Film on The New Yorker writer’s coverage of the Eichmann trial lacks some passion.
New theater troupe, a division of the Folksbiene, mounts second production digging into Russians’ complex background.
Learn the "Top 18" Kosher white, red and Israeli Wines, Read about the American kosher wine scene, Israeli wines and much more
Tourism booming in the Negev, that first teen roots journey, driving in Israel (really!), and more.
Esther, I am curious if you have read Nora Barrows-Friedman's piece entitled: "Amir, ten years old, abducted by Israeli soldiers from his bed." -- http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11120.shtml. This boy had to be hospitalized and was mute for several days after coming home as a result of the brutality he experienced.
In cases in Silwan of minors being seized B'Tselem has said, in urgent letters to authorities,"If any child from the neighborhood is suspected of having committed a criminal offense, he can be summoned for questioning in the presence of an adult on his behalf. Also, the questioning must be conducted by youth interrogators."
This has happened to minors as young as 12 but this ten year old and more recently an 8 year old have been seized in these middle of the night raids. The 8 year old Silwan child who taken by force from his parent's home is the son of Mofeed Mansour, if you would like to research the matter. There is not a lot of news about this incident from mid October so I include it as a story that would need further research. http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/israeli-terror-continues-to-target-children-in-east-jerusalem/
Don't you agree, Esther, that ALL children deserve the protection afforded them under the international rights of the child, all children, including supposedly stone throwing Palestianian children? I say supposedly because some of these kids say they weren't throwing stones and have no idea why they are suddently targeted. How many Israeli soldiers are killed by stone throwing children each year in Israel? Zero. Do abductions of aged 12 and under children from their parents' homes seem appropriate and proportionate to you? Did you do any research on these children to determine if there stories could be true, before you instructing everyone: "There's nothing to see here, they don't exist!" But they do exist. Don't you care at all about that? And I say "under twelve" not because 13 year olds are any less worthy of protection but because it's long been the tradition there to treat those 13 years olds as adults, while for under 12s, previously, there were some small protections that have apparently now been lost.
On the deepest level the question becomes do you care at all about the plight of children unrelated to you and yours.
Shall look forward to receiving The Jewish Week !
These settlements are located in the northern Judean desert, which is home to some Bedouins, but no sedentary Palestinians south of Jericho. It may be occupied Palestinian territory, but it is not part of any Palestinian "homeland" (in contradistinction to, say, Jaffa, Akka, Majdal etc). The green line was passed quite arbitrarily just north of Ein Gedi, in the middle of the desert; the Bedouins have always ignored it, just as nowadays they cross from Egypt to Israel.
In short, in my view these particular settlements have caused no harm to Palestinians. In fact there were some Jewish settlements there even before 1948 (Beit Ha-Arava) which were "dismantled" in the war.
Coming to New York soon? . . . Right now there are high-profile advertisements on Chicago's public transportation -- including large platform signs -- for the campaign "Be on our side. End U.S. military aid to Israel."
The campaign website: www.TwoPeoplesOneFuture.org
Hey Jonathan Mark,
Maybe if your tone wasn't so condescending and childish, Reform rabbis and others would give your opinions the time of day.
Jon
Don't be so gloomy.
There have been many instances where divided government has worked at least passably -- think about the last six years of the Clinton Administration. Each side has to be realistic about its chances to get its way without compromise.
A case could certainly be made that the current Administration was rather too aggressive in its approach and didn't take into account that most of the problems the nation faces need a broad consensus, not a bare majority or even barely sixty votes. Or you could say that the Republicans in the Senate overplayed their hand (House Republicans were non-players).
The results of the upcoming election will show (in part) who was blamed by the public for (whatever you want to say about) the past two years, and results of 2012 election will show (in part) who will be blamed if gridlock persists.
Jews need to show loyalty to the principles of the Torah - justice, justice shalt thou pursue - and not to a State that delegitimizes its non-Jewish citizens. Jews do not owe ANY allegiance to the "State of Israel". Yes, we need to pray and fight for the protection of our Jewish brethren throughout the world - but the policies undertaken by the "State of Israel" may very well be doing more harm than good.
I totally agree with your comment.
