August 11, 2011 | 5:53 am

This week in power: Tent City, Debt deal, Norway aftermath, Alan Gross

Posted by Danny Groner

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

The politics of Tent City
It’s perhaps strange to see a protest in Israel fueled by economic issues,and not political ones. But that’s the case for the quarter-million Israelis protesting the high cost of housing. “Now, it is focusing on the economy and society, it does not distinguish between right and left, it addresses broad interests, not specific ones,” said Guy Rolnik at Haaretz. Yet, it represents more than that, said Amos Oz in the Los Angeles Times. “The heart of this protest is the affront and outrage over the government’s indifference to the people’s suffering, the double standard against the working population and the destruction of social solidarity.” And they could have real political effects for Benjamin Netanyahu.

Impact of the debt deal
Jewish communal federations across the country are wondering, reported The Jewish Daily Forward, how they will continue to fund hospitals, nursing homes, and other services after federal cuts. We don’t yet know where the cuts will come, but they could hit anywhere from “elderly care to environmental issues to democracy promotion overseas,” said JTA. Is it time to worry? “From a Jewish perspective, when coupled with the ‘vision of human solidarity,’ the premise of this bill is no doubt a strong step in the right direction,” said Dovid Efune at The Huffington Post. But let’s hold firm, warned a Jewish Exponent editorial. “As the safety net begins to sag, we must remain vigilant lest the seniors and the most vulnerable among us—indeed the ones with the least power—end up the most adversely affected by Congress’ next act.”

Norway and the Jews
Even weeks after the Norway attacks, debate goes on over racism and multiculturalism inside the country and in greater Europe. “All of the Western European racist and fascist parties have moved away from using overt racism to win greater support. Instead they concentrate on issues such as nation and identity, said Socialist Workers Party’s Martin Smith. And its not like our leaders are helping things, said Roger Pulvers in The Japan Times. “Merkel, Sarkozy, Cameron, the Tea Party in the U.S. and similar intolerant and confrontationalist pressure groups in the Western world are all coming from the same place: a gross misunderstanding of what makes up their own identity today.” Which is why we must not make this exclusively about Anders Behring Breivik’s mentality, said Leonard Fein at The Jewish Daily Forward. “A plea of insanity lets the perpetrator off the hook and lets society off the hook, as well. It is self-serving, far too facile, hence appropriately suspect. Wherever the contextual chips fall, they warrant careful consideration.”

Alan Gross’s sentence upheld
A Cuban court upheld the 15-year prison sentence for a U.S. government subcontractor for crimes against the state, which will only make relations between the two countries worse, according to reports. It means Alan Gross, a Jewish 62-year-old Maryland native, has no more chances at freedom through the courts system. “Only in Cuba would this otherwise benign act be characterized as subversion and the hapless individual caught in a trap labeled a spy,” said a Miami Herald editorial. Whose to blame for this ordeal? The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin criticized Obama over the ruling: “As with the economy, Obama’s weakness and lack of realism in foreign policy reveal how underqualified and inept the president is. There is just so much Congress can do in the realm of foreign affairs.” Obama must negotiate a way out, said Elliot Abrams at the Council on Foreign Relations. “It would be intolerable for the Castros to benefit from Obama policies while Alan Gross sits, month after month, in their prisons.”

Tisha B’Av thoughts
Tuesday marked a Jewish holiday that “commemorates thousands of years’ worth of calamities throughout history that all happened on the same date,” said the Ottawa Citizen. With calls for social justice this holiday, what else are people praying for? “It took the Jewish people generations to figure out what the narrative of the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B’Av was, and we still incorporate new episodes of pain and loss into the commemoration,” said Rachel Kahn-Troster at The Huffington Post. “Even the official story is still open. As we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11, may we have the wisdom to hear other, competing stories with hearts of chesed.” Lessons of the past still resonate, said one women quoted in The Jerusalem Post: ““When I think of Tisha B’Av and I’m mourning Tisha B’Av I’m not mourning 2,000 years ago. I’m mourning the situation of 2,000 years ago that still lives with us today.”

