April 26, 2012 | 4:55 am

This week in power: 2012 election, 60 Minutes, Raese, Israel anniversary

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Romney vs. Obama
“Once again, Republicans are doing much better with Jewish contributors than with Jewish voters,” said Douglas Bloomfield in The New York Jewish Week. And Democrats are trying to figure out how to match their counterparts. Israel, as always, remains an important issue when it comes to courting the Jewish vote. “The president’s cynical Jewish charm offensive isn’t likely to win back many disenchanted voters who know the difference between conviction and an election-year conversion,” said Jonathan S. Tobin in Commentary. But others, like Rafael Medoff in the Baltimore Sun, are more secure in their support for Obama. “The president says he has Israel’s back,” and we should accept that as reality.”

The “60 Minutes” furor
On last week’s episode of “60 Minutes,” reporter Bob Simon had a confrontation with Michael Oren that left Oren contacting CBS to try to explain why the piece would hurt Israel. It centered on Arab Christians and their exit as a result of the Israeli occupation. “If CBS eventually issues an apology, or does a follow-up to the report, we can assume that (willful?) ignorance was to blame. (Funny how the mistakes, inaccuracies and bias all lead in the same, anti-Israel direction, isn’t it?) But to the extent CBS digs in after receiving a mountain of material debunking the piece, we will know that rank bias is at the heart of this,” said Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. It didn’t stop there. Simon “never develops for the listener/viewer the reality, in all its proportions and complexity,” said Yisrael Medad in The Jerusalem Post.  “He ‘smoothes over’ all the politics, the history - flattening that out so the viewer is putty in his hands.”

Raese rage
West Virginia Senate candidate John Raese ran into some trouble with Jewish groups when he equated a smoking ban with Hitler’s policy of forcing Jews to wear the Star of David. Rases said, “But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke-free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Okay?” He continued: “Remember Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.” Let’s not go overboard, said a Huntington News editorial. “In reading the press accounts, we don’t see any intentional meanspiritedness here by Raese—just a politician trying too hard to make his point.  We’ve seen that before by political leaders in both parties here over the years.  Raese certainly isn’t alone in having an occasional case of foot-in-mouth disease.” No, this is a big deal, argued Leonard Pitts Jr. in the Miami Herald. “The crimes of the Nazi regime were singular, unprecedented in their sheer awfulness. Because of this, thoughtful observers draw Nazi parallels carefully and rarely if at all. And then there are the John Raeses of the world.”

What’s Israel mean at 64?
Israel celebrated its birthday this week. Where are we now? “Israel deserves applause for 64 years of its status as a stable, prosperous, multicultural state in a region where citizens still fight for their most basic human rights — even as critical threats to its sovereignty endure and its ‘partner in peace’ maintains an untrustworthy and anti-Jewish foundation,” said an Algemeiner editorial. “Israel is a military, economic, scientific and technological power to be reckoned with. But it faces an existential threat from Iran” that should scare us, said a New York Jewish Week editorial. “Even as we rejoice in Israel’s many achievements, and defend her against its political and military enemies, we must be aware that geula — redemption — can only come when Israel will achieve peace with her neighbors,” added Phil Horn in the New Jersey Jewish News.

Urban Outfitters shirt
The clothing chain pulled a T-shirt from its shelves amid a ruckus that its design too heavily resembled a yellow star. “Some fashion statements should not be made,” said The Examiner. It’s not the first time the retailer has come under fire for its designs. “Although Urban Outfitters makes us feel like we’re rebelling against some oppressive ‘man’ or system, the truth is that they have made a killing on mass producing a blend of trendy unconventionality,” said Ori J. Lenkinski at 972Mag.com. “While we buy their overpriced clothes to feel special, thousands of other special folks are picking out the exact same hip uniform, making it just as banal as a pair of khakis and a white t-shirt. And the kicker here is that the yellow tee that has ruffled so many feathers costs $100.”

April 19, 2012 | 4:38 am

This week in power: Iran, Protester, Gibson, Drake

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Iran lingers
Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, warned on Wednesday that anti-Semitic violence would escalate if Israel targets Iran. “If Israel attacks Iran, it will be a dramatic increase of anti-Semitic, very violent attacks against Jews,” Kantor said. “And the vehicle for the realization of the attacks will be these enclave communities, where the level of hatred is very high and they are prepared to attack enemies inside their countries.” The topic came front and center during Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem when Netanyahu suggested that Iran must be stopped in this generation. Tension continues to escalate as the world watches.

Soldier dismissed
Israel dismissed “on moral grounds” an officer who was the unwanted star of a YouTube video in which he struck an unarmed Danish activist with his gun, according to reports. The incident took place last weekend near Jericho, and Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Eisner had been suspended immediately afterward for the attack. Despite there being no evidence that the attack was warranted, some on internet message boards defended the soldier’s actions. Israel reaffirmed that its soldiers mostly act with restraint and this was just an exception.

