Kesher Talk: 05/26/2002

Friday, May 31, 2002

Osama's blog goes bye-bye: Well it is still available, but the blogger has run out of good jokes, so he's packing it in on daily updates. For now, I'll keep him in the links list anyhow: osama's bin bloggin

Wearing a yarmulke: WarNow shares a sermon on how it feels and what it means for a Reform Jew to start wearing his kippa in everyday Aussie life.

Praise the heat: I don't do so myself - it is only in the mid-eighties in DC, and I am sweltering every time I set foot outside of my air-conditioned office. But Gil Shterzer (The Israeli Guy) offers a reason such heat waves are a good thing in the Holy Land:

It is starting to get more and more hot and humid here in Israel. I think today was the first of those hot disgusting days that we suffer from each summer in Tel Aviv and the costal area. Its not the heat that bothers me as those the humidity - together is a killing combination.

One good thing though: summer makes it much harder for suicide bombers to infiltrate unnoticed to crowded places. During winter they usually hide their explosive belt under a coat, but in during the summer only a fool will wear a coat. It's not impossible for them to succeed now, only its much harder.

Arafat chips: Damian Penny puts the terrorist fundraising of Arafat's potato chips into proper perspective. The free market may be grisly, but it ain't stupid...

Another Jewish centerfold: Anita Marks plays football, talks sports, and of course, poses in Playboy.

She is also doing commercial endorsements alongside Miami's professional Jewish quaterback, Jay Fiedler. ''A city with two Jewish quarterbacks? It's the first time ever, and it's pretty unique,'' she said.

Marks, 32, said people always want to make a shidduch (match up) between the two athletes. Alan Posner, the CEO for ChampionLyte, even invited both of them to his Passover Seder.

''I had a dream about Jay Fiedler,'' Marks told her co-host on her 7-9 a.m. radio program. ''We were at Alan Posner's house for Seder. And I leaned over and whispered in Jay's ear and said . . .'' She pauses to increase the anticipation, then purrs, ' `Pass me the gefilte fish.' ''

While she doesn't think she is changing views on women in sports with her play on the field or talk on the radio, she hopes she can open some eyes. Her photo spread might help.

''It's very tastefully done,'' Marks said about her upcoming, seven-page pictorial. ``It's really cool and there are some very artistic shots.''

Out-of-state Jewish funders key to Alabama primary: Jewish fundraising from out-of-state could be they key in Artur Davis' attempts to unseat 5-term incumbent House Representative Earl Hilliard, a consistent foe of Israel on the Congressional floor. The primary will be held this coming Tuesday.

The most interesting aspect of the race is, indeed, race. Both candidates are black.

According to the Wall Street Journal today (link requires subscription):

Nearly one-third of the House black caucus, including Mr. Hilliard, didn't support a recent resolution backing Israel and condemning Palestinian suicide bombings. The measure otherwise drew overwhelming support in the House.

"There is growing concern about anti-Israel votes and statements coming from some members of the black caucus," says Morris Amitay, a Washington lawyer and former president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. One prominent caucus member, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D., Ga.), also made recent headlines by sending a letter to a Saudi prince that said she agreed with his call for a reassessment of the U.S. role in the Mideast.

That concern has resulted in limited political action, and most black caucus members are all but unassailable politically within their districts. But Mr. Hilliard, who already has been weakened by allegations of ethical improprieties and faces a credible African-American challenger, is an exception whom some national backers of Israel decided to target.

Who is the mover and shaker behind the Jewish support of Davis? Donald Hess, a local Birmingham businessman and Jewish activist, who used to support Rep. Hilliard. Hess took Davis to the most recent AIPAC convention in DC and they made the rounds of the influential and wealthy.

"The effort paid immediate dividends. Patsy Berman, a Florida retiree, met Mr. Davis at the AIPAC meeting and was so impressed with his comments on the Middle East and domestic issues she wrote him a check immediately."

Hess also spurred Davis to make a fund-raising visit to New York.

"The results of the trip are plain from recently filed Federal Election Commission reports. Mr. Davis raised $360,636 from April 1 to May 20, three times what the incumbent raised in the same period. And 75% of the donations came from the New York City area. Most of the donors came to know Mr. Davis at one of eight New York City fund-raisers, arranged over two days last month by AIPAC members who first met Mr. Davis only the week before at the convention."

That money will pay for Mr. Davis's television-ad campaign, including one spot placing Mr. Hilliard's sanctions bill at odds with rescue efforts following Sept. 11. Rep. Hilliard is fighting back on the radio, but says he can't afford TV ads.

It is unusual for any House challenger to out-raise an incumbent. In Alabama, Mr. Davis's cash infusion is allowing him to dominate the media battle in the campaign's closing days, fueling his hopes for an upset.

