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NYPD surveillance; Anne Frank baptized (again); Shabbat buses; and more. [Required Reading]

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Courtesy. Professionalism. Respect. | Photo by Flickr user Giacomo Barbaro (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

NYPD tracked Muslim students, organizations [Columbia]

Recent news that the New York Police Department willfully performed surveillance on Muslim student organizations in the name of anti-terrorism measures has been met with harsh criticism by many. In light of the fears this news may provoke, the Spectator, newspaper for Columbia College, unpacks the threat to free speech that these “investigations” may have instigated, and their implications for the future.

“There, in Low Library, one of the students representing the ISO heralded terrorist actions like targeting civilians with missiles or suicide bombs as a legitimate form of resistance to the Israeli government. I was appalled that a fellow student would hold such views, but I would have been more appalled if that student had left her ideas unexpressed for fear of being filed away as a potential threat by the NYPD. The chilling effect that the surveillance program might have on campus speech would mean that such views would go unsaid, and thus certain ideologies left unexposed for the truly deleterious modes of thinking that they pose—something more harmful in the long run than a few dilettantes sitting around and speaking reverently of Sayyid Qutb.”

Anne Frank baptized… again? [Huffington Post]

Here at New Voices, we recently shared a story about the controversy surrounding the recent posthumous baptism of the parents of Simon Weisenthal. The Mormon Church had issued an apology for its actions, there was an understandable amount of criticism (an agreement between the Church and the Jewish world a couple years ago was to put a stop to this sort of thing). Apparently, not everyone got the memo, as the Huffington Post reports Anne Frank has been baptized again– her ninth baptism at the hands of the Mormon Church, if anyone’s counting. A church whistleblower provided Huffington Post with all the allegations.

“Radkey said she discovered that Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank, who died at Bergen Belsen death camp in 1945 at age 15, was baptized by proxy on Saturday. Mormons have submitted versions of her name at least a dozen times for proxy rites and carried out the ritual at least nine times from 1989 to 1999, according to Radkey. But Radkey says this is the first time in more than a decade that Frank’s name has been discovered in a database that can be used both for genealogy and also to submit a deceased person’s name to be considered for proxy baptism — a separate process, according to a spokesman for the church. The database is only open to Mormons.

A screen shot of the database sent by Radkey shows a page for Frank stating “completed” next to categories labeled ‘Baptism” and “Confirmation,’ with the date Feb. 18, 2012, and the name of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple.”

Tel Aviv makes move toward public transportation on Shabbat [Jerusalem Post]

While tension between traditionally observant Jews and modern communities doesn’t look to be resolved anytime soon, the city of Tel Aviv has ruled that it will offer public buses at various points around the city on the Sabbath. But the battle is far from over. The Jerusalem Post reports:

“A Transportation Ministry spokesman indicated Tuesday that the ministry would not approve Tel Aviv’s request. The Transportation Ministry will ‘not infringe [upon] the status quo which has been in place for decades regarding all aspects of public transport on Shabbat,’ the spokesman said.

Nevertheless, Huldai on Wednesday vowed to continue the mission to bring buses to Tel Aviv on Shabbat. ‘We must determine if we want to live in a democratic, Jewish state or a solely Jewish state – which will be similar to Iran,’ Huldai told Army Radio. ‘The citizens have the right to visit their relatives on Shabbat or go out for a trip,’ he added.”

Russia warns of the fallout of Israel – Iran conflict [Haaretz]

It looks like the string of international leaders urging Israel to avoid an all-out attack on Israel can add yet another name to its list: the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, who urged Israel to consider the nuclear fallout, and impact on international peace-keeping efforts, such a strike would have. Haaretz is there:

“‘Therefore I hope Israel understands all these consequences … and they should also consider the consequences of such action for themselves,’ Gatilov said at a news conference..

A top UN nuclear official said on Wednesday his team could ‘could not find a way forward’ in attempts to persuade Iran to talk about suspected secret work on atomic arms.”


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Posted in Abroad, activism, anti-Semitism, community, Culture, Diaspora, holocaust, Interfaith, iran, Israel, New Voices Magazine, Orthodoxy, politics, Reading List, Religion | No Comments »

Jews have a historical right to the land of Israel [Decent Dissent]

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

In his response to my op-ed, Harpo Jaeger touches on the issue of Israel’s treatment of Judea and Samaria – better known today as “the disputed territories.” Jaeger alleges that “millions of Palestinians…live under occupation” and that their lives are “endangered by checkpoints, raids and searches.”

