Kesher Talk: 12/09/2001

Root Causes of Jewish Terrorism: "Watch for the root-cause crowd to come forward with the usual explanations: The poverty and oppression under which L.A. Jews live makes this sort of thing understandable, if not inevitable; they did it as a protest against U.S. foreign policy; their alleged targets need to ask themselves: Why do they hate us? Yeah, we expect to hear this stuff any minute now." (OpinionJournal.com)

The Gipper had them sussed a long time ago: "I don't think you can overstate the importance that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism will have to the rest of the world in the century ahead -- especially if, as seems possible, its most fanatical elements get their hands on nuclear and chemical weapons and the means to deliver them against their enemies." – Ronald Reagan, An American Life, chapter 57. (Thanks to Andrew Sullivan)

What would have happened if Kuwait had won? Steven Plaut asks: "Suppose that the Kuwaiti defense forces had succeeded in rallying and repulsing the Iraqi invaders in 1990. What would have happened thereafter?"

A fascinating WHAT-IF? scenario on National Review Online.

Further on the JDL: My colleague went to high school with Rubin in California. He has been in touch with other classmates, and they are all quite perturbed.

Two Calif. Men Charged In Plot to Bomb Mosque: From the Washington Post: "Two leaders of the militant Jewish Defense League were arrested here Tuesday night as they were assembling bombs to use in planned attacks against one of the city's largest mosques and the local offices of an Arab American House member, federal officials announced today. The two men, Irving David Rubin and Earl Leslie Krugel, were charged today with conspiracy to manufacture and detonate bombs targeting Arab and Muslim buildings in the Los Angeles area, as well as the San Clemente offices of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who is a grandson of Lebanese immigrants."

Yes, there are poor Jews! "Like the more than 2 million Jews who came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century in search of the American dream, thousands went further south -- to Argentina -- hoping to find a brighter future. Now, however, with Argentina in the throes of a wrenching economic crisis, the immigrants' descendants find their dreams shattered. There are approximately 50,000 Argentine Jews living below the poverty line, Bernardo Kliksberg, of the Inter-American Development Bank, told JTA." (Cleveland Jewish News)

Hillary Clinton becomes Israel's friend: In this telling excerpt from Steven Menashi on The American Enterprise Online, we see Hillary's redemption:

Senator Clinton has emerged as an ardent champion of Israeli interests—a surprising development for a politician who, as First Lady, called for the creation of a Palestinian state with Arafat at the helm—before any White House official had publicly announced support for such a state. In 1998, she attended a meeting of the Palestine National Council, where she lauded Arafat’s leadership and again declared that establishing a Palestinian state was necessary to Middle East peace.

Clinton’s early support for Palestinian statehood rankled the Israeli government as well as supporters of Israel at home. But her 1999 meeting with the Palestinian First Lady was even more disastrous. Hillary listened attentively as Suha Arafat bizarrely accused Israel of poisoning Palestinians with toxic gas and as other Palestinian Authority officials called for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. After the remarks, Clinton embraced Mrs. Arafat and kissed her on the cheek. She did not reply to the anti-Israel harangue until, after outcry by the Israeli prime minister and American Jewish leaders, Clinton lamely offered, “I do not believe any kind of inflammatory rhetoric or baseless charges are good for the peace process.”

At the time, Clinton supporters worried that the First Lady’s record on Israel would cost her the Senate race in New York, where 12 percent of voters are Jewish. But Clinton shifted her position. As a candidate, she called for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which she called “the eternal and indivisible capital of Israel,” and announced, in July 2000, “I’d like to see that move be made before the end of the year.” She blamed Arafat for the failure of the Camp David peace talks: “It’s clear that Prime Minister Barak came committed to reaching a deal that would guarantee peace and security for Israel and the entire region,” Clinton told CBS Radio, “and I’m sorry that Chairman Arafat didn’t show the same commitment.

Hillary even raised concern about “due process issues” in the government’s 1987 sentencing of Jonathan Pollard, the U.S. Navy analyst caught spying for Israel. She defended Ariel Sharon’s controversial visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. And she slammed Arafat for “teaching hatred” to Palestinian children through “racist” public school textbooks.

