by Kung Fu Jew · Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Israel-related mishegaas from the new (and renewed) pro-peace movement:
- Israel trip for $125, plus $400 plane rebate: Ameinu is sending a delegation to Israel with steep subsidies for progressive young Zionists. Info below the fold.
- Not been to Israel at all? Registration for Jan 5th-16th, 2009, UPZ-NIF birthright israel trip “Peace, Pluralism and Social Justice” opens Sept 10th.
- Brit Tzedek launches an alert to Congress supporting House Resolution 143 on expanding the options for dealing with Iran.
- …Speaking of which, Daniel Levy at the New American Century posits another radical reexamination of Israeli-Iranian game options.
- Isaac Luria, recent Dorot fellow and present Online Director of J Street puts a piece on Hagee, Iran and war into Zeek.
- Meanwhile, the official voice of J Street, Jeremy Ben-Ami, asks McCain to drop the smear attack on US Diplomats, “It’s not clear what John McCain gains by attacking both stated Israeli government policy and a leading American Jewish diplomat.”
- Peace Now forces Condi to condemn settlements again — after their report that settlement growth ACCELERATED in the past year. Report complete with pictures of settlements and charts of growth here.
More »
by Justin Goldstein · Monday, August 25th, 2008
Pop icon and Queen of Kabbalah, Madonna, has ticked off the McCain
campaign and the
Wiesenthal Center while entertaining her minions in Cardiff. During the premiere show of her current tour, Madonna showed a video containing images (
those below are not the actual images) comparing McCain to Hitler and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe while Obama is shown amidst pictures of Gandhi.
- Because she says so!
The video also compared John Lennon to Al Gore. I mean, let’s put this in perspective. At least she didn’t compare him to Nebuchadnezzer, has v’shalom!
by Danya · Monday, August 25th, 2008
by Justin Goldstein · Sunday, August 17th, 2008
The Democratic National Convention will include an interfaith service, bringing together leaders from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities. There will be four rabbis present for the service:
Rabbi David Saperstein, of the RAC, will be reciting an invocation, as noted in the previous post on Jewschool by KRG.
Rabbi Marc Shneier, founder of the Foundation of Ethnic Understanding
Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, a DC area Reform rabbi
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.
I’m just saying, we make up about 2.5% of the population of the US, and of that 2.5%, what percentage goes to synagogue or relates to someone they call “rabbi”? It’s got to be small. I don’t know how many people are going to be addressing this interfaith event that is commencing the Democratic National Convention, but isn’t it a bit Jew heavy? And is it even representative of your average American Jew? I don’t know what I think about this. Others have thoughts?
by Justin Goldstein · Thursday, August 14th, 2008
The Forward reports on more labor abuses, this time in their Brooklyn, NY warehouse.
Agriprocessors is engaged in legal battles against the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which the workers voted to join in 2005. Agriprocessors has refused their unionization and has appealed to every court they can–now they are appealing to the highest court in the land, the US Supreme Court. Agriprocessors’ lawyers claim the 2005 vote is defunct because 17 of the 21 workers who voted for unionization were undocumented workers–If undocumented workers aren’t legally allowed to work, how can they be legally allowed to join a union? Or so goes the logic of Agriprocessors’ team of lawyers. Problem with that argument is that in 1984, the US Supreme Court protected undocumented workers under the National Labor Relations Act–leading legal experts to presume the court will not hear the case.
According to the Forward report, it is presumed that the appeal to the Supreme Court is a stalling tactic to avoid enacting the will of their workers to unionize and protect their wages and rights.
Will this debacle ever end?
by Justin Goldstein · Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
The BBC reports that French prosecutors have opened an investigation.
The shirt is a reproduction of WWII era signs in Germany and Poland, it reads ‘Jews forbidden from entering the park’, and sells for 18 Euro (around $27).
This is unbelievable, but I have to admit, I kind of want one.
by Justin Goldstein · Monday, August 11th, 2008
I cannot help but notice that the Russian assault on Georgia goes unmentioned on Jewschool.
A little background: For the last couple of months there have been border clashes between Georgia and South Ossetia, a breakaway region between Georgia and Russia. Georgia is, of course, a former Soviet satellite state. On the morning of Friday, August 8 Georgia invaded and by the end of the day controlled most of South Ossetia. The evening of August 8 Russia responded with heavy attacks and were bombing in sovereign Georgian territory. On Sunday, August 10 Russia began a steady bombing campaign on Tbilisi, the Georgian capital and opened a second front from the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia. Russia is being accused of exanding its war technologically. The US has been very firm in its reprimand on the Russian invasion. Putin says, ‘shove off.’ The newsmedia is, of course, just an easy search away.
