From the JTA: Woman wearing tallit arrested at Western Wall

From the JPost: Woman wearing talit at Kotel detained

From Haaretz: Police arrest woman for wearing prayer shawl at Western Wall

From ArutzSheva: Police Arrest, Release Woman with Prayer Shawl at Kotel.

In fact the articles are completely different — JPost says a woman was detained after trying to read from a Torah near the Kotel. The JTA, that she was arrested for wearing a Tallit.

The prayer shawl was not the reason she was detained. She was not arrested, obviously, because she was immediately released. I am not judging what should happen there — I advocate some kind of compromise — I am judging the sensational headlines, and the damage they do to the Jewish people, by our own news sources.

Forget the whole CNN vs FOX vs MSNBC debate. We have our own headline battles, though more subtle.

The woman detained was interviewed by the Jpost:

Frenkel said that as the women unrolled the Torah scroll and began to prepare to read, officials from the Kotel Foundation arrived and demanded that they leave the premises.

Frenkel said that the women agreed to roll up the Torah scroll and take it to the Robinsons Arch. But on their way out Frenkel, who was wearing a talit and was carrying the Torah, was seized by police.

I was pushed into a nearby police station and transferred to the main police station at Yaffo Gate, she said.

About 40 women who attended the prayer formed a procession and followed the police and Frenkel through the Old City to the Yaffo Gate where they congregated and sang songs until Frenkel was released.

The Jewish headlines are helping to divide an already divided people desperate for some kind of unity to face external threats.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” – St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th century.
By Lyon Roth
Globes Magazine

Today, most political roads seem to lead to Washington DC. Once there, you will also discover that nearly every letter of the alphabet enjoys a real road or street named after it in one or more of the four quadrants of the city. Poor letter J does not have any street named after it in any quadrant. However, it now adorns the name of a new lobby that, according to its web-site, purports to be the “political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.”

J Street founder Jeremy Ben-Ami emphasizes passionately that the organization “is so clearly pro-Israel, is grounded in and based in Jewish values and a Jewish desire to support the State of Israel.” It also boasts its own political action committee to fund candidates who endorse the group’s objectives. Unfortunately, many legacy pro-Israel advocates, Jews and non-Jews alike, are confused. Perhaps trying to be all things to all people, J Street disregards what is still a rather complex matrix of issues arising from the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Ben Ami stresses that J Street rejects the “us versus them” thinking, opting instead for a non-partisan approach to the vexing dilemmas plaguing the Middle East. Sadly, however, its Pollyanna notions of regional peace neither conform to the practical realities confronting the parties who will have to achieve such peace, nor recognize certain partisan positions that remain diametrically opposed.

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Charred coins my ass

While digging wantonly under Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s 3rd holiest religious site, the Zionists usurpers conveniently claim to have discovered a trove of approximately 70 allegedly Jewish coins dating from the time of the 2nd Temple – you know, the one that never really even existed?

NPR reports:

About 70 coins were found in an excavation at the foot of a key Jerusalem holy site. They give a rare glimpse into the period of the Jewish revolt that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in A.D. 70, said Hava Katz, curator of the exhibition… The Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire and took over Jerusalem in A.D. 66. After laying siege to Jerusalem, the Romans breached the city walls and wiped out the rebellion, demolishing the Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism… The coins sit inside a glass case, some melted down to unrecognizable chunks of pockmarked and carbonized bronze from the flames that destroyed the Temple.

Hava Katz is SUCH a liar! So she scorched up a bunch of coins. So what? Everyone knows that there was no temple in Jerusalem 2000 years ago because all the Jews where in Khazaria. And they weren’t even Jews yet. This is just another provocation by the Zionist Apartheid regime meant to justify their destructive digging under Haram Al Sharif which threatens the foundations of the mosques, and justifies the further dispossession of eternal Palestinian rights extant from time immemorial. Should you find yourself in the Zionist entity, and wish to witness this hoax for yourself, you may do so at the Davidson Center, adjacent to the entrance to the so called “Wailing Wall.” I’ll show you a wailing wall you rotten Zionists.

Fresh on the heels of their ground-breaking Jews can sometimes be cool story, CNN tackles the thorny, often contentious issue of whether or not criticizing Israel equals Anti-semitism. Titled “Anti-semitism revival,” the piece begins by exploring a Swedish journalist’s allegations that the IDF murdered Palestinians in order to harvest their organs (Donald Bostrom was speaking in Israel) and then continues with statements from Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and interviews with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Itamar Marcus from Palestinian Media Watch and Gideon Levy from Ha’aretz.

Talk about a non-story! No. Not all criticism of Israel is motivated by anti-semitism, though some of it is. And just as some try to hide their anti-semitic agenda by calling it anti-Israel, others try to deflect legitimate criticism of Israel by automatically labeling it as anti-semitic. Duh. Thanks CNN. Yawn.