August 4, 2011 | 5:23 am

This week in power: Border deal, Norway, Tent City, SF ban

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Hope for a new border deal?
Peace talks look promising now that Israel has signaled it is willing to negotiate with the Palestinians based on the 1967 border of the West Bank, according to reports. But some believe this development may just be Israel posturing for public support. “Netanyahu’s new willingness to talk about borders, but only on his terms and if the Palestinians withdraw their U.N. bid,  is simply his latest move in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian battle for international public opinion,” said Tony Karon at Time. Yeah, there’s nothing new here, agreed Adam Serwer at The Washington Post, since the ‘67 borders have long been the “framework” for peace. “I look forward to the harsh condemnations of Netanyahu from American members of Congress.” Said an Arab News editorial: “Despite the hype from Washington and Tel Aviv, there is no sign that Netanyahu has changed his mind on any of this.”

Lessons from Norway
Two weeks ago, a bomber carried out attacks on Norway, leaving scores dead. What’s the takeaway from this terrible tragedy? “The link between far-right politics and support for Israel bodes poorly for European Jews, who in many lands already must contend with a virulently anti-Israel—and anti-Semitic—climate. It also offers little comfort to Israel and her supporters, who are increasingly isolated and stymied in their efforts to make their case in the court of European public opinion,” said a Jewish Exponent editorial. Alan Dershowitz at Hudson New York agreed: “The time is long overdue for Norwegians to do some deep soul searching about their sordid history of complicity with all forms of bigotry ranging from the anti-Semitic Nazis to the anti-Semitic Hamas. There seems to be a common thread.” But it’s not uniquely a Jewish problem, said Charles Kimball at The Huffington Post. “It is a stark reminder that we share a fragile planet where ignorance, hate and fear can link easily with religious worldviews and produce horrific consequences.”

“Tent City”
Tens of thousands of Israelis are protesting rising housing prices, a grass-roots movement that’s gaining steam in the street of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. “The atmosphere is Tahrir Square protests meets Woodstock, meets last-year’s-camping holiday in the South of France,” reported the BBC. How similar is this to other recent protests? “Israel is much wealthier than Egypt and historically much more democratic—but the economic bind that has ignited protests looks similar,” said Gershom Gorenberg at The American Prospect. “When the dust has settled, this may be among the most important, if unexpected, outcomes of a protest that began with an eviction notice slipped under the door of a young video editor who’d just had enough,” said Noah Efrom at The Huffington Post. And, in the meantime, love is in the air.

The fight over Shariah law
Some states are grappling with how to handle the application of Islamic law, and a fierce anti-Shariah movement has spouted up, reported The New York Times. The paper profiled David Yerushalmi, a 56-year-old Hasidic Jew, who “has come to exercise a striking influence over American public discourse about Shariah.” But some readers protested. “This is one of those stories where you wonder if a piece about apples and oranges has been combined into a really weird-tasting fruit concoction. Is it a story about one crazy man’s influence? Or is it a story about whether anti-Shariah state laws are good or bad? Or is it both? If it is both, is it really possible for a single story to tackle both questions in a satisfactory way? asked Bobby at GetReligion. And the content of the story was misleading, too, said Richard N. Weltz at American Thinker. “Forget all the evidence in plain sight of efforts to inflict Muslim belief and practice on our society—and others in the Western world. It’s all just Jewish and Republican make-believe to the New York Times.”

Circumcision ban bill removed
A San Francisco County Superior Court judge ruled late last week that a measure prohibiting male circumcision should be taken off the fall ballot. Judge Loretta M. Giorgi worried that the propsoed ban would violate citizens’ right to the free exercise of religion. Jews around the world celebrated the decision. “This measure to ban one of the most fundamental tenets of Judaism undermines our cherished American value of religious freedom,” B’nai B’rith president Allan J. Jacobs said, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post.

