Kesher Talk

Enough is enough, Part II. Meanwhile, at the other end of the globe:

A university student who attempted to buy a book on the Holocaust last week was abused by a bookstore employee, who told her "the Jews are committing genocide against the Palestinians. And when are the Jews going to be put on trial? They won't because they control the world."

Also this.

(via Silent Running)

UPDATE: This story has a happy ending.

posted by Judith @ 1/17/2004 09:51:00 PM links to this post  

Enough is enough. Good for him.

PS Richard A. Heddleson suggests:

A much better response would have been to call in the Swedish ambassador to Israel, speak not a word to him and have him view pictures of real vicitims of Palestinian atrocities while being videoed by an "art" student as a class project.

Mr Amish Tech Support says:

The proper response by the Israeli government is to offer a subsidy to a Swedish artist to create an "artistic" tribute to Mijailo Mijailovic.

Yea, that would be more subtle, but nobody outside of Sweden would get it.

Text that went with the exhibit (in case you thought maybe its message was misunderstood).

Comments may be directed here:

Embassy of Sweden
1501 M. Street N.W., Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005-1702
Tel: +1-202-467 2600
Fax: +1-202-467 2699
Embassy: ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se

thomas.nordanstad@historiska.se (curator of the arts program)
kristian.berg@historiska.se (director of the museum)
registrator@primeminister.ministry.se (G?ran Persson, PM and host of the conference, and P?r Nuder, minister and chairman of the conference).

(via LGF)

UPDATE: And anyone screaming that this is censorship should note that the curators already set a precedent in that regard:

Israel Radio reported that the genocide exhibit included 20 pieces of art from artists around the world. Three works were selected from Israel, all of which presented the conflict from a Palestinian point-of-view, while a pro-Israel piece of art was excluded following diplomatic pressure from Syria.

UPDATE:

On tv (Israeli) the "subject" of the "art" object - the Arabic-Israeli owner of the Maxim restaurant, who's family and visitors' blood was exposed in this "very fine piece of art" was very upset that he, as the actual victim of the subject was "used" by this ex-Israeli traitor and was allowed to expose it by Swedish authorities.

UPDATE: Hearteningly, Swedes are supporting Ambassador Mazel.

UPDATE: Mary calls Ambassador Mazel's actions "culture jamming": "the use of existing media to comment on those very media themselves." Works for me.

posted by Judith @ 1/17/2004 06:55:00 PM links to this post  

The Wesley Clark weekend. I read the transcript of Clark's testimony, and at first I didn't think it invalidates the quotes that Drudge excerpted. They are surrounded by much hedging and "on the one hand ... on the other hand," but I didn't come away thinking Clark was against the war. OTOH Instapundit links to several analyses of Clark's transcript and some of them think his testimony says he did support the war.

That could be what led Richard Perle to call Clark's testimony "hopelessly confused." You can make anything you want out of what Clark said.

As Andrew Sullivan points out, Clark does say:

I think it's not yet time to use force against Iraq but it is certainly time to put that card on the table, to turn it face up and to wave it and the president is doing that and I think that the United States Congress has to indicate after due consideration and consulting our people and building our resolve that yes, this is a significant security problem for the United States of America and all options are on the table including the use of force as necessary to solve this problem because I think that's what's required to leverage any hope of solving this problem short of war.

and

I think the first thing is you have a very strong determination that's out in public and supported by this body that says if we don't get the assistance we need from the United Nations, as a last resort we will use force and we will solve the problem ourselves.

In other words, threaten war, try to solve without war, but be ready to go to war if necessary. Remarks like these led me to believe that Clark supported the war. But Clark seems to disagree with Bush on when we have reached "the last resort," which makes him a member of the "I would have supported the war if...." club, which achieves an anti-war position by setting conditions for war that are never going to be met. Clark talks like a typical member of the club here:

We have to work this problem in a way to gain worldwide legitimacy and understanding for the concerns that we rightly feel and for our leadership. This is what U.S. leadership in the world must be. We must bring others to share our views not be too quick to rush to try to impose them even if we have the power to do so.

