January 24, 2013 | 4:11 am

This week in power: Election results, Weberman verdict, Concert canceled, MLK Day message

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Netanyahu reelected
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kept his seat as a result of Tuesday's election, but he's been severely weakened, according to reports. Now he has to "fashion a coalition that will also accommodate the rising hawkish wing of his Likud party and other rightist and religious parties that will remain influential in parliament," said The Washington Post. "The prospect for a two-state solution has never looked worse. The irony is that Bibi Netanyahu will go down in history as the leader who destroyed the Jewish identity of Israel," said MSNBC's Rula Jebreal. Nobody has forgotten how Netanyahu tried to single-handedly push the topic of Iran into American politics in recent months, said Roger Cohen at The New York Times. "This was an attempt to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. It infuriated many world leaders. It isolated Israel. It did not work — not with Obama and not with Israelis who want to be leveled with. Think again, Bibi."

Bennett's momentum
The other big story from Tuesday's election was the far-right Jewish Home party winning more seats in parliament. Still, their leader, Naftali Bennett, called it a "disaster," as he had hoped to gain more power than the party did. The peace process is front and center on everyone's minds. "This generation, and Israeli society as a whole, has lost hope in peace and has begun searching for other solutions, even ones as unviable as Bennett’s," said Gabriel Fisher at The Daily Beast. "Whereas it was once informed by the collectivist ethos handed down from the first, pioneering generation of Israeli state-builders, the Zionism of Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett is rooted in something much more primal: fear," said Matt Hill at The Daily Telegraph. "Like all demagogues, Netanyahu (who is sure to remain prime minister after the vote) knows the value of fear, and has spent the last four years frightening his people with the spectre of Iranian nukes, Palestinian terror and international anti-semitism."

Abuse case trial
The trial of therapist Nechemya Weberman, who was accised of sexually abusing a child, ended this week with Weberman being sentenced to 103 years in prison. He is a member of the Satmar Hasidic community in New York, a sect notorious for covering up similar abuses within its community. “The message should go out to all victims of sexual abuse that your cries will be heard and justice will be done,” Justice John G. Ingram said when announcing the verdict. Members fo the Satmar community were reportedly surprised by the length of the sentence that came down.

Losing Lollapalooza
The music festival that put its name on the map in America and was set to bring its theatrics to Tel Aviv this summer is no longer after Lollapalooza was canceled. It hit South America in recent years and was planning to expand to include Israel. No reason was immediately given for the cancellation. As tempers flare overseas, "it'll be interesting to see whether the temperature in the Mideast drops enough to allow a Lolla offshoot in the future — or, tragically, continues rising," said Marc Hogan at Spin. Jews around the world who intended to fly in for the festivities are bummed. "We will pour out some of our Manischewitz while mourning your loss, Israel," said one blogger.

What MLK meant
On Monday, American celebrated the passing of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. "It can well be said that the significant role Jews played in the civil rights movement half a century ago was an important contributing factor to the eventual election of an African-American as president of the United States," said Marc Schneier at The Jewish Daily Forward. "We can only speculate how, had he lived, Dr. King might have helped heal the divisions between Jews and African-Americans - or even the contributions he could have made toward achieving Middle East peace," added Staurt Appelbaum at the Jewish Journal. A legend lost.

January 17, 2013 | 4:36 am

This week in power: Upcoming election, Morsi’s comments, Russia ad, Jew slang

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Election guide
"Although most people expect Netanyahu to form the next government, the make-up of the Knesset could change significantly. Thirty-four parties have filed to run, including several new parties," reported Jodie Cohen in The Australian Jewish News. Cohen offers a helpful guide to keeping up with all the players and implications of the upcoming election. Not everyone is thrilled: "Bibi’s new government will build more settlements, will continue to undermine Palestinian moderate Mahmud Abbas (Abu-Mazen,) and will hunker down behind our separation fence, while proclaiming that the whole world is against us. This nightmare doesn’t have to happen, but sadly it is the most likely outcome of our elections on January 22," said Daniel Gavron at The Daily Beast. But the road to Middle East peace is still problematic, said Bloomberg's Jeffrey Goldberg. "So far, though, there has been no sign that the Israeli government is gaining a better understanding of the world in which it lives."