If you are anything like me, you hate pretty much all Israeli t-shirt designs that you see at Shuk HaKarmel.   I think the one I hate the most is

Don’t worry.  Benji Lovitt, from What War Zone,   is remedying the situation by selling his own wittily-captioned t-shirts based on some content from his blog and Israeli life in general, which you can buy here and which are wittier than anything currently available on Ben Yehuda.  I should take this opportunity to mention that Benji is my favorite Israeli comedian, aside from Avigdor Lieberman.

My favorite shirt is this one :

But he has a bunch of great shirts available, so check them out and support!

“Resistance of the occupation is a national duty and to support it is a moral and legal duty…and an honor which we are proud of,” said Syrian Prime Minister Bashar al-Assad at the Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, currently being held in Istanbul. Though, resistance to whom, one might ask. After all, when the Muslim Brotherhood tried to “resist” Syrian rule, tried to assassinate Hafez al-Assad in Damascus, killed a number of  ‘Alawi military Generals, and declared the town of Hama to be an independent Muslim state, Assad surrounded the town with artillery, and bombed the city for 11 day, killing 38,000 people. Clearly, that type of resistance is frowned upon. So let us clarify Assad’s statement: resisting Israel is honorable.

But, such a statement, blatant and in the open is not politically correct for a nation which is attempting to make friends in the West. Therefore, Assad mentioned Syria’s “continuing desire for the realization of just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the return of the occupied territories, especially the occupied Syrian Golan.” What this really means is, “if Israel gives us back the Golan Heights, and establishes a Palestinian State, which really has nothing to do with us or our national interests, we would be inclined to sign a peace treaty with Israel, which would act as a semi-long term cease fire agreement, but include definite borders instead of cease-fire lines.”

Yet, Syria, somehow, missed the mark. You see, for a peace to exist both parties have to accept that the other one has a right to exist. If not, there cannot be peace but rather a secession of war. Assad went on to say that the core problem in the Middle East is “the Zionist occupation” [which] “we must begin to work to eliminate.” Note his terminology. Assad did NOT say “the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.” Rather, he said “the Zionist occupation.” What does this minor difference mean? Well, while the former refers to the territory of the West Bank being occupied, the later refers to all of Palestine, including Israel, as being occupied by Zionists. He then says that this entity’s occupation ought to be eliminated. So, Israel is at the heart of all problems in the Middle East and ought to be eliminated. In short, if one party is calling for the destruction of the other, they aren’t really calling for peace.

Does this sound like an arm extended in peace and friendship? I didn’t think so.

Last Friday, friends and relatives of Australian Jewish Philanthropist Richard Pratt gathered in Jaffa, to commemorate in words, music and dance, the life of a man who had touched so many. Pratt, who passed away last April, was Australia’s 4th wealthiest man. His Pratt Foundation helped support over 350 projects in Israel, from education to integration, from culture to health. You can read all about the event in this article in Haaretz.

Pratt first came to my attention a few years ago after his foundation decided to support my buddy and ROI alum Jeremy Hulsh’s Oleh Records, an organization dedicated to supporting Israeli artists gaining access to audiences abroad. Jeremy clued me into the awesome video above that is super cute and also allows one to see the width and breadth of the Pratt Foundation’s work in Israel. Mr. Pratt may be gone, but his legacy lives on and he won’t easily be forgotten.

Dura Reserve

HaYarkon Park

Herzliya

These three were taken by the exceptionally talented Tal Shavit and much of her beautiful work can be seen (in a larger size) on her account at Flickr. For those who want to see it, she also has a set she calls Palestine which includes images taken at checkpoints. It appears that sometimes even harsh politics can be depicted beautifully.

SHABBAT SHALOM!

Wow. From whatever shithole bunker, buried deep in the ground, he’s hiding in, Hassan Nasrallah is not going to be happy today. Israel captured the Francop, an Antigua registered cargo ship on it’s way to Syria with a special cargo of 36 containers, weighing in at 500 tons, on it’s way to Hezballah in South Lebanon. Once inside the containers, the IDF found 106 mm rockets, 107 mm rockets, 122 mm rockets, mortar shells and hand grenades. These munitions, hidden in polyurethane, were surely destined to be used against civilians in Northern Israel and represent a violation of UN General Assembly Resolutions 1747 and 1701. Just to put it into context, remember the Karine-A? Another boat full of Iranian supplied weapons captured by the Israelis before terrorists could get their hands on it? That was a big deal back in 2002, right? The Francop had 10 times more weapons. In fact, the Israelis are still opening up the containers!

The crazy thing is, this is just one they caught. The IDF really has no way of knowing how many weapons have gotten through. Shit.