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July 28, 2011 | 5:50 am

This week in power: Cantor, Arab Spring, Gay marriage, Amy Winehouse

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Eric Cantor under fire
With debt ceiling talks heating up as the August 2 deadline quickly approaches, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is getting some perhaps unwanted attention. “Am I the only Jew in America who finds the House majority leader deeply embarrassing to our people? Am I the only tribe member who considers this smarmy yutz today’s numero-uno shonda fur die goyim?” asked Michael Takiff at Salon. Marc Tracy at Tablet wondered about the affects that talks could have on Israel bonds, but Commentary’s Seth Mandel defended Cantor saying that “Israel is not a partisan issue–unless Republicans are the targets of the attacks.” It’s hard to predict how the debt ceiling situation will end, but it’s clear that Cantor will play some sort of big role in the resolution or lack thereof. “Whatever his long-term goals, the next several weeks will go a long way toward deciding Cantor’s future,” said National Journal’s Major Garrett.

Is the Arab Spring coming to Israel?
Amid the turmoil taking place in neighboring nations, Israel has been relatively quiet this summer. But some are worrying that conflict and protests are on the horizon. Tens of thousands of students demonstrated in Tel Aviv over higher housing costs, which is a “political headache for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” according to Batsheva Sobelman at the Los Angeles Times. But could there be an even bigger threat at hand? What if Palestinians in the region rise up? “Israel, of course, is no stranger to political upheaval and is better equipped than others to deal with the crisis. But, then, no one ever believed that the protests in Egypt in January would lead to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February. Seems anything is possible these days,” said Peter Gelling at the Global Post. “A chapter is being turned by popular revolution in Arab history,” said Larbi Sadiki at Al Jazeera. “Those unpacking the Arab Spring should not wish for the banners of Islamism or of Palestine absence. Rather, they should wish for Islamists to be engaging through democratic channels, and they should wish that Israel concedes Palestinians the right to be in an independent Palestine.”

Jewish gay couple weds first in NY
Two Jewish women - Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85 - became the first gay couple to get married in New York last weekend. Later in the week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiated another gay couple’s marriage. Not everyone, however, is happy with the state’s new law. Some organizations filed a lawsuit against the Marriage Equality Act, including the executive director of Torah Jews for Decency, an Orthodox Jewish “advocacy organization,” according to the Village Voice. Other Jewish New Yorkers were on hand on Sunday morning to protest the day’s first gay marriages. “To advance meaningful discussions within our communities on the issue of inclusion, we may first need to grapple with the perceptions of Otherness that many of us harbor, whether or not we are prepared to admit it,” said Mira Sucharov at Haaretz.

Amy Winehouse’s Jewish funeral
Fallen singer Amy Winehouse, who died last weekend at the age of 27, was buried on Tuesday as part of a Jewish ceremony. She was cremated, which violates traditional Jewish law. “An increasingly significant number of Jews are choosing cremation. It’s not something I would encourage, but we live as a part of the world,” said Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, as quoted by E! Online.“No matter how her parents designed her memorial, it was likely the best way they thought they could find some peace. And I say amen to that,” said Leslie Gornstein at E! As for Winehouse’s body itself, “some say the Jewish prohibition of tattoos can keep people with ink from a traditional Jewish burial, but that’s a misconception, as Jewish news sites have reminded the media in Winehouse’s case,” said Kate Shellnutt at the Houston Chronicle.

