October 25, 2012 | 3:55 am

This week in power: Final debate, Iran talks, Racist tweets, Jewish Mum

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Debate summary
"As anyone could have predicted, Israel was mentioned a lot," said Gal Beckerman at The Jewish Daily Forward. And why shouldn't it: Israel is a central issue for many Jewish voters across the country. But the question remains as to which candidate will better serve the Jewish people with his presidency. None of the theatrics will ultimately matter, warned Shibley Teihami at Brookings. "All of this adds up to a show that is particularly hard to take seriously for many voters, and which is puzzling to audiences around the world, especially in the Middle East. But most have come to expect that there is in the end little correlation between what is said in the heat of political campaigns, and what presidents in fact do when elected." Not so, argued Efraim Halevy in The New York Times. In the past, the "Republican White House acted in a cold and determined manner, with no regard for Israel’s national pride, strategic interests or sensitivities. That’s food for thought in October 2012."

Iran takes centerstage
But the real issues at play at the debate and on people's minds is the question of whether Iran will develop a nuclear bomb in the coming years. The topic of sanctions and what each candidate proposes to do about Iran came up and drove more questions than revelations. It was particularly relevant after The New York Times reported last weekend that Obama had initiated talks with the Iranians over the issue. The newspaper stood behind its story despite pushback from the Obama administration.

Rocket attacks
Israel's Negev was under fire on Wednesday after Gazans shot over 80 rockets at them in a 24-hour period, according to reports. Meanwhile, Sudan accused Israel of launching an airstrike that caused an explosion at a factory, resulting in two deaths. As the violence escalates, people are worrying more. "I'm angry that there is someone out there who does not know me and has never met me, yet still wants to kill me -- for no other reason than being Israeli," said Arsen Ostrovsky at The Huffington Post.

Tweets too far
After some Jewish groups protested, Twitter removed last week several tweets that were "labeled with the #UnBonJuif (#AGoodJew) hashtag," and "contained anti-Semitic jokes and pictures from the Holocaust," reported Mashable. It was a popular hashtag on the site at the time. This is just the latest move that the social-networking site has made to police its site and to keep it clean from hate groups. Some, like the ADL's Abraham Foxman, are relieved: Twitter was “fast becoming the Internet’s distribution platform of choice for bigots who use it to get their messages of hate out in 140 characters or less," he said.

Controversial show
A British show called "Jewish Mum of the Year" has sparked outrage over its depictions of Jewish mothers as they prepare for their sons' Bar Mitzvahs. "Whatever its merits as television and flaws as representation, the problem for the programme’s makers might not be the reaction from Jews but the country at-large," said The Jewish Daily Forward's Liam Hoare. Still, "I remain slightly curious, the aforementioned cultural differences, to see what an American audience would make of this bizarre British reality show." If the British reviews are any indication, American audiences would hate it, too. Not everyone thinks it's worth making a fuss over this show, though. "The danger in these shows lies not in how people view British Jews but how we regard ourselves," said Natalie Samuel at The Jewish Chronicle.

October 18, 2012 | 3:38 am

This week in power: Second debate, Fightfight averted, Silverman spat, Jewish Grindr

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Debate #2
"Jewiest debate ever," declared Gal Beckerman at The Jewish Dialy Forward, reflecting on the second presidential debate on Tuesday. "Thankfully the next debate is in Boca Raton, which is a relief, because I was worried only middle aged Jews would get a chance to make their voices heard this election cycle." How are the candidates holding up? "A president prepared to hypnotize so many Jews into promoting his campaign might have done better to invite back to the Oval Office the prime minister of the country they claim to be looking out for," said Ruth R. Wisse in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. But he still has his supporters: "our president is a man of vision and strong character, integrity and faith. His values are Jewish values. They’re American values. We need his values in the White House for four more years," said the "Rabbis for Obama" in The Jewish Week. Just a few weeks left before the election, can Romney convince them otherwise?

How's Israel factor in?
The pundits say that Romney stressed his major campaign points during the second debate, which includes his standing behind Israel. And then there's the issue of the meddling Israeli prime minister. "If Netanyahu's gamble doesn't pay off he's going to have to deal with a White House that already does not hold him in high regard and where his clumsy meddling in U.S. politics has done much damage to his influence in Washington, and that is bad for Israel," said Douglas Bloomfield at The Jewish Week. Some, like The Jewish Journal's Shmuel Rosner, are more critical. "Romney hasn’t yet done anything tangible for Israel other than make it harder for the country to remain a bipartisan cause – while Obama has a proven record of support that can’t be refuted."