According to CNN, Al-Shabab has issued a threat against Israel. Al-Shabab is the terrorist group which controls much of Somalia. It has known links to Al-Qaeda and many of its affiliate terrorist groups. Al-Shabab leaders have stated, “We will transfer and expand our fighting in the Middle East so we can defend Al Aqsa mosque from the Israelis.” The group claims that Israel is attempting to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque (and compound?). The group, which is, also, known for its piracy activities, has claimed to have established a new unit, the “Al-Aqsa Holy Warriors” to act against Israel.

It is this author’s opinion that this group’s threats ought not be taken idly. Somalia sits strategically on the Gulf of Aden, across from Yemen. With Yemen believed to become the new Al-Qaeda headquarters, following a retreat from Afghanistan, Somalia’s position is likely to become more important, and more infused with terrorists. As such, they would be in a prime position to close down the Gulf of Aden, or more importantly, the Red Sea to Israeli shipping. Even without direct attacks on Israel’s soil, this is a most strategic threat. Moreover, given that Al-Qaeda is already known to exist in the Gaza Strip, more links cannot mean anything but trouble for Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participated in a press briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem October 31, 2009, and discussed the .. fish she caught in the Dead Sea?

How else to explain his recent interview with Anna Baltzer and Mustafa Barghouti? Clearly Stewart wanted in on the whole peace, love and understanding thing going on over at the J Street conference, so he invited the very telegenic Anna Baltzer, author of the book Witness in Palestine: journal of a Jewish American woman in the occupied territories and the granddaughter of Holocaust refugees. Which of course gives her a greater insight into the truth. But I digress. Mustafa Barghouti was a candidate for the Presidency of the Palestine Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19.8% of the vote. Barghouti was also Minister of Information in the short-lived Palestinian unity government of March-June 2007 where his greatest accomplishment was effectively killing off Farfour the Mouse, ahead of legal action by the Disney Corporation. He is currently the General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, a political party that seeks to further political reform, eliminate corruption while supporting peace with Israel based on two states with a Palestinian state in all territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, a capital in Arab East Jerusalem and rights for refugees.

What’s noteworthy is that Baltzer is more anti-Israel than Barghouti, who does not come off as anti-Israel at all. While voicing strong support for non-violent resistance and the BDS movement, she could not, after being repeatedly asked by Stewart, say that she supported the right of the State of Israel to exist. Barghouti on the other hand, had no problem stating his recognition of this right, although his relatively moderate views haven’t helped him much with the electorate and while he is respected, he’s basically nobody. In fact, so is Baltzer. Her book is 3 years old and she makes a living because certain audiences can’t get enough of Jews with Holocaust survivor parents or grandparents talking about what a shitty country Israel is. Baltzer, who is a graduate of Columbia University and a Fulbright Scholar, is basically a “hot babe” version of failed academic Norman Finkelstein. Much, much easier on the eyes, but just as one sided, intellectually dishonest, fundamentally flawed and kind of demented. Barghouti seems like a very nice, sincere man but like Baltzer, he exists on the fringes, with little or no support amongst his constituents.

So why invite these two to The Daily Show? Because of the J Street zeitgeist and because it might lead to a partnership that could result in “a hilarious buddy cop movie.” Sigh. The extended segments from the Daily Show can be viewed after the bump. That means click on the “more” link dummy.

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Washington DC has a grid of numbers and lettered streets overlayed with diagonal avenues named for U.S. states. There are smaller streets in alphabetic order which ascend in sequence by their numbers of syllables, as well. K Street is known for Gucci wearing lobbyists, and U Street for artists. But one lettered street is missing. The is no “J Street,” since the city planner was a foe of politician John “Jay.”

Eighteen months ago, a J STREET came to DC, a new Jewish lobbying group that defines itself as pro Israel and pro peace. The group’s name is playing off the notion of lobbying, (J)ewish, and what it feels has been a lack of organized progressive peace lobbying in DC. But just as L’Efant hated John Jay and omitted a “J Street”, this group has quickly garnered attention and enemiesl it is seen by some as a thorn in the foot of the OJC (Organized Jewish Community), dangerous by others, and a tempest in a tiny teapot that will be ignored by a few others. Its actual or potential influence has not yet been assessed. I was lucky enough to attend their first, inaugural conference this week, and below are some of my impressions.

The conference hosted nearly 100 speakers primarily from North America and Israel, including several current and former MK’s, U.S. members of Congress, a former Israeli FM, a former head of the Shin Bet, former Ambassador Martin Indyk, and current U.S. National Security Advisor Jim Jones. The conference was planned for 1,000 attendees, had 1,200 on the first night, and 1,500 by the first morning. This was quite amazing for a group that reports 7,000 contributors and 110,000 online supporters (Perhaps they count facebook friends as well). Most impressive were the over 200 students from dozens of campuses in attendance. Many of them are on the front lines of Israel and peace advocacy programs, more so than in other environments. It is one of the few truly grassroots Jewish movements I have witnessed.