This is the view that if we just use enough diplomacy everyone will come around to our way of thinking. France and Russia were two of the largest suppliers of Saddam's weapons (much more than the US), had huge oil contracts with Iraq, and could gain more international power by opposing the US (indeed enjoying us taken down a peg) than by supporting us. Those are all big motivators. It would not be in their short-term interests to depose Saddam. In terms of alleviating a source of worry over WMD proliferation and terrorism, they knew it would be in their long-term interests (show me one official statement from the UN or any UNSC member - even France - saying "nyah, nyah - you thought Saddam had WMDs but he doesn't!"), but their short -term interests were too compelling. Then you have most of the regimes of the Middle East which hated and feared Saddam but were not going to side with the Colonialist Imperialist Infidel (TM) against one of their own, and all their satellites and customers. The rest of the world was going to join us or not based on their other alliances or perceived interests as well.

So we could win some over by talking nice, but there is this illusion of perfect control, that "if people don't do what I want, it's because I didn't do X." In real life, you give it your best shot, but people have many reasons for their decisions that have nothing to do with your charisma or logic or bribes or the rightness of your cause. This is not an excuse for not trying to be diplomatic, but "diplomacy" is not a magic potion which bends all others to your will.

Clark says:

"Such congressional resolution need not, at this point, authorize the use of force. The more focused the resolution on Iraq, the more focused it is on the problems of weapons of mass destruction. The greater its utility in the United Nations, the more nearly unanimous the resolution, the greater its utility is, the greater its impact is on the diplomatic efforts underway. The president and his national security team have got to deploy imagination, leverage, and patience in working through the United Nations. In the near term, time is on our side and we should endeavor to use the United Nations if at all possible. This may require a period of time for inspections or the development of a more intrusive inspection regime such as Richard Perle has mentioned, if necessary backed by force.

Bush went to the UN twice. It took a year. The pitch to the UN was focused on WMDs, because the UN's main beef with Iraq was over WMDs. After France sabotaged the UNSC resolutions twice, there were no more steps to take. But the "I would have supported the war if...." club says that Bush "rushed to war" because he only went to the UN twice and then said "enough." They wanted us to keep going to the UN (which no other country ever does and which we didn't do in the Balkans) over and over. Forever.

So I guess Clark was against the war.

There are several other reasons why the "I would have supported the war if...." club never convinced me that its "last resort" should be mine, or Bush's. It tends to undermine its crediblity by misrepresenting the facts. It calls the war effort "unilateral" because the coalition of 40-odd countries doesn't include the countries it thinks should have been in it (i.e. half the UNSC). It argues that "the inspections were working," when Saddam was clearly gaming the inspectors. Finally, it tends to be unwilling to acknowledge that this is a very complex problem with no clear-cut right answer, and to ascribe dubious motives to those who come to a different conclusion about the right response to the threat - and the right time to cut bait. It's off-putting to be told that if a national leader (with millions of lives at stake) sets the bar for action lower than they do, his decision must be the result of mendacity, stupidity, or conspiracy.

posted by Judith @ 1/17/2004 06:35:00 PM links to this post  

Baghdad 2003 = Prague 1990 Dept. Last year I wrote:

Think Prague in 1990. I have a feeling all the young dot.commers who got laid off two years ago are going to converge on Baghdad over the next six months. And I don't think that's a bad thing.

Latest examples.

posted by Judith @ 1/16/2004 11:10:00 AM links to this post  

No religious exemption?: Ha'aretz chronicles the ridiculous case of Margaret and Rafael Chaikin, an Orthodox Jewish couple serving in the U.S. Army and taking courses to become "human intelligence" gatherers. They were not given Yom Kippur off from classes. They fasted in the synagogue at the base, and were AWOL from classes:

expelled them from the course, and after several weeks they were forced to end their military service. The reasons given for the expulsion were two instances of disobeying an order: one relating to their failure to attend class on Yom Kippur, and the second to transgressing the rule forbidding social relations with members of the senior ranks, an article that was added after they participated in an event to celebrate the Sukkot holiday, in the home of one of the Jewish officers at the base.