I take issue with the allegation that millions of Palestinians live under occupation. From my understanding, Jaeger’s allegations dealing with the Israeli “occupation” of Palestine – a country that, by the way, has never actually officially existed – are rooted in an interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 242 and Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Resolution 242 mandates “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.” Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states “the Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” The term ‘occupation’ is defined as “the control of a country by military forces of a foreign power.”

Israel’s sovereignty in the West Bank does not constitute occupation. We, the Jewish people, are not “foreign” to the land of Judea and Samaria and are therefore not “occupying” any land that does not belong to us. We have legal claim, in addition to historical claim, to the entire country of Israel – Judea and Samaria included – as per the original League of Nations Mandate for Palestine (a document that was adopted by the UN and is still legally binding today) and Article 80 of the UN Charter.

In addition to the legal documents, the Jewish people have been present in the land of Israel for thousands of years. If Israel’s presence in the disputed territories does not constitute occupation, then Resolution 242 is not applicable in this instance.

Regarding the Geneva Convention: the  occupation exists when one sovereign state (referred to, in the document, as a “high contracting power”) takes over land belonging to another sovereign state.

This is not the case when it comes to Israel. “Palestine” never existed and Jordan only controlled Judea and Samaria between 1948 and 1967. The territories of Judea and Samaria were never officially a part of sovereign Jordan. If the Geneva Convention is also not applicable in this instance, then I fail to see which international laws Israel has violated through its continued presence in the West Bank.

Israel’s retaining control over the disputed territories is in its citizens’ best interests. Yes, there have been isolated incidents. Israel has in no way condoned these incidents and has expressed dismay at every loss of innocent life. At the same time, Israel needs to have control over the high ground in Judea and Samaria in order to preserve its tactical advantage over countries that seek to destroy it.

As for the security fence, there is documented proof that the fence and security checkpoints have helped prevent many terrorist attacks – suicide bombings and the like – that would have had a severe impact on innocent Israeli civilians.

The situation is hardly ideal. But that does not negate the fact that Israel is responsible for its citizens’ safety and must consider that point above the comfort level of civilians whose safety does not fall under its mandate. It is unfortunate that circumstances require such measures, but the Israeli government is tasked with protecting its innocent civilians. When those civilians are put at risk, Israel must react in whatever way it deems fit. Israel is still determined to bring peace, but will not do so at the expense of the safety of its civilians and its borders and, at this point in time, the real barrier preventing peace is the Arab States’ intransigence and blanket rejection of a Jewish State on any borders.

Giving up land will not get us any closer to a peaceful Middle East. One of the beliefs of the Islamic religion involves the creation of a Dar-al-Islam, a solely Arab world, in which the values of Shariah law are kept to the highest degree. At this point, the Arab states have made it very clear that they see Israel as a threat to, what they feel should be, a purely Islamic Middle East. In their founding charters, many of the terrorist organizations that are run as proxies of various Arab states, declare their goal to “liberate Palestine [through armed struggle],” presumably in order to realize their ultimate goal of creating a Dar-al-Islam within the Middle East (this specific quotation was taken from the Palestinian Liberation Organization Charter). Are we really supposed to believe that giving them a small portion of land will appease them, if they advocate for our total destruction?

We are fighting a war with very different rules from anything that we have come across before, and many of these “rules” defy our Western logic.

Let’s relate this understanding of the Middle East to the current issue of the Iranian nuclear program. The international community is currently trying to reason with the Iranian dictatorship by imposing sanctions as a deterrent to further development of the nuclear weapons program. The world is treating this situation similarly to its treatment of the situation in the 1980s, during the Cold War. The reason that, ultimately, no nuclear weapons were detonated, during the Cold War, is that the United States and Russia, both countries in possession of nuclear power, did not want the world to meet with certain destruction.

The situation today is totally different: Iran is a Muslim country with a Shiite majority. Radicalized Shi’a Islam believes in an “End of Days” type scenario. Shiites believe that provoking an event akin to an apocalypse will bring about the coming of the twelfth Imam: the ultimate messianic goal of Shiite Islam.

Iran wants to wreak devastation on the world. Bargaining and sanctions will not do anything to stop them. Is it any wonder that current United States policy, vis à vis Iran, has been ineffective? I disagree with Jaeger’s opinion on this matter: The only chance that the world has to prevent certain disaster is to take invasive action that will put a halt to the Iranian nuclear program.