The attendees were a very wide ranging mosaic of progressive North American Jews with various degrees and definitions of what pro-Israel and pro-Peace is, but such is the nature of inaugural conferences and progressives, where the angels that are in the details and they get hammered in or out.

I knew I was in for something different when there were no bagels on the first day’s continental breakfast. Just croissants and muffins. What kind of Jewish event was this? Thankfully on day two, there were bagels and even a toaster. Is this a sign of how groups evolve?

Over 20 other organizations collaborated in the events, including Americans for Peace Now, Rabbis for Human Rights, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom (which had over 200 members at the conference, I hadn‘t even heard of them), the New Israel Fund, Meretz USA, and Ameinu. The sessions were webcast live and can be found on J Street’s website and twittered under the hash tag of #JSTCONF09. C-Span broadcast a selected panel as well.

The conference opened with a plenary (a fancy word for “full“) session on Israel and American Jewry in the new century. It was led by Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street’s Executive Director, and Daniel Sokatch, the new CEO of the New Israel Fund. They know that they are treading on rough terrain in the Jewish community. They are seen as an alternative voice to AIPAC, the powerful Israel focus lobby, and the local Jewish federations that tow the “party line” on Israel (the party line being that of the officially elected Israeli PM at the time).

Many see J Street as giving U.S. law and policy makers an opening to vote against the current desires of the Israeli government and still be seen as “pro-Israel.” They say that J Street will hurt AIPAC’s ability to enforce “Party” unity. Time will tell, but one panelist told an audience how he knew political consultants who would tell candidates to return any contributions from J Street so as not to negatively taint themselves.

Ben-Ami began the first evening by reading from congratulatory letters from Peres and Livni. He then listed of his pro Israel bona fides, as did many of the speakers over the three days. Although many said that it was unnecessary to have to list their pro-Israel credentials, they still did it. And why not? To be effective, one must be realistic; and if it lends to one’s credibility to list ones experiences, so be it.

Perhaps Ben-Ami has “challenge” in his DNA? His late father, a leader of the Irgun, was the one who purchased the Altalena ship as a direct challenge to Ben-Gurion. Jeremy Ben-Ami laid out the foundations of J Street and its goal to advocate for a two state solution and a regional integrated peace plan. There were a lot of self congratulatory moments, but no more than at any other conference that seeks to reinforce its policies and values, and I don’t want you to think that it went a far as a farce, as when in “South Park,” Kyle’s father was smugly enamored by his own choices and smells.

Others took the stage or floor to essentially lay out their passions that there should be no officially sanctioned way to be “pro Israel,” to assert that the right-wing does not have a monopoly on Israel advocacy and policies, and to report that many young American Jews, even in light of Birthright Israel are disaffected, unaffiliated, and not interested in the prevailing attitude of “Support Israel: Whether Right or Wrong.” They reported that they are shunned in their local Jewish communities if they say Palestinians have rights to a independent peaceful state, and that their friends are more likely to advocate for Darfur, global warming, and healthcare reform, than for Israel.

Sokatch added, J Street is progressive, pro Israel, pro peace, and pro social justice…, and then quipped “we need a shorter tag line.” He added that J Street is “not the fringe, but the mainstream,” and of deep significance. Whether this is wishful thinking inside of a bubble or reality is yet to be seen.

One of the best reality checks that was mentioned at the conference was the fact on the ground that the old urban pro Israel political voting alliances that existed in post WWII America are shifting, and the window is short to have support for a two state solution in the Middle East. Within a few years, most countries will just attempt to impose a one state, “one person-one vote” solution, and the Jewish majority in Israel will be dissolved if enacted. Ben-Ami, who sees J Street as not a new voice in the Jewish community, but an ancient (prophetic) voice, closed the first evening’s session by reiterating the group’s belief that the US should not just be a facilitator for the principal negotiating parties, but take a leadership role .

And there was evening, and morning… and then the next day… (continued above)

I love Taglit and Birthright Israel. May they double and triple in size and contributions, and may they go from strength to strength. So you can imagine my glee at the most recent results reported this week on a longitudinal study conducted on a sample of the earliest participants of the program. It was a study to measure the impact of the program five to eight years out. You can read the full report here.

After ten years, the program that provides a free ten day trip to Israel to Jewish youth, has sent over 225,000 from 50 countries to Israel. According to the most recent research conducted by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis, participants have a greater sense of belonging to the Jewish people and an increased interest in building Jewish families than those who did not participate in the trip.

