…n Music Charts

I had the pleasure of interviewing Israeli superstar Ivri Lider and his Grammy Award winning producer Garry Gold for Israel21c, about their plans to conquer American pop music audiences. Given Lider’s success in Israel (2 platinum albums) and Gold’s experience with legendary musicians Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder, can one assume that Lider will be the next beakout Israeli act? Is this a trend we’re seeing here? First Yael Naim (see video below) and next?

I guess only time will tell!

OK, Muffti has a very limited point to make here so don’t go all apeshit on him. But when Muffti was posting Hate Site of the Weak he noticed that most had links with titles like ‘the talmud exposed’ or ‘talmud truth’ where a bunch of quotes from the talmud are strung together to show how dangerous Judaism is at root. For example:

Jews May Rob and Kill Non-Jews, Sanhedrin 57a . When a Jew murders a Gentile (”Cuthean”), there will be no death penalty. What a Jew steals from a Gentile he may keep.

Minor Tractates. Soferim 15, Rule 10. This is the saying of Rabbi Simon ben Yohai: Tob shebe goyyim harog (”Even the best of the gentiles should all be killed”).

Yebhamot 11b: “Sexual intercourse with a little girl is permitted if she is three years of age.”

Aboda Sarah 37a: “A gentile girl who is three years old can be violated.”

Thankfully, people take the time to explain and contextualize these things, show them to be allegorical and how to be understood. Maybe this cannot be done for the bits and pieces of the Koran Wilders strings together but the lesson should be clear: a bunch of quotes out of context do not make for an indictment of anything.

Jerusalem has always held a special place in the hearts and minds of the Jews. Our daily liturgy is peppered with hopes and prayers for the well being of Jerusalem. We pray facing East, towards the Kotel, the ancient wall that once contained the First and Second Temples. Jerusalem, the City of Peace, considered holy by all 3 monotheistic faiths, has seen more than its fair share of tragedy and violence. Over the course of 2000 years it’s been conquered, plundered and occupied by everyone from the Romans, the Muslims, Crusaders, Ottomans and the British. Finally reunited and in the hands of the Jews, Jerusalem is now the undivided (for now at least) capital of the Jewish State. And yet, only recently has it started to possess the amenities of a real city – cafes, cultural institutions, a cosmopolitan air etc. In many ways, parts of the city, especially those populated by its rapidly growing ultra-Orthodox residents, are very provincial. Overcrowded and closed off to the outside world, these neighborhoods resemble the shtetls of old more than they do constituent parts of a world class city. Competing with Jerusalem for the hearts, minds and imaginations of the Jews is New York City. Possessed of a large population, a dizzying array of cultural and religious activities and free of the always imminent threat of disaster that seems to be part and parcel of daily life in Jerusalem, New York City seemingly offers the Jews anything they could possibly ask for – Knishes and Kosher Sushi, indie minyans and black hat Yeshivas, bagels and borekas. The current Mayor is a yid and while he’s kinda dour, compared to the current Haredi-approved Mayor of Jerusalem, he’s a veritable party animal. New York is so Jewish in fact, that even the non-Jews are practically Jewish.

So which city really is the center of the Jewish world, the ciudad de los Judios?

Jerusalem		New York City
Latest Buzz: According to the latest population statistics, Israel, for the first time in over 1000 years, has more Jews than any country in the world. Jewish population in Israel and its capital, Jerusalem, continues to grow while that of the rest of the world continues to shrink. Food: In Jerusalem you can now get Bagels, Pizza, Sushi, Chinese, Deli and Knishes. However, most of these aren’t very good. Jewish Life: While Jerusalem has many cultural amenities, much of these are of relatively recent provenance – most of the tourist sites and activities focus on the religious and historical elements of the city. Politics: Local politicians whore themselves out to special interest groups at the expense of the city’s wellbeing and diversity. Most famous mayor: Teddy Kolleck who presided over the reunification of Jerusalem and helped turn Jerusalem into a thriving modern Metropolis.		Latest Buzz: The New York Metropolitan Area is home to at least 2,051,000 Jews, representing 15.4% of the World’s Jewish population – this is nearly 4 times larger than Jerusalem’s 600,000 Jews. And according to Michael Steinhardt, US Jewish population is even higher. Food: In New York City you can now get Borekas, Falafel, Shwarma, Hummus and Shakshuka. However, most of these aren’t very good. Jewish Life: While New York has many religious amenities, the bulk of the Jewish residents studiously ignore them – most of the tourist sites and activities focus on the cultural and historical elements of the city. Politics: State politicians frequent whores who will provide them with special services at an exorbitant expense – financial, personal and professional. Most famous mayor: Rudolph Giulliani who presided over 9/11 and helped turn Manhattan into a thriving, whore-free Disneyland.

Now vote! You can only vote once as we’ve tracked your IP address and have placed a cookie on your computer. Of course you could delete all your cookies and change your IP address but that would make you a dick and God will punish you. I think I’ll keep this poll up for 7 days.

 Loading ...

Warning: Extremely Graphic Content!

Even I had a difficult time watching parts of this film. Produced by right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders, it was initially supposed to be broadcast on Dutch Television, but the broadcast authorities refused to show it unless it was edited. Wilders then released it on Liveleak as a streaming video on the 27th of March. After more than a million downloads, Liveleak pulled the film citing serious threats against staff and their families. Network Solutions also took the unusual step of shutting down Wilders’ Web site promoting the film, citing complaints, even though it was only one page with the inoffensive movie graphic and a coming soon notice, and didn’t show any part of the film. Network Solutions continues to allow radical Muslim, Nazi and other offensive Web sites to stay up.

