Kesher Talk: 07/06/2003

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Political humor from LGF.

I have a friend from back in our Peace Corps/PETA days who has a brother-in-law who has a friend of another friend's cousin who has a Top Secret job in the Bushitler White House. He sat in on a super secret meeting last week between Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft, the CIA, Osama bin Laden, Haliburton, Fox News, Clear Channel and a host of top executives from US oil companies. This meeting was about how the CIA and Haliburton have found a way to develop oil from human bodies.

Bush and the CIA are quickly developing plans to enact martial law by calling back the deployed military and rounding up American citizens to be herded into huge concentration camps. Our bodies will be ground up and combined with a secret Haliburton developed chemical that will turn each body into about 3 gallons of oil.

The only people who will be left alone are rich executives from multibillion dollar corporations who are currently getting huge tax cuts from Bushitler! Bush promised to keep the huge tax cuts coming for their support in turning the US populace into OIL!!! People, we have to do something now!!! I suggest we all quickly move to Canada or France!

I'm posting this story everywhere to get the word out! Please pass it on!

Friday, July 11, 2003

Eye on the ball.

I shook hands with the President last week. I was wearing my kippah and said simply "thank you for everything you do" and then turned and began to walk away. In front of hundreds of people he called me back, looked me straight in the eye and said "remember, security first, then peace".

Naive terrorist dupes Dept. Bookmark for reference Zachary Cohen's recent post on Rachel Corrie - it's chock-full of useful links going back to the beginning of the story. (And here are some more.) This recent quote from an ISM organizer is illuminating:

Barclay said in an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, she knowingly worked with representatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- terrorist groups that sponsor suicide bombings and exist, according to their charters, to demolish the Jewish state entirely.

Barclay acknowledged that in organizing a non-violent February march on an Israel-imposed gate that divided eastern and western Nablus, she worked with representatives from the two groups. "We are open to working with any political party as long as they are interested in non-violent resistance," Barclay said. "It's almost irrelevant who is participating."

But, Susan, Hamas and Islamic Jihad aren't interested in non-violent resistance, and neither are you. Even rabidly pro-Palestinian reporter Amira Hass has figured that out.

And are you aware that you are contradicting your own press release?

Fact: ISM has no links with Hamas or any other Palestinian political party, nor any armed Palestinian group. All ISM statements and actions clearly demonstrate our commitment to non-violence.

(Here is the article by Martin Peretz that the ISM press release is reacting to. You can make up your own mind.)

UPDATE: According to Protocols, ISM will be running a national student conference at Rutgers this October. Some people are trying to shut it down. I say no - this is a great opportunity to publicize who they really are and create a massive demonstration against them. There could be more people protesting the conference than actually attending it! Let's get to work.

UPDATE: Charles is keeping track of reactions to conference planning. Time to start posting these flyers around.

Harry Truman's anti-semitic rants: "The Jews, I find are very, very selfish," President Harry S. Truman wrote in a 1947 diary recently discovered on the shelves of the Truman Library and released by the National Archives yesterday. The remarks were

written on July 21, 1947, after the president had a conversation with Henry Morgenthau, the Jewish former treasury secretary. Morgenthau called to talk about a Jewish ship in Palestine -- possibly the Exodus, the legendary ship carrying 4,500 Jewish refugees who were refused entry into Palestine by the British, then rulers of that land.

"He'd no business, whatever to call me," Truman wrote. "The Jews have no sense of proportion nor do they have any judgement [sic] on world affairs. Henry brought a thousand Jews to New York on a supposedly temporary basis and they stayed."

Truman then went into a rant about Jews: "The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated as D[isplaced] P[ersons] as long as the Jews get special treatment. Yet when they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment to the under dog. Put an underdog on top and it makes no difference whether his name is Russian, Jewish, Negro, Management, Labor, Mormon, Baptist he goes haywire. I've found very, very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes."

Why should Jews not intermarry? The three most common given reasons really do stink: (1) Jews are different and cannot mix; (2) guilt, a concept Jews embrace all too easily; and (3) Jewish survival, which fails to give any reason for why Jews should survive as Jews.

So, got any better justifications?

To be frank, Rabbi Nachum Braverman does not have much better to offer. I personally have always had trouble giving a concise explanation why I wanted to marry a Jew and why I hoped my Jewish friends would marry Jews.

The upshot was that once I knew what was important to me, I knew I had to be important to my wife as well. So while I hoped to find a wife who shared my love of hockey (I did not), I managed to fall in love with a woman as equally committed to Judaism and raising Jewish children as myself.

