May 26, 2011 | 5:44 am

This week in power: Netanyahu’s visit, DSK, Von Trier, Bear Jew

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Netanyahu vs. Obama
The prime minister’s U.S. visit was highlighted by an ongoing tension between him and President Obama as they repeatedly squared off on the ever-contentious subject of Middle East peace. “t was Netanyahu, not Obama, who electrified Washington,” said John Podhoretz in the New York Post. Maybe that’s true, said Robert Dreyfuss at The Nation, but “Netanyahu didn’t help his case by displaying a stunning set of bad manners. He was rude, boorish and recklessly arrogant.” Netanyahu left in good favor with his supporters for refusing to back down, while at the same time Obama showed he’d like to get the “peace process moving again,” said The Jewish Week’s James Besser. “But actually, it seems to me, everybody emerged as a loser.”

DSK and the Jewish factor
As the former director of the IMF has faced tremendous scrutiny in the wake of his arrest earlier this month, “there is one response that we have not seen: anti-Semitism,” reported The Jewish Daily Forward. Why’s it matter so much? Well, a majority of French citizens believe that Strauss-Kahn was brought down by a plot because he “was well on track not just to become France’s president but its first Jewish president,” said Patricia J. Williams at The Nation. That this religious angle hasn’t been played up more is to the great relief of Jews around the world. “We are connected by a mysterious bond called peoplehood, a psychic sense that we are part of an extended family with deep historical roots and a moral and spiritual vision,” said Erica Brown in the Jewish Journal. Even before this scandal arose, Strauss-Kahn’s Jewishness mattered. “Reporters and editors were talking about his very good chances to defeat President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential election, when he said there were three hurdles in his way: women, money and Jewishness.,” said Richard Reeves at Truthdig.

San Francisco’s circumcision ban
“It wouldn’t be a San Francisco election without at least one wacky measure on the ballot. For this November, the threshold has already been met: Voters will be asked to ban male circumcision,” said a San Francisco Chronicle editorial. The measure has obviously upset Jews in the area. The American Jewish Committee has called it a “direct assault on Jewish religious practice in the United States…unprecedented in American Jewish life.’’ “Talk about blatant violations of the First Amendment,” said a Jewish Week editorial. Yet, some are calling it an inhumane practice that should be outlawed. “I’m flatly anti-circumcision — boys or girls,” said Lissa Rankin at Care2. “I don’t believe we should be imposing our own plastic surgery notions on young boys without their consent.” Now, opponents are rallying Californians to stop the bill from passing. “When San Franciscans vote this fall, the disgraceful anti-circumcision initiative deserves a decisive defeat,” said Jeff Jacoby in The Boston Globe.

Von Trier’s apology
Danish director Lars von Trier joked during the Cannes Film Festival about being a Nazi and understanding Hitler, which got him expelled from the festival. On Tuesday, he issued an apology saying he was “unintelligent, ambiguous and needlessly hurtful.” But some are slow to forgive the director. “It is often assumed that comments like those made by Von Trier are perfectly normal among many European intellectuals. Anti-Semitism, we are told, has made a strong comeback among them,” said Eric Herschthal at The Jewish Week. But let’s cut him some slack here - we don’t really believe he’s anti-Semitic, said Danielle Berrin in the Jewish Journal. “But unlike his anti-Semitic-spewing brethren, von Trier’s prattle was not hostile; he used no slang nor slurs, nor threatening language.” Yeah, let’s move on and forgive Von Trier for saying he understands Nazis, said Judy Berman at Flavorwire, “because he’s spent nearly a week proving to us that he isn’t and he doesn’t.”

The “Bear Jew”
Chicago Bears rookie tackle Gabe Carimi has locals excited about potentially “the best Jewish Bears player since quarterback Sid Luckman,” reported the Chicago Tribune. “My Judaism is important to me — I make it work. I fasted on Israeli time, so I could begin my fast earlier, from noon to noon the next day. That way, I was able to be true to my religion and play the best for my team,” Carimi told The Jewish Daily Forward. People are impressed by the man’s ability to balance religion and football. “We as Jews should celebrate this first round draft pick. Not just Bears fans, but Jews everywhere,” said Jeremy Fine at Jewish World News. “I respect a man who stands for something,” said Boomer at BeerGogglesOn.com. “While it’s true that Yom Kippur doesn’t fall on a Sunday for the next 5 seasons, let’s hope that Carimi is still a relevant cog in the Bears puzzle beyond that.”

May 19, 2011 | 6:00 am

This Week in power: Nakba Day, Glenn Beck, Strauss-Kahn, Dan Adler

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Nakba Day violence
Nakba Day protests left at least 15 demonstrators dead on Sunday, including four who were shot after they breached Syria’s border. President Obama is slotted to address the Mideast conflict later this week, beginning with a highly-anticipated speech on Thursday morning. Obama “should stress that, by killing protesters, Netanyahu’s government is taking Israel farther and farther from the security it needs,” said a Boston Globe editorial. No, the president should make it clear to the Palestnians and everyone else that they need to “stop demonizing others and learn to preserve their own national stories,” said Gil Troy in The Jerusalem Post.Violence and deaths don’t convey that, said Bradley Burston at Haaretz. Let’s look to the future instead of the past, said an editorial in The National. “2011 is not years past - the Arab Spring, the futility of recent negotiations with Israel and, most importantly, renewed resolve among Palestinians offer a chance to break with history.”

