July 28, 2011 | 5:50 am

This week in power: Cantor, Arab Spring, Gay marriage, Amy Winehouse

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Eric Cantor under fire
With debt ceiling talks heating up as the August 2 deadline quickly approaches, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is getting some perhaps unwanted attention. “Am I the only Jew in America who finds the House majority leader deeply embarrassing to our people? Am I the only tribe member who considers this smarmy yutz today’s numero-uno shonda fur die goyim?” asked Michael Takiff at Salon. Marc Tracy at Tablet wondered about the affects that talks could have on Israel bonds, but Commentary’s Seth Mandel defended Cantor saying that “Israel is not a partisan issue–unless Republicans are the targets of the attacks.” It’s hard to predict how the debt ceiling situation will end, but it’s clear that Cantor will play some sort of big role in the resolution or lack thereof. “Whatever his long-term goals, the next several weeks will go a long way toward deciding Cantor’s future,” said National Journal’s Major Garrett.

Is the Arab Spring coming to Israel?
Amid the turmoil taking place in neighboring nations, Israel has been relatively quiet this summer. But some are worrying that conflict and protests are on the horizon. Tens of thousands of students demonstrated in Tel Aviv over higher housing costs, which is a “political headache for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” according to Batsheva Sobelman at the Los Angeles Times. But could there be an even bigger threat at hand? What if Palestinians in the region rise up? “Israel, of course, is no stranger to political upheaval and is better equipped than others to deal with the crisis. But, then, no one ever believed that the protests in Egypt in January would lead to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February. Seems anything is possible these days,” said Peter Gelling at the Global Post. “A chapter is being turned by popular revolution in Arab history,” said Larbi Sadiki at Al Jazeera. “Those unpacking the Arab Spring should not wish for the banners of Islamism or of Palestine absence. Rather, they should wish for Islamists to be engaging through democratic channels, and they should wish that Israel concedes Palestinians the right to be in an independent Palestine.”

Jewish gay couple weds first in NY
Two Jewish women - Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85 - became the first gay couple to get married in New York last weekend. Later in the week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiated another gay couple’s marriage. Not everyone, however, is happy with the state’s new law. Some organizations filed a lawsuit against the Marriage Equality Act, including the executive director of Torah Jews for Decency, an Orthodox Jewish “advocacy organization,” according to the Village Voice. Other Jewish New Yorkers were on hand on Sunday morning to protest the day’s first gay marriages. “To advance meaningful discussions within our communities on the issue of inclusion, we may first need to grapple with the perceptions of Otherness that many of us harbor, whether or not we are prepared to admit it,” said Mira Sucharov at Haaretz.

Amy Winehouse’s Jewish funeral
Fallen singer Amy Winehouse, who died last weekend at the age of 27, was buried on Tuesday as part of a Jewish ceremony. She was cremated, which violates traditional Jewish law. “An increasingly significant number of Jews are choosing cremation. It’s not something I would encourage, but we live as a part of the world,” said Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, as quoted by E! Online.“No matter how her parents designed her memorial, it was likely the best way they thought they could find some peace. And I say amen to that,” said Leslie Gornstein at E! As for Winehouse’s body itself, “some say the Jewish prohibition of tattoos can keep people with ink from a traditional Jewish burial, but that’s a misconception, as Jewish news sites have reminded the media in Winehouse’s case,” said Kate Shellnutt at the Houston Chronicle.

Larry David’s Palestinian chicken
The Curb star pushed the limits of political correctness on last week’s episode which “may have been their most Jewish episode to date,” said Alan Sepinwall at HitFix. “Some Israel lovers will find ‘Palestinian Chicken’ distasteful, but it’s a hit among David’s fans,” said Nathan Burstein at The Jewish Daily Forward. In this episode, Larry “holds his Jewishness at a distance and ends up turned on by the idea of rebelling against it, here by eating at a Palestinian restaurant and getting it on with the bird shack’s hot, virulently anti-Israel owner,” said James Poniewozik at Time. “But the elements of Jewish identity, and the way they dovetail and conflict with an individual’s desires and needs, put Larry David in Philip Roth territory this week,” added Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly. “Who needs Portnoy’s Complaint when you’ve got ‘Palestinian Chicken?’” joked Meredith Blake at The Onion’s A.V. Club.

July 21, 2011 | 5:38 am

This week in power: Debt ceiling, Argentina inquriry, Fracking, JDub

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Impact of debt ceiling talks
As the Aug. 2 deadline creeps closer, and the Obama administration and Congress grapple with compromising on a proposal, they are once again floating a potential limit to the tax deduction for charitable donations, which has “alarmed several Jewish nonprofit groups,” according to The Jewish Week. Meanwhile, some Jewish senators are urging American Jews to make their voices heard as the budget gets decided on and settled. The Republican party effort is headed up by House Majority leader Eric Cantor, who is Jewish, and, as Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said in the Jewish Journal, has the Jewish people’s support. “President Obama can storm out of all the meetings he wants with Cantor. But he cannot break the man because Cantor is backed by people who are already broken and who have had enough.”