It won't be easy. A former state legislator, Mr. Hilliard has commanded intense loyalty from black voters since the district was created as a majority black district in 1992 to conform with the Civil Rights Act. In addition, he has had the backing of some members of the congressional black caucus, including John Lewis, the Democratic congressman and civil-rights icon from Georgia, who has prepared taped messages for use by the Hilliard campaign.

Anti-Israeli groups have tried to mobilize in support of Hilliard and have set up a website proclaiming: "Don't Let AIPAC Snuff Out Another Principled Voice." They have mostly made not-so-oblique references to "Jewish money."

It ain't pretty.

"A flier that circulated during the campaign bore the headline: "Davis and the Jews no good for the Black Belt." Both candidates' campaigns said they had nothing to do with the flier."

Equivocating Rabbi reviews "The Osbournes": Rabbi Fred Marcus' verdict on first watching the MTV show:

"I guess you have to give them credit for having a semi-functional family, which is actually saying a lot compared to many families I counsel," Marcus says. "The parents are always around for the kids to talk to. In addition, the parents are actually interested in the kids' activities. Those are very positive things for parents to do."

Thursday, May 30, 2002

Any Israel supporters in Ohio available tomorrow? CAIR sent notice of an anti-Israel demonstration in Columbus, Ohio.

WHAT: On Friday May 31, 2002, Statewide coalition calls on all people of
conscience to participate in a DEMONSTRATION to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and to protest the latest Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.

WHEN: FRIDAY May 31, 2002, NOON

WHERE: Ohio Statehouse, Intersection of Broad and High streets Columbus, Ohio (Parking: City Center parking garage or any parking nearby)

CONTACT: Jad Humeidan, CAIR-Ohio, (614)451-3232, ohio@cair-net.org

SPONSORS: American Friends Service Committee, September 11th Coalition, Women in Black, Cross Creek Community Church, Jews Against The Occupation, Jewish Voices Against The Occupation, Arab Americans of Central Ohio, Arab Student Association, Council on American-Islamic Relations -Ohio, Committee for Justice in Palestine, Columbus Campaign for Arms Control, Holy Resurrection Melkite Catholic Byzantine Church, Islamic Law Student's Association, Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio, Muslim Student Association, Progressive Peace Coalition, Student International Forum, United Muslim Association of Toledo

Whatever happend to Abu Nidal? The Council on Foreign Relations' Terrorism Q&A profiles the terrorist and his organization

Cracks overheard at dinner last Wednesday: If James Carville and Geraldo Rivera were drowning and you could only save one, would you read the paper or make a sandwich?

Mark Twain's favorite audience: Intelligent, informed, inquisitive and drunk.

Padme Amidala is not just a JAP...: According to this Jewsweek profile, actress Natalie Portman is not just a JAP. OK, well, she plays one on screen, but that ain't everything.

Moviemaking, Portman said, takes up much her time, but attending Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is what keeps her grounded. Harvard allows her to discover herself, she said. And she takes much of her inspiration from her experiences there.

Speaking of Harvard, here is Portman's outraged letter to the Harvard Crimson, taking issue with one of their anti-Israeli articles (see the Washington Post for background):

Faisal Chaudhry writes of the American and Israeli desire to “reconstruct the ideological framework” of the Middle East situation, while creatively framing the same article with a conversion into a “white” vs. “brown” struggle (Op-Ed, “An Ideology of Oppression,” April 11). At one point, Chaudhry even compares the situation to apartheid. This is a distortion of the fact that most Israelis and Palestinians are indistinguishable physically.

The Israeli government itself is comprised of a great number Sephardic Jews, many of whom originate from Arab countries. The chief of staff of the army, the minister of defense (who is the new leader of the labor party), the minister of finance and the president of Israel are all “brown.” One might have an idea of the physical likeness between Arabs and Israelis by examining this week’s Newsweek cover on which an 18-year-old female Palestinian suicide bomber and her 17-year-old female Israeli victim could pass for twins.

Israelis and Arabs are historically cousins. Until we accept the fact that we are constituents of the same family, we will blunder in believing that a loss for one “side”—or, as Chaudhry names it, a “color”—is not a loss for all human kind.

Outrageous and untrue finger-pointing is a childish tactic that disregards the responsibility of all parties involved, including Europe, the Arab nations and the United States, along with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

We must be ashamed of every act of violence and mourn every child as if they were our own. I pray for the safety of all those in the region and hope that we may someday use our unique human assets of language and empathy rather than military technology or propaganda to resolve this conflict.

Dictator translation guide: John Hawkins provides a translation guide for lay people to use when listening to Middle Eastern dictators.

"SFSU Blog Burst": Joe Katzman has dedicated his blog this week to the tremors at San Francisco State University and has enlisted a heap of other bloggers to join him.

Jews in Space! This time, it's no Mel Brooks movie. But it is indeed complicated.

Cosmiverse discusses the difficulties faced by the first ever Israeli astronaut, Colonel Ilan Ramon, scheduled to go up on the Columbia in July. Ramon is an observant Jew.

