by Mobius [➚] · Saturday, June 25th, 2005
The BBC reports,
A group of progressive Christians in the US have launched a new political movement to counter what they describe as the power of the religious right.
The Christian Alliance for Progress aims to “reclaim Christianity” and influence the political agenda.
“We can no longer stand by and watch people speak hatred, division, war and greed in the name of our faith,” said Patrick Mrotek, the Alliance’s founder.
The body joins other liberal religious groups formed around the 2004 election.
Visit the Christian Alliance’s website here.
by Mobius [➚] · Friday, June 24th, 2005
Arutz Sheva reports,
As parades filled the streets of Jerusalem Monday – Jerusalem Day – the reestablished Sanhedrin convened in the city to elect a Nassi and representatives to lead it.
The current format of the Sanhedrin is an attempt to renew the historic Sanhedrin, Judaism’s highest legal-religious tribunal during Holy Temple times. The 71-man assembly convened in one of the Holy Temple chambers, and existed from several decades before the Common Era until roughly 425 C.E. The renewed body was launched last year in Tiberias, now convenes in Jerusalem, and is still struggling to gain wide acceptance and legitimacy in the Torah world.
[...]
Since the current Sanhedrin’s launch, it has been in a transitional stage as it gathered support and sought to rebuild the institution in accordance with Jewish law. A temporary Nassi had been appointed, but the mandated period came to an end, and so it was decided at the court’s last meeting that as the Sanhedrin moves into its next stage, it must become autonomous from the original founding committee and elect permanent officials. Rabbi Even-Israel Steinzaltz was chosen as Nassi.
[...]
Rabbi Steinsaltz was reluctant to accept the position of Nassi, saying there are much wiser and more capable people among the group and among the Jewish people. “The purpose of the Sanhedrin is to bring unity to the nation,” Steinsaltz said, as he emphasized the unique ability of Jerusalem to bring the Jewish people together.
“The fact that he is not chasing after the honor of the position is exactly what makes him the best one for the job,” another Sanhedrin member told those present.
Full story.
by John Brown [➚] · Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005
“The Air Force team was appointed to investigate the religious climate at the 4,300-student [Air Force Academy] in Colorado Springs, Colo., after hearing complaints that evangelical Christians wield so much influence at the school that anti-Semitism and other forms of religious harassment have become pervasive.”
“Mikey Weinstein, an academy graduate and a lawyer in Albuquerque, said that his son Curtis – a sophomore at the academy – had been called a “filthy Jew.”
Full story here and here
by Moishe Oofnik [➚] · Tuesday, June 21st, 2005
Haaretz reports:
Police before dawn Tuesday arrested 11 West Bank settlers after receiving information they were gathering roadspikes and ninja throwing stars in preparation for anti-pullout demonstrations planned for Wednesday.
Full Story.
by Benyamin [➚] · Monday, June 20th, 2005
Boteach on Batman.
by Mobius [➚] · Monday, June 20th, 2005
by Mobius [➚] · Monday, June 20th, 2005
In a soon-to-be-published interview with an unnamed Jewish publication, child star Corey Feldman spills the beans about his involvement with The King of Pop and his recent trial.
“That whole thing needs to be cleared up,†he said. “There’s things that happened that made me uncomfortable—not then, but as an adult looking back. And I thought that was relevant. The DAs were tracking me down, Michael had his private investigators tracking me down. Everyone wanted me to take their side. All I wanted was to stay neutral. I made the decision to cooperate with the police because that’s the proper thing to do. I also kind of manipulated a little bit because basically, the number one principal reason for me to go in and talk with the DA was so that I could get a subpoena and a gag order ‘cause the second I had a gag order—that would give me the privilege to tell everybody: I’m not talking. I can’t talk. All I was trying to say was there is some stuff, I might be able to help out on either side, but I don’t know. All I know is that I’d like to stay out of it.â€
Yeah, I thought it’d be ‘jewcier’ too… Anyway, be on the lookout for the rest of the interview sometime in the coming couple months.
by Mobius [➚] · Friday, June 17th, 2005
Matisyahu’s all set to tour this fall, with new dates announced on his website this morning. In addition to his September shows, he’ll be spending August on the road with Trey Anastasio of Phish, doing five appearances in Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis!
