JERUSALEM
(Press Release)—Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has said that Syria
was setting an "impossible threshold" for peace talks by demanding Israel
commit to withdraw fully from the Golan Heights before negotiations resume.
In remarks
broadcast by Israel's Channel 10 television, Olmert responded to
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's call in a speech last week for Israel to
guarantee a full withdrawal from the land it captured in the Six Day War in
1967.
Olmert said
Israel was ready to withdraw from the Golan in the future. "Certainly we will
also have to make concessions," he said at a Kibbutz in northern Israel.
However, he added that Assad's demand for a guarantee to remove Jewish settlers
and troops from the entire territory before talks resumed created “conditions
that set an impossible threshold for the start of negotiations."
Israeli
leaders have agreed in the past to withdraw from the Golan in exchange for a
peace treaty with Syria. But the last negotiations between the sides broke down
in 2000 over a dispute about the terms of such an Israeli pullout. Israeli media
reports said Assad's talks this past week in Damascus with Iranian president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction, had
raised concerns in Israel that the two may be improving their trade and military
ties.
Israel and Syria had been passing messages in recent months, largely through
international mediators, among them Turkish officials and a United Nations
envoy, to explore the possibility of resuming peace talks.
The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress (Return to top)
Israel and
Middle East
Researcher sees development of
'Israedi' identity
in which Jewish-ness is subsumed by Israeli-ness HAIFA
(Press Release)—New research in education at the University of Haifa found that
the content and programs of the social-education programs in the Israeli public
schools have resulted in the formation of a new identity for today's youth – "Israedi"
- a hybrid word comprised of two Hebrew words: "Israeli (Israeli) and Yehudi
(Jewish).
The combination yields "Israe(li-yehu)di. "In contrast to the concept of
"Jewish-Israeli identity" which alludes to equality between identities, the new
identity alludes to the centrality of Israeli components over Jewish ones," said
Dr. Hagit Hartaf, who conducted the research.
The study,
under the direction of Professor Hanan Alexander of the University of Haifa's
Faculty of Education as part of the Center for Jewish Education's research on
Jewish, Israeli, and democratic identity, was conducted over two academic years
(2003-4 and 2004-5) during which 55 adolescents and 21 teachers and school staff
members were interviewed. Three hundred hours of social activities and informal
educational sessions, which included class discussions, symposia, ceremonies,
field trips and cultural events were observed.
The main finding of the study was that a new identity has emerged among today's
Israeli youth – an identity in which the Israeli aspect is stronger than the
Jewish aspect. In addition, some of the Jewish elements are combined with
Israeli elements such that the youth don't distinguish them as Jewish. "The "Israedi"
identity stresses "Israeli" characteristics, but the source of these
characteristics isn't clear. As Jewish values are considered more and more to be
connected to religious sectors of Israeli society, they are not considered
relevant in forming the identity of non-religious youth. Instead, values that
are considered universal, which stress self-fulfillment and taking care of
individuals' needs, play a central role," explained Dr. Hartaf.
The main
elements of this new identity, outlined in the research, were divided by the
researcher into components: history, suffering and remembrance, including the
history of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism which reinforce the importance of
military service and the history of the State of Israel, which stresses honoring
those who fell defending the country; education for a democratic way of life;
emotional connection and contribution to the state, especially serving in the
army; social learning processes; exposure to day-to-day Israeli life;
Jewish-Israeli culture which includes the centrality of Jewish holidays as well
as exposure to Israeli art, music and literature.
Based on
the study results, identity-building has been "expropriated" from the
educational staff in schools and outsourced to private groups who specialize in
the field. According to Dr. Hartaf, despite the fact that the content is set
together with the school, which should lead to continuity of issues brought up
in the classroom, in actuality this is not what happens and Jewish issues that
are touched upon in the classroom are not followed-up.
The
researcher also found the Israeli element of youth identity problematic.
Programs concentrate on finding the common elements among all Israelis, but
never look at these elements critically. "These social-educational programs
begin with the assumption that we already know who we are – so then what is
there to talk about?" remarked Dr. Hartaf.
She added
that the situation today results in the "Israedi" identity of non-religious
youth being limited to a framework of personal values, characterized by openness
to all viewpoints, opinions and values. On the other hand, the values system of
religious youth is more closed and solely faith-based. "These two identities,
which include the majority of Israeli youth, are removed from one another and
are established separately without any basis or bridge from which dialogue can
begin," summarized the Dr. Hartaf.
The
preceding story was provided by the University of Haifa
TEL AVIV (Press
Release)—For most of his professional life, Tel Aviv University professor
Michael Ovadia focused on snakes and the medicinal properties of their venom.
But seven years ago, after meditating on a biblical passage, Ovadia's career
focus began to take a twist... a cinnamon twist to be exact.
Today the
spiritual scientist from TAU's Department of Zoology is commercializing a unique
cinnamon extract that is touted to quell viral infections from HIV to the Avian
flu.
A research and
license deal on his patent-pending cinnamon extract was signed last week between
TAU's technology transfer company Ramot and Frutarom, a multinational
nutraceutical company based in Israel. Frutarom is expected to use the extract
in a whole host of applications from disinfecting the air as a spray against
Avian flu in airports; to a daily supplement that protects people against the
common flu.
Those researching
in the field of natural medicine know that snake venom, especially the notorious
poisonous kind, has unique anti-viral and analgesic properties that can help
fight human illness and disease. For the past 40 years, Ovadia had been working
with natural antidotes and found that certain kinds of venom can deactivate
Parainfluenza (Sendai) virus - a virus similar to the human flu.
Work was going
well. Papers were published, patents had been developed, and his reputation in
the field was established. But Ovadia was still waiting for the breakthrough
that every scientist dreams about.
That breakthrough
would come to him one morning in the synagogue while listening to a reading from
the Old Testament.
"There is a
passage that explains how the High Priests - the Kohens - would prepare a holy
oil used on their bodies before they made a ritual animal sacrifice," recalls
Ovadia. "I had a hunch that this oil, which was prepared with cinnamon and other
spices, played a role in preventing the spread of infectious agents to people."
Taking his hunch
to the laboratory bench, Ovadia's initial experiments proved to be true - his
savory cinnamon extract was able to quickly and effectively immunize chicken
embryos from the Newcastle disease virus - one which costs the poultry industry
in the US millions of dollars a year.
Further studies on
Avian Flu H9, Sendai virus, the HIV virus, and Herpes Simplex 1 also achieved
positive results. Not only was the extract able to neutralize the viruses, it
also showed for selected viruses that it has the potential to immunize against
them as well.
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Israel
Commentary
ZOA denounces decision by
Tamir to let Arabs
teach 'Naqba' version of Israel history in schools
NEW YORK (Press Release)— The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has
expressed opposition to the new decision by the Israeli Education Ministry to
commence teaching next year a course to Israeli Arab third-graders in which the
founding of the State of Israel is presented as a tragedy and a catastrophe (Naqba
in Arabic) in accordance with the widespread Arab view of the event.