Larry David’s Palestinian chicken
The Curb star pushed the limits of political correctness on last week’s episode which “may have been their most Jewish episode to date,” said Alan Sepinwall at HitFix. “Some Israel lovers will find ‘Palestinian Chicken’ distasteful, but it’s a hit among David’s fans,” said Nathan Burstein at The Jewish Daily Forward. In this episode, Larry “holds his Jewishness at a distance and ends up turned on by the idea of rebelling against it, here by eating at a Palestinian restaurant and getting it on with the bird shack’s hot, virulently anti-Israel owner,” said James Poniewozik at Time. “But the elements of Jewish identity, and the way they dovetail and conflict with an individual’s desires and needs, put Larry David in Philip Roth territory this week,” added Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly. “Who needs Portnoy’s Complaint when you’ve got ‘Palestinian Chicken?’” joked Meredith Blake at The Onion’s A.V. Club.

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July 21, 2011 | 5:38 am

This week in power: Debt ceiling, Argentina inquriry, Fracking, JDub

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Impact of debt ceiling talks
As the Aug. 2 deadline creeps closer, and the Obama administration and Congress grapple with compromising on a proposal, they are once again floating a potential limit to the tax deduction for charitable donations, which has “alarmed several Jewish nonprofit groups,” according to The Jewish Week. Meanwhile, some Jewish senators are urging American Jews to make their voices heard as the budget gets decided on and settled. The Republican party effort is headed up by House Majority leader Eric Cantor, who is Jewish, and, as Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said in the Jewish Journal, has the Jewish people’s support. “President Obama can storm out of all the meetings he wants with Cantor. But he cannot break the man because Cantor is backed by people who are already broken and who have had enough.”

Argentine inquiry into Jewish center bombing
Last weekend, the Argentinian government described a “very positive” offer from Iran to cooperate with an inquiry into a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, according to reports. It hasn’t happened to this point “due in large part to Iran’s threatening influence over international politics,” said Martin Krossel at FrumForum. Iran has asked Argentina to drop the investigation, but “we hope Iran’s Argentina gambit will fail,” and that Argentina will hold strong or else “there will be consequences in terms of their relationship with the United States,” said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “It is vital that authorities investigate, reveal the truth, and ensure that these governments are held accountable for any violations of international sanctions and applicable U.S. laws,” added Roger Noriega at The American.

The furor over fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking for short, is a hot-button issue everywhere. The process involves injecting chemical-laced water into the ground to allow natural gas to escape to push out the minerals. The EPA has expressed concerns about how the process impacts water, soil, and air quality, according to reports. Now, four Jewish summer camps have agreed to allow gas exploration companies to employ the technique at their campgrounds by this fall. “This may bring new meaning to the term ‘bug juice’ at summer camp,” joked Stephen Lacey at Think Progress. But not everyone approves. Said blogger dcc at JewSchool: “Fracking is dangers now and should not be utilized as an energy extraction method within watersheds of summer camps.  Period.”

Is Israel spying in New Zealand?
There are claims in New Zealand that some Israeli backpackers caught in February’s massive earthquake may have been spies, reported JTA. Israel’s ambassador to the country called the allegations “science fiction,” and criticized fears that Israelis may have hacked into the national computer network. Suspicions reportedly arose around the five passports found on the body of one of the deceased, Ofer Mizrahi, and “security services also took note that a Facebook page set up in remembrance of Mizrahi has only five ‘likes,’” said Haaretz. Of course, this isn’t the first time New Zealand has raised suspicions.

JDub Records closes
A reliable source for Jewish music is no more, as JDub Records folded late last week. Many are eulogizing the fallen company. “A society without a vibrant and respected creative class lacks the imagination and inspiration to innovate and grow,” say Stephen Hazan Arnoff and Steven M. Cohen at JTA. But some don’t buy it. “The turn against these outfits by their funders should be welcomed as a potential indication of growing seriousness in American Jewish priorities,” argued Matthew Ackerman at Commentary. “This is absurb,” countered Eric Herschthal at The Jewish Week. “What Ackerman doesn’t get is that the young Jews who identified with JDub saw only conformity and corportaism in mainstream Jewish organizations, and they craved new creative outlets. JDub seemed to capture that clientele wonderfully.”

