This is a follow-up to my last post.
Here I was thinking that Comcast and I had finally gone on our separate ways, when the letter from the collections agency arrived. The next day, the collections agency called to ask when I would making a payment - or else.
So, I contacted my new friends at the Executive Customer Service. The moment the receptionist answered the phone with "hello, how can I help you" I knew I had passed through to the land of the privileged. Her helpful, cheerful tone augured a quick resolution of the problem. She closed my account with a zero balance. She called off the collections agency. She accepted my version without challenge.
It only took a couple of minutes and was completely painless.
Lessons learned:
1. The rich and powerful have a separate customer service that spares them the time and energy we put into dealing with corporate customer service.
2. The rest of us too can get preferred treatment too. All you have to do is write a blogpost. The corporations will do whatever it takes to make your negative blog go away.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Corporate Incompetence?
In ths spirit of the Occupy movement's challenge to corporate hegemony, here is my own successful little battle.
Today, I successfully resolved a contested bill. We've all been there. The late fees were piling up. I called Comcast about the bills they keep on sending me even though I no longer receive service. I called them on several occasions over a period of months, starting in the summer, each time starting from square one. Each time, telling the whole story to two or more representatives.
Today, was unusual not only in resolving the bill but in the coded conversatuion about class (race?). Twenty minutes into my conversation with the third customer service rep - an African-American woman - she told me that if I insisted on challenging the bill, the person I had spoken to in August would end up getting coaching or being disciplined. I responded with as much kindness as I could muster but asked for a resolution of my complaint. It felt like we had engaged the race/class issue.
She offered me a choice: backdate my service cancellation to September, or, back to August - but only if the recording of my August call backed up my version. But, if I went with option B, and the corporation did not agree that that call supported my version, then I would ne liable until September. So, I asked what the difference in cost to me was between the two options. The rep, said I can't tall you. To find out what you owed back in August, I have to cancel your account, which will mean that we can't review it.
And so on and so forth.
Is this just incompetence or is there design behind this mess? It could be that corporations such as Comcast run an inefficient system, wasting many man-hours on fruitless cutomer service calls. But perhaps it does pay off for them. How many people give up on all the effort and time it takes to press for a fair resolution? When the collection letters arrive, they just pay what they are told.
In the end, the rep back-dated my service cancellation to August. The amount she said I owed still sounded high but life is too short. I asked her if the call was being recorded. I repeated our agreemen tout loud and made sure she voiced her consent. For the recording.
Next on my list: Alitalia.
Today, I successfully resolved a contested bill. We've all been there. The late fees were piling up. I called Comcast about the bills they keep on sending me even though I no longer receive service. I called them on several occasions over a period of months, starting in the summer, each time starting from square one. Each time, telling the whole story to two or more representatives.
Today, was unusual not only in resolving the bill but in the coded conversatuion about class (race?). Twenty minutes into my conversation with the third customer service rep - an African-American woman - she told me that if I insisted on challenging the bill, the person I had spoken to in August would end up getting coaching or being disciplined. I responded with as much kindness as I could muster but asked for a resolution of my complaint. It felt like we had engaged the race/class issue.
She offered me a choice: backdate my service cancellation to September, or, back to August - but only if the recording of my August call backed up my version. But, if I went with option B, and the corporation did not agree that that call supported my version, then I would ne liable until September. So, I asked what the difference in cost to me was between the two options. The rep, said I can't tall you. To find out what you owed back in August, I have to cancel your account, which will mean that we can't review it.
And so on and so forth.
Is this just incompetence or is there design behind this mess? It could be that corporations such as Comcast run an inefficient system, wasting many man-hours on fruitless cutomer service calls. But perhaps it does pay off for them. How many people give up on all the effort and time it takes to press for a fair resolution? When the collection letters arrive, they just pay what they are told.
In the end, the rep back-dated my service cancellation to August. The amount she said I owed still sounded high but life is too short. I asked her if the call was being recorded. I repeated our agreemen tout loud and made sure she voiced her consent. For the recording.
Next on my list: Alitalia.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The New Jews
Within the organized Jewish community, Zionism equals Judaism. Synagogues and other public Jewish spaces broadly advertize their identification with Zionism. For many Jews, Zionism is the only principle of Judaism. For them, not only does Zionism = Judaism but the reverse is true too: Judaism = Zionism.
Consequently, those Jews who are not Zionist are not accepted as full Jews by the mainstream community. Along with Jews for Jesus, anti-Zionists are barred from Jewish communal life.
Yet, within the non- and anti-Zionist camps, there is a growing identification of young Jews with their Judaism. Young, Jewish and Proud is a self-evident example.
And now, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Alliance (IJAN) has embraced the ritual fast of Yom Kippur in its struggle for Palestinian liberty.
Both these cases are comprised predominantly of young Jews. They see their activism as an authentic expression of their Jewish heritage. This trend will only grow in numbers and significance.
When will the mainstream Jewish community admit these dedicated, young Jews into the camp?
(A note on the IJAN fast: For some reason, IJAN has declared a 48 hour fast beginning tomorrow, Thursday, October 6 through Saturday, October 8. I expect folks are invited to choose when to fast during this period. For those of you considering the entire fast, you might be interested to know that early Rabbinic literature considered a requirement to fast for two days in observance of Yom Kippur, and ruled that this would be hazardous. They explained, paradoxically perhaps, that if one eats well on the day before Yom Kippur, that counts as a second day of fasting. The logic: it's that much harder to fast after feasting.)
Consequently, those Jews who are not Zionist are not accepted as full Jews by the mainstream community. Along with Jews for Jesus, anti-Zionists are barred from Jewish communal life.
Yet, within the non- and anti-Zionist camps, there is a growing identification of young Jews with their Judaism. Young, Jewish and Proud is a self-evident example.
And now, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Alliance (IJAN) has embraced the ritual fast of Yom Kippur in its struggle for Palestinian liberty.
Both these cases are comprised predominantly of young Jews. They see their activism as an authentic expression of their Jewish heritage. This trend will only grow in numbers and significance.
When will the mainstream Jewish community admit these dedicated, young Jews into the camp?
(A note on the IJAN fast: For some reason, IJAN has declared a 48 hour fast beginning tomorrow, Thursday, October 6 through Saturday, October 8. I expect folks are invited to choose when to fast during this period. For those of you considering the entire fast, you might be interested to know that early Rabbinic literature considered a requirement to fast for two days in observance of Yom Kippur, and ruled that this would be hazardous. They explained, paradoxically perhaps, that if one eats well on the day before Yom Kippur, that counts as a second day of fasting. The logic: it's that much harder to fast after feasting.)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Daydreaming on Rosh Hashana
I love Rosh Hashana. The music. The gathering of the community. The opportunities for connecting deeply with people at services and in conversations during the day.
I wonder sometimes what it's like to be at other congregations. So, in what was likely an ill-advised moment today, I took a quick online tour of some Reform temples' websites. What struck me was the fear and negativity on the subject of Israel.
One temple offers hyperlinks to "Israel news" sources such as the partisan Debka files. Under "Palestinian media" this synagogue offers a link to a Jewish-Israeli site that documents Palestinian media critical of Israel.
Hatred and fear.
This synagogue offers is no credible Palestinian source, but plenty of rightwing Jewish sources.
Another temple's website features their rabbi's blog on their homepage. In this week's missive, the rabbi offers a succinct attack on the Palestinian bid for statehood. To summarize:
If the Palestinians win a state - the result will be violence (I presume against Jews. Violence against Palestinians hardly qualifies as news).
And if the Palestinians lose - well, that too will lead to violence.
Whatever the outcome of the Palestinians' intitiative, Israel will suffer. So, let's all be terrified of the Palestinians' honest desire for self-determination. Yea for victimhood!
What is deplorable about these attitudes is how normative they are. Even supporters of peace and justice in Israel/Palestine are expected - and do - live with their synagogues and clergy fomenting hatred for and fear of the Palestinians.
Traditionally, on Rosh Hashana you are not supposed to take a daytime nap. But let me daydream for a moment....
Imagine if the norm was that Jewish leadership took the opposite view. Synagogues praised the courage of this peaceful bid for membership at the UN. Jewish leaders expressed excitement at the unfolding of the Palestinian quest for statehood. Synagogues websites offered credible Palestinian and Jewish viewpoints that presented a vision of hope and a just peace for both sides...the promise that Palestinian statehood holds for Israeli Jews.
May the passing year be the end of a culture of fear
and the new year herald solidarity and a vision for a just and sustainable future
May the passing year see the end of Israeli intransigence
and the new year be one of Jewish pride in the peaceful agenda of the State of Israel
May the passing year see the end of a Jewish identity bound up in erecting walls of mistrust
and the the new year be one of understanding our power and using that power to stand in solidarity with the downtrodden and oppressed
May the passing year see the end of the domination of hatred and fear in the American Jewish community
and the new year see a Jewish community that welcomes voices of peace and justice...for Israel, Palestine, for the United States and for the whole world.
I wonder sometimes what it's like to be at other congregations. So, in what was likely an ill-advised moment today, I took a quick online tour of some Reform temples' websites. What struck me was the fear and negativity on the subject of Israel.
One temple offers hyperlinks to "Israel news" sources such as the partisan Debka files. Under "Palestinian media" this synagogue offers a link to a Jewish-Israeli site that documents Palestinian media critical of Israel.
Hatred and fear.
This synagogue offers is no credible Palestinian source, but plenty of rightwing Jewish sources.
Another temple's website features their rabbi's blog on their homepage. In this week's missive, the rabbi offers a succinct attack on the Palestinian bid for statehood. To summarize:
If the Palestinians win a state - the result will be violence (I presume against Jews. Violence against Palestinians hardly qualifies as news).
And if the Palestinians lose - well, that too will lead to violence.
Whatever the outcome of the Palestinians' intitiative, Israel will suffer. So, let's all be terrified of the Palestinians' honest desire for self-determination. Yea for victimhood!