The Internet being what it is, the film has been uploaded to YouTube and Google videos, and is available for all to see and judge. Jewcy writer Ali Eteraz has already declared it to be “Boring, Pointless Anti-Islamic Propaganda,” and it is still to early to determine further reactions. There is already a Web site dedicated to all aspects of the film – themoviefitna.com and an extremely well documented Wikipedia page.

As for me, I found the movie gross, just as I find Wilders’ politics offensive. I am however impressed how his opponents got the film pulled from Liveleak and the site shut down by Network Solutions. So what do we have to do to get similar treatment for Jew Watch? I mean do we or do we not control the media???

Muffti often likes the stuff posted at DK but this is just warmed over Walt and Mearshimer. The poll results at the end were interesting, however, (at least when Muffti looked at them). The author does ask one question Muffti has wondered about for a long time – is criticism of israel, or even a downright anti-israel policy, a sufficient condition for being an anti-semite. Muffti has never been able to see the direct connection, but he does agree that criticism of israel does often come with a charge of anti-semitism and various of his intelligent friends have claimed the connection, in current climate, is completely clear. Is it that the motives and evidence betray an anti-semitic background?

Anyhow, here’s what a Kos kid has to say about criticism of Israel. Muffti likes most of all the part he bolded below.

There seems to be such a taboo in the media about anyone or any story that is critical of Israel. Witness the recent attacks on the Obama campaign via activities by his ex-pastor that was considered “Anti-Israel”. Remember the vicious treatment that Jimmy Carter got for mentioning the words “Apartheid” and Israel in his book title? Candidate after candidate has to pay lip service and claim his blind allegiance to that state… and why? why is it the “kiss of death” to be critical of Israel.

Israel is by far the largest recipient of our tax dollar funded foreign aid, shouldn’t we able to question the actions of that state? A lot of damage has been done in our name (and at our expense), yet we can’t seem to questions anything in public without being castrated as social pariahs… Why is it much easier to criticize Israel in Tel Aviv then it is in Washington DC?

Here is what I know:

- Israel has maintained one of the longest occupations in modern history controlling the fate of over 2 million palestinians
- Israel is the only nuclear country in the area with no open access to their inventory and no signatures on any non-proliferation agreements
- Israel maintains one of the largest concentration camp style prison in the world known as Gaza. And yes, that’s exactly what it is if you look at the living conditions of people there.
- Israel maintains an apartheid style system in the West Bank with separate roads and services for different groups.
- Israel continues to deny the right of return to over 2 million refugees spread all over the world for more than 50 years… can you imagine living in shanty towns and tents for over 50 years??
- Israel maintains a racial based system of government based on the failed ideology of Zionism. An ideology that at heart is based on racist nationalism granting rights to one “ethnic” (or is it religious?) group only
- While Israel claims to be living in the constant fear of terrorism, the death ratio of Palestinians vs. Israeli is roughly 13 to 1. Yet, somehow, they are the victims, and our media pushes that notion on us (and we wonder why the world hates us).
- Israel has TWICE invaded its northern neighbor, Lebanon and continues daily violations of its air space. Complaints to the UN are constantly blocked by, guess who?, the USA.
This list can go on longer, but I think I made my point.

So why, knowing all that, it is still a major faux pas for anyone to question our relation with Israel. And please don’t give me the “You’re an anti-semite” line… Being critical of Israel does not make one an anti-semite or a self hating Jew. Why is it that at a time when the US is heavily involved in a huge mess in the middle east, that our politicians, thinkers, activists, do not dare discussing the issue that is at the heart of the conflict?

I am anti-Israel and anti-Zionist and proud of it. Anyone who spends time looking at the history and facts of the region would come to the same conclusion. We should not be made to feel like a pariah in our own country for believing so.

Tower of David at night. Jerusalem.

Shabbat shalom to all of you!

(image source)

Last Friday night, at a massive Hillel Purim/Shabbat table at Congregation Lubavitch-Long Beach the Purim spirit was intense. We had been singing since 5 o’clock, and after many hours, the room was ringing with our joyous songs. We were pounding the tables and the floors were getting treacherous. Delicious shnitzels, BBQ chicken wings, and other dishes were piled on huge platters, and kept coming out of the kitchen. Ice-cold pitchers of Heineken and many other drinks, going fast and furiously. The party was so holy and so beautiful. I got up to make toasts and L’Chaims. I had been in the same place for several hours.

I gave a roaring toast to the assembled students, alumni, members of the community starting with LChaim, tovim, u’sholom, she yibane beis ha mikdash bimheira v’yameinu, u sen chelkeinu v’torasecha…. and so on for several minutes. Then my wife Rachel yelled in my ear “Don.”

I yelled out “And Let Don Seigleman be with us for Next Shabbos!” Only some in the room understood what I was talking about—former Alabama Govenor Don Siegleman has been unjustly imprisoned for nine months in a work camp, denied being free on bail during his appeal, and featured recently on 60-minutes, MSNBC, and in congressional hearings—but it didn’t because it was Purim and everyone gave a resounding, a gigantic “L’Chaim,” and the singing commensed again. At the table was Dana, Don’s only daughter, who works with us at Beach Hillel. Dana, Rachel and I prayed that Purim would be a yeshua, a redemption for Dana’s dad.

The phone rang this morning and Dana told us the amazing news. Her father was set free just moments before, and she reminded us of the story at Purim, and how she remembered what I had said about “next Shabbos” and how impossible that felt. Thousands of his supporters have been fighting for his release from day one, and it was improbable that anything would change too fast. Then yesterday, the news came that he was wanted for testimony on his case on Capital Hill, and the entire wheel started turning:

OAKDALE, La. — Former Gov. Don Siegelman rolled through the gates of the Oakdale Federal Detention Center at 11:10 a.m. [Friday], released pending an appeal after eight months behind bars.