What does this have to do with Israel? More »
by Justin Goldstein · Sunday, August 10th, 2008
The Iranian Olympic Delegation
It has happened again. They’ve made excuses since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 not to compete against Israelis–you may remember in ‘04 it was a Judo match, and this year it is swimming.
the report and more after the jump More »
by LastTrumpet · Thursday, August 7th, 2008
Posul l’Eidus - invalid witnesses for matters of Jewish law
from avakesh:
Orthodox Jews who commit traffic violations or who smoke are just as ineligible to serve as witnesses in rabbinical courts or in Jewish weddings as pork-eating, Shabbat-desecrating secular Jews, according to a leading religious Zionist rabbi.
In a halachic opinion made public ahead of a conference on road safety, Rabbi Re’em Hacohen, head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Otniel, near Hebron, said that reckless drivers and smokers show a callous disregard for human life - whether their own or others - and are therefore considered invalid witnesses.
Given that the only thing you’ll find in a background check on me is a reckless driving charge (83 in a 65), I wonder what the halachic definition of “reckless driving” might be. Anyone?
Link.
by Justin Goldstein · Sunday, July 27th, 2008
The New York Times has a pretty good article that focuses less on Rubashkin and more on the immigrants. What is striking about this article is it specifically addresses the issues involving child labor (with sound clips of three teenage workers). It seems that the underage workers could be the “coin that tips the scale,” so to speak, regarding whether or not Aaron Rubashkin (and presumably others) will face criminal charges. According to the report,
In formal declarations, immigrants have described pervasive labor violations at the plant, testimony that could result in criminal charges for Agriprocessors executives, labor law experts said.
There are also some shocking accounts, as shocking as things found in the previous post on the Agriprocessors scandal, like this:
“The floor supervisor then took one of the meat hooks and hit the Guatemalan with it,” the informant said, adding that the blow did not cause “serious injuries.”
And this one, for myself, is particularly hard to read:
Elmer L. said that he was clearing cow innards from the slaughter floor last Aug. 26 when a supervisor he described as a rabbi began yelling at him, then kicked him from behind. The blow caused a freshly-sharpened knife to fly up and cut his elbow.
He was sent to a hospital where doctors closed the laceration with eight stitches. But he said that when he returned, his elbow still stinging, to ask for some time off, his supervisor ordered him back to work.
The next day, as he was lifting a cow’s tongue, the stitches ruptured, Elmer L. said, and the wound bled again. He said he was given a bandage at the plant and sent back to work. The incident is confirmed in a worker’s injury report filed on Aug. 31, 2007, by Agriprocessors with the Iowa labor department.
a few personal thoughts, after the jump More »
by Justin Goldstein · Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
“woe to the nation that at this time celebrates the release of an animal who crushed the skull of a four-year-old child.”-Ehud Olmert
May our hearts and prayers be with the Regev and Goldwasser families, and the Israeli people. And may peace be upon the souls of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
This was not a victory for anybody. Not for Hezbollah. Not for Lebanon. Not for Israel. Not for Nasrallah. Not for Olmert. Not for the families of the captive soldiers. Not for the families of the released prisoners. Not for Samir Kuntar. Not for the Haran family. Nobody is a victor.
My personal reflections after the jump. More »
by Justin Goldstein · Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
[Pictured is Swift Boat Veterans for Truth backer, Ambassador to Belgium and RJC Chairman Sam Fox]
According to the Huffington Post, Suzanne Kurtz, communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), is making up news–and not the funny kind that Jon Stewart and the Onion are so good at putting together. And it’s also not funny who is paying for it.
A press release was issued Monday calling on Barack Obama “to drop Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) from his upcoming trip to Israel.”
Mr. Hagel is not, however, joining Mr. Obama to Israel; Afghanistan and Iraq, yes; Israel, not-so-much. It seems that the folks at the RJC are trying to manipulate the news to make it appear that Senator Hagel is a close adviser on Israel to Senator Obama. The press release lists a resume of ‘anti-Israel highlights’ from Hagel’s recent career.
- In August 2006, Hagel was one of only 12 senators who refused to write the EU asking them to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
- In December 2005, Hagel was one of only 27 who refused to sign a letter to President Bush to pressure the Palestinian Authority to ban terrorist groups from participating in Palestinian legislative elections.