What is deplorable about these attitudes is how normative they are. Even supporters of peace and justice in Israel/Palestine are expected - and do - live with their synagogues and clergy fomenting hatred for and fear of the Palestinians.
Traditionally, on Rosh Hashana you are not supposed to take a daytime nap. But let me daydream for a moment....
Imagine if the norm was that Jewish leadership took the opposite view. Synagogues praised the courage of this peaceful bid for membership at the UN. Jewish leaders expressed excitement at the unfolding of the Palestinian quest for statehood. Synagogues websites offered credible Palestinian and Jewish viewpoints that presented a vision of hope and a just peace for both sides...the promise that Palestinian statehood holds for Israeli Jews.
May the passing year be the end of a culture of fear
and the new year herald solidarity and a vision for a just and sustainable future
May the passing year see the end of Israeli intransigence
and the new year be one of Jewish pride in the peaceful agenda of the State of Israel
May the passing year see the end of a Jewish identity bound up in erecting walls of mistrust
and the the new year be one of understanding our power and using that power to stand in solidarity with the downtrodden and oppressed
May the passing year see the end of the domination of hatred and fear in the American Jewish community
and the new year see a Jewish community that welcomes voices of peace and justice...for Israel, Palestine, for the United States and for the whole world.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
An Israeli Wake-Up Call
Israel is waking up. Rabbi Donniel Hartman of Jerusalem's Hartman Institute issues a call for Israelis to engage with the Palestinian bid for statehood. Hartman declares the Abbas UN bid a game changer. Israel needs to step into its own power and deal with the new reality.
Of course, Hartman couches his call for a reappraisal of Zionist aspirations in classic Zionist language. It is the sovereignty of the State of Israel that changed the course of Jewish history - not the unprecedented success of American Jews or the changing attitudes of the world; the only time he relates to the Jewish community is as a forum for complaining - Israel is the source of strength; Jews get together to complain and so on an so forth.
But this is just the language he uses. The content is a brave call for Israelis to engage with their Palestinian neighbors. Hartman has previously spoken out in support for Arab self-determination such as his clear support of the Arab spring (Hebrew). This was at a time when the Israeli and American administrations were still expressing concern over the changes in the Arab world.
Good for Israel's two leading newspaper websites, Haaretz and Ynet, for publishing Hartman's article.
Of course, Hartman couches his call for a reappraisal of Zionist aspirations in classic Zionist language. It is the sovereignty of the State of Israel that changed the course of Jewish history - not the unprecedented success of American Jews or the changing attitudes of the world; the only time he relates to the Jewish community is as a forum for complaining - Israel is the source of strength; Jews get together to complain and so on an so forth.
But this is just the language he uses. The content is a brave call for Israelis to engage with their Palestinian neighbors. Hartman has previously spoken out in support for Arab self-determination such as his clear support of the Arab spring (Hebrew). This was at a time when the Israeli and American administrations were still expressing concern over the changes in the Arab world.
Good for Israel's two leading newspaper websites, Haaretz and Ynet, for publishing Hartman's article.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Shana Tova
For lovers of Hebrew, the Jewish Daily Forward has a wonderful column called "Philologos." This week's column was on the Jewish New Year greeting "Shana Tova".
This week's column is packed with good information.
As a grammar buff, I took pleasure in his review of the ins and outs of the pluralization of feminine nouns in Hebrew. Pluralization of feminine nouns in Hebrew is surprisingly complex. The inconsistencies in the treatment of Hebrew feminine nouns reveals Hebrew's roots in other Near Eastern languages.
Two comments:
Perhaps it is because of the constraints of a newspaper column, but Phililogos fails to distinguish between the different levels of Hebrew.
Phililogos writes:
"In the genitive, shana takes the feminine plural all the time, so that one says sh’not he-me’ah ha-esrim, “the years of the 20th century,” not sh’ney ha-me’ah ha-esrim, as one normally would with a masculinely pluralized noun. "
While that is true in Israeli Hebrew, this is not always the case in Biblical Hebrew. As in Genesis
23:1 sh'ney chayey Sarah not sh'not chayey Sarah. (But sh'not in other places such as Deuteronomy 32:7)
Also, several of the irregular feminine nouns Philologos mentions, such as the segolate derekh, while being feminine in modern Hebrew can be either masculine or feminine in the Biblical Hebrew. The Talmud (the beginning of BT Kiddushun among many others) addresses the irregular gender of Biblical nouns. There are hundreds of nouns in the ambiguous category. In addition, there are many nouns that had one gender in Biblical Hebrew and switched in later, Rabbinic Hebrew.
As I said, I'm a grammar geek. This is my fun.
Shana Tova to all, however you choose to genderize and pluralize!
This week's column is packed with good information.
As a grammar buff, I took pleasure in his review of the ins and outs of the pluralization of feminine nouns in Hebrew. Pluralization of feminine nouns in Hebrew is surprisingly complex. The inconsistencies in the treatment of Hebrew feminine nouns reveals Hebrew's roots in other Near Eastern languages.
Two comments:
Perhaps it is because of the constraints of a newspaper column, but Phililogos fails to distinguish between the different levels of Hebrew.
Phililogos writes:
"In the genitive, shana takes the feminine plural all the time, so that one says sh’not he-me’ah ha-esrim, “the years of the 20th century,” not sh’ney ha-me’ah ha-esrim, as one normally would with a masculinely pluralized noun. "
While that is true in Israeli Hebrew, this is not always the case in Biblical Hebrew. As in Genesis
23:1 sh'ney chayey Sarah not sh'not chayey Sarah. (But sh'not in other places such as Deuteronomy 32:7)
Also, several of the irregular feminine nouns Philologos mentions, such as the segolate derekh, while being feminine in modern Hebrew can be either masculine or feminine in the Biblical Hebrew. The Talmud (the beginning of BT Kiddushun among many others) addresses the irregular gender of Biblical nouns. There are hundreds of nouns in the ambiguous category. In addition, there are many nouns that had one gender in Biblical Hebrew and switched in later, Rabbinic Hebrew.
As I said, I'm a grammar geek. This is my fun.
Shana Tova to all, however you choose to genderize and pluralize!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Dispora or datpora?
In an odd inversion, the grand project of the world's Jews, the State of Israel considers all Jews, wherever they are, to be part of its, Israeli diaspora.
It all started with Zionist ideology. Zionist logic follows these steps:
1) The State of Israel is the rightful heir of the ancient Israelite kingdom of two millenia ago.
2) All Jews today are descendants of the ancient Israelites and have therefore maintained their forbears' rights to the Land of Israel.
3) Israeli Jews exercise these ancient rights to the Land on behalf of all Jews.
4) Therefore, all Jews who choose to remain outside the Land, are living in exile or "the Diaspora".
The appearance of the word "diaspora" in the English language coincided with the birth of political Zionism in the late 19th century. The Greek word was used to describe the Babylonian exile of the Bible and was used specifically in relation to the Jews.
The State of Israel's first leader, David Ben-Gurion, claimed the word "Israel" for the new state. In correspondence with the Chicago Jewish thinker Simon Rawidowicz, he declared that, with the formation of the Jewish state, Jews around the world could no longer call themselves "Israel." That word was now the sole property of the Jewish state; "Israel" means "the State of Israel." Ben Gurion was successful; this is the popular meaning of the word "Israel" today.
Ben Gurion wasn't so successful with pinning the word "diaspora" on the rest of us. The only ones who use that word are Israelis, and mostly Israeli officialdom at that.
The State of Israel takes its responsibilities for its fellow Jews seriously. It even has half a cabinet posted allocated for staying in touch. But wouldn't it be nice if they could spell the word correctly (top left corner).
Greek is hard enough as it is.
It all started with Zionist ideology. Zionist logic follows these steps:
1) The State of Israel is the rightful heir of the ancient Israelite kingdom of two millenia ago.
2) All Jews today are descendants of the ancient Israelites and have therefore maintained their forbears' rights to the Land of Israel.
3) Israeli Jews exercise these ancient rights to the Land on behalf of all Jews.
4) Therefore, all Jews who choose to remain outside the Land, are living in exile or "the Diaspora".
The appearance of the word "diaspora" in the English language coincided with the birth of political Zionism in the late 19th century. The Greek word was used to describe the Babylonian exile of the Bible and was used specifically in relation to the Jews.
The State of Israel's first leader, David Ben-Gurion, claimed the word "Israel" for the new state. In correspondence with the Chicago Jewish thinker Simon Rawidowicz, he declared that, with the formation of the Jewish state, Jews around the world could no longer call themselves "Israel." That word was now the sole property of the Jewish state; "Israel" means "the State of Israel." Ben Gurion was successful; this is the popular meaning of the word "Israel" today.
Ben Gurion wasn't so successful with pinning the word "diaspora" on the rest of us. The only ones who use that word are Israelis, and mostly Israeli officialdom at that.
The State of Israel takes its responsibilities for its fellow Jews seriously. It even has half a cabinet posted allocated for staying in touch. But wouldn't it be nice if they could spell the word correctly (top left corner).
Greek is hard enough as it is.
Palestinian Pride
Abu Mazen's bid for a Palestinian state may not result in full statehood but it's invigorated the Palestinian people. I like my Israeli/Palestinian pickles. I got accustomed to the flavor in Israel. I confess that I violate my commitment to BDS when I buy Kibbutz Yavneh's pickles. I defend myself in that a. I used to live across the street from Kibbutz Yavneh's pickle plant and b. theirs are the only decent pickles in vinegar.
But most pickles coming out of Israel are in brine and I have yet to find Palestinian pickles in vinegar. (Vinegar must have been an Ashkenazi innovation in the Middle East.)
So, I frequently buy the Chicago-based Ziyyad brand of pickles, but, today, this one caught my eye.
It's the first time I've seen a Palestinian company proudly display the Palestinian flag.
Congratulations! Mabrouk!
And the pickles taste good too. Just like the the Kibbutz's.
