March 31, 2011 | 9:00 am

This Week in power: Facebook, J Street, Palin, Jimmy Carter

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Facebook removes uprising page
On Tuesday, Facebook took down a page that had 340,000 fans that called on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel, following cries from pro-Israel users. The page that promoted a “Third Palestinian Intifada” was protested by some major Israeli and American Jewish leaders. This should be a lesson to anyone who believes that “social networking sites are powers only for facilitating democratic uprisings and other good ends,” said a New York Daily News editorial. “They remind, too, that fanatics looking to find like-minded villains” can find a community online. “We applaud Facebook’s ability to acknowledge when a line has been crossed; we’d support the same action for a page inciting violence against Palestinians, or anyone,” said the Jewish Chronicle. But similar sites are already popping up, warned Emil Protalinski at ZDNet. “It looks to me like it has chopped off the snake’s head, although the body is still writhing.”

J Street’s agenda in Israel
The topic of whether J Street is anti-Israel came up at the Knesset last week, amid protests from outside organizations. “Actions will always speak louder than words,” said Matthew RJ Brodsky and Samara Greenberg at American Thinker, and J Street repeatedly shows its support for Israeli’s antagonists. “Now is not the time for Israel to push away its friends and family,” said J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami in Hill editorial. We stand for “values and policies that we believe are critical to the long-term security and vibrancy of Israel and the Jewish people.” Maybe they have done served one purpose, though. “Agree or disagree with J Street. But it seems hard to argue that it hasn’t injected some vigor into the discussion in America over Israeli policy,” said Jacob Heilbrunn at The National Interest. After all, added The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, “those American Jews, who believe that J Street, and the spirit it represents, are fleeting phenomena have absolutely no idea what is happening in the Jewish world.”

Palin’s Israel trip fallout
Even after Sarah Palin’s visit to Israel ended, the commentary carried on. What was her mission? many wondered. Like everything else she does, said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary, this was considered an early step toward a presidential run. Admittedly, she made a blunder when she called the debate over settlements a “zoning issue” - “it is an existential question that goes to the very heart of whether or not there ought to be a Jewish state no matter where its borders might be drawn,” said Tobin. But attacks were “a bit overblown.” She showed some courage, too, because she is “the only politician, in either party, who has been prepared to speak up for the right of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria,” said a New York Sun editorial. Not only is she a “remarkable friend of Israel,” she is also “a political matriarch here at home.” Well, that wasn’t her objective for this trip, said Sarah Posner at Religious Dispatches. Palin is “far more comfortable with an evangelical approach” and “like many of her co-religionists, the Jews are adorable pawns in God’s plan.” That’s more in keeping with her own faith.

Hispanic-Jewish conference
In Texas, a two-day event titled “Bridges & Pathways” brought together local and national leaders from both Jewish and Hispanic groups to discuss the topics of immigration, education, the state of Israel, and more, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “It underscored what has been a longtime reality of deep friendship and collaboration in San Antonio,” said the story’s writer. How was the conference received? “One thing is clear: with Latinos poised to play a powerful role in American politics and culture, every other group — including the Jewish community — is looking for Latino partners,” said James Besser at The Jewish Week. Moreover, this points to the “ongoing importance of the community relations agenda for a tiny Jewish community,” said a Jewish Week editorial. These “alliances around domestic issues” will foster good will to help “the cause of protecting the critical U.S.-Israel relationship” down the line.

Jimmy Carter in Cuba
President Jimmy Carter left Cuba after a three-day stint without American Alan Gross, the contractor who’s been jailed there on charges of spying. Carter’s visit was noteworthy - he’s only the second president to visit Cuba since 1928 - and served the purpose of promoting improved relations between the countries. Even a six-hour meeting with President Raul Castro couldn’t bring Gross home. “By meeting with Raul and possibly Fidel, Carter will help re-legitimate the leaders whose repression of the Cuban people continues unabated,” warned Ray Walser at The Heritage Foundation. But with an American in prison there, that takes a backseat. “I hope Gross gets out, by whatever means,” said Jay Nordlinger at National Review.