“I may have lost my freedom for a while,” Siegelman said. “But I never lost faith.”

Siegelman stepped out of a black Chevrolet SUV to speak to reporters. He was wearing a torn gray sweatshirt over a T-shirt.

He said he would have more to say tonight in Birmingham.

“Now, I’m sure you understand this, I want to be with my family for a few days,” he said.

At his house in Birmingham, a red, white and blue balloon floated above the mail box this afternoon and more yellow and silver ones were attached near the front door to welcome the former governor home.

That is Purim – everything can and does change in the blink of an eye. Mazel Tov to all the Siegelman’s and their supporters, Baruch Hashem and Shabbat Shalom!

The big show definitely surpassed everyone expectations. The Fashion show was incredibly entertaining, the visuals were beautiful and the live music was unlike any other things we have ever seen. Here are some photos and videos to give you a feel.

Diwon and Miriam Zafri

MORE BELOW, But first, Heads up the NYC Y-Love Record Release Party is this Saturday Night!!! If you want to get in rsvp now rsvp@shemspeed.com and get in for only $7 bux. (be there by 10pm)

(more…)

Straight from the JTA website:

Jewish students protested the planned participation of the University of California, Irvine chancellor at a Hillel conference.

In a letter sent last Thursday to Hillel President Wayne Firestone, 41 current and former students objected to the appearance of Michael Drake at The Summit, which is being held Monday to Wednesday in Washington.

Drake is slated to appear on the opening day at a session titled “Fostering a More Civil Society.”

His invitation has come under fire over allegations that he has been unresponsive to claims by Jewish students at Irvine that they have been subjected to a pattern of anti-Semitic threats and rhetoric.

“Jewish students at UCI have been subjected to hateful anti-Semitic programs and speakers on a regular basis, and yet Chancellor Drake and his administration have never once condemned any of it,” said the letter. “In fact, we understand that, according to Chancellor Drake, anti-Semitism is not even a problem on his campus. In light of his conduct, we believe that Chancellor Drake has not earned the right to be a speaker at a Hillel event focusing on how to create an environment that is civil, respectful and tolerant.”

Okay. Rabbi Yonah points us to a different message from yet another UC Irvine Jewish students group.

Irvine, CA Mar 26, 2008 In light of recent controversy over the limits of free speech rights at UC Irvine, we, the Jewish student leaders, stand by the UCI Administration in their efforts to protect first amendment rights, as well as to promote the free exchange of ideas.

Chancellor Drake’s appearance at the national Hillel Summit in Washington DC this week exemplified the University’s true commitment to “Imagining a More Civil Society”, the theme of the summit. We are honored, as the greater Jewish community should also be, by Drake’s unrelenting commitment, as he repeatedly condemns hate speech in all forms, and emphasizes that it has no place on any University campus.

Over the past few months, off-campus organizations have issued allegations that the UCI Administration has failed to properly address issues of anti- Semitism, arguing that Jewish students are consistently victims of physical threats. As representatives of the larger active Jewish community on campus, we challenge this claim and extend an open invitation to any outside organization(s) that wish to experience Jewish student life at UCI first-hand. We are confident that their visit to our University, under the current administration, will reveal today’s reality: Jewish students are physically safe and secure on our campus.

With four active Jewish and pro-Israel organizations on campus, Jewish life is thriving more than ever. Over the past four years, the Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, has grown by over 100% and is now 71 members strong. Hillel’s weekly Shabbat dinners, which in years past struggled to attract a measly twenty students, now reach peaks of over one hundred students.

The reality is that verbal anti-Semitism, spurred by controversial student groups, unfortunately continues to exist on campus. However, Jewish student life is able to expand and prosper due to the constructive approach taken by Hillel Foundation of Orange County and Jewish Federation, in conjunction with the support of UCI Administration.

UPDATE: Marla Jo Fisher has covered the story for the Orange County Register. Both sides are represented in the story, although the UCI students in favor of the positive letter and their views seem to be the focus of the article.

Earth Day? Feh! Tel Aviv’s a busy city. Just ask the voice of the city:

“Mah…hishtagatem?? We can’t be expected to take a whole day off in honor of the environment!”
“What’s that? An hour at night? Will there be music? And will the amps be powered by TA-City’s best spinning classes? OK, then.”

This conversation never took place. At least, we have no documentation thereof. But we do have a video post from Tel Aviv Man-on-the-Rehov Benji Lovitt, of WhatWarZone.com, who captured some of the magic of Earth Hour for those of us who couldn’t make it there in person.

Random trivia note that I think is interesting: the band playing is Knesiat Hasechel which translates to “Church of the Mind.” Of course, this brings to mind “Church of the Poisoned Mind,” by Boy-George-fronted 80s band Culture Club. Which of course, reminds us of the song “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” in which Boy George famously wore a shirt with what Hebrew non-phrase on it??

That’s right people, I never waste an educational opportunity. First one to correctly guess gets…their name in lights on this blog. And by lights, I mean boldface. I do not mess around with the incentives…

Gilad Schalit has been in Palestinian captivity for almost 2 years. Typical of Israeli POWs in Arab hands, almost nothing has been heard from him, save for one recording, nobody outside of his captors has been permitted to visit him even once and also typically, the demands to exchange him border on the ludicrous with Hamas asking for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners including terrorists and terrorist abetters.

