May 24, 2012 | 4:15 am

This week in power: Olmert remarks, Olympics controversy, Asifa, Columbus

Posted by Danny Groner

Christopher Columbus. Photo by Wikipedia/Sebastiano del Piombo

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Olmert opens up
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday said that Israel should abandon the idea of a unified Jerusalem if they truly want peace. He made the statements during the 45th anniversary of the capturing east Jerusalem. “Olmert makes a bitter mistake in thinking that separation, not unity, is the solution. His words are demagoguery,” Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat said. “He wants to run from conflicts in Jerusalem and give in to them, instead of coping with them and directing them. That is not the way,” Barkat continued. “The attempt to unify Jerusalem by fiat—by annexing the land while trying as mightily as possible to ignore the people, their needs and their desires—was mistaken. Jerusalem needs a diplomatic agreement that leaves it open physically but divided politically between two states. When it happens, I’d like to commemorate that day—modestly, without claiming that it heralds redemption, but with thanks and hope,” said Gershom Gorenberg at The Daily Beast.

Hungary fears
Since the Jobbik movement entered Parliament two years ago, Hungary Jews have been in high alert.The party “spout xenophobic, anti-Roma, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric,” according to JTA. “The danger is about Hungarian democracy, not about anti-Semitism,” Rabbi Istvan Darvas warned. Due to the effects of the Holocaust, “There is no relationship more fraught, complicated and prone to political exploitation by both right and left than that between Hungary and its Jews,” said Adam LeBor on Free Faith blog. “Hungarian Jewish culture is beautiful. We have a nice history. The government and the Jewish community must do what they can to make Jews feel safe and calm in Hungary,” said one Jewish leader.

Olympics memorial debate
Israeli officials were upset after the International Olympic Committee refused their request to hold a special tribute to the Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Games, according to reports. In London this summer, they hoped for a minute of silence to honor the slain Israeli athletes and coaches. “The IOC clearly doesn’t want Munich to be repeated. But it also seems like the IOC doesn’t want Munich to be remembered,” said Reid Forgrave at Fox Sports. Moreover, “The Munich 11 were targeted because they were Israelis and Jews, but anybody who thinks the massacre was only an assault on Israel and Jews does not understand—well, does not understand the Olympic spirit,” said Tablet’s Marc Tracy.

Anti-internet rally
Over 40,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attended a rally on Sunday at New York’s Citi Field concerning the state of the internet and how technology perverts their way of life. “There is a very significant downside to the Internet,” a spokesman said. “It does pose a challenge to us in various aspects of our lives.” The reaction from the blogosphere was fast and unwelcoming. “The Internet does not molest, only people do; they always have. But if they can just persist on blaming internal problems on evil outside forces, they can continue to remain blind to what they refuse to see: themselves,” said Judy Braun in The Jewish Week. And until they accept that, said Emily Manuel at Global Comment, they will continue to live in the dark. “It would be better if the Haredim gave sexual desire a place in their religious practice where it could thrive more openly and honestly. But then again, if that were possible, perhaps the asifa never would have taken place in the first place,” she said.

Was Columbus Jewish?
Long been a subject of debate, the topic of explorer’s Christopher Columbus’s heritage heated up again this week. “Columbus’s voyage was not, as is commonly believed, funded by the deep pockets of Queen Isabella, but rather by two Jewish Conversos and another prominent Jew. Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez advanced an interest free loan of 17,000 ducats from their own pockets to help pay for the voyage, as did Don Isaac Abrabanel, rabbi and Jewish statesman,” according to CNN. What should we make of this revelation? “As we witness bloodshed the world over in the name of religious freedom, it is valuable to take another look at the man who sailed the seas in search of such freedoms — landing in a place that would eventually come to hold such an ideal at its very core,” said Maqsood Hussain at The News Tribe. And this news could change the history of the Jewish people in the United States, said one blogger: “It is quite possible that the United States was blessed of God – not only because of the English Puritan colonists, but also because of the first Spanish-Jewish settlers.”