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July 14, 2011 | 5:05 am

This week in power: Boycott ban, Beck, Obama, Polygamy

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Israel’s boycott ban
The Knesset passed a law this week penalizing anyone who boycotts Israel or the settlements, a measure that one leader said is intended “to protect the citizens of Israel.”  Those affected by boycotts can now protest them without having to prove that they sustained any damage. The law was met by immediate backlash from peace groups and others. “The campaign against Israeli settlements is real, but this new law will almost certainly backfire,” said Hussein Ibish at Foreign Policy. “What this suggests is an official Israeli perspective in which there is a virtual Israel that exists wherever a settler happens to be at any given moment, and an undefined, unresolved occupation everywhere else,” which is a “legally and politically untenable and indeed preposterous position.” Actually, it’s a good thing to get rid of these communal calls to protest, said Carol Gould at Jewish Comment. “Boycott is a word loved by Joseph Goebbels. Anything he loved is something I detest.”

Beck’s Knesset visit
“By all accounts, Glenn Beck’s visit to Israel this week couldn’t have gone better,” reported McClatchy, a trip that included an address before Knesset. However, not everyone is buying Beck’s commitment to supporting Israel. “Without Israel, Beck is just another right-wing bigot and crackpot But with it, he becomes almost legitimate and so does the dangerous and ugly portrayal of Jews that has become his trademark,” said MJ Rosenberg at The Huffington Post. Still, Beck has his supporters, like Josh Hasten at Israel National News. “Simply put, Beck gets it. He understands that we are truly in the midst of World War Three and that the worst is still to come. He understands that the battle which rages is a battle between the beliefs, morals, and values of Western Civilization and that of the Islamic death cult committed to the west’s demise,” he said.

The latest poll on Obama
It’s been a back-and-forth debate for weeks about whether American Jews are really backing Obama in his re-election bid. The latest poll has Obama’s Jewish support down to 43 percent, which means it “might be a good time for Obama to change the subject to how good a friend he’s been to Israel,” said Abby W. Schachter at the New York Post. Wait a minute, said The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent. “The phrasing in this poll is comically skewed towards eliciting the most negative responses possible. As always, the game is to perpetuate the sad conservative meme that this time, really this time, American Jews are going to abandon their liberalism and vote Republican because Obama is a huge anti-Semite.” No matter where things stand now, Obama should take the Jewish vote seriously. “In a close election, those Jewish votes would probably spell the difference between victory and defeat,” said Rick Moran at American Thinker.

Bring polygamy back?
A new organization called Habayit Hayehudi Hashalem (The Complete Jewish Household) is trying to reinstate polygamy despite Jewish law against it. “It is being promoted as the Jewish solution for the abundance of single women, the Arab demographic threat and the male predicament of seeking extramarital relations,” according to The Jerusalem Post. Rabbi Yehezkel Sopher,, who is leading the campaign, said, “This is not about secular people who abide by the rules of the state, rather religious people. Whoever wants to take another wife – the Torah does not object to it.” But he faces some steep opposition. “A range of rabbis in Israel, including Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, have come out against Sopher and polygamy,” said Ben Sales at The Jewish Daily Forward.

Leiby Kletzky
A frantic search for a missing New York boy ended with news on Wednesday of the child’s tragic murder. Leiby Kletzky’s body parts were discovered in the refrigerator of a 35-year-old man, according to reports. “I will forever remember this little boy and his desire to be independent and a grown up boy, and every time I hug my son I will be hugging Leiby also,” said Ilana Angel in the Jewish Journal. What can parents learn from this horrible story? “There’s no way to anticipate a creep grabbing a sweet little boy off of our neighborhood streets, taking him home, and dismembering him, then placing him in the refrigerator,” said Jeanne Sager at CafeMom. “If that thought went through our minds, frankly, we as parents would be paralyzed, unable to function. We need, instead, to be cautious but optimistic in life.” Said Danielle Sullivan at Babble: “Some things in life are just beyond words…this is certainly one of them.”