The Education Ministry, headed by Yuli Tamir (Labor), has approved adding the
Arab propagandist version to the curriculum in Israeli Arab schools in response
to calls by Arab members of the Knesset who requested the 'Naqba' version
be taught in the schools attended by Israeli Arabs.
Tamir, who is a founder of extreme left-wing group, Peace Now, and who has
campaigned against subsidies for Jewish religious education while backing Arab
nationalist programs, explained her decision by
stating that "The Arab narrative deserves to be told in Israel." Arab MKs
congratulated her for her decision, though immediately raised new demands. Arab
MK Jamal Zehalka called for "Arab cultural autonomy" under which Arabs would
solely determine the historical and cultural content of curricula for
Israeli-Arab schools.
The new directive
approves a Grade 3 textbook "Living Together in Israel," which was written by
Arabs who left their homes during the 1948 War of Independence and claim that
Israel took their land.
The textbook notes the Arab rejection of the UN partition plan of 1947, whereby
both Jews and Arabs would have received their own sovereign states in the
territory of the British Mandate, but nonetheless presents Israel's
establishment as a disaster for Palestinian Arabs (Haaretz,
July 22;
Israel National News, July 22)
What was your most interesting
Jewish summertime experience?
Perhaps it was at summer camp, or on a family trip, or in summer
school, or even at home. Send us an essay of up to 1,000 words
about a true experience. We will publish up to six bylined
essays. Winners will receive two passes (worth $30 each) on
San Diego's Old Town Trolley Tour or on the Seal Tour.
Please send your entries by July 31 to
sdheritage@cox.net.
Your stories should be clearly identified in the email message line
as contest entries. Include for verification purposes your full
name, address, and telephone number. Winning essays will be
published in August, and thereafter will be permanently archived on
this site.
Questions may be addressed to editor Don Harrison via email
above.
Europe
Never forget the Holocaust, France's PM urges
PARIS (Press Release)—France’s Prime Minister, François Fillon, has warned
young people not to forget that his country deported Jews during the
Holocaust. “Once the voice of those who lived through this tragedy is gone,
it will be up to you, the young people of France, to take up their words,
their memories,” Fillon said at a commemorative event here.
“You will do it for them, you will do it for France.” In all, about 75,000
Jews were deported from France to Nazi concentration camps during World War
II. Fewer than 3,000 survived.
Speaking at the former site of
the Velodrome d'Hiver bicycle stadium, which was used as a transit camp for
thousands of Jews, Fillon said that France must not shrink from the memory of
those hours of shame.
In July 1942 13,152 Jews were rounded up in the Paris region, and 8,169, mostly
children, were held at the stadium before being sent to Nazi death camps. "It is
by recognizing fully the lights and shadows of the past that the nation learns
and grows," the prime minister told an audience of hundreds that included a
handful of Holocaust survivors.
The preceding story was
provided by the World Jewish Congress
__________________
Ukraine's President helps dedicate memorial to
prisoners of Flossenbürg concentration camp
FLOSSENBÜRG, Germany (Press Release)—A memorial has been inaugurated on
the site of the former Nazi concentration camp at Flossenbürg, in
southeastern Germany. Shoah survivors and Ukraine’s president, Viktor
Yushchenko, whose father was a prisoner at Flossenbürg during World War
II, attended the opening ceremony, which was held on the 62nd
anniversary of the camp’s liberation. "For me this concentration camp
has a very human dimension," Yushchenko said.
An estimated
30,000 prisoners died at the Nazi camp, located in the German state of Bavaria,
including Jews from Hungary and Poland, citizens of the Soviet Union and
political prisoners from Germany. Eighty-four former prisoners attended Sunday’s
ceremony. After World War II, parts of the camp were dismantled, and a factory
and private homes were built. Ex-prisoners began campaigning for a memorial in
the mid-1990s. Several camp barracks eventually were restored and a research
center opened.
The preceding story was provided by the World Jewish Congress
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Along with my husband Don, I co-publish
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United States
of America
Founder of Humanistic Judaism
killed in car crash;
San Diego memorial service scheduled August 4
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, founder of Humanistic
Judaism, was killed in a car crash on July 21 while vacationing in
Morocco. He was 79. Wine and Richard McMains were returning from
dinner Saturday evening in Essaouira when their taxi was hit by another
driver. Rabbi Wine and the taxi driver were killed instantly. McMains survived the collision and was hospitalized in stable condition.
The Humanistic
Jewish Congregation of San Diego, one of the affiliates of the Society for
Humanistic Judaism, will hold a memorial service at the Woman’s Club of Carlsbad
(3320 Monroe Ave) on Saturday, August 4, at 1030am. to which the public is
welcome.
As the founder of Humanistic Judaism, Rabbi Wine laid out the intellectual
foundations of this bold Jewish alternative, creating many of its celebrations,
rituals, and educational materials. Sherwin Wine was born in Detroit on January
25, 1928. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan (A.B., A.M.) and
Hebrew Union College. In 1963, he founded the Birmingham Temple in suburban
Detroit.
Dubbed the “Rebel Rabbi,” Sherwin Wine created a sensation back in 1965 when
Time
magazine wrote about the young maverick atheist rabbi and his fledgling
congregation. In 1969 Rabbi Wine established the Society for Humanistic
Judaism, the worldwide voice for Humanistic Judaism. The Movement was denounced
by Jewish leaders as a fleeting, 1960s wild-child craze.
In the next two decades, however, Rabbi Wine helped to found several other
related organizations including the International Federation of Secular
Humanistic Jews and the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
in North America—the rabbinic seminary and academic arm of the Movement, for
which he was currently serving as provost and dean in North America. Rabbi Wine
was instrumental in organizing the Leadership Conference of Secular and
Humanistic Jews, the Center for New Thinking, the North American Committee for
Humanism, the Humanist Institute, and the Conference of Liberal Religion.
In 2003, Rabbi Wine was named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist
Association, joining such notables as Stephen Jay Gould, Betty Friedan, Carl
Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Margaret Sanger, among others.
Rabbi Wine is the author of Humanistic Judaism,
Judaism Beyond God, Celebrationand
Staying Sane in a Crazy World.
He was a principal contributor to Judaism
in a Secular Age: An Anthology of Secular Humanistic Jewish Thought.
In 2003 the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism published the
biographical tribute, A Life of Courage, in which Rabbi Wine contributed a
reflective essay on choosing a life of dignity, a life of courage.
“Rabbi Wine was a visionary who created a Jewish home for so many of us who
would have been lost to Judaism. He taught us that human dignity is the highest
moral value. We will live our lives reflecting that value to honor his memory,”
said Rabbi Miriam S. Jerris, Community Development Director, Society for
Humanistic Judaism and President of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis.