But most pickles coming out of Israel are in brine and I have yet to find Palestinian pickles in vinegar. (Vinegar must have been an Ashkenazi innovation in the Middle East.)
So, I frequently buy the Chicago-based Ziyyad brand of pickles, but, today, this one caught my eye.
It's the first time I've seen a Palestinian company proudly display the Palestinian flag.
Congratulations! Mabrouk!
And the pickles taste good too. Just like the the Kibbutz's.
Wedding Music
Yesterday I officiated at the wedding of the daughter of a musician friend. The music was beautiful and I learned of a new genre of Jewish wedding music. Just when I thought I had a pretty good handle on what I do for a living, I discovered a totally new text with many musical settings. I spent some time today educating myself on you tube.
"Mee ban see-ach" is a mediaval liturgical poem ('piyut') based on a an ancient Midrash on the Biblical Song of Solomon. I prefer this translation:
The One who comprehends the rose among the thorns
The love of (or for) the bride, the joy of the betrothed -
May He bless the bride and groom!
Either way, it's a beautiful text and it echoes the traditional opening lines of the Jewish wedding ceremony: Mi Adir . Mi Ban Se-ach has become a song of praise for the bride and is popular in Orthodox ceremonies. I found several musical settings on you tube. I liked this one best. I suspect that the melody and arrangement were originally Christian rock, or, that it could make that crossover very easily - but then again, what's new. and here's another a capella arrangement. As my Jewish music professor, ELi Schleiffer taught me - there is no such thing as Jewish music. We are always taking - and some times influencing - the religious music of our neighbors.
"Mee ban see-ach" is a mediaval liturgical poem ('piyut') based on a an ancient Midrash on the Biblical Song of Solomon. I prefer this translation:
The One who comprehends the rose among the thorns
The love of (or for) the bride, the joy of the betrothed -
May He bless the bride and groom!
Either way, it's a beautiful text and it echoes the traditional opening lines of the Jewish wedding ceremony: Mi Adir . Mi Ban Se-ach has become a song of praise for the bride and is popular in Orthodox ceremonies. I found several musical settings on you tube. I liked this one best. I suspect that the melody and arrangement were originally Christian rock, or, that it could make that crossover very easily - but then again, what's new. and here's another a capella arrangement. As my Jewish music professor, ELi Schleiffer taught me - there is no such thing as Jewish music. We are always taking - and some times influencing - the religious music of our neighbors.
Top Israeli Rabbi Defends Palestinian Rights
The State of Israel's former chief cleric, Chief Rabbi Israel Lau declared today (Hebrew):
"When we arrived here there was a people that had already been here for a long time."He argued that the Israeli government had the right to dismantle West Bank settlements and cede territory to the Palestinians.
Lau's statement is remarkable. Golda Meir famously denied the existence of a Palestinian people. Israel's right wing has echoed that statement to this day. No group more so than the Orthodox.
Lau is still not ready to share the State of Israel with non-Jews, but this statement on the West Bank opens the door for a broader conversation on the rights of non-Jews in Israel/Palestine.
As Israel's top cleric, Rabbi Lau was known for his ability to satisfy the warring camps within Orthodoxy: the militant, pro-settler Religious Zionists and the so-called ultra-Orthodox.
Rabbi Lau has navigated his successful career by anticipating and responding to the expectations of his constituency. His current position is Chief Rabbi of Israel's secular capital, Tel Aviv. This statement will be welcome to his Tel Aviv flock.
Lau's break with mainstream Orthodoxy has started a firestorm in the Orthodox press.
"When we arrived here there was a people that had already been here for a long time."He argued that the Israeli government had the right to dismantle West Bank settlements and cede territory to the Palestinians.
Lau's statement is remarkable. Golda Meir famously denied the existence of a Palestinian people. Israel's right wing has echoed that statement to this day. No group more so than the Orthodox.
Lau is still not ready to share the State of Israel with non-Jews, but this statement on the West Bank opens the door for a broader conversation on the rights of non-Jews in Israel/Palestine.
As Israel's top cleric, Rabbi Lau was known for his ability to satisfy the warring camps within Orthodoxy: the militant, pro-settler Religious Zionists and the so-called ultra-Orthodox.
Rabbi Lau has navigated his successful career by anticipating and responding to the expectations of his constituency. His current position is Chief Rabbi of Israel's secular capital, Tel Aviv. This statement will be welcome to his Tel Aviv flock.
Lau's break with mainstream Orthodoxy has started a firestorm in the Orthodox press.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I prefer to live with Jews
Rabbi Eric Yoffie's vision for the future of State of Israel left me feeling queasy.
Rabbi Yoffie declares that he can work with a Jew whose ideology he rejects. Rabbi Yoffie suports a Palestinian state. His collaborator doesn't. The objective they are collaborating on: the defeat of the Palestinian bid for UN recognition.
There is a classic reading of Judaism that sees the religion as a normative system of actions. Beliefs are less significant than actions. It is what we do that binds us as a community not what we think. Rabbi Yoffie seems to have found a nice way to apply that teaching today.
Yet, what would a Palestinian - even one who disagrees with the Abbas plan - think when he learns that Rabbi Yoffie is using his influence as a Jewish leader, in the name of what he says is best for the Palestinians, to defeat the Palestinian plan.
Rabbi Yoffie would like to reserve the right for himself to be able to move to a Jewish State that has a dominant Jewish character. He prefers to live with Jews. I assume that, like almost all Reform Jews, Rabbi Yoffie lives in suburbia in a comfortable, overwhelmingly White neighborhood.
In the suburbs I see a great thirst for a healing of the rift between the city and suburbia that dates back to the 60s. Of all the musical programs I brought to my synagogue the one that had the most enthusiastic appreciation and broadest participation was the African American Jewish choir and band from the far South Side of Chicago.
As I wrote in a previous post, the conversion of Reform Judaism to Zionist activism followed on the heels of the great migration of Whites from the city to the suburbs, in the 50s and 60s. In Chicago's case: from the South Side and West Side of Chicago to the northern suburbs. Because of the events that precipitated "White Flight" this migration was particularly significant for the Jewish population.
According to Rabbi Yoffie, while American Jews enjoy the energy of Israel when they visit as tourists, they won't move there unless they can take their suburban lifestyle with them. This is certainly true of the American settlers on the West Bank. Not for them the the cramped apartments of the older Israeli cities. They went to the West Bank to their government-subsidized house-and-a-garden.
Rabbi Yoffie goes beyond showing his loyalty as a "Diaspora Jew" to Israeli policy. In his full-throated allegiance to Israeli policy he declares that he has a personal investment as an American Jew in Israel rejecting Palestinian emanicipation.
This is condescending not just to Palestinians but to Israelis too.
Let the Israelis and Palestinians work out what's best for them. Let's not tell the Palestinians how to go about their quest for dignity and justice. And let's not put out American needs on the Israelis. They have enough on their plates.
And, Rabbi Yoffie, it's ok to disagree with Jewish opponents of Palestinian self-determination.
Rabbi Yoffie declares that he can work with a Jew whose ideology he rejects. Rabbi Yoffie suports a Palestinian state. His collaborator doesn't. The objective they are collaborating on: the defeat of the Palestinian bid for UN recognition.
There is a classic reading of Judaism that sees the religion as a normative system of actions. Beliefs are less significant than actions. It is what we do that binds us as a community not what we think. Rabbi Yoffie seems to have found a nice way to apply that teaching today.
Yet, what would a Palestinian - even one who disagrees with the Abbas plan - think when he learns that Rabbi Yoffie is using his influence as a Jewish leader, in the name of what he says is best for the Palestinians, to defeat the Palestinian plan.
Rabbi Yoffie would like to reserve the right for himself to be able to move to a Jewish State that has a dominant Jewish character. He prefers to live with Jews. I assume that, like almost all Reform Jews, Rabbi Yoffie lives in suburbia in a comfortable, overwhelmingly White neighborhood.
In the suburbs I see a great thirst for a healing of the rift between the city and suburbia that dates back to the 60s. Of all the musical programs I brought to my synagogue the one that had the most enthusiastic appreciation and broadest participation was the African American Jewish choir and band from the far South Side of Chicago.
As I wrote in a previous post, the conversion of Reform Judaism to Zionist activism followed on the heels of the great migration of Whites from the city to the suburbs, in the 50s and 60s. In Chicago's case: from the South Side and West Side of Chicago to the northern suburbs. Because of the events that precipitated "White Flight" this migration was particularly significant for the Jewish population.
According to Rabbi Yoffie, while American Jews enjoy the energy of Israel when they visit as tourists, they won't move there unless they can take their suburban lifestyle with them. This is certainly true of the American settlers on the West Bank. Not for them the the cramped apartments of the older Israeli cities. They went to the West Bank to their government-subsidized house-and-a-garden.
Rabbi Yoffie goes beyond showing his loyalty as a "Diaspora Jew" to Israeli policy. In his full-throated allegiance to Israeli policy he declares that he has a personal investment as an American Jew in Israel rejecting Palestinian emanicipation.
This is condescending not just to Palestinians but to Israelis too.
Let the Israelis and Palestinians work out what's best for them. Let's not tell the Palestinians how to go about their quest for dignity and justice. And let's not put out American needs on the Israelis. They have enough on their plates.
And, Rabbi Yoffie, it's ok to disagree with Jewish opponents of Palestinian self-determination.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Is Judaism Still Relevant? (or: Rapidly Catching Up with the Past)
Recently, a local colleague of mine published an article in a national newspaper in which he called for "Judaism to be relevant." When I met him in a semi-public setting, I asked him what he meant by that. He said: "we have to meet people where they are."
I pressed him for his own osition on Judaism and he said:
"we can't be all things to people."
We subsequently had lunch and I discovered that, despite the above, he is a thoughtful, learned rabbi.
Why does an intelligent Rabbi need to speak in cliches in public and how can such a public stance ever be relevant.