0 Comments — Leave your comment

Share this post: del.icio.us Digg Facebook Google Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati YahooMyWeb

May 17, 2012 | 3:39 am

This week in power: Flag burning, Obama appointee, Greece, Abuse coverup

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Antwerp burning
A Lag b’Omer bonfire in Antwerp got out of hand last week when Haredi participants burned an Israeli flag. Afterward a picture from the incident went viral, showing a man burning a handmade Israeli flag as kids watch along. “This is one of the first times we have seen this sort of thing in recent years,” the editor of Joods Actueel told JTA. Some have begun to worry that the incident will have a negative impact on the perception of Jews in Hungary, and beyond. “In Judaism there is no room for hatred,” said David Terry, general manager of the Jewish News.  “Do these people forget that Jews were burned in Auschwitz?  We must always strive for reconciliation, not this kind of malice.”

Obama’s controversial appointee
Stephanie Rose is a candidate for a U.S. attorney position to the dismay of some Jewish people, according to reports. She is known for being involved with the prosecution of Sholom Rubashkin, the former CEO of a Kosher meatpacking company that came under fire for using illegal immigrants and violating child labor laws, and some felt that she crossed the line into anti-Semitic waters. Should it matter? At least one senator was quoted as saying that he “did not feel Rose’s character as U.S. Attorney in the Rubashkin matter should be at issue because she was acting mostly out of orders from Washington.”

Greece uproar
Some Greek Jews have condemned Nikos Michaloliakos, head of the Golden Dawn party, for publicly saying that “there were no gas chambers and ovens [crematoria] in Auschwitz.” Their statement included this response: “It is an insult to the historical memory, the memory of the 6 million Jews, our brethren, amongst whom there where 70,000 Greek Jews, who perished in the death camps of Auschwitz, Dachau, Treblinka and the other sites of the extermination factory founded by Adolf Hitler.” The comments have sparked outrage across the world. “It’s criminal, really, that a moment of natural beauty, a daily coming of the light into the darkness, should be hijacked in its description by a group of barbarians,” said a Sydney Morning Herald blogger.

Child abuse charges
A report in The New York Times last week got people talking about how New York City investigates and prosecutes child abuse within the Hasidic community. The sect “prefer not to use secular governmental institutions, such as the police and courts. Those not abiding by community rules are often shunned and sometimes even assaulted,” Newsmax reported. “Sometimes religious courts do not fully accept the testimony of children or women, making proving molestation claims very difficult. They also have no formal power to punish, subpoena or collect evidence,” said a New York Times writer. Amid the backlash that’s come, the Brooklyn DA has stated that his office takes these cases extremely seriously and will prosecute anyone who is proven to be guilty of such heinous crimes.

Is Hatikva racist?
Recently, the Israeli national anthem Hatikva, or “The Hope,” has been called into question, and some are calling for a revamping of the lyrics. “The successful integration of Israeli Arabs into Israeli life, on which the country’s future depends, has to have its symbolic expression, too. It’s unacceptable to have an anthem that can’t be sung by 20% of a population. Permitting it to stand mutely while others sing is no solution,” said a Jewish Daily Forward blogger in March. Proposed changes appear here. For others, though, the original anthem is so powerful that any changes at all could alter the meaning of symbolic moments and times.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

May 10, 2012 | 3:58 am

This week in power: Obama’s stand, France fallout, Greece fear, Sendak legacy

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Obama poll
Each week a new poll seems to come out proving the same thing: Obama is doing well with the Jewish vote, but down from 2008 numbers. This time it was an AJC survey showing that the President has the edge over Mitt Romney in many major areas. And with the President’s outspoken stance in favor of gay marriage late Wednesday, he has Jewish support behind him. But that could still all change in the coming months, warned MJ Rosenberg in The Huffington Post. “The bottom line is that a not insignificant percentage of Jews are, at least as of May, disillusioned with Obama’s presidency. If these numbers hold, it could cause problems for the president.”

Hollande’s win
Francois Hollande won the French election earlier this week and some French Jews are worried. “How France’s Jewish community will fare in the future, or what position the new president will take with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is now anyone’s guess,” said Alina Dain Sharon in the Agemeiner. But the Jewish Week’s Adam Dickter cautioned not jumping to any conclusions just yet about the new French leader. “Probably, though, no dramatic shifts are on store in the Israel-France relationship. But Jerusalem is hoping that Hollande will continue to press hard against Iran, the number one issue for Israel now,” he said.

