Category Archives: American Politics and Life

Shana Tova from J Street

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish Identity, Social Justice

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Cantor Evan Kent, Rabbi Andrea London, Rabbi John Rosove, and Rabbi David Teutsch write:

“So much is at stake in this New Year. Both in the United States and in Israel, so many of the core Jewish and democratic values we hold dear are being challenged. We have seen a rise in acts of violence committed in the name of hate and discrimination. We have seen leaders use inflammatory rhetoric to stoke fear, create divisions, and exacerbate conflict. We have seen core principles of tolerance, equality, diversity, and justice under threat. As Jews we object to the use of lashon hara and rehilut, evil speech, as efforts to demean and divide.”

See full greeting at – https://jstreet.org/shana-tova-from-j-street-5780/?akid=121260.205086.IGl7Rz&rd=1&t=20#.XYxf6OdKjOQ

Trump has done plenty to warrant impeachment. But the Ukraine allegations are over the top. – Washington Post Op-ed

21 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Ethics

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By George T. Conway III and Neal Katyal – September 20, 2019 at 4:56 p.m. PDT

“Congressional procrastination has probably emboldened Trump, and it risks emboldening future presidents who might turn out to be of his sorry ilk. To borrow John Dean’s haunting Watergate-era metaphor once again, there is a cancer on the presidency, and cancers, if not removed, only grow. Congress bears the duty to use the tools provided by the Constitution to remove that cancer now, before it’s too late. As Elbridge Gerry put it at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, “A good magistrate will not fear [impeachments]. A bad one ought to be kept in fear of them.” By now, Congress should know which one Trump is.”

Read entire op-ed here – https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-done-plenty-to-warrant-impeachment-but-the-ukraine-allegations-are-over-the-top/2019/09/20/51eff90c-dbf1-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions&wpmm=1

Israel’s MK Stav Shaffir reflects on Israeli and American anti-democratic trends

16 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Social Justice, Women's Rights

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Today’s Jewish Insider Interview with Stav Shaffir – the hope of young Israel.

JI PROFILE — Can AOC’s Israeli counterpart build Israel’s version of the Democratic Party? — by JI’s Amy Spiro: Israelis have a choice in this week’s election between an anarchist halachic state and a liberal democracy, argues left-wing Israeli lawmaker Stav Shaffir. “I think today, the differences between the democratic Israel and those on the right is very clear,” Shaffir told Jewish Insider during an interview last week at a cafe in south Tel Aviv. “On the right, what they want is an anarchist revolution, a libertarian halacha state and annexation of the West Bank.” Those on the left, she continued, “understand that we need to have a border between us and the Palestinians, we need a two-state solution to keep Israel Jewish and democratic — to all of its citizens, Jews and Arabs — and we need to stop the Orthodox monopoly on every bit of our religion.”

Liberal luminary: Shaffir, 34, is one of the more recognizable figures on the Israeli left, and it’s not just because of her fire-red hair. She first rose to public fame as one of the leaders of the 2011 social justice protests, which oversaw tent cities popping up across Israel to protest high housing costs. In 2013, at age 27, she was elected to the Labor Party, becoming the youngest female member of Knesset in history. After the April elections, Shaffir competed in the Labor leadership primary, and lost to former Defense Minister Amir Peretz. Several weeks after that vote, Shaffir left Labor and resigned as an MK to join with Meretz and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak to form the Democratic Union, taking the party’s number two spot.

On the U.S.-Israel relationship: Netanyahu has “made Israel a partisan issue in the United States,” she said. “He failed to create that sense of brotherhood with our brothers and sisters in the United States… An Israeli prime minister needs to have a good relationship with every American president,” Shaffir said, but Netanyahu has burned bridges with Democrats, including with his “stupid move” to bar Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). “I completely disagree with what [those congresswomen] say, but every congressman and woman should be invited to Israel regardless of their opinions,” Shaffir said. “It’s better to have them come and visit, and meet Israelis, to see how things are here. To see that Israel is not exactly the way that the BDS people describe it to them.”

Regarding BDS on college campuses: “I hear the same things in colleges — they think that all of Israelis are like Netanyahu, they think that Israelis are racist. But when young Jewish Americans get the real picture of what Israel is, then they understand the complexity that we have here in the political discourse… Those who are now in college, in 10 years will be in Congress. And we need them to understand Israel and the complexity of it.”

On building a Democratic Party: “I’m trying to do everything in my power to build connections with the [U.S.] Democrats as well… I think that we have a lot in common. I think that we and Democrats all around the world are now facing a threat to democracy. And that threat comes from the populist front on the right, which uses racism, incitement and fear as their main political tools.” Shaffir says her party will reach out to the Democratic Party and “do everything to keep Israel a bipartisan issue in the States.”