I find the tone of this article and ensuing commentary to be offensively narrow minded. True, in the world of online dating the specifications become more narrow and ridiculous, but it is, after all, just online dating, which we all know, simply sucks. However, I will hold up several examples in my own family-one cousin (Israeli) and one cousin American, both male, both late 30s/early 40s married women their very own age. They are both very attractive males, which I feel odd saying bc they're relatives of mine, but seriously above average. A friend of mine met the love of her life in her late 40s, my 60 year old cousin gets many dates from online (granted not the highest quality.) My only explanation is that insecure guys need the validation of the trophy, bc I have seen that bizarre inverse correlation of unattractive males expecting exceptionally attractive women. I do have to say to all of the above, please you're depressing me! And yes, in the world of the online you're going to encounter defensive, suspicious and socially mediocre types-just find other techniques to meet people, if the online world is so subpar.
The younger generation supports J Street while the older generation attacks them. We will win this argument through the passage of time.
Lisa-This is the definition of lashon ha-ra, and actual published lashon ha-ra yet. Knowing Rabbi Greenberg quite well, I can safely say that you took a challenging conversation and crafted an opinion of Steve's beliefs from it. And to put this in print, even in a comment section to an article, is pure slander. And I don't think Rabbi Greenberg said he wasn't challenging halakha. That's what rabbis do, they confront and challenge the system to have it address the concerns of living, breathing people. What he did say is that he isn't out to change the Torah. I believe you owe him an apology.
Jimmy, the peanut man, is a loser. He is, though, losing the distinction of being arguably, the worst president in American History. He is anti Israel and the Irish broad he thinks will give him credability, doesn't. Jimmy should make a graceful exit to his long undistinguished career. Jimmy is a legend in his mind only.
Sensitive and well-done. I know the same phenomenon.
"yoisef" you are the defintion of Ignorant. Yes ignorant, someone who doesnt Want to know the truth.
Do you think i would honestly CHOOSE to be gay, with people like you and so called "rabbis" like this disgusting deplorable man, rabbi greenberg had to deal with,
being gay is no more a choice, than being attracted to your lovely wife is,
as much as i can assume this will go right over your head,and the countless other frum people who think they know everything, and have the right to judge everyone, who they want to, you are completely and utter WRONG.
now instead of posting lies,, and links to criminal organizations, go home and enjoy your family, and be thankful you dont have to live every day, with the curse of being gay, in the frum community.
signed, a frum jew who is on the brink of leaving this rotten jewish community
im forced to be a witness to.
Well, I'm a Humanistic Rabbi (with ordination from HUC-JIR).
1) I grew up Reform and never heard the word collation except when we were putting calendars together.
2) Reform rabbis are Torah-phobic and rightly so. The Torah promotes racism, misogyny, genocide, rape and homophobia. I'm proudly Torah-phobic. I just wish Reform rabbis would admit it instead of pretending it's a useful source of moral authority.
3) I will happily call Islam homophobic. The Islamic world is unbelievably worse for gays than America. That doesn't mean America doesn't have problems with it, too. I will also happily call the Catholic Church and right-wing evangelical Protestants homophobic. And Orthodox rabbis, too!
Regardless of opinion: GOOD FOR YOU/THE PAPER for writing this...as you could have simply avoided the issue altogether! Kudos...and this is yet another reason why this is the best Jewish newspaper in the NY area.
It is incomprehensible to me that there are people that have never heard of Babi Yar. There has never been a more cold-blooded, calculated, inhumane perpetration of evil ever in the history of mankind, and that is a history riddled with bloodthirsty murderers. One of the most exacting descriptions I have ever read of Babi Yar begins on page 120 of the New York Times bestselling novel "The Kindly Ones" by Jonathan Littell in which you are treated to the gruesome details and philosophical contemplation of a participating Obersturmfuhrer. Chilling, emotionally unbalancing, horrifying in its detachment, unforgettable.
I thank you for your visit to Babi Yar and your remembering of the barbarous deeds that were perpetrated there. It is imperative that we never forget for all too soon those that survived will be gone and the revisionists of history will fill the air with their lies; they must never be allowed to prosper.