But I think my colleague is on to something: take the organized Jewish community's response this week to the shameful Israeli parliament law criminalizing of free speech on West Bank settlements (anti-boycott law). For over a year, as the Knesset bill wound its way through committee and preliminary votes, the progressive Israel/Palestine blogosphere has warned of this impending train wreck. In my own clergy world I tried repeatedly to have a statement issued warning against this law. Nobody was willing to be the first to condemn Israel. This week, the passing of the anti-boycott law, did the trick and produced a sudden torrent of high-minded resolutions. Following on the heels of the U.S. State Department, the ADL (!), and a range of Israeli organizations, American Jewish religious organizations have suddenly discovered their voice. Handel in Judas Maccabeus might have called this outpouring of righteous condemnation: "pious orgies".
How relevant can Judaism be when it only comments on the past?
Oh, and had the issue not been about muzzling human rights activists and criminalizing free speech but something really important, say, making sure that Reform Jews get the same discriminatory privileges as Orthodox Jews, you can bet that the organized Jewish community in the U.S. would have been fully engaged in blocking that law.
I pressed him for his own osition on Judaism and he said:
"we can't be all things to people."
We subsequently had lunch and I discovered that, despite the above, he is a thoughtful, learned rabbi.
Why does an intelligent Rabbi need to speak in cliches in public and how can such a public stance ever be relevant.
But I think my colleague is on to something: take the organized Jewish community's response this week to the shameful Israeli parliament law criminalizing of free speech on West Bank settlements (anti-boycott law). For over a year, as the Knesset bill wound its way through committee and preliminary votes, the progressive Israel/Palestine blogosphere has warned of this impending train wreck. In my own clergy world I tried repeatedly to have a statement issued warning against this law. Nobody was willing to be the first to condemn Israel. This week, the passing of the anti-boycott law, did the trick and produced a sudden torrent of high-minded resolutions. Following on the heels of the U.S. State Department, the ADL (!), and a range of Israeli organizations, American Jewish religious organizations have suddenly discovered their voice. Handel in Judas Maccabeus might have called this outpouring of righteous condemnation: "pious orgies".
How relevant can Judaism be when it only comments on the past?
Oh, and had the issue not been about muzzling human rights activists and criminalizing free speech but something really important, say, making sure that Reform Jews get the same discriminatory privileges as Orthodox Jews, you can bet that the organized Jewish community in the U.S. would have been fully engaged in blocking that law.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Hamas Command Flies to Israel ?
The 'flotilla' gave birth to a 'flytilla.' The successful blocking of most of the Gaza flotilla through the sabotage of two of the boats in Athens and Israeli/American pressure on the Greek government to prevent the U.S (and other) boats from leaving the harbor put most of the Gaza flotilla out of commission.
The Israeli authorities are in a tizzy over the "flytilla", the campaign of pro-Palestinian activists to fly to Israel en route to the West Bank. 500 policemen filled Israel's International airport and Israelis verbally attacked suspected activists. Even a reporter for the right-wing Jerusalem Post was shocked by the mob behavior at Israel's showcase portal to the world.
Oh, and the title of this blogpost comes from an oddity of the Hebrew language:
The Israeli term for the flytilla is (literally) "the protest airlift" "matas hamecha'ah". מטס המחאה . I mis-read the headline in the Israeli paper Haaretz because these two words are a perfect anagram for "mateh hahamas" מטה החמאס, which means "The Hamas Command."
To look at the frenzied response, it might as well have been, except that Israel does not the people of Gaza to leave, least of all the Hamas command.
The Israeli authorities are in a tizzy over the "flytilla", the campaign of pro-Palestinian activists to fly to Israel en route to the West Bank. 500 policemen filled Israel's International airport and Israelis verbally attacked suspected activists. Even a reporter for the right-wing Jerusalem Post was shocked by the mob behavior at Israel's showcase portal to the world.
Oh, and the title of this blogpost comes from an oddity of the Hebrew language:
The Israeli term for the flytilla is (literally) "the protest airlift" "matas hamecha'ah". מטס המחאה . I mis-read the headline in the Israeli paper Haaretz because these two words are a perfect anagram for "mateh hahamas" מטה החמאס, which means "The Hamas Command."
To look at the frenzied response, it might as well have been, except that Israel does not the people of Gaza to leave, least of all the Hamas command.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Rabbi Outcast
For years, the only people I saw at progressive programs on Israel were silver-haired. In my 30s, I missed being around my peers. But today this has changed dramatically. A new generation of 20 and 30 somethings is fully engaged in the Israel/Palestine issue. These young activists are radical, powerful and constitute a community in their own right. Groups such as Young, Jewish and Proud are taking back their voice from the spokesmen for mainstream, Zionist organizations.
A few days ago a book arrived in the mail by Jack Ross, a young author who is deeply committed to a Judaism not rooted in Zionism. His new Rabbi Outcast is a biography of Rabbi Elmer Berger, one of the leaders of the American Council for Judaism. In the Jewish community, the ACJ is remembered more for its "classical Judaism" approach to ritual. More traditional Jews considered this "classical Judaism" to be too much of a concession to Christian modes of worship.
But the American Council for Judaism was formed primarily as a response not to traditional ritual but to the new political ideology of Zionism. This new Zionist American Jewish identity was ushered in by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in the early part of the 20th century and triumphed by such rabbinic leaders as Stephen Wise into the 1940s. Elmer Berger wanted to return to the principles of 19th century Reform Judaism. As Ross describes in the book's prologue, Berger was following in the footsteps of the founder of Reform Judaism in the U.S., Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise (no relation to Stephen) who saw Judaism as an American religion and not a political movement of the Jewish people in the Middle East. in the tradition of the early Reform leaders he placed the emphasis on religious principles not peoplehood.
Jack Ross has made a thoughtful contribution in bringing into the present an alternative to the mainstream path taken by American Judaism. His detailed account of the internal workings of the American Council for Judaism in the mid-20th century offer positive - and cautionary - insights into how to organize an alternative camp in the face of a dominant mainstream.
Ultimately, the UCJ vanished into irrelevance. This was inevitable in the wake of the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948 and the popular response to its successes in the United States. Similarly, within the State of Israel, Martin Buber, who had campaigned against Ben Gurion's plan for a Jewish state, accepted the new reality too. Even within the Zionist camp, dissenting voices such as the European/American scholar Simon Rawidowicz were drowned out by David Ben Gurion's militant Zionism.
Jack Ross has provided ample footnotes and goes into great detail. However, I do wonder about some statements such as his description of Berger's classmates in rabbinical school. "A large number were of Orthodox background, often the sons of rabbis or other Orthodox functionaries such as mohels or kosher butchers for whom the Reform rabbinate was practically the only path to upward social mobility in the New World." (p. 26) I would have welcomed more explanation and attribution for such a broad description.
In the American Jewish community Zionism became dogma to the point where, until very recently, American Jews could not even comprehend the possibility of other valid viewpoints. My sense is that this is beginning to change. The overwhelming flow of images and news about the violent excesses and discriminatory policies of the State of Israel are making it necessary and possible for groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace (with which both I and Jack Ross are involved) to articulate alternate visions. Jack Ross' book moves the conversation forward and gives us a touchstone towards re-imagining American Jewish identity.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Jews and Christians for Economic Justice
Last week, I convened a meeting between Hyatt Corp.'s Senior HR Officer, Rob Webb and five clergy, including an Orthodox rabbi and two Methodist ministers. At the meeting at Hyatt's corporate headquarters in downtown Chicago, one of Mr. Webb's complaints was that the labor negotiator in San Franscisco was "holding those Hyatt workers hostage" by not signing a separate deal with management and holding out for better conditions for workers in other cities. I told Mr. Webb that the worker solidarity that he sees as a problem, we, clergy, see as a virtue.
The solidarity of unionized workers with their non-unionized fellow workers is impressive and inspirational. Clearly, there is self-interest at play here: a bigger union is a stronger union. But, the workers have resisted threats and enticements. They have risked their jobs in order to ensure the long-term viability of their work agreement with management. They refuse to abandon their co-workers, even when that stand costs them.
At the end of our meeting, I thanked Hyatt's Senior Vice President for Human Resources for his time but added that we would continue to campaign on behalf of the workers.
Yesterday afternoon I, along with local and national clergy led a rally with the striking workers and their supporters outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel just off Chicago's Magnificent Mile. At the rally I met clergy leaders from near and far including the impressive labor organizer, Rev. Carol Been of Los Angeles. The national Interfaith Worker Justice conference that is meeting in Chicago this week made the Hyatt Regency a focal point of its activism.
Local clergy were present too. Rabbi Bruce Elder from the Chicago suburbs delivered a powerful prayer on behalf of the striking workers. I was honored to lead the music alongside Kim Bobo, the head of the Interfaith Worker Justice organization.
Rob Webb came out from his office to watch the rally. Apparently, he exchanged a friendly wave with Rabbi Elder. As he told us at our meeting last week, "we have the power to give." It's time to use that power.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Out with the New, In with the Old (Rabbi Jacobs, Part 3)
Today the Union for Reform Judaism announced the formal election of Rabbi Rick Jacobs to head the URJ. The statement includes this passage:
Out with the new - no more playing on J Street for Rabbi Jacobs;
In with the old - he will join a respectable club such as AIPAC
Out with the New Israel Fund;
in the with the old - The Jewish Agency.
Out with the new - no more edgy activism at Sheikh Jarrah demonstrations;
In with the old - Rabbi Jacobs will join the list of approved organizations.
So, Rabbi Jacobs has been instructed to quit all his frivolous dabbling in radical lefty politics.As Rabbi Jacobs winds down his responsibilities with Westchester Reform Temple, he also will step down from his involvement in other organizations, boards and advisory committees during the first years of his Presidency in order to focus his energies on the task ahead of him. Additionally, as President of the URJ, he will assume many new official posts on Jewish communal organizations including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, among others.
Out with the new - no more playing on J Street for Rabbi Jacobs;
In with the old - he will join a respectable club such as AIPAC
Out with the New Israel Fund;
in the with the old - The Jewish Agency.