Of course, I spend a lot of time explaining the problems of intermarriage to all my friends - Jews and non-Jews - from the standpoint of pragmatism. Effectively, anyone who takes their faith half-way seriously will have to confront the problem at some point. And if you take your faith for granted and try to match up with someone of a different faith, the relationship may not last. If it does, and you are Jewish, your Judaism will not last -- because it takes work to be Jewish, while you can be secular or Christian with great ease, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

Thursday, July 10, 2003

The Truth At Last! Damian Penny unearths a wonderful parody of a Holocaust revisionist site, which is not content to merely use the revisionists' methods to prove that neither the Titanic nor the Parthenon ever existed, but also enjoys messing with the heads of real Holocaust revisionists. (BTW, they have a prize waiting for anyone who can prove via email that the moon exists.)

Nusach. Okay, this is a pet peeve of mine. Neither of these cantors understand the role music plays in Jewish liturgy (one of the many reasons for my antipathy to Reform services).

The change from aria to folk music mirrors a transition in the cantor's role from ambassador to God, chanting on behalf of the flock, to a leader who helps members pray directly to God. A century ago, cantors sang liturgy in a "high church" style [which] represented "a very transcendent theory of God, that said God was somehow removed from us," Sager said. "I think people's concept of God has changed toward a more immanent concept - you know, the small voice within."

But nusach is not aria, nor is it folk song.

Nusach involves the particular order of the prayers, as well as the way in which prayers vary by punctuation, phrasing and melodic pattern. By melodic pattern, think of something similar to a blues pattern. A typical 12-bar blues progression allows the musician playing the melodic lead to dissect the notes that make up the chords. Nusach acts pretty much the same way.

Those leading the prayer service create intricate combinations of notes within the patterns or modes of the nusach but are bound by the chords that make up these patterns. In addition, certain prayers are open to innovation outside the nusach. For example, there is a long-standing tradition of making the El Adon prayer in the Sabbath morning services a kind of dealer’s choice. There are also places where innovation is limited or prohibited outright. In the Ashkenazic rite, for example, the "Kaddish" said before the Shabbat Musaf prayer is a melodic constant.

Traditional Jewish prayer is chanted by each member of the congregation out loud - mostly individually, occasionally in unison. The shaliach tzibbur, who may or may not be a trained hazzan, sets the pace, interacts with the congregation when there is call and response, and reminds congregants of the proper nusach (on a special day, it's easy to slip into the regular shabbat or weekday nusach out of habit).

This is called davening. It uses an ancient Eastern approach to music; improvising melodies along various scales related to times of day or seasons of the year is common to Arabic and Indian music as well as Jewish liturgy.

The English words "pray" and "worship," though not incorrect, do not fully describe what we do. . . . First of all, davening is a response to words; for that to happen, we must articulate our words of prayer. Even the parts of the service that we read quietly are done sotto voce, not silently. Davening must involve the whole self, and keeping silent is unnatural during prayer. . . . If you have just read through the words, without attaching your mind and imagination, you have not davened. . . . Jewish prayer is musical. Even when we daven quietly, we chant the words rather than just recite them. . . .

Jewish prayer is almost always communal: we approach God not only as individuals but also as members of the community. . . . Communal prayer has been compared to a jazz band. . . . If everyone plays the same thing, or at the same tempo, or with the same volume or feeling, it's boring; if each is too independent, it's dissonant. To really work together well, a jazz ensemble has to practice a lot, know the music, and know one another. . . . like a good jazz session, a moving religious service can transform a timid spectator into an enthusiastic participant. Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and rejoice in standing in the presence of God.

Most cantors use nusach as the basis for their ornamentation, but the operatic ones perform before a mostly passive audience, whereas a traditional hazzan is more of a conductor or "band leader."

Although there are times when a traditional congregation sings in unison, the point of nusach is to build momentum throughout a period of time by repeated melodic motifs. Folksinging cantors may derive melodies from nusach (although they rarely do), but by structuring the service as separate "songs" to which everyone sings along, they interfere with each individual's momentum and concentration. When I participate in a folksinging service - whether inspired by Debbie Friedman or Schlomo Carlebach - I can't find "the small voice within." When I attend an operatic cantorial service, I can't participate.

The last word on the subject.

Never forget. Bigwig is posting never before published pictures and first-person accounts of American troops liberating German concentration camps. These are smaller camps that never got the publicity of Auschwitz or Bergen-Belsen. (This is the mirror site.) Many of the photos are gruesome - no more so than any other concentration camp photos I've seen, and much more so than any still from Schindler's List or Life is Beautiful..

The story of how Bigwig came to have these documents.

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

And now for something completely different . . . Sort of astrology for penises. Really. If you click through to the 2nd page you get photo illustrations. (via Meryl)

Speaking of penises, it's a relief to know that, unlike many cartoon character, the Hulk has all his equipment. (via Meryl - who else?)