I fail to see how encouraging Israel to give up its territory, to appease one of the powers that admits its goal is to destroy the entire country, is “acting in Israel’s best interests.” By definition, acting as a friend involves caring about that “friend’s” well-being. Giving up the land of Judea and Samaria is tantamount to Israel announcing its annexation to the Dar-al-Islam that the Muslim states are so eager to create within the Middle East. So yes, I completely agree with Jaeger: should Israel decide to realize its suicidal aspirations, it will have an amazingly helpful friend in the form of U.S President Barack Obama.

AUTHOR’S CORRECTION: In the original op-ed, it said the IAEA report stated Iran has enough nuclear fuel to build four nuclear bombs; this is an error. In reality, this fact was found in a different article, which has since been taken offline by the website that published it. This recent article from the Jerusalem Post cites similar information.

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Posted in iran, Israel | 1 Comment »

Boycotts and big people pants [Palestine]

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Last week, New Voices pointed out a report by +972 Magazine on Norman Finkelstein, Palestinian rights activist and controversial thinker. In a move that has surprised many, Finkelstein came out in opposition to the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions), which seeks to protest the conflict between Israel and Palestine through a variety of boycotts of Israel. Because of Finkelstein’s frequent criticism of Israeli policy, many were shocked to see him liken the movement to “Maoists.”

Political voice Noam Chomsky has had similar criticisms of the BDS movement, citing the “hypocrisy [that] rises to heaven,” and questioning why similar boycotts haven’t been leveled at the United States or parts of Europe due to human rights concerns. Chomsky went so far as to suggest the movement was calling for the “destruction of Israel.” Is Chomsky, or Finkelstein for that matter, right?

While no one can gauge individual motivations for persons in the BDS movement, the movement as a whole is going about its activism all wrong. Urging the self-determination of Palestine isn’t innately anti-Semitic. But cutting off, and in essence damning, the whole of the Israeli people because of the policies of the current (or past) administration(s), ignores and inflames an issue of great complexity. A crisis of this magnitude will never find itself bettered without an approach that is sensitive, subtle, and mindful.

Lumping the entire Israeli people together through calls for a wide-sweeping boycott is not the answer anymore than assuming every Palestinian is a terrorist who calls for the disbanding of the Israeli government; such categories are feeble in their ignorance.

We’re big people. We have to put on our big people pants and get our hands dirty, stop thinking in black and white and prepare to have our assumptions challenged. Punishing all for a situation many have been born into (whether Palestinian or Israeli) won’t solve anything. It will only compound social tensions a hundredfold.

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Posted in Abroad, activism, anti-Semitism, Arab Israelis/Israeli Arabs, community, Diaspora, Israel, New Voices Magazine, opinion, politics | 2 Comments »

Occupy Passover; ultra-Orthodox military draft; and more. [Required Reading]

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Ultra-Orthodox men in Jerusalem. | Photo by Flickr username asafantman (CC BY 2.0)

The responsibility of Jewish federations [Forward]

With the economic recession hitting many organizations, religious or otherwise, with hard times, leaders must make choices to ensure survival. But are some federations unfairly compromising the well-being of their employees in the process? The Jewish Daily Forward takes a look:

“In this flip exchange lies a serious issue. As our Nathan Guttman has reported, Jewish social service groups, along with other nonprofits seeking to cut pension costs, are using a controversial tax loophole to skirt federal rules that protect workers from being left with little or nothing if their retirement plans collapse. Among the Jewish non-profits availing themselves of what is known as the “church plan” are federations in Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Detroit, along with nursing homes and health care facilities.”

Occupy the Exodus 2012 [The Shalom Center]

Jewish groups around the country have responded to the Occupy movement with a certain degree of enthusiasm, incorporating religious projects within the framework of these social protests. Rabbi Arthur Waskow of Jewish Renewal now suggests that there’s no better time to explore the pressing social, economic, environmental, and spiritual crises of our age than at Passover. He’s putting out a call to religious leaders and active laypersons to participate in an Occupy Passover event:

“We hope that the immediate impact of this specific action will be to empower and strengthen the disempowered 99% of our society, and to help dissolve the overweening power of the 1% and their giant corporations — the Pharaohs and Caesars of our day. We hope to do this by evoking the soul-force (satyagraha, often mislabeled “nonviolence”) that is implicit in our religious traditions, and bringing them into active public reality again.”

