by John Brown · Friday, December 31st, 2004
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky 1910-2004
bio ripped/condensed from wikipedia:
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky (May 23, 1910 - December 30, 2004), better known as Artie Shaw, was an accomplished jazz clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and writer.
He was born in New York City and began learning the saxophone when he was 15 and by age 16 he began to tour with a band. He returned to New York City and became a session musician. During the Swing Era, his big band was very popular with hits like “Begin the Beguine“. He was know for being an innovator in the big band idiom, at time usuing unusual instrumentation. His piece Interlude in B-flat was the first known example of what came to be known as Third Stream Music. He hired Billie Holiday as his band’s vocalist, becoming the first white bandleader to hire a black female as a full-time singer.
During WWII he enlisted in the U.S. Navy (along with his entire band) and served with them in the Pacific theater (similar to Glenn Miller’s wartime band in Europe). He spent approximately 18 months playing for navy personnel, sometimes as many as four shows a day. He received a medical discharge.
Shaw was married eight times. Among his wives were Betty Kern, daughter of songwriter Jerome Kern, and actresses Ava Gardner, Lana Turner and Evelyn Keyes.
In 2004, he was presented with a lifetime achievement Grammy Award.
Coverage: E! | SF Chron | Xinhua | IAfrica.com | BBC
by Mobius · Friday, December 31st, 2004
This being my first entry into this blog, I’ll leave off with political or otherwise personal stuff. Enough to point out that my day job is Communications Director for the Jewish Labor Committee, and in my “free time” I am, among other things, a Vice President of Meretz USA and a Senior Corespondent for LabourStart.
Among the Jewish organizations are seeking funds to assist in the relief effort:
- American Jewish World Service, (800) 889-7146. “AJWS supports almost 200 grassroots organizations in the developing world and Russia and Ukraine through grant making, technical assistance, emergency relief and advocacy. We also provide unique international service opportunities for the Jewish community, enabling Jews to play an active role in the process of meaningful social change. Last year we sent over 300 volunteers to the developing world.”
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, (212) 687-6200, ext. 889. “Since 1914, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. (JDC) has served as the overseas arm of the American Jewish community. Our mission is to serve the needs of Jews throughout the world, particularly where their lives as Jews are threatened or made more difficult. We sponsor programs of relief, rescue and renewal and help Israel address its most urgent social challenges. We are committed to the idea that all Jews are responsible for one another and that “To save one person is to save the world” (Mishna, Sanhedren 4:5).”
- B’nai B’rith, or by mail to the B’nai B’rith Disaster Relief Fund, 2020 K Street, NW, Seventh Floor, Washington, D.C., 20006. “Founded in 1843, B’nai B’rith International is universally recognized as one of the world’s largest and oldest Jewish human rights, community action, and humanitarian organizations. A constant source of innovation and charity for populations around the world, B’nai B’rith has founded hospitals, orphanages, senior housing communities, disaster relief campaigns, libraries, anti-hatred programs, and countless other initiatives in the public interest. B’nai B’rith is also a tireless advocate for Israel and the Diaspora in a variety of governmental and political arenas.”
- Chabad of Thailand, 96 Thanon Rambuttri, Bangkok, Thailand 10200. (”For U.S. tax deductibility, checks should be made out to American Friends of Chabad of Thailand.”)
“Welcome to the Jewish Community of Thailand”
- World Jewish Aid, Freepost WC1152, London NW1 2YW “World Jewish Aid’s appeal has cross communal support from: The Chief Rabbi with the United Synagogue; The Reform Synagogues of Great Britain; Liberal Judaism; The Assembly of Masorti Synagogues; The Spanish & Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, London; Tzedek; The Board of Deputies of British Jews; B’nai B’rith UK.”
