June 30, 2011 | 5:25 am

This week in power: Obama, Gay marriage, Delta, Dutch ban

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Obama courts the Jewish vote
President Obama has waged “a behind-the-scenes push to win over skeptical big-dollar donors,” according to The Washington Post,  and has dispatched some top staffers to meet with wealthy donors, including some Jewish supporters. At the same time, Jews in Illinois gathered to discuss how they can defeat Obama in the upcoming election. So can he pull it off? “From the sound of it, the Obama administration hasn’t done nearly enough donor upkeep since his last campaign and is hastily trying to play catch-up,” said Alana Goodman at Commentary. “Obama’s basic problem is that he has a track record, and it is a sorry one,” added Thomas Lifson at American Thinker. “He tries to be everything to everyone, and after a certain amount of time, the phoniness becomes evident, even to starry-eyed libs.”

Gay marriage and Judaism
Jewish groups had mixed reactions to news of New York’s legalization of gay marriage on Friday. But it should have come as no surprise to those who were paying attention, said Mollie at GetReligion. “I guess it also relates to what happened at Yeshiva University, an Orthodox Jewish school in New York that was forced to include same-sex couples in its married dormitory. Even before New York recognized same-sex marriage, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Yeshiva had violated New York City’s ban on sexual orientation discrimination.” As for the response in the Jewish community itself: “Family values have always taken center stage in Judaism, as it is one of the Ten Commandments. The Torah classifies Toeiva-marriage as an abomination and strictly punishes one who violates the prohibition with the severe penalty of death,” pointed out Dave Hirsch at TheYeshivaWorld.com. “My traditional readers will find it scandalous,” said Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. “But is it possible that the victory of gay marriage is actually an opportunity to bolster traditional values?”

Is Delta discriminating?
Delta Air Lines has denied reports that the airline is discriminating against Jewish passengers because of its pending marketing alliance with Saudi Arabian Airlines, and believes it is the “victim of misinformation,” according to USA Today. The uproar stemmed from a Religion News Service story detailing the partnership that circulated on the Internet, but was subsequently retracted by the site. Still, Delta could have handled it better, said Gulliver at The Economist. “this is exactly the kind of story that good crisis management PR could have killed before it got off the ground.” Nevertheless, some are still fuming over the news. “Delta should have refused to partner with the Saudis rather than accommodate their Jew-hatred,” said Pamela Geller at American Thinker.

Dutch slaughtering ban
Jewish organizations in Europe vowed this week to fight back against a looming ban on ritual animal slaughter that passed in the lower house of the Dutch parliament. Some say that the law, intended to protect American rights, is a violation of freedom of religion. “Even if—as I strongly believe—increasing concern about the treatment of other animals is a mark of a more civilised society, it doesn’t necessarily follow that those promoting new rules act from disinterested motives,” said Nelson Jones at New Statesman. We should have all people in mind when we created laws, said an Irish Times editorial. “In the real world degrees of tolerance of religious or ethnic minority practices are a function of the extent to which issues like the veil or shechitah become proxies or ciphers for a growing broader intolerance and prejudice. The Dutch Bill, however worthy, will feed that climate, deepening suspicion and division.”

Fighting San Fran’s circumcision measure
The Jewish Community Relations Council and the Anti-Defamation League are leading a legal effort to have the measure removed from the November ballot, according to JTA. The lawsuit is more alleges that medical procedures in California are regulated by the state, not by local municipalities, and that the proposed ban shouldn’t hold up. This proposal is “quite possibly unconstitutional and just plain wrong,” said a Los Angeles Times editorial. “And we’re fairly certain the vast majority of San Franciscans see it the same way, given the public thrashing the measure has received.” Opponents, however, may have a point regarding the brutality involved in circumcision. “While upholding the essence of this commandment, we as a community can find ways to lessen its severity — as rabbis have done for generations, in every aspect of Jewish law,” said Jay Michaelson in The Jewish Daily Forward. “The zealots in California invite our censure, but more sensible people have long had qualms about this most ancient of Jewish rites. For them, and for all of us, a compromise is possible.”

June 23, 2011 | 5:32 am

This week in power: Obama, Kentucky, Yale resolution, Dog sentencing

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Obama reassures Jewish donors
President Obama met with Jewish donors on Monday night, hoping he can win back their support after a rough patch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president reportedly spoke candidly with the 80 attendees who made donations of at least $25,000 apiece to be there. Of course they walked away feeling reassured, said Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post, because “they are paying him to be reassured. When you plunk down that kind of cash you don’t want to be told you’ve put your money on the wrong horse.” Still, the president has a long way to climb, said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “As one person who attended the Obama fundraiser told Politico, the number of ovations the president received was not as many as Netanyahu got from Congress.” And organizers were reportedly “scrambling” in recent weeks just to fill those seats at all at the fundraiser.