Also posted to Matisyahu’s site today is a dub remix of his immensely powerful track, “Warrior”, by famed reggae producer Bill Laswell, the same man entrusted by Island Records to handle the dub remixes of Bob Marley’s work released in 1996. Download it here.
by Benyamin [➚] · Friday, June 17th, 2005
Everyone’s favorite spiritual guru Shmuley Boteach is claiming to have more than 30 hours of taped conversations with Michael Jackson which he hopes to compile into a tell-all book. Further proof in our case for Shmuley.
by sarah [➚] · Thursday, June 16th, 2005
Radar Magazine has concluded an investigation into the Kabbalah Center, and guess what? They found that it shares characteristics of a cult. Not all of this is news, to be sure, but this is a juicy-ass story in three parts with lots of fun writing. Some of my favorite allegations:
• The Centre’s solicitation of freelance ghostwriters on the website Craigslist, to help the Bergs write “scholarly†books on Kabbalah, some of which the writers are encouraged to model on new-age best-sellers.
• The Bergs’ luxurious lifestyle, in stark contrast to the bleak four-to-a-bedroom conditions and $35-a-month stipend they offer the full-time volunteers who cook and clean for them.
• The bizarre scientific claims made by the Centre’s leaders on behalf of Kabbalah Water, ranging from its ability to cleanse the lakes of Chernobyl of radiation to its power to cure cancer, AIDS, and SARS.
• The Centre’s sponsorship of the Oroz Research Centre, a “23rd century†scientific institution that markets a “liquid compound for the treatment of nuclear waste†that also cures gynecological problems in cows, sheep, and other farm animals.
• The Bergs’ failed attempt to lure Madonna to partner with them in a venture to repackage Kabbalah Water for the mass market.
I’m just pissed that I didn’t find that Craigslist post for writers before all this press broke.
Part One of the story here (c/o Boing Boing)
by Benyamin [➚] · Wednesday, June 15th, 2005
A long and winding conversation with author Sam Apple and Hans Breuer, the subject of Apple’s Schlepping Through the Alps about a wandering Austrian shepherd who doubles as a Yiddish folk singer. The discussion meanders from the serious (lingering German anti-Semitism) to the mundane (the intellectual statements of a toilet with a wrinkled copy of “The Brothers Karamazov” resting atop it.) Enjoy.
by Moishe Oofnik [➚] · Wednesday, June 15th, 2005
A new campaign titled Back To Israel declares that “on 17.06.05 we will fight for democracy in Israel”:
What is the ‘Back to Israel’ Initiative?
The National ‘Back to Israel’ Day: Saving Israel’s Democracy by Fighting the Occupation will create a central stage for all of Israel’s civic organizations delivering the key message to the broad public: Israel’s democracy is at risk due to the occupation.
If you are currently in Israel, it is probably worth attending the event taking place this friday. The coalition organizing the campaign includes organizations with very conflicting agendas, and it is precisely for this reason that the event will be an interesting one. It is very rare to see groups such as New Profile and Yesh Gvul work together with Yachad – the new “Social Democratic Party”.
The reason such a cooperation is possible lies in the message the different groups united around. This message is considerably radical, though it doesn’t spell out what some of the more radical leftist groups consider to be evident – that a democratic regime over a limited part of the population under Israel’s de facto countrol for almost half a century is not enough to entitle Israel to be called a democracy. But the fact that such a coalition united under the call to save democracy is still impressive because it is a recognition that occupation and democracy cannot be reconciled.
This is a very important step for the anti-occupation left, who focused up until now on the humanitarian and economic price the occupation costs for both sides. Since I had nothing to do with this campaign I can only guess it is a reaction to two things: 1. The war in Iraq and its so-called democratic imperialism. Everybody’s talking about democracy in the Middle-East, so why not hop on the wagon? 2. The discussion of a binational or one-state solution, which frames the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in democratic terms.
It is worth noting that such events demonstrate the ability of more radical groups to promote their agenda in what is considered to be “mainstream” anti-occupation left.
Response to The Disengagement Game: It is important to know that the more radical activists in the coalition, such as New Profile, found the game mentioned by Mobius below to be unsensitive and hypocritical. To read a response in hebrew, go to Haokets website and scroll down until you find the article by Yael Barda. Unfortunately it is in hebrew only.
by Mobius [➚] · Wednesday, June 15th, 2005
It’s about a week old, but Ynet reports,
A plurality of Europeans believes Jews are not loyal to their country and that they have too much power in business and finance, a new poll released by the Anti-Defamation League [shows].
Europe, antisemitic? Heh. You don’t say. You needed to waste money on a poll to figure that out?
But this information is made somewhat relevant in light of a another poll to be unveiled by Frank Luntz at The Israel Project’s upcoming seminar in D.C. later this month.