The code phrase is “blood on their hands.” Some terrorists who have been directly and indirectly involved in attacks on Israelis, particularly Israeli civilians, are considered to be un-freeable. There are some reasons for this beyond political considerations, namely the concern that they will revert to their previous terrorist activities even if they sign a promissory document that they won’t. The political sensitivity is no less of an issue because any Israeli PM willing to sign off on a deal that appears too generous will have to contend with appearing to be weak and with an even greater price for the two Israelis in Hizbullah’s captivity.

Hanging over the entire difficult enterprise is the Ron Arad story. Ron Arad was a navigator who ejected from his plane in Lebanese territory in the mid-80s and was captured alive. He is still suspected to be alive 22 years later, but has not been seen and outside of a couple of old videos, not been heard from for two decades. Nobody wants to be responsible for another Ron Arad. The Arad story also brings into relief the other concern here which is that when you have a conscript army and any soldier could be kidnapped or taken hostage, you have to take steps to reassure your population that such soldiers will not be left behind and that the military and government will attempt to bring them back with an understanding that the price will be high.

Gilad Schalit’s father, Noam, is a mild-mannered, intelligent man who has been watching his son’s fate play out to the conflicting needs of Israel and its politicians as well as Hamas and its militants. He has been getting more and more vocal over time, perhaps feeling desperation about his son’s circumstances. He lashed out a couple of days ago at Olmert and the IDF. He challenged them to do more and berated them for an inability to make tough decisions and to protect their soldiers, respectively. He asked why his son, Gilad, was the only “fryer” – roughly translating to “sucker” – to pay a price for the IDF’s incompetence. Specifically, why was nobody else in the chain of command punished for their incompetence in the Shalit kidnapping.

This is a good question and one that I asked in June of 2006 when Shalit was captured. At the time, I was concerned that even with forewarning about the pending attack, the IDF still couldn’t get its soldiers to protect themselves. The entire kidnapping scenario was a fiasco, with intelligence available that indicated where the attack was likely to come, but somehow with Shalit’s force putting its resources in the direction opposite that from which the Hamas attack came. It was amateur hour at best, and at the time I expressed concern that the IDF leadership may simply not be up to par. A couple of months later, the second Lebanon war showed us that what happened near Gaza with Shalit was symptomatic of a much deeper problem in the IDF.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting that yesterday a group of bereaved parents of fallen Israelis who were killed by terror responded angrily to Noam Shalit’s comments and criticism.

In a statement released by the Almagor terror victims organization the parents said that “For the first time since the Second Lebanon War they are aligning themselves with Prime Minister [Ehud Olmert] and rejecting Schalit’s demand that convicted Palestinian murderers be released in exchange for his son.”

…

“Your son is not the only sucker in the country and isn’t the only one who pays the price for its security,” the bereaved father wrote. “Our son Aviad fell in Gaza while pursuing terrorists and I am willing to trade places with you at any moment. Give me back my son and I’ll promise that I won’t demand that others be murdered for his sake.”

The letter goes on to warn that any prisoner exchange deal that included the release of prisoners “with blood on their hands” would “not only hurt the bereaved families but will lead to more bereaved parents and more parents of kidnapped soldiers.”

The letter claimed that “Previous such deals have caused the killings of 180 Israeli citizens over the past five years.”

Oy! Hamas must be enjoying the spectacle and the division among Israelis.

Sometimes, there are fewer tougher jobs than being Israel’s PM. This is one issue where I wouldn’t want to be sitting in Olmert’s chair.

It was all fun and games when it was a Purim joke but the Internets are all abuzz with the latest news that the leader of the Beit Shemesh Orthodox Burqa Brigade, Rabbanit Bruriah Keren, has been arrested amid allegations of serious child abuse and the failure to report multiple instances of incest.

It took police two hours to gain entry to the home, with the intervention of local rabbis. Officers and social workers soon uncovered brutal physical abuse of several of the children, including whippings with both belts and electric cables, according to a police officer’s court testimony…. The mother is also suspected of breaking one daughter’s nose with a rolling pin, leaving her children to sleep outside in a locked shed when they came home late, and preventing them from receiving medical treatment for their injuries. The mother said it was all part of their “education,” according to court documents… When the abuse was discovered last month, only two of the couple’s 12 children, who range in age from eight to 33, lived at home… The two clearly abused children, including a disabled teenager, have since been removed from the home by social workers, the police investigator told the court… When the children of the family were treated by social workers, it emerged that the teenagers had committed incest with each other, over a long period of time, the police officer said… The teenage boy who was removed from the house told social workers that he had had sexual relations with his 18-year-old sister, and that he had told his parents and his rabbis, and that the latter told him not to tell anybody else.

I am of course horrified. This whole burqa thing always struck me as verging on the insane and if these allegations pan out then, well… that would explain a few things. The allegations and rumors are coming from all over the place and this is truly as lurid a case as I have ever seen. I feel badly for the innocent children involved and I hope no one tries to make any political or ideological hay out of this tragedy. That having been said, I think it’s important to state that the Haredi Code of Silence (as Ruth Eglash put it) really needs to end, especially in cases of abuse.

Let me be really clear about this: my affiliation is with the Orthodox. That having been said, any Orthodox Rabbi, who by counseling silence in the face of allegations of abuse thus allowing the abuse to continue and permitting the abuser to go unpunished, ought to be stripped of his Smichah (Rabbinic ordination) and be subject to prosecution for enabling more abuse. There is nothing in Jewish law, nothing at all, that permits such a thing. This of course applies equally to anyone who by their silence allows the continued perpetuation of abuse against children.

Sure it may be embarrassing to acknowledge the existence of child abuse in your community. But I think it’s far more embarrassing and a much greater Chillul Hashem to know that this took place due to the willful blindness of community leaders who prefer to stick their heads in the ground rather than do something about a problem that clearly exists.