Kentucky gubernatorial race and religion
While the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor all agreed to leave religion out of the campaign, they haven’t been able to stick to the agreed upon rules, and things are growing a bit hostile in Kentucky. One Republican backer said that Jerry Abramson was only picked as a running mate “to attract New York and Hollywood Jewish money” for the campaign.” But some are striking back against these vicious comments. Kentucky politician Jonathan Miller wrote at The Huffington Post, “During my 14 years in state politics and public service, I never encountered serious anti-Semitism. Just the opposite: When I spoke to rural crowds about the Talmud or my own spirituality, I was consistently met with warm feedback.” But Abramson might have some other accusations to deal with, too.

Yale replaces YIISA
Yale University announced on Monday it would start a new initiative to study anti-Semitism after massive outrage erupted when the school said it would close its Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism (YIISA). The new initiative will be called the Yale Program for the Study of Anti-Semitism. It will reportedly cover “‘new’ antisemitism, Muslim antisemitism,” said Abby W. Schachter in the New York Post. It makes you wonder “why did they have to close YIISA in the first place?” While it’s a step forward, said Fred Messner at FrumForum, we can’t just forget this saga. “The new initiative marks a victory for opponents of anti-Semitism, but the experience of the past few weeks has given Jews reason to doubt the steadfastness of Yale’s commitment to the program.”

No ‘rabbi’ on Argentina’s ballot
An Argentine court ruled last weekend that candidates on local elections may not have the title, “rabbi,” appear with their names on the ballot, according to reports. Rabbi Sergio Bergman argued that he’s better known by “Rabbi Bergman” than by his birth name, and wanted to appear as such for the election. But the court found that the title of rabbi carries a “positive connotation” that could influence voters. “Using that logic, the court would bar elected leaders from using their elected office title in re-elections—President Obama couldn’t use ‘president’ on the ballot for his 2012 re-election,” said Fef at Sodahead.com. “I hope the court wrote its decision with sincerity and not anti-Semitism.” Voters will also have the chance to vote for neo-Nazi: Alejandro Biondini of the Social Alternative party, who Jewish groups unsuccessfully lobbied to get banned from running.

Did an Israeli dog get stoned?
In one of the more bizarre stories of the week, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that a stray dog had wandered into a neighborhood where witnesses believed that it was “a reincarnation of a secular lawyer who insulted the court’s judges 20 years ago,” according to reports. And it was thus sentenced to death via stoning. But later reports indicated that the story wasn’t true, had been inflated, and all that happened was the canine was caught by a dog catcher. Even before the truth came out, some were skeptical about the whole thing. “Does something smell iffy about this story? Or am I being too skeptical?” asked Mollie at GetReligion. Others, on the other hand, used this case to push for more humane treatment of all dogs. “While this case is justifiably drawing international attention, dogs all over the world are also facing ‘death sentences’ in laboratories, on fur farms, and in backyards,” said PETA’s Jennifer O’Connor at Opposing Views.

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June 16, 2011 | 5:57 am

This week in power: GOP race, Beck rally, Russell Crowe, Yale

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Israel and the GOP race
“Israel was absent as a topic during the first Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire” on Monday night, reported JTA. The absence of Israel from the conversation may have surprised some, especially because Newt Gingrich spoke to the Republican Jewish Coalition on Sunday night about foreign policy, specifically about Israel. Texas Gov. Rick Perry came under fire this week for a proposal for a Day of Prayer this summer that appeared at least to be Christian-themed, though Perry says all are invited to participate. Why anyone would want to run for president is beyond me, said Douglas Bloomfield at the Jewish Journal. “Prerequisites for running for president: a huge ego wrapped in a layer of thick skin.”

Rumored Beck Israel rally participants
On Wednesday, YNet reported that Glenn Beck’s rally in Jerusalem on August 24 will feature big-name guests such as Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Michelle Bachman. “Beck’s big D.C. rally ended up being a fairly forgettable pep rally for faith; this might be more interesting,” said Slate’s Dave Weigel. What should we expect? “The rally in Israel will likely be even less political and more faith-oriented. Foreign policy is not the focus,” said Rachel Weiner at The Washington Post. However, the list of speakers may have been released in haste. The report “was quickly debunked, as several of the 2012 candidates and GOP counterparts released statements denying they would be there, and the Beck camp denying they were ever asked,” reported Yahoo! News.

Russell Crowe’s controversial tweets
Late last week, the actor took to Twitter to express support for a San Francisco proposal to ban circumcision. “Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect,” Crowe said. Eventually, Crowe apologized and clarified his position on the issue. Crowe’s friend and fellow actor, Eli Roth, came to his defense, claiming the entire rant was just a joke at the expense of the media. But the whole thing rubbed some people the wrong way. “Crowe flaunts breathtaking asininity,” said Chuck Roger at American Thinker. “Dear Mr. Crowe, clear thinking and sound morals are always good choices.” Next time think before you tweet.