Praise the Lord, pass the ammunition [Haaretz]

Since the Israeli Defense Forces have suffered a decline in numbers in recent years, new measures are being taken to concentrate draft efforts on members of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, many of whom have not served in the IDF before. But is the decrease a combination of ultra-Orthodox Jews avoiding the draft and the lack of new aliyah (immigration) candidates willing to serve? Haaretz reports:

“Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, ‘we enjoyed huge waves of aliyah that increased the number of new recruits,’ a personnel directorate official said. ‘This year saw a decline in the number of new immigrants, and that is the one factor that immediately influences the number of conscripts. Today’s situation − no aliyah and many ultra-Orthodox youths − can be directly felt.’”

Another voice calls for Israel to refrain from attacking Iran [Jerusalem Post]

With tensions between Israel and Iran the highest in years, governmental officials from the world over are asking Israel to avoid military conflict for the time being, until other efforts to quell the violence are attempted and seen through. The Jerusalem Post shares:

“British Foreign Secretary William Hague advised Israel on Sunday not to attack Iran, saying that the international sanctions against Iran should be given a chance to work.

His comments in a BBC interview came as US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem for talks focused on Iran.

Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the US put out a statement after that two-hour meeting, and Netanyahu said nothing about it – or the Iranian nuclear program – at a speech immediately after the meeting at the opening of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem.”


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Posted in Abroad, activism, community, Culture, Diaspora, Interfaith, iran, Israel, journalism, New Voices Magazine, Orthodoxy, passover, politics, Reading List, Religion | 1 Comment »

Houston in Israel; Jews and the New Testament; preventing war; and more. [Required Reading]

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Can Jews better appreciate the New Testament? | Photo taken by flickr username Wonderlane (CC BY 2.0)

Whitney Houston visited Israel, called it “home” [Jerusalem Post]

Upon the recent announcement of the passing of world-famous vocalist Whitney Houston, whose rocky past and relationships were once the focus of much media attention, the Jewish press took the opportunity to explore Houston’s trip to Israel in 2003. Specifically, Houston visited Dimona, spending some time with members of the Black Hebrew community. Of the trip, the Jerusalem Post reports:

“Accompanied by her husband, Bobby Brown, and a large group of family and friends, Houston traveled from Eilat in the south to Galilee in the north.

She was hosted by Sharon at his official residence in Jerusalem but pointedly avoided shaking his hand, letting Brown do so instead.

Asked by Sharon how she felt in Israel, she said: ‘It’s home! It’s home!’

Wearing bright red African clothing, Brown and Houston – who was then 39 – told Sharon they had come to visit friends and family in the Black Hebrew community. Houston said that while it was her first trip to Israel, she planned to come back and record a Christmas television special here – a promise she never fulfilled.”

Democracy and Jewish law: irreconcilable tensions? [Forward]

In a recent study by the Israel Democracy Institute’s Guttman Center for Surveys, some surprising findings about the Israeli perception of the compatibility of Western values and halakhah (or Jewish law) were uncovered. When asked where to side in a conflict between democracy and halakhah, only 44% of Israeli Jews said they’d choose democracy. Harvey Hames explores the implications:

“This disturbing state of affairs comes from a misunderstanding of what Rabbinic Judaism is all about, and it reflects the incredible success of the rabbis over 2,000 years of linking belief with religious observance. Rabbinic Judaism emerged in the period after the destruction of the Second Temple (along with Christianity) in order to provide a solution for a people bereft of worldly power, political independence and a central place of worship. The rabbis further developed ideas that had been circulating for a couple hundred years, one of which portrayed the divine being as the supreme judge before whom comes each and every individual to answer for his or her deeds. Instead of going to the temple and having the priest, the chosen mediator, offer a sacrifice in order to placate the divine entity, every act of the individual was now under the scrutiny of an all-powerful God who offered blessed eternity to those who did his will (that is, kept the commandments) and severe punishment for those that did not.”