The two received a "general discharge" from the army, a definition that indicates that the soldier did not commit any crime during the course of his service, but was discharged because of not meeting the requirements or because of incompatibility. For the Chaikins, this is of significance - they would like to receive an "honorable discharge," the highest discharge level, granted to soldiers who have fulfilled their tasks completely. Since the language abilities of the couple are likely to channel them into a career in one of the branches of civil intelligence in the United States, the type of discharge from the army could affect their chances of being hired.

Go read the rest.

posted by William @ 1/16/2004 08:44:00 AM links to this post  

Israeli columnist Judy Balint writes:

Dear friends,

I am being sued for libel by Radhika Sainath, an American participant in the International Solidarity Movement. Ms. Sainath claims that an article I wrote for my website about her and her ISM activities "consists of blatantly false accusations," so she's suing for $20,000.

Ms. Sainath is represented by attorney Shamai Leibowitz, whose most infamous client is Al Aksa Brigade leader Marwan Barghouti, accused of murdering tens of Israelis and injuring hundreds in numerous terrorist attacks.

I have the privilege of being represented by Nitsana Darshan Leitner, director of the Shurat HaDin--Israel Law Center. Shurat HaDin has filed lawsuits in Israeli and American courts against Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the European Union on behalf of terror victims. . . .

If you would like to help defray our legal expenses in fighting the libel action of the ISM we would welcome your tax-deductible donations. Please make your tax- deductible check payable in the US to:
PEF - Israel Endowment Fund

and mail to:
Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center, Balint Defense Fund
c/o PEF - Israel Endowment Fund
317 Madison Avenue, Suite 607
New York, New York 10017
(Telephone: 212-591-0073)

To donate outside the United States or in Israel, please make your check payable to:
Shurat Hadin - Israel Law Center
and mail to:
Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center, Balint Defense Fund,
11 Havatikim St.
Petach Tikva, 49389
Israel
(Telephone: 972-8-973-3336)

Thank you,
Judy Lash Balint
www.jerusalemdiaries.com

posted by Judith @ 1/15/2004 09:29:00 PM links to this post  

Jews in odd places: Britain: The United Kingdom's chief rabbi , Jonathan Sacks, has been named the UK’s most powerful religious leader in a new survey published by GQ, a top men’s magazine.

Sacks is ranked 75th in the annual power list, released in December. He is the only spiritual leader to make it into the top 100.

After 11 years in the job, the survey’s authors branded the chief “one of Britain’s very brightest thinkers” and predicted his profile will continue to rise “as peace in the middle east remains elusive”. But although he may have a hotline to God, according to the annual poll Sacks does not have the clout of some other British Jews.

Highest placed was Tory leader Michael Howard, a new entry at number 7, while retail magnate Philip Green came in at number 10.

[Note: Rabbi Sacks got lambasted at Hannukah by a former supporter. Writing in London’s Jewish Chronicle, Sir Stanley Kalms accused Jonathan Sacks of having a “diffident personality,” showing “low-key leadership” and of panicking when confronted by crisis.]

posted by William @ 1/15/2004 08:58:00 AM links to this post  

The tide has turned. A few months ago I read Julie Burchill's farewell to the Guardian and opined that antisemitism as a fashion statement may have hit bottom. Further evidence of this shift in the tide of popular opinion: Hip hop impresario and block youth role model Russell Simmons is joining forces with Modern Orthodox rabbi to the stars Marc Schneier to take a very public stand against antisemitism. Both are officers in the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which looks to be putting on some fine programs.

posted by Judith @ 1/14/2004 10:15:00 PM links to this post  

McKinney Watch continued: More extended coverage from Greenwire:

Green Party loses another presidential nominee as McKinney bows out
by Alex Kaplun, Greenwire reporter

Less than three weeks after Ralph Nader announced that he would not seek the Green Party's nomination for president, another controversial figure -- former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) -- has withdrawn herself from consideration for the party's presidential bid.