Morsi mouths off
It was revealed that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made some remarks about Jews in 2010 while a member of the Muslim Brotherhood that many have condemned. Morsi called them "bloodsuckers" and "descendants of apes and pigs." Outrage has followed. "Teaching children to hate and dehumanizing one’s adversaries is just the kind of twisted mentality that fuels the conflicts that torment the region," said a New York Times editorial. And it might have bearing on how Morsi acts today, added a Los Angeles Times editorial. "Still, even if Morsi is more circumspect as president than he was as a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, his words captured on videotape are a reminder that old and ugly animosities are alive in the new Egypt."

Jews with guns?
It's an uncomfortable subject for many Jews to consider, but guns are inside their community, too, according to reports. Since the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting last month, Americans have grappled with the difficult conversation about gun control. "To many Jewish gun enthusiasts, however, history provides ample justification for arming civilians and refusing to rely solely on police protection. They routinely invoke the powerlessness of Jews during the Holocaust and the current security threats to Jewish institutions, and are dumbfounded by Jews who favor gun control," acknowledged JTA. Even those who ahve guns don't expect to have to use them. One gun owner told the Washington Jewish Week, "I do it for defensive reasons in the event that I have to use a gun, which I never have, thank God."

Ad riles Russians
Some Russian-speaking immigrants complained about a TV commercial featurng a Jewish man expressesing horror upon the discovery that his bride is not Jewish. The female character is supposed to be Russian. Moreoever, it was an ad run by the religious Shas party. "These halakhicly non-Jewish Russians were not told before immigrating that they would be treated as second class citizens because of it. Yet many are," said one blogger. After the pushback, the ad was pulled.

"Jew" cool
Well, this is a new one. Dutch teenagers are using the word “Jew” as a substitute for “cool” or “awesome” in English, according to JTA. “One is at first unsettled by it. The word Jew is still a slightly sensitive issue if used improperly,” wrote a researcher about the new slang term. How it happened is anyone's guess. It's delighting many. "Now, in fairness, it doesn’t look like this linguistic revolution has made it past the boarders into the rest of Europe. But, it’s pretty clear that the Dutch, known for being forward-looking tastemakers (When it comes to smoking grass and riding bikes, Amsterdam leaves San Francisco in the dust) are simply early adopters of what’s sure to be a world-wide phenomenon," said a Heeb blogger.

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January 10, 2013 | 5:08 am

This week in power: Hagel pick, Syria fence, Palestine name, Czech prez

Posted by Danny Groner

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

It's Hagel
After weeks of speculation and debate, former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel was tapped as the new Secretary of Defense for what the Obama administration said were "mundane reasons." Others chimed in: "Hagel has incurred the wrath of the same hawkish 'pro-Israel' forces whose influence he was rash enough to acknowledge. He has done, in short, exactly what people who aspire to jobs like secretary of defense in Democratic administrations learn not to do," said Peter Beinart at The Daily Beast. And his reputation isn't accurate, said Jeffrey Golberg at Bloomberg. "There is nothing in Hagel’s record to suggest that he scapegoats Jews and Israel in the Walt manner -- Hagel has argued, in fact, that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was motivated by oil -- and there is nothing in his record to suggest he will try to persuade Obama to separate the U.S. from Israel in any meaningful way," he said. "Hagel, like Obama, is a quiet strong friend of Israel. The movement against him is a relic of a binary with-Israel or against-Israel vision that does not have the true interests of Israel or the United States at heart," Roger Cohen at The New York Times added.

Syria fence
As violence ramps up in Syria's civil war, Israel hopes to build a fence along the border with the neighboring country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the construction of a 143-mile fence during his weekly address: "We intend to erect an identical fence, with a few changes based on the actual territory, along the Golan Heights. We know that on (the) other side of our border with Syria today, the Syrian army has moved away, and in its place, global jihad forces have moved in." To this point, Fox News noted, Israel has largely stayed out of the conflict. This measure would drastically change things. Stay tuned.

