September 27, 2012 | 3:01 am

This week in power: Iran question, Florida race, Silverman ad, YK message

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Is Netanyahu serious?
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad challenged Benjamin Netanyahu's threats that Israel would strike Iran. "While we are fully ready to defend ourselves, we do not take these threats seriously," Ahmadinejad said. Later in the week, Netanyahu left an "unusual letter" to the Israeli public reaffirming his stand. "Benjamin Netanyahu is clever but not wise. No Israeli prime minister should publicly challenge an American president. But for decades of American economic and military aid plus countless vetoes in the Security Council, Israel could not have got away with its illegal and brutal occupation of Palestinian lands for as long as it has, 45 years and counting," said Haroon Siddiqui in the Toronto Star. Others support Netanyahu's methods. "Most of all, Israel can preserve its relationship with the United States and with American Jews in particular by defending the shared values described by the prime minister," said JTA's Daniel Sokatch.

Romney's reach
The Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects have some centrist Jewish groups wondering about Romney, according to reports. “To let it fester is not in the best interests of Israel,” said Abraham Foxman of the ADL. There's still time for Romney to turn things around, with the debates on the horizon. "Maybe the debates really will educate Americans about the great issues of the day and provide clear contrasts that enable thoughtful, open-minded voters to make up their minds.  Or maybe Romney’s free fall will have acquired so much velocity that even the media’s best efforts to keep audiences in suspense about the outcome will prove hopeless," said Marty Kaplan in the Jewish Journal. But some have had enough: "Both parties need to spend all that time raising money so they can pay for all those annoying ads. Obama once again is bringing in smaller donations from larger numbers of contributors, while Romney is relying on very rich contributors to write very big checks," said Douglas Bloomfield in The Jewish Week.

Where Florida rests
A recent poll revealed that 70 percent of registered Jewish voters plan to vote for Obama. That's up from 64 percent in other polls. Florida is a key battleground state where Obama is dedicated time last week. "Romney didn’t make that attack because he thinks Barack Obama is threatening Israel. He made it because he thinks Barack Obama is threatening Florida. "Florida has a Jewish population of about 640,000, or approximately 3.4 per cent of the electorate. But when you consider George Bush won the state by 537 votes in 2000, and Obama by 2.8 percent, it’s enough. Obviously, there are other states that have larger Jewish populations, such as New Jersey, New York and California. But they’re not in play electorally," said Dan Hodges in The Telegraph. Is it too late to make up that ground?

Silverman's back
Remember Sarah Silverman's 2008 ad, the “Great Schlep”? Now the comedian has returned with another video that has brought in over a million views in under a week. It's more raunchy and laced with a specific message -- making sure voters have the proper identification to vote. "Using humor to tackle politics, the Let My People Vote project tries to direct attention to a topic that most people don't understand. It's an example of advocacy groups trying to use social media in new ways to cut through the clutter of the media landscape," said Sree Sreenivasan at CNET. "This video is NOT safe for work or pretty much anywhere except the company of friends and select family. It's definitely worth a look though!" said a Hollywire blogger.

Yom Kippur messages
Another Yom Kippur in the books. What's the message we should take home? And is anything off-limits? "There are many appropriate days, and many appropriate places, for Jews to discuss all the terrible things for which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad need atone. In shul this week on Yom Kippur, however, I'd rather focus on the atoning I need to do myself," said Peter Beinart  in The Daily Beast. Others felt differently. "That Beinart wishes to treat it as being morally equivalent to a liberal appeal for more social welfare spending or conservative calls for support for their issues tells us more about him and his very public angst about Israel and Jewish peoplehood than it does about what is or is not an appropriate prayer on Yom Kippur," said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. There's of course a middle road, with a more universal and less political approach. "We are reminded that today is what we have; tomorrow may or may not come. Over and over, we ask ourselves, are we really being the best we can be," said Rabbi Shafir Lobb at TC Palm.

September 20, 2012 | 2:50 am

This week in power: Netanyahu comments, Romney blunder, France grenade, Dowd column

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Netanyahu speaks out
Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't hidden his opposition for Obama leading up to this election cycle, which has prompted many to wonder how far the Israeli prime minister is willing to go to attract attention for Romney. "For my part, I think Obama should indeed set a red line — warning Netanyahu to stop interfering in American elections," said Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times. But some say that Romney is the better option in the first place. Still, this really is not be his place to intervene, said Randy Schultz in The Palm Beach Post. "Some theorize that Mr. Netanyahu is playing badder cop to Mr. Obama’s bad cop in a supporting role to the sanctions effort. If so, he’s overacting. Neither President Obama nor Mr. Romney must let a foreign head of state dictate American policy."