And if you've been enjoying our theme so far, our advanced search algorithm has determined that you might like this site as well. (and what do you know - also via Meryl! Folks, let's find Meryl a boyfriend, or at least treat her to an evening at Chippendales . . .)

Carnival Time. Carnival of the Vanities #42 is now up at Winds of Change. Check it out. And stay tuned for Joe Katzman's Carnival of the Liberties, in solidarity with the Iranian demonstrations taking place today.

Former aide to Reagan says U.S. should move its embassy for peace: Former Secretary of State George Shultz (who served under Ronald Reagan's administration) sasy the U.S. needs to move its embassy in Israel to west Jerusalem:

Shultz said that's a way to tell Palestinians that Israel is there to stay and they must stop hoping violence will destroy Israel - and thus a way to change the "underlying attitude" that inspires anti-Israel violence.

"Why not move our embassy to west Jerusalem and be done with it? People should do things that say Israel is there to stay," said Shultz, who served under President Reagan.

"We should say we think a big element in the process of seeking peace is the acceptance of Israel's existence and so we're going to go around to all our friends in Europe and Asia and elsewhere and say let's accept Israel's right to exist - and a way of doing that is to move our embassy to west Jerusalem."

He added: "As long as the embassy is in Tel Aviv, it sort of says we're camping out." (New York Post, June 21)

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Twilight Zone Dept. Peres attacks Sharon from the Right.

Labor Party chairman Shimon Peres accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday of making too many concessions to the Palestinians. The architect of the Oslo diplomatic process found himself in the strange position of attacking Sharon from the Right at Labor's bureau meeting in Tel Aviv.

"The Likud conceded everything without even beginning negotiations after declaring that they wouldn't conduct negotiations under fire," Peres said. "They opposed a Palestinian state in the past and agreed to one now, they opposed freezing settlements then and agreed now, they wanted Greater Israel and now they support ending the occupation."

I'm speechless. Pleased, but speechless.

Bloggers peering into dark corners. Andrew Apostalou is all over the recent Turkish incursions into Iraq. What on earth are they thinking?

Meanwhile Damian Penny keeps track of campus and media antisemitism, and battles trolls.

Jews in odd places: Portugal: It wasn't such an odd place to find Jews five centuries back, but nowadays all you can find are what the Jerusalem Post calls "crypto-Jews," people from families that were forcibly converted to Catholicism in the Inquisition.

But an agency in Israel recently sent Rabbi Elisha Salas to help the small community of recognized crypto-Jews (sounds like a comic book, doesn't it) rediscover their heritage.

Monday, July 07, 2003

Demonstrations in support of the Iran democracy movement on July 9th. That's this Wednesday.

In the US, these include one in New York from 11-2 at the Ralph Bunche Park and Dag Hammarksjold Plaza (47th and 1st Avenue); in Washington, one will begin at 10:00 am at the West Front of the Capitol (with the participation of several Senators and administration officials), two in L.A. (on July 8th at 5:30 pm, and July 9th at 5:00 pm, both times outside the Federal Building in Westwood).

Texas has several: in Austin, at 6 pm in front of the Capitol; in Dallas, at 5 pm on Tuesday in front of the Kennedy Memorial and Sunday the 13th at 5 pm at the Intercontinental Hotel; and in Houston at 5 pm on Sunday the 13th at the Hilton on Westheimer Road.

More about the Iranian democracy movement at Buzz Machine (many posts) and a recent compilation of links at Winds of Change.

Jews in odd places: Uruguay: It is true that I joke about Jews who are poor, because in this country there are so few. Other country's Jews are not as blessed as we are, however:

Historically, each of Uruguay’s four different Jewish communities — the Ashkenazi, Sephardi, German and Hungarian — has each been able to assist its own poor, who until recent years have made up 3 percent to 5 percent of the Jewish population.

But several factors in recent years combined to impoverish many of the country’s 15,000 Jews: The spread of globalization, which harmed many middle-class South American businessmen; a recession that began here in 1999 and continues until today; and, most notably, the 2002 economic crash.

True to form, the most dramatic blow to Uruguay’s economy followed the start of Argentina’s social and economic crisis by about six months. Uruguay depends on its large neighbor for the majority of its business, and what happens to Argentina’s economy usually happens to Uruguay’s.

The tremendous growth of indigence in the Jewish community during the last decade has created a class of people known as the “new poor,” and demanded a reassessment of the community’s traditional systems of aid, which were overwhelmed and inadequate.