March 24, 2011 | 8:39 am

This Week in power: Terror, Libya, Palin, Katzav

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Terror returns to Jerusalem
A bomb exploded at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing a woman and wounding dozens of others, according to reports. Prime Minister Netanuahu vowed to react “aggressively, responsibly and wisely” to the recent wave of Palestinian violence. These types of attacks are less common than they were a couple years ago, says a Jewish Daily Forward editorial, and the “Middle East has changed dramatically during those three years.” Nonviolent uprisings can succeed; violence still “does not work.” But the terrorists’ goal isn’t to get its own recognized, free nation, argues Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “It is merely the latest installment in a decades-long war whose goal is not the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel but the destruction of the Jewish state.”

How’s the war in Libya affect Israel?
Obama has been attacked from all sides this week after deciding to sign off on a short mission to invade Libya. With the region already on shaky ground, this latest escalation has many wondering about Israel’s ability to stand its ground. “Israel, wisely, has largely kept quiet about the international military intervention in Libya,” says Herb Keinon in the Jerusalem Post. But that doesn’t mean Israel’s in the clear just yet. There’s a growing concern that America could decide to deal Israel a similar blow. “I’m a connoisseur of conspiracy theories, but this one has left me speechless, and strikes me as dangerous hyperbole,” says James Besser in The Jewish Week. “It’s amazing” that anyone outside the “fringe” would believe this to be true.

Palin visits Israel
The former Alaska governor visited holy sites and met with Israeli leaders this week, what some are calling a sign she’s contemplating a presidential run in 2012. During her trip, Palin said that Israel should stop apologizing for itself, a statement that “seems to have implicitly criticized the Obama posture on Israel,” says Chris Good at The Atlantic. Palin stirred controversy not only for her words, but also for what she chose to wear during her stay. “Why the hell is she wearing a Star of David necklace? asks Ilana Angel in the Jewish Journal. “The necklace is a weak and pathetic attempt at being one of the tribe.”

Moshe Katzav sentenced
Former president Moshe Katzav was sentenced to seven years in prison for rape, what he called “a mistake” of the courts, according to reports. Katzav has his defenders: “We are certain that Moshe Katsav was convicted by the media. It is a disgrace that the state of Israel is sending its president to jail,” said one Israeli resident. These claims stem from the belief that Katzav engaged only in consensual sex, and the plaintiff was heavily influenced by outside organizations to go after the ex-president. The dissenting judge in the decision called it a “kangaroo court” and Katzav’s “verdict was handed down long before the court did so.”

Reform movement’s new leader
Looking to revive itself and boosts its numbers, the Reform movement announced this week that Rabbi Richard Jacobs, who has been senior rabbi at the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y., will become the president in 2012 of the Union for Reform Judaism, reports The New York Times. Jacobs will succeed Rabbi Eric Yoffie as president, pending board approval at a meeting this June. The Conservative movement got a new leader just two years ago, and with some many Jews “alienated by the cost or by the very idea of belonging somewhere,” says a Jewish Daily Forward editorial, “it is important for these two movements” to restore their “function and purpose.” It seems the Reform chose the right man for the job. “The most telling sign that Rabbi Jacobs was an excellent choice,” says The Jewish Week in an editorial, “is the fact that so many of his colleagues are describing him as having the vision, energy, passion and commitment to take on the challenges he surely will face.”