“As a tribute to Rabbi Wine and his memory, we will further commit ourselves to
the values and philosophy of Humanistic Judaism. Rabbi Wine was a brilliant
mentor, a dynamic guide, and a true friend to countless people around the
world. The Movement is his legacy,” said M. Bonnie Cousens, Executive Director,
Society for Humanistic Judaism.
“Rabbi Wine died doing what he loved—traveling. He left us at the height of his
power. He deserved more time. We will remember him as an optimistic, maverick
genius and a lover of life,” said Rabbi Tamara Kolton, Birmingham Temple.
“The loss of Sherwin Wine is a terrible blow to the Movement of Secular
Humanistic Judaism and to American Judaism. Rabbi Wine always promised a
natural immortality. He lives on in the lives he touched, the rabbis and
leaders he trained, the communities he inspired, and the ideas and institutions
he created. We who knew him and loved him will miss him terribly, and we are
that much more grateful for what he gave us,” said Rabbi Adam Chalom, Associate
Dean of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism and rabbi of
Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation, Highland Park, Illinois
The preceding story was
provided by the Humanistic Jewish Congregation of San Diego
_________________
A personal tribute to Rabbi Sherman Wine
By
Cantor Deborah Davis Humanistic Jewish
Congregation of San Diego
SAN DIEGO—I received a phone call from
Rabbi Sherwin Wine, founder of the Humanistic Jewish movement, just a few weeks
ago, before he left for vacation. We chatted for a while about the music
program at our local congregation. He told me he appreciated all I had done for
San Diego, and the movement as a Humanistic cantor. Because all the business of
our conversation wasn’t finished, he said he’d call me back when he returned
from his vacation.
I first met Rabbi Wine at a conference in
San Diego in the Winter of 1988. Here was a chance for me to meet the founder
of an international movement where cultural Jews could feel good about
practicing Judaism. I found the clarity of his vision overwhelming.
Particularly so because of the experience I had during the High Holiday services
the fall before that first meeting, when I had been invited to be a cantorial
soloist.
As a child in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I
had been to High Holiday services. My parents, cultural Jews, sent me to
Orthodox Synagogue, to kheder to learn Hebrew and Jewish tradition; it
was the only temple nearby. After studying the songs, and reading the siddur,
I realized that I didn’t believe in the anthropomorphic God of the Bible. Like
many American Jews, I stopped going to shul altogether.
However, when asked to sing the High
Holiday songs, I recalled my childhood thrill at hearing the cantor sing “Ovinu
Malkeynu” and “Kol Nidre.” With my Jewish background and vocal training as an
opera singer, when the opportunity to sing liturgical Jewish music in San Diego
was offered, I answered yes immediately.
It was at that Rosh Hashanah, that I was
approached by Barbara Brandt, leader of the local Society for Humanistic
Judaism. I hadn’t heard of the movement, but learning that there was a branch of
Judaism I could relate to without sacrificing my ethical beliefs was an
enlightening and emotional experience for me and I joined the group immediately.
I started to sing regularly at services and became the cantor “de-facto.”
Then I heard Rabbi Wine speak that winter.
A year later he taught a class at a conference here in San Diego, which I
attended. Not only was he a dynamic speaker but a great teacher whose knowledge
of Jewish history was profound. And his sense of logic was flawless. I was
hooked.
At that conference he asked me to help
start a cantorial program for the Humanistic Jewish movement. For the next few
years I attended seminars in Detroit at the Birmingham Temple, where the
movement began. Rabbi Wine always graciously answered the questions I had and
always made time for me. In 2001 I became the first ordained cantor in the
Humanistic Jewish movement.
Sherwin Wine was a great philosopher and a
singular mind for many generations. Most of all, he was a mensch. I will
miss him. I’m grateful that I got to speak with him when I did.
Judaism
Rabbinic Insights
On Tisha B'Av: The deeper meaning of summer camp songs
CARLSBAD,
California—Given the way the Jewish calendar is fashioned, the only Jewish
holiday that occurs during the summer is Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew
month of Av, the commemoration of the destruction of the Holy Temples in
Jerusalem, first by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and, then again, by the Romans
in 70 CE.
Needless to say, all of us who have ever worked at Jewish summer camps - sleep
away or day camps - have had a mighty challenge trying to find meaningful ways
to convey the sense, the sorrow, and the legacy of Tisha B'Av to five, and nine,
and eleven year olds who, as yet, have little idea of Jewish history, and little
experience (thank God!) with great destruction and tragedy in their young
(usually middle class) lives.
Yet, we try.
Many, many years ago, my wife Ellen was a counseler at a day camp sponsored by
Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim. One particular year, Ellen decided to “go for it”
with a group of five year olds.
Now, I beg you: unless you are an expert educator, a greatly experienced group
facilitator, and highly knowledgeable about child development and, especially,
the place and psycho-spirituality of five year olds on the developmental scale,
do not try this - or anything like it. It takes a master teacher such as Ellen
to make this work, without causing trauma and despair.
Continuing with our story: In those days, Temple Beth Emet was a closely knit
intergenerational synagogue-community, which was the center of the lives of
hundreds of hundreds of families. The families all knew each other;
grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, clergy, and staff all felt
warmly close to each other. What affected one, affected all.
So, on Tisha B'Av, Ellen gathered a group twenty or so five-year old children.
She said, “Let's pretend. Let's imagine. Let's pretend that a large group of
very mean people don't like us. And they come here and burn down our Temple.
And they capture us. And they don't give us water to drink or anything to eat.
And they won't let us see our parents, or our brothers and sisters. And
soldiers stand guard over us. And (and here, be very, very careful if you
didn't listen to my first warning, and are trying this at home) we can see
blood in the street, and we can see dead people lying in the street. And we
are hungry, and we are thirsty. And we are scared.
What do we do?”
The youngsters - surely affected by this game of pretend - had many responses.
(Jump to continuation)
Rabbi Dosick is the
spiritual leader of the Elijah Minyan in Carlsbad
SAN DIEGO —Life is a balancing act – a difficult balancing act, thus we turn to
various structures for guidance such as religion, moral codes and one another.
The ballet and religion have much in common for me. I have in mind the Rose
Adagio from the ballet Sleeping
Beauty. Scholars differ on exactly when this adagio first became such a
signature part of that ballet’s choreography; when the balance became attenuated
to the length it is today. This is much like the discussion of who wrote the
Bible or at what point were parts of it emphasized, or became particularly
meaningful.
First let me describe this adagio. In the second scene of the ballet – at the
sixteenth birthday party for the Princess Aurora, her parents wish her to meet
four princes who have come from far and wide to sue for her hand. Honoring the
wishes of her father and mother (a Commandment) she meets them one after the
other in the ballroom. She dances briefly with each. Then as the music swells
(one of Tchaikovsky’s most splendid scores) she steps onto a single pointe, in
attitude derriére (leg behind her at 90 degrees, but slightly bent). She has
found her balance point and there she must stay no matter the buffets of life.