On comparisons to AOC: “I see everything that she’s doing because people send it to me and say ‘look what your sister is doing,’” joked Shaffir. “I think she’s doing really important work, and I think the young generation of Democrats [around the world] should work together on many issues.” Shaffir said while she’s heard Ocasio-Cortez speak about Israel, “I would like her to visit Israel and see what Israel really is — not just through the lens of those over there who try to portray Israel in a certain way.”

Why HR 326 must be brought to a vote soon

06 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Social Justice

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HR 326 is a congressional resolution that calls upon the American government to continue to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as have Republican and Democratic administrations for decades.

Should it pass, HR 326 will send a clear message to the Trump Administration and to the Israeli government that the House of Representatives continues to support two states for two peoples as the surest way to bring security to Israel and the Palestinians and to continue to affirm Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

For my complete statement including polls of the American Jewish community and the status of the bill, see my Times of Israel blog at https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-hr-326-must-be-brought-to-a-vote-soon/

 

The Torah is Political – Rabbis, Jews and Synagogues Ought to Be Too

05 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Holidays, Human rights, Social Justice, Women's Rights

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Given the contentious nature of public debate in this pre-election year and in light of the presidency of Donald Trump, my own synagogue and the American Reform Jewish movement have been challenged about the nature of our speech and activism.

What ought we to be saying and when should we be saying it especially during the High Holiday season? Should we as a synagogue community speak collectively about the great challenges confronting our nation in the area of health care, economic justice, criminal justice reform, the poor, women’s and LGBTQ rights, racism, immigration, religious minorities, civil rights, climate change, war, and peace?

For my complete blog at the Times of Israel – see https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-torah-is-political-rabbis-ought-to-be-too/

“On the Job, 24 Hours a Day, 27 Days a Month” – NY Times, September 2

04 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Life Cycle

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This article in Monday’s NYT hit home with both my brother and me.

Our mother died three plus years ago at the age of 98. As macular degeneration, loss of hearing, and evolving senility diminished her capacities, we persuaded her that she could no longer live on her own in her own apartment. This meant moving her out of her apartment of forty years into assisted living.

The first home we chose had a great reputation and a number of facilities in the city of Los Angeles. It trumpeted all the bells and whistles that large assisted living facilities provide, but we found the place to be grossly inadequate in the healthy and safe care of our mother.

As we packed up her belongings and prepared to move her to a new and far less expensive home (the first home’s prices kept rising every few months), we discovered that the housekeeping had not done its job very well at all. Her closets and drawers were filthy. Her clothes were thrown haphazard out of sight. She was also constantly falling and had bruises all over her body.

We decided that enough was enough and that we needed to move her to a safer home. We chose this time a far smaller home with a staff of 6 men and women who gave to our mother everything she needed and everything we hoped she would have received in the first place. I have no idea what these angels of care were paid, but we told them how fortunate we felt that they were taking such good care of our mother and treating her with such dignity, compassion, and love.

The first home was all about the investors and money, not the care of the elderly. The second home was about my mother’s care. It also cost 60% of what we paid in the first facility thereby supporting the notion that sometimes you don’t get what you pay for.

What struck both my brother and me the most in the article is that the caregiver was fine doing all that hard and often unpleasant work on the front lines for minimal income because she knew the next of kin were demonstrably grateful. That says a lot about her, to be sure. Caregivers like this woman and those who cared for our mother deserve all the accolades they rarely receive.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/02/nyregion/home-health-aide.html

 

Germany’s Merkel insists on two-state solution in Israel-Palestine conflict

30 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Human rights, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Social Justice

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Note: This is an important event given the abdication of the United States as a fair broker of a just settlement of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. President Trump promises that he will release some or all of his so-called “peace plan” for Israel and the Palestinians before Israel’s September 17 election, or immediate following. However, no one expects it to be a balanced plan and most anticipate that it will not deal with any of the essential issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (e.g. borders, security, Jerusalem, refugees). As Trump and the American Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, whittle away time, Israel’s right-wing government continues its settlement expansion project unencumbered by pressure from the US making a two-state solution (the only solution that can preserve Israel’s Jewish and democratic character) increasingly more difficult to achieve. The inspired leadership of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is what is required of the United States. Anyone who says that Trump is a “true friend” of the State of Israel ignores the fact that his policies have fatally alienated the Palestinians from even talking to American representatives.

Trump has effectively negated America’s role in helping the parties find a peaceful, secure, and just resolution of the conflict for Israel and the Jewish people. He speaks of American liberal Jews “loyalty” to Israel. His hubris is matched by the destructive role he and his administration have played in protecting Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have held talks in Berlin. Abbas called for Europe to play a greater role in the Middle East peace process because he says the US is not neutral.

Abbas said that Palestinians are ready to negotiate a two-state solution within 1967 borders, but he criticized US President Donald Trump for taking the side of Israel on such issues as the status of Jerusalem, refugees, borders and settlements.

Read more: Jared Kushner’s plan for Palestinians: What’s (not) in it?