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March 17, 2011 | 2:41 am

This week in power: Itamar, Peter King, Alan Gross, Miral

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Itamar killings
Last weekend, a family of five was stabbed to death in the Israeli settlement of Itamar provoking both anger and sadness around the world. It was the worst terrorist attack in Israel in three years, reported The Jewish Week, and sparked new debate over the controversial settlements. Israel will continue to build in the West Bank, and peace now, for some, seems much less likely. “Can someone reasonably argue that a peace treaty negotiated by some people in suits is going to pacify a culture that throws a party to honor the murder of a three-month-old child?”  said Jay D. Homnick in the American Spectator. This will take a reprogramming of ideas first, said Jeff Jacoby in The Boston Globe. “Human goodness is not hard-wired. It takes sustained effort and healthy values to produce good people; in the absence of those values, cruelty and intolerance are far more likely to flourish.” Others agreed that it starts with the people’s mindsets. “So long as the Palestinians continue to lionize those who murder Jews, atrocities are bound to follow,” said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary.

Peter King’s hearings
Some American Jewish civil rights organizations denounced last week’s congressional hearings into American Muslim radicalization, according to The Jewish Daily Forward, but others came out in favor of the proceedings. The Jewish community, too, seemed split on the subject. We “should assure Muslim Americans that we do, indeed, ‘have their back,’” said Nancy Fuchs Kreimer at The Huffington Post. Some worry that the hearings “could deter American Muslims from cooperating with law enforcement—a far more important counterterrorism tool than, y’know, a Congressional panel could ever be,” reported Tablet. But more pressing concerns take precedent, said Rabbi Avi Shafran in the Jewish Ledger. Since Radical Islam is such “a clear and present danger, ” these efforts to thwart terrorism are “not prejudice but prudence.”

Sen. Terri Bonoff vs. public prayer
A Minnesota state senator who is Jewish said she was “highly uncomfortable” with a Baptist pastor’s mentions of Jesus Christ and Christianity in a prayer on the floor of the state Senate this week, reported the Star Tribune. Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, threatens to re-ignite a debate that’s long simmered in the Minnesota Legislature over the content of the invocations that open each Senate and House floor chamber session. Bonoff believes that all prayers in the chamber should be nondenominational. Pastor Dennis Campbell says he meant no harm, but “this is the guy who took out an ad last year in the St. Cloud times fulminating about an Islamic takeover of America, and tried to pass it off as trying to convert Muslims,” said Hart Van Denburg at CityPages. Maybe it’s too much to expect politics and religion to mix, said one blogger. “Instead of basking in unproductive hours or minutes of prayer, we think all legislators ought to try working harder while they are at their workplaces. They are public elected employees who ought to save their recreational praying for their days off.”

Alan Gross’s sentencing
A Cuban court sentenced Alan Gross, a Maryland resident, to 15 years in prison for bringing cell-phone and internet equipment into the country to help Cuban Jews get connected. “It appears the commies running the country into the ground consider the free flow of information, in this case to Jews, a subversive activity that must be crushed whenever found,” said John David Powell at Digital Journal. C’mon, “Let’s call this cynical maneuver what it really is — blackmail,” said a Miami Herald editorial. “Gross is not a criminal of any sort. He’s a chess piece manipulated by the Cuban regime in the relentless war against its own people.” Indeed, said D.A. at The Economist. The Castros may use Gross “as a bargaining chip to gain the release of five Cubans” convicted in the U.S. of espionage.

Miral arrives to protests
On Monday night, as the U.N. hosted the U.S. premiere of director Julian Schnabel’s new film “Miral” about a Palestinian girl in Israel after the 1948 war, protests from Israel’s delegation and other high-profile groups overshadowed the screening, reported the Los Angeles Times. The movie has a “clear political message, which portrays Israel in a highly negative light.” the AJC said in a statement. You can’t help but be moved by the film, said E. Nina Rothe at The Huffington Post. “It is impossible to walk away from the story of Miral without taking a clear stand on the Palestinian struggle.” Maybe there’s a lesson there for Jews, said Danielle Berrin in the Jewish Journal. “If, as American Jews, we can’t even watch a movie in peace, I fear what that means for the peace prospects” between the two side. Yet this could all be much ado about nothing since the movie might not even be worth seeing, said David Lev at IsraelNationalNews.com. It’s been “very poorly reviewed” thus far. What’s the message there?

