by Mobius [➚] · Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Plenty more where that came from here.
***
After all that has been said about the “religious” and pseudo-religious and even halakhic reasons for maintaining Jewish rule over the territories and their Arab inhabitants, and for the annexation of the territories to the state of Israel, I have nothing to add to what already appeared in the Scriptures, the same Scriptures to which national religious fools appeal for support of their lust for conquest. Two thousand six hundred years ago, the prophet Ezekiel foresaw Gush Emunim and the arguments of its rabbis and leaders. His words read as though he knew in advance the words and terms they would use, and he already gave them a reply which penetrates to the heart of the matter.
Then the word of God came to me saying, Son of man, They that inhabit these waste places of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one man and yet he inherited the land, but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance. Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord God: You eat with the blood and lift up your eyes towards your idols, and shed blood; and shall you possess the land? You stand upon your sword, you carry out disgusting deeds, and you defile every man his neighbor’s wife; and shall you possess the land?
These words were not meant for Ezekiel’s own generation only. He said them to all generations, and especially to the generation of the “liberators of the Holy Land” in our time. The Jewish people has legitimate claims to this country. But these claims have no “religious cover.” To speak of the divine promise to Abraham and his issue as a gratuitous gift, to ignore the conditions of the promise, and to disregard the obligations it confers on the receivers is a degradation and desecration of religious faith.
—Yeshayahu Leibowitz
by David Kelsey [➚] · Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Failed Messiah has uncovered some interesting news on the career of Rabbi Matt Tropp, who lied to the court, attacked Lanner’s accusers, and pulled all sorts of foylashtick in order to protect his boss at the Orthodox Union’s NCSY because…well, we know why. Because Baruch Lanner — who abused girls and kneed boys in the groin FOR DECADES — made kids Orthodox.
So where does such a person go? Well, obviously, he stays in kiruv! If it ain’t broke, why fix it? And one guess where.
Shmarya notes,
“[Rabbi Tropp] works for Aish HaTorah in NYC (where he teaches outreach skills) and he speaks for the OU, and he recently shared a platform with major OU leaders, including Rabbi Herschel Schachter.”
Rabbi Tropp is also the director of Project Inspire, a site so silly and lowest common denominator that only Big Aish could come up with it. But hey – at least the Orthodox Union knew better than to get involved with that, and with Rabbi Tropp again.
by Y-Love [➚] · Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
“E noi che siamo donne, paura non abbiamo
La base non vogliamo, la base non vogliamo.â€
And we who are women are not afraid
We don’t want the base, we don’t want the base.
This past Saturday saw the Italian town of Vicenza embroiled in a fierce protest, with up to 200,000 residents taking to the streets to voice their opposition to the planned US military base to open in their town. The Atlantic Free Press reports:
The women singing and chanting at the head of the massive march on February 17 in the picturesque Italian town of Vicenza have been fighting to stop a U.S. military base from being built in their community….Unlike campaigns organized by activists or political parties, this movement sprang from the community itself. The main organizers are Italian women, many of them housewives who were outraged when they learned that a US military base would be built on the site of an old airfield called Dal Molin. The old airfield, which is now a green space, is right next to their homes and is less than two miles from the city’s historic center.
Many residents also worry that the new base will make Vicenza a target for a terrorist attack. “With the Bush policies causing so much resentment in the world, such a large base could get us caught up in Bush’s wars,†said Vicenza resident Anna Faggi.
The expansion would effectively raise American military presence in the area over 60% to 4,500, and the new base is being planned to be able to “house the full 173rd Airborne Brigade”, a “quick response force” for Europe.
While this project is part of a larger initiative to reduce American military presence in Europe, the new base is scheduled to cost $576 million and be completed by 2011.
These protestors are not people who are anti-American, they are only people who want their city — which was already dedicated a “world heritage site” by UNESCO in 1994 for its architecture — to be used for peaceful purposes, for purposes they determine themselves, without another military base. They are residents who feel betrayed by their government. An additional American presence is not the problem, as one resident stated:
Gina Masi, a 17-year-old from Vicenza dressed in punk-style black with lots of spiked metal, came running up to me afterwards, in tears. “Please tell your people that we are not anti-American,†she insisted. “Look at me. My clothes are American, the music I love is American. Even my boots are American Eagle. But we want to relate to Americans through culture and music, not military bases and war.â€
Unfortunately, some Americans don’t want to be related to positively.