Out with the new - no more edgy activism at Sheikh Jarrah demonstrations;
In with the old - Rabbi Jacobs will join the list of approved organizations.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Rabbi Jacobs, part 2
Last month I did a post on incoming Reform movement head, Rabbi Rick Jacobs and Israel/Palestine. He was forced to back away from his previously held center-left positions (J Street) in deference to the APIAC pro-Israel camp.
In the last week, my blogppost has received a lot of traffic of folks coming over from Lizzy Ratner's piece on the same issue over at Mondoweiss.
I agree with Ratner that Rabbis Jacobs is a better candidate than previous leaders of the Reform movement, who gave their blessing and authorization to the colonization of the West Bank by Jewish settlers.
However, I have some problems with Ratner's piece. First, there is this gratuitous dig at Reform Judaism's attitude to women:
Looking at the two Reform clergy associations, the immediate past-president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the current president of American Conference of Cantors are women.
Awareness of women's rights and issues is a defining concern of the Reform movement.
If a woman wasn't selected for the job, it is not because this is an old boys' club, but because we have moved so far forward on this that it is a non-issue in the Reform movement.
Second:
I would love to see the URJ extending its liberal politics on womens' rights, gay issues and other domestic social issues to progressive politics on Israel/Palestine. I agree with Ratner that this might give the Reform movement that elusive "relevance" that it supposedly lacks.
After his election, President Obama disappointed progressives when he moved to the political center. Similarly, the case of URJ President-elect Rabbi Rick Jacobs is instructive in reflecting what one has to sacrifice in order to hold a position of national leadership in the mainstream Jewish community.
After all is said and done, I still prefer a beaten-down progressive to a right-wing ideologue.
Good luck, Rabbi Jacobs!
In the last week, my blogppost has received a lot of traffic of folks coming over from Lizzy Ratner's piece on the same issue over at Mondoweiss.
I agree with Ratner that Rabbis Jacobs is a better candidate than previous leaders of the Reform movement, who gave their blessing and authorization to the colonization of the West Bank by Jewish settlers.
However, I have some problems with Ratner's piece. First, there is this gratuitous dig at Reform Judaism's attitude to women:
It's true that the URJ has always been led by a man. On the other hand, the membership and clergy of the Reform movement reflect a deep commitment to full gender equality. Sensitivity to gender equality is reflected in the last two editions of the Reform prayerbook; women and girls are full equals in ritual; a majority of young cantors are women. Increasingly women rabbis are attaining senior toles in the movement.it [the Union for Reform Judaism] represents more Jews than any other branch of Judaism in the United States, and the man (because you can bet it’s always a man) who gets chosen to lead these members has no small influence.
Looking at the two Reform clergy associations, the immediate past-president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the current president of American Conference of Cantors are women.
Awareness of women's rights and issues is a defining concern of the Reform movement.
If a woman wasn't selected for the job, it is not because this is an old boys' club, but because we have moved so far forward on this that it is a non-issue in the Reform movement.
Second:
Lizzy Ratner does not offer any evidence for this. There are other reasons that can be put forward in its place, the most obvious has to do with the interests of an organization in guaranteeing its own future. Just because us folks who read Mondoweiss think about Israel/Palestine every day, it doesn't mean that this is on the front burner for the URJ leadership.he was chosen to helm the URJ at least in part to offer a new kind of leadership, one that will reel the young folks back into the reform movement and give it a needed jolt.
I would love to see the URJ extending its liberal politics on womens' rights, gay issues and other domestic social issues to progressive politics on Israel/Palestine. I agree with Ratner that this might give the Reform movement that elusive "relevance" that it supposedly lacks.
After his election, President Obama disappointed progressives when he moved to the political center. Similarly, the case of URJ President-elect Rabbi Rick Jacobs is instructive in reflecting what one has to sacrifice in order to hold a position of national leadership in the mainstream Jewish community.
After all is said and done, I still prefer a beaten-down progressive to a right-wing ideologue.
Good luck, Rabbi Jacobs!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Jerusalem Day
Back in my settler days, one of the year's highlights was "Jerusalem Day", the anniversary of the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem and its holy sites by the Israeli Army in the June 1967 Six Day War. On the eve of Jerusalem Day thousands of us would gather at Yeshivat Mercaz Harav
in West Jerusalem, the center of messianic settler theology, to hear civic leaders and leading settler rabbis speak in honor of Jewish Jerusalem.
One year I went with a classmate. The most illustrious speaker on the dais gave my friend a hug as he left the hall. This was his uncle, Yacov Herzog, President of the State of Israel. For me, President Herzog's participation at Mercaz Harav conferred mainstream respectability on settler ideology.
After the speeches were over, we would gather outside on the street and start walking and singing
through downtown West Jerusalem, past Jaffa Gate into the Old City. We continued down through the Arab bazaar, banging on the shuttered stalls, singing religious/nationalistic songs and waving Israel flags. Our destination was the plaza in front of the Western Wall - the open space that was, prior to 1967, an Arab residential neighborhood
The last few hours of the night was spent schmoozing and hanging out with the girls. At daybreak, we said morning prayers, and headed home for some sleep.
I was reminded of my settler past because of this horrific video of the current generation of settler youth celebrating "Jerusalem Day" last week. Phil Weiss aptly captured the terror and danger of these youths - many of whom are still soldiers in the Israeli reserves - in his term "Whiteshirts".
On the other side of Israel's political spectrum, last night saw yet another peacenik demonstration in Tel Aviv. Oddly, while freedom of expression grows (e.g. 10 years ago who would have thought you could wave Palestinian flags at a mass rally in Tel Aviv?), the daily life for West Bank Palestinians only worsens from year to year.
If the estimates are correct and 20,000 Israeli Jews were at this demonstration, that would be the equivalent of close to 100,000 Americans. If such a demonstration took place in the United States that would be newsworthy.
However, there is actually nothing new to report here.
Firstly, Israeli grassroots democracy is famously more raucous than the United States. If 100,000 Americans stepped away from work, sports and shopping and took the streets something significant would be afoot. Not so, in Israel where Saturday night demonstrations are a routine form of street entertainment.
Secondly, if these numbers were truly indicative of a broad segment of the population why do they have no power in the Israeli parliament, with its multitude of political parties?
Thirdly, these demonstrations have been going on for years. Has the government ever changed its policies in response to them?
In fact, these demonstrations are just safety valves for the Israeli lefties who, actually, have no power. Worse, these rallies have been co-opted by the Israeli government as evidence that Israel is better than Arab regimes which quell any public opposition to government policy.
If we want good news from Israel/Palestine, it's not last night's demonstration in the Tel Aviv bubble. Instead, look to the incredibly courageous activists - Israeli and world Jews and internationals - who risk humiliation, physical injury, imprisonment and even death in order to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. By standing with Palestninian civilians these brave men and women complicate matters for the Israeli army/settlers. They are building bridges of trust between the privileged and the dispossessed. They are willing to risk their privilege and bodies, rather than live quietly within a violent system.
These are my heroes. They inspire me to stay involved in support of their heroic stand and in solidarity with the Palestinians. Unlike a Tel Aviv rally, they cannot be ignored.
in West Jerusalem, the center of messianic settler theology, to hear civic leaders and leading settler rabbis speak in honor of Jewish Jerusalem.
One year I went with a classmate. The most illustrious speaker on the dais gave my friend a hug as he left the hall. This was his uncle, Yacov Herzog, President of the State of Israel. For me, President Herzog's participation at Mercaz Harav conferred mainstream respectability on settler ideology.
After the speeches were over, we would gather outside on the street and start walking and singing
through downtown West Jerusalem, past Jaffa Gate into the Old City. We continued down through the Arab bazaar, banging on the shuttered stalls, singing religious/nationalistic songs and waving Israel flags. Our destination was the plaza in front of the Western Wall - the open space that was, prior to 1967, an Arab residential neighborhood
The last few hours of the night was spent schmoozing and hanging out with the girls. At daybreak, we said morning prayers, and headed home for some sleep.
I was reminded of my settler past because of this horrific video of the current generation of settler youth celebrating "Jerusalem Day" last week. Phil Weiss aptly captured the terror and danger of these youths - many of whom are still soldiers in the Israeli reserves - in his term "Whiteshirts".
On the other side of Israel's political spectrum, last night saw yet another peacenik demonstration in Tel Aviv. Oddly, while freedom of expression grows (e.g. 10 years ago who would have thought you could wave Palestinian flags at a mass rally in Tel Aviv?), the daily life for West Bank Palestinians only worsens from year to year.
If the estimates are correct and 20,000 Israeli Jews were at this demonstration, that would be the equivalent of close to 100,000 Americans. If such a demonstration took place in the United States that would be newsworthy.
However, there is actually nothing new to report here.
Firstly, Israeli grassroots democracy is famously more raucous than the United States. If 100,000 Americans stepped away from work, sports and shopping and took the streets something significant would be afoot. Not so, in Israel where Saturday night demonstrations are a routine form of street entertainment.
Secondly, if these numbers were truly indicative of a broad segment of the population why do they have no power in the Israeli parliament, with its multitude of political parties?
Thirdly, these demonstrations have been going on for years. Has the government ever changed its policies in response to them?
In fact, these demonstrations are just safety valves for the Israeli lefties who, actually, have no power. Worse, these rallies have been co-opted by the Israeli government as evidence that Israel is better than Arab regimes which quell any public opposition to government policy.
If we want good news from Israel/Palestine, it's not last night's demonstration in the Tel Aviv bubble. Instead, look to the incredibly courageous activists - Israeli and world Jews and internationals - who risk humiliation, physical injury, imprisonment and even death in order to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. By standing with Palestninian civilians these brave men and women complicate matters for the Israeli army/settlers. They are building bridges of trust between the privileged and the dispossessed. They are willing to risk their privilege and bodies, rather than live quietly within a violent system.