Sherman vs. Berman
Rep. Brad Sherman and Rep. Howard Berman got into it at a debate last Thursday in California, but despite what some of media coverage implied no punches were actually thrown. Though it seemed possible, according to reports. "In an exceptionally heated moment near the end of a debate, Sherman placed his right arm around Berman’s shoulder and shouted at his senior colleague, 'Howard, you want to get into this?'" It centers on California’s 30th congressional race where the campaign has only grown more heated. “Howard’s kind of a small guy and Brad was right in his face grabbing him,” a Berman spokesman told the L.A. Daily News.

Letter to Silverman
Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt penned an open letter in The Jewish Week criticizing comedian Sarah Silverman for her vile comments about Mitt Romney and the election. In his letter, Rosenblatt argues that if Silverman had better values, and pursued a husband and kids, she wouldn't be as angry about her stake in life. Others have pointed out the contributions that Silverman has made to both the American people and to the Jewish community. "Just because you disagree with someone’s politics doesn’t mean you know their character, or have the right to demean it," said Rob Eshman in The Jewish Journal. Moreoever, Rosenblatt's letter sends the wrong message about Judaism and its tenets, argued a Heeb blogger. "It’s an absolutism of authenticity  in which orthodoxy is the sole model of a Jewish life. Any deviation, and you’re automatically in stark contrast to, what is in effect, Zero-Sum Judaism." That's not what we stand for.

How Jews meet Jews
Having a hard time finding a match? Look no further than a new iPhone app called Yenta. Similar to the popular app Grindr, this one brings Jews together. In its first month, 10,000 people reportedly signed up. "Considering it's free and easy to use, we'd be shocked if that number didn't go up soon—and hey, if it happens to encourage anyone to get unkosher and roll around in the proverbial bacon, that's all the better," said Ben Yakas at Gothamist. "However, seeing as how it’s been 20 minutes since I downloaded Yenta, and no one’s so much as offered me a bite of their knish, I’ll stick to striking out with the Jewesses the old-fashioned way: At synagogue," said a Heeb blogger.

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October 11, 2012 | 3:42 am

This week in power: Debate fallout, Drones, Subway ads, Shyne

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Post-debate polling
"Mitt Romney came prepared to last night’s debate. Not only in terms of the facts and figures of his own programs and agenda, but in terms of how to deal with the many different ways in which his opponent, President Barack Obama, would try to distort them," said The Jewish Press's Tori Yanover last week. Could this be the turning point for the challenger? "While the NJDC has argued that it is Romney who is out of touch with Jewish voters, the RJC has begun a campaign to convince Jewish voters that it is president Obama who is out of touch," reported Jewocity. Not so fast, warned The Philadelphia Jewish Voice publisher. "For American Jews, there is a sharp contrast between the mendacious statements made by Romney and the strongly-supported policies of the Obama Administration, and it's clearer than ever that the more Jews get to know Romney, the less they like him."

Who sent that drone?
Israeli officials are trying to determine who sent a drone into its airspace over the weekend. They shot it down. It made its way over the Mediterranean Sea and the Gaza Strip before entering Israel, according to reports. Many people speculate that it was sent by Iran, but there hasn't been any confirmation at this point. In response to the drone, Israel has deployed a missile defense battery. "Today Israel is the world leader in exporting drones and drone technology abroad," a Times of Israel blogger pointed out. Whatever the case may be, Israel will assuredly get to the bottom of it.

Controversial subway ads
As soon as new ads went up in big cities, the call for them to come down began. The anti-jihad banners were placed in subway stations on Monday by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, led by conservative blogger Pamela Geller. They proclaim, "In any way between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad." Geller did have her supporters, sort of: "AFDI’s anti-jihad ad might be distasteful to some. But it is precisely when a message is controversial that true freedom of expression is tested," said a Jerusalem Post editorial. Others weren't so forgiving. "I am struck by the juxtaposition of these ad campaigns with the Jewish holiday season. Geller's ads went up just before Yom Kippur--a cruel irony, as this is the holiday of reconciliation," Rabbi Jill Jacobs told The Huffington Post.

Hungary attack
A Hungarian nationalist online radio station defended the recent assault of a Jewish community leader in Budapest. Andras Kerenyi was attacked but thankfully his injuried did not require medical treatment, according to reports. Two men were apprehended. “Predictably and unfortunately, the good attackers were captured very quickly,” the radio station reported. If the attack didn't scare the local Jews enough, thise response only adds more fear.