To aid these women in their wonderful, worthwhile cause of helping to stop the spread of American global militarism, email medea@globalexchange.org to offer your help.
by Mobius [➚] · Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
JPost covers the ShulShopper launch and asks, “But is it relevant to Israel?”
Although ShulShopper, which lacks Hebrew capability, plans to expand to Israel in the near future, Friday’s launching focused on North American Jewish communities.
Sieradski is doubtful that Israelis will go for ShulShopper.
“We are aiming for the Anglo community here, especially tourists and students who are in Israel for a limited period of time. But I have no expectations for the sabra community, though in theory ShulShopper can be a useful tool for every Jew.”
Sieradski, who has lived in Israel for three years, said that in comparison to the diverse spiritual options available in North America, Israel has a very uniform spiritual world.
“Most Israelis are either mainstream Orthodox or totally secular. The few Reform or Conservative shuls that exist are simply not growing. That’s the reality and people accept it.”
In contrast, Sieradski said that anglos who live or visit in Israel are receptive to various “indie-minyans” (independent prayer groups) that explore alternative prayer styles.
Eh… What I said was that a lot of factors, including rabbinic hegemony and a lack of state backing, have prevented non-Orthodox expressions of Judaism from growing. I also said that while I don’t have any expectations, I’m eager to see what happens when the site offers Hebrew language support and whether or not it finds an audience or has any impact.
In related news, ShulShopper was featured today on CSS Mania, a site which indexes cutting edge web design, and has been awarded a rating of 7 out of 10 by the site’s community thus far. The mention brought in over 3,000 page views!
We’re now up to 200 congregations and 200 registered users, and we haven’t even imported the congregational databases yet!
by Kung Fu Jew [➚] · Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
This just in from the JTA: two Jewish college students were shot by a jealous ex-boyfriend, who was also Jewish. More details later? Why is this “Jewish” news?
Breaking News: 3 Jews die in murder/suicide
A Jewish student at Arizona State University and her visiting Jewish friend were murdered.
Carol Kestenbaum and Nicole Schiffman, both 20, grew up together on Long Island, N.Y.
They were returning from celebrating Kestenbaum’s birthday early Tuesday when they apparently were shot dead by Joshua Mendel, 22, who then turned the gun on himself.
Local police said Mendel, who was dating a friend of Kestenbaum’s, was angry about her interference in his relationship.
I give up on the Jewish press. I really do.
by Kol Ra'ash Gadol [➚] · Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
According to JTA, on Feb. 11th, the government of Israel and the Masorti (Israeli Conservative) movement came to an agreement so that Masorti Jews using Robinson’s Arch to pray would no longer be charged by the archaeological park until 10:30 in the morning on weekdays, Friday evenings and holidays.
The decision to have a legally sanctioned area for Jews who wanted to pray in mixed minyans, or quorums, at the Western Wall followed violent attacks on mixed groups praying with Torah scrolls in 1998 and 1999.
The worshipers were pelted with stones and reportedly even feces-filled diapers by fervently Orthodox worshipers who were enraged at the sight of women and men praying together at the rear of the Western Wall plaza.
At the time a deal was made that worshipers seeking to pray in egalitarian services would be allowed to do so at Robinson’s Arch, an archaeological site at the far southern edge of the Western Wall.
About two years ago the archaeological park that oversees the site began charging worshipers who came to pray after 8 in the morning, claiming the groups were bothersome to tourists, according to Sacks.
by Kol Ra'ash Gadol [➚] · Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
When I was in college, there was a t-shirt that was very popular. It pictured a woman who was overweight, had big red lips, “big hair” and was waving a credit card. There was a big red circle with a line through it (the universal symbol for “no”). Underneath this lovely graphic was the tag line: slap-a-JAP.
It has been a while since I have had to think about that particular t-shirt advocating random violence against Jewish women. Or the one that advised going further than just a slap. It rather pains me that this stereotype is’ one that is apparently being revived – even as comedy. Sure there are women who are Jewish, and vapid, who love money. There are also Jewish men who fit that stereotype, but somehow they seem to miss being mocked as a group and tarred with that excellent tag of “JAP.” For that matter, I believe I have encountered non-Jews who fit that stereotype as well.