The Palestinians have cut off relations with the United States and no longer view Washington as a neutral arbiter.

Germany, on the other hand, has taken efforts to support a multilateral approach instead of unilateral imposition, Abbas said.

“Therefore we demand that negotiations fall under an international umbrella” composed of a quartet of European states and Arab states to guide talks between Israelis and Palestinians, Abbas said.

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-merkel-insists-on-two-state-solution-in-israel-palestine-conflict/a-50211907

UNITED STATES – ISRAEL RELATIONS IN JEOPARDY – Rabbi Dow Marmur writes from Jerusalem

22 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Human rights, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity

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Note: My friend Rabbi Dow Marmur in Jerusalem writes poignantly of this dangerous moment in the American-Israeli relationship given the Trump-Netanyahu love-fest and the damage these two leaders are causing.

“Is it possible that the US president, considered by many to be more supportive of Israel than any of his predecessors, uses the terminology of anti-Semites? Have his Jewish daughter and her family not sensitized him to the fact that to question the loyalty of Jews has been the tool of Jew-haters through the ages? It has prompted some commentators to quote Mussolini and Hitler in the same breath as they cite Trump.

His assertion that Jews who support the Democratic Party are disloyal has shaken American Jewry, indeed Jews everywhere. Virtually all Jewish organizations in the United States [except the Zionist Organization of America and the Republican Jewish Coalition] have reacted against it forcefully asserting that, though most American Jews may vote Democrat [75-80%], all are loyal citizens of the United States. Trump’s effort at “clarification” that he meant that they were disloyal to the Jewish people and the State of Israel hasn’t helped.

The fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu has so far remained silent on the subject hasn’t gone unnoticed. His supporters may say that his silence is in the interest of Israel, but others may suggest that at present Netanyahu is more interested in getting re-elected than serving the interests of his country. They may point to his past alliances with anti-Semitic political leaders in … Hungary and Poland that appalled the Jews there. But while the views of the relatively few Jews in these countries may not matter, to upset American Jewry is to jeopardize the very existence of Israel.

Other Israeli leaders, notably President Rivlin, seem to be aware of the potential harm the Trump-Netanyahu love-in may be doing to their country and have taken steps to try to remedy the situation. Their hope may be that Netanyahu won’t be re-elected this month and Trump won’t be re-elected next year. In this way, things would return to the normal give-and take.

But one of them may get in again and Israel will suffer. If Israel will have a centrist government after next month’s elections without “my friend Bibi”, Trump’s anti-Semitism is likely to be even more overt. If Netanyahu stays in power, but the next US Administration will be Democrat, Israel may be punished, albeit more subtly, for its current sickening admiration of Trump.”

 

Highly recommended newsletter – Rabbi Eric Yoffie

19 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish Identity

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Rabbi Eric Yoffie, a regular columnist for the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz and President Emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism, sends his articles to those who subscribe to his list before they are published in Haaretz.

Rabbi Yoffie is among the most astute commentators on Israeli politics and affairs and Israel’s relationship to America and the American Jewish community. I read every issue carefully because of his clear thinking and carefully researched writing.

You can sign up for his newsletter by going to ericyoffie.com. On the right side of the homepage is a box marked “Subscribe to our mailing list,” with simple instructions.

A disclaimer – Eric is a friend. He did not ask me to promote his newsletter. It was my decision to do so.

Do yourself a favor and subscribe.

A few moments in a Delaware supermarket check-out line

18 Sunday Aug 2019

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Social Justice, Women's Rights

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My wife and I just spent a week with friends in Millsboro, Delaware, a lovely small town 15 minutes by car from the Rohovoth shore.

One morning our host went to the store to buy bagels and the daily Washington Post. While standing in the check-out line he struck up a friendly conversation with a middle aged woman standing behind him. After a few moments she said, “You are a very nice man!”

Everything changed, however, when, reading the paper’s headlines, he said, “We’re in a real mess – aren’t we?”

She asked, “What do you mean?”

Pointing to the paper, he said: “Trump’s erratic handling of the economy, his racism, white supremacy, and misogyny are changing the country for the worse.”

“You are a very bad man,” she barked.

Stunned, he said, “But you just told me I am nice.”

“You aren’t.”

My friend’s interchange with his neighbor is a reflection of the sorry state of civility and ethics in our nation. One moment he was a “nice man” shooting the breeze with a stranger in a supermarket check-out line, and the next he was the despised and demonized “other.”

One pillar of evil is when we become an extension of ideas and not individual human beings embodying the complexity of thoughts, feelings, backgrounds, interests, and values that we all share.

The President’s base relishes its hatred of the other at his political rallies as Trump stokes their hatred of his opponents and gives succor to the crowd’s lower angels. But we Democrats demonize Trump supporters as the despised “other” as well.

We all need to check ourselves and keep from falling into this dehumanizing trap not only for our own sake but for the sake of the soul of our nation.