As General Counsel for the Chilean Fresh Fruit Exporters since 1985, the decision of the Chilean people to rally around President Pinera's bold decision to undertake the equivalent of a moon shot rescue came as no surprise. Nor was it surprising that the decision and the effort that followed was a "faith based initiative" of the highest order, but one grounded in a keen understanding of the science, technology and, more importantly, the gritty determination of a people that have built a thoroughly modern economy while retaining a deep spiritual tradition, predominantly, but not exclusively Catholic. As one in the process of converting to Judaism and having just returned from my first journey in Israel, I cannot help but see comparisons and contrasts between the two countries. Oddly enough, the Israeli state among its Jewish population is far more secular than Chile, at least in the formal aspects of religious observance. Both countries, however, are bound by a deep commitment to core values of community and ethics that sustain them in times of peril.
Perspective is everything. Try asking those questions when (God forbid) you're a divorced woman and you hit 55. Suddenly you're invisible, and the men in your age group only want women in their thirties/early forties. And the only older men who think you're young are in their seventies and eighties. Recently, a guy I met online (not on JDate, but through a mutual friend, no less) who's about to turn 50 asked me my age. I thought it was nervy of him, but figured lying would only come to light eventually, and I don't lie, so rather than dodge the question -- which would have left him guessing the worst, I'm sure -- I told him. (Like you, by the way, I look a lot younger than most people think women look at at my age.)
Surprise, surprise: this guy, with whom I was exchanging a good number of emails prior to Sukkot, who said he'd get back to me during chol hamoed? Nothing. Not even fake backing away. I've given up waiting. Sure, I told myself he's not worth it if he's capable of being that rude. But all the same, it hurts. And he considers himself Modern Orthodox, proudly observing all the holidays, etc. Hmm. So much for ahavat Israel in the singles world.
So good luck. Remember there are those of us out here wishing we were still 35. Or even 40.
Israel didn't take land from anyone. They were a nation legally established by the UN in 1948.
Rome beat Israel in battle and changed its name to Palestine. Many Jews left after this, but many stayed. Jews have been in Israel and other areas of the Mideast for thousands of years.
The Ottoman Empire took this area, then after WW1, lost this land to England, who divided Israel into two parts in the 1920s, one part of which became Arab, and is called Jordan, and the other that was supposed to be Jewish. England reneged on her promise to reestablish a Jewish nation until after WW2, when the UN established the nation of Israel, and Israel threw England out.
This 2nd part of Israel was further divided between Arabs and Jews. The Jewish part was again Israel, and the Arab part went to Jordan, a nation that is predominately Palestinian, but run by the Hasemite kingdom.
The King eventually threw Arafat and many of the Palestinians out of Jordan, but gave the West Bank, which it lost in war to Israel, to the Palestinians. The Palestinians then had to negotiate peace with Israel to attain it. The Palestinians also wanted East Jerusalem that had belonged to Jordan and that also was won by Israel in the same war that the Arabs had started, but lost. This is another negotiable item. If Israel had someone to negotiate with.
The baby that was "converted" is still not a Jew. Her mother is a gentile so the baby is a gentile. Only Jewish women can give birth to and raise Jewish children. Just another attack against Jewish women and Judaism!
I'll never understand why this surprises anyone?
Jason - Thanks for putting your foot on the gas. And for sharing The Social Sermon idea. I think one challenge is that congregations can't figure out how these tools are going to help them do anything better. It's just hard to change, so why change? The key is to show how it will help congregations be better, do more, do things more efficiently, make real impact. When enough can really answer that question, we will be able to articulate the opportunity cost of moving slowly. (Charles, I love those questions! Want to blog about it on JewPoint0?)
Jeremy,
Thank you for bravely sharing your story. You hit on vital issues of displacement and loneliness for individuals who feel they don't belong in a conformist community. No one should have to go through such an experience alone. Footsteps is proud to be amongst the organizations working towards rights and inclusion for all members of our community. I hope that your leadership sends a strong message to others who can identify with the isolation you described: there are others out there.
With deep admiration,
Lani Santo
Executive Director
www.footstepsorg.org
how do you get 6 - 8 servings of the soup with 3 cups of liquid?