However, as the Torah teaches, we must each hold one another up – therefore she
delicately holds the hand of the first prince.
Each prince in succession comes before her, she lets go of one hand only to take
the hand of the next in line. The problem is how to let go of one and take the
hand of the next without losing that fine point of balance. As we let go of
sections of our lives, we face the same problem, but if one has a religiously
based moral structure, that moment of uncertainty is a trial we can weather.
Then we reach for the next hand to steady us through the next phase of life. If
we have in the past offered our hands to help those around us, their hands will
be ready when we are in need.
After accepting a rose from each prince, while still in balance, the ballerina
lets go of the final hand, and slowly stretches out her leg from attitude
(slightly bent) to full arabesque – able to maintain her balance by herself,
while still surrounded by people who love her. So, we are taught that when we
accept help, are part of a religious community, we can grow to eventually
stretch out and stand erect in the midst of life.
But the Rose Adagio is not over. Life usually sends more than one test, often
with an additional difficulty. The ballerina once again steps onto a single
pointe, in attitude derriére, but this time as she takes the hand of each
prince, he then promenades her in a circle (still on that one pivotal pointe),
then she lets go and takes the hand of the next prince – repeating this four
times in all. Growing up we learn first to balance standing still, and then we
learn to balance while moving. Finally, she lets go and once again slowly
stretches out that back leg to full arabesque and remains in quiet sustained
balance.
Some rabbis say that it is forbidden to study the Torah alone – it would be easy
to stray – to arrive at an erroneous conclusion – or to overlook something
important. In dance also. Ballet is never learned alone. It is passed down
from hand to hand, body to body, mind to mind.
Sometimes when we try to “improve things” we overlook the original intent. The
intent of the Rose Adagio is the romantic introduction, under the gaze of her
parents, of a young woman to her potential suitors. However, recently some
ballerinas in order to display their exceptional capabilities of balance have
disdained to take the proffered hands of the princes. The ballerina thus has
chosen to sublimate the intent of the ballet to her own desire to show off her
wonderful facility to balance. As a result she’s then lost the core of the
entire ballet. When Moses strikes that rock G-d accuses him of not following G-d’s
intent. The Torah teaches us that we must find our moral base while in contact
with other people - not alone. A moral structure does not exist alone – it is a
community based concept.
Occasionally in Torah Study one can be overwhelmed with the number of laws –
mitzvot – that are asked of us. How can we live in the midst of so many rules?
This is also true of ballet students. It is an art form built upon structure
with an established vocabulary and a strict way of aligning the body and
moving. The common complaint of students is “How can I dance if I can hardly
move?” The answer was given by a very famous ballerina – Prima Ballerina
Assoluta Margot Fonteyn said (paraphrase) “It is that structure which eventually
frees one to move.” Once control of the body is intrinsic – then the mind can
control that body. And dance is the result.
Once one accepts the moral structure – the community –, is willing to
sublimate one’s own desires for the good of the community, and accepts the moral
teachings of the Torah – then each individual is freed to move within the
community. And civilized life happens.
Features
.
Jews
in the News
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like you, we're
pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are
disappointed when they are blameworthy.
Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of
what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our
news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in
San Diego, and you. Wherever you are, if you see a story
of interest, please send a summary and link to us at
sdheritage@cox.net
and we'll acknowledge your tip at the end of the column. To see
a source story click on the link within the respective
paragraph.
*Edwin
Chemerinsky, a Duke University law professor, says while bloggers in
the United States have constitutionally protected free speech, they are
liable to libel law. A
story by Jonathan Abrams in the Los Angeles Times explores
the growing impact blogs are having on local affairs.
*Miri Eisen, spokesperson
for Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, reiterated on the day
that Quartet envoy Tony Blair arrived in Israel that her government
believes Blair should confine himself to helping Palestinians build
their institutions. The Reuters
story was carried on CNN.
*Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat, Nevada) expressed
skepticism about a proposal by Sen. Russell Feingold (Democrat,
Wisconsin) to have the Senate censure U.S. President George W. Bush and
Vice President Dick Cheney. He said Republicans would never permit
such a resolution to come to a vote, and that the Senate doesn't have
time for such things. The story by Richard A. Serrano is in
today's Los Angeles Times. Feingold is the subject of a
new biography by Sanford D. Horwitt, which reviewer Scott Martelle in
the Los Angeles Times
criticizes as a superficial examination of the maverick political
figure.
*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) believes
that it may be time to reinstitute the "Fairness Doctrine" for
broadcasters, requiring them to balance political opinion with opposing
views. But Senator Norman Coleman (Republican, Minnesota)
counters it is a bad idea from a bygone era. The
story by Jim Puzzanghera is in today's Los Angeles Times.
*Columnist Logan Jenkins
reports in the San Diego Union-Tribune that while using
Google to research Sunroad Enterprises and its owner Aaron Feldman
he learned that for better results one should use the "news" tab.
*U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (Democrat, California) and other members of
Congress would be forbidden from paying their spouses from campaign pay
rolls under a bill authored by U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (Democrat,
California) and approved by the House on a voice vote. The measure
now goes to the Senate. The International Herald Tribune carried the
Associated Press
story today.
*Overshadowed by political violence between Israelis and Palestinians,
mob violence in Israel is a growing problem that sometimes reaches into
the highest levels of government. The Associated Press
story
was carried by Fox News.
*Egyptian police killed a
Sudanese woman and four other refugees who attempted to sneak from the
Sinai Desert into Israel. The Associated Press
story is in the world briefs column in today's San Diego
Union-Tribune.
*An Arizona judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by former
Congressman Gary Condit against a weekly newspaper that reported he lied
to investigators about his relationship to slain intern Chandra Levy.
A brief story from wire service reports is in today's Los Angeles
Times.
*Groucho Marx and Marilyn Monroe, although dead, still
have rights to protect their images from being commercially exploited.
Law suits have been establishing such postmortem rights and now there is
a bill in the California Legislature to solidify such rights. The
story by Patrick McGreevy is in today's Los Angeles Times.
*Dan Rosenfeld of Urban Partners thinks 250-square foot
apartments downtown is a good idea, but others think the proposal going
before the Los Angeles City Council will have negative impacts.
Sharon Bernstein has the
story in the Los Angeles Times.
Watching the media gathering
and reporting the news
of Jewish interest
Date: July 23, 2007
Time: 12:23 Washington DC time
Place: White House
Spokesperson:
Tony Snow,
press secretary for President George W. Bush
Source: White House transcript
Subject: Visit of King Abdullah II of Jordan to United States
Q Tony, what
do you hope to see from tomorrow's meeting with the King of Jordan?
MR. SNOW:
Well, we will have to see. I'm not sure we've even acknowledged when
we'll be meeting, but we have --
Q It's on
the week ahead.