Yale closes YIISA
Yale University closed the Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism, the nation’s only academically “anti-Semitism research shop,” according to the New York Post. “If Yale doesn’t want it, Washington should grab the institute before it goes anywhere else,” said Walter Reich in The Washington Post. It will take a different approach to keep this program alive, said Caroline B. Glick in The Jerusalem Post. “Yale’s decision to close YIISA indicates that the piecemeal approach is not effective. One institute cannot impact the virulent faculty hostility to Jewish related issues on campuses like Yale.” Yes, this was a mistake, but it’s not too late to turn back now, said Alan Dershowitz at Hudson New York. “Even better, it should reconsider its decision, solicit input from outsiders who have participated in the program and figure out a constructive way of keeping the important work of the initiative going.”

David Mamet vs. British antisemitism
In an interview with the Financial Times, the renowned playwright discussed the “ineradicable taint of antisemitism” in British society. “Mamet’s second act has just begun. We’ll have to see how the drama plays out to the end,” said Renee Ghert-Zand at the Jewish Daily Forward. But Mamet’s claims are too “simplistic,” said one blogger. “Anti-Semitism has certainly been a key part of the literary tradition in Britain and elsewhere for many centuries.” However, that is a separate issues from what’s happening in the Middle East; Mamet wants you to believe they’re tied together. In truth, “Anti-Semitism remains a major part of the world today, and it is damaging and degrading. But it does not remotely explain what is happening in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

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June 9, 2011 | 6:01 am

This week in power: Weiner, Obama, Lederman, Palin

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Weiner’s apology
After a week of guessing about whether it was in fact Weiner in the Twitpic, the congressman fessed up on Monday to sending the now infamous photo. Since Weiner is Jewish - and so was at least one of the women he reportedly corresponded with - bloggers discussed what it all meant. “I’m not going near the question of what Jewish women do or don’t do in bed, but suffice it to say that Jewish women are terribly, and contradictorily, stereotyped by society, and, often, by Jewish men themselves,” said Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic, regarding a particularly racy Weiner chat. But his political career has been helped by Jewish support, reported Steve Kornacki at Salon. Now that changes a bit, said James Besser in The Jewish Week. “I wonder if Jewish constituents are as willing to forgive and forget; maybe for them, the issue in the next election will be stupidity, not sin. We’ll get the answer to that next November.”

Is Obama good for the Jews or not?
There’s a fight going on between Democratic and Republican groups over whether the president is a friend of Israel, reported JTA. As we get closer to the 2012 election, this is turning “into a very loud argument indeed,” reported Hilary Leila Krieger in The Jerusalem Post. As right-wingers are challenging Obama’s commitment to Israel, at least one Jewish leader is standing up for him. “Obama’s heartfelt connection to the Jewish community and his bold and unwavering support for Israel’s military might make him an outstanding addition to the long line of U.S. presidents who, since Harry Truman, have rightly stood with Israel,” said Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. But when high-profile people come out and write op-eds, said Besser in The Jewish Week, you have to wonder if “maybe the White House is a little more worried about the Jewish vote” than they’d lead you to believe.

Meet Dan Lederman
“Could Dan Lederman, an energetic and peripatetic 38-year-old Republican state senator in South Dakota, set a new template for Jewish politicians?” asked The Jerusalem Post. “He’s somebody who clearly could be governor, congressman, senator,” Matt Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told the Post. He recently attended the AIPAC conference in Washington, D.C., according to the Sioux City Journal, where he “was particularly enthused to hear from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu.” But lately Lederman may have to focus on life in South Dakota where flooding from the Missouri River threatens his home.

Palin’s Star of David necklace
On a stop in New York, Sarah Palin visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with her daughter, Piper. But it was what she wore that day that caught people’s eyes - Palin donned a Star of David necklace in honor of Jerusalem Day. “Some analysts wondered if the possible Republican candidate for president was actually wearing the necklace to play to the hometown audience,” said The Yeshiva World blog. “Very cool,” remarked one blogger. Others, however, wondered if Palin’s gesture was a bit misguided. “But is it offensive for a Christian to wear a symbol of Judaism? Palin and others can support Israel without wearing the Star of David, just as Jewish politicians support Christians without wearing a cross. Or is this just a blatant attempt by Palin to curry favor with a small but influential group of people?” asked Mark Berman at Opposing Views.