Beinart’s war
Writer and author Peter Beinart has caused a firestorm with the reception of his new book, The Crisis of Zionism. “Beinart is definitely on the left side of this debate, the side that emphasizes human rights and living in peace with one’s neighbours. He consistently empathizes with the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank who have no citizenship rights,” said Donald Benham in the Winnepeg Free Press. “For liberal Jews such as Beinart, what is happening now is the worst of all possible worlds.” Some praised him for his stance. “Peter Beinart should be commended for a valiant and courageous project, continuing to do what he and many of us have been doing for the past twenty years,” said Shaul Magid at Religion Dispatches. But Jonathan Miller at the Times of Israel disagreed. “Where Beinart has succeeded most thoroughly is in his manipulation of a legitimate crisis — not in Israel, but within our American democracy. It’s a crisis in which nuance and rational debate have been drowned out by polarized, uniformly-lockstep polemics from hyper-partisan politicians, ultra-ideological cable TV screaming heads, and political correctness-enforcing mullahs on our nation’s campuses,” he wrote.

Gibson’s back…or not
Remember that Judah Maccabee movie that Mel Gibson was working on? It might be tabled, indefinitely. This is as a result of a rift between producer Gibson and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. “Now, given his past history, I see no reason to criticize people who might feel uncomfortable with Mel Gibson’s involvement in a movie about a Jewish war hero. That is most certainly not at issue here. But isn’t this exactly the sort of situation left-wingers scold conservatives for? asked Warner Todd Huston at Chicago Now. “Separating from the entertainment the real-life actions of a moviemaker is exactly what the left claims is a desirable trait in a movie fan. Yet here they are condemning a movie precisely because of who is involved with it.” If they decide to go in a new direction, here are some other Biblical stories that could be adapted for the big screen.

Drake’s Bar Mitzvah
In his video for “HYFR,” Drake “stages a second Bar Mitzvah to re-establish his commitment to the Jewish faith,” as an MTV blogger put it. It even includes real footage for his fans to revel in. “While I am not yet ready to add Drake to my Jewish celebrity role model list, Drake is playing his role in the orchestra. Now it’s up to the rest of us in the Jewish community to do our part,” said Ronn Torossian at the Algemeiner. Others weren’t as thrilled. “The complete video is certainly not consistent with Temple Israel’s longstanding history and reputation as a progressive voice in the Jewish Reform movement,” said the synagogue president who lent his bimah for the fiasco. “Temple Israel does not adopt, condone, or sponsor any aspect of the Drake video, and was not involved in its production.”

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April 12, 2012 | 5:09 am

This week in power: Romney, Gunter Grass, Connecticut politics, Passover message

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Romney’s race
With Rick Santorum bowing out of the GOP race this week, it appears that the nomination is now going to go to Mitt Romney. “If he can allay Jewish concerns about the influence of Christian conservatives on his social agenda, Romney might convert enough Jewish votes in places where it could theoretically make a very big difference,” said Chemi Shalev at Haaretz. However, there’s no evidence that Jews will go Republican, warned Gershom Gorenberg in The American Prospect: “If the GOP is even less popular among Jews than it was a generation ago, the reason is apparent: The party has become ever more rigid and homogenous in its economic and social conservatism, and its tests of ideological purity send none-too-coded messages to Jewish voters.” And, after all, Romney’s Mormonism might be an asset for him.

Gunter Grass fracas
Israel banned Nobel-winning author Gunter Grass from the country this week over a poem of his published last Wednesday that suggested Israel is as big a threat as Iran. “The poem is, to put it bluntly, morally obtuse and politically embarrassing,” said Jeffrey Herf in The New Republic. A Jerusalem Post editorial tore into Grass. “We hope he regains his moral bearings and issues a complete retraction. Anything less will cast a shadow on Grass’s reputation as a moral voice for Germans who came of age in the generation after the Shoah.” But not everyone thinks the punishment fit the crime. “The entire nation suffers when a poet is barred from its land. That is not the democratic response to bad speech. Nor is it the response of the Jewish tradition, which thrives on debate and dissent. It should not be the Israeli response,” wrote Alan Dershowitz in The Huffington Post.

Sparks fly in Connecticut
A candidate for Senate in Connecticut called Rep. Chris Murphy a “whore” for his support of Israel during a local debate last week. Lee Whitnum is “obsessed with AIPAC and Zionism and spends a great deal of space on her campaign website trying unsuccessfully to assert that she is not an anti-Semite. But at least she comes by her bias honestly,” said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “Ms. Whitnum’s threadbare debate manners did not advance her arguments a whit, and Mr. Murphy emerged from the verbal fisticuffs with his pro-Israeli halo undented. Not a bad showing, on the whole, for Israel, Mr. Murphy, AIPAC and neo-conservatives, all of whom should remember Ms. Whitnum in their prayers,” said Don Pesci in the Providence Journal. Organizers requested more decorum at the next debate.