MR. SNOW: We
have? We finally acknowledged, okay. (Laughter.) Thank you. Thank you
for catching me up on that. Look, it's an important chance for the
President to sit down with somebody who is a key ally in the region,
particularly as we are working again toward trying to find a way to
empower a Palestinian government that can meet the Quartet principles
and provide a basis for working with Israel, so that you can have a
democracy in the region and fulfill the promise of democracy for the
Palestinian people.
King
Abdullah has certainly been a very valuable and forceful ally in that,
and I'm sure the conversation -- there will be plenty of conversation
about that. Whether it turns to other topics will be up to the King and
the President.
________________________
Click the ad above to go to the "I'm there for you baby" website
CYBER-REFERRALS—Israel's Consulate General in Los Angeles forwarded this
video about the situation in Sderot, across the border from Gaza.
DATEBOOK—Here are some upcoming events, which we will also store in our
event-tracker for your future reference.
Sunday, July 29—Margie Burton, Ph.D. research director of the San
Diego Archaeological Center, will lecture at 3 p.m. at the Museum of Man
on what is known about the collapse of Middle Eastern civilizations at
the beginning of the 4th millennium BCE. The lecture amplifies on
the "Journey to the Copper Age: Archaeology in the Holy Land" exhibit
now at the museum. ...
September 25-30—A new version of Camelot adapted by Allan
Jay Lerner's son and daughter, Michael and Liza, will
be performed at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Ticket sales begin
Friday, July 27 ...
November 1-10—The 13th annual San Diego Jewish Book Fair will
be staged at the Lawrence Family JCC, Jacobs Family Campus. Among
the speakers this year: Tony Award winning playwright Tony Kushner,
comedian David Steinberg, economist Todd Bucholz,
Israeli novelist David Grossman and former Ambassador Dennis
Ross.
ISRAEL NEWS SUMMARY—The European Jewish Congress, in its
daily
summary of major stories in Hebrew-language Israeli papers, said
Sunday's coverage focused on today's expected arrival in the region of
Tony Blair amid speculation that he might attempt to expand his mandate
from building up Palestinian institutions to jump-starting peace
discussions. Israeli officials are quoted as saying they want to
deal with the Palestinians directly on the larger issues. Another
story receiving wide play was a statement by Hezbollah's leadership that
they now possess missiles capable of hitting any target in Israel.
Greater
San Diego area
Rabbi Scott Meltzer (left) and
guitar-playing Zeji Ozeri and Cara Freedman lead Zamru Shabbat|
Ohr Shalom to sing in the
Shabbat on Mission Bay
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—The last Zamru Shabbat
BytheBay
of Summer 2007 will be conducted Friday night, August 10, as Ohr Shalom
invites the entire Jewish community to
participate.
Rabbi Scott Meltzer, Cara Freedman and Zeji Ozeri will provide musical
inspiration - and thebay
provides a beautiful backdrop for a truly religious experience.
It is suggested that participants bring a dairy or pareve dinner at 6pm
and welcome the Sabbath with song at 7pm. A
blanket, chairs and flashlight also are recommended.
The Location will be Playa Pacifica, Mission Bay
Park, located between the information
center and the Hilton. For more information,
please call (619) 231-1456.
The preceding story was provided by Ohr Shalom Synagogue
Family celebrates third generation return to
barbecuing with a grand opening celebration
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—San Diego’s oldest and newest barbecue
restaurant
and
catering company has just opened!
Beginning in 1958, as Roadside
Bar BQ on Mission Gorge Road, and continuing from 1978
to 2001 as Bekker’s Bar BQ,
further along Mission Gorge Road, local Tifereth Israel members Olga and
Oscar Worm are now reinventing themselves one more time for the next
generation, as their daughter, Marla Worm, joins them in opening West
Coast Barbecue and Catering – “Where the West Meets the Coast.” It
is located
at 6126 Lake Murray Blvd, (at Dallas, next to Ross), open for Dinner
4-9pm Tuesday through Sunday, with catering and special orders available anytime.
A Grand Opening Celebration with the East County Chamber of Commerce is
scheduled Saturday, July 28, from 2 to 4pm with music, food,
entertainment galore! A two-tiered party is scheduled: at noon on the
same day will be a Law School Graduation Party for the Worm’s older
daughter, Lara. Friends and family and the public are all invited to
share in their simchas. Younger son, Scott will be in town for the
celebration from Austin, Texas. The barbecue owners are lucky to have
parents Al and Flory Jacobs, and Dale and Betty Worm participating in
the festivities. Al Jacobs, accordionist, will be part of the
entertainment, with Marla Worm as the featured singer!
Known for 50 years as the home of
“Awesome BBQ”, they are still following the family tradition of rubbing
the meats in a secret blend of sweet and tangy spices, then slowly
smoking the meats in a traditional Texas style Pit over local woods.
They specialize in the most tender BBQ Beef and Chicken, and feature
three styles of BBQ Sauce: Traditional Texas, Southern Smooth, and
Chipotle Hot. New on their menu are some California Coast specialties –
BBQ Chicken Pizza, Gourmet Pastas, Salads, and Salmon. Homemade
desserts such as Peach Cobbler, Cheesecakes and Flan round out the menu.
With 50 years of family history and
reputation in Barbecue and Catering behind them, this family is proud of
its heritage. Fresh out of college, the Navy, and World War II,
Submarine Cook Dale Worm with his wife, Betty, decided the Barbecue
Business was the place for them, and in 1958, opened Roadside Bar B.Q.,
the first restaurant on Mission Gorge Rd. in San Diego. After 20
successful years in that location, serving up lots of Barbecue to a
growing San Diego, and raising a family there, they attempted to
retire. Son Oscar decided the Barbecue Business was also the place for
him, and in 1978, joined his dad in opening Bekker’s Bar B.Q. about
three miles away on Mission Gorge Rd. Soon after, Oscar and his wife,
Olga, began another 20 successful years in the restaurant, and
especially in catering events to an even larger San Diego community.
They also raised a family there and attempted to retire. Now, their
daughter Marla has decided that the Barbecue Business is the place for
her, and joins her parents, Olga and Oscar in their newest adventure in
Barbecue only a few miles down the road on Lake Murray Blvd. Marla has
been well known in the Performing Community for the past few years since
being a featured vocalist and actress in many plays, musicals, choir
concerts, and Youth Summerstock Theatre. She directed the Youth Chorale
at Tifereth Israel last year, and she has won numerous awards for her
musical talents and is now a Vocal Performance Major at UCSD..
Members of the public may join the Grand
Opening Party, Saturday July 28 – 2pm – 4pm, followed by a BBQ Buffet
from 4-9pm for only $10! Call (619) 462-3663 for more information, or
visit the website at
www.westcoastcater.com
The
preceding story was provided by West Coast Barbecue and Catering
Unless otherwise indicated, source for these stories is today's edition of
The San Diego Union-Tribune, to which we gratefully provide the links below.