- In June 2004, Hagel refused to sign a letter urging President Bush to highlight Iran’s nuclear program at the G-8 summit.
- In November 2001, Hagel was one of only 11 senators who refused to sign a letter urging President Bush not to meet with the late Yassir Arafat until his forces ended the violence against Israel.
- In October 2000, Hagel was one of only four senators who refused to sign a Senate letter in support of Israel.
after the jump is a transcript of the phone call from Monday afternoon between The Huffington Post and the RJC, sad and entertaining–like fake news ought to be.
More »
by Justin Goldstein · Sunday, July 13th, 2008
This man has every reason to look this worried. In the latest news in the corruption scandal clouding Ehud Olmert’s questionable stint as PM, according to the Israeli Police, Olmert funded personal and family vacations on the dime of non-profits and charities.
According to one Ha’aretz report–
Responding to accusations he stole money from charities such as Yad Vashem and the AKIM association for the mentally disabled, Olmert said “these are institutions that I worked to advance and I invested immense energy into raising funds and I believe I made a significant contribution to them. Therefore, precisely against this backdrop, the exploitation in this way was particularly hurtful.”
more after the jump More »
by Kung Fu Jew · Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
* Sarah Benor and Steven Cohen are doing a survey on language and identity in which they’re cross-referencing your Jewish parentage/upbringing with how you talk Jewy. Click the link to download your lingo. (Speaking of which, I’m collecting ideas for an independent take on Jewish communal buzzwords and slang – continuity, affiliated, OJC — so send ‘em my way.)
* Cohen’s last study about singles raised some hackles — but then again, all the comments on Haaretz are crazies. (Not like our well-behaved commentors on Jewschool…)
* Most Americans (and 14 of 18 countries) oppose taking one side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Israel’s.
* 83% of Palestinians support the ceasefire, according to the June 18th poll Palestinian Center for Public Opinion.
* An Ir-Amim poll found that 78% of Israeli Jews already see Jerusalem as divided — and 65% of the Israeli public accepts an agreement that puts the Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem under Palestinian control.
* Olmert’s sweeping speech about moving Israel-Diaspora relations away from an institutional focus on aliya to supporting Jewish education, culture and heritage outside Israel is supported largely by the Israeli public — especially younger Israelis, by 46% before public debate. Only 20% supported taking Diaspora opinion into account in making national decisions.
by Kung Fu Jew · Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
A Jewschool shout-out to our friends and readers who did the Hazon Bike to the Beach this past Sunday morning — folks from Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens bicycled down to Coney Island for food, fun and more sustainable world for everyone. Click the pic for the photos.
If you’ve not already heard of it, check out the upcoming NY Jewish Environmental Bike Ride and go as rider or crew, enjoy the weekend Shabbaton and bike two days to downtown Manhattan from Connecticut the Upper Hudson Valley all on your own power, with beginners and veterans alike.
by Justin Goldstein · Monday, June 23rd, 2008
In a very surprising change in the position of the Israeli government, Ha’aretz reports that the IDF may soon declare Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev “killed in action.” The two soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah in June of 2006, which triggered the summer war two years ago.
In recent reports, the government was said to be in negotiations with Hezbollah via German mediators on an exchange of Samir Kuntar, a convicted murderer held by Israel since 1979, for the two captive soldiers. The government announced that were the two soldiers declared “killed in action,” there would certainly be no deal exchanging Kuntar for their bodies.
While last week there were reports of an imminent deal to be carried out between June 20-25, beginning yesterday the Israeli media reported that the deal was in danger of collapsing after Hezbollah added Palestinian prisoners being released as part of the negotiated deal. Now, it seems that Israel is possibly going to declare the soldiers dead, thereby ending any negotiations regarding Samir Kuntar. It seems likely that Israel would continue to negotiate to retrieve the remains of the soldiers, as has been the historic practice of the Israeli government.
The announcement comes as a shock to the families of the captive soldiers, who were under the impression their sons would be home this week. According to Miki Goldwasser, mother of Ehud,
“I ask what happened now that they remembered two years after the abduction to make such a move…Why now? Why when the deal is closed and it is the best possible deal?”
The reported deal to exchange Samir Kuntar for the Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev was overwhelmingly supported in the Knesset and specifically, the cabinet. The deal also received support from the Israeli public, and most importantly, was supported by the families of the captive soldiers.