As Senator, she persevered on the textbooks issue. In August she began a campaign to grant membership in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements to Israel’s relief organization, Magen David Adom.

In May, Hillary had another confrontation with Suha Arafat, who said in a magazine interview “I hate Israel” and “peace with them [Israelis] is a lie.” This time, Clinton quickly condemned the remarks as “offensive and very disgusting.”

Most significantly, Clinton has defended an Israeli military response to terrorism—even before terrorism became the primary concern of the United States. At a March 2001 press conference, Clinton said, “It is imperative that the United States support Israel in its struggle to defend itself and its citizens from attack.” She urged President Bush to reevaluate U.S.-Palestinian relations, to classify Arafat’s special forces as foreign terrorist organizations, and to hold Arafat personally responsible for Palestinian violence against Israelis.

Even more dramatic, the New York Post revealed in April that Clinton donated more than $1,200 to buy bulletproof vests and helmets for Israelis working in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

After September 11, Senator Clinton has become even more strident: “Yasser Arafat needs to understand that in America we have a zero tolerance policy toward terrorism,” she said December 1, “you are either with us or you are with the terrorists.”

Some have questioned Clinton’s sincerity. “I would believe what she said before,” Najat Arafat Khelil, national president of the Palestinian American Congress, told the New York Observer during Hillary’s Senate campaign. “Now she’s pandering and she’s looking for votes.”

Pandering or not, Hillary Clinton has metamorphosed from the most prominent advocate of Palestinian statehood to a reliable Israeli hawk—at least as long as she represents New York in the Senate.

Naval Academy May Have Jewish Chapel: Before Jewish midshipmen gather for Friday evening services, Rabbi Irving Elson makes sure the cross is moved and stored away out of sight. A few other adjustments, and the All Faiths Chapel at the Naval Academy is transformed into a synagogue for the roughly 80 Jewish midshipmen in the 4,000-member brigade at Annapolis. Unlike students of their faith at West Point and the Air Force Academy, Jews at the Naval Academy have no religious home of their own. They have to make do with a small, interfaith chapel used for other religious events, including daily Catholic masses. Hanukkah will be observed there for eight nights starting Sunday, with a menorah lighting in the chapel. Soon, however, Jewish midshipmen will soon have their own house of worship. A campaign led by a group called Friends of the Jewish Chapel is well on the way to raising $10 million in private funds to put the Naval Academy on equal footing with the other major service academies. Organizers hope that Jewish students in the class of 2005 will be able to worship in the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel before they graduate. (From the AP)

A plan to bring the Jews of Afghanistan to Israel: This bizarre story emenates from Arabicnews.com: "The Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Am said in its Saturday's issue that Israel is preparing measures to evacuate the Jews of Afghanistan to Israel. High ranking Israeli sources quoted a Jewish Rabbi of "Pashtune" origin as saying that large number of the Afghani Jews had converted to Islam and should be returned back to their religion ( Judaism ). Certain sides at the Israeli ministry of enrolling Jews in Israel estimated their number at 1.5 million. The sources indicated that the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon gave his instructions to prepare houses for those persons and to provide them with weapons and to expand settlements they will live in later. News reports said that the representatives of the Afghani Jews had actually arrived in Israel since two weeks in order to coordinate over the move of the Jews from Afghanistan through Islam Abaad to Tel Aviv and to give them the liberty to choose their places of living."

Jews on Edge in Bulgaria: "Historically, it absolutely doesn't exist here," said Dr. Kalo, who is the leader of Bulgaria's community of 7,000 Jews. He was reacting to posters hyping a new Bulgarian translation of Mein Kampf - a publicity campaign from the publisher. (The New York Times, Posters of Hitler Rouse Talk, and Fears, in Bulgaria)

How many Muslims are there in America? The Weekly Standard Online tackles this difficult question, summarizing my research, which was recently published as an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor. The Standard reiterates that "while there may be no definitive number, "six to seven million" is a gross exaggeration."