Can Romney recover?
Embarrassing statements from leaked Mitt Romney fundraiser videos has the candidate backtracking and explaining and struggling to stay alive in the upcoming election, political experts say. "I have a very good team of extraordinarily experienced, highly successful consultants, a couple of people in particular who have done races around the world," Romney says. "I didn't realize it. These guys in the US — the Karl Rove equivalents — they do races all over the world: in Armenia, in Africa, in Israel. I mean, they worked for Bibi Netanyahu in his race. So they do these races and they see which ads work, and which processes work best, and we have ideas about what we do over the course of the campaign. I'd tell them to you, but I'd have to shoot you." What's it all mean? "Some of this might be politics as usual, but the depth of Romney’s exceptional ignorance and naïveté is unusual, so Romney will have a major problem in winning any respect for his understanding of the world, which is a serious handicap to his presidential ambitions," said a Gulf News editorial.

French Jews attacked
A kosher grocery store near Paris was hit by a grenade that damaged the store and injured one person, according to reports. The attack took place in Sarcelles as Jewish shoppers were preparing for the upcoming holidays. "I have no reason to doubt the anti-Semitic character of this action," said one local leader. Sarcelles is known as "Little Jerusalem," and is home to a large Jewish population in the area. Earlier this summer, three Jewish children and their teacher were attacked in Toulouse; the month before three Jewish men were attacked while walking near Lyon.

Dowd riles some up
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd angered some ahead of the Jewish New Year by calling Dan Senor, a Jewish foreign policy adviser, a “neocon puppet master.” Some believed that it was anti-Semitic imagery. "In 2000, George W. Bush was a one-and-a-half term governor with no foreign policy experience. He put his advisers out front of the campaign, promising that they would run a smart FP shop. Romney's doing the same thing. How to stop people from pointing it out? Accuse them of being anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists," said Dave Weigel at Slate. "It is not good for anyone to label such arguments as 'anti-Semitic' without much stronger reason and evidence," said James Fallows at The Atlantic. "I'm not Jewish and therefore not properly sensitized and aware of the history perhaps, but it just seems to me this is more of a fuss than that adjective deserves," said Michael Tomasky at The Daily Beast.

Rosh Hashana resolutions
The Jewish New Year has now come and gone. So what did we learn this year? "I’d be happy to also have more time to focus on issues that aren’t pure politics, and be able to write about issues without constantly having to consider a political angle," said Shmuel Rosner in the Jewish Journal. Others like the politics of the day. "Rosh Hashanah is precisely the right time to picket the banks and investment companies and Wall Street and their exploitative lending policies and incredible greed, and to envision a world that will catch up with this element of wisdom in our ancient Torah," said Rabbi Michael Lerner at The Huffington Post. "Whether they were thinking about work, family, or friends, everything is forgotten as we become engulfed by the cry from the shofar. Beautiful and raw, we have a moment of bliss without cell phones, computers or distractions in life," said Aaron Wolff in the Washington Jewish Week.

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September 13, 2012 | 3:57 am

This week in power: Conventions fallout, Germany future, Netanyahu snub, Estonia ad

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Election update
A recent poll shows that Romney has made "inroads" toward cutting into Obama's lead among Jewish voters. Though Romney still does have a ways to go to win in November. A lot can change between now and then, said Steven Windmueller in The Jewish Week. "We ought not to be surprised to find letters to the newspaper and the presence of campaign ads and endorsements in our mail box, focusing on our vote as Jewish Americans." At the same time, some are calling for the candidates to show exactly what they intend to do over the next four years, if elected. it's hard to make headway.

Are German Jews safe?
"Has being Jewish in Germany become harder and more complicated, if not impossible? Is the Germany of 2012 no longer a country in which Jews can feel at home?" asked German paper Der Spiegel. Some recent events make it seem like Jews aren't welcome there, some say. "Muslims in Germany walk hand in hand with Jews for the right to have their babies circumcised. But will they take to the streets for the right of other Jewish practices, elsewhere?" asked a Hurriyet Daily News editorial. At the same time, some leaers are asking people to calm their fears and to accept that a majority of people have no issue with Jews living among them.

Was Netanyahu rejected?
Reports that Netanyahu requested a meeting with Obama and was promptly turned down sent the blogosphere into a frenzy on Tuesday. But Israeli officials say that the alleged request never took place, according to reports, and that the two world leaders had spoken on the phone. Nevertheless, there was time for commentators to chime in on the perceived problem. "It's all very fluid at the moment. In any event, I suspect that, if Obama wins re-election, this tension between the two men will only increase the chances that he then moves quickly toward what may well be a gettable deal with Iran," said Robert Wright in The Atlantic. Others also worry about Iran. "The Administration's diplomatic rebukes to Israel are also telling Iran that it is that much freer to move ahead with its nuclear plans. If Israel does strike Iran, Mr. Obama's mishandling of our ally will be a major reason," said a Wall Street Journal editorial.