Michael Steinhardt and his partners figuratively peed in their pants at these results. Steinhardt stood up during the meeting to implore federations and philanthropists to provide greater support to the only program that seems to be working among Jewish youth.

“In ten short years, Taglit-Birthright Israel has inspired a generation of young Jews to reconnect with Israel and the Jewish community,” said Gidi Mark (no relation to me hehe), CEO of Taglit-Birthright Israel.

What were some of the key findings from the study, which surveyed Taglit participants and non participants?

73% of trip participants felt that the trip was “somewhat” or “very much” a life changing experience for them (no comparative data on how a trip to Disney or Paris rates on the same question); trip participants were 23% more likely than non-participants to report feeling “very much” connected to Israel; and participants were 24% more likely than non-participants to “strongly agree” with the statement, “I have a strong sense of connection to the Jewish people.”

And now for the lead, which I am burying.

Those who participated in Taglit Birthright Israel, who are now married, and who do not define themselves as Orthodox were 57% more likely to have married a Jewish spouse than the non-Orthodox non-participants (Virtually all married respondents who were raised Orthodox were married to Jews, so they were excluded from this statistic.) (Note: if you read the study closer, you will note that a “Jewish spouse” in the study is a spouse who is Jewish at the time of the survey, they may have been raised in another religious tradition; but the results are still significant)

72% of trip participants who are now married, chose a currently Jewish spouse. Only 46% of trip non participants had a currently Jewish spouse. Spouses of Taglit alumni are three and a half times more likely to be Jewish now. Of those Taglit alumni who had a non Jewish spouse, about half, or 52% stated that raising their children as Jewish was “very important.”

And now for my issues with the study… the study compares trip PARTICIPANTS to NON-PARTICIPANTS. Participants are those that applied and were accepted to the program. Were they already committed to Jewish activities and active in campus programs and more likely to therefore be accepted to the program? Will this bias the results? Trip Non Participants are not those Jewish youth who are Jewish and did not apply to the program. No, they are those who applied to the program and were rejected or did not take the trip. The study does not explain why they were rejected. Perhaps they were not fully committed or active in their Jewish communities already? Non participants are also harder to track down several years after the first years of the program. This seems to muddy the results for me.

Can the differences be attribited to Taglit? The researchers say yes. Taglit says yes. I am presently unconviced. But, it doesn’t hurt, so let’s keep growing and funding it.

Some of the other timbits that I enjoyed from the study were:

Taglit alumni under the age of 30 were LESS likely to be
married than nonparticipants at the time of the survey. Uh oh, talk about continuity. Does trip participation hurt one’s marriage chances? 47% of NON participants were now married compared to just 25% of trip participants (Maybe participants met Israelis, dated them, and could not get them to commit?)

87% of participants felt at least somewhat connected to Israel, compared to 82% of non participants (not a big difference between the two groups for me)

Of the participants who never celebrated Hanukkah, a seder, or other Jewish ritual during high school, 30% felt “very much” connected to Israel after their trip. This compares to 10% of trip non participants. Therefore Taglit participants are three times as likely to be “very much” connected to Israel as non participants. (how large this pool was, I do not know)

42% of Taglit alumni read Ha’aretz, the Jerusalem Post, or other Israel based media during the conflict in Gaza in 2009. This compared to 31% for non participants. Although this is a 35% difference, I still think it is a surprisingly high value even for non participants.

Attention federations… 39% of NON participants felt “very much” connected to the Jewish community where they currently live. This compares to 37% for Participants. (Headline: Taglit hurts connecton to local Jewish communities?) But on the other hand, wake up and smell the matza. Only a third of these youth feel a connection to their local community. What does this mean for the future of local Jewish institutions

Attention rabbis… NON participants and Participants were equal in their feeling of connection to Jewish customs and traditions (for both groups, 54% of respondents felt “very connected” to customs). 50% of participants are currently members of a Jewish prayer group, compared to 42% of non participants.

Brought to you by Leadel.net

Leadel Live – Yuli Edelstein from Leadel on Vimeo.

Are diaspora Jews at the risk of being lost? Is the emergence of alternative perspectives to Israel/diaspora relations going to be a problem or a challenge? Find out when Yuli Edelstien, Minister of Diaspora Affairs is interviewed live by Leadel.net. The interview will begin at 7:30 pm Israel time (1:30 pm EST and 10:30 am PST). Check it out!

NOTE: The broadcast is now over but you can watch the video above if you are interested in Israel/Diaspora relations and the interesting man at the helm of that process.

As far as most wars go, this one’s kind of lame. The soldiers wear chef outfits instead of camouflage, the slogans are hollow (”Come and fight for your bite, you know you’re right!”) and the generals are whiny little bitches. At least in Hummus Wars, no one gets killed. Hopefully.

