Kesher Talk: 06/01/2003

Jews in odd places: the South: In 1960, there were 167 Jewish communities in the South, 98 of which had Jewish populations of between 100 and 500 people.

By 1997, that number had dropped to 141, with only 62 communities averaging between 100 and 500 Jews.

But enterprises like the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life are trying their hardest to keep Southern Jewry alive and well. But for Jewish life in the Deep South to overcome the twin plagues of attrition and assimilation, argues Macy Hart, executive director of the Institute, American Jewish culture must change.

And JTA profiles the last Jew in Demopolis, Alabama.

Intermarriage and genetics According to author Jon Entine, the current era of Jews marrying gentiles is not unique, historically speaking. While other peoples have come and gone over the millennia, the world Jewish community has survived both through eras of horrific persecution and eras of high rates of intermarriage. Today's Jews are almost all the descendents of that core of past Jews who raised their children within the faith and the community.

Entine, a southern California science journalist, is writing a book on Jewish history with the working title of "From Abraham's Seed: How Genetic Research is Unlocking the Story of the Bible and the Unique History of God's Chosen People." It's slated for publication in spring 2004 by Gotham Books, an imprint of Penguin/Putnam. UPI has an insightful Q & A with Entine.

Needless to say, I look forward to reading his book.

Shavuot count-down: Day 49 of counting the Omer. Using Kabbalistic symbology for counting the Omer - the days between the 2nd night of Pesach and the start of Shavuot - tonight begins the Malchut of Malchut: Nobility in Nobility. Rabbi Simon Jacobson's meditation for this day of the Omer:

Examine the sovereignty of your sovereignty. Does it come from deep-rooted inner confidence in myself? Or is it just a put-on to mask my insecurities? Does that cause my sovereignty to be excessive? Am I aware of my uniqueness as a person? Of my personal contribution?

(More on counting the Omer here)

Tomorrow night begins the Festival of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

After we have accomplished all we can through our own initiative, then we are worthy to receive a gift (matan) from Above which we could not have achieved with our own limited faculties. We receive the ability to reach and touch the Divine; not only to be cultivated human beings who have refined all of our personal characteristics, but divine human beings who are capable of expressing ourselves above and beyond the definitions and limitations of our beings.

The Kabbalists of the 1500s (including Shlomo Alkabetz, known as the author of the Shabbat theme song, "Lecha Dodi") created a ritual of staying up all the first night of Shavuot studying Torah, a custom which is being revived. Last year I took advantage of the multiplicity of Jewish life in NYC to attend study sessions at three different congregations. This year I will be at a retreat upstate. Hag sameach Shavuot, everyone!

Another deserter from Blogspot: this time it's Allison from the Unsealed Room. She just got a new one with a seemingly larger window, at the ever expanding Blogmosis household. Go say "hi".

Is it anti-semitic? I say yes. I have to disagree with William on this. Blatant anti-semitic images are being used here: Jews motivated by money above all other things, Jews with hooked noses. Glenn says it best:

What's next, big-lipped black people being lured with watermelon?

Shavuot count-down: Day 48 of counting the Omer. Using Kabbalistic symbology for counting the Omer - the days between the 2nd night of Pesach and the start of Shavuot - tonight begins the Yesod of Malchut: Bonding in Nobility. Rabbi Simon Jacobson's meditation for this day of the Omer:

Examine the bonding aspect of your sovereignty. Healthy independence should not prevent you from bonding with another person. On the contrary: self-confidence allows you to respect and trust another's sovereignty and ultimately bond with him. That bond will strengthen your own sovereignty, rather than sacrifice it. Does my sovereignty prevent me from bonding? Could that be because of deeper insecurities of which I am unaware? Do I recognize the fact that a fear of bonding reflects a lack of self-confidence in my own sovereignty?

(More on counting the Omer here)

Is it anti-semitic? I say no: Glenn Reynolds called this cartoon anti-semitic, and chronicles the background story where it was published -- at the Chicago Tribune.

However, I think Glenn overstates the case. It is simply a matter of bias -- bias that says Israel is the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Bush has explicitly NOT promised more money, nor does it seem at all probable that he would. While Bush did want to increase our aid outlays to Israel, someone as committed to his own country's survival as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would not sell out national security for a measly increase in U.S. aid. The tradeoff just is not worthwhile. Ariel may see the usefulness in giving Bush a chance with his road map. Or maybe he is just playing to world opinion. Who knows?

What we do know is that a less biased cartoon would show another bureaucrat facing Arafat on the other side of the bridge. This one would be extending the bridge towards Arafat while Arafat backs farther and farther away. In fact, that part of the bridge would not even be built yet. Needless to say, Arafat would be waiting on the other side with suicide bombers and an army of terrorists.

Of course, perhaps the cartoonist is not as dumb as we think... he does show Arafat at the other end of the bridge, and not Abu Mazen...