In extensive research conducted for the report, Luntz found that students in America’s most elite graduate programs are misinformed about the Arab-Israeli conflict, hold negative attitudes toward Jews and even justify suicide bombings.
[...]
“America 2020″ is based on face-to-face group interviews with almost 150 randomly selected students under age 30 attending the top graduate schools in America—including the top business school, the top law school, the top school of government and the top school of journalism. For the report Luntz talked to students in five mind-shaping centers in America: Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles. From Harvard, MIT, and Columbia to Georgetown, George Washington, and Johns Hopkins to UCLA, the University of Chicago and Northwestern, the students in the study are already opinion-influencers. Tomorrow they will be opinion leaders, and by 2020 they will be the decision-makers.
“Never in the modern history of the Jewish State has there been more outspoken public opposition on elite college campuses to the basic principles and tenets of Israel,” Luntz wrote in the report. “To be brutally frank, if current attitudes are not reversed, America’s core commitment to—and alliance with—Israel may not survive.”
It doesn’t seem like America’s core commitment to Israel is surviving as it stands. As The Middle writes on Jewlicious, things are gettin’ mad icy over Israel’s improper business practices, not to mention, the Bush administration hasn’t exactly been Israel’s best friend with regards to its policy decisions (“Jesus Landing Pad” notwithstanding).
In his report, Luntz, a frequent pollster for the Republican party and Bush administration, brings frantic attention to the following statement from a Harvard Law student: “I think that what Israel’s doing to the Palestinians is effectively what was done to the Jews in Europe during World War II. I understand they’re living in a regime of terror, but frankly, if I were a Palestinian, I don’t know that I wouldn’t strap on a bomb and go and kill myself.”
Er, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s said the same thing, hasn’t he? That if he were Palestinian, he’d be a terrorist? The same article notes former IDF Intelligence Chief Shlomo Gazit also, “compared the kippot of religious soldiers to the swastikas worn by Nazi soldiers.” So this girl holds the same position as the former Israeli Prime Minister and Intelligence Chief of Staff? Pardon me, but what’s all the freak-out about?
Here’s an idea. Among the conference’s other speakers is Bill Kristol, crown prince of Neoconservative punditry, and editor of Fox NewsCorp’s “esteemed” publication The Weekly Standard. An understanding of Kristol’s ideology, Neoconservativism, may just offer a little insight:
So, where exactly do they derive their ideology? We know Strauss gave birth to this brood, but where did he get his ideas? Well, the Sermon on the Mount reference was no joke. Ditto the Mount Olympus thing. Strauss and acolytes like Alan Bloom and Albert Wohlstetter, ex- of the patient zero of conservative think tanks, the RAND Corporation divined their world view from The Ancients, as they like to call them–The Persians, Greeks and Romans on through to renaissance thinkers, but mostly the Greeks.
The neos’ infatuation with this Nico-Manichaeanism–I guess what you’d call a hybrid of Machiavelli’s power ideas blended with those of Manes of Persia, and then the Greeks–a bright line view of the world as Good or Evil, Light or Dark–is clearly apparent in their domestic and foreign policy beliefs and execution, if, as I said, you know what you’re looking for. It’s explained better than I ever could here:
Manichaeanism holds that principles of Light and God contend with Darkness and Matter for hegemony over the cosmos. Human beings in bondage to Darkness and Matter can free themselves to unite with Light and God through severe ascetic practices and adherence to the teachings of the Manichaean elect, who shall one day be united with the Light. Manichaeanism thrived in the ancient world as a missionary religion. Augustine of Hippo was attracted to the Manichaeans in his youth before becoming a Christian.
Yeah, that Augustine, the big guy: Saint Augustine. Before he sobered up. And yes, “The Manichaean Elect.” That would be first, the Strauss-Kristol-Wohlstetter Axis, then the Cheneys, Perles, Wolfowitzes, and the whole AEI crew. A witches brew of creeds, colors, spotty track records and cranky authoritarianism, here to save us from ourselves and our flabby thinking.
Ah yes. They’re here to rescue us, making comparisons of the estate-tax to the Holocaust as they drop bombs on brown people; all the while Europe, as Foxman’s poll suggests, the liberal masses, and traditional antisemites pronounce the war is for Israel’s sake, inflaming antisemitic sentiment. (Seen what David Duke’s up to lately? First person on the left look familiar, Bill Kristol? Thanks for all your help!) Who could blame ‘em with these fools running their mouths off?