Estonian's controversial ad
An Estonian newspaper apologized this week after it published "a mock ad depicting emaciated prisoners at a Nazi concentration camp," reported the The Times of Israel. The ad was for weight-loss pills and was intended to be funny. "It was published on our jokes page. I think people living in other cultural environments than ours just don't understand it like we do," Sulev Vedler, deputy editor of Eesti Ekspress, said originally. While much of the world is relieved to hear the apology, some wonder whether the editors really fully understood why the ad was so offensive in the first place.

Skinny Jeans under fire
A group of Haredi rabbis' newest decree outlaws the wearing skinny Jeans...for men. The pants are deemed too tight to “uphold the sanctity of the camp,” according to an issued letter. “The clothes of a person are an indication of his character.” Bloggers joked. "This does not bode well for jeggings," said Rikki Novetsky at Jewcy. "You heard it. Can’t do what the gentiles do. If they start wearing hats to be ironically fashionable, you gotta stop wearing hats. If they start wearing underwear, you gotta stop. Everyone knows a good Jew does the opposite of those goyim. I damn you skinny jeans TO HELL," said blogger Hipster Jew.

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September 6, 2012 | 3:29 am

This week in power: DNC, Berlin, Yiddish curses, Fill the Void

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Jerusalem mention
The Democratic National Convention started off without reference to the struggles in Israel, which upset some party constituents. In particular, they insisted that Democrats acknowledge Jerusalem as the country's capital. "In the simple assertion—one to which Israel’s leaders have formally agreed—that the status of Jerusalem will be determined through negotiations, the DNC has made a modest but significant contribution to creating political breathing space needed to conduct a frank discussion, even (and, perhaps, especially) during an election campaign," said Daniel Seidemann at The Daily Beast. But for some the issue doesn't even resonate. "I’ll take another four years of Mr. Obama’s steadfast support over Mr. Romney’s sweet nothings," said Haim Saban in The New York Times.

Yarmulke fears
After a rabbi in Germany was attacked last week by a group of Arab kids, local leaders are suggesting that Jews be careful about appearing to be Jewish in the public streets, lest they be targeted. However, some are fighting back through public displays of solidarity. "We are not going to accept that people will be attacked on our streets because they can be visibly recognized as being Jewish," organizers of a flash mob protest of yarmulke-wearers on Saturday wrote online. Local celebrities, including the city’s mayor, joined in to show that the city won't be overtaken by fear.

HR 35
The California Assembly passed resolution HR 35 that designates anti-Semitism on state university campuses as far as "legitimate political activities in opposition to Israeli government policies," according to reports. Some have called the resolution an attack on free speech. "We're certainly looking forward to seeing a resolution early next session that will reassure college students of their First Amendment rights, especially those with dissenting opinions on critical topics such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," one opponent said. Others went even further.

Yiddish + election season
A new site has delighted people across the political divide. It's called YiddishCursesForRepublicanJews.com and it's filled up with thousands of curses that has driven hundreds of thousands to the site over its first week. “The intention has been to effect some kind of political discourse within families, hopefully for the better,” said Ben Abramowitz, who created the site with his wife. It's not all laughs for his wife, Rachel Shukert. "he GOP platform unveiled to the party faithful this week is so draconian in its policies toward the sick and underprivileged; so regressive in its attitudes toward women, gays, and hard science; so shamelessly tilted in favor of the supremely wealthy and disdainful of everyone else, that the greatest curse you can offer anyone is to hope it all comes true, leaving them to suffer the consequences," she wrote in Tablet.

Tel Aviv movie
The ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Tel Aviv hits the big screen in the new movie, “Fill the Void," at the Venice festival. It "offers a rare glimpse into the Orthodox way of life, its rigid customs and traditions, but also deals with the wider themes of relationships and family pressures," said one report. "Sure to generate hours of post-cinema discussion, "Void" will fill seats at fests and targeted arthouses," said Jay Weissberg at Variety. Not everyone was so high on it. "The comedy is often charming, and far more successful than the more somber, slightly inelegantly-written melodrama, but it’s the way the two butt together that really sinks the picture – the laughs come at the expense of the stakes of the drama, and the more serious moments makes it tougher to laugh at the comedy," said Oliver Lytlleton at IndieWire. Still, there's enough there, critics say, to give the film a shot.

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