Biden gets charged
Vice President Joe Biden used strong rhetoric when defending Israel and arguing that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be ousted within two years, according to reports. He made the comments in front of the Rabbinical Assembly’s annual convention in Atlanta on Tuesday, and he was critical of the past administration for not doing more to stop Iran from developing nuclear arms. “By going the extra diplomatic mile, presenting Iran with a clear choice, we demonstrated to the region and world that Iran is the problem, not the United States. That’s why China, Russia, Europe, and the rest of the world have joined us in these sanctions,” he said. But his visit wasn’t without issue. Biden suffered from a gaffe and a distraction that left people tickled.

Greece fear
Jewish leaders in Greece are worried about the fascist Golden Dawn party taking over the Greek parliament. “It is very disappointing that in a country like Greece, where so many were killed fighting the Germans, that a neo-Nazi party is now in parliament,” said a Jewish leader. Greece’s Jewish community is roughly 7,500 people, who already faced severe economic hardships. “The explosion of rage following the elections has left members of Greece’s Jewish community - and many others - confused. It is not difficult to read signs of concern about the rise of extremism in the country. While fascist parties are not new on Greece’s political landscape, the country’s current economic crisis has stirred an unprecedented number of outraged citizens to turn to extremist politics,” reported Haaretz.

Maurice Sendak’s legacy
“In the midst of this latest news, though, let’s not forget that Maurice Sendak was a Gay, Jewish man,” wrote a Jewish Journal blogger. How much did Sendak’s Jewish identity influence his work? “Chosenness in some renderings—including those of American Jews themselves during the nineteenth century—was a matter of essentialized, inherited identity; though this was debated and held in tension with more universalist models,” said Jodi Eichler-Levine at Religion Dispatches. “In the post-Holocaust period, these notions were rejected by many Jews due to the traits it shared with Nazi ideology, yet in some spheres, biological definitions of Jewishness keep emerging. As an American Jewish writer without children, Sendak moves us past the continuity crises and panics that dominated American Jewish discussions in the 1990s.” And while his books are primarily read to kids, said Jason Miller at JTA, “It wasn’t until I was an adult that I saw the Jewish flavor that peppers Sendak’s works. The characters in his most well-known children’s story are based on his old Jewish relatives. In some of his stories, Yiddish words are interspersed with his poetic English.”

0 Comments — Leave your comment

May 3, 2012 | 3:31 am

This week in power: Netanyahu’s father, Obama poll, France election, Google lawsuit

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

RIP Benzion Netanyahu
Netanyahu, whose son Binyamin is the Prime Minister, died this week at the age of 102. The elder Netanyahu was a statesman in his own right. “As far as he was concerned, this was a nation that had no political understanding, political culture or political leadership. Perhaps, when he overcame his failings, Benjamin Netanyahu could be the statesman that the Jewish people was lacking,” said Ari Shavit in Haaretz. And we can learn a thing or two from him, commented Jeffrey Goldberg at Bloomberg. “Israel’s security depends in part on Benzion Netanyahu- style vigilance and militancy. But it also depends on recognizing that the Jews of today are not the Jews of 1938, and that Jewish history is not preordained to repeat itself forever.”

Obama favor
The latest American Jewish Committee survey has Obama with 61 percent of the Jewish vote and Mitt Romney at just 28 percent. Respondents said overall that they preferred Democrats ahead of Republicans on every issue posed. Jewish Americans have to weigh their religion with their patriotism. “Collaborationists who have put their ideas into practice universally suggest that associating with Christian conservatives has made them more Jewish, not less,” said Michael Medved at Commentary. “In that context, it’s no longer necessary to promote the idea that Jewish Americans must overcome their horror at Christian influence for the sake of Israel’s security. The stronger argument insists that evangelical Christians deserve our friendship and cooperation because they aren’t just good for Israel; they’re good for America.”

France votes
“For the French Jewish community, appalled by the murders in the Jewish school in Toulouse, one of the key issues is how willing each candidate is to fight the new anti-Semitism that has developed under the mask of anti-Zionism,” said Richard Prasquier at Haaretz. Socialist candidate Francois Hollande took the first round of the presidential election, an election that will resume May 6. “Some voices in the French Jewish community have suggested that a Jewish voice be heard in the National Front,” reported Maxine Dovere in the Algemeiner. One person quoted said, “my belief is that it’s natural to turn to [Marine] Le Pen when you’re Jewish. She fights crime and Islamism and that means she defends Jews.”