The whole Neocon strategy is to use the lexicon of “good” and “evil” in order to play upon people’s emotions and sweep them into action. It doesn’t use rationalle, it uses fear-mongering. And the fear they’re playing up, and the tension they’re directly exacerbating whether intentfully or unwittingly, is antisemitism. Being that Jews are a powerbase, financially and politically, this looks more like an attempt to indoctrinate Jews into supporting the Neocon agenda than in trying to build real support for Israel (which should come on merit, not on agenda and ‘interest’). These folks coopt real concerns about antisemitism to tarnish opposing political groups, associating those groups’ dissenting views with antisemitism.
But while antisemitism is undoubtedly a concern to be addressed, so is Israel’s actions in the Occupied Territories and in its trade practices, selling weaponry to nations with attrocious human rights records (a subject TM doesn’t even breach while justifying Israel’s relationship with China*). Disbelieving in the rhetorical stance of the Right on this subject does not, however, make one an antisemite, nor does having well-educated “future leaders” disbelieving make for a “chilling” trend. It means people aren’t willing to give Israel a free pass, and frankly, as history should teach us, no occupying power ever should be given one.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a black and white issue, it’s an incredibly nuanced one, and the platitudes of “good” and “evil” are entirely insufficient when wading through such murky territory. This makes the Neocon position an incredibly dangerous one, and one, I believe, we’re best off steering clear of.
After all, what’s so bad about being weaned off of America’s teat, anyway? It’s but a rivulet managed by the House of Saud and fed by defense contractors and Jeebus freaks. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, but enough of this “client state” idiocy already. Zionism is supposed to be a movement for the Jewish people’s self-determination. I don’t see how that’s embodied in having the U.S. dictate Israel’s policy by Israel’s being economically dependent upon it. It’s not like they’re supporting the Jewish Left’s agenda, or the Jewish Right’s. They’re just pushing their own.
It’s a little too Herodian for my taste.
(*TM—Better we should be linked to an ascending world power like China than America? Oftentimes I’ve heard the reason that Palestinians don’t “fit the category” of a ger is because they sacrifice their children. And the Chinese don’t? The only values the two nations have in common is occupation and repression of dissent.)
by Mobius [➚] · Wednesday, June 15th, 2005
Organizers of this Friday’s upcoming “Day Against Occupation and for Democracy” demonstration in Israel have created an online game in which visitors must remove West Bank outposts before they turn into full-fleged settlements.
Ynet reports,
To remove a caravan, the player need only click on it once, but when the caravan turns into house, two clicks are necessary to remove it. The game gets trickier when it comes to removing a settlement guarded by soldiers.
“To get rid of a settlement, you have to drag back the poor soldiers who have to guard it back across the Green Line — to Israel,” the game explains.
The game’s left-wing developers do have their limits, though: Those who toss Israeli soldiers into the sea do not get any points.
Click here to play! (c/o Arieh & Khen)
by Ari [➚] · Tuesday, June 14th, 2005
Leslie Bunder, who already does a radio show in the UK and is a major force behind “somethingjewish.com” announces to the Jewish-Music list:
If anyone has a Jewish music blog, then you may like to submit it to a new site we have just put into beta – JewishBlogging.com
We already have a couple of Jewish music blogs indexed, but are there any we are missing? [He already lists the KlezmerShack and Jew*School and the Jewish Music WebCenter. There are more needed? ari]
JewishBlogging.com is from SomethingJewish and offers all bloggers the opportunity to get their blog indexed.
And if you know other Jewish blogs who should be featured, then let me know.
by Mobius [➚] · Tuesday, June 14th, 2005
by Mobius [➚] · Friday, June 10th, 2005
So Christianity Today has picked up the 50 Shekel story, and couldn’t help but seize on the opportunity to exhibit the very worst of Jewish reactionaryism: A quote from a Jewschool reader who wrote, “Kill him. These Jews for Jesus give me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can’t even describe the sheer and utter disgust and contempt I feel for these heretic mamzers.”
So much for interfaith dialogue.
Look, this guy doesn’t speak for everyone, and his words were damn harsh. He obviously has — in the words of Hunter S. Thompson — “no faith in the inherent decency of the white man’s culture.” But at least try to understand where he’s coming from. If I may be as so bold as to speak on behalf of the Jewish people for just a minute (for the obvious irony of the fact that no one has the right to):
Dear Christians,
It’s not that we think you’re terrible people or anything. It’s just the Jesus thing really. Well, that and the persecution.
Just stop trying to redeem us! That’s the problem with Messiahs, and why we kept rejecting them — including yours. Messianism always tends to take the yoke of personal responsibility off the individual and places it upon some lofty mythical figure who’ll descend from the heavens and make everything all right.