...the Sabbath in space occurs every 10.5 hours in orbit. Jews are required to observe the Sabbath "every seventh day", starting at sunset on Friday evening and ending the following day "when three stars are seen".

They must refrain from any "creative work" on the Sabbath and say three sets of prayers, ideally in a synagogue. Strict Jews mark the beginning of Sabbath by reciting a prayer over wine -- the Kiddush -- sanctifying the holy day.

Aboard the space shuttle however, Colonel Ilan Ramon will orbit the earth every 90 minutes, with each orbit counting technically as a day because from his perspective the sun has risen and set. The stars will be visible to him at all times.

NASA has already agreed to provide Ramon with kosher food (an endless supply of Tang?) but what to do about his Shabbat observance? He asked his rabbi, who referred the question to rabbis world-wide. And of course, they don't agree!

One of the scholars consulted, Rabbi Levy Yitzhak Halperin, has already ruled the colonel should be relieved of his obligations as he will not be experiencing "Earth time". This opinion is not shared by a British colleague, who insists that since one cannot exist in space without recreating Earth-like conditions that make it habitable, one should follow the same routine in Space as they would on Earth.

The British rabbi did offer an alternative reason why Col. Ramon should be excused from strict adherence during his flight saying that Ramon's fellow crew members are unlikely to appreciate him taking time off during what is likely to be a very intense mission, especially when to do so might endanger their lives.

UPDATE: Rabbi Yossie Denburg told the Sunday Telegraph that "This is one small step for Col. Ramon, but a large step for Jews worldwide."

2nd UPDATE: A reader of the Volokhs recalls an old Rabbinical tale:

There is a famous story (it may be apocryphal) that I've heard about [the late] Rabbi Yitzhak Hutner (the former head of the Yeshiva Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn and a famous luminary in the circles that make rabbis famous). He was asked by a student back in the 50's or 60s when to keep the Sabbath on the moon.

He replied "Here is a Quarter, call me when you get there." Well I guess that time has come.

CBS reports on European Jews: Last night, CBS reported:

Demonstrators from across Europe converged on Belgium today, to protest a surge of anti-Semitic attacks. Brussels police say about 4,000 people were there demanding European support for Israel, and denouncing violence against Jews and vandalism against Jewish institutions in France and elsewhere.

... A synagogue bombed in Lyon. A cemetery in Strasbourg desecrated. To some in France, recent violent attacks on a series of Jewish targets are looking less like random isolated crimes of anger, more like an alarming pattern.

Serge Cwagenbaum of the European Jewish Congress was shown saying, "We are concerned. We are concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism. In the last three weeks, only three weeks, we have been confronted with over 350 attacks."

CBS continues:

While one government official described the violence -- or dismissed it -- as 'spillover' from hostilities in the Middle East, France's President calls it 'unpardonable.' But there've been few arrests, and French Jews aren't all feeling reassured.

... And not just Jews in France. This is a synagogue in Kiev. This one's in London. For many Jews in Europe, feeling vulnerable is not a completely foreign experience; more like memory than history. What is different is the worry, there's a new twist to an old threat. Among Europe's growing groups of North African and Muslim immigrants, anger at Israel and sympathy for Palestinians is rekindling religious hate, says one man who relishes the turmoil.

... So far, say European experts, there's no evidence any new alliance or conspiracy is behind these crimes against Jews and their property; a reassurance that's providing little comfort.

UPDATE: The European Jewish Congress organized a big rally in Brussels, timed to coincide with some EU parliamentary vote.

Wednesday, May 29, 2002

The "Israeli silent majority": Thomas Friedman describes today the key to Middle East peace: the Israeli Silent Majority.

"... this Suicide War has badly alienated the only party that can deliver the Palestinians a state — the Israeli silent majority. The whole history of the peace process can be reduced to one simple point: If the Palestinians persuade the Israeli center that they are ready to live side by side in peace, they will get a state; if they don't, they won't. Everything else is just commentary."

Indeed, the "silent majority" wanted to believe the Palestinians and wanted to give them a state. Now, there is no more silent majority. The desire to be rid of the Palestinians and the territories is almost universal. But so is the understanding that simply offering the Israeli throat will not bring peace.

Oh, did I mention that Friedman is still yammering that the U.S. or NATO must intervene?

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Minister bans gossip in church: I saw this Anova item and immediately thought of shuel instead. There are pluses and minuses to this sort of edict. On the plus side, you discourage the breaking of L'shonhora (Jewish rules on appropriate and inappropriate speech). But at the same time, the synagogue is supposed to be a meeting place, where both the essentially secular Jew and the highly observant can come and be part of the community. As far as I am concerned, as long as folks are babbling outside the prayer hall itself (i.e. not disturbing anyone), I see no problem with it.

Kesher Talk

Friday, May 31, 2002

Thursday, May 30, 2002

Wednesday, May 29, 2002

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

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