Calling it Palestine
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced this week that his Palestinian Authority will be called the "State of Palestine" from now on, according to reports. All documents will get a new logo and rebranding to mark the change. "So, is the move itself a passport to a new reality for the Palestinians or merely a symbolic gesture?" Al Jazeera asked. "In sum, this is another bit of evidence that the Palestinian Authority is operating in a world of symbolism, threats and public relations stunts which slough off the authority’s obligations and finger-point at Israel, trying to make settlements once again the excuse for not negotiating," a State Department spokeswoman said. Others see a bigger impact here. "The move marks a step towards sovereignty and independence, developments Palestine has long deserved," said Amelia Smith at Middle East Monitor.

'Czech Joe Lieberman'
Is the Czech Republic on the verge of becoming the first European country to elect a Jewish president? It looks possible with Jan Fischer running toward the top of national polls with another former government head. It'll be decided this weekend. "He's like our Joe Lieberman,” said a Jewish leader. “Whether or not you support him, you can't help but be proud he has come this far.” Some are dubious about the chances. "One analyst, Miroslav Mares, says The Monitor pointed out that the polls had been wrong during other presidential elections," according to reports. But Fischer may be up against stiff opposition, reported JTA: "If there is a shadow hanging over Fischer in the eyes of Czech voters, it is not his religion but his former membership in the Communist Party. Fischer says he joined under pressure to keep his job as a public employee and has publicly apologized for the decision."

Ping pong protest
A young Orthodox Jewish girl from New York made national headlines when she decided to opt out of her table tennis tournament when she was scheduled to play one of her matches on the Sabbath. Estee Ackerman chose to sit out once she had advanced at the 2012 U.S. National Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas. "I advanced in my round robin and then we looked at my schedule and saw the next match would be during Friday night, which is our Sabbath, so of course I'm disappointed," Ackerman told The New York Post. Her father said that the competition's organizers did a "very good job" in spite of Estee's disappointment and handled the situation well. Estee is now hard at work training for the next one.

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January 3, 2013 | 3:53 am

This week in power: Bennett, Hitler statue, Dermer, Jewish legacy

Posted by Danny Groner

Naftali Bennett

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

Rising star
Naftali Bennett is making a name for himself as well as his party among Israel's national religious bloc. Bennett's Jewish Home partyis reportedly making a run at seats that would otherwise go to Likud or other political factions. No matter, he's recharged the party. "Bennett is different. He doesn’t play by the rules that have characterized the ruthless political game. His elbows are not sharp, and his tongue lacks the bitter taste of fury unleashed at anyone who differs. He is simply there. He is not in the race in pursuit of power for its own sake, or doped to the eyeballs with self-importance," said Moshe Dann in The Jerusalem Post. Others have qualms about him. "My main problem with Bennett is that regarding political issues I am convinced that if he were prime minister he would lead Israel straight into a brick wall," said Susan Hattis Rolef, also in The Jerusalem Post.

Hitler at Warsaw?
A statue of a Adolf Hitler kneeling in prayer in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland, has caused an uproar. Artist-provocateur Maurizio Cattelan made the statue as part of an exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Art. Viewers can see the statue's back through a hole in the fence's gate. As far as the Jews were concerned, Hitler's only 'prayer' was that they be wiped off the face of the earth," said one Jewish leader. Others disagreed: "The meaning of art, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. The praying- Hitler statue could be seen as representing his punishment. Condemned to pray at a major scene of his satanic crimes for all eternity," said a letter writer to the Toronto Star.

Dermer rumor
Rumors surfaced last week that Ron Dermer, an adviser to Bejamin Netanyahu, would be the pick to replace Michael Oren as Israel’s ambassador to the United States. The Israeli Embassy denied the report days later. Still, it was enough to get people talking about Dermer's qualifications for the job. “He understands how Americans view Israelis and how Israelis view Americans,” an Israeli pollster told JTA. “He knows how to work [in Washington] and has personal relations.” Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo added that "it’s generally seen as a bad step to appoint to an ambassador who is seen as being openly hostile to the head of state in the home country. It sounds like another case of the profound damage Netanyahu is doing to Israel by his stance toward the country’s primary and perhaps soon only major ally."