Over the last year, McKinney had expressed an interest in running on the Green Party ticket and has made several speeches before party members. She also has been the subject of a Georgia-based "Draft McKinney" campaign largely organized by the Green Party.

"I have received words of encouragement from every corner of this country and from the Green Party supporters beyond our shores," McKinney wrote in a letter to party officials last week. "But in the end, a national campaign is not in the cards for me at this time."

Instead, McKinney appears poised to make another run at the congressional seat she lost in 2002. McKinney's father -- a former state legislator -- told Georgia media earlier this week that she will challenge one-term incumbent Rep. Denise Majette (D-Ga.) in 2004.

McKinney served five terms in Congress before losing the 2002 Democratic primary to Majette by 20 points. McKinney's support eroded after she suggested the Bush administration had prior knowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but allowed them to occur to usher in a massive military build-up and an imperialistic agenda.

McKinney's rejection of a Green Party nomination leaves the nation's third largest political party without a recognizable name to carry its banner in 2004. The best-known figure among potential Green Party candidates is Peter Camejo, who finished fourth in California's gubernatorial recall election last October.

Some Greens have expressed interest in persuading Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to abandon his run for the Democratic nomination and join the party's ticket. But Kucinich said earlier this year he had no interest in running for the Green Party. The Greens' nomination convention is scheduled for late June in Milwaukee.

Hugh Esco, the Georgia Green Party's political director, conceded that the party will have a harder time both securing placement on election ballots and getting its agenda noticed without a well-known candidate.

"This is certainly going to make this [election] challenging, but it doesn't stop us," Esco said. "If we were going to roll over and play dead, we wouldn't have started down this road in the first place."

posted by William @ 1/14/2004 01:43:00 PM links to this post  

Bloggers of the Book. Naomi Chana is starting a virtual Jewish book discussion group by blog. More details here.

posted by Judith @ 1/13/2004 11:05:00 PM links to this post  

Liberal hawks assess the invasion of Iraq. Charter members of the "I-Can't-Believe-I'm-a-Hawk Club" - Paul Berman, Thomas Friedman, Christopher Hitchens, Fred Kaplan, George Packer, Kenneth M. Pollack, and Fareed Zakaria - argue about the results all week.

Pollack comments first. He comes out more favorably toward the war than you would think from his article in the Atlantic.

UPDATE: Part Two. Hitch steps up to the plate and hits it out of the park. Then Fred Kaplan strikes out with tiresome antiwar cliches about unilateralism, no WMDs, and the hypocrisy of only taking out one megalomaniac dictator at a time. Then Paul Berman hits another one out of the park. Hitch and Berman get what the larger strategy and goals are, Kaplan niggles about details (which he gets wrong).

UPDATE: Part Three. Packer, Kaplan, and Berman agree that Bush did a terrible job doing something that needed to be done, but don't come up with any concrete ideas for how it could have been done differently. Berman in particular is cheesed that the Right stole the Left's thunder.

posted by Judith @ 1/13/2004 05:10:00 PM links to this post  

In Washington, DC in February? Check out the Israeli Embassy: I would not normally prove the advertizing ground for DC Young Professionals, but I must make this exception:

EVENING AT THE EMBASSY OF ISRAEL
Thursday, February 5 at 7:30 PM

Join us to celebrate a world of unique Middle Eastern culture as we invite you to step onto foreign soil at the Embassy of Israel.

Featuring:

1) SAMPLE ISRAELI CUISINE: Enjoy an anthentic buffet of Israeli food, including Israeli Bourekas (mushroom, potato and spinach); falafel, pita, hummus, Israeli salad, eggplant, olives and desserts!

2) ISRAELI WINE TASTING AND BAR: Spend the evening tasting different Israeli wines as we offer you an open bar of the treasures from the best vineyards in all of Israel from the Northern Galilee to the Negev Dessert. Enjoy Israeli beers and other drinks as well.