Argentine inquiry into Jewish center bombing
Last weekend, the Argentinian government described a “very positive” offer from Iran to cooperate with an inquiry into a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, according to reports. It hasn’t happened to this point “due in large part to Iran’s threatening influence over international politics,” said Martin Krossel at FrumForum. Iran has asked Argentina to drop the investigation, but “we hope Iran’s Argentina gambit will fail,” and that Argentina will hold strong or else “there will be consequences in terms of their relationship with the United States,” said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “It is vital that authorities investigate, reveal the truth, and ensure that these governments are held accountable for any violations of international sanctions and applicable U.S. laws,” added Roger Noriega at The American.

The furor over fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking for short, is a hot-button issue everywhere. The process involves injecting chemical-laced water into the ground to allow natural gas to escape to push out the minerals. The EPA has expressed concerns about how the process impacts water, soil, and air quality, according to reports. Now, four Jewish summer camps have agreed to allow gas exploration companies to employ the technique at their campgrounds by this fall. “This may bring new meaning to the term ‘bug juice’ at summer camp,” joked Stephen Lacey at Think Progress. But not everyone approves. Said blogger dcc at JewSchool: “Fracking is dangers now and should not be utilized as an energy extraction method within watersheds of summer camps.  Period.”

Is Israel spying in New Zealand?
There are claims in New Zealand that some Israeli backpackers caught in February’s massive earthquake may have been spies, reported JTA. Israel’s ambassador to the country called the allegations “science fiction,” and criticized fears that Israelis may have hacked into the national computer network. Suspicions reportedly arose around the five passports found on the body of one of the deceased, Ofer Mizrahi, and “security services also took note that a Facebook page set up in remembrance of Mizrahi has only five ‘likes,’” said Haaretz. Of course, this isn’t the first time New Zealand has raised suspicions.

JDub Records closes
A reliable source for Jewish music is no more, as JDub Records folded late last week. Many are eulogizing the fallen company. “A society without a vibrant and respected creative class lacks the imagination and inspiration to innovate and grow,” say Stephen Hazan Arnoff and Steven M. Cohen at JTA. But some don’t buy it. “The turn against these outfits by their funders should be welcomed as a potential indication of growing seriousness in American Jewish priorities,” argued Matthew Ackerman at Commentary. “This is absurb,” countered Eric Herschthal at The Jewish Week. “What Ackerman doesn’t get is that the young Jews who identified with JDub saw only conformity and corportaism in mainstream Jewish organizations, and they craved new creative outlets. JDub seemed to capture that clientele wonderfully.”

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July 14, 2011 | 5:05 am

This week in power: Boycott ban, Beck, Obama, Polygamy

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Israel’s boycott ban
The Knesset passed a law this week penalizing anyone who boycotts Israel or the settlements, a measure that one leader said is intended “to protect the citizens of Israel.”  Those affected by boycotts can now protest them without having to prove that they sustained any damage. The law was met by immediate backlash from peace groups and others. “The campaign against Israeli settlements is real, but this new law will almost certainly backfire,” said Hussein Ibish at Foreign Policy. “What this suggests is an official Israeli perspective in which there is a virtual Israel that exists wherever a settler happens to be at any given moment, and an undefined, unresolved occupation everywhere else,” which is a “legally and politically untenable and indeed preposterous position.” Actually, it’s a good thing to get rid of these communal calls to protest, said Carol Gould at Jewish Comment. “Boycott is a word loved by Joseph Goebbels. Anything he loved is something I detest.”

Beck’s Knesset visit
“By all accounts, Glenn Beck’s visit to Israel this week couldn’t have gone better,” reported McClatchy, a trip that included an address before Knesset. However, not everyone is buying Beck’s commitment to supporting Israel. “Without Israel, Beck is just another right-wing bigot and crackpot But with it, he becomes almost legitimate and so does the dangerous and ugly portrayal of Jews that has become his trademark,” said MJ Rosenberg at The Huffington Post. Still, Beck has his supporters, like Josh Hasten at Israel National News. “Simply put, Beck gets it. He understands that we are truly in the midst of World War Three and that the worst is still to come. He understands that the battle which rages is a battle between the beliefs, morals, and values of Western Civilization and that of the Islamic death cult committed to the west’s demise,” he said.

The latest poll on Obama
It’s been a back-and-forth debate for weeks about whether American Jews are really backing Obama in his re-election bid. The latest poll has Obama’s Jewish support down to 43 percent, which means it “might be a good time for Obama to change the subject to how good a friend he’s been to Israel,” said Abby W. Schachter at the New York Post. Wait a minute, said The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent. “The phrasing in this poll is comically skewed towards eliciting the most negative responses possible. As always, the game is to perpetuate the sad conservative meme that this time, really this time, American Jews are going to abandon their liberalism and vote Republican because Obama is a huge anti-Semite.” No matter where things stand now, Obama should take the Jewish vote seriously. “In a close election, those Jewish votes would probably spell the difference between victory and defeat,” said Rick Moran at American Thinker.