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July 7, 2011 | 5:46 am

This week in power:  Obama, Flotilla, King’s Torah, Two Worlds

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Jews support Obama after all
Despite some recent concerns over his popularity and support, Obama can apparently rest assured that Jewish Americans back him. According to Gallup, the president saw only a small decline in June, with just 32 percent of U.S. Jews disapproving of the job he’s doing, on par with how he’s fared throughout the year. “Maybe support for Obama among Jews will ultimately erode, and stories suggesting that’s the case are ahead of the curve. The evidence, however, suggests the exact opposite,” said Greg Sargent in The Washington Post. Wait, we may not learn anything from this poll after all, warned Tina Korbe at Hot Air. “After all, the poll didn’t specifically seek out Jewish Americans noted for political involvement. It could be the (randomized) sample that so strongly supports Obama just happens to barely vote, let alone donate.”

Jews leaving Capitol Hill?
“One of the possible consequences of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter-gate affair is another decline in the number of Jewish representatives in Congress,” The Jewish Daily Forward forecasted a couple weeks ago. So CNN crunched the numbers: There are 13 Jews in the Senate and 28 in the House, all but one a Democrat; the lone Republican is House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Since the 112th Congress convened in January, two Jews have resigned their seats,” CNN reported. Have no fear, joked Blair Burke at Wonkette about the growing Mexican presence in Congress: “The Zionist Mexicans will take back Israel and then Obama will win forever, the end.”

Another Gaza Flotilla controversy
Last week Greece blocked activists from sailing to Gaza with an aid shipment in defiance of Israel’s sea blockade, according to reports. Even if the nation has opposed Israel, “the debt-wracked Greeks have an even greater incentive to cozy up to its rich Mediterranean neighbor.” Some are saluting Greece for its turn-of-face. “The Greeks have gotten loads of bad press lately, what with riots in the streets and a debt crisis that threatens to take down Europe and, perhaps, more far-flung lands. But now they deserve the world’s thanks for preventing a seagoing provocation,” said a New York Daily News editorial. A full report about last year’s incident is due out this week. “We should not play into the hands of the flotilla organizers who are perpetuating hostility rather than working towards a real and lasting peace,” said Eric B. Stillman in the Florida Sun Sentinel.

“The King’s Torah” debate
Police questioned two prominent rabbis over their endorsement of a book, “The King’s Torah,” that condones the killing Arabs and other non-Jews. The questioning has prompted protests. Even after they were released, outrage went on. Others have responded differently. “Rabbis should have a special status and be treated with respect, but this status does not put them beyond the law of the land. They are religious leaders, not demigods,” said Liat Collins in The Jerusalem Post. “And as leaders, they need to be particularly aware of the direction in which they are taking the country. The problem is not religion, as secular friends immediately claimed, but how religion is interpreted.”

“Between Two Worlds” reviews
A new film, called “Between Two Worlds,” is going around the Jewish film festival circuit, and provoking discussion about Jewish identity, politics, and intermarriage, among other topics. So how is it? “Proceeding with the thinnest of throughlines and only intermittent commentary, ‘Between Two Worlds’ treats central events with rather cursory, colorless reportage, while more tangential topics, such as the filmmakers’ private histories, come alive. Yet the docu’s patchwork exploration of who speaks for the tribe may accurately reflect individual Jews’ experience of their scattered heritage,” said Ronnie Scheib at Variety. And it’ll leave you thinking about it and talking about it, said Michael Kaminer at The Jewish Daily Forward. “By using their personal histories as connective tissue, the husband-and-wife filmmaking team manages to present a forceful work that draws power by raising questions that don’t find any neat resolutions. And, judging from this film, may never.