When Maya Escobar uses this stereotype she may be either mocking it or indulging it – or both – that’s one of the dangers of comedy. She clearly thinks that she’s mocking it, and attempting to provide a conversation starter (Okay, Maya, so here I am starting a conversation: Kol hakavod!) But even in her attempts to mock the stereotypes that have been projected onto her (and let’s be clear the chach and the sexy latina aren’t any better!), I have to wonder about those who are watching the comedy, and whether it helps them reject – or accept- those experiences in which they met a person onto whom they themselves projected such a label. “After all, how can she “nail the JAP” if there’s no JAP to be nailed, if the JAP happens to simply be a person whom one dislikes upon meeting, but no more likely a Jew than a Lutheran? In order for it to confirm that glorious feeling, one has to have a little sense that there is something about being Jewish and female that attaches to that kind of behavior, n’est ce pas?
Let’s get at what’s really underlying the stereotype here: there’s an element of self-hatred (I – particularly if I’m a man- can differentiate myself from those Jews, I’m not like them) and there’s an element of misogyny (we know what women are about, don’t we, nudge nudge, wink, wink). But make no mistake, it is not an accident that this stereotype is rearing its ugly head again against not just any women, but Jewish women. There’s been gallons of ink spilt on the portrayal of Jewish women, especially in television and film – and often by Jewish (male) writers. How many films in which the (Jewishy) guy gets the girl is that girl Jewish? How about “Keeping the Faith” in which all the Jewish women are portrayed as having something really wrong with them? The nice girl, the pretty girl, the lovable girl is the one who is not Jewish – the Jews get tossed a bone at the end – she’s thinking about conversion and is taking classes. Wow, She’s even a better Jew than the Jewish girls.
I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. There’s plenty already written about this. See here for a short bibliography of the analysis of this nasty thing. Here, one can find an exerpt from Dr. Evelyn Torton Beck’s essay “From ‘Kike to Jap’: How misogyny, anti-semitism, and racism construct the Jewish American Princess.” Be well read, if you care to, or not, but this blog should not be a place for us to revive and support this kind of ugliness.
When I was in college, one of my roommates came home wearing that t-shirt, “Slap-a-JAP.” He didn’t quite get why I should be so offended by it, since I clearly wasn’t one of them the point of course being that despite the fact that I’m about as unvapid (unless you consider the absentminded-professor type to be vapid), uninterested in clothing, and well – can’t be said to have or be interested in money in any relevant sense, in fact I am “one of them.” And so is my mother, and my sister, and many of my cousins, and my grandmother, and many of my dear friends, not to mention several of the writers of this blog. But I was clear, if he wanted to continue to wear the t-shirt he could move his a** out. And he quit wearing it.
After all this time, I think we should all be beyond this. Jewish women are not ugly, we are not money-grubbing, we are not stupid, vapid or mindless. And my brothers, my sons, my fathers, my cousins – all of you who read this; if we are, then what does that say about you? And when you laugh at it – what does that tell us about what you think of us, really?
by zt [➚] · Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
Lots of us have been to weddings or various other lifecycle events where dancing is likely ensue. There is often a moment where people feel like there should be dancing but no one has yet struck out in that direction. A few people get out there and grab a couple other people but it still somewhat awkward. Oftentimes a bunch of people join up quickly and things get going fast, furious, and freylich. Pretty soon other folks see that it’s hot and they join up too. The dancing has quickly gone from a dozen or so to a hundred or more and it grinds to a slow crawl. The excitement of the original dancing has died down and people are taking short strides to the right, careful to avoid stepping on feet of elbowing the folks in front and behind. my grandmother’s mall-walking group has more pizazz. This may happen in cycles depending on the occasion and communal dynamics.
Rebecca Meyers suggested, that minyanim have similar cycles. I would add that this trend is not limited to minyanim though lay-leadership and thre assumption that everyone is an active member of the community may exacerbate this process.
It would seem to me that the minyan version of the trend goes something like this:
- Several people who are for some reason dissatisfied with the current options, think there is need for a new place to daven.
- A group of those people try to get something started.
- It sputters at first but the potential is recognized by those in the new minyan and some who are not yet.
- As more folks join, potential is actualized, things are rockin’.
- People start streaming in from all directions.
- What was funky and fantastic becomes overcrowded and less dynamic.
When I first heard it, this analogy struck me as quite astute and a very good fit.