Thanks to Jameel, again, for the heads up.

Are you a blogger and love Israel? We are organizing a global collaboration of bloggers for Israel, together with 60-4-60 and Craig Taubman’s Let My People Sing, a LA-wide musical celebration of Israel’s 60th Birthday.

Each blogger will be asked to write just one post for this project during the month leading up to and the month after Yom Haatzmaut.

The topic is “Something ‘Israel’ that you love: people, place, thing, time etc.”

If you are interested let me know by emailing JewliciousFestival [at] gmail by Friday, March 28th.

Is going down all week at the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side. The thing is this Thursday night is the big closing party and there are going ot be well over 1000 peoples coming out to see the works of the 11 Artists that were selected. Amongst them, are SoCalled, Levi Okunov and Diwon. Levi is a rising Fashion Designer who throws an annual show on the Pier, which plays as an unofficial meet and greet for Hasidim and Hipsters. He has made an amazing collection using elements from the museums archives. Diwon has done the same, except with sound. Check it out live this Thursday eve at 9pm, or stop by anytime to see the artists at work. more info.

To watch interviews with some of the folks, click below.

p.s. in honor of this history, the Shemspeed folks have pressed up limited numbers of CDs and T Shirts (click on image to purchase)

Another day, another round of accusations that Obama is surrounded by people with strong anti-Israel positions. In this case, the person extends his antipathy to American Jews who live in “New York” and “Miami.”

Obama’s national campaign co-chairman is Merrill “Tony” McPeak and he’s also his military advisor. The good general has just put himself in the media spotlight by attacking Bill Clinton, otherwise I wouldn’t know who he is. The Republican Jewish Coalition does know who he is, however. What did McPeak say in an interview to an Oregon newspaper in 2003? This:

[A]We don’t have a playbook for the Middle East. You know, for instance, obviously, a part of that long-term strategy would be getting the Israelis and the Palestinians together at . . . something other than a peace process. Process is not a substitute for achievement or settlement. And even so the process has gone off the tracks, but the process isn’t enough. . . . We eed to get it fixed and only we have the authority with both sides to move them towards that. Everybody knows that.

[Q] So where’s the problem? State? White House?

[A]New York City. Miami. We have a large vote – vote, here in favor of Israel. And no politician wants to run against it.

Aah, he clearly loves New York!

(more…)

This is a long post, so if you have the patience, grab a glass of apple juice, wine or beer, get comfortable and relax. It will end eventually…

Tell me if you’ve had this experience. A panel/discussion/forum is advertised and the topic relates to Israel. When you get there, however, you realize that the organizers invited speakers among whom the ones who are supposed to be the Israel supporters – often the Jews on the panel – are actually somewhat to the left of Lenin and Che Guevara and expressive of attitudes about Israel that would have made Gamal Abdel Nasser sound like Alan Dershowitz.

Why is that? If I wanted to learn about why Israel should be supported or might be in the right, then why would I invite a Norman Finkelstein or a Noam Chomsky to represent Israel?

I wouldn’t unless there was a good chance I was a twit, a censor, a disingenuous liar or any combination of the preceding.

So there I was several days ago, meandering through some Jerusalem Post and Ha’aretz articles, when I came across a story where a Guardian editor, sitting on a panel at the Jewish Book Week, apologized for some of his paper’s coverage of the fighting in Jenin in 2002.

In response to his publication’s coverage of the operation, Rusbridger said it was unfair to blame the reporter. Following Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, the Guardian’s editorial commented in its April 17 edition that: “Israel’s actions in Jenin were every bit as repellent as Osama Bin Laden’s attack on New York on September 11.”

“I take full responsibility for the misjudgment,” Rusbridger said.

And during a response to a later question, he apologized for the editorial on Jenin – unprompted.

(more…)

Hamas, in their ever-vigilant pursuit of new moral and ethical lows, have opened a Holocaust remembrance exhibit in Gaza, IsraelToday reported today. A journalist from the Palestinian Al-Ayyam newspaper accompanied a group of schoolchildren to the exhibit, set up by the PA’s National Committee for Defense of Children from the Holocaust, and noted — this museum is no Yad Vashem:

In Hamas-ruled Gaza, Palestinian Arab schoolchildren were taken on a field trip to a Holocaust exhibit set up by The National Committee for Defense of Children from the Holocaust, reported the local Al Ayyam newspaper.

The exhibit made use of language and images characteristic of the Nazi Holocaust, but instead of Nazi troops feeding the ovens with Jewish victims, the exhibit portrayed Jews baking non-Jewish children to death.

Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli media watchdog, noted that the exhibit served to reinforce recent programs on Palestinian Authority-controlled television that taught local Arab youths that it was the Zionist Jews who burned humans in ovens during the Holocaust.

Perhaps this is worse than outright Holocaust denial — it is unforgivable to contend that those who died not only didn’t die, but were the murderers themselves. And historical accuracy is irrelevant — for many of these children, the Hamas school system is the only one they will ever attend, with atrocities like this inculcated into fact.

Many kids who are hearing this at school are seeing pro-Qassam Hamas propaganda like this on Al-Aqsa TV at home (with the slogan “take them to hell, O Qassam”) and listening to the Qassam song on the radio.

Unless someone gives these kids a chance to learn honestly, the future Gazan adults are going to be difficult to deal with in the future, regardless of what happens between Fatah and Hamas.

Back in January, Y-Love discussed the issue of Jewish women in the Israeli town of Bet Shemesh taking the concept of modesty so seriously that they started wearing Islamic style burqas – a garment worn head to toe by Muslim women which covers every inch of their bodies. Of course this is a serious issue and merits thoughtful discussion, religious women are encouraged (to say the least) to dress modestly, but most people believe that this development is an affront, overkill if you will.