“Foreskin Man”
A comic featuring a blond hero named Foreskin Man battling the evil Monster Mohel has led to calls of anti-Semitism. It comes on the heels of a ballot measure to ban circumcision in San Francisco, and its creator was reportedly hoping to be provocative. “It is one story to fight against circumcision, and another to portray Jews in a false antisemitic stereotype. The Jewish depictions look like they came right out of Nazi Germany propaganda in the 1930’s and 1940’s,” said a writer at Digital Journal. Agreed, said Ken Garcia in the San Francisco Examiner. This “is distasteful even by our limbo-low standards.” And it’s stupid for other reasons, too, said David Shear at ShalomLife. “The level of ignorance, both by the creator and supporters of this measure, is incredible. By attacking the Jewish religious practice of circumcision they are ignoring the over 90% of the American male population who aren’t Jewish and still get circumcised.”

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June 2, 2011 | 6:06 am

This week in power: Netanyahu, Medicare, Obama, Tiki Barber

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Netanyahu fallout
“As the dust settles in the wake of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s dramatic altercation with President Barack Obama, one is now able to evaluate the repercussions,” said Isi Leibler in The Jerusalem Post. “Obama’s ambush of Netanyahu was utterly counterproductive.” It’s the United States that must figure out its stance now, said Aaron David Miller at Foreign Policy. “The Obama administration—with the best of motives (Arab-Israeli peace is really important to U.S. interests) but lacking a real strategy—made this situation worse, at least for America.” Netanyahu’s visit gave us some insight into President Obama’s feelings on the issue, said Jeff Jacoby in The Boston Globe. “For better or for worse, presidential attitudes shape US foreign policy, and it is clear that the current president, unlike his two predecessors, feels little instinctive warmth for Israel.” It was only when Netanyahu spoke before Congress and got applauded that we recognized America as a true friend to Israel.

Jews and Medicare
Adam Hasner, a Jewish Florida politician, is a strong backer of Gov. Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan, and could run for Senate next year. This leaves Jewish voters in a bit of a spot, said James Besser in The Jewish Week. “History is with the Democrats on this one, but 2012 promises to be an unusually volatile election year. Stay tuned; Florida could once again be the epicenter of Jewish politics as the campaigns get underway.” There are no tough choices here, said a St. Louis Jewish Light editorial. “As Jews, we help each other, and we do so through various forms of tzedakah. We fairly discuss whether and how to build safety nets, both within and outside our Jewish community.” And Ryan’s plan shows “an alarming lack of empathy and respect for seniors,” so he won’t get our support. That could be devastating for Republicans in 2012, as the Jewish community “is considered to have the largest percentage of members older than 75 of any religious group in America.”

Is Obama really losing the Jews?
The Republican Jewish Coalition reportedly made 20,000 calls recently recruiting new members. The initiative was launched while Jewish support for Obama was low in the wake of Netanyahu’s visit. It seemed like the perfect time. However, “conversations with nearly a dozen of the top Jewish fund-raisers in New York reveal a much different reality, as rainmakers say they continue to back the president they overwhelmingly supported three years ago,” said David Freedlander in The New York Observer. Well, duh, said Greg Sargent at The Washington Post. We hear about this all the time, how “Jews are on the verge of breaking with Obama,” which is now a “frequent refrain” that pipes up whenever it’s convenient. “But I doubt that it will meaningfully erode Obama’s support among Jewish voters, and it’s certainly not driving away big Jewish donors, despite the right’s confident predictions to the contrary,” Sargent added.

Obama’s Poland trip
At the end of his recent Europe trip, President Obama met with Poland’s Jewish leaders and laid a wreath at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes. “Despite being such an important and meaningful political figure, President Obama found time to stop for a moment and consider the lessons of history,” said Piotr Kadlcik, president of the Union of Jewish Religious Communities. “He seemed clearly moved by the memorial, lingering to talk to a line of people and posing for a group photo,” said Mark Landler in The New York Times. But with the American Memorial Day holiday just days later, and Obama a no-show, some wondered where the president’s priorities are. “It is good and right for the American President to pay homage to these important sites, but it does make one wonder what ‘his people’ are doing?” asks Martha M. Boltz in the Washington Examiner.

Tiki’s Anne Frank gaffe
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) denounced Tiki Barber’s recent comparison of his experience of hiding from his wife to Anne Frank’s plight, calling his comments “outrageous and perverse,” reported Haaretz. “I am no scholar on Anne Frank, but I do know one thing. A professional football player who hides out in his own home so the pesky media can’t interview him is no Anne Frank,” said Rabbi Jason Miller at The Huffington Post. The quote appeared inside a Sports Illustrated profile about the former NFL player’s comeback attempt. “Lost in all of this is that the article was actually relatively positive. How quickly one Anne Frank reference can change things,” said Ryan Rudnansky at Bleacher Report. He doesn’t need any more bad press either, said thesportsbank at ChicagoNow. “I never underestimate the ability of egocentric and clueless celebrities to play the victim card, even when they have all the money, fame and sexy babes in the world, but this still shocks me. Barber is really effing stupid, immature and oblivious.”

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