These are my heroes. They inspire me to stay involved in support of their heroic stand and in solidarity with the Palestinians. Unlike a Tel Aviv rally, they cannot be ignored.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Humanizing the Palestinian Struggle
This is being reported in the Israeli media (Ynet and Haaretz).
I love the way this professionally-produced video humanizes the Palestinian cause.
I wonder how they found the Chosid (ultra-Orthodox Jew) at 3:18
h/t Cantor Aviva Rosenbloom
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Known to God Alone
Today, Cook County observed the annual Interfaith Memorial Observance for Indigent Person. In the past year, 138 people, overwhelmingly male, were buried by Cook County Medical Examiner.
This service was an effort to lend dignity to their passing and to celebrate the lives of people who may have been loved by others, may have experienced love, but who died alone.
Appropriately, the Interfaith service was held in the heart of the city, at the beautiful Chicago Temple, opposite the City of Chicago offices at Daley Plaza.
I had the honor of chanting Psalm 23 and the traditional El Maleh prayer for any Jews who might have been among the deceased homeless people. I felt I was praying for them all.
A Muslim women offered a beautiful prayer celebrating the divine spark in all humans. There were Christian and even Zoroastrian prayers too.
All the names of the deceased were read at the service.
On September 23, 2010, three people were buried who had no identification. They are listed in the record as "unknown." When the man (of the Isma'ili Shia faith) who read the names of those who died that day came to the "unknowns" he said, instead "known to God alone."
I met wonderful people who work with the homeless and who talked about the challenges of getting people to accept help. It is sad that these men and women could not be helped while they were still alive.
This service was an effort to lend dignity to their passing and to celebrate the lives of people who may have been loved by others, may have experienced love, but who died alone.
Appropriately, the Interfaith service was held in the heart of the city, at the beautiful Chicago Temple, opposite the City of Chicago offices at Daley Plaza.
I had the honor of chanting Psalm 23 and the traditional El Maleh prayer for any Jews who might have been among the deceased homeless people. I felt I was praying for them all.
A Muslim women offered a beautiful prayer celebrating the divine spark in all humans. There were Christian and even Zoroastrian prayers too.
All the names of the deceased were read at the service.
On September 23, 2010, three people were buried who had no identification. They are listed in the record as "unknown." When the man (of the Isma'ili Shia faith) who read the names of those who died that day came to the "unknowns" he said, instead "known to God alone."
I met wonderful people who work with the homeless and who talked about the challenges of getting people to accept help. It is sad that these men and women could not be helped while they were still alive.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A New Judaism
 |
| Out with the old... |
The scope of the Jewish religion has always been characterized by divergent trends. On the one hand, the number of laws has a natural rate of expansion. In the Torah (Exodus 20), God speaks once and this instantaneously becomes 10 commandments which themselves are immediately followed by a host of new laws. Famously, Jewish tradition counts 613 Biblical commandments. Rabbinic literature multiplies these into tens of thousands.
Concurrently and consequently, in order to make sense of this mass of information, the authors of Judaism felt the need to define core values. In the 12th century Maimonides compiled the first encyclopedia of Jewish law, totalling 14 volumes and thousands of pages long. Alongside this exhaustive manual he proposed a one page "read-me-first" list of 13 Principles of the Faith.
Maimonides is part of a tradition of expansion alongside defining core values. The Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes concludes a long list of exhortations with one fundamental principle. The enormous Talmud similarly quotes a series Rabbis who reduced all of Judaism to one core principle. The most famous of all is Hillel. He reduced the whole of Judaism to the golden rule: do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.
Orthodoxy sees itself, in practice and dogma, as the true heir to pre-modern Judaism. Orthodoxy defined itself in the modern era when it rejected the drive to modernize Judaism. These watershed issues included the use of the vernacular in religious service and rejecting other innovations in ritual (early 19th century Hungary and elsewhere), observance of kosher laws (late 19th century, United States), rejecting interfaith marriages (20th century). Movements, like individuals, define themselves most clearly not by what they declare they are but by what they reject.
Rabbi X, along with many Jewish leaders, does not preach the Orthodox practice with regard kosher food, Sabbath observance and officiating at interfaith marriages.Yet, he is welcome in the Orthodox world and other mainstream Jewish bodies. Where he crosses the line is in his open criticism of the State of Israel.
The largest Jewish organizations, along with Orthodoxy have declared a new core principle. This principle supplants values of social justice or learning, separation of church and state, study, and even (the recent principle of) Jewish continuity.
 |
| ...in with the new |
The Talmudic Rabbi Hillel, were he an Orthodox Jew today, would indeed say:
"Support the State of Israel, this is the whole Torah, all the rest is the commentary"
Monday, May 23, 2011
What's $3,000,000,000.00 among friends?
Israeli Prime Minister's speech to Congress tomorrow is being seen as his rebuttal to President Obama's speech to AIPAC yesterday.
Netanyahu addressed Congress at the beginning of his first term as prime minister in the 90s. He won a standing ovation from the U.S. lawmakers when he declared that Israel would no longer ask for billions in U.S. dollars. Back in Israel, economic analysts mocked their prime minister's lofty promise. Nehemia Strassler, Economics Editor of Israel's paper of record, Haaretz, predicted that should Israel decline the annual infusion of U.S. aid, the rate of exchange of the Israeli shekel would shoot up by at least 33%. In his analysis, the Israeli economy could not withstand such a shock.
So, this was never going to happen.
And it didn't. In the interim, Israel has asked - and received - not less, but more U.S. aid. In the period 2000-09, the U.S. gave the State of Israel over $24b in military aid.
Pro-Israel advocates still claim that these sums are insignificant and they amount to just 5% of Israel's GDP.
If the money is insignificant, tomorrow, will Netanyahu renew his 15 year old commitment to wean Israel off U.S. aid? And why are we told that Israel's security hangs in the balance and needs more and more money?
And if it is not significant, then does that not drive home the point that Israel is the region's military superpower and should take the lead in bringing security to the Middle East?
With greater power and privilege come greater responsibility.
Tomorrow, Netanyahu could win an honest ovation in Congress.
1. Declare that Israel will sign the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
2. Commit to suspending State of Israel laws that grant more civil rights to Jews than to Palestinians.
3. Commit to end colonizing the West Bank, rein in the settlers and work to restore a life of dignity to its Palestinian residents.
I won't hold my breath.
Netanyahu addressed Congress at the beginning of his first term as prime minister in the 90s. He won a standing ovation from the U.S. lawmakers when he declared that Israel would no longer ask for billions in U.S. dollars. Back in Israel, economic analysts mocked their prime minister's lofty promise. Nehemia Strassler, Economics Editor of Israel's paper of record, Haaretz, predicted that should Israel decline the annual infusion of U.S. aid, the rate of exchange of the Israeli shekel would shoot up by at least 33%. In his analysis, the Israeli economy could not withstand such a shock.
So, this was never going to happen.
And it didn't. In the interim, Israel has asked - and received - not less, but more U.S. aid. In the period 2000-09, the U.S. gave the State of Israel over $24b in military aid.
Pro-Israel advocates still claim that these sums are insignificant and they amount to just 5% of Israel's GDP.
If the money is insignificant, tomorrow, will Netanyahu renew his 15 year old commitment to wean Israel off U.S. aid? And why are we told that Israel's security hangs in the balance and needs more and more money?
And if it is not significant, then does that not drive home the point that Israel is the region's military superpower and should take the lead in bringing security to the Middle East?
With greater power and privilege come greater responsibility.
Tomorrow, Netanyahu could win an honest ovation in Congress.
1. Declare that Israel will sign the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
2. Commit to suspending State of Israel laws that grant more civil rights to Jews than to Palestinians.
3. Commit to end colonizing the West Bank, rein in the settlers and work to restore a life of dignity to its Palestinian residents.
I won't hold my breath.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Reclaiming Jewish Values
Recently, I participated in a training for creating flashmobs. It was a lot of fun. Organizing a flashmob is more involved than it might look. There is the obvious: thinking up and rehearsing the lines and the dance moves, organizing lots of people and getting them into a public space without arousing suspicion. But there are other pieces too: the videographers, the "innocent bystanders" who seem keenly interested in the flashmob but are really plants, other people whose job it is to act as buffers if there is any belligerent behavior against members of the flashmob and others and many other pieces of organizing.
What I loved about this flashmob in D.C. on Friday is the riff on the iconic Jewish wedding/Bar Mitzvah song "Hava Nagila." "Hava Nagila's" ubiquity makes it instantly recognizable not only to Jews but to anyone whose ever been to a Jewish event. In big-city America, you'd have to lead a severely isolated existence not to recognize "Hava Nagila" and identify it as Jewish.
This flashmob in D.C. was directed at AIPAC. Jews are challenging the supremacy of the pro-war Israel lobby. AIPAC is no longer is the sole voice of America's Jews.
Move over AIPAC! A New Judaism is arising. A Judaism of solidarity with the dispossessed, a Judaism of peace and justice.
you tube clip taken from Mondoweiss
What I loved about this flashmob in D.C. on Friday is the riff on the iconic Jewish wedding/Bar Mitzvah song "Hava Nagila." "Hava Nagila's" ubiquity makes it instantly recognizable not only to Jews but to anyone whose ever been to a Jewish event. In big-city America, you'd have to lead a severely isolated existence not to recognize "Hava Nagila" and identify it as Jewish.
This flashmob in D.C. was directed at AIPAC. Jews are challenging the supremacy of the pro-war Israel lobby. AIPAC is no longer is the sole voice of America's Jews.
Move over AIPAC! A New Judaism is arising. A Judaism of solidarity with the dispossessed, a Judaism of peace and justice.
you tube clip taken from Mondoweiss
Friday, May 20, 2011
Obama/Netanyahu vs. Israel/Palestine, 1:0
So, the President actually said it. "1967 borders with negotiated land swaps".
Netanyahu protested.
Obama can say he tried. Netanyahu can say he stood up to the Americans.
And nothing will happen. Again, what they both want.
David Samel over at Mondoweiss gets it right.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Israel vs. the Jews
In advance of his trip to the States, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu laid out his new plan for peace. He spoke from the Knesset podium in Jerusalem.