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June 30, 2011 | 5:25 am

This week in power: Obama, Gay marriage, Delta, Dutch ban

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Obama courts the Jewish vote
President Obama has waged “a behind-the-scenes push to win over skeptical big-dollar donors,” according to The Washington Post,  and has dispatched some top staffers to meet with wealthy donors, including some Jewish supporters. At the same time, Jews in Illinois gathered to discuss how they can defeat Obama in the upcoming election. So can he pull it off? “From the sound of it, the Obama administration hasn’t done nearly enough donor upkeep since his last campaign and is hastily trying to play catch-up,” said Alana Goodman at Commentary. “Obama’s basic problem is that he has a track record, and it is a sorry one,” added Thomas Lifson at American Thinker. “He tries to be everything to everyone, and after a certain amount of time, the phoniness becomes evident, even to starry-eyed libs.”

Gay marriage and Judaism
Jewish groups had mixed reactions to news of New York’s legalization of gay marriage on Friday. But it should have come as no surprise to those who were paying attention, said Mollie at GetReligion. “I guess it also relates to what happened at Yeshiva University, an Orthodox Jewish school in New York that was forced to include same-sex couples in its married dormitory. Even before New York recognized same-sex marriage, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Yeshiva had violated New York City’s ban on sexual orientation discrimination.” As for the response in the Jewish community itself: “Family values have always taken center stage in Judaism, as it is one of the Ten Commandments. The Torah classifies Toeiva-marriage as an abomination and strictly punishes one who violates the prohibition with the severe penalty of death,” pointed out Dave Hirsch at TheYeshivaWorld.com. “My traditional readers will find it scandalous,” said Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. “But is it possible that the victory of gay marriage is actually an opportunity to bolster traditional values?”

Is Delta discriminating?
Delta Air Lines has denied reports that the airline is discriminating against Jewish passengers because of its pending marketing alliance with Saudi Arabian Airlines, and believes it is the “victim of misinformation,” according to USA Today. The uproar stemmed from a Religion News Service story detailing the partnership that circulated on the Internet, but was subsequently retracted by the site. Still, Delta could have handled it better, said Gulliver at The Economist. “this is exactly the kind of story that good crisis management PR could have killed before it got off the ground.” Nevertheless, some are still fuming over the news. “Delta should have refused to partner with the Saudis rather than accommodate their Jew-hatred,” said Pamela Geller at American Thinker.

Dutch slaughtering ban
Jewish organizations in Europe vowed this week to fight back against a looming ban on ritual animal slaughter that passed in the lower house of the Dutch parliament. Some say that the law, intended to protect American rights, is a violation of freedom of religion. “Even if—as I strongly believe—increasing concern about the treatment of other animals is a mark of a more civilised society, it doesn’t necessarily follow that those promoting new rules act from disinterested motives,” said Nelson Jones at New Statesman. We should have all people in mind when we created laws, said an Irish Times editorial. “In the real world degrees of tolerance of religious or ethnic minority practices are a function of the extent to which issues like the veil or shechitah become proxies or ciphers for a growing broader intolerance and prejudice. The Dutch Bill, however worthy, will feed that climate, deepening suspicion and division.”

Fighting San Fran’s circumcision measure
The Jewish Community Relations Council and the Anti-Defamation League are leading a legal effort to have the measure removed from the November ballot, according to JTA. The lawsuit is more alleges that medical procedures in California are regulated by the state, not by local municipalities, and that the proposed ban shouldn’t hold up. This proposal is “quite possibly unconstitutional and just plain wrong,” said a Los Angeles Times editorial. “And we’re fairly certain the vast majority of San Franciscans see it the same way, given the public thrashing the measure has received.” Opponents, however, may have a point regarding the brutality involved in circumcision. “While upholding the essence of this commandment, we as a community can find ways to lessen its severity — as rabbis have done for generations, in every aspect of Jewish law,” said Jay Michaelson in The Jewish Daily Forward. “The zealots in California invite our censure, but more sensible people have long had qualms about this most ancient of Jewish rites. For them, and for all of us, a compromise is possible.”