Moving toward a renewed Jewish understanding of the New Testament [Forward]

While Jewish sentiment toward the New Testament has been host to a variety of reactions, author Jay Michaelson highlights a new book that encourages a deeper reading of a text undeniably influenced by Jewish thinkers. Can this analysis offer guideposts to a renewed appreciation of a book that has been the core of conflict between Jews and Christians for centuries? Using a critical Amazon.com review as a jumping off point, Michaelson responds:

“But you can understand the anonymous reviewer’s fear: As the joke goes, ‘Two thousand years of Christian love have worn down the Jews’ nerves.’ Despite being the younger religion, for many American Jews, Christianity is the bullying elder brother: stronger, bigger, dumber. As a people, we’re appallingly ignorant of the New Testament, in part, as that Amazon comment suggests, due to having the Good News shoved down our collective throats for hundreds of years.”

Can war with Iran be prevented? [+972]

With tensions between Israel and Iran reaching a boiling point, what hope does the peace process have of quelling a conflict that could change the face of both nations forever? Reporter Larry Derfner weighs in on the future, what might be done, and what war could mean for Israel.

“I imagine the day after the smoke clears, for however long it clears, when Israelis count their dead and realize they’re going to have to do it again in another year or two or three, and I wonder what it’s going to be like in the interim. I try to imagine a future in which Israel, believing it has no choice, starts one war after another after another whenever some Middle Eastern country decides it wants a fraction of one percent of the weaponry Israel has had for decades.”

 

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Posted in Abroad, activism, anti-Semitism, Arts and Culture, Blogs, community, Culture, Diaspora, Interfaith, iran, Israel, journalism, music, Orthodoxy, politics, Reading List, Religion, social media | 1 Comment »

Oprah and Chabad; Jesus for Hanukkah; and more. [Required Reading]

Friday, February 10th, 2012

 

Oprah goes Hasid [Chabad]

Visiting Hasidic communities in Brooklyn for an upcoming episode in her latest program, Oprah sat down for a special interview with Chabad Rabbi Motti Seligson. Oprah discussed misconceptions about the role of women in Orthodox Judaism, the importance of family, and living a life of meaning. When asked by Seligson what she would tell a “non-observant, or a non-traditional Jew who would be curious about exploring their traditions or heritage,” Oprah replied simply:

“Well, I think what I felt today is a closer connection to my own heritage and traditions. I said to the women at the end of the interview, ‘Everybody needs to examine for themselves.’ What I’m hoping will come out of this interview, this experience is that everybody watching will examine for themselves what that is in their own life.”

Santorum’s Jesus-lovin’ Hanukkah cards [Slate]

Whether in an attempt to convert the Jews on his mailing list, or– well, something else– Rick Santorum made a bit more news for his odd choice of Hanukkah cards this past holiday. The cards, which contain Jewish-themed images on them and an uncredited quote from Jesus, have left a few scratching their heads. Well-meaning mistake, or evangelical ploy?

What’s next for the Boycott Israel movement? [Forward]

As tensions rise over the effectiveness and ethics of endorsing a protest boycott of Israel, the Jewish Daily Forward analyzes the potential direction of the movement, including taking inspiration from historic protest strategies of American liberals.

“The movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel — long painted as a fringe group by the Israel advocacy community — is seeking to wrap itself in the mantle of the mainstream American left. At the movement’s first-ever national conference, presenters and attendees compared BDS to the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, the Cesar Chavez grape boycott and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, from which it draws inspiration.”

The puzzling case of the Bedouin [+972]

After years of rhetoric casting a tenuous light on Bedouin communities, the expected uprising (Intifada) never came. Even now, as many Bedouin anticipate relocation from their homes, the reaction has failed to live up to its hype. In an analysis of the hostile language employed by authors and political leaders, as well as the years following, +972 Magazine seeks to explore what is happening to the Bedouin.

“Israel has also fomented poverty in the Bedouin community. In the 1970s, the state built seven townships for the Negev Bedouin that are home today to approximately 80,000 Bedouin. These ghettos have the country’s highest unemployment and school dropout rates as well as the social problems that accompany poverty and hopelessness, including rampant drug abuse.

Those who remained in the desert have not had it much easier. Despite the fact that many Bedouin live in villages that predate the state itself, Israel does not recognize most of these communities. Some 80,000 Bedouin live in the unrecognized villages that lack infrastructure and high schools.”