Germany and the Jews, revisisted: From the June 29th UPI Hears: Germany's policy of welcoming anyone claiming Jewish ancestry as an immigrant has resulted in 137,000 people doing so over the past decade, more than tripling Germany's Jewish population. Now Paul Spiegel, president of Germany's Jewish Council, is calling for a halt and claiming that up to a quarter of the new immigrants are not Jewish. Spiegel wants preliminary checks to make sure applicants are genuine and proficient in the German language. "They are not truly Jewish according to our religious laws. They do not have a Jewish mother or they have not converted officially to Judaism," says the leader of Germany's Jewish community. "Two-thirds of those who have immigrated are dependent on social welfare payments. A lot of that is because they don't have proficiency in German. … Only those who can speak German have a chance to find work."

Approaching the 2nd night of hanukkah: Lit the candles last night for the first time in a year. On NRO Weekend, Eric Field retells the story and draws modern parallels: "Hanukkah ...illuminates both the nature of our civilization today and the internal and external challenges that threaten to destroy it. Hanukkah likewise illuminates the suffering and prospects of battered modern Israel. Jewish religious events have a way of shedding new light on humanity and history. Let us light our candles and pray."

Saving your marriage by celebrating Hanukkah together? Well, this psychology study says so. Funny, given how low Hannukah sits on the Jewish totem pole of religious importance... "Trimming the Christmas tree or lighting menorah candles together may strengthen your marriage"

Terrorist chic in Congress: A key aide to Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney resigned last week after writing a letter to the Hill newspaper. In the letter, Raeed Tayeh, identifying himself as McKinney’s aide, opined: "What is more disturbing to me is that many of these pro-Israeli lawmakers sit on the House International Relations Committee despite the obvious conflict of interest that their emotional attachments to Israel cause… The Israeli occupation of all territories must end, including Congress.” It turns out that Tayeh has an interesting past. According to the Forward newspaper, “Mr. Tayeh has served on the executive board of the Islamic Association for Palestine, based in Richardson, Texas and Chicago. Authorities say that the IAP's finances are entwined with those of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, also based in Richardson and Chicago. On Tuesday, the government froze the assets of the foundation, saying that it finances the terrorist group Hamas. As recently as this fall Mr. Tayeh worked as a researcher at the United Association for Studies and Research. In 1993 a convicted Hamas operative testified in an Israeli court that the UASR was the political arm of Hamas in the United States.” (Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for this one)

Chinese synagogue hopes for restoration: "Shanghai resident Seth Kaplan got tired of celebrating the High Holy days in rented hotel spaces while the city’s oldest intact synagogue sat empty, deteriorating just a few miles away. So along with others in his congregation of expatriates, Kaplan, 34, began advocating for the restoration of Ohel Rachel, which the Chinese Communists had turned into a warehouse. Their efforts came to fruition recently when the World Monuments Fund added the synagogue, built in the 1920s, to the 2002 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. The fund, which publishes the list to bring attention to threatened cultural sites around the world, revises its list every two years. The 2002 list includes one other synagogue, Subotica Synagogue in Yugoslavia, built in 1902. The list includes well-known sites such as the Great Wall of China as well as more obscure ones such as a Gothic church in Poland. According to Henry Ng, the fund’s executive vice president, Ohel Rachel was chosen because it symbolizes the long history of the Jews in China. "This is really the only active synagogue left in all of China that’s authentic," he said." (The Jewish Journal Of Greater Los Angeles)

Kabul's last 2 Jews carry feud into Hanukkah: "To the glow of candles and the soft cadence of Hebrew blessings, the Jews of Kabul celebrated the first night of Hanukkah in a city finally free of harsh Taliban rule. But there were only two of them — and each was alone." (AP)

Egg on Eggleton: "As we have watched the violence of the past days in Israel, let us be clear: the Israeli people are suffering," Mr. Eggleton said, referring to last week's suicide bombings in the Israeli cities of Jerusalem and Haifa, which killed 26 people. Then he added, "The Palestinian people are suffering." That prompted an angry reaction from the hundreds-strong rally against terrorism, organized by the Israel Now collection of Jewish community groups. Some heckled Mr. Eggleton while others hissed as Israeli flags were waved in the air. (National Post)

Kesher Talk

Friday, December 14, 2001

Thursday, December 13, 2001

Wednesday, December 12, 2001

Tuesday, December 11, 2001

Monday, December 10, 2001

Navigate this site

Previous Posts

Links

Archives