Many local Jewish community federations, Jewish community relations councils and other local Jewish communal agencies are accepting donations. Please reach-out now, and if you have additional news/leads, add them as comments, below.
by The Town Crier · Friday, December 31st, 2004
The U.S. government calls him a terrorist and accuses him of working for and funneling money to Hamas. He is under house arrest in Alexandria, Va. And he’s one of seven candidates running for president of the Palestinian Authority. Meet Abdelhaleem Ashqar.
by John Brown · Thursday, December 30th, 2004
A serious-sounding disagreement has broken out between Israel’s Defense Ministry and the US Pentagon over Israel’s sale of Harpy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to China. Gideon Alon writes in Ha’aretz:
“According to media reports, Israel failed to report to the U.S. the complete details of an arms deal involving the sale of assault drones to China.”
James Besser writes in Jewish Week:
“[A] top Jewish defense analyst said the Harpy issue is just the tip of the iceberg. [...] Israeli officials, Jewish leaders here warn, may be ignoring the possibility the military technology they sell to China could end up in Iran — a major buyer of weapons from China.”
It reminds me of a famous quote from Mark Twain- “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
by Mobius · Wednesday, December 29th, 2004
JPost reports,
The Vatican newspaper has denounced what it called a decision by the IDF to deny emergency help to disaster victims in Sri Lanka.
Calling for “a radical and dramatic change of perspective” among people “too often preoccupied with making war,” L’Osservatore Romano singled out Israeli military leaders for declining a request for emergency medical help.
Contrary to the Vatican report, an Israeli plane carrying 80 tons of food and medical supplies worth $100,000 was set to depart for Sri Lanka Wednesday morning. At the request of the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, a team of some 150 Israeli medical and security personnel aborted their planned trip to the island nation Tuesday night.
More on that from Israpundit.
To lend your hand to the relief efforts, please contribute to Chabad of Thailand or The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.
On a side note, I’m pretty busy for the next week so don’t expect much bloggage out of me. But before I go, I just want to extend a brief apology to J and some of the other more rightward leaning commentators on this site. I find it very difficult to not take attacks on the political views I’m expressing personally when those attacks are often couched in very personal statements directed towards me. However, succumbing to the frustration exacerbated by the heated nature of such discourse, the manner in which I often respond to these challenges is not the most level-headed or productive. I should be above such responses, and I strive to be, despite losing myself at times. However, it should be known that the views I express are not always views that I myself hold personally, but views which I present to challenge those that you hold, for the sake of dialogue, and for the sake of learning. But in that, I would like to request that you maintain a degree of civility and distance when discussing these topics, and that you stop personalizing these issues in the manner in which you do. Baseless ad hominem attacks are entirely counterproductive, and if you really want to “win me over” all I can say is that you’re going about it the wrong way. If you are willing to approach dialogue with me with that level of common courtesy and respect in mind, I will extend the same to you. And in fact, even if you don’t and you persist in confronting me in such a way, henceforth, I promise to be more mindful in my approach to engaging with you.
Happy New Year, one and all. Oh, and uh, happy birthday to us. Today marks two years of Jewschool. For a site that started out more or less as a joke, we’ve come a long way baby.
by Ronen · Wednesday, December 29th, 2004
As I am currently visiting Israel, I thought I should drop a JewSchool line…
The other day I saw a photo exhibit in Tel Aviv’s Dizingoff Center, “World Press Photo ‘04″, featuring photography from around the world and a special section devoted to photos from Israel and the territories (you can get some info and see examples here.)
Suffice to say that it’s always fascinating to see the world, and especially the Israeli-Arab conflict, through the eyes of these journalists. The interplay between power and fear that is so central to this struggle is so clearly demonstrated in these images: the eyes of an Israeli soldier, a religious father whisking his daughter away from an attack, or Palestinians demonstrating against the IDF.
But most striking is that when you leave the exhibit (which, by the way, was generally depressing… there’s a lot of bad shit in this world), you are immediately struck by Israel’s commitment to normalcy– cafes, shops, kiosks– the stuff of daily life are generally unchanged by the conflict (except for maybe the extra security guards). Indeed, Israel is all about self-preservation. Maybe not always at the existential level, but at least with regards to the standards of day-to-day life. It’s sad to me that preservation seems to have required the complete domination of another people– I’m not always sure that’s true, but on the other hand, how else can you ensure the normal function of your society when you under constant threat and attack from a group of extremists with apparently no moral limits and no desire to achieve peace. A couple days later, in a hip Shenkin restaurant, my friend casually told me how she witnessed the attack on Sinai a few months ago… the juxtaposition is mind boggling.