The Associated Press reported that a group of 300 Lebanese chefs recently broke the world record, previously held by Israel, for the largest plate of Hummus ever. Weighing in at over two tons, the accomplishment would have been one that I would have applauded had the organizers not decided to be such little bitches about it by making it a political rather than gastronomical statement.

“Lebanon is trying to win a battle against Israel by registering this new Guinness World Record and telling the whole world that hummus is a Lebanese product, its part of our traditions,” said Fady Jreissati, vice president of operations at International Fairs and Promotions group, the event’s organizer… Hummus — made from mashed chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic — has been eaten in the Middle East for centuries. Its exact origin is unknown, though it’s generally seen as an Arab dish… But it is also immensely popular in Israel — served in everyday meals and at many restaurants — and its popularity is growing around the globe… “If we don’t tell Israel that enough is enough, and we don’t remind the world that it’s not true that hummus is an Israeli traditional dish, they (Israelis) will keep on marketing it as their own,” he said Saturday.

Except see, while hummus may or may not be exclusively Lebanese, it’s probably an Arab dish. Given that nearly half the Jewish population of Israel is of Arab extraction, and given that Israeli Arabs have as valid a claim to hummus, there’s nothing wrong with Israel manufacturing and marketing hummus. It’s not theft or cultural misappropriation – it’s just fucking hummus. Hummus knows no boundaries! I’m tired of all the stupid comments one finds on the Internet, like on Hummus 101, the leading hummus blog, about how Israelis stole this and that food. Get over yourself Lebanon and Israel haters. People in Israel eat Arab food because that’s what we grew up on and where many of us came from. That’s it. Way to mar an otherwise brilliant and undoubtedly yummy accomplishment.

Hat tip: A certain someone in NY who is hopefully too busy getting busy to write a post.

Thanks Heeb. Thanks a lot.

Anonymous Jewlicious writer Wendy In Furs sent me a post from her blackberry that was so incoherent that I simply could not publish it. At least not in its entirety. Wendy attended the New York city debut of Terry Poison last Thursday night. Terry Poison is an Israeli band we’ve pimped SO hard that I may as well slap them around, inject heroin in their veins, take all their money and then pass them off for our friends to use as they wish, if you know what I mean. Terry Poison was performing at a CMJ Showcase event, sponsored in part by Heeb Magazine. I told Wendy to go and report back. She responded with her usual snark “Heeb sponsoring an Israeli band?! I see the Zionists are already reaping the rewards of David Kelsey’s trip to Israel. I hope they won’t be singing about draining swamps and shit.” Here’s a video of a recent performance by the band:

The parts of Wendy’s post I can publish are as follows:

Lead singer Louise Kahn is so fucking hot it’s no wonder she made aliyah from Norway because the whole country would have melted otherwise. She’s like Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Courtney Love rolled up into one except she is sexier than Marilyn, kicks Madonna’s bony ass and is more bruised than Love. And she rocks harder than all of them times a bazillion … Musically, Sivan ‘Petite’ Meller, who shares vocals with Kahn, is the perfect foil to her onstage histrionics. Sexually, she makes me seriously reconsider my otherwise well established heterosexuality … in fact they’re all so fucking hot it was all I could do to not jump onstage and … this is not the swamp draining Israel. Terry Poison represents that part of Israel that produces world class stuff. And the only people who give a shit that they’re Jewish are the Europeans. Fuck them and the Armada they rode in…

It only gets worst. Clearly, Wendy needs to lay off the … whatever it was she was on. I blame Terry Poison. And Heeb.

Terry Poison is apparently playing another show in New York on Sunday. The Terry Poison Web site has them playing the Highline Ballroom but the Highline Ballroom Web site makes no mention of the show. Someone in NYC call them up and let us know. Wendy’s still too wasted to be of any use at all. Also, feel free to read Orit Arfa’s interview with Louise Kahn after their performance at LA fashion Week. When she’s not shamelessly plugging the Gap, Orit does some pretty good work! Even the video wasn’t that bad.

Oren Peli taking american fright by storm with his movie Paranormal Activity. I have not seen it, don’t plan on seeing it, but could not help but wonder at the great irony. The fake horror portrayed by the Israeli Peli has the Biz all abuzz, the papers, and more. The real horror leading up to the Gaza invasion, with barrages of missiles raining down on a civilian population center, was basically a media dud.

The Paranormal Activity that is causing me nightmares has nothing to do with ghosts — it is the UN Human Rights Commission, the Goldstone report, and a certain Jewish lobby group that got the cold shoulder from Israel.

This evening in Washington DC, many Jewish leaders and their followers will gather for the two day NJDC Conference.

The NJDC is a liaison between the organized Jewish community and the Democratic political party… sort of like the appointed voice for Jewish Democrats.