First the soundbite:
It is fair to day that the State of Israel is constituted as as the state of the Israeli Jewish people.
This state's laws and institutions grant superior privileges to Israeli Jews over, and at the expense of, non-Jewish Israeli citizens.
As an American Jew, my religious rights in the State of Israel are inferior to those of Israeli Jews.
The State's actions in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon are not recognizably Jewish to me.
As such, I do not recognize in the State Israel the "State of the Jewish People" of the Israeli leader's statement. Whether you define Jewish as a set of morals or a tribe, the State of Israel does not fit the definition.
So why not meet with Hamas? Hamas in Gaza was democratically elected and enjoys the trust of their people. Now, they have agreed to share power with the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank.
This is a golden opportunity for Israel to reach an agreement with all the Palestinians.
But Netanyahu wants peace-and-quiet not peace and justice.
First the soundbite:
Israel would be prepared to compromise and cede parts of our homeland for true peace with the Palestiniansbut:
A Palestinian government that comprises representatives of Hamas and refuses to recognize that Israel is the state of the Jewish People is not a partner for peace.But Netanyahu's own government enforces as system that invalidates his own criterion. The State of Israel per Netanyahu's government is not the state of the Jewish People.
It is fair to day that the State of Israel is constituted as as the state of the Israeli Jewish people.
This state's laws and institutions grant superior privileges to Israeli Jews over, and at the expense of, non-Jewish Israeli citizens.
As an American Jew, my religious rights in the State of Israel are inferior to those of Israeli Jews.
The State's actions in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon are not recognizably Jewish to me.
As such, I do not recognize in the State Israel the "State of the Jewish People" of the Israeli leader's statement. Whether you define Jewish as a set of morals or a tribe, the State of Israel does not fit the definition.
So why not meet with Hamas? Hamas in Gaza was democratically elected and enjoys the trust of their people. Now, they have agreed to share power with the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank.
This is a golden opportunity for Israel to reach an agreement with all the Palestinians.
But Netanyahu wants peace-and-quiet not peace and justice.
"2,000 Years of Any Day Now"
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| Billboard in Oakland, CA |
For Jews, its the coming of the Messiah. Periodically, end-of-time believers release a new date.
The people who engage in these calculations are known as mehashvei kitzin. Our tradition raps them on the knuckles. No one holds God to a timetable.
Evangelical Christians await the coming of "the rapture."
A new date for the rapture is upon us. According to this e-mail that was personally sent to me (outreach to Jewish clergy?), we can expect the rapture this coming Saturday, May 21.
"The Holy Bible tells us that May 21, 2011 will be this appointed Day of Judgment! Following it there will be 5 months of awful torment for this world; and then on October 21, 2011 God will destroy this earth and the entire creation."Good news for some of them. Bad news for everybody else who won't make the cut. Apparently, God's is powerless in the face of the space limitations of the rapture.
Since the birth of Christianity, the imminent return of the Messiah has inspired the faithful. The first generation of Christians expected Jesus to come back in their lifetime. Ever since, periodically, a new date is announced. In the past, devout believers have sold their possessions and quit their jobs in preparation for the great day. Only to be left with nothing once the date came and went with no sign of the Messiah.
Everyone's entitled to their belief in the absolute truth. But, as the folks over at atheists.org point out, who will pick up the pieces for those believers who quit their jobs and disrupt their lives in preparation for this Saturday's rapture?
Friday, May 13, 2011
Fantasizing About Fleeing the Front
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Here's a thought exercise. Let's say U.S. Jews abandon the conservative AIPAC and the centrist J Street. Instead, they all begin to identify with radical left Jewish organizations, such as JVP or IJAN.
Subsequently, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations asks for a meeting with President Obama and Congressional leaders. Abe Foxman of the ADL urges the US Administration to pay heed to the group. At the meeting, the Jewish leaders declare that they want the US to withhold all military aid from the State of Israel until Israel brings justice to its Palestinian population.
Rabbis and Jewish academics declare that to be Jewish is to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and other dispossessed people. The campaign against Iran is denounced as a distraction. President Obama issues a stern warning, cautioning Prime Minister Netanyahu from building any more Jewish homes on the West Bank. Congressional leaders refuse to meet Netayahu until he publicly commits to lift the siege on Gaza, release Palestinian prisoners in return for Gilad Shalit and commits not to attack Gaza again.
Israeli and Palestinian activists in groups such as Ta'ayush, Anarchists Against the Wall and the Sheikh Jarrah rallies tour the United States speaking at rallies and in synagogues.
The Jewish community meet every year at the Annual Peace and Justice Rally, marching alongside Palestinian leaders.
What would happen then in the United States? Would non-Jewish Americans rally to the Jewish community (with the likely exception of Christian Fundamentalists). The Israeli government is forced to re-visit its discriminatory policies. Palestinians are granted full civil rights under Israeli law.
I hope that's how it would happen.
But something else could happen. If Jews pulled out of the Middle East conflict and were perceived as standing in solidarity with Muslims (in the public eye, that also includes non-Western Christians), I wonder if the magical, privileged status of U.S. Jews would evaporate. Are American Jews just serving a secularized Christian agenda? Jews are the face of Christian America's battle in the Middle East.
Even if this were not the case. Jews' fear of losing their privileged status will, in itself, prevent this scenario from ever materializing.
Once Jews stop serving the Christians in the Christian-Muslim class of civilizations, what will our role in society be? Will Christians turn on the Jewish community if Jews befriend Muslims?
End of daydream.
Judaism as Performance Art
1) This week I had a great conversation with a progressive Jewish activist. She is queer, politically savvy, knowledgeable and committed both to her social justice values and to her Judaism.
She hosted her own seder this year. The participants were mostly non-Jews along with some Jews who have no other Jewish affiliation. She crafted an alternative Haggadah that reflects her values. The seder was a smashing success.
But, she had one complaint. As the only committed Jew in the room, she felt like she was putting on a performance. She missed sharing the commitment with a community of like-minded Jews.
2) When leading services, particularly Bar Mitzvah services, I often find that there is no participation in the congregtion. The congregation is a polite and passive audience; the bima (raised dais, the equivalent of the area around the altar in a church) is a stage. The clergy and musicians perform Judaism for the visitors. One of my colleagues has actually quipped to the congregation: "You know. This is not TV. We can see you!" He gets a laugh and it does help people become engaged in the service.
3) A couple of years ago, I heard the Israeli consul-general in Chicago speak about Israel. This was a well-rehearsed presentation and he hit the usual points in the Zionist narrative. The Consul-General ended with a quote from Amos Oz: "We, in Israel are the actors. We are on the stage. We invite you in the audience to come up onto the stage and join us in the play." This was the classic Ben-Gurion Zionist line. Israel is the center and America is the periphery. Israel is the place of Jewish life and Jewish America is inconsequential.
The audience applauded appreciatively.
All this leads me to believe that Judaism for many Jewish Americans is something that is performed, by others, for them. I don't know if this comes from Christianity or from watching TV, but passivity and being spectators is the default way of being. Whether it's a home ritual, synagogue service or Israel-as-Jewish-state, the role of the average American Jew is to be a polite and passive spectator.
Does it have to be this way? I hope not.
h/t Rob Jury
Which Rabbi Jacobs Will Lead the Reform Movement?
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| Rabbi Richard Jacobs, President-Designate of the URJ |
His appointment to the head of the Reform movement is being hailed - and attacked – as a victory for the left-of-center J Street.
In this speech, however, Rabbi Jacobs goes out of his way to appease the right-wing. After coming under attack by the right wing, he is now speaking with a different voice, answering Amen to the anti-Palestinian camp’s talking points.
Which of is two two public personas will Rabbi Jacobs bring to the URJ? The Rabbi Jacobs who supports BDS against or the one who supports the IDF's onslaught on Gaza?
I posted this response on The Forward website:
Rabbi Jacobs speaks of equality between Jew and Arab in Israel and speaks approvingly, if only in passing, of activism to dismantle settlements. These are important messages.
But these good points are, unfortunately, overshadowed by major sections of the speech.
Rabbi Jacobs speaks admiringly of Daniel Pipes, a man whose idea of reaching out to other faiths is expressed in statements such as "we should tolerate moderate Islam", and, in commenting on the peaceful, democratic revolution in Egypt said: "Muslims...at this time, they are the least democratic of peoples". Notwithstanding that one of the world's most populous democracies, is the Muslim country of Indonesia.
Where is Rabbi Jacobs' voice urging Reform Jews to reach out to American Muslims?
2. Rabbi Jacobs has nothing to say about Israel's shameful attack on the people of Gaza in 2008-9. He boasts that he anticipated the partisan retraction of one of the 13 serious war crime charges against Israel in the attack on Gaza in 2008-9. He implies that the retraction by a single member of the commission of just one finding is sufficient to invalidate the other 12 accusations of war crimes. Rabbi Jacobs surely knows that in our tradition, a da'at yachid, (a minority, dissenting opinion) does not decide the law.
Where is the Rabbi's moral concern for the horrendous destruction of civilian institutions and human life in the IDF's campaign in Gaza?
3. Rabbi Jacobs speaks approvingly of AIPAC and disparagingly of J Street. Jewish Voice for Peace is not mentioned in his speech on Israel.
Where is the "big tent" that the leader of the largest denomination in Judaism seeks to build?
Given such a partisan, political stance, Rabbi Kaplan's call for Reform Jews to disengage from Israel is understandable. However, this is less than optimal. A new generation of young American Jews is emerging who will not put aside their values in the name of loyalty the State of Israel. What will Rabbi Jacobs and Rabbi Kaplan tell them?
In the U.S. we have Palestinian and Arab neighbors. What message do we want to send them?
In the past the leadership of American Jewry gave the Israeli government the authority to bring settlements to the West Bank. Rabbi Yoffie has since retracted that support.