This week's Pintele Yid recommendation - For our gentile friends and Jews who want to rediscover their heritage - recommending quintessentially Jewish cultural works (books, TV specials, CDs, Torah teachers, poets, websites, and more) which transport you inside a Jewish skin and show you the world through Jewish eyes.

(Last week's recommendation and introduction to the series here.)

These are the Words, Arthur Green.
Green is a noted scholar of Hassidic mysticism, especially the beloved Nachman of Bratslav and the Sfas Emes (about whom I wrote a bit last week).

In These are the Words Green provides a succinct guide to the Jewish worldview by identifying 149 essential Jewish concepts, expressed in particular Hebrew words that do not have exact equivalents in English. He devotes a page to each, beginning with the Hebrew designation for God, which is a verb: YHVH (which Bible scholars turn into "Jehovah"). This is a book to keep by the bedside and dip into.

I've heard Green lecture a few times. He's extremely thoughtful - he speaks deliberately and he'll stop talking for several minutes at a time and sit with his eyes closed, finding exactly what he wants to say, without any self-consciousness. You don't feel any impatience waiting, either. He can describe mystical experience so it is absolutely lucid, and that's a skill.

Week 3.
Week 4.
Week 5.
Week 6.
Week 7.
Week 8.

Sunday, July 06, 2003

Milestone. IntelDump notes that last week marked the 30th anniversary of the all volunteer US Armed Forces, and discusses the ramifications of that historic decision.

What do Paula Abdul, Isaac Mizrahi, and Jerry Seinfeld have in common? This site has a publicity campaign to raise awareness about the hundreds of thousands of Jews forced to flee Middle Eastern countries after the founding of Israel. Unfortunately the campaign is built around the themes of Passover, and I only discovered this site yesterday. Oh well, next year. And I didn't know about Paula Abdul and Jerry Seinfeld, but "Who's a Yid?" isn't one of my hobbies . . .

Cover story. Eve has a list of cover songs she thinks are done better than the original. Here are some covers I love (maybe not better than the originals, but excellent and fresh):

Any cover by Ellen Mcilwaine, particularly Tim Hardin's "Hang On to a Dream" and Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground."

The Pretenders doing Hendrix's "Roomful of Mirrors." One of the most incredible pop songs ever.

Bruce Springteen covers: Patti Smith's "Because the Night" and Robert Gordon's "Fire."

Most of the Dylan covers on the "Bobfest" tribute concert album are pretty fine.

Speaking of tribute concerts, I got to hear two this year, both free and studded with stars - perks of living in New York. Symphony Space's annual "wall to wall" concert (a marathon of 12 hours of one artist's music, with multiple musicians) featured Joni Mitchell this year (which I listened to live on WFUV), and last week I attended a free concert in Prospect Park which was a tribute to Leonard Cohen.

The Mitchell tribute included Maggie and Suzzy Roche, the Charles Mingus Big Band (performing songs that Mitchell wrote with Mingus before his death), Laurie Anderson, Fred Hersch, Christine Lavin, David Krakauer, Don Byron, Ute Lemper, and many others. I found the most affecting covers were by artists new to me, particularly a quirky chamber ensemble called the Four Bags, reknown session bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (who made "The Wolf Who Lives in Lindsey" her own), and the elegantly soulful Luciana Souza, whose interpretation of "Amelia" almost made me cry. It was simple and didn't deviate much from the original, but she had a way of quietly nestling down inside those songs.

The Cohen tribute was part of a "salute to Canada" weekend, so most of the performers were Canadian, and included the entire McGarrigle family (Kate, Anna, Rufus, and Martha), the Handsome Family, and non-Canadians Linda Thompson and son Teddy, Laurie Anderson again, Nick Cave, and two of LC's former backup singers.

Linda Thompson, the McGarrigle sisters, and Laurie Anderson were all a bit bloodless, which is a shame because they are all artists whose careers I have followed for years. I missed half of Linda's stark reading (well, there's no other kind, really) of "Story of Isaac" because I stupidly decided to get in the food concession line when I got there instead of waiting for intermission. I prayed she would sing "Famous Blue Raincoat" - that song was made for her. Talk about stark. No, the Handsome Family did it as a bad Johnny Cash imitation. My ears - they burn! Rufus did what he does; it's original and competent but it doesn't do much for me. Nick Cave did a great sleazy lounge singer act in a brown 3-piece suit, which worked particularly well on "Diamonds in the Mine" and "I'm Your Man." But Martha Wainwright stole the show with her tart country blues slide-guitar rendition of "Tower of Song." Keep an eye on that girl.

UPDATE: Mike Silverman lists his fave covers. Anybody else?

Kesher Talk

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Friday, July 11, 2003

Thursday, July 10, 2003

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Monday, July 07, 2003

Sunday, July 06, 2003

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