Delmon Young’s rant
Detroit Tigers’ outfielder Delmon Young, in a drunken rant, shouted anti-Semitic slurs outside of his team’s hotel in New York last weekend that earned him a 7-day suspension from the league. “It is a shame that the team that was home to the greatest Jewish hitter of them all and which was routinely attacked because of his faith, should be, at least for now, the home of an anti-Semitic player,” said Jonathan S. Tobin in Commentary. Maybe this angry man can use the time off, said a Yahoo! Network contributor. “He could have time away from the Tigers; occupying that time with constructive behavior would be wise. His incident was a PR nightmare, but it could turn into a story of a man who made a mistake, went beyond the normal realm of apology, and set a new standard for MLB.”

Google faces a lawsuit
Some anti-discrimination organizations are suing Google for distributing “unsolicited and systematic associations between famous people and their Jewishness” through the site’s auto-complete function, according to reports. “Google is vulnerable to this sort of lawsuit. The world ‘esroc’ doesn’t qualify as pornographic, violent, hate speech, or promoting copyright infringement – it simply harms a reputation. Nevertheless, Google had to pay a fine and remove it,” said Josh Wolford at WebProNews. “If you find yourself wondering what exactly the big deal is, it’s kind of a French thing. In a way, the whole thing seems to imply that association with the word ‘jewish’ is somehow negative, but that actually has nothing to do with it,” said Eric Limer at Geekosystem. “The real issue here is that France has laws that explicitly outlaw the compilation of ‘ethnic files’ so whereas it may just be distasteful to compile a list of celebrities by religion in the U.S. or elsewhere, it is illegal in France.”

0 Comments — Leave your comment

April 26, 2012 | 3:55 am

This week in power: 2012 election, 60 Minutes, Raese, Israel anniversary

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Romney vs. Obama
“Once again, Republicans are doing much better with Jewish contributors than with Jewish voters,” said Douglas Bloomfield in The New York Jewish Week. And Democrats are trying to figure out how to match their counterparts. Israel, as always, remains an important issue when it comes to courting the Jewish vote. “The president’s cynical Jewish charm offensive isn’t likely to win back many disenchanted voters who know the difference between conviction and an election-year conversion,” said Jonathan S. Tobin in Commentary. But others, like Rafael Medoff in the Baltimore Sun, are more secure in their support for Obama. “The president says he has Israel’s back,” and we should accept that as reality.”

The “60 Minutes” furor
On last week’s episode of “60 Minutes,” reporter Bob Simon had a confrontation with Michael Oren that left Oren contacting CBS to try to explain why the piece would hurt Israel. It centered on Arab Christians and their exit as a result of the Israeli occupation. “If CBS eventually issues an apology, or does a follow-up to the report, we can assume that (willful?) ignorance was to blame. (Funny how the mistakes, inaccuracies and bias all lead in the same, anti-Israel direction, isn’t it?) But to the extent CBS digs in after receiving a mountain of material debunking the piece, we will know that rank bias is at the heart of this,” said Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. It didn’t stop there. Simon “never develops for the listener/viewer the reality, in all its proportions and complexity,” said Yisrael Medad in The Jerusalem Post.  “He ‘smoothes over’ all the politics, the history - flattening that out so the viewer is putty in his hands.”

Raese rage
West Virginia Senate candidate John Raese ran into some trouble with Jewish groups when he equated a smoking ban with Hitler’s policy of forcing Jews to wear the Star of David. Rases said, “But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke-free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Okay?” He continued: “Remember Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.” Let’s not go overboard, said a Huntington News editorial. “In reading the press accounts, we don’t see any intentional meanspiritedness here by Raese—just a politician trying too hard to make his point.  We’ve seen that before by political leaders in both parties here over the years.  Raese certainly isn’t alone in having an occasional case of foot-in-mouth disease.” No, this is a big deal, argued Leonard Pitts Jr. in the Miami Herald. “The crimes of the Nazi regime were singular, unprecedented in their sheer awfulness. Because of this, thoughtful observers draw Nazi parallels carefully and rarely if at all. And then there are the John Raeses of the world.”