Broadway show
Jews have a long tradition on Broadway and that was celebrated this week with a special on public television in a special called "Great Performances -- Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy." It got rave reviews. "We don't need to know the direct line from the Gershwins' 'Ain't Necessarily So' to Torah liturgy to appreciate the work. But it will be hard to hear it again without appreciating the connections," said Newsday's Linda Winer. "Jews and blacks shared a sense of being outsiders, and the reason their musical idioms form the basis of what we consider quintessential American music is that, chronic political xenophobia notwithstanding, we are a nation of outsiders, founded by Europeans and over the centuries, serving as a melting pot of people from other countries and cultures," wrote David Wiegand in The Houston Chronicle.

Looking ahead
We marked the start of 2013 this week, so what's in store this year? "In 2013, look for continued growth in sales of Jewish books and ritual objects, a continued burst of new Jewish literature and art, and continued tussling among rival Jewish factions over their diverse visions," said J.J. Goldberg at The Jewish Daily Forward. "Also rumored for the Cabinet: Jack Lew, Obama’s Jewish chief of staff, who is believed to be a frontrunner to succeed Timothy Geithner as the Treasury Deptartment secretary," said JTA. Others have specific goals, and wishes: "Where are we headed? What will young Zionist and Jewish leaders look like in 2013? Will the two sides of the same coin move in different or even opposite directions? Will they converge? It’s hard to tell at this point. But there’s room for optimism," said Avi Zimmerman at Times of Israel.

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December 27, 2012 | 3:19 am

This week in power: Israel election, Hagel nomination, Gun plan, Christmas giving

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Election coming
Israeli elections are a month away,  and "there's no shortage of hot-button issues that might dominate the campaign, including Iran's nuclear program, a call to draft religious students into the army and a growing budget deficit," reported the LA Times. What's clear is that a lot is on the line. "Barring a dramatic political earthquake, the outcome of this election is a foregone conclusion. Notwithstanding his weaknesses, in the absence of serious competition, Binyamin Netanyahu stands head and shoulders above any other candidate and will be reelected," said Isi Leibler at the Algemeiner. Satmar offers Israelis cash for not voting. But one barrier that could stand in Israelis' way is the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic sect's prospect that it will pay Israelis not to vote.

Hagel marches on
President Obama is reportedly considering other candidates for defense secretary after recent blowback over the possible nomination of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel. Hagel previously has made controversial comments about Israel. "I think it is time to acknowledge, bluntly, that certain major Jewish organizations, indeed, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations—also, the ADL, AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, political groups like the Republican Jewish Coalition, along with their various columnists, pundits, and list-serves—are among the most consistent purveyors of McCarthyite-style outrages in America today. Are there greater serial defamers of public officials in fake campaigns against defamation?" asked Bernard Avishai at The Daily Beast. "I think it would be useful to have a defense secretary who starts with that view and does not have to be bludgeoned into it," said Thomas Friedman in The New York Times.

Gun myth
The NRA's aim to arm guards in schools is built around a false parallel to how Israel stops terrorists, according to experts. "Far from the image of a heavily armed population where ordinary people have their own arsenals to repel attackers, Israel allows its people to acquire firearms only if they can prove their professions or places of residence put them in danger. The country relies on its security services, not armed citizens, to prevent terror attacks." Wayne LaPierre "is not doing anybody any favors by trying to rope other countries into this problem, though," said Adam Clark Estes at The Atlantic Wire.

Jews give back
Even though Christmas isn't their holiday to celebrate, Jews around the country took their day off and used it on charitable actions. Indianapolis: "A group of Jewish volunteers serves food every Christmas at the church’s kitchen on Pennsylvania Street. Every year for the past 10 years, volunteers from the Congregation Beth el Zedeck, serve home-cooked meals to about 200 of the city’s homeless." Denver: "They were among more than 125 mostly Jewish volunteers who fanned out at hospitals and nursing homes around the metro area on Tuesday. They were serving meals, greeting guests, pouring tea and hot chocolate and otherwise lending a hand as part of the Christmas Mitzvah Project, a yearly day of service and a tradition for more than 25 years." Detroit: "More than 60 volunteers gathered at Beth Shalom in three shifts on Christmas to make sure 31 homeless people from South Oakland Shelter had a fun-filled holiday, according to event coordinator Julie Grodin. Lisa Lanzkron-Tamarazo, the cantor's wife, even led the guests in several rounds of Christmas carols."

