February 23, 2012 | 5:01 am

This week in power: Santorum, Chavez, Obama, Web ad

Posted by Danny Groner

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

February 16, 2012 | 5:15 am

This week in power: Embassy attacks, Mormon apology, Contraception, Oprah

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Who was behind the bombings?
Israel pointed at Iran for Monday’s attacks on Israeli diplomatic missions in India and Georgia, but some argued that Israel had planted the explosives itself to “tarnish Iran’s friendly ties with the host countries,” according to reports. “The Indian and international media have gone ballistic about it without a shred of evidence. If the argument is that the Indian prime minister’s house is in the vicinity and reveals lapses in our security, then why is no one apprehensive about our situation? It raises questions beyond safety measures,” said Farzana Versey at CounterPunch.. Well excuse us if that’s not our primary concern, said Nooredin Abedian in the Jewish Journal. “Iran’s leaders resort to terror because the tool has proven its effectiveness in the past.” And it should be stopped immediately.

Mormons regret baptism
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued an apology for a Mormon who baptized the late parents of famed Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal. “The practice stems from the belief that after the time of Christ, Christianity went astray. The faithful consider the Mormon faith Christianity restored and baptisms not conducted by the restored Church essentially don’t count. So Mormons are out to baptize those who didn’t have these restored baptisms,” reported NPR. Will this controversy have a political effect? “Presumably Mitt Romney will try very hard to ignore the whole controversy, and/or defer to LDS officials,” said Ed Kilgore at Washington Monthly. “I’m sure his campaign would love to see a very active news day to bury—no pun intended—the story.”

Jews, Obama, and contraception
“What were the Jews doing becoming so involved in a debate over contraception?” asked Ron Kampeas at JTA. With Obama’s controversial stance on offering contraception at religious establishments, the debate is in full force. “Without doubt each individual has the right to decide on the path best suited for them. Likewise each religious institution has the right to define its moral positions. The State has no business compelling the Church to compromise on its standards,” said Dovid Efune at the Algemeiner. Outrage was rampant, from all walks of life. “We believe the exemptions for purely religious practices are sound, and we believe that making contraception universally available and affordable is a sound public policy decision,” said a St. Louis Jewish Light editorial. “The compromise rule in particular demonstrates respect for religious belief and institutions, while taking a significant step in favor of reproductive rights and health.”

Oprah’s Brooklyn visit
Oprah made waves this week with the debut of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” that features the talk show queen visiting Crown Heights and talking to ultra-Orthodox Jews about their lifestyles. “We are more alike than we are different,” Winfrey said on the program. “The moment I walked into the Ginsberg’s home. I felt welcomed. I felt a sense of warmth. A sense of family, comfort, and value.” “Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, or or an Atheist you have something to gain by watching this two-part series,” said Adam Croan at The Urban Twist. “I think it is important that we, as Americans, learn more about the people and the heritage that make up the collective society we live in. In the process it may allow you to look at your own beliefs about God and family while learning about the Hasidic Jewish community that lives in Brooklyn, New York.” But you should tune in for other reasons, too, said Rachel Shukert at Tablet. “The fascination lies in watching Oprah herself, as she struggles, with barely concealed shock, to grasp her own irrelevance in the lives of these people.”

Beinart’s book
Peter Beinart’s new book, The Crisis of Zionism, had been met by strong opposition. “In it he attempts to tear apart the relationship of admiration, support and defense that has existed between Israel and American Jewry for over a century.,” said Yisrael Medad in The Jerusalem Post. But not everyone agreed. “Yet, as Beinart chronicles, major American Jewish organizations, their agendas often swayed by a few wealthy donors (like the casino mogul Sheldon Adelson), have in general made uncritical defense of Israel — rather than constructive criticism — the cornerstone of their policies and viewed deviation from the ever-refreshed victimhood narrative as unacceptable dissent,” said The New York Times’ Roger Cohen. But the writer may have made some enemies in his marketing of the book as well. “Peter Beinart raises crucial, abiding issues. Then he compares those who take a different view to racist destroyers of democracy,” said Rabbi David Wolpe in the Jewish Journal. “This is not debate. This is not dialogue. This is demagoguery. He is better than this and we must be, too.”

0 Comments — Leave your comment

February 9, 2012 | 4:41 am

This week in power: Obama, Nevada, Iran question, Eddie Long

Posted by Danny Groner

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

How’s Obama doing?
“The 2012 election, most analysts believe, will hinge on the state of the economy, but in the Jewish community the Israel issue can figure prominently, in the race both for money and votes,” reported The Jewish Week. So far, Obama has held on pretty well in polls. “Of course, party affiliation really has no bearing on how people will vote in the general election,” warned Adam Dickter, also in The Jewish Week. But he may be focused on the wrong population, said Cokie & Steve Roberts in a syndicated column. “Obama can’t leave that politically dangerous charge unanswered in this churchgoing country. The Republican candidates are already trying to capitalize on the bishops’ concern. Without some conciliatory move from the White House, the president risks losing a significant number of Catholic voters in an election where he can’t afford to lose one.”

Furor in Nevada
Mitt Romney may have walked away the big winner in the Nevada primary last weekend, but that doesn’t mean all went smoothly. Orthodox Jews, who couldn’t vote before sundown, were given special permission to vote in the evening, a permission that some believed should have been granted to everyone. “Why wouldn’t I be able to vote just because I’m not Jewish?” one Ron Paul supporter said. See others complain about the provision here. “Second, the absurdity of this whole affair demonstrates once again that caucuses are outdated, idiotic, immoral and inefficient ways of choosing the leader of the free world. They should be abolished and replaced with primaries. Now, if Adelson would give a few million dollars to that cause, it might turn out to be a better investment than the Gingrich campaign.,” said Ben Adler in The Nation.