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Posted in Abroad, activism, anti-Semitism, community, Culture, Israel, New Voices Magazine, Orthodoxy, palestine, politics, Reading List, Religion | No Comments »

Israel’s last day envisioned; UC Santa Cruz complaint; Labor strikes in Israel; and more [Required Reading]

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

An Israeli filmmaker envisions what Israel’s “last day” would look like, although takes many creative liberties while doing so. However unsettling the video may be, Uriel Heilman notes, it provides a thought provoking, yet unrealistic, depiction of what an attack on Israel and the response would look like. [JTA]

Members of the Jewish clergy have found new ways to cope with their student debt upon graduating by applying for federal loan forgiveness for employees of non-profit organizations. However, the Department of Education recently released new guidelines for who qualifies for this relief – and religious organizations are not on it, sparking an interfaith movement to change the law. [Huffington Post]

“In the small world of seminary training and professional religious jobs, the news that the public service loan forgiveness provision is not an option for religious workers has thrown a wrench in the plans of young pastors, rabbis, imams and other members a profession already known for low pay, long hours and high stress.”

George Clooney to star in new film about art experts chasing down works stolen by the Nazi regime. [JTA]

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, discusses why she filed a Title VI complaint against the university, alleging anti-Semitism against Jewish students. [Forward]

“Although he [University President Mark Yudof] implies that the primary target of my complaint is ‘abhorrent speech’ on campus, this is simply not so. Rather, my complaint focuses on university faculty and administrators who have regularly and egregiously abused their positions as employees of a public university and violated the tenets of their profession to promote their own virulently anti-Israel political agenda, which in turn has had deleterious effects on many Jewish students.”

The Histadrut labor federation, Israel’s main labor union, and the Israeli government fail to reach an agreement on contract workers, resulting in the first labor strike the country has seen in five years. [NYT]

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Posted in Campus, Culture, Israel, Reading List | No Comments »

Holocaust music video; Hadassah hassled; climate change; and more. [Required Reading]

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Holocaust music video resonates with online viewers. [YouTube]

In an effort to re-engage young Jews and others to the loss and legacy of the Shoah, an audiovisual collaboration between composer Cecelia Margules and director Daniel Finkelman is quickly making the rounds. Since January 25th, the YouTube video has received over 51,000 hits.

Hadassah organization investigating allegations of fraud [Forward]

Whistleblowing. Misuse of funds for buying favors. Two leading members of the Hadassah organization, an international collective for female Zionists, are under investigation following allegations of financial abuses. But that’s not all. The Jewish Daily Forward explains:

“The allegations came in a letter sent to the organization’s board members on January 12 by Larry Blum, Hadassah’s top staff member. Blum was placed on administrative leave in November amidst separate charges relating to his alleged misuse of his corporate credit card. He declined comment.

In his letter, Blum accused Hadassah national president Marcie Natan and former national president Nancy Falchuk of misusing Hadassah funds. Both declined to comment on the charges through a Hadassah spokesperson.”

Can Jews agree on climate change? [Zeek]

In an exploration of the scientific implications of continued global climate change on Israel’s environmental progress, author Jay Michaelson makes an argument for elevated, international, interdenominational discourse when Jewish groups talk about the natural world.

“In the Jewish community, climate change is often seen as a pressing problem, but rarely is the intersection with Israel mentioned. But it should be. Food prices were the ‘invisible hand’ that brought down Arab dictators, and food security and water security are pressing 21st century issues for Israel. Imagine if the Israel’s friends in America understood climate change not as a peripheral political or spiritual issue, but as a serious economic and security threat to the Jewish state – and helped persuade the United States to finally catch up to the rest of the Western world, ratify the Kyoto Protocol, and commit to reducing our wasteful emissions. A major strategic vulnerability could become a serious economic asset.”

Are Israeli liberals scared of religion? [Tablet]

If the Israeli left will continue to make an impact on the face of the nation’s political and social climate, it must do so in conjunction with the Jewish religion, says a new analysis. In a piece by Liel Leibovitz of Tablet Magazine, the deteriorating comfort level between Israeli’s left and Jewish practice is explored.

“It’s easy for me to understand Misgav and Levy. Like them, I consider myself a proud member of the battered and decimated tribe known as the Israeli left. Like them, I look with horror as brutes of all stripes—from hill-dwelling Jewish terrorists to Avigdor Lieberman and his comrades in Knesset—trample democracy’s core values. But in their disdain for and fear of religion, Misgav, Levy, and the lion’s share of the Israeli left fail to understand not only their past but also, more troubling, their future. Unless the Israeli left learns how to stop fearing and start loving—or at least understanding—religion, its chances of advancing a popular agenda are slim.”