Bring polygamy back?
A new organization called Habayit Hayehudi Hashalem (The Complete Jewish Household) is trying to reinstate polygamy despite Jewish law against it. “It is being promoted as the Jewish solution for the abundance of single women, the Arab demographic threat and the male predicament of seeking extramarital relations,” according to The Jerusalem Post. Rabbi Yehezkel Sopher,, who is leading the campaign, said, “This is not about secular people who abide by the rules of the state, rather religious people. Whoever wants to take another wife – the Torah does not object to it.” But he faces some steep opposition. “A range of rabbis in Israel, including Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, have come out against Sopher and polygamy,” said Ben Sales at The Jewish Daily Forward.

Leiby Kletzky
A frantic search for a missing New York boy ended with news on Wednesday of the child’s tragic murder. Leiby Kletzky’s body parts were discovered in the refrigerator of a 35-year-old man, according to reports. “I will forever remember this little boy and his desire to be independent and a grown up boy, and every time I hug my son I will be hugging Leiby also,” said Ilana Angel in the Jewish Journal. What can parents learn from this horrible story? “There’s no way to anticipate a creep grabbing a sweet little boy off of our neighborhood streets, taking him home, and dismembering him, then placing him in the refrigerator,” said Jeanne Sager at CafeMom. “If that thought went through our minds, frankly, we as parents would be paralyzed, unable to function. We need, instead, to be cautious but optimistic in life.” Said Danielle Sullivan at Babble: “Some things in life are just beyond words…this is certainly one of them.”

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July 7, 2011 | 5:46 am

This week in power:  Obama, Flotilla, King’s Torah, Two Worlds

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Jews support Obama after all
Despite some recent concerns over his popularity and support, Obama can apparently rest assured that Jewish Americans back him. According to Gallup, the president saw only a small decline in June, with just 32 percent of U.S. Jews disapproving of the job he’s doing, on par with how he’s fared throughout the year. “Maybe support for Obama among Jews will ultimately erode, and stories suggesting that’s the case are ahead of the curve. The evidence, however, suggests the exact opposite,” said Greg Sargent in The Washington Post. Wait, we may not learn anything from this poll after all, warned Tina Korbe at Hot Air. “After all, the poll didn’t specifically seek out Jewish Americans noted for political involvement. It could be the (randomized) sample that so strongly supports Obama just happens to barely vote, let alone donate.”

Jews leaving Capitol Hill?
“One of the possible consequences of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter-gate affair is another decline in the number of Jewish representatives in Congress,” The Jewish Daily Forward forecasted a couple weeks ago. So CNN crunched the numbers: There are 13 Jews in the Senate and 28 in the House, all but one a Democrat; the lone Republican is House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Since the 112th Congress convened in January, two Jews have resigned their seats,” CNN reported. Have no fear, joked Blair Burke at Wonkette about the growing Mexican presence in Congress: “The Zionist Mexicans will take back Israel and then Obama will win forever, the end.”

Another Gaza Flotilla controversy
Last week Greece blocked activists from sailing to Gaza with an aid shipment in defiance of Israel’s sea blockade, according to reports. Even if the nation has opposed Israel, “the debt-wracked Greeks have an even greater incentive to cozy up to its rich Mediterranean neighbor.” Some are saluting Greece for its turn-of-face. “The Greeks have gotten loads of bad press lately, what with riots in the streets and a debt crisis that threatens to take down Europe and, perhaps, more far-flung lands. But now they deserve the world’s thanks for preventing a seagoing provocation,” said a New York Daily News editorial. A full report about last year’s incident is due out this week. “We should not play into the hands of the flotilla organizers who are perpetuating hostility rather than working towards a real and lasting peace,” said Eric B. Stillman in the Florida Sun Sentinel.

“The King’s Torah” debate
Police questioned two prominent rabbis over their endorsement of a book, “The King’s Torah,” that condones the killing Arabs and other non-Jews. The questioning has prompted protests. Even after they were released, outrage went on. Others have responded differently. “Rabbis should have a special status and be treated with respect, but this status does not put them beyond the law of the land. They are religious leaders, not demigods,” said Liat Collins in The Jerusalem Post. “And as leaders, they need to be particularly aware of the direction in which they are taking the country. The problem is not religion, as secular friends immediately claimed, but how religion is interpreted.”

“Between Two Worlds” reviews
A new film, called “Between Two Worlds,” is going around the Jewish film festival circuit, and provoking discussion about Jewish identity, politics, and intermarriage, among other topics. So how is it? “Proceeding with the thinnest of throughlines and only intermittent commentary, ‘Between Two Worlds’ treats central events with rather cursory, colorless reportage, while more tangential topics, such as the filmmakers’ private histories, come alive. Yet the docu’s patchwork exploration of who speaks for the tribe may accurately reflect individual Jews’ experience of their scattered heritage,” said Ronnie Scheib at Variety. And it’ll leave you thinking about it and talking about it, said Michael Kaminer at The Jewish Daily Forward. “By using their personal histories as connective tissue, the husband-and-wife filmmaking team manages to present a forceful work that draws power by raising questions that don’t find any neat resolutions. And, judging from this film, may never.

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