Among the panelists are Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fl); Representative Robert Wexler (Fl), who is about to step down from Congress to work in Mideast peace; Marla Gilson of Hadassah; Rabbi Steve Gutow; Rabbi Craig Miller of the NJDC’s Rabbi’s for Health Insurance Reform; Dan Shapiro of the National Security Council; and more.

And among the keynote speakers are Shiraz-born
Valerie Jarrett, Esq., one of only three Senior Advisors and a close confidante to U.S. President Obama; DNC Chairman Governor Tim Kaine (Va); House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md); newly elected Senator Al Franken (Mn); CNN pundit and political strategist Paul Begala; and the NJ-born, Ambassador of Israel to the United States, His Excellency Michael B. Oren

Ambassador Michael Oren? He’ll be there at the NJDC event, but whether he will be at the J Street Conference is another story. The Embassy has already declined the invite from the organizers of J Street’s national conference, which will occur next week in DC. It is said to have already registered 1,200 participants. Is the Israeli ambassador picking one Jewish group over another and playing favorites? One can’t blame him, of course, even though he said he would reach out to overlooked organizations, even progressives ones. This is diplomacy, baby, and his appearance at a J Street conference can give it legitimacy and cause a firestorm of outrage, given that J Street is accused of not being in step with the political desires of the current Israeli Prime Minister.

Peace making is tricky business. The Ambassador isn’t the only one who is avoiding the taint of the 18 month old J Street. Over ten members of the U.S. Congress asked to have their names removed from the list of the conference’s host committee.

What’s a pro-Israel Jew to do? I think there is only one way to find out the truth behind J Street. I will go to the conference myself (1200 strong? I hope there is a empty couch still available in DC) and report back to you on what I find.

I love random acts of whimsy! Watch this Leadel.net produced video about a 300 square meter painted on the side of the Jewish Agency building in Tel Aviv painted by a group of teenage students from the Meyerhoff Art Education Center. For those of you who are metric challenged, 300 square meters is approximately, uh… big as all hell! The video goes through the creative and production process and has inspired me to maybe paint a mural on my wall at the new Beit Jewlicious!

So am I getting soft on Tel Aviv? No, just getting soft on some people in Tel Aviv.

City with a Wall of Stone

In the immediate aftermath of this summer’s Jerusalem Gay Pride parade, Saeed Taji Farouky interviews several people regarding the issue of sexual identity and religion, including Yonatan Gher, Executive Director of the Jerusalem Open House, Likud MK Moshe Feiglin and Talya Lev, a 2009 ROI alum and a spokesperson for Bat Kol, an organization for Orthodox Lesbians.

Jerusalem is SO weird. Feiglin is the co-founder and president of the Likud party’s Manhigut Yehudit (”Jewish Leadership”) faction which was started to, in Feiglin’s words, “return the country to the people and lead the State of Israel through authentic Jewish values”. Often at odds with the leadership of Likud, Feiglin has also distinguished himself for his work on behalf of Jonathan Pollard, a Jewish American incarcerated since 1986 after being found guilty of espionage. I know that several members of Bat Kol are supporters of Feiglin and have also had leadership positions in the campaign to free Pollard. Feiglin for his part, remains a vocal critic of the Jerusalem Pride parade and the gay rights movement in Israel. Go figure, right? Well, you know what they say – one in every minyan!

I’ve been to the Sinai more times than I can count. I started hanging out there when I was 17 and spent time doing pretty much everything one can do there. I dove in Dahab and Ras Muhamed, snorkeled in Nuweiba, partied in Sharm Al Sheikh with US Marines, climbed up Jebel Mussa with Bedouins, and spent not enough time on Rafi Nelson’s beach in Taba. It was too close to Eilat I figured and the whole point of going to the Sinai was that it was the polar opposite of Eilat. OK so there was a more carefree attitude on Rafi Nelson’s beach – Taba had more naked people lolling around than Eilat ever did, but still. I wanted to meet cool people and do cool things, not hang out with the same people I’d met in Eilat.

Thus when a PR firm contacted me and asked if I wanted to stay at the Taba Hilton for free for three days, I didn’t have any great expectations. I mean I was looking forward to some rest and relaxation in a nice hotel with free wifi and a pool, but other than that I guess my expectations were colored by a recent jaunt to Eilat to see the Jazz Festival. The music was great but Eilat was, well… somewhat over developed, crowded and the beach was bordered by icky shops selling tons of junk. See, the Taba Hilton, formerly the Sonesta, was built on Rafi Nelson beach and includes the legendary Rafi Nelson resort.

