Comments on: Anti-Semitism and Gaza

By: Pastaman

Pastaman — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:33:29 +0000

In Sweden the situation isn’t so different. A few synagogues have been torched and even a jewish graveyard chapel. Sadly enough, it’s hard to find a newspaper which reports those incidents.

And by the way, this conflict in Israel isn’t a religious one, or at least it didn’t begin as one. i believe that antisemitism (or in it’s newest form “anti-israelism”) just “piggy backed” on that conflict.

By: Joel

Joel — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:26:15 +0000

That’s a bit odd to ask for atheism to take over when in the past 100 years some of the greatest opponents to Israel and the Jewish people have been atheists (while some of the greatest supporters of Israel and the Jewish people have been evangelical Christians). Stalin, anyone? Communist Russia, at least under Stalin, was an atheistic state and wasn’t too kind to the Jewish people.

Regardless, I have said all along that the anti-Israeli sentiments are really guised anti-Jewish sentiments. If Israel were actually doing something shady – such as invading Iraq without a lot of evidence of wrongdoing – then the anti-Israel rallies would make sense. However, Israel was attacked, has consistently been attacked, and is finally responding to the attacks – yet people protest this response. What motivates that other than stupidity and anti-Semitism (anti-Semitism is really just a different form of stupidity)?

By: Yael

Yael — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:00:41 +0000

P – Maybe that’s in Toronto, but in Europe anti-semetic incidents have been on the rise the past three weeks.

By: Kari

Kari — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:03:28 +0000

Robert: If we stopped practicing Judaism we’d be making the situation worse.

For the super-religious Christians and Muslims, our religion isn’t wrong, it’s just incomplete.

If we abdicate our own religion, we’re the same as the heathens.

By: Ephraim

Ephraim — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:47:05 +0000

I always knew philosophers were just luftmenschen in disguise….

By: froylein

froylein — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:49:06 +0000

I wouldn’t be surprised if Muffti were under the impression that BD and CK had teamed up on matters of shidduchim.

By: P

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:00:55 +0000

The so-called “details” about anti-Semitic violence/speeches/comments at these rallies seems a bit outlandish. Regardless, I was at the Toronto one (I spent the entire day taking photos, talking to people, and watching from higher gound) and I can tell you that what Mark is reporting on (along with a whole string of blogs citing him as a reference) — is 100% wrong. NOTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENED! Not even in the least. If he’s not outright lying then he’s been terribly mislead. There wasn’t a single anti-Jewish statement/sign/action. Not one. Feel free to contradict me but you, like Mark, was nowhere near the demonstration.

By: Ben-David

Ben-David — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:30:24 +0000

… so find a nice athiette of Jewish descent, and get married already.

By: Grand Muffti

Grand Muffti — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:30:59 +0000

But Muffti is a GOOD atheist…

By: froylein

froylein — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:47:30 +0000

Compound nouns anybody?

If “interpret” is used as a state verb (category: verbs of mind and perception), it collocates with an adjective; there is a tendency in American English to ditch adverbs for the sake of adjectives. This tendency has become so popular that that “swap” now even is mentioned in grammar books as a proper alternative you can use in American English.