We do not apply halacha to determine if a player is Jewish; rather, if he or
she has a Jewish parent or has converted to the faith, we count him or her
as a member of our community.
Youkilis, Feldman and Ausmus have productive Sunday
BASEBALL—Kevin
Youkilishad a nice day Sunday in the Boston Red Sox 8-5 outing over
the Chicago White Sox. He batted his 24th double, drove in his 47th
RBI, walked and was credited with a sacrifice fly. But at the end of
it all
Youkilis' season batting average was .310, which continues to be three
points off the bottom mark set by the American League's top ten batters. ...
Elsewhere in the American League, Texas Rangers relief pitcher
Scott Feldmanhad a nice inning of work, even though the Rangers
succumbed 8-3 to the Cleveland Indians. He allowed no runs, no hits,
and racked up a strike out. His seasonal ERA continues to be high,
however, at 6.23..... In the National League,
Brad Ausmus hit 2 for 3, and scored the only run of the game in the
Houston Astros 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He now is
batting .249.... It was a day
Shawn Greencould happily forget, as he went 0-4 in a game in which
his New York Mets just squeaked by the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4. His BA
is now .271.
{Click the above ad for
more information}
News from the
Israel Baseball League
3-Way Race developing for IBL
championship
By Nathaniel
Edelstein
TEL AVIV, Israel— The Tel
Aviv Lighting pulled within a half-game of the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox by
edging out the first-place Sox 4-2 Monday at the Sportek stadium.
The game was tied 2-2 through 4.5 innings thanks in part to Tel Aviv
right fielder Jeff Hastings, who collected two hits including a leadoff
homerun in the bottom of the first. Dominican shortstop Raul Franco put
the Lighting on top in the fifth inning with a two-run homerun to go
3-for-3 on the day.
Tel Aviv left-handed hurler Aaron Pribble of San Francisco, California,
just barely out-pitched Bet Shemesh's Jason Benson, throwing a
complete-game and allowing two earned runs on eight hits with six
strikeouts and one walk. With the victory Pribble becomes the IBL's
first five-game winner and Steve Hertz's team wins its fourth
consecutive game.
At Yarkon Field, the Modi'in Miracle capitalized on the Blue Sox loss to
beat the Petach Tikva Pioneers 11-6 and pull within 1.5 games of first
place.
Modi'in shortstop Adam Harwood of Los Angeles, California, went 2-for-2
with a homerun and two RBI. He was also walked twice, and, in all,
scored four runs. First baseman Aaron Levin and centerfielder Adalberto
Paulino also added to the offensive charge as they each went 2-for-4
with a homerun apiece and combined for five RBI.
Petach Tikva's Australian catcher Michael Olson went 2-for-3 with three
RBI, but it wasn't enough as the Miracle won for the first time in four
games.
Meanwhile, at Kibbutz Gezer, the Netanya Tigers defeated the Ra'anana
Express 8-4 to
take control of fourth place by a half-game over the Express. Tigers
leftfielder Dan Rootenberg of New York City slugged a three-run homer in
the fourth inning, his first career IBL homerun, to go 2-for-4 with four
RBI.
Catcher Sam Faeder collected three hits on the day for Netanya while
centerfielder Josh Doane went 2-for-3 with anRBI and two runs scored to
raise his average to .379.
Dominican first baseman Juan Ramirez hit his seventh homerun of the
season for the Express, but it wasn't enough as Netanya won for the
third straight day.
Summaries:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Bet Shemesh 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 8 3
Tel Aviv 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 4 9 0
W: Aaron Pribble (5-1); L: Jason Benson (3-1); HR: Jeff Hastings (3),
Raul Franco (3)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Petach Tikva 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 6 9 1
Modi'in 2 0 1 0 7 1 x 11 11 1
W: Maximo Nelson (4-1); L: Josh Epstein (0-2); SV: Eladio Rodriguez
(1); HR: Adam Harwood (2), Aaron Levin (5), Adalberto Paulino (7)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Ra'anana 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 4 9 1
Netanya 0 1 3 4 0 0 x 8 10 3
W: Julio Guerrero (1-0); L: Joshua Zumbrun (1-4); HR: Juan Ramirez
(7), Bryan Pinchuk (1), Dan Rootenberg (1)
Standings:
Team W L % GB
Bet Shemesh Blue Sox 16 7 .696 –
Tel Aviv Lightning 15 7 .682 0.5
Modi'in Miracle 14 8 .636 1.5
Netanya Tigers 8 12 .400 6.5
Ra'anana Express 9 14 .391 7.5
Petach Tikva Pioneers 4 18 .182 11.5
All teams have Tuesday off today due to Tisha B'av. Games will resume
on Wednesday with the Petach Tikva Pioneers visiting the Modi'in
Miracle at Kibbutz Gezer at 5 pm. Also at 5 pm the Netanya
Tigers host the Tel Aviv Lightning at Sportek in Tel Aviv followed by
the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox at the Ra'anana Express at 7 pm at Yarkon
Field at the Baptist Village. For directions to the fields visit
www.IsraelBaseballleague.com.
{Marc Kligman, who combines being
a sports agent with his life as an observant Jew, invites you to listen.
Click on the ad above for more information}
Arts
& Entertainment
Top left:
Didier Ben Loulou, Safed, 2000
Ultrachrome print. Right: Didier Ben
Loulou, Jerusalem,
1997, Fresson Print. Photos
courtesy of the Ordover Gallery, Solana Beach
Didier Ben Loulou #67,
Jerusalem, 1996. Fresson print.
Photo courtesy of the
Ordover Gallery,Solana Beach
Left: Didier Ben Loulou
Jerusalem, 2005: Ultrachrome print.
Right: Didier Ben Loulou: Jerusalem, 2000.
Ultrachrome Print.
Photos
courtesy of the Ordover Gallery, Solana Beach
Warmth, texture
characterize Israeli photographer's portraits of
stones
SAN DIEGO—What is the first adjective that leaps to your
mind when someone says the word “stone”? If it is
“cold,” or “unyielding,” then you might be surprised by
the photographs of Didier Ben Loulou, an Israeli of
French-Algerian descent.
Five of his works are being exhibited at the Museum of
Photographic Arts in Balboa Park as a complement to the
Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition not far away at the San
Diego Natural History Museum.
Loulou’s portraits of stone are warm and intimate. You
can almost feel their textures whether they be in a
graveyard or on the wall alongside a staircase. And
they are bathed in color. Four of the large images
(approximately 18 by 18) are from Jerusalem; the
other is from the mystical city of Safed.
I was immediately pleased by the aesthetic beauty of the
photographs. It struck me that Loulou had incorporated
color studies in addition to his subject matter into
each photograph. A viewer can immediately
differentiate the works based on their respective blue,
yellow, orange and white themes.