What’s Israel mean at 64?
Israel celebrated its birthday this week. Where are we now? “Israel deserves applause for 64 years of its status as a stable, prosperous, multicultural state in a region where citizens still fight for their most basic human rights — even as critical threats to its sovereignty endure and its ‘partner in peace’ maintains an untrustworthy and anti-Jewish foundation,” said an Algemeiner editorial. “Israel is a military, economic, scientific and technological power to be reckoned with. But it faces an existential threat from Iran” that should scare us, said a New York Jewish Week editorial. “Even as we rejoice in Israel’s many achievements, and defend her against its political and military enemies, we must be aware that geula — redemption — can only come when Israel will achieve peace with her neighbors,” added Phil Horn in the New Jersey Jewish News.

Urban Outfitters shirt
The clothing chain pulled a T-shirt from its shelves amid a ruckus that its design too heavily resembled a yellow star. “Some fashion statements should not be made,” said The Examiner. It’s not the first time the retailer has come under fire for its designs. “Although Urban Outfitters makes us feel like we’re rebelling against some oppressive ‘man’ or system, the truth is that they have made a killing on mass producing a blend of trendy unconventionality,” said Ori J. Lenkinski at 972Mag.com. “While we buy their overpriced clothes to feel special, thousands of other special folks are picking out the exact same hip uniform, making it just as banal as a pair of khakis and a white t-shirt. And the kicker here is that the yellow tee that has ruffled so many feathers costs $100.”

0 Comments — Leave your comment

April 19, 2012 | 3:38 am

This week in power: Iran, Protester, Gibson, Drake

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Iran lingers
Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, warned on Wednesday that anti-Semitic violence would escalate if Israel targets Iran. “If Israel attacks Iran, it will be a dramatic increase of anti-Semitic, very violent attacks against Jews,” Kantor said. “And the vehicle for the realization of the attacks will be these enclave communities, where the level of hatred is very high and they are prepared to attack enemies inside their countries.” The topic came front and center during Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem when Netanyahu suggested that Iran must be stopped in this generation. Tension continues to escalate as the world watches.

Soldier dismissed
Israel dismissed “on moral grounds” an officer who was the unwanted star of a YouTube video in which he struck an unarmed Danish activist with his gun, according to reports. The incident took place last weekend near Jericho, and Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Eisner had been suspended immediately afterward for the attack. Despite there being no evidence that the attack was warranted, some on internet message boards defended the soldier’s actions. Israel reaffirmed that its soldiers mostly act with restraint and this was just an exception.

Beinart’s war
Writer and author Peter Beinart has caused a firestorm with the reception of his new book, The Crisis of Zionism. “Beinart is definitely on the left side of this debate, the side that emphasizes human rights and living in peace with one’s neighbours. He consistently empathizes with the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank who have no citizenship rights,” said Donald Benham in the Winnepeg Free Press. “For liberal Jews such as Beinart, what is happening now is the worst of all possible worlds.” Some praised him for his stance. “Peter Beinart should be commended for a valiant and courageous project, continuing to do what he and many of us have been doing for the past twenty years,” said Shaul Magid at Religion Dispatches. But Jonathan Miller at the Times of Israel disagreed. “Where Beinart has succeeded most thoroughly is in his manipulation of a legitimate crisis — not in Israel, but within our American democracy. It’s a crisis in which nuance and rational debate have been drowned out by polarized, uniformly-lockstep polemics from hyper-partisan politicians, ultra-ideological cable TV screaming heads, and political correctness-enforcing mullahs on our nation’s campuses,” he wrote.

Gibson’s back…or not
Remember that Judah Maccabee movie that Mel Gibson was working on? It might be tabled, indefinitely. This is as a result of a rift between producer Gibson and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. “Now, given his past history, I see no reason to criticize people who might feel uncomfortable with Mel Gibson’s involvement in a movie about a Jewish war hero. That is most certainly not at issue here. But isn’t this exactly the sort of situation left-wingers scold conservatives for? asked Warner Todd Huston at Chicago Now. “Separating from the entertainment the real-life actions of a moviemaker is exactly what the left claims is a desirable trait in a movie fan. Yet here they are condemning a movie precisely because of who is involved with it.” If they decide to go in a new direction, here are some other Biblical stories that could be adapted for the big screen.