Nice guys calendar
Ring in the new year with some nice Jewish guys included in the annual calendars that dates back to 2010. “If this calendar can accomplish anything, it would be my hope that women give this guy a chance out at a bar. He’s funny, nice and a great listener. What’s not to like!?" the creator said. Some were critical about who was left off the list. Others stood up against the entire project: "Since we all know feminists are humorless shrews, I’m also going to mention the fact that this whole operation is hinging on a hacky, lazy, insidious stereotype (apparently, all those things can exist at the same time): the rich, boring, nerdy Jewish guy. Can we please at least feign like we’re interested in reimagining Jewish masculinity? Surely there must be a middle ground between macho men, violence-obsessed guys, and the traditionally emasculated neb," said Chanel Dubofsky at The Jewish Daily Forward.

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December 20, 2012 | 3:50 am

This week in power: Newtown shootings, Hagel, Mirvis, Yeshiva abuse

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Newtown aftermath
It's hard for anyone to process and make sense of the tragic deaths of 20 children plus six others last Friday. As the smalltown of Newtown tries to begin to move on, some are highlighting the personal stories of the victims, including one Jewish child. Others, however, felt that the Jewishness of the young victim is irrelevant. "Although I don't feel much connection to the religious beliefs, I am deeply connected to my Jewish roots and its heritage. But I feel just as deeply that this is a time to leave our differences aside and simply love each other," read a letter to the editor of JTA. Others have focused on cutting back on the the traditional gun culture of the United States. "If the United States, itself awash with weapons, wishes to benefit from Israel’s experience, it must make sure it learns the right lessons. The first and most universal one is that ever more stringent gun control is bad policy: As is the case with drugs, as was the case with liquor during Prohibition, the strict banning of anything does little but push the market underground into the hands of criminals and thugs," said Liel Leibovitz at Tablet. And then there were the fringe conpiracists...

Hagel opposition
President Obama may pick former senator Chuck Hagel to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta when he steps down, but the main knock coming out about Hagel this week is that he won't act in srael's interest. "Defeating a Hagel nomination, however, will be more difficult than mounting a vocal opposition, in large part due to the Senate’s tradition of collegiality. Tradition indicates the Senate would extend a former senator — one whose Senate colleagues would be directly involved in his confirmation — considerable latitude," reported National Review. "I and others have documented Hagel’s objection to sanctions against Iran and his particularly anti-Israel voting record. But these remarks are something different — the expression of rank prejudice against American Jews. Hagel has never apologized for, retracted or even sought to explain his remarks," said Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. It's time to speak up, said The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens. "Jewish Democrats like to fancy their voice carries weight in their party. The prospect of this nomination is their chance to prove it."

Mirvis in
Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis was chosen as the next British chief rabbi, according to reports. He's served at the Finchley United Synagogue, one of London’s modern Orthodox shuls, since 1996, and was previously chief rabbi of Ireland. Lord Sacks wil retire next fall. "Highly respected among his rabbinic colleagues, Mirvis is a good speaker and has a reputation for warmth, though he is not considered a bold thinker," said the Times of Israel. How important this role is in modern times is unclear, said Jeremy Rosen at the Algemeiner: "The model of a centralized Chief Rabbinate looks to have failed as a paradigm for effective, dynamic Judaism. The more open flexible American model of much freer association is now seen as a far more creative model. Increasingly people make their own decisions as to where they choose to place themselves on the Jewish spectrum and in many communities there is increasing choice and variety."

Abuse coverup
A Jewish Daily Forward investigation found that two staff members at Yeshiva University High School for Boys’ had sexually abused students during the late 1970s and early ’80s but they weren't dealt with appropriately. Norman Lamm, who was president of Y.U. from 1976 to 2003, said that he rememebered dealing with the allegations privately to minimize the embarrassment and attention. "Joe Paterno turned a blind eye and was rightfully fired from his position – is Rabbi Lamm’s turning a blind eye to these issues any different? YU needs to begin the healing process by firing Lamm and launching a proper investigation," said Ronn Torossian at the Algemeiner. "YU's house needs to be cleaned immediately, and the generations of students who venerated Lamm and so many other deeply flawed YU figures need to realize that their heroes are not only flawed – they are deeply, offensively, duplicitous and awful people," wrote another blogger.