Additionally what is fresh about Loulou's work is the
way he uses abstract angles and close-ups to portray his
subjects He tries to capture the pure essence by getting
up close with his subjects. As a result, the viewer
becomes more involved with the subject, perhaps leading
to speculation about how these close up shots are pieces
of some untold, but definitely imaginable bigger story.
As I had returned recently from a 4-month
stay in Safed, naturally my interest immediately
traveled upward to the photo, Safed 2000. The white
grave stone is stained with a rich sea blue and hints of
violet. The details in the grave stone as well as the
small rocks placed on the grave are crisp. The photo
captures the essence of the city's mystical core with a
view of the cloudy mountains overlooking the grave. I
imagine the grave could be of some mystical sage, as Safed is the center of the kabalistic movement. It's
hard to say, but that added to my intrigue.
Next, Jerusalem, 1997, which I think of
as Loulou's yellow subject, is a close up of tombstone
with details of Hebrew letters and a swirl of rocks. In
Jewish tradition it is customary to place rocks as
opposed to flowers upon a
grave stone because the rocks
don’t wilt so they remind us that the spirit of the
person lives on. The yellow, a moss that has grown on
the grave, is pleasing to the eye. The diagonal angle
that Loulou uses from above provides an interesting
perspective. See if your eye doesn’t begin at the
bottom of the photo, and then follows the
rocks in a spiral upwards. Finally, it rests on
the Hebrew letters on the grave. It
appears that the stone is slanted on a cliff.
Technically we are viewing the grave stone technically
upside down.
Then, Jerusalem 2000, which I call the white subject, is
hung in the center of the 5 photos. The photo itself
has three subjects, the letters on the grave, a white
dove and a hand. The viewer can come up with his own
story of what the images symbolize, but to me it was
someone visiting a loved one. As they reach out their
hand trying to be closer a dove lands; a sign of peace.
Jerusalem 2005, the orange or burnt umber image, is a
gravestone in a field. A tree’s branches crawl over the
grave. Lying on top of the grave is a smaller stone
with a single Hebrew letter "shin" carved into the
stone. Again, to me it's a symbol of peace to the soul
and the visitor.
The last photo, #67 Jerusalem, is a silhouette of a man
walking down a set of stairs next to that famous
Jerusalem stone. This is a quiet and eerie shot that
leaves the viewer asking for more of the underlying
story.
After doing some research on Loulou's
work, I have found that it is not uncommon for Loulou to
take close-ups of his subjects, so that the viewer is
forced to become more intimate with them. Loulou's
photos can be appreciated as stand alone works, but it
is also apparent that they are metaphors to a larger
story and collection of work.
I recommend a visit to San Diego's MOPA to see Didier
Ben Loulou's work. Those who are just as eager as I for
new original work, and with an interest in contemporary
Israeli photography will thoroughly enjoy the exhibit
which continues through September 8.
Story
Continuations
Cinnamon Extract...
(Continued from above)
Now before people start dropping cinnamon sticks in
their hot chocolate and sprinkling it all over their
lattes - take note that the cinnamon extract developed
by Ovadia has special properties that won't be found at
coffee shops or in the kitchen cupboard. First of all,
it comes from a special variety of cinnamon; coumarin
and cinnamon aldehyde, which are by-products of cinnamon
'juice'. These are actually damaging to the liver in
high quantities, and must be removed.
"You cannot take high doses from the natural form of
cinnamon," Ovadia told ISRAEL21c. "If you used it
several times a day to protect you from the flu, it
would be toxic."
During seasonal epidemics, around 10-20% of the world is
infected with the influenza virus and the elderly and
young are particularly at risk. In America alone, the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimates that 35-50 million Americans are infected with
the flu every season. Despite the use of vaccines, the
influenza virus is still associated with significant
mortality worldwide - especially now that people travel
regularly and work together in offices and closed
spaces.
Moreover, the global circulation of the deadly Bird Flu
H5 (with more than 50% mortality in infected humans) may
cause a sudden worldwide pandemic within two to three
months. Until a vaccine is invented, antivirals will be
the only medical intervention for use in such a
pandemic, says Ovadia.
"What we know is that this technology is capable of
neutralizing viruses very fast and that it is applicable
to various applications," said Dr. Nissim Chen, the
business development manager of Ramot who managed the
commercialization process which ending up with the
licensing to Frutarom. "For example, it can be used in
air conditioning systems in hospitals and prevent
infections spreading from one person to the other in
closed spaces."
There is a growing tendency for researchers and
clinicians to explore natural compounds against disease,
agrees Chen, adding that Ovadia is well-known for his
work in natural inhibitors of snake venom.
"This work with cinnamon is really an extension of his
research. And at Tel Aviv University in general, there
are several groups working on biological and chemicals
structure of natural inhibitors," he said.
Besides the human application, Ovadia sees that cinnamon
fills an important niche in the agriculture industry
where chicks need to be immunized by hand against the
deadly Newcastle disease virus.
"If someone needs to immunize 1,000 chicks through drops
in the chick's eye, then we know they are not doing this
accurately - it is also an issue of animal welfare,"
says Ovadia.
Instead, he believes, "we will be able to administer
this cinnamon extract through a tiny pin prick in the
shell before the chick hatches." Such an immunization
gives the chickens protection against the Newcastle
virus, Ovadia assures.
Applying this research to the global scale could only be
done with the help of a large company - which is where
Frutarom comes in. The Israeli-based flavor and food
additive company has grown in the last 10-15 years from
$10 million a year to a projected $350 million by the
end of 2007.
"We're going to take this know how from a food
supplement to protect people from illness to
neutraceuticals in drugs; it can also be used in
agriculture against Bird flu - certainly it represents a
very diversified product line," said Frutarom's CEO Ori
Yehudai.
According to the company, Ovadia will continue to lead
research into the development of the extract, and
Frutarom estimates that the new cinnamon product will be
launched in about a year. Hopefully just before flu
season.
MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP), a former Director-General of the
Education Ministry, called upon Prime Minister Olmert to
fire Tamir for making an "anti-Zionist decision that
erases Jewish history and denies the State of Israel as
a Jewish state. The Education Minister gives Arabs the
legitimacy not to recognize Israel as the State of the
Jewish people. This decision marks the 'Naqba' of
Israel's education network."
Former Education Minister
Limor Livnat (Likud) declared that teaching Arab
children the "Nakba" version of Israel's creation will
encourage them to later work against the nation.
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed
Tamir as "expressing not only post-Zionism but also
political masochism... The Israel left always
complicates itself trying to justify the other side
without understanding that there is nothing to justify."
MK Meir Porush (United
Torah Judaism) said Porush said that Tamir's decision
was shameful and should be retracted and that Prime
Minister Olmert, as part of his gestures to PA chairman
Abu Mazen, might as well propose that PA officials run
Israel's Education Ministry.