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June 23, 2011 | 5:32 am

This week in power: Obama, Kentucky, Yale resolution, Dog sentencing

Posted by Danny Groner

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

Obama reassures Jewish donors
President Obama met with Jewish donors on Monday night, hoping he can win back their support after a rough patch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president reportedly spoke candidly with the 80 attendees who made donations of at least $25,000 apiece to be there. Of course they walked away feeling reassured, said Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post, because “they are paying him to be reassured. When you plunk down that kind of cash you don’t want to be told you’ve put your money on the wrong horse.” Still, the president has a long way to climb, said Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. “As one person who attended the Obama fundraiser told Politico, the number of ovations the president received was not as many as Netanyahu got from Congress.” And organizers were reportedly “scrambling” in recent weeks just to fill those seats at all at the fundraiser.

Kentucky gubernatorial race and religion
While the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor all agreed to leave religion out of the campaign, they haven’t been able to stick to the agreed upon rules, and things are growing a bit hostile in Kentucky. One Republican backer said that Jerry Abramson was only picked as a running mate “to attract New York and Hollywood Jewish money” for the campaign.” But some are striking back against these vicious comments. Kentucky politician Jonathan Miller wrote at The Huffington Post, “During my 14 years in state politics and public service, I never encountered serious anti-Semitism. Just the opposite: When I spoke to rural crowds about the Talmud or my own spirituality, I was consistently met with warm feedback.” But Abramson might have some other accusations to deal with, too.

Yale replaces YIISA
Yale University announced on Monday it would start a new initiative to study anti-Semitism after massive outrage erupted when the school said it would close its Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism (YIISA). The new initiative will be called the Yale Program for the Study of Anti-Semitism. It will reportedly cover “‘new’ antisemitism, Muslim antisemitism,” said Abby W. Schachter in the New York Post. It makes you wonder “why did they have to close YIISA in the first place?” While it’s a step forward, said Fred Messner at FrumForum, we can’t just forget this saga. “The new initiative marks a victory for opponents of anti-Semitism, but the experience of the past few weeks has given Jews reason to doubt the steadfastness of Yale’s commitment to the program.”

No ‘rabbi’ on Argentina’s ballot
An Argentine court ruled last weekend that candidates on local elections may not have the title, “rabbi,” appear with their names on the ballot, according to reports. Rabbi Sergio Bergman argued that he’s better known by “Rabbi Bergman” than by his birth name, and wanted to appear as such for the election. But the court found that the title of rabbi carries a “positive connotation” that could influence voters. “Using that logic, the court would bar elected leaders from using their elected office title in re-elections—President Obama couldn’t use ‘president’ on the ballot for his 2012 re-election,” said Fef at Sodahead.com. “I hope the court wrote its decision with sincerity and not anti-Semitism.” Voters will also have the chance to vote for neo-Nazi: Alejandro Biondini of the Social Alternative party, who Jewish groups unsuccessfully lobbied to get banned from running.

Did an Israeli dog get stoned?
In one of the more bizarre stories of the week, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that a stray dog had wandered into a neighborhood where witnesses believed that it was “a reincarnation of a secular lawyer who insulted the court’s judges 20 years ago,” according to reports. And it was thus sentenced to death via stoning. But later reports indicated that the story wasn’t true, had been inflated, and all that happened was the canine was caught by a dog catcher. Even before the truth came out, some were skeptical about the whole thing. “Does something smell iffy about this story? Or am I being too skeptical?” asked Mollie at GetReligion. Others, on the other hand, used this case to push for more humane treatment of all dogs. “While this case is justifiably drawing international attention, dogs all over the world are also facing ‘death sentences’ in laboratories, on fur farms, and in backyards,” said PETA’s Jennifer O’Connor at Opposing Views.

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