What would we do to Jesus?
Outrage over the official Facebook page of Israel’s embassy to Ireland sparked up this week after a message was posted saying “hostile Palestinians” would “lynch” Jesus Christ and his mother, Mary, if they could today. It was live for about two hours before being removed. A spokesman for the embassy told BuzzFeed that the post was a "total misunderstanding." "It is a good thing that someone in Israel’s Irish embassy caught the folly of whoever’s running their Facebook page (though they might want to take a look at the Twitter account, too), and I suppose that the apology, while rather anemic, is nice," said Emily L. Hauser at The Daily Beast. "The conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t at bottom about religion—or, I should say, it shouldn’t be. Some on both sides try to pitch it that way, and considering the territory that is right now fought over, it’s not surprising religion plays that role and is made a justification for actions and policies and aspirations. It’s just surprising when the most basic elements of religious belief are so gravely misunderstood, or so deliberately flouted," added Haroon Moghul at Religion Dispatches.

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December 13, 2012 | 3:45 am

This week in power: New congress, Jerusalem fight, Chanukah message, Punk Jews

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Familiar faces leaving
"The Jewish religion is the third most represented denomination in Congress, trailing behind the Protestants and the Catholics, but since 2008, the numbers of Jews serving have been declining," according to reports. At 7 percent of Congress as a whole and 12 percent of the Senate, it's a sizable percentage compared to the overall population of Jews in America. ""The generation that’s leaving -- and there are ones who are leaving, like Howard [Berman] and Gary [Ackerman] -- these are guys who grew up in the formative years of Israel and understand what the struggle was,” one pundit told JTA. “They are being replaced by a post-1967 generation who know not a threatened Israel, a vulnerable Israel -- who know a muscular Israel." One representative many will surely miss is Barney Frank, who is retiring.

Barkat's memo
Mayor Nir Barkat took to the Wall Street Journal with an op-ed this week that stated: "Jerusalem has been and forever will be the heart and soul of the Jewish people. It is also the united and undivided capital of the state of Israel. The Jewish people and the Jewish state have a bumpy road ahead. We appreciate the support of our friends, and only through continued bold leadership at home—leadership willing to stand up to pressure from foreign capitals—will we get through this challenging time." It came after weeks of criticism of Israel over how it was handling settlements in East Jerusalem. Their plan "threatens to box Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem, which they hope to make their capital, into a sealed-off enclave, impeding connections to the rest of the fledgling state of Palestine and bisecting the northern and southern halves," said an Economist editorial. Stay tuned.

Rabbis' message
Three rabbis from the prominent synagogue Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan, New York, sent an e-mail to their members recently in support of "the recent vote by the United Nations to upgrade the status of Palestinians living on the West Bank to a 'non-member observer state." Once word got out, some wondered whether rabbis should be taken such a strong outward stance on this heated issue. "My rabbinic colleagues across our nation share diverse positions on the Arab-Israeli struggle.  I respect this diversity because we are nearly all unified by our profound devotion to the Jewish state, the Israel Defense Force, and all of its citizens," said Rabbi Charles A. Kroloff in the Jewish Journal. "I would need to search far and wide to find colleagues more devoted to Israel  -- in word and deed – than the rabbis of B’nai Jeshurun.  I pray that the discussion which their email provoked will lead to honest, effective conversation about how we can all become more engaged in the pursuit of a two-state solution built on justice and peace."

What we light for
Chanukah is upon us, so what are hoping for this season? "If we’re going to magnify Hanukkah, we should do so because it offers the deeper meaning and opportunity for introspection that the major Jewish holidays provide," said Hilary Leila Krieger in a New York Times editorial. "The brutality of the region has leached into Israel and is reflected in the ongoing disaster of the occupation. Israel ought to fix it, now. That, to me, is the true meaning of Hanukkah," wrote Neil Steinberg in the Chicago Sun-Times. "Too often, the holidays have become commercialized and the season can feel pressured with shopping and rushing and planning. Taking a step back can offer the opportunity to connect with the wisdom of tradition and to rekindle the spirit of today and the hope of tomorrow," said some Huffington Post bloggers.