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "The ZOA
believes that this a highly significant event, not
merely another one of many bad decisions made by the
Israeli government. Tamir justifies her decision by
saying that ' The Arab
narrative deserves to be told in Israel,' but this
ignores the key question – is that narrative truthful?
Schools are for teaching truth, not what some people
choose to regard as the truth.
“Schoolchildren must never be targets for indoctrination
of national myths and propaganda versions that the
historical record does not bear out. This decision to
teach the 'Palestinian narrative' as though it were fact
will serve to legitimize the rejection of Israel
by Israeli Arabs by teaching their children that
Palestinian suffering – the 'Naqba' – was produced by
Israel.
"The idea that Israel's
establishment produced Palestinian suffering is
nonsense. There would have been no 'disaster' if Arabs
had not violently rejected the idea that the Jewish
people are also entitled to a state, no matter how
small; if Arabs had not rejected the UN partition plan;
if Arab armies from five countries had not invaded
Israel on its first day of independence; if Palestinian
Arabs had not chosen to follow their leaders out of the
country to make way for the invading Arab forces in the
belief that Israel would be crushed and that they would
return safely.
“If they had not done these things, then all their
losses and suffering would never have occurred. This is
a self-inflicted wound, not an injury for which Israel,
in fighting for its survival, is responsible. It needs
to be said, again and again, that Israel did not have
the choice to fight or not fight – only the Arabs
exercised that choice and if they had chosen to accept a
peaceful outcome instead of resorting to war, all the
war consequences that actually followed need never have
occurred."
"If Israel's founding was truly a disaster for Arabs, if
Israel was such a horrible place for Israeli Arabs to
live, why did so many stay in Israel and why have so
many Arabs settled in Israel over the years? Why is it
that when there is talk of the Palestinian Authority
taking control over eastern Jerusalem, more Jerusalemite
Arabs seek Israeli citizenship? It is also a fact that
Israeli Arabs enjoy freedom of speech and press in
Israel that their brethren in Arab countries can only
dream of.
The Director of the ZOA's Center for Middle East Policy,
Dr. Daniel Mandel, a historian and author of a
book on the UN
decision to partition Palestine, said, "The history of
the Arab-Israeli wars has been lately the victim of
relativist ideas, of which the most durable has been
that there exists competing, equally valid narratives
that in the interest of truth and justice need to be
known. In fact, that has been the way propagandist
claims dear to one or another party come to be treated
as fact and as such is a disservice to the teaching of
history. Popular feelings do not determine what
happened. The facts do.
"Arab MK Ahmed Tibi has claimed that, 'The majority must
not be allowed to exist inside its own narrative bubble
and deny the existence of other views.' Yet as soon as
this decision was made, his colleague, Jamal Zehalka,
could be found calling for Israeli Arabs to be able to
solely determine the historical and cultural content of
curricula for Israeli-Arab schools and thus create a
falsified narrative bubble of their own.
“One suspects that is the whole purpose of the exercise,
but the result would be propaganda, not education.
Educational authorities should be concerned that
students learn as best and as accurately as possible
within the inevitable limitations of a school course the
story and essence of a historical subject. This purpose
will not be served if propagandist themes are recycled
as fact."
______________
Tisha B'Av at camp...
(Continued from above)
“We fight,” said one.
“But, we'll lose,” countered another.
“We talk to them, and try to bargain with them.”
“But, they're mean. They won't listen to us. And,
besides, we're little kids. If they didn't listen to
our parents, they won't listen to us.”
“We'll try to run away. We'll escape.”
“That won't work. They're probably all over Anaheim -
even in Disneyland. And in our houses. They'll just
catch us.”
“We could just give up.”
“No. I'll never give up,” said the presumably bravest
of the five-year olds.
“Then, we'll just cry,” said, presumably the most
frightened, or the saddest, of the little ones.
And, she began to cry.
And so did some others.
(Educators, be careful here. You could have mass
hysteria in a group of five-year olds.)
By this time, almost two hours had passed. The children
were somber and sad, and more than a little upset.
Ellen just kept pushing them. “What are we going to
do?”
They sat, sniffling back the tears, and thinking,
thinking, thinking.
Finally, one little child looked up, and said, “I know.
Let's all hold hands.”
And another said, “And let's sit on the ground in a
circle.”
And another said, “We'll have to sit in the circle on
hard dirt.”
Ellen continued asking, “And now what? What are we
going to do now?”
And finally, one little girl said, “I know. Let's sing
a song.”
Ellen asked, “What kind of song do you want to sing?”
“We'll sing happy songs to God.”
“Why should we sing happy songs to God?” Ellen asked in
the most Socratic way. “If we are so sad, why don't we
sing sad songs to God?” (she said, thinking of Eicha
and the kinnot being chanted at that very moment
in the synagogue.)
The little girl replied with conviction (and just a
little bit of a tone of voice that implied, “Hey old
person, why don't you get it? It's so clear to me.)”)
“If we sing happy songs, then, God won't be too sad.
And we won't be too sad either.”
So, this little one began to sing. And, before long,
all her friends joined with her.
Then, they all stood up, and formed a circle, and sat
down again in the circle in the dirt.
They were, of course, without knowing it - but, of
course, their old and deep souls knew it - sitting
shiva.
They held hands and sang some more.
They sang every song they knew, and when they finished,
they sang some of the songs over and over again.
Intuitively, instinctively they understood the teachings
of, our great sage and mystic, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Joshua
Heschel, who said (or, maybe he learned from them, or
little ones like them) , “There are three ways to
mourn. The first is to cry. The second is to grow
silent. The third is to transform sorrow into song.”
The vicissitudes and tragedies of this world can be -
and often are - overwhelming.
We look for solace and comfort, and often we find none.
We could fall into despair; we could fall into the
depths and never arise; we could give up.
Yet, the psalmist of old taught, “Weeping may tarry for
the night, but joy comes in the morning.”
“Ah,” you say. Just another cute aphorism for some old
guy in the Bible. What did he know?”
He knew a lot.
For, if, for example, our ancestors of 586 BCE or 70 CE
had succumbed to their ordeal and their gloom, we would
not be here to tell the tale.
And, how do we not succumb? How do we prevail?
The psalmist again: “Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before God in joy.”
“Come, let us sing unto the Lord.”
So, the children were right (aren't they always?
Shouldn't we listen to them more often? They carry such
deep and ancient truths in their little beings. We
should pay better attention before they get old and
jaded - like us.)
Grief turns to hope, and, eventually, to gladness
through song, through coming to God in joy.
We remember and we mourn the destructions on this Tisha
B'Av.
And, we “transform sorrow into song.”
And, then, not through our mourning, but through our
glad song will we be to tell our tale to yet another
generation.
Then, they, too - though they will, surely, in their
time, experience moments of sadness and grief - will
burst forth in song, and, then, “Again will be heard
incites of Judah and the byways of Jerusalem - and all
places where Jews live - the voice of the bride and the
bridegroom; the voice of joy and gladness.”