Another friend mentioned to me that the mood has changed dramatically since the death of “the Asshole” as he referred to him. People are optimistic, but with a note of caution after the miserable failure of the Oslo process. No matter what, Israelis never seem to lose The Hope.
by Harry · Monday, December 27th, 2004
Jpost reports,
The haredi-controlled Jerusalem municipality has rejected a proposal to bring a replica of Rodin’s The Thinker to Jerusalem due to ultra-orthodox opposition.
“We cannot allow the placement of such a sculpture in a city like Jerusalem,” said Deputy Mayor Shlomi Atias (Shas). “If he was wearing a bathing suit, then maybe it would have passed, but he is totally naked,” he added.
While intelligent comments like the one above were being made by a deputy mayor, the official reason for the rejection according to a municipality statement is that they “couldn’t find private donors to cover the high cost of insurance and shipping for the sculpture – a total of NIS 550,000.”
Opposition leader, and hopefully next mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat said “that he could have predicted the “discriminatory” municipal decision to veto the placement of the sculpture in a nonreligious section of Jerusalem.”
“From my year-and-a-half acquaintanceship with the decision-making process of Mayor [Uri] Lupolianski I am not surprised, since he does not act as the mayor of all the people of Jerusalem,” Barkat said, bemoaning what he called “a blow to the pluralism of Jerusalem.”
Pluralism in Jerusalem my ass. Just last week Mayor Lupolianski was fined by the Jerusalem District Court for illegally allocating two public buildings to private haredi schools.
Full story.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
The Boston Globe reports,
As a boy, the Rev. William Sanchez sensed that he was different. His Catholic family spun tops on Christmas, shunned pork, and whispered of a past in medieval Spain. If anyone knew the secret, they weren’t telling, and Sanchez stopped asking.
Then three years ago, after watching a program on genealogy, Sanchez sent for a DNA kit that could help track a person’s background through genetic footprinting. He soon got a call from Bennett Greenspan, owner of the Houston-based testing company.
“He said, ‘Did you know you were Jewish?’ ” recalled Sanchez, 53. “He told me I was a Cohanim, a member of the priestly class descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses.”
With the realization that Sanchez was almost certainly one of New Mexico’s hidden or crypto-Jews, his family traditions made sense to him.
Full story.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
JPost reports,
Charles Dickens may have amended his classic Oliver Twist in response to a complaint that his depiction of Fagin, the book’s villain, was anti-Semitic, the BBC has reported.
It is believed that Dickens altered the final chapter of the book after receiving a letter in 1863 from Eliza Davies, wife of a Jewish banker, complaining of the “vile prejudice against the despised Hebrew.”
The letters were recently discovered and are held by the library of University College London (UCL).
Full story.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
The Forward reports,
B’nai B’rith International, a 161-year-old nonprofit organization and charity, is hardly known as a hip haven through which the new generation can connect to Jewish culture. That could change, however, if the organization makes the desired impact with its new 24/7, Internet-based Jewish-music radio station, www.bnaibrithradio.org.
Launched this fall, and boasting a play list of genres covering everything from klezmer, Yiddish and cantorial music to Israeli pop and hip hop, B’nai B’rith Radio is seeking, in the words of the organization’s executive vice president, Daniel Mariaschin, “to show that we are relevant and that we are speaking to the younger generations.”
Yeah, okay. Tune in and tell me how hip this station is.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
1500 people turned out for Matisyahu’s show at BB King’s in Times Sq. Saturday night, only 1000 being permitted to enter, and 500 sadly being turned away at the door. Huzzawhuzzawha? 1500 people!!! That’s right! One more example of why you should always try to score tickets in advance! Mat’s soon comin’ to your hood, so don’t get caught out in the cold.