3) EXPERIENCE AN ISRAEL MUSICAL PRESENTATION: Celebrate with an Israeli band as it brings the glory of Jerusalem, spirit of Eilat, and warmth of the Red Sea to the heart of Washington. Enjoy both Israeli folk music and exciting dance tunes. Also, enjoy a special musical presentation highlighting the 3,000 year old history of Israel and the Middle East (from the days of the Bible to majesty of modern day Tel Aviv).

4) DIPLOMATIC GREETING: Enjoy a presentation and cultural welcome from a high ranking member of the Israeli Embassy. Several Embassy staff members are also invited for you to meet, greet and network with.

5) ISRAELI FILM: Enjoy a special short film highlighting the beauty, people and culture of Israel.

6) LEARN HOW TO BENEFIT FROM ISRAEL BONDS: Looking for a safe way to make great money? Meet and hear from representatives from Israel Bonds who will discuss exciting, safe investment opportunities in the State of Israel.

When: Thursday, February 5 from 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM.

Where: Embassy of Israel
3514 International Drive, NW,
Washington DC
(Closest Metro Stop is Van Ness on the Red Line)

Price: $55.00 if you purchase your tickets by 5 p.m. Friday. January 9.

To order, please use our secure server at www.dcyoungpro.com/index.cfm?action=tickets or call 202-686-6085.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club.

posted by William @ 1/13/2004 09:01:00 AM links to this post  

Cynthia McKinney Watch:

Former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, ousted in a contentious 2002 primary, wants a rematch against the woman who beat her -- Rep. Denise Majette, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. On Sunday, McKinney's father, former Democratic state Rep. Billy McKinney, confirmed that his daughter plans to enter the Democratic primary this year. He said his daughter was in Barbados for a speaking engagement and could not be reached for comment. McKinney's apparent return ends months of speculation about her future. The outspoken former lawmaker had been courted by the Green Party to run for president, but she issued a statement Saturday turning down the third-party invitation to run. (Congress Daily)

posted by William @ 1/12/2004 04:46:00 PM links to this post  

Jews in odd places: Uganda: After last week's post on the music of Ugandan Jews, Judith bought the CD (we're awaiting her review) and found an interesting article on them and their language in the religion magazine Killing the Buddha.

JUDITH: Wait till the Kehilat Hadar CD comes out! We do the Abuyadaya version of "Lecha Dodi" - actually ours is sort of a group improvisatory riff on the template of the Abuyadaya version.

posted by William @ 1/12/2004 08:53:00 AM links to this post  

Israel on Mars: Josh Harvey points out that the Israeli flag is on the red planet.

posted by William @ 1/12/2004 08:34:00 AM links to this post  

Limmud. Last week I ran into 6 different people (in 3 different venues) who had been to Limmud this year, a week-long Jewish learning-fest held between Christmas and New Year's every winter in England. It attracts several thousand attendees from the Continent, Israel, and the US as well as the UK.

Over four days in late December at Nottingham University?s campus ? which Limmudniks take over, dormitories, classrooms and all ? singles, couples and families were given the opportunity to explore diverse facets of Jewish life. The approach of ?learning for the people by the people? results in a dizzying array of sessions and speakers . . . . from thinkers such as Rabbi Norman Lamm, the Torah scholar and chancellor of New York?s Yeshiva University, and Rabbi Natan Lopes Cardozo, to Nimrod Barkan, the senior policy adviser of Israel?s Foreign Ministry, and Jennifer Bleyer, founder of the alternative Jewish magazine Heeb.

And Charming Hostess (who played Tonic Thursday night) and Judith Hauptmann (who came to see them).

posted by Judith @ 1/11/2004 09:58:00 PM links to this post  

Things to do on a Sunday afternoon. This may have been blogged here before; if so, apologies for the repeat. It just found its way to me, and I am unendingly amused: How to Create a Golem From the Comfort of Home.

If you want a slightly more serious dip into the Sefer Yetzirah, you have no shortage of options. The "How to Create a Golem" site is by far my favorite, though: well-researched, and leavened with just the right touch of irreverent snark.

posted by Rachel @ 1/11/2004 02:50:00 PM links to this post