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Posted in Abroad, activism, Arts and Culture, community, Culture, Diaspora, Editorial, holocaust, Israel, journalism, music, opinion, politics, Religion, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Rabbis respond to price tag graffiti attacks; State Department issues new guidelines for tourists in Israel; Kosher Valentine’s Day; and more. [Required Reading]

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

After a series of hateful “price tag” graffiti attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Rabbis for Human Rights are planting trees in the village of Al Jenia, near Ramallah, in honor of Tu B’Shevat. [+972]

Jason Diamond notes Fashion Week’s revival of classic ‘Ivy League’ style, and reveals the all-American preppy look’s Jewish roots. [Tablet]

“The Jewish influence on menswear in general is well-known, from wholesalers peddling the fabrics that make ties, shirts, and slacks, to the tailors and the retailers and the designers themselves—Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, and of course, Ralph Lauren (né Lifshitz) continue to define modern fashion. But Jewish designers’ role in creating the Ivy League look has a distinct context, because these designers created the signature style for a world that wouldn’t admit them.”

The U.S. State Department revised its travel recommendations for Israel, encouraging tourists to dress modestly, especially when visiting old Jerusalem and ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. [JTA]

Stumped for what to do on Valentine’s Day? Edmond Rodman offers some ‘kosher’ options. Warning: Bubbe may not approve. [JTA]

“At first blush, a sex toy web site operated by an Orthodox Jew might seem unusual, but Jews and sexual aids go way back. In the Bible, Rachel, the barren wife of Jacob, asked her sister Leah for some mandrakes, a root found in the Middle East that may have had aphrodisiacal qualities.”

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Posted in Israel, Orthodoxy, Reading List | No Comments »

Day school decline; Madonna plays Israel; and more. [Required Reading]

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Madonna scheduled to begin world tour in Israel. | Photo by Flickr username Crazy-Heart (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

What is beautiful to the Jews? [Tablet]

How should Jews respond to the work of great Western classical composers, when so much of their work is rooted in a Christian understanding of the world? Is there an “appropriate” response, or does it really even matter? David Goldman explores the relationship between a Christian conceptualization of beauty and aesthetics, and that of the Jewish people.

“This past July, I dined in a kosher restaurant in Vienna with a young priest from an Austrian Stift who is finishing his studies in philosophy in Rome. As we finished the wine, Father A. challenged me: ‘What is your definition of beauty? My opinion of you will depend a great deal on your answer.’ That is an important issue for Catholics, who believe that an earthly institution, namely the Church, holds the keys that unlock what is locked in heaven. If that is possible, God must make himself knowable in some way to humans, for example, by taking human form. One of these ways is beauty.”

Unidentified chemicals used at car checkpoints on Palestinians [+972]

What sorts of devices are being in Palestinian cars during predetermined Israeli checkpoints, and what security purpose do they serve? Haaretz explored this question in a recent article, but +972 has added a few more details to the story with a personal account of the device (and the inspection).

“The checkpoint examination usually goes like this: There are about six lines of cars going out through the checkpoint. At each line, there are one or two ‘security’ officers that ask for IDs, and decide whether the car and its riders do or do not constitute a major threat to Israel’s ‘security’ and ‘existence.’ If they do not, the officer gives the car a white ticket, which means they are done with the ‘security’ check. If they do, then the car gets a green ticket. Once you get the green one, you have to go to the far right line for a special check. You are asked to open all doors, take out all your belongings and go through a physical check while the car is separately searched.”

Pointy bras and kabbalah: Madonna to launch world tour in Israel [Jerusalem Post]

It looks like Israeli fans of Madonna will get the first look at her new worldwide stage show, which launches at Ramat Gan Stadium in late May.

Jewish day schools take bold financial steps to make programs affordable [Forward]

With threats to the survival of the day school program for many Jewish communities, some leaders are trying secure the continued use of the programs and make them as open as possible: all this in light of discouraging downward trends for Jewish day schools in general.

“According to recent Forward analysis of reports by the Avi Chai foundation, non-Haredi day schools are in a state of stagnation or decline. The Schechter Network of Conservative Judaism has lost 20 schools and 35% of its enrollment since the late 90s. Unaffiliated schools, commonly known as community schools, are barely holding steady. For day school proponents, the shrinking numbers and shuttered institutions represent a blow to the idea behind Jewish education, the notion that Jewish day schools are a key to Jewish continuity.”

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