Glenn Beck’s Israel rally
Glenn Beck will once again host a rally this summer, but instead of Washington, D.C. this year he has chosen to hold the event in Jerusalem. Hew details are out about the August “Restoring Courage” rally, but many are already excited about it. Beck “has been a singular voice of late in the defense of Israel,” said Pamela Geller at American Thinker. “I am very happy to see someone with a huge voice taking a stand and speaking out for the good and for righteousness.” What makes this event “so important,” said Michael Freund at The Jerusalem Post, is that it “promises to be an expression of faith, a call to defy the prevailing notion that Good and Evil are purely subjective terms.” It has the power to unite. Still, not everyone is as excited. The Atlantic‘s Conor Friedersdorf said that the commentator is in this for himself and his brand, not for the promise of peace. “Beck shouldn’t be followed to Jerusalem. Or anywhere else.”

Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest
“Just weeks ago, Dominique Strauss-Kahn worried aloud that his Jewish identity would be exploited during France’s upcoming presidential campaign,” reported The Jewish Daily Forward. Strauss-Kahn, who was arrested this week in New York on charges of rape, has strong ties to the Jewish community in France. “It is very painful for us,” said the vice president of the Sarcelles Jewish community, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post. “I know him well. I’ve even seen him seduce a woman, but it was always with gentleness.” As for the rest of us, “We feel something when one of us is elevated, or implicated. We can’t help it,” said Rob Eshman in the Jewish Journal. Some had more of a sense of humor about the entire thing. Scott at PowerLine joked, “Dominique Strauss-Kahn—not Jewish. Hey, his name is Dominique.”

Dan Adler’s campaign ad
Dan Adler, an entertainment executive who hired Sean Astin as his campaign manager, ran ads late last week saying “send a Mensch to Congress.” Well, he didn’t quite make it, bringing in just 285 votes, or 0.5 percent, in the primary election. “It might seem gimmicky, but Adler’s operation is pure Hollywood – an industry that flourishes by blending art and smart business,” said Tim Stanley in The Telegraph. Adler even got Charlie Sheen to tweet a last-minute endorsement.

Reform Jews are rich
Of all the major religions, Reform Judaism has the wealthiest members, according to The New York Times. Pew data reveals that 67 percent of Reform Jewish households made more than $75,000 a year. Conservative Jews finished third, behind Hindus. Not enough people were polled to find any real statistics, said Ira Stoll at The Future of Capitalism - “the margin of sampling error for the income questions (which usually get a higher number of non-responses anyway) is probably so high that the distinctions between ‘most affluent,’ ‘second,’ and ‘third’ are statistically meaningless.” What’s interesting, said Jason Diamond at Jewcy, is that “Orthodox Jews are nowhere to be found” on this list. But that, it turns out, is because the sample size was too small.

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May 12, 2011 | 6:16 am

This week in power: Hillary Clinton, Tony Kushner, 2012 race, bin Laden

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Hillary Clinton cropped
Hasidic newspaper Di Tzeitung removed Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason from an iconic photo of the Situation Room, prompting intense outrage that resulted in the paper’s editor apologizing for the editing. “It is disgraceful that they were cut out of this photo,” said Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld at FrumForum. Furthermore, “manipulation” like this, said Brad Hirschfield in The Washington Post, is against White House rules and “suggests some real problems with the paper and it’s readership which presumably supports such manipulation.” And it changes the way we record history, pointed out Rebecca Price at The Huffington Post. We should all “strive to present and teach an accurate depiction of historical moments, despite our personal beliefs.” The New Yorker’s Amy Davidson said it’s time for the paper to get real: “Di Tzeitung is based in Brooklyn. Women are pretty visible there, like it or not.”

Kushner gets his prize
City University of New York trustees on Monday reversed a decision and decided to grant an honorary degree for Tony Kushner. Kushner had previously had the honor taken away after concerns emerged over the playwright’s views on Israel. “It’s hard to argue the episode has been anything other than a public-relations defeat for the right-wing pro-Israel crowd,” said Justin Elliott at Salon. But some say this was the wrong decision. Would we “apply the same procedures to racists, homophobes, misogynists and all other bigots”? asked Isi Leibler in the Jerusalem Post. Let’s hope in the future, said a Jewish Week editorial, that Zionism’s advocates will “shed more light than heat in making their case.” But does Kushner really need another award anyway? joked Vanity Fair’s James Wolcott: “I mean, it’s not as if Tony Kushner has gone un-awarded in his career, a victim of cold neglect. The last thing we should be doing is giving him an opportunity to make another speech.”