Check out some of the action in this video clip, which features Dres of Black Sheep (you know, “Engine engine number nine, on the New York transit line…”) rhyming over Mat’s beatboxing.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
Finally offering a viable alternative to AIPAC and Hillel’s Israel on Campus initiatives for progressive college-aged Jews, a coalition of left-wing Zionist organizations have banded together to form The Union of Progressive Zionists:
The UPZ is a broad network of campus organizations whose main goal is to create a voice for Progressive Zionist students - those who support Israel as well as a two-state solution and an end to the occupation. The UPZ was created to fill a void that exists on North American college campuses today, where the only opinions that can be heard are either those of blind support for Israeli government policies, or those who challenge Israel’s right to exist.
The founding organizations of the Union of Progressive Zionists, Hashomer Hatzair, Habonim Dror, Meretz USA, and the Labor Zionist Alliance, have come together to build a national student organization that will promote dialogue, activism, and community building related to Israel and the ensuing conflict, to strengthen the voice of peace activists both on a grassroots and national level. Through speaker tours, conferences, and activism on both a local and national level, we hope to create a forum for students who care about Israel and believe in a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Click here for more details. (c/o Tom C)
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
Haaretz reports:
Five Jewish 15-year-old girls are to appear before a judge on Thursday, on suspicion of having taken part in a violent attack by more than a dozen youths on a Palestinian family from East Jerusalem.
Some 15 Israeli youths, apparently ultra-rightists marking the end of a Jewish fast day, allegedly assaulted the family in Jerusalem late on Wednesday.
The mother, father, and eight-year-old daughter were attacked while they were walking through IDF Square in the city.
Ah yes, because only Arabs teach their children hate.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
Female First reports:
Madonna has been named the worst rock star actor of all time.
The sexy singer topped a poll, conducted by music magazine Blender, to find fans least favourite musicians-turned-actors.
All the proof you need to know she’s not really Jewish. God forbid we admit that ourselves.
by Mobius · Monday, December 27th, 2004
This and mo’ in the Jewschool Sto’
by sarah · Thursday, December 23rd, 2004
J. Weekly shares the heartwarming tale (headwarming?) of a 23 year-old Bar Mitzvah kippah sold on eBay UK. The Scottish purchaser of the blue velvet yarmulke contacted the original Bar Mitzvah boy, 46 year-old Jonathan Charles Levine originally of Castro Valley, CA.
“The whole affair leaves more questions than answers,” Levine said, “some of them quite unsettling to the ego of the middle-aged bar mitzvah boy: How did the item make its way to the United Kingdom? Why did the agent of its transport deem it of such little value that it should be sold unceremoniously in this global flea market, together with the other flotsam of industrial capitalism? And most unsettling: Why did it only fetch the insulting price of 2.99 pounds sterling, which the seller had set as the minimum bid for the item?”
The jury is still out on whether the Bar Mitzvah boy has also located his cracking voice and braces.
by Mobius · Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
As an El-Al plane landed at Ben Gurion airport in Israel, the voice of the Captain came on:
“Please remain seated with your seat belts fastened until this plane is at a complete standstill and the seat belt signs have been turned off. We also wish to remind you that using cell phones on board of this aircraft is strictly prohibited.”
“To those who are seated, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and hope that you enjoy your stay … and to those of you standing in the aisles and talking on their cell phones, we wish you a Happy Chanukah, and welcome back home.”
(c/o Seth)
by Mobius · Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
Bloomberg reports,
In 35 years as Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat raised billions of dollars. He spent the fortune to wield power, to pay militants who attacked Israel and to invest in the U.S. and the Middle East.
Arafat used a holding company to buy stakes that ranged from $285 million in Egyptian mobile-phone company Orascom Telecom Holding SAE and its affiliates to some $30 million in private equity, mostly in the U.S. These included $3.2 million in Herndon, Virginia-based Simplexity Inc., which makes electronic-commerce software, $2.1 million in New York- and Boston-based Vaultus Inc., which makes software for wireless computers, and $1.3 million in New York-based Strike Holdings LLC, which owns the Bowlmor Lanes bowling alley in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
Arafat owned frickin’ Bowlmor?!! I guess that means The JCC in Manhattan has been funding terrorism with their singles events! Holy fuck!