I wish Rabbi Jacobs well in his new position as leader of the Reform movement. There is still time, before he takes office next year, to go beyond narrow partisan politics and reach out to the broad, diverse spectrum of opinion that is American Reform Judaism.
I hope he does so.
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Solution to Hyatt Corp's Problem
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| Jane Ramsey (JCUA), a translator & the three Hyatt housekeepers: Linda Lopez (L.A.) Drupatiie Jungra (Boston) Ofelia Martinez (Chicago) Chicago, August 28, 2011 |
Last week I heard the story of a Hyatt worker who was fired from her job of 29 years and replaced by temp workers whom she had trained. On August 31, 2009, all the housekeeping staff at three Boston Hyatt hotels were fired and replaced by temps. Management had lied to her and her co-workers about why they were training these new workers. According to this worker, the general manager of the Hyatt Regency Cambridge told the housekeeping staff on the day of their dismissal that the reason they were being fired was because the hotel was short of money. The reality is that the hotel industry is, and has been doing very well, with high occupancy rates, as reported by Hyatt itself. The actual hardship is born by the workers. In our "jobless recovery" desperate people will take any job, undercutting workers who are just a little better off than they are.
Hyatt has a problem. The company is required to constantly increase its earnings. Since business is already booming, the money will have to come from cutting costs. Since the hotel cannot lower its standards of hospitality, this means that costs must be cut. And that means labor. Our 'jobless recovery' has generated an abundance of poor, unemployed people, a bonanza in cheap labor.
You might think that dismissing veteran, loyal, hardworking staff might be a bump in this plan. But, actually, the real problem is how to exploit this change to cut out the messy business of dealing with people.
Thankfully, this problem has a solution. Hospitality Staffing Solutions provides affordable, hassle-free labor. HSS sums up its pitch with one advertizing image. "HSS offers convenience at affordable prices." - just like the vending machine in the company's advertizing:
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| HSS ad targeting Hyatt and other hotels and hospitality businesses |
I find the company's ad offensive on several levels.
1) The size of the workers. The images are reduced to the size of a packet of M&Ms. You can pop these workers into your mouth. This is humiliating: all these workers added together are still smaller than the client.
2) The workers in each category are identical to each other - all workers are equally indistinguishable from each other. These clones are faceless, dependable drones.
3) The clean transaction of the vending machine translates into the business world. The vending machine offers you no shopping for food, cooking, sitting down to eat and cleaning up. Just put some change into the vending machine and pop instant food into your mouth. Similarly, HSS promises employers protection from dealing with all the human messiness of real people.
Finally - and perhaps it's my own sensitivity having just finished working Holocaust material - but talking about human beings in terms of "solutions" leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Now, take another look at the workers in the first picture. Do they look like they belong in a vending machine?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
Osama Bin Laden's death should be a cause for relief. The mastermind of 9/11 is gone.
But I'm left with an uneasy feeling.
Firstly, as Jerry Haber points out it wasn't just the guilty who died. A woman was targeted and killed by the U.S. force.
Secondly, I heard several times in the media coverage interviewees using the phrase "justice has been served."
Well, according to the Guardian report:
The New York Times offered a different angle:
I am suspicious of the argument that time was pressing. Clearly, there was enough time for:
1. the Navy Seal's picture
2. transmitting the picture, running the facial recognition program, making an evaluation and transmitting that through command to the Navy Seals.
3. removing Osama Bin Laden's body for burial at sea.
Why could the forces not have stunned him and removed him for interrogation and trial?
It is clear, even from President Obama's statements, that the U.S. goal was not justice but retribution by execution.
The scenes of people rejoicing at the news of the killing in Time Square and elsewhere are IMHO distasteful. I sincerely hope that President Obama did not order an execution to satisfy that sentiment.
If Osama bin Laden was too potent a leader to be taken captive and put on trial like Saddam Hussein, then we better put on our thinking caps fast. Let's figure out Osama's allure and fix that problem.
Killing him won't do it and there's no cause to rejoice until we do.
Already the U.S. and its allies are bracing for the inevitable counter-attack. If Osama Bin Laden was the figurehead of Al Qaeda, he will not inspire his followers any less now that he is a martyr.
Lastly, we have lived through 10 years of disastrous U.S. policy in response to and justified by 9/11. These policies resulted in the killing of many more innocent lives than were lost on 9/11.
How can the death of Osama bin Laden make that right?
But I'm left with an uneasy feeling.
Firstly, as Jerry Haber points out it wasn't just the guilty who died. A woman was targeted and killed by the U.S. force.
Secondly, I heard several times in the media coverage interviewees using the phrase "justice has been served."
Well, according to the Guardian report:
As the raiding party closed in on the last unsecured room in the compound, Bin Laden, who according to the White House had no weapon, was shot dead. US officials say – and there is no independent verification of this fact – he was shot twice, once in the chest and once in the head. "Done in by a double tap – boom boom – to the left side of his face," wrote Marc Ambinder of the National Journal, a beltway insider's journal.That sounds to me like the execution of an unarmed man. Since the death penalty is controversial at best and Osama Bin Laden was not served with a legal process, how can this be called justice?
The New York Times offered a different angle:
Pakistani authorities, kept in the dark by their allies in Washington, scrambled forces as the American commandos rushed to finish their mission and leave before a confrontation. Of the five dead, one was a tall, bearded man with a bloodied face and a bullet in his head. A member of the Navy Seals snapped his picture with a camera and uploaded it to analysts who fed it into a facial recognition program.Since, so far, the only source for this information as to what happened in the compound rooms has been the United States government, there is no way right now of verifying what actually happened.
I am suspicious of the argument that time was pressing. Clearly, there was enough time for:
1. the Navy Seal's picture
2. transmitting the picture, running the facial recognition program, making an evaluation and transmitting that through command to the Navy Seals.
3. removing Osama Bin Laden's body for burial at sea.
Why could the forces not have stunned him and removed him for interrogation and trial?
It is clear, even from President Obama's statements, that the U.S. goal was not justice but retribution by execution.
The scenes of people rejoicing at the news of the killing in Time Square and elsewhere are IMHO distasteful. I sincerely hope that President Obama did not order an execution to satisfy that sentiment.
If Osama bin Laden was too potent a leader to be taken captive and put on trial like Saddam Hussein, then we better put on our thinking caps fast. Let's figure out Osama's allure and fix that problem.
Killing him won't do it and there's no cause to rejoice until we do.
Already the U.S. and its allies are bracing for the inevitable counter-attack. If Osama Bin Laden was the figurehead of Al Qaeda, he will not inspire his followers any less now that he is a martyr.
Lastly, we have lived through 10 years of disastrous U.S. policy in response to and justified by 9/11. These policies resulted in the killing of many more innocent lives than were lost on 9/11.
How can the death of Osama bin Laden make that right?
Friday, April 15, 2011
Vittorio Arrigoni - Hero of the People of Gaza
Vittorio Arrigoni's body was found last night. His murder in an internecine, Palestinian struggle is a loss to Westerners who support Palestinian liberation. More importantly, his murder is a heavy blow to the people of Gaza.
I hope that Vittorio Arigoni's death gives greater weight to his commitment to the Palestinian people.
Solidarity with the Palestinian people draws together the children of Jews who suffered under the Nazis with Italians who fought Mussolini's fascism.
Phil Weiss at Monodweiss posted this moving video footage.
I hope that Vittorio Arigoni's death gives greater weight to his commitment to the Palestinian people.
Solidarity with the Palestinian people draws together the children of Jews who suffered under the Nazis with Italians who fought Mussolini's fascism.
Phil Weiss at Monodweiss posted this moving video footage.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Free Vittorio Arrigoni!
Salafi Jihadis, perhaps based in Saudi Arabia, have kidnapped Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni in Gaza. As far as we know, Vittorio is alive. His kidnappers posted a video of him blindfolded and bleeding in the face with one of his captors holding up his head by his hair. They are demanding that Hamas release one of their members in return for Vittorio.
This is deeply troubling as the Gazan people have few conduits to the outside world. If international activists are chased out of Gaza, this will be a terrible disservice to the people of Gaza.
Tomorrow morning at 10am in Al Manara Square in Ramallah and at 12 in Bethlehem, Nablus and Gaza Palestinian and international associations and NGOs will demonstrate for the immediate liberation of Vittorio Arrigoni, Italian ISM volunteer kidnapped today in Gaza.
This is deeply troubling as the Gazan people have few conduits to the outside world. If international activists are chased out of Gaza, this will be a terrible disservice to the people of Gaza.
Tomorrow morning at 10am in Al Manara Square in Ramallah and at 12 in Bethlehem, Nablus and Gaza Palestinian and international associations and NGOs will demonstrate for the immediate liberation of Vittorio Arrigoni, Italian ISM volunteer kidnapped today in Gaza.
Monday, April 11, 2011
David's Slingshot
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| Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu showing off the new Iron Dome system |
I'm happy Israelis from Ashdod to Beersheba and Tel Aviv will sleep easier under the protection of this system, but I have some questions:
1) Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed to fund the system with the understanding that it will destroy "90% of all incoming missiles." This has not yet been demonstrated. Even if that high number is achieved, what then? Won't the Gazans who do this kind of thing just find another violent way to vent their anger and desperation?
2) Israeli military types have a penchant for cuteness. Such was the murderous onslaught on Gaza's population that was given the name "Cast Lead." This, as has been pointed out many times, was lifted from a classic, Zionist Hanukka song. In the song it's a dreidl - not a missile - that is made of cast lead.
Now, the missiles in the Iron Dome system have been named "David's Slingshot." Nothing illustrates the Israeli establishment's warped grasp of reality than to cast itself as David and Gaza as the Goliath.
In dollar amounts, each of the Gazan rockets costs several hundred dollars. That explains why they are so wildly inaccurate. By contrast, the Israeli missiles cost upwards of $70,000 each. The system itself costs in the tens of millions.
The next four batteries will cost $205m. All paid for by the US taxpayer, in addition to the regular annual $3b military payments to the Israeli military.
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