Eying the 2012 election
Jewish Republicans are turning a cold shoulder to Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, according to the JTA. The topic of Israel remains a central campaigning issue, and it came up in last week’s first GOP debate. With Newt Gingrich’s entry into campaign waters on Wednesday, some expect the former Hosue Speaker to appeal to Jewish swing voters, reported The Jewish Week. Who will get the Jewish vote this season?

Discussing bin Laden
Religious leaders took to the pulpit last weekend to address their worshipers with peaceful prospects in the wake of bin Laden’s death. Jews around the world voiced these lessons. “The demise of no single man solves the problem of terrorism or of intolerant and radical Islamic fundamentalism,” said Shoshana Bryen at the Jewish Tribune. “In the final analysis, the greatest struggles humanity faces are not among nations, peoples or religions, but between the fanatic and the tolerant, said Rob Eshman in the Jewish Journal.  “Those two types cross all borders and religions.” Israel still has enemies of its own to deal with, said Gary Rosenblatt in The Jewish Week, and we have to re-evaluate our approach now. “Dialogue and diplomacy are in order when there is a basis for compromise. But as Hamas has made brutally clear, that is not possible in this case —unless the issue is Israel’s national suicide.”

JDate goes to the movies
The dating site is sponsoring a Jewish Film-of-the-Month Club that will offer a Jewish-themed feature film pick to subscribers. “A shidduch, however, is probably not guaranteed with a Jewish Film of the Month Club subscription,” joked Michael Kaminer at The Jewish Daily Forward. This is “great news” for those who “enjoy the convenience and ease of Netflix but are disappointed by its undefined religious affiliation! said Amos Barshad at New York.

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May 5, 2011 | 6:20 am

This week in power: Bin Laden, Hamas, Huckabee, Yaroslavsky

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Bin Laden’s death
The big news around the world this week has been the death of the al Qaeda mastermind, and Jewish and Israeli leaders welcomed the news, according to reports. “It seems reasonable to view Osama bin Laden as a manifestation of Amalek and I am among those relieved and glad his soul has been sent for cosmic cleansing and rerouting,” said Rabbi Goldie Milgram in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice. But our tradition warns that we shouldn’t celebrate others’ demise, warned Rabbi Michael Lerner at The Huffington Post. “Our cup of joy cannot be full if our own liberation requires the death of those who were part of the oppressor society.” I also struggle with the American reaction to this announcement, said Peter Gabel at AlterNet. Celebration like we witnessed on Sunday night shows disrespect for human life, and even “undermines the moral character and worthiness of those responsible for the death itself.”

Hamas deal
Some wonder about the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation struck last week and what that means for the potential for peace in the Middle East, reported JTA. This deal was “really stupid and damaging,” said Larry Derfner in The Jewish Journal. “It set back the cause of Palestinian independence, it made the occupation that much harder to dislodge, and the only people who’ll benefit from it are the rejectionists on both sides.” But this could actually work, too, said a New Zealand Herald editorial. If Hamas can temper its reputation, “a real chance exists for progress. Palestinian unity should be regarded an an opportunity, not an obstacle.”

Huckabee’s Holocaust gaffe
Both Mike Huckabee and Michele Bachmann recently used Nazi analogies to convey the severity of the mounting debt crisis, prompting an ADL response. This wasn’t Huckabee’s first run-in with the ADL’s criticism. Some of “the Republicans’ best and brightest continue to trivialize the Holocaust in the name of partisan politics,” said Avenging Angel at Daily Kos. While Huckabee does have Jewish support, said Michelle Goldberg in The Daily Beast, nobody should have “license to insinuate that higher marginal tax rates and tighter gun control are sort of like the Shoah.” And if he wants to maintain his good standing, he and others need to cut out these references, said M.J. Rosenberg at Talking Points Memo. “Will someone tell these right-wingers that professing their ‘love’ for Israel will not get them off the hook for trivializing the murder of 6,000,000 Jewish men, women and children in Europe?”

Pope beatified
Pope John Paul II, who has dedicated himself to Catholic-Jewish relations among other things, was beatified at the Vatican on Sunday. We should praise him for his “historic revision and self-criticism of the Catholic Church’s past” that has allowed for “reconciliation between Christians and Jews after two millennia of hostility,” said Daniel Shoer Roth in the Miami Herald. “To the Jews, he is a saint.” Rabbi Jack Bemporad, writing at The Huffington Post, was impressed when he had the chance to meet him. “What one was left with after meeting with Pope John Paul was his complete dedication to the next step in dialogue wherein one must be true to one’s own faith without being false to the faith of the other—and how serious and difficult this task is.”

Yaroslavsky: Next L.A. mayor?
When current Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vacates his position in 2013, it’s anyone’s guess who will take his seat. But now some experts are saying it will be L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, according to LA Weekly. For decades, he “has been mentioned as mayoral material, and for almost as long has been uninterested in the job,” but if he changes his mind Yaroslavsky “is clearly the man to beat.” So what’s holding him back? ““It’s largely a personal decision about what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Yaroslavsky said in February, quoted in The Jewish Daily Forward. For now, he’s focused on the work at hand.

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