Will Israel attack Iran?
Israeli leaders have stepped up the rhetoric that they’re prepared to take action against Iran, if necessary. “If Israel is going to gamble so much on a strike, it should play for large stakes. The Islamic Republic means to destroy Israel. If Israel means to survive, it should commit itself similarly,” said Bret Stephens in The Wall Street Journal. “Destroying Iran’s nuclear sites will be a short-lived victory if it isn’t matched to the broader goal of ending the regime.” Is war the only way? wondered Peter Beinart in The Daily Beast: “American Jews have long basked in the wartime prowess of Israel’s soldiers and spies. Perhaps it’s time we started admiring their aversion to war as well.”

Eddie Long: Live the king?
Bishop Eddie Long apologized for a video of him being draped with a tallis and holding a Torah scroll and being crowned “king.” “The ceremony was not my suggestion, nor was it my intent, to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the Jewish community, or any group. Furthermore, I sincerely denounce any action that depicts me as a King, for I am merely just a servant of the Lord,” Long wrote in a letter. “But if the ceremony was to acknowledge Long as a figurative king or a symbolic king, it has left many questioning what actually occurred at the megachurch,” said Norman Byrd at Huliq. Others were less amused. “Eddie Long’s continued pandering to keep the remnants of his deluded flock intact has no bounds,” said Anthea Butler at Religion Dispatches.

Congressman Shmuley?
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach declared his intent to run for Congress in New Jersey’s 9th District, according to JTA. He said he’ll decide in the coming months whether to follow through with it, once he’s assessed how much money he can raise for his cause. “Why would a rabbi run for Congress? Because the problems we’re seeing in our great nation are not caused by an economic downturn but by a values erosion, and I intend to be the values voice that Congress so desperately needs,” Boteach said in a Jerusalem Post editorial. But has has his opponents. “Lost in all of this rhetoric is humility (also a Jewish value), a recognition of complexity (that too), and a tolerance for the multiplicity of interpretation of tradition and values (ditto) as to what constitutes a fair reading of Jewish tradition,” argued Yehuda Kurtzer, also in the Jerusalem Post.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

February 2, 2012 | 5:10 am

This week in power: Florida, Romney’s kashrut, Super Bowl, Israeli show

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Romney’s Florida win
Mitt Romney gained a new head of steam with his win in the Florida primary on Tuesday thanks in part to the state’s large Jewish population. But hold up before accepting that as the sole reason, warned Reuters. “If anything, it’s Republican arguments on the U.S. economy - not Israel - that might win more favor with Jewish voters here come the general election in November.” It may not matter in the long run, said Alex Koppelman at The New Yorker, since Jews everywhere tend to vote Democratic in general elections. That doesn’t stop Jews from investing heavily in the elections, though, said Steven F. Windmueller in the Jewish Journal. “How important is Jewish financial support for political campaigns? While it is difficult to quantify the sources of all contributions, there is significant evidence that Jews play a major role in underwriting candidates and supporting both political parties.”

Romney’s pork problem
Romney, it was revealed, voted against a $600,000 package of funds for poor Jewish nursing-home residents to get kosher meals, according to The New York Post. Newt Gingrich seized on it and pointed to Romney’s insensitivity to the Jewish people’s needs. “Mind you, for Gingrich’s last, desperate stand, it seemed a long shot that many Republican voters in Florida would care that in the course of cutting the Medicaid budget (something they of course love), some Jews in Massachusetts had to have kosher meals brought in rather than prepared in their nursing homes,” said Sarah Posner at Religion Dispatches. “If anything, this was probably more of an oy gevalt moment for Gingrich, who, after making the claim on the campaign trail, subsequently denied knowing that his campaign dispatched a robocall claiming Romney ‘forced’ Holocaust survivors to “eat non-kosher.” And, “politically it was boneheaded of him to target a population that he dearly needs to woo. Stay tuned as we keep you in the loop with ongoing election year news—including the latest political goofs, gaffs and gambits as they relate to long-term care—in what’s sure to be a rough and tumble election season,” said Patricia Sheehan at Long-Term Living.

‘New Jews’
Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache of Vienna is under fire for comments he made defending a fancy party being held that was met with some protest. Strache compared the violence to Kristallnacht. “We are the new Jews,” Strache declared to other ball guests. “The fact that the ball had been organized for the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945 was seen as a provocation by many on the left,” the Global Post reported. Officials are urging Stache to apologize for his remarks.

Super Bowl Sunday
Who should you root for on football’s biggest night? This year’s teams have some Jewish ties to them, following in the footsteps of the past. Both teams’ owners give you good reason to cheer them on, too. “On Sunday we will gather with friends and family, serve lots of food, and, in a ritual shared by millions, root for over-achieving underdogs to defeat their historical rival. You know — like every Jewish holiday,” joked Ron Kaplan in the New Jersey Jewish News.

Prime minister show
The granddaughter of the late Yitzhak Rabin is the creator of a new Israeli show called “The Prime Minister’s Children.” ““The most interesting thing about being the daughter or son of a prime minister is the price you pay, willingly. In a normal family, in your teens, your mission is to rebel, but here, at that crucial stage, you defend your father. In politics you are a soldier of a political camp, and above all you are loyal,” Noa Rothman told The New York Times. “But if you expect insights into Rabin’s life, you’d be disappointed,” said The Jewish Week’s Eric Herschthal. “The fictional P.M. the show follows is a right-wing conservative, worried about his own political survival above all.” A far cry from reality.

0 Comments — Leave your comment