And then Purim rolled along and we got a treat: a funny Purim video that transcends the holiday! What does life in Beit Shemesh, Israel look like for Jewish women clad in burqas? Watch this hilarious video and find out!

All bow down to Jameel at the Muqata who blogged this first!

[I'm off on holiday on Wednesday and won't take my shleptop with me, so any complaints after Tuesday night will be answered after my return.]

Every other day, some spam comment directs my attention to an older post on dating by Esther. Mihi placet Esther’s wit, but I also enjoy scanning through the comment threads of these posts as well as similarly themed ones on other blogs. IMHO they’re pretty amusing. To me, the quintessence of the comments could be summed up as follows:

a) every girl dreams of a frog king;
b.1) the best men are already taken or
b.2) gay or
b.3) daddy;
c) people in relationships can be pretty schadenfroh (that’s the adjective of Schadenfreude);
d) girls have got unrealistic expectations;
e) men have got unrealistic expectations.

To add my two Eurocents (about 3 US cents), I’d like to address each of the above points from my secular European perspective, well-aware of everything being sooooo much different in frum circles. (Pardon me, but most of my friends speak Yiddish as a mother tongue. Sheer tights / clean-shaven faces, OU-d snacks and the intention of living a more religious life hardly make you frum in my book.)

a) That’s pretty much correct. There’s a reason why frog king figurines are the key decoration pieces this season and frog king jewellery is the Central European accessory du jour. Here’s the one I got for myself. Admittedly, after I got it, it reminded me a bit of what you can see here (no offence meant, I like that guy).

(more…)

Free trip to Israel, network with your peers, support for innovation and more…

Applications for the 2008 ROI Summit are due by Friday, March 28. The ROI Summit is an annual affair bringing together 120 young Jewish leaders from around the world to Jerusalem for 4 days of networking, skills sessions and fun. ROI120 attracts young Jewish leaders from all kinds of backgrounds, affiliations and orientations with the aim of creating some kind of crazy synergy. Now I know, many of you are thinking that this is yet another one of those Jew things where Jew geeks get together and talk interminably about Jew stuff. Well, you could think that but you’d be wrong. The ROI Summit has in the past united Jewish innovators as diverse as musicians, journalists, activists, writers, business men, tech geeks, bloggers, educators, environmentalists, yoga instructors, editors, animators, you name it. Each participant brought a little something different to the table and most people involved emerged from the Summit with their horizons broadened and new friends.

The strength of ROI, and this is just my personal opinion, is in its diversity. Consequently, this post is a plea for those of you who are passionate about what you do, who have projects that could use the support such a networking opportunity could bring or who have expertise that might help someone else in the furtherance of their project – this is a plea for you to consider applying – even if, actually especially if, you don’t feel you fit the typical profile of the kind of person who might be interested in something like this.

I have been involved in ROI since its inception. Since then I have participated in or personally provided assistance to people involved in many projects. ROI120 is an organization that keeps on giving. They have set up a fund that has been used to seed fund promising projects. They provide continued assistance to alumni wishing to travel to and participate in other conferences. They have facilitated reunions in Israel, Europe and the US. Everywhere I go, anywhere that cool stuff is happening, I see ROI alums working together – including, but not limited to, our recent Jewlicious Festival.

So go on. Apply. It’ll take you maybe 20 minutes to fill out the form. And if it all works out and you make it to Jerusalem, first beer’s on me. Seriously.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support of Taglit -Birthright Israel, The Center for Leadership Initiatives, The Schusterman Foundation and the fine staff at ROI120 for making this amazing thing happen.

It really is amazing. I’m not kidding. Apply today!

The story of a boy with Cerebral Palsy, his family and a Physiotherapist / Doctor team who helped him walk on his own thanks to the invention of an amazing therapeutic device.

Israel 21c correspondent Leah Stern and I went to the West Bank Village of Halhul, just north of Hebron to meet this plucky Palestinian kid and his family and see for ourselves the results of Israeli/Palestinian cooperation. It aint all bad news over here folks – at least not for Cerebral Palsy sufferers and their loved ones around the world who will benefit from this breakthrough therapy. Well uh… at least those who don’t boycott Israel that is. I snapped some pics while I was there which you can see by clicking below.

www.flickr.com Jewlicious’ Visit to Halhul photoset

Just got back from Heeb Storytelling. Just as most of these sorts of things go, there was some really good stuff and there there was some stuff that made me feel like Alvy Singer in Annie Hall, where he is holding that smile to the comedian thinking his face would freeze up if he had to force it any longer. Then there we great moments like when Adam Mansbach took the stage. I was amazed at his control of the mic and audience. He is an articulate witty intellectual with a south central way of speaking fused with a Boston accent. The hip hop def shines through. He tells a story of how before he was a writer, he was a butcher and he heard the voice of God. God told him to pack up all his things and take all his money and move to Las Vegas to play black jack. Right off the bat he got 18 all in and felt alright. Just then God tells him to hit. He hesitently does and gets an ace. So he is feeling good with his 19 and he has doubled his money. About to head out he hears Gods commanding voice again telling him to hit. He gets nervous and sweaty but he follows His command and hits. Another ace!! He has 20 and feels good. Ready to jet with all his freaking money. All the sudden he can’t believe it but God commands him yet again to hit!!! He follows Gods orders once again even though he knows its the crazyiest and possibly stupidest thing he could do and BAM 21! The place goes nutz, he takes his money and hears God say, “UN-FUKIN-BELIEVABLE!!”

