hit with a particularly uncomfortable headline last week. After months of denying claims by a Swedish journalist that Israel without permission harvested the organs from Palestinians killed in the 2008-2009 Gaza War, the London Guardian declared “Doctor admits Israeli pathologists harvested organs without consent.” Indeed, the newspaper quoted the widely respected former head of the Abu Kabir forensic Institute near Tel Aviv. He confirmed that during the 1990s staff at his operation harvested organs from the bodies of Israeli soldiers, citizens, Palestinians and foreign workers – without the permission of the deceased’s families. Let me be clear: There was no excuse for this action, which reportedly was halted more than a decade ago. In fact, the Government of Israel should look into compensation for the families affected. For Israel and the Jewish people to be… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/29/09 at 12:23 PM
Palestinian Democracy At Work
The announcement last week that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas need not worry about job security was disturbingly revealing. Indeed, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s ruling Central Council declared that Mr. Abbas’s soon-to-expire term will be extended indefinitely. This comes as the politically battered 74-year-old terrorist turned politician has widely said that he would stand for reelection. That’s due to his frustration with both Israel not acceding to his every demand before resuming negotiations and the control of the Gaza Strip by a violent rival, the Hamas Islamic fundamentalist group. For good measure, the PNC delegates agreed to back Mr. Abbas’s absurd policy of not speaking with Israel without a prior comprehensive freeze on West Bank settlement expansion and East Jerusalem housing, areas Israel won in the 1967 Six-day War and which the Palestinians want included in a future state… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/22/09 at 04:36 PM
More Realistic Obama?
Are we finally witnessing a maturity of approach in the Obama administration’s handling of the Middle East and particularly the Arab-Israeli conflict? One hopes and the evidence leans in that direction. Consider this: • With a late December deadline on “reassessing policy” on Iran rapidly approaching, the White House is widely signaling that it is prepared to enlist harsh sanctions against Tehran. Likewise, administration officials are specifically saying that the military option is not off the table. • There is a rapprochement of sorts between Jerusalem and Washington, with both President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu praising each other for recent actions – a reality absent for much of the past year. • Last week, the president told Lebanese President Michael Suleiman that while progress has been made on enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 –… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/21/09 at 03:59 PM
Israel’s Injustice Minister and American Jews
Every time I’ve personally heard or read about Israel Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, I’ve been impressed with this worldly, intellectual figure who has strived to reach across his nation’s divides. The modern Orthodox Neeman advised both Prime Ministers Menachem Begin in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and then Binyamin Netanyahu in the 1990s and now again as Finance Minister. In 1997, Netanyahu tapped Neeman when the “conversion crisis” ruptured both the Knesset and Israel-Diaspora ties. Neeman came up with a plausible option of conversion courts (aimed mostly at helping Russians in Israel). They were run by representatives of various Jewish streams and the final testing was by state-paid Orthodox rabbis. In Israel, that’s real progress. Throughout, Mr. Neeman – a professor of law—has been measured, reflective and filled with integrity. So his remarks last week were stunning. At… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/18/09 at 11:10 AM
An Indian Chanukah
What better way to celebrate the sixth night of Chanukah than hearing the candle blessings in traditional Indian Jewish melodies, the lighting of a channukiah from Cochin Jews and then, of course, enjoying a scrumptious veggie Indian meal? That was part of the festive scene in the Washington, D.C. last night as about 250 American Jewish and American Indian leaders crowded into the home of a gracious Ambassador Meera Shankar. One of the more interesting aspects to me was that Indian-Israeli ties (which in Washington is a harbinger of ties with American Jewish leadership) were only cemented with full diplomatic relations in 1992 (made possible by India’s moving away from being a leader of the “non-aligned” nations, basically a diplomatic front for the Soviet Union, which itself literally fell apart in late December 1991). Since then, however, India and… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/17/09 at 03:13 PM
Shimon Peres: Eternal Optimist
Love or hate Israeli President Shimon Peres – and both camps are quite crowded – one always has to admire his ability to look forward and imagine what could be while wrestling with what is. The latest example comes from his launching a new YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/peres. On the site – offered in Hebrew, English and Arabic—he continues his outstanding role as the nation’s President, one in which he has sought to unite the nation while accurately spreading its perspective. And, one must note, he seems to be partnering well in this endeavor with Prime Minister Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, his once rival for the nation’s leadership. On the site, he offers the requisite Chanukah message as well as video of recent meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a BBC interview, a clip of “thousands visit presidential sukkah” and… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/16/09 at 01:36 PM
Obama’s ‘Just War’ And The Jews
President Barack Obama surprised the peace community and many in the Nobel Prize audience yesterday when he spoke of how evil does exist in this world, negotiation is not always the answer (although obviously preferable) and that there is such a thing as “just war.” Students of theology know that “just war” theories are not new to either Judaism or Christianity. (I’m admittedly ignorant of the thinking in Islam and welcome some input – beyond the crass stereotypes of “live and die by the sword,” which is akin to saying that Jews must follow the biblical law that says Shabbat violaters should be stoned to death. Haven’t done that one lately, have we?) When it comes to us Jews, there are actually two major kinds of wars that are discussed – ones that are “obligatory”, which includes self-defense and… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/11/09 at 11:51 AM
Anti-Semitic Monkeys?