What punks
A new documentary called "Punk Jews" is drawing some attention for its portrayal of the rougher and more unconventional members of the tribe. "My own quest has led me to a subset of devout Jewish men and women who struggle to reconcile their faith in a demanding God with their heretical embrace of creative freedom. For the Bulletproof Stockings, this marriage of faith and creativity results in them observing the rabbinical rule of kol isha, which forbids men from hearing women sing. They do not, however, attempt to restrict the larger audience that hears their music—and their work is readily made available to anyone as MP3s and in YouTube videos," said Kelsey Osgood in his New Yorker article about the filmmakers. Some have taken an inspiring message from the film. "The temple in Jerusalem had been defiled by Hellenists, who tried, as many have before and after them, to eliminate the Jewish people through dominance and assimilation. The rededication of the temple was a punk act; we were fighting for our homes, our lifestyle and our beliefs," said Saul Sudin at The Huffington Post.

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December 6, 2012 | 3:48 am

This week in power: UN vote, Gay divorce, Campus antisemitism, Promiscuity study

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Palestine state
The United Nations General Assembly last week voted to make Palestine a "non-member state" of the UN. "How can the world claim to be fighting terrorism when it has just declared that two terrorist regimes should enjoy sovereignty?" asked Morton A. Klein and Daniel Mandel in a Jewish Week editorial. On the other hand, said Williams Saletan at Slate, this is a necessary move. "Here’s how recognition works. You acknowledge the other state. You don’t tell it whether to be Jewish, Muslim, or Zoroastrian. Nor do you whine about Palestinians failing to call you a Jewish state, or failing to ensure that you’re named on every map, while you flagrantly withhold the same courtesy."  Some have questioned whether Israel's PR plan is very wise in general.

Divorce before marriage?
An Israeli court on Tuesday approved the country's first divorce to a gay couple, according to reports. What's complicated about the decision is that Israel doesn't allow for same-sex marriages. The issue comes up regarding those who conducted same sex marriages overseas and since 2006 Israel has honored those couples as legally married. "From my point of view, even if the state appeals and we have to keep going down this road, the verdict shows the beginning of the undermining of the rabbinate," one member of the couple told Haaretz. "I am very happy that we may have made a breakthrough."

Hatred on campus
Over the past week, a menorah at Northeastern University was vandalized and anti-Semitic propaganda was distributed in some Harvard College residences raising fears in Massachusetts and beyond. Northeastern caught the culprits and denied that the campus was heading toward intolerance. “Northeastern’s deep and abiding commitment to diversity in all its forms, including religious diversity, is unwavering,” the university’s president said. “This disturbing incident should be an opportunity to strengthen, rather than weaken, our dedication to this deeply important value.” Some hope that Jews will unite over these two terible incidents. "Anti-Semitism is unfortunately something that rallies Jews together, so one would expect that Jews who don’t have anything to do with Jewish organizations will suddenly come out of the woodworks to stand together," said blogger CollegeRabbi.

Are Jews easy?
A new study titled “Religion and Sexual Behaviors: Understanding the Influence of Islamic Cultures and Religious Affiliation for Explaining Sex Outside of Marriage,” has some people talking about the findings that Jewish people more than Muslims or other groups are more promiscuous. Jews reported not having sex before marriage at lower rates than Muslims, but still beat out Christians on the chastity hierarchy. "eople are confused – they do not understand why religion and society has historically forbidden a fun-filled lifestyle which doesn’t seem to carry any deleterious consequences," said one Muslim blogger.

Advice from Bubala
"Our friends Luis and Jaquaan are back, and this time they’re teaching you how to decorate your Hanukah bush. No, not that kind of bush! (But there are some cute mamacitas this time.)," said a Heeb blogger. The “Bubala Please" video series features two gangsters coming to terms with their Jewishness. Through a variety show. Or something. Not everyone is amused, though. "But the joke’s on us because Jaquann and Luis are merely mirror images of a Jewish community that infuses the celebration of Hanukkah with so much narishkeit, that the holiday, at least in America, has become the opposite of what it was supposed to be, a parody of itself. If Jaquann and Luis are ridiculous, we are doubly so. So go ahead and laugh American Jews. The joke’s on you," said a Jewlicious blogger.

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