It brings up a couple of questions.
- why do minyanim in step 6 get less vibrant and the davening less good?
- how can you avoid some of the problems created by step 6? what do you do if your group, despite smart community organizing reaches step 6?
(cross-posted at divinity is in the details)
by Mobius [➚] · Monday, February 19th, 2007
Maya Escobar bugs me out.
A “Guatemalan Jewish Interdisciplinary Artist,” Escobar has female Orthodox apologia down to a T.
She also nails the JAP with a monologue so infuriatingly vapid and unaware it’s as excruciating as the real-life experience.
These performances are part of a project she calls Acciones Plásticas:
In the series Acciones Plásticas, I created a multi-faceted “doll”, assuming the role of designer and distributor, and even posing as the actual doll itself. My product is “marketed” in five distinct styles: The Orthodox Jew©, The JAP©, The Chach©, The Sexy Latina©, and The Mayan©. Each doll is a satirical characterization of the many roles that have been projected upon me, and into which I have, to some extent, inevitably fallen.
You can watch the rest of the videos here.
She also makes shomer negiah panties. I wonder if she ever saw…
by Mobius [➚] · Monday, February 19th, 2007
Since ShulShopper‘s launch on Friday, we have already had 1,000 visitors and 9,000 page views. Of those 1,000 visitors, 115 have registered as users, contributing among them thus far 80 congregations. I have received roughly 20 bug reports, which we are currently rectifying, the reports including several suggestions that we are going to implement as well.
Thanks to everyone for making our launch such a great success.
by Mobius [➚] · Monday, February 19th, 2007
The Daily Bruin reports,
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, director of Hillel at UCLA, has sent a written statement to freelance journalist Rachel Neuwirth apologizing for attacking her on campus in 2003.
The apology is part of a settlement in the lawsuit Neuwirth brought against Seidler-Feller in 2003 in response to the incident, said Neuwirth’s attorney, Charles Fonorow. The case was recently settled after three years of litigation.
The incident took place more than three years ago in front of Royce Hall after a presentation by Harvard Law professor and author Alan Dershowitz.
Seidler-Feller attempted to apologize in 2003, but Neuwirth wanted a formal apology that would be released to the public, according Daily Bruin archives.
More in the LA Jewish Journal.
See previously: Rabbi Faces Assault Charges Against Jewish Nationalist, Rachel Neuwirth Sues Chaim Seidler-Feller over UCLA Incident, Seidler-Feller to Take Anger Managment Course
by Mordy [➚] · Sunday, February 18th, 2007
Anyone into “Jewish” music runs into Tzadik’s Radical Jewish Culture label at one point or another. For me, my first encounter was Jamie Saft’s horrifying industrial document Breadcrumb Sins (my parents bought it for me because of the word ‘Jewish’ on the cover). Since then I’ve been obsessed with everything from Jewlia Eisenberg’s Charming Hostess, to Ayelet Rose Gottlieb’s brilliant label debut last year. Recently (for me, I was just tipped off to it), John Zorn updated the Tzadik webpage with a long explication of his views on Radical Jewish Culture.
The series is an ongoing project. A challenge posed to adventurous musical thinkers. What is jewish music? What is its future? If asked to make a contribution to jewish culture, what would you do? Can jewish music exist without a connection to klezmer, cantorial or yiddish theatre? All of the cds on the tzadik RJC series address these issues through the vision and imagination of individual musical minds.
by Mobius [➚] · Sunday, February 18th, 2007
Identity
Religion
Israel
Washington
Iternational
- Romanian intelligence officer admits to KGB plot to tarnish Pius XII as a Nazi sympathizer.
Antisemitism
Culture
by Mobius [➚] · Sunday, February 18th, 2007
The Indy reports:
Her behaviour was nothing less than shocking at the Brit Awards. Everyone agreed, she let the side down pretty badly. Tchuh. You think you know people, think you can trust them to turn in a reliable performance – and they go and ruin it. Amy Winehouse just flatly refused to get drunk, swear, vomit, smoke a joint or storm out. Not once did she tell the writhing popinjay Russell Brand to eff off with his smart remarks about her incipient alcoholism. She sang “Rehab” with a sweet uncertainty, hitching up her red frock to mid-thigh level, but delicately, carefully, as though primly fastidious about revealing her knickers. Her acceptance speech, far from being a rant about the awfulness of Dido or the rapacity of A&R men, was a little-girl stutter of “ers” and “ums” before she declared “I’m just glad my mum and dad are here” and exited, probably for a lovely family night out. It was hopeless. “They tried to make me go to rehab?” More like, “They tried to persuade me to have a small sherry and enjoy myself, but I said no, no, no…”. At this rate, we’ll soon have to stop waiting for her to self-destruct, and start listening to her singing.