Hard as it is to believe, anti-Semitism has been injected into a public debate over a proposed monkey-breeding facility in Puerto Rico, according to the Anti-Defamation League. It all began on Monday, Nov. 30 when animal rights activist Robert Brito was quoted in local newspapers “Primera Hora” and the “Puerto Rico Daily Sun” as suggesting that an “Israeli company” was developing the facility as part of a campaign of “ethnic discrimination” and “genocide” aimed at the island population. He went on to blame “Jewish economic interests” for past environmental incidents, including a fire at a petroleum plant. “This is a concerted action by Jewish economic interests,” he wrote of the proposed primate facility. “This invention of bringing a facility for wild monkeys from Israel to Guayama constitutes ethnic discrimination against Puerto Ricans who live in Guayama.” Mr. Brito… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/10/09 at 09:56 AM
Praying For Wiccans
Any time the government chooses to define what constitutes religion you’re going to have a problem. And that is so once again with the strange case of a federal appeals bench consideration as to whether a Wiccan religious leader can have his day in court to pursue a religious discrimination case. The case, McCollum vs. California, is being heard by the Florida-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The clergy member has said that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is violating constitutional rights by limiting paid clergy positions to members of five religions, not including his faith. A court denied him the right to bring the lawsuit on the grounds that he was not the correct party to do so. Now I’m not so keen on Wiccans as a religion. In fact, I’m not even… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/08/09 at 01:39 PM
Hezbollah’s One Face
A few years ago when the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist movement decided to enter the country’s political arena, there was some hope that – as did the Irish Republican Army and as did the African National Congress – this would lead to a moderation that could ultimately help turn the country and Hezbollah from violence. Anyone who still believes that also likely believes that the Iranians have no desire for nuclear weapons. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah made that more than clear last week when he declared that armed struggle is the only way to get back land captured by Israel. He was not referring to the small sliver of land adjacent to Syria and Israel that his country still claims. That land, the eight-square mile Shebaa Farms, is still controlled by Israel. That’s because the United Nations has declared it… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/07/09 at 09:14 AM
Message To EU: Why Negotiate?
With reports this week that the European Union is about to call for a divided Jerusalem, serving as the capitals of both Israel and a Palestinian state, and for the recognition of a unilaterally declared independent Palestinian State, one wonders what the fuss about negotiations is all about? After all, many parties outside of the region have come to their conclusion so why not let them settle all the core issues? The obvious is answer is that without fundamental agreements by the principles involved, ones whose differences in interpretations can be successfully navigated, no pact will stand the test of time – let alone a few hours. Of course, there is no parallel demand that the Palestinians shift an educational system that can be harshly anti-Semitic, halt incendiary media reports about the State of Israel and be held accountable… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 12/02/09 at 10:58 AM
Jerusalem’s Housing Boom
In the geopolitical world of realpolitik, there are actions a government can take – and has every right to take – that it should not take. This week’s announcement that the State of Israel will build 900 new homes in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood, which sits over the pre-1967 Israeli-Jordanian armistice line, fits into that category. First, let me be clear: Israel is the sole governor of Jerusalem – even though I believe that one day the city’s boundaries will be redrawn (which is how an Israeli government will be able to legitimately say that it never divided the city). Also, Jerusalem has a housing shortage. Still, there were alternatives to this move. For example, the government recently scrapped the Safdie plan, which would have seen the construction of 20,000 new housing units to the West of the city. It… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/18/09 at 10:55 AM
Catholic Progress
After the outcry of groups, including leading Jewish ones, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced that it will remove language from a new document that said interfaith dialogue was an opportunity to convert people to Catholicism. This is a positive development in ties between the two communities. Yet, one is still troubled that leading members of the USCCB initially felt that such wording was acceptable. One sincerely hopes that the USCCB is changing its policy not out of pressure, but out of an understanding of how offensive this was to Jews, others and the spirit of interfaith dialogue in general. Members of the coalition opposing the original wording included the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the National Council of Synagogues, the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America. In part of its response to… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/05/09 at 02:41 PM
Anti-Semitism Drops
Despite what sometimes seems to be the case, anti-Semitism in this country has just reached its lowest level in the 45 years that it has been tracked. That is reason to celebrate. At the same time, anti-Semitic acts of violence do seem to be increasing, which gives one reason for both concern and precautionary measures. Last week the Anti-Defamation League released its annual survey of American anti-Semitic attitudes. It found that 12 percent of Americans hold such views. Obviously any racism, hatred or bigotry is too much—even though there always be some. Indeed, this represents roughly 30 million Americans – and the mark is much higher amongst African Americans (28 percent) and foreign born Hispanics (35 percent). Interestingly, at all age levels, men are more likely than women to hold anti-Semitic views. Still, in overall numbers, this is a… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/03/09 at 02:38 PM
Tevye As Teacher
How can it be that an “old, tired play,” one seen by everyone so many times, can still be performed so well and spark Jewish identity anew? I had that thought Tuesday night after taking my 11-year-old daughter to the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore to not only see “Fiddler On The Roof,” but to see the lead role played once again by the iconic Haim Topol in what is likely the last run in the role for the 74-year-old. The Israeli-born actor is of course not quite the young father he could easily portray back in the mid-60s when he started in the role. But that did not matter one bit. In fact, I think his beard and age simply made his message transcendent. And the play was straight forward. Fortunately, it did not get lost in a bizarre… read more
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/22/09 at 11:11 AM
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