Look, we pray for Moshiach, but considering he’s merely alluded to in one of the later volumes of prophetic writings, the role of a saviour isn’t exactly one central to our theology, Chabadniks aside. Despite the addition of messianic prophecy to Rambam’s 13 Principles of Faith, our religion is most directly concerned with taking practical steps towards insuring the existence of a just society, which is incumbent on being a just and righteous people. Our system ain’t perfect, but when it works, it works miracles. In that sense, The Kingdom of Heaven is just a lofty metaphor for seeing that rather daunting feat manifest. We pray for redemption — but only the foolhearty think it’s really gonna come (even if, “on paper,” we have to). We’re more focused on redeeming ourselves, with the practice of Judaism.
All this ultraserious nonesense about “missing the bus” and whatnot — really, it’s a moot point. I could care less if the countdown to extinction is ticking away. What does accepting Jesus into my heart have to do with the price of tea in China? Is it so relevant that you’ll posthumously baptize deceased Holocaust victims, solicit souls in the subways, or send covert ops on birthright israel trips? I mean, give me a friggin’ break here!
What bearing does believing in Jesus have on putting food on your table, being good parents, taking care of the disadvantaged, and so forth? Couldn’t Jesus have just been a rabbi teaching these values without having to fulfill some bunk prophecy so abstracted and overwraught with exegesis that there are entire libraries filled with examination of the utter minutae of a slice of text that doesn’t even discuss an obligation that God commanded you to fulfill?!
All the time you spend arguing text to us — the people who invented arguing over text — you could be organizing Food Not Bombs kitchens and doing direct action to feed the homeless! Rather, you elect war profiteers to crusade towards Armageddon (which, by the way, ain’t in our books)! You should be saving the environment and standing up for civil rights, not enthroning their destroyers! After all, what would Jesus do? Bash queers and clearcut old growth forests? He defended the humanity of a hooker to an angry mob for Christ’s sake! He was a fuckin’ granola eater! Eat the granola! The planet is dying and taking us with it!
Face it, under historical scrutiny, it’s obvious that Christianity as it exists is just a perpetration by the Roman establishment which was losing its grip due to its own corruption. They needed a new myth, and coopted the greatest story ever told — ours. That story includes early Christianity, which was a Jewish sect none too different from some which exist today. (And on that note, all disciples think their Rebbe is Moshiach. It’s “The Law.” Sanhedrin 98b to be exact.) But our version of events sure ain’t the same as yours.
Which isn’t to say that Christianity isn’t chockfull of nuggets of wisdom and good moral lessons. It is. But so were all the myths and customs of the indigenous tribes Christianity wiped off the face of the Earth in its conquest to fulfill some bullshit prophecy, or to make a buck in the name thereof. No matter how kick-ass Southern gospel music is, I can’t tell you how I shudder when I see black missionaries in the subway reeking of Stockholm Syndrome. It’s why I have a soft spot for The 5% Nation of Islam. To quote the Flannery O’Connor character Hazel Motes, in the most brutal of terms and with the same voracious honesty, “Jesus is a trick on niggers.” Thankfully we have five millenia of teaching to keep us from falling for it.
Look, if Christianity helps you be a good person, kol hakavod, more power to ya. But when you start hanging it over our heads like you’ve got the hot shit we’re sleeping on, you can save it. Stop taking advantage of hapless kids like 50 Shek. What he needs is a hug, not Jesus.
Oh, and please stop making friends with the religious right in Israel. These people are trying to spark a holy war which really isn’t going to end up being very pleasant for anyone involved.
Really, if you’re committed to the service of God, and you’re truly devoted, you’re better off dropping the whole “Christ” baggage. It ain’t worth the hassle. We got the good shit you’re looking for, and we’ve got it on lockdown. Just ask Madonna. (And she doesn’t even have a clue! It’s a strange time when Kabbalah becomes the surface and Torah is the depth.)
Besides, I know some very important people who would be more than happy to have you join the tribe…
Love and kisses,
The Youngin’s of Zion
by John Brown [➚] · Friday, June 10th, 2005
“When relatives of Vivian Shulman Lieberman went to visit her final resting place in a Houston mausoleum one year ago today, they discovered that the cedar chest containing her ashes was missing.
In its place, behind the locked, glass door of Lieberman’s niche in Congregation Beth Israel’s mausoleum, was a can of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips. [...] Houston police took custody of the can, which still contained potato chips.”
Full story.
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