Ehud’s wife, Karnit, said:
“We are at the end of a very difficult day in the Knesset, on the verge of humiliating…At the end of the day I get a call that the file has been transferred to the chief military rabbi. I don’t have time to notify the family before I hear it on the news. I am furious. This is a terrible and shameful day for the state of Israel,”
According to the report, she added that the family has been reduced to begging the ministers to agree to a prisoner swap.
It seems that the Olmert administration picked up on the demand to release Palestinian soldiers as an excuse to get out of the deal. It seems that they had come so far in the negotiation to release Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. It seemed like it had been successful and the soldiers would be freed. And now they’re dead?
What goes through the mind of Prime Minister who has almost no support from his people, who denies the will of his electorate, who denies the will of his cabinet, who denies the will of his parliament, who denies the will of the families who urge him to free Samir Kuntar to free their sons?
How is it that this man is even still in office? Is this a sign that Israeli democracy has matured to the point that bi-annual elections are a thing of the past? Or, perhaps, this is a sign that Israeli apathy has hit an all-time high, and a nation that once held the threat of toppling governments in a day now bears the corruption and dysfunction.
According to the report linked above, the deal received widespread support from the government and the public, only the PMO and the defense establishment do not support the deal. Is this an example of when the army and government “know more than the people”? Or is this another example of how the IDF and the PMO are completely out of touch with the perspectives and will of the Israeli public.
I, for one, am a bit dismayed and a lot surprised.
by Justin Goldstein · Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Ross Perot is back. He still has very large ears, he still has a playful, thick Texas accent and he still has charts. His charts are not surprising, but shocking nonetheless.
Ross Perot, business leader and former presidential candidate, announced today the launch of “PerotCharts.com,†a public information website that contains objective, factual information about the current economic crisis in America. The site is being launched as an alert and appeal for American citizens to inform themselves about federal government spending. Perot said, “The U.S. national debt reached $9.4 TRILLION on April 30, and it is increasing by more than $1 billion every day. We are leaving our children and grandchildren with debt they cannot possibly pay.â€
Perot’s website, PerotCharts.com, is essentially a PSA. He really has not changed his message since his runs in 1992 and 1996. It leads one to wonder why he did not have charts in 2004 when we had a federal deficit of more than $400 billion, and why he has waited so late in the 2008 election to release his message. It also leads one to wonder if he has established a PAC.
In my opinion, people like Ross Perot, maybe even people like Ralph Nader, represent something exciting and special to many people–the chance to not vote for a politician. I believe it is why Obama got such a boost from his “celebrity” status; people didn’t know him.
According to a recent poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org, the citizens of the world distrust the leaders of the world (Bush and Ahmedinijad top amongst them, nearly universally).
Interestingly, one of the clear messages this poll shows is that people around the world trust their leader more than other nations leaders. The Palestinians, who are in the poll, trust no one except Nasrallah and Abbas. Israel is not featured in the poll, and I presume it would have been the exception to the “Bush rule,” Mr. Bush being the least trusted leader in the world, by far; I presume Israel would have expressed no trust for their leaders, and little for the world’s and none for the region’s.
As America’s economy tanks, we may need to rethink our financial support of the Jewish State (and others). If the Israeli population finds their government hopelessly corrupt, why do we trust them with multi-billion dollar cash transfers? The USAid website’s Israel page has not been updated since 2005 and does not reflect the full implications of the aid package, but rather just the cash transfer. The package reflected there does not reflect the renegotiated $30 billion decade long deal from 2007.
According to Perot’s charts, in 2007 our defense budget alone had a deficit of $542 billion (20% of our total deficit), and Israel’s aid is earmarked so it might not all fall into the defense budget. Another chart shows that following the Cold War, we experienced what Perot calls a “Peace Dividend”, our spending markedly decreased. While still remarkably lower (by percentage), than at the height of the Cold War, in our own day, there has been a marked increase in US spending post-2001.
I’m certainly not knowledgeable enough to understand the ramifications of these numbers, what the practical impacts of outlandishly large spending and aid packages are, what the ramifications of suspending those packages would be, and so forth. But I think one need not be too clever to look at this and see something clearly isn’t working right.
by Josh Frankel · Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Well, there’s much to be written about the Obamaphobia in many parts of the Jewish community, and I would recommend checking out this wonderful op-ed by Rabbi Yosef Blau in the Jewish Week a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, I thought I would share with you this picture of a bumper sticker that I got last week. (Hat tip to Akiva Weiss)