Stuff. A charming attempt to avoid speciesism in Vancouver.

British Apostles of High Kulchah describe, nay, fulminate, over novels they love to hate. (Lord of the Rings got the most votes, with Joyce, Proust, the Bible, Ayn Rand, and many others taking licks.)

I went to a retrospective of Bill Plympton animations a few weeks ago, moderated by the man himself. Before the program began, this droll pean to industrial processes was playing on a loop in the background. Check it out.

Cool new technology. Or rather, hot new technology. (via Dean Esmay)

Shavuot count-down: Day 47 of counting the Omer. Using Kabbalistic symbology for counting the Omer - the days between the 2nd night of Pesach and the start of Shavuot - tonight begins the Hod of Malchut: Humility in Nobility. Rabbi Simon Jacobson's meditation for this day of the Omer:

Sovereignty is G-d's gift to each individual. Hod of Malchut is the humble appreciation of this exceptional gift. Does my sovereignty and independence humble me? Am I an arrogant leader? Do I appreciate the special qualities I was blessed with?

(More on counting the Omer here)

The BlogSpot conspiracy. I haven't posted much on Salam Pax, and I have been reading his blog intermittantly, but I have been bemused by the way bloggers of left, right and every shade inbetween have been projecting their own issues and needs onto him. What do I think about Salam Pax? I want somebody to explain why Blogspot doesn't eat his archives like it does everyone else's. What more proof do you need that he's a CIA plant?

Seriously, Jeff Jarvis lays out exactly what I think, and have thought all along, and have said in comment threads here and there. Read the whole thing.

How's the peace going? The longest single post I've ever seen on Instapundit assesses the current situation in Iraq, with links as needed. And more where that came from.

Shavuot count-down: Day 46 of counting the Omer. Using Kabbalistic symbology for counting the Omer - the days between the 2nd night of Pesach and the start of Shavuot - tonight begins the Netzach of Malchut: Endurance in Nobility. Rabbi Simon Jacobson's meditation for this day of the Omer:

A person's dignity and a leader's success are tested by his endurance level. Will and determination reflect the power and majesty of the human spirit. How determined am I in reaching my goals? How strong is my conviction to fight for a dignified cause? How confident am I in myself? Is my lack of endurance a result of my low self-esteem? Do I mask my insecurities by finding other excuses for my low endurance level?

(More on counting the Omer here)

Mike Sultan on Saudi Arabia: A Saudi Arabian government official said that the Al Qaida members in his country are capable of striking again ...

... after all, the official said, they're still cashing my checks.

Extreme Left and Right meet in the middle Dept. In case you were wondering what David Duke's been up to lately, looks like he's gone international. He has appointed (or should that be anointed) himself "National President" of the "European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO)." Searching for your Nazi roots, eh, David?

(via LGF comments)

New York Salute to Israel Parade. This Sunday, June 1st, is the annual Salute to Israel Parade up 5th Avenue, culminating in a concert in Central Park, which this year will also function as a rally against the proposed Road Map.

My first parade was last year. It was a beautiful day. I joined friends from one of the minyans I attend, and we watched about 3 hours of parade, bought food from Central Park concession stands, schmoozed, and cheered and critiqued floats and costumes and signs as they passed by. There were estimated half a million people along the route, with over 100 participating organizations from all over the East Coast, from the entire spectrum of Jewish life (except maybe the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox).

Asparagirl wrote a parade report last year. The photos give you a good idea of what it was like.

UPDATE: Predictably, some anti-Israel protests are planned both at the parade and in front of the UN.

9:00AM-1:00PM Forum at the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza, 2nd Floor conference room. Justice in Palestine: The Responsibility of the UN and the International Community Keynote address by professor Edward Said, Columbia University. Presentations by Cindy Corrie, Rabab Abdulhadi, Starhawk, Nadia Hijab and Simona Sharoni. RSVP: pjsa@evergreen.edu

2:00--4:00PM Vigil in Solidarity with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in front of the United Nations. Contact: Simona Sharoni, SharoniS@evergreen.edu

On June 5th I will be on my way to a Shavuot retreat upstate. But if any pro-Israel demos are planned for that day, send me the info and I'll post it here before I go.

UPDATE: A report on the parade, and a personal encounter.

France and Israel are not the same: Binyamin Netanyahu says that the Europeans erroneously equate Israel's presence in the territories to France's colonialization of Algeria, forgetting that Israel's ties to Judea and Samaria go a bit deeper than France's 100-year connection to Algeria; that the Algerians never claimed Paris as their capital, and certainly were never committed to wiping France off the map. However, Herb Keinon notices similarities between Algeria's land-for-peace solution and what is on the table for Israel. (Jerusalem Post, May 8)

Kesher Talk

Friday, June 06, 2003

Thursday, June 05, 2003

Wednesday, June 04, 2003

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

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