Drake’s Bar Mitzvah
In his video for “HYFR,” Drake “stages a second Bar Mitzvah to re-establish his commitment to the Jewish faith,” as an MTV blogger put it. It even includes real footage for his fans to revel in. “While I am not yet ready to add Drake to my Jewish celebrity role model list, Drake is playing his role in the orchestra. Now it’s up to the rest of us in the Jewish community to do our part,” said Ronn Torossian at the Algemeiner. Others weren’t as thrilled. “The complete video is certainly not consistent with Temple Israel’s longstanding history and reputation as a progressive voice in the Jewish Reform movement,” said the synagogue president who lent his bimah for the fiasco. “Temple Israel does not adopt, condone, or sponsor any aspect of the Drake video, and was not involved in its production.”

0 Comments — Leave your comment

April 12, 2012 | 4:09 am

This week in power: Romney, Gunter Grass, Connecticut politics, Passover message

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Romney’s race
With Rick Santorum bowing out of the GOP race this week, it appears that the nomination is now going to go to Mitt Romney. “If he can allay Jewish concerns about the influence of Christian conservatives on his social agenda, Romney might convert enough Jewish votes in places where it could theoretically make a very big difference,” said Chemi Shalev at Haaretz. However, there’s no evidence that Jews will go Republican, warned Gershom Gorenberg in The American Prospect: “If the GOP is even less popular among Jews than it was a generation ago, the reason is apparent: The party has become ever more rigid and homogenous in its economic and social conservatism, and its tests of ideological purity send none-too-coded messages to Jewish voters.” And, after all, Romney’s Mormonism might be an asset for him.

Gunter Grass fracas
Israel banned Nobel-winning author Gunter Grass from the country this week over a poem of his published last Wednesday that suggested Israel is as big a threat as Iran. “The poem is, to put it bluntly, morally obtuse and politically embarrassing,” said Jeffrey Herf in The New Republic. A Jerusalem Post editorial tore into Grass. “We hope he regains his moral bearings and issues a complete retraction. Anything less will cast a shadow on Grass’s reputation as a moral voice for Germans who came of age in the generation after the Shoah.” But not everyone thinks the punishment fit the crime. “The entire nation suffers when a poet is barred from its land. That is not the democratic response to bad speech. Nor is it the response of the Jewish tradition, which thrives on debate and dissent. It should not be the Israeli response,” wrote Alan Dershowitz in The Huffington Post.

Sparks fly in Connecticut
A candidate for Senate in Connecticut called Rep. Chris Murphy a “whore” for his support of Israel during a local debate last week. Lee Whitnum is “obsessed with AIPAC and Zionism and spends a great deal of space on her campaign website trying unsuccessfully to assert that she is not an anti-Semite. But at least she comes by her bias honestly,” said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “Ms. Whitnum’s threadbare debate manners did not advance her arguments a whit, and Mr. Murphy emerged from the verbal fisticuffs with his pro-Israeli halo undented. Not a bad showing, on the whole, for Israel, Mr. Murphy, AIPAC and neo-conservatives, all of whom should remember Ms. Whitnum in their prayers,” said Don Pesci in the Providence Journal. Organizers requested more decorum at the next debate.

Passover message
Each year at this time rabbis and thinkers and, yes, even bloggers hope to convey a succinct message for what we should take away from the Passover story. Here are a few of the suggestions: “Today the flow of information is so rapid that in order to have a real impact, conveying an idea only once is no longer enough. Messages must be passed on through constant repetition, utilizing many different channels both overt and discreet,” said Dovid Efune at The Huffington Post. “Even as Egypt’s political transition remains murky, all Americans have a moral stake in its outcome,” and we should connect with the country today, said Ari Ratner at SavannahHow.com. Isi Leibler in the Jerusalem Post, on the other hand, encouraged sticking to tradition. “The Haggada carries a universal theme of human rights that apply to all people. But the trendy Jewish modernists who seek to transform the seder into a universal freedom-fest should be resisted.”