- Adam Mansbach

- Y-Love
(more…)

So, are you one of those that eat chocolate Easter bunnies or one of those that despise chocolate Easter bunnies? (Most brandname ones I’ve seen in the US were OUd.) Are you one of those that enjoy the flavour of the cocoa and the sweetness as the chocolate is slowly melting on your tongue or are you one of those that give people nibbling on bunnies stern looks that would make hell freeze over, crying avodah zarah as soon as the first chocolicious ears pop around the corner?

If you belong to the latter group, what do you make out of this?

(Painting in the synagogue of Chodorow, 1715CE; Diaspora Museum Beth Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv)

Bunnies and hares have long since been a symbol of fertility in Central Europe for their energetic reproductive habits, so to speak. [Sidenote: no, I don't think chocolate Chasidim would be a mouthwatering alternative. Trust me, they taste different; no perversions implied.] So how come the bunnies and hares have hopped into synagogues?

(more…)

** UPDATED! **
More stuff and a separate Web site: Stuff Jewish People Like – The Blog!
Come on… like you didn’t see it coming.

Riffing off of the success of Stuff White People Like, I’d like to present a list of “Stuff Jewish People Like.” Enjoy and feel free to criticize or add your suggestions!

All You Can Eat Buffets: This should probably be listed under Stuff Old Jewish People Like but I can’t help but notice that there are no Kosher All You Can Eat Buffets in Jerusalem, the Upper West Side, Pico Robertson or Le Marais. It can’t just be because of the old people. Luckily however, there are plenty of All You Can Eat Buffets in Chinatown and in Suburban strip malls and while they may not be kosher, the Jews love them! Why? Maybe it’s a throwback from the impoverished shtetl days where quantity was valued above quality. Maybe it’s a remnant of our history of anti-Semitism where a Jew never knew if a particular meal was his or her last before they had to pack up their belongings and run away from the Cossacks and who knew when they could eat properly again? Whatever it is, despite their relative wealth and freedom from anti-Semitism, the Jews, they love them a good fress!

Validation from the Goyim: Jews sometimes behave like Canadians. Allow me to explain. In Canada, the quickest way for an emerging artist, writer or musician to be taken seriously is to achieve success south of the border. It’s as if popularity in America is the ultimate validation – the greatest proof that someone is worth being taken seriously. It’s kind of the same with the Jews. Like what’s the ultimate compliment you can give to a kosher restaurant? The fact that you can bring your goy friends there and they won’t even know it’s a Kosher restaurant! The fact that non-Jews like Matisyahu, that SoCalled plays at European music festivals, that makes them more acceptable to Jews. Graduating from Harvard gives you more yichus than graduating from Hebrew Union College, the cover of the Rolling Stone is better than the cover of the Forward, dating Leonardo DiCaprio is cooler than dating uh… Abe Foxman. You know what I mean…

Remembering the Holocaust: With greater acceptance in mainstream America, many Jews felt that traditional manifestations of Jewish identity were, well, kind of uncool. While sill tenaciously maintaining their identity, Jews needed something with which to anchor it – and there ya go, the Holocaust fit the bill perfectly! Of course it is important to honor your dead, but often times Jews use the Holocaust as the central tenet of their identities, as if before the Holocaust, there was no good reason to be a Jew. Consequently Jewish communal resources are inordinately dedicated to Holocaust-based organizations, Museums and memorials. Is it any wonder that newer generations of Jews are uninterested in an identity based on virtual necrophilia? But still, that Holocaust train keeps a chuggin’ along!

Old Timey Jew Food: On the Lower East Side on Houston Street, within two blocks of each other, you can visit both Russ and Daughter’s and Yoni Schimmel’s Knishery. Within these establishments on most Sundays, one can find Jews from all over New York and the US taking a gastronomic trip down memory lane by chowing down on all manner of bagels and shmears and lox and smoked fish and knishes and kugels and latkes. They bring their kids with them, they get all misty as they bite into the food their parents and grand parents used to eat. This scene gets replayed all over – from Schultzies in Miami to Schwartz’s in Montreal, from Canter’s in LA to Joe Goldberg’s in Paris. Never mind that this food is mostly unkosher and not particularly Jewish – what’s important is that Jews sure do love their Old Timey Jew Food!

Free Stuff: See All You Can Eat Buffet
Israel/Anti-Semitism: See Remembering the Holocaust

*** NEW! More Stuff Jewish People Like!! ***

Answering a Question with Another Question: “What do I mean?” What am I supposed to mean? Many attribute this unique cultural predisposition to Talmudic scholarship, particularly the Gemara. The Gemara (500 CE) represents Rabbinical analysis of the Mishnah (200 CE) and is presented in the form of questions and answers in a kind of virtual debate. Others attribute this ethnic trait to Jews just being shifty and never wanting to give you a straight answer. Who is right? What? Do I look like a Talmudic scholar?

Florida: Jews frickin LOVE Florida, particularly Boca Raton and Miami. Every December they descend upon these cities like a swarm of locusts. Is it any wonder then that the most well attended Matzo Ball parties are in Boca and Miami? It’s easy to understand why though. Most of the visiting Jews are there to escape the cold North Eastern winters where they live. It’s also nice to get away from all that incessant Christmas mishegas, and well, since Florida is a thriving destination for retirees, they get to visit Bubbe and Zaiyde too. Add to that the existence of many establishments that sell Old Timey Jewish Food and really, it’s no wonder the Jews love the State of Florida. Well all except for the North and the Gulf Coast. That’s for the Rednecks.