Shyne's rant
Rick Ross's new album "The Black Bar Mitzvah" has rubbed some people the wrong way, including fellow rapper, Shyne. Shyne took to Twitter to defend the legitimacy of his Jewish faith. "First they criticize me for being a Jew, now they're favorite fake rapper is having a black bar mitzva? GTFOH," Shyne wrote. "I definitely love Rick, don't get me wrong, but this mixtape didn't capture the essence of a classic Jewish Bar Mitzvah. Maybe next time Rick should stay away from a Bar Mitzvah and try his hand at a Quinceañera, for his Mexican constituents. I heard those are WAY more turnt up anyway," said Brittany Lewis at GlobalGrind.

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October 4, 2012 | 4:08 am

This week in power: Presidential debate, Bibi at the UN, Texan prison, Sam Jackson

Posted by Danny Groner

Photo by REUTERS/Brian Snyder

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

First presidential debate
Although the first Romney vs. Obama faceoff on Wednesday dealt with domestic policy, the idea of the two men matching wits brought out some strong feelings on a raneg of topics, including their policies towward Israel. "Overall, Israel’s standing in the US today is at an all-time high. Yet, the Democratic Convention spotlighted the emergence of a hostile anti-Israeli component of the party which threatens to undermine the long-standing bi-partisan support of Israel exemplified by the standing ovations Netanyahu received during his May 2011 address to Congress," said Isi Leibler in The Jerusalem Post. And people are coming out in support of Romney. "Pure logic dictates that the proper place for American Jews is the Republican Party that is represented now by the decent man and talented entrepreneur Mitt Romney—the party of citizen’s liberty, growth of national wealth, capitalistic entrepreneurship, mighty military, moral rectitude, and strong defense of Israel," said Alexander Levkovsky in the Canadian Free Press.

Bibi takes the UN...
"When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled out a cartoon drawing of a bomb during his speech to the 67th United Nations General Assembly Debate on Sept. 27, the world laughed. But I didn’t," said Rob Eshman in the Jewish Journal. "What Netanyahu did achieve was to draw world attention to those dangers, and what they represent to U.S. security, as he has done, almost single-handedly, for many years now," added a Jewish Week editorial. And that's worth taking seriously, no doubt. There's more to pay attention to than just a cartoon bomb.

...but turns into a meme
Just as fast as Netanyahu showed up at the UN last week he became the face of a popular meme. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (or should I say Bib E. Coyote?) had a lot of people worldwide holding their stomachs with laughter as he held his Looney Tune ACME bomb above the UNGA podium," joked Ami Kaufman at 972Mag. "He insulted the intelligence of his audience (not just his audience in the hall, which quite frequently deserves to have its intelligence insulted, but his worldwide audience) and he turned the most serious issue facing the world today into something of a joke. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the impact of the bomb cartoon -- it is true that everyone is talking about it, after all. But not in a good way," said Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic.

Texas prison
A jailed Jewish man in Texas has asked authorities to provide him with kosher meals, according to reports. Max Moussazadeh has been serving 19 years already for murder, and he's said that the prison won't accommodate his special dietary needs. "Wonder if AG Abbott will take up this case of religious persecution? He is, after all, a champion for all those who’s faith has been disenfranchised. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve suddenly got a hankering for some macaroons," said a Beaumont Enterprise blogger. "If Jewish prison cuisine is designed to kill the criminal as quickly as possible, one wonders how someone in an American jail could claim to have a religious need for kosher food. Can the American taxpayer really be expected — in the name of liberalism and understanding — to be more tolerant of of this so-called religious requirement than the rabbis who codified the laws would have been?" asked Menachem Wecker in the Houston Chronicle.

Jackson lends a voice
Samuel L. Jackson first provided theatrics for a reading of the popular kids' book "Go the F-- to Sleep." Now, he's helping the Jewish Council for Education and Research with "Wake the F-- Up" to rouse Obama supporters to the polls. "It screens like a political ad, but Jackson’s (and ultimately Little Suzie’s) profane interventions just might jolt voters/viewers out of their apathy and their nonplussed malaise – unfortunate results of the political fatigue that the current election cycle has been so adept at producing," said James Braxton Peterson at The Grio. Not everyone is laughing, though: "We don’t need profanity from Samuel L. Jackson to wake up the Jewish community on Jewish issues. Shame," said Ronn Torossian at The Algemeiner.

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