Lovitz’s stand
After some teenage girls left anti-Semitic graffiti on a neighbor’s front walk as a prank, comedian Jon Lovitz fought back via Twitter and got the girls expelled from their school, according to reports. He tweeted: “Thanks for all your support on the hate crime. No one should be bullied for any reason. We’re all people who should be treated w/ respect.” Many people saluted Lovitz for his aggressive response. I am proud of Mr. Lovitz for not being afraid to stand up for his friend, for what was right, and for Jews.  His actions matter. We live in a world where kids are shot while out to get Skittles, and you can commit a hate crime and not be held accountable.  It’s sad, wrong, and scary.  Jon Lovitz stood up for all of us, and loudly proclaimed that we must keep the faith,” said Ilana Angel in the Jewish Journal.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

April 5, 2012 | 5:03 am

This week in power: Obama, Christie, New Haggadah, Top rabbis

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Obama’s soaring
According to a Public Religion Research Institute poll of 1,004 Jewish adults, Obama is doing just fine and want to see him get reelected. “While much of the political debate within the Jewish community has centered in recent months on the issue of Israel and on President Obama’s relations with the Jewish state, the survey reinforces previous poll data that shows Jewish voters do not view Israel as a deciding factor when voting for president,” explained The Jewish Daily Forward. This might indicate something about Jewish voters. “Americans — and especially Jewish Americans — are long overdue for a serious consideration about what it means for religion to influence the values that our society should reflect,” wrote Yehuda Kurtzer in The Jewish Week. Only then we can vote rationally and confidently.

Wasserman Schultz’s questionable appointee
A Jewish outreach liaison for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is under fire fora Facebook picture Gilbert posted in 2006 of herself and her friends tagged as “Jewbags” and the “Jew cash money team.” Cue the defenses and the outrage: “The photograph’s caption is admittedly inflammatory, but it is six years old. People make mistakes when they are young. This should not be an impediment to Ms. Gilbert’s budding career today,” said Noah Rothman at Mediaite. On the other side is Javier Manjarres at Shark Tank: “Oy Veh! Can you imagine if a Republican Jewish Outreach staffer were to have posted similar pictures with these same comments? His/her head would be asked to be served on some type of Seder platter or something.” Does it really matter? You have to wonder.

Christie’s Israel trip
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in Israel this week on a trip cosponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition. The “Jersey to Jerusalem” tour could serve some good, though. “Christie is looking to strengthen the state’s economic ties to Israel and to bolster his political résumé with a taste of foreign policy,” reported NorthJersey.com. But some had a little fun at the governor’s expense. “Christie, wearing a yarmulke with his name and title embroidered on it, brought his political heft to the holiest Jewish site in Jerusalem,” wrote The New York Post.

Foer’s Haggadah
In an op-ed in The New York Times, writer Jonathan Safran Foer outlined why he felt the need to compile a new Seder book that has everyone talking. “Our grandparents were immigrants to America, but natives to Judaism. We are the opposite: fluent in ‘American Idol,’ but unschooled in Jewish heroes. And so we act like immigrants around Judaism: cautious, rejecting, self-conscious, and feigning (or achieving) indifference. In the foreign country of our faith, our need for a good guidebook is urgent,” he said. How are the reviews so far? “It’s that deep respect, even in the midst of playful or challenging comments, that comes across with the New American Haggadah,” said a Philadelphia Inquirer reviewer. “Considering the competing pile of Haggadahs at my seder table, there’s a chance it could be. But then again, when considering the illuminated nature of this Haggadah’s text, there’s a better chance I may use it two years in a row,” said Arwe Dworken at Heeb.

Who’s the top rabbi?
Newsweek once again ranked and left up for debate the top rabbis with David Wolpe taking the top spot. “In a series of disclaimers, they seek to head off the standard criticism engendered by such lists. They acknowledge that there are more than 50 worthy rabbis in the US and explain that most of the rabbis they recognized reside on the two coasts because that’s where the major Jewish seminaries and communities are located,” said Ari Ben Goldberg at The Times of Israel. Others were equally critical. Eric Herschthal at The Jewish Week argued, “To be sure, the problem isn’t with Wolpe — a contributor to this paper, and an extremely thoughtful rabbi. It’s with the increasing insignificance of a list made every year.  Here’s one suggestion on how to change that: do it every other year, or maybe every five, even ten.” Do it that way, and people will really care about it.

0 Comments — Leave your comment