Passover message
Each year at this time rabbis and thinkers and, yes, even bloggers hope to convey a succinct message for what we should take away from the Passover story. Here are a few of the suggestions: “Today the flow of information is so rapid that in order to have a real impact, conveying an idea only once is no longer enough. Messages must be passed on through constant repetition, utilizing many different channels both overt and discreet,” said Dovid Efune at The Huffington Post. “Even as Egypt’s political transition remains murky, all Americans have a moral stake in its outcome,” and we should connect with the country today, said Ari Ratner at SavannahHow.com. Isi Leibler in the Jerusalem Post, on the other hand, encouraged sticking to tradition. “The Haggada carries a universal theme of human rights that apply to all people. But the trendy Jewish modernists who seek to transform the seder into a universal freedom-fest should be resisted.”

Lovitz’s stand
After some teenage girls left anti-Semitic graffiti on a neighbor’s front walk as a prank, comedian Jon Lovitz fought back via Twitter and got the girls expelled from their school, according to reports. He tweeted: “Thanks for all your support on the hate crime. No one should be bullied for any reason. We’re all people who should be treated w/ respect.” Many people saluted Lovitz for his aggressive response. I am proud of Mr. Lovitz for not being afraid to stand up for his friend, for what was right, and for Jews.  His actions matter. We live in a world where kids are shot while out to get Skittles, and you can commit a hate crime and not be held accountable.  It’s sad, wrong, and scary.  Jon Lovitz stood up for all of us, and loudly proclaimed that we must keep the faith,” said Ilana Angel in the Jewish Journal.

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April 5, 2012 | 6:03 am

This week in power: Obama, Christie, New Haggadah, Top rabbis

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Obama’s soaring
According to a Public Religion Research Institute poll of 1,004 Jewish adults, Obama is doing just fine and want to see him get reelected. “While much of the political debate within the Jewish community has centered in recent months on the issue of Israel and on President Obama’s relations with the Jewish state, the survey reinforces previous poll data that shows Jewish voters do not view Israel as a deciding factor when voting for president,” explained The Jewish Daily Forward. This might indicate something about Jewish voters. “Americans — and especially Jewish Americans — are long overdue for a serious consideration about what it means for religion to influence the values that our society should reflect,” wrote Yehuda Kurtzer in The Jewish Week. Only then we can vote rationally and confidently.

Wasserman Schultz’s questionable appointee
A Jewish outreach liaison for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is under fire fora Facebook picture Gilbert posted in 2006 of herself and her friends tagged as “Jewbags” and the “Jew cash money team.” Cue the defenses and the outrage: “The photograph’s caption is admittedly inflammatory, but it is six years old. People make mistakes when they are young. This should not be an impediment to Ms. Gilbert’s budding career today,” said Noah Rothman at Mediaite. On the other side is Javier Manjarres at Shark Tank: “Oy Veh! Can you imagine if a Republican Jewish Outreach staffer were to have posted similar pictures with these same comments? His/her head would be asked to be served on some type of Seder platter or something.” Does it really matter? You have to wonder.

Christie’s Israel trip
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in Israel this week on a trip cosponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition. The “Jersey to Jerusalem” tour could serve some good, though. “Christie is looking to strengthen the state’s economic ties to Israel and to bolster his political résumé with a taste of foreign policy,” reported NorthJersey.com. But some had a little fun at the governor’s expense. “Christie, wearing a yarmulke with his name and title embroidered on it, brought his political heft to the holiest Jewish site in Jerusalem,” wrote The New York Post.

Foer’s Haggadah
In an op-ed in The New York Times, writer Jonathan Safran Foer outlined why he felt the need to compile a new Seder book that has everyone talking. “Our grandparents were immigrants to America, but natives to Judaism. We are the opposite: fluent in ‘American Idol,’ but unschooled in Jewish heroes. And so we act like immigrants around Judaism: cautious, rejecting, self-conscious, and feigning (or achieving) indifference. In the foreign country of our faith, our need for a good guidebook is urgent,” he said. How are the reviews so far? “It’s that deep respect, even in the midst of playful or challenging comments, that comes across with the New American Haggadah,” said a Philadelphia Inquirer reviewer. “Considering the competing pile of Haggadahs at my seder table, there’s a chance it could be. But then again, when considering the illuminated nature of this Haggadah’s text, there’s a better chance I may use it two years in a row,” said Arwe Dworken at Heeb.

Who’s the top rabbi?
Newsweek once again ranked and left up for debate the top rabbis with David Wolpe taking the top spot. “In a series of disclaimers, they seek to head off the standard criticism engendered by such lists. They acknowledge that there are more than 50 worthy rabbis in the US and explain that most of the rabbis they recognized reside on the two coasts because that’s where the major Jewish seminaries and communities are located,” said Ari Ben Goldberg at The Times of Israel. Others were equally critical. Eric Herschthal at The Jewish Week argued, “To be sure, the problem isn’t with Wolpe — a contributor to this paper, and an extremely thoughtful rabbi. It’s with the increasing insignificance of a list made every year.  Here’s one suggestion on how to change that: do it every other year, or maybe every five, even ten.” Do it that way, and people will really care about it.

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