Famous Jews: Remember when Eliot Spitzer was Governor of New York? The Jews loved him! And Ari Fleischer? Oy such naches – President Bush’s Press Secretary, a Jew! And of course we all love Jon Stuart, the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. What about Sasha Baron Cohen? The Jews adored Borat! And yet… Spitzer never had a bar mitzvah and married out. Fleischer and Stuart and Cohen are also married to non-Jews. In fact, very few famous Jews, from the ones I already mentioned to Scarlett Johansen, Sarah Silverman, Amy Winehouse, Leonard Cohen, Norman Mailer, The Beastie Boys etc. are particularly, you know, Jewy. However, it seems that their fame more than makes up for it and we tend to uncritically embrace them as we would a warm knish after Yom Kippur. Unless of course they get caught ordering prostitutes, or they marry their ex-girlfriend’s children. Then we cry “Shanda Fur the Goyim!” But barring that… Jews sure do like famous Jews.

Ailment Oneupmanship: I wish I could say this only applies to old Jewish people, but I know I’ve witnessed young ones doing it too. This happens when you get a group of Jews together chatting about this and that. At some point someone starts to kvetch (complain) about the headache they had that afternoon. Then another talks about their painful heartburn, and before you know it we have brain tumors, aneurysms and even made up stuff like, I don’t know, cancer of the eye. It’s a sort of game where the winner is the one with the most horrific disease. Why do Jews do this? Well, you know how tight Jews are right? They do this oneupmanship thing to make each other feel good. I mean if you had a headache for an hour, and it made you feel bad, when your friend tells you he has cancer of the eye it helps put everything into perspective and then you don’t feel so bad. Clearly your friend is a tzadik, a righteous person. OK so he’s a fucking liar, but still, what a tzadik!

Unaffiliated Jews: According to all the major Jewish demographic studies, the fastest growing denomination in Judaism isn’t Orthodox or Conservative or Reform. It’s no denomination. These mamzerim (bastards), it’s feared, are going to cause the end of Judaism. But much like that guy who never calls or that gal who won’t give you the time of day, it seems Jews are fascinated by the unaffiliated. They ask themselves “Why don’t they come around? Where are they? What do they want? What are they thinking? How can we get them to take our calls? What can I do to make them like me?” They spend massive sums of money trying to attract them, have endless conferences about them and even judge the success of many of their programs by how many of them they can attract – even if it means watered or dumbed down content. They try to entice them with free stuff, hip music, money even sex! Unaffiliated Jews tend to not contribute to their community institutions or causes, yet they are an endless source of fascination and longing for the Jews.

Doctors: Man do Jews like Doctors. I feel like it’s such a cliché that it’s almost not worth talking about. It’s like every Jewish mother’s wet dream – Jews want their children to either be a Doctor or be married to a Doctor. It’s like the ideal profession – combining respectability, implied intelligence and a good, steady income, as well as the attendant bragging rights for the parent involved. Now remember, I’m talking medical Doctors. Your PhD in English Literature might allow you to use the designation “Doctor,” but really, your Mother cries herself to sleep every night wondering where she went wrong.

WASPs: That’s right, Jews like to emulate White Anglo Saxon Protestants. Well at least American Jews do. They have always wanted to live where they live, to golf where they golf, vacation where they vacation, go to their schools, talk like them, look like them and dress like them. And the WASPs? Well ya gotta give them credit. They tried to keep the Jews Jewish by not letting them into their clubs, schools and daughters’ pants, but the Jews are an obstinate bunch – it says so in the Torah! They changed their names, amassed great wealth and lavished WASP institutions with massive endowments. The women straightened and dyed their hair blond, the men wore duck boots and polo shirts and pursued lithe blond shik… err, non-Jewish women with great gusto. It’s gotten to the point where the quintessential WASP-style fashion designers are Jews – Ralph Lauren (Polo Shirts? When did Jews ever play Polo??) and Calvin Klein (his minimalistic approach to fashion with muted colors and clean lines are reflective of a WASP sensibility). I mean you can walk into Yeshiva University and judging by all the crew neck sweaters, Polo shirts, Penny Loafers and Khaki Pants, you’d think you had just walked into some bucolic Vermont village. Jews like WASPs so much that it now seems that they are in fact more WASPY than actual WASPs.

Kvetching: See Ailment Oneupmanship

I could go on and on… so, what other Stuff do Jewish People Like?

I remember cartoonist Sam Gross from his days penning cartoons for the National Lampoon. He had a talent he did. I remember one cartoon of a goofy looking kid with a coat hanger that appeared to be attached to his head. The caption? “I was a failed abortion.” And that was one of his cleaner drawings. His cartoons usually elicited a response to the effect of “Oh my God, that is so gross!” which was funny given that he signed his work “S. Gross.” Since then he’s enjoyed a steady gig at the somewhat less puerile New Yorker but apparently the 74-year old cartoonist has not lost his ability to uhm… provoke.

Back in 1997, Gross was watching a news story about a swastika that had been drawn on some dude’s garage. He thought it was a little silly that this was the lead story. So he decided to have a little fun with the symbol:

Ten years and 500 sketches later, Gross … has finally made good on his promise with We Have Ways of Making You Laugh: 120 Funny Swastika Cartoons… The book is exactly what the title says it is—each cartoon features a swastika, either fashioned out of an inanimate object or affixed to an article of clothing—though whether you agree with the “funny” modifier likely depends on your sense of humor.

Of course all the usual suspects, led by Abe Foxman and the ADL, are up in arms about the book, but Gross for his part claims he is simply trying to demystify the swastika and rob it of it’s emotional punch. So are his cartoons funny? Crass? Liberating? Seems like a perfect thing to contemplate during Purim what with the revelrie and the Amalek references and the almost genocide. You can get a sneak peak at his book at Radar Online where a collection of Gross’s swastika cartoons are available in a Gallery.

I still think that Sam Gross is awesome by the way.