God I love her.
by Mobius [➚] · Sunday, February 18th, 2007
SF Chronicle:
A New Jersey man charged Saturday with attacking Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel at a San Francisco hotel earlier this month was a “lone wolf” who had also stalked the Nobel laureate in Florida, authorities said.
Police found 22-year-old Eric Hunt at a mental health treatment center in Belle Mead, N.J., where he had sought treatment within the past week for undisclosed reasons. He remained jailed Saturday night in Somerville, N.J.
Hunt faces charges of attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, elder abuse, stalking, battery and committing a hate crime. San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris pledged to vigorously prosecute what she called “horrible, outrageous crimes” by “someone who traveled here” to target Wiesel on Feb. 1.
Full story.
by Mobius [➚] · Sunday, February 18th, 2007
You have to appreciate the Nathan Cummings Foundation. They fund all the best stuff: AJWS, Avodah, BJ, COEJL, Elat Chayyim, Jewish Funds for Justice, JOFA, JOI, New Israel Fund, PJA, SHATIL… You seriously couldn’t hope for a more conscientious Jewish org — one that supports cutting edge and infinitely important and worthwhile projects.
Were it for the smattering of aforementioned initiatives alone, dayenu! It would be enough to credit Cummings with being, perhaps, the crown jewel of Jewish philanthropy — at least in my book. But it doesn’t stop there: Not in the Jewish world, nor in the secular world either.
The reason I’m writing this love letter, in fact, is because I’m so damned rootin’-tootin’ impressed with Cummings’ most recent initiative — one that has little to do with the Jewish community at all.
That project is News War.
In a four-hour special, News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in print, broadcast and electronic media over the past four decades — and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today’s most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration’s attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing — and challenging — the role of the press in our society.
The episodes which have aired thus far are available on PBS’s website, and the full program will eventually be up there. It is must-see TV.
News War offers monumental insight into the workings of our government and newsmedia — knowledge that is essential to deciphering the barrage of media we consume, as it grants us a deeper understanding of the motivations underlying each news segment we watch, and each news story we read. I would even go so far as to say that failure to view this program may constitute “dereliction of duty” for voting citizens of the United States.
Kol hakavod to the Cummings Foundation for supporting this fantastic documentary. It is an invaluable contribution to the public discourse.
by Mobius [➚] · Sunday, February 18th, 2007
The chutzpah is unbelievable.
Source.
by Mobius [➚] · Saturday, February 17th, 2007
People For The American Way reports:
Powerful Texas state Rep. Warren Chisum (R), an advocate of religious-right causes such as banning adoption by gay couples and amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, has passed along a “memo†from a kindred spirit in the Georgia House claiming that “teaching evolution amounts to indoctrinating students in an ancient Jewish sect’s beliefs,†reports the Dallas Morning-News.
“Indisputable evidence – long hidden but now available to everyone – demonstrates conclusively that so-called ‘secular evolution science’ is the Big Bang, 15-billion-year, alternate ‘creation scenario’ of the Pharisee Religion,” writes Mr. Bridges …
Mr. Bridges also supplies a link to a document that describes scientists Carl Sagan and Albert Einstein as “Kabbalists” and laments “Hollywood’s unrelenting role in flooding the movie theaters with explicit or implicit endorsement of evolutionism.”
JTA adds:
The memo has been tied to the offices of conservative Republican lawmakers who reject evolution. It was written by Marshall Hall, who ran an election campaign for Georgia State Rep. Ben Bridges. Warren Chisum, a powerful lawmaker in the Texas state house, has distributed the memo. On his Web site, www.fixedearth.com, Hall describes Albert Einstein as a kabbalist, and says the ancient Jewish mystical discipline is “anti-bible†and “anti-Christ.â€
The Anti-Defamation League on Thursday asked Bridges to repudiate the memo’s contents. Bridges has distanced himself from the memo, which Hall originally distributed in Bridges’ name.
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