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March 11, 2011 | 2:21 pm

This week in power: Obama, Wisconsin, Circumcision, Arkansas

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Obama: Israel is safe
The president met last week with Jewish leaders in what was described as an “extraordinary session” about how the Mideast revolts impact Israel, reported the Jerusalem Post. According to reports, Obama said that once peace is struck, “the entire region will turn against Iran,” said Rick Richman at Commentary. This administration “still thinks the solution to the problem of Iran is to solve a problem having nothing to do with it.” But, Richman pointed out, Obama’s team didn’t seem to have a handle on Libya or Egypt either. What should he be doing for Israel? Obama must “demand of the Palestinian leadership, not only that they cease incitement against Israel, but begin to prepare their people for peace and reconciliation. That is the real impediment to peace,” said Dan Gordon at American Thinker.

Can Wisconsin Jews do more?
“That empty, hollow sound you hear is the sound of the American Jewish community ignoring the big showdown in Wisconsin. Which is odd, if you think about it,” said J.J, Goldberg in The Forward. Ordinarily we have a loud voice on issues, but “Wisconsin is different” for some reason. Cary Spivak, also in The Forward, observed that “the community’s biggest and most politically influential bodies — its two federations and affiliated community relations councils — have been conspicuously silent.” With Purim around the corner, It’s time now for our leaders and people to speak up, said Marvin Olasky at TownHall.com. “Government union leaders are portraying Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as a new Haman: You want to hang us, we’ll hang you.”

The Pope clears the Jews
That should settle that. In his new book, Jesus of Nazareth, Part II, Pope Benedict XVI says that the Jews did not kill Jesus,” according to reports. Yeah, but what good is that? Think about all of those who “have suffered for centuries before,” thinking that the Jews were responsible, says Yonatan Sredni in IsraelNationalNews, “making his statement appear as nothing more than lip service in the 21st century.” Well, said a Los Angeles Times editorial, “considering the fact that anti-Semitism still exists, it’s not possible for Catholic leaders to speak out against this often enough,” even today. Consider, though, that this announcement wasn’t with Jews in mind or “to be politically correct,” said Eugene Korn at The Forward. “He wrote the book for Catholics around the world, not to win Jewish minds and hearts.” Forgiveness and change begins within.

Could circumcisions be banned in San Fran?
One Californian is leading a campaign to outlaw male circumcision in San Francisco. Lloyd Schofield said he’s more than halfway to the required number of signatures to put his plan up for popular vote on the city’s November ballot, This is a human rights issue, he said. Jewish groups are worried that the city could ban its religious practice. “This is hurtful and offensive to people in the community who consider this a coveted ritual,” said Anti-Defamation League director Daniel Sandman. Some believe that the proposition doesn’t really have much chance to turn into law. “I’m thinking common sense will rule there on the West Coast, and the proposition will be swatted down,” said Heather Chaet at The Stir.

Arkansas’ anti-Semitism scare
Arkansas politician Chuck Chatham was quoted in an e-mail as saying he chose to run for state legislature against Democrat Jerry Rephan, because he Rephan is a “pro-abortion Jewish lawyer,” according to Talking Points Memo. Chatham walked back his comments saying it was “inadvertent” that he called Rephan Jewish, and stressed that he only opposes Rephan for being a liberal. “There’s no place for anti-Semitism or any other sort of bigotry in Arkansas or anywhere else in America,” said ARDem on the Blue Arkansas blog. And this incident of “blatant anti-Semitism by Republican officials isn’t an aberration,” warned ChattahBox. Christian Bruce Cozart beat Chatham in the special election, according to reports.

Danny Groner is the Online Managing Editor for TheWeek.com and a contributor to other sites including The Jewish Journal

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