Well, I guess it’s always a good idea to have low expectations because the experience exceeded my expectations. The Taba Hilton is beautiful, staffed by extremely courteous employees all of whom spoke English and/or Hebrew. The facilities were in an excellent state of repair, the resort was well appointed and the beach was gorgeous. Despite its proximity to Eilat, the water was crystal clear and I saw many colorful fish in the coral. Even the guests were fun (and sometimes naked!) – a combination of East and Western Europeans with a smattering of Israelis no doubt attracted by the advantageous prices and an overall experience that far surpasses that of most Eilat Hotels. And finally, in true Sinai style – I was able to see an impossible number of stars from my balcony on the top floor of the Taba Hilton.

Upon my return, most people asked me if it was scary. Well, just as a point of information, the Taba Hilton is right at the Israel/Egypt border. People staying there do not have to pay the entry and exit fees that everyone else visiting the Sinai has to pay, and it’s not unusual for guests at the Taba Hilton to walk over into Eilat and have dinner there. Besides the expedited border crossing experience, the security levels at the hotel are very high with metal detectors at the entrance and the front area being inaccessible to cars. The fact is that I have no problem staying in a Bedouin Husha in the middle of nowhere and I have always found Egyptian police to be friendly, even jovial. However, even the most security conscious individuals will feel comfortable here.

What can I say? I had a great time and I even made a few bucks at the Casino. Eilat’s tourism industry has some serious competition on multiple levels here and that’s probably a good thing. The Taba Hilton’s standard of hospitality, as well as the care taken by the Egyptians in not shmutzifying the beach and the surrounding nature is probably something we in Israel can learn a lesson from. Also, I really, really love fluffy bathrobes!

So here I am on a Saturday night, drinking some champagne, just for the heck of it.  I’m Facebook stalking pretty much everyone I know, when I come across this:

Now I’m a huge fan of Ze’ev and he was actually on my Hot Dead Guys List (don’t ask) until Oscar Wilde overtook him.   But really? A Facebook page?

My favorite part, of course, is the anti-Fascist cat, which is totally for Gush Katif and makes this clear with a discerning sneer.

 

Now the year gets serious. And stays that way for about 5 months. In Israel, The Day After Sukkot, until about Purim, is the window during which things – if they are going to get done at all – get done. (Of course, with a weeklong break for Hanukah about midway.)

After Purim, it’s almost Pesach (Passover). After Pesach, it’s all the national holidays. After that: end of year parties, then summer, then beginning of the year stuff, then The Holidays. So now is when stuff is supposed to happen, get launched, get fixed, get learned, get rained on (insha’allah). Israeli winter is a lot of high pressure for both people and the weather: We’d both better bunker down and precipitate productivity, stat.

This Shabbat we will be reading (and by ‘we’ I mean those people who, good for them, make it to synagogue, but maybe should have written ‘they’ given my recent track record) the Torah portion of Bereishit. In the Beginning… there was a lot to do. So much creativity in just six days; I guess God knew he’d better get it all done before Purim. But a week is just showing off. 

In that spirit, and speaking of Fall, I have an old poem relating to the Adam and Eve story that Ploughshares and the The New Yorker wouldn’t take, so I am pawning it off on you, dear readers.

Wishing you all a creative and inspired Beginning.

Eve (at Dawn)

My Eden was built slowly,

over time,

assuming that -

like Adam -

I’d prefer to live forever

in the light;

the wellsprings of eternity and God

and all his “angels”

presented to me simply, like a neighbor:

(Acquiescence meant to be the Thing

I cherished over all.)

 

It was not the snake

who caught my eye,

entwined within the branches of that great forbidden knowledge tree;

not the patient serpent,

who took the ripe universe

and cracked it open,

offering me half…

 

It was the tree itself,

the Fruit,

that heard me listen for it,

waiting for a taste of what

the others tried to hind behind the sun.

 

And now I wonder:

will they blame this lovely sticky creature

for my Hunger,

after all the twisting round the roots that he has done?

Will they believe I wanted Eyes

as open as the moon,

to taste the night as only God knows deep inside we should?

 

(But had to leave it up to me -

 because He knew I would. )

 

-         SKE, February 1998

Soulico’s latest album, Exotic on the Speaker is available for purchase starting today. It features collaborations with some amazing Israeli and international artists like Ghostface Killah, Lyrics Born, Onili, Rebel Sun (from Coolooloosh) and more. This isn’t me doing JDub Records a favor. Sure they advertise on Jewlicious every once in a while. I’m also not posting this just because Soulico performed at the Jewlicious Festival a few years back. No. I’m posting this because ever since JDub sent me the mp3s of this album, I can’t stop listening to it. Soulico objectively kicks ass-they have outdone themselves. But don’t take my word for it. Support these deserving Israeli artists and buy Exotic on the Speaker. Then you can tell me I’m full of shit. Go ahead. I’m not going anywhere.