Category Archives: American Politics and Life

Two States for Two Peoples – Congresswoman Ilhan Omar

18 Monday Mar 2019

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Israel and Palestine, Uncategorized

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Anyone who supports the right of the Jewish people to a state of our own and calls for a two-states for two people’s resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not an anti-Semite.

Congressman Ilhan Omar has now laid her cards on the table. Her support for the rights of the Jewish people for a state of our own in Israel and the Palestinian people for a state of their own should satisfy doubts we might have had about her position vis a vis the Jewish people and Israel.

Ilhan Omar: We must apply our universal values to all nations. Only then will we achieve peace, Washington Post –

Rep. Ilhan Omar writes, “U.S. support for Israel has a long history. The founding of Israel 70 years ago was built on the Jewish people’s connection to their historical homeland, as well as the urgency of establishing a nation in the wake of the horror of the Holocaust and the centuries of anti-Semitic oppression leading up to it. Many of the founders of Israel were themselves refugees who survived indescribable horrors. We must acknowledge that this is also the historical homeland of Palestinians. And without a state, the Palestinian people live in a state of permanent refugeehood and displacement. This, too, is a refugee crisis, and they, too, deserve freedom and dignity. A balanced, inclusive approach to the conflict recognizes the shared desire for security and freedom of both peoples. I support a two-state solution, with internationally recognized borders, which allows for both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own sanctuaries and self-determination. This has been official bipartisan U.S. policy across two decades and has been supported by each of the most recent Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as the consensus of the Israeli security establishment. “

For full article go to https://wapo.st/2ub60vk

 

Gallup poll on attitudes towards Israel and Palestinian Authority

11 Monday Mar 2019

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

≈ 1 Comment

 
 
Americans’ overall views toward Israel and the Palestinian Authority have changed little in the past year, with roughly seven in 10 viewing Israel very or mostly favorably and two in 10 viewing the Palestinian Authority in the same terms.
At the same time, the new poll finds a slight softening of Americans’ partiality toward Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly among moderate/liberal Republicans and, to a lesser extent, liberal Democrats.
 
While liberal Democrats are no less favorable toward Israel today than they have been over the past two decades, they have grown more favorable toward the Palestinians and, perhaps as a result, less likely to side with Israel in the conflict. On average from 2017-2019, liberal Democrats have been nearly as likely to be pro-Palestinian as pro-Israeli in their views on the conflict, and that is very different from Republicans, and to a lesser extent moderate/conservative Democrats who remain more solidly in Israel’s corner.
 
Note: The question was not asked “Do you believe in the right of the State of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state according to its Declaration of Independence even if you disagree with policies of the Israeli government vis a vis the Palestinians.” I suspect that had that question been asked, the numbers in support would be much higher for Israel.
 

The Politicization of Israel by the Republican Party and AIPAC

10 Sunday Mar 2019

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

≈ 1 Comment

I understand that AIPAC’s purpose has been to support whatever position the government of the State of Israel advocates, but there comes a time when we American Jews must stand for our liberal Jewish values (the vast majority of American Jews support a two-state solution) because only through a two-state solution can Israel remain a majority Jewish state and a democracy in which all its citizens, Jewish and Palestinian-Arab, have equal rights. This is a foundational principle articulated in Israel’s own Declaration of Independence.

For my full statement go to my blog at the Times of Israel

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-politicization-of-israel-by-the-republican-party-and-aipac/

Current Debate in Congress over anti-Semitism and Criticism of Israel

06 Wednesday Mar 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish-Islamic Relations, Social Justice

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This J Street statement puts the current tumult over Congresswoman Omar’s statements concerning Antisemitism and Criticism of Israel into sharp focus. I urge you to read it.

https://jstreet.org/…/statement-on-the-current-debate-ove…/…

The Rise in anti-Semitism in the US

05 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Jewish History, Jewish Identity

≈ 1 Comment

Yes – there has been an increase in anti-Semitic comments on the far left and extreme right. But it’s important to acknowledge that there is no organized political movement of anti-Semitism in America today despite the rise in anti-Semitic incidents (e.g. Charlottesville and Pittsburgh and the comments, far less frightening, from Congresswoman Omar). This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t call it out when we see it, but America is not Europe and certainly not pre-WWII Germany. The state of American Jewry today also is nothing like it was in the 1920s-1940s in the US. Jews have successfully integrated into virtually every profession, business, academia, and social circle in America.
 
We Jews have long memories and often we respond to every slight out of those memories when the reality is quite different.
 
I sound only a cautionary note even as I believe we need to remain vigilant. But, let us not over-react!

Why a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is anti-Jewish

21 Thursday Feb 2019

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

≈ 1 Comment

If people hold the State of Israel to an unfair standard of behavior that they don’t hold for any other nation, and if they believe that Israel does not have the right to exist, that is anti-Jewish. If, however, someone is critical of policies of the State of Israel while supporting its legitimacy and right to exist as a Jewish state, that is not anti-Jewish.

To read more go to my blog at the Times of Israel – https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-a-one-state-solution-is-anti-jewish/

The Jewish American Paradox: Embracing Choice in a Changing World – By Robert Mnookin

15 Friday Feb 2019

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

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Reviewed by Philip K. Jason – December 26, 2018

This is an excellent review by Philip K Jason of a thoughtful, nuanced, open-hearted, and challenging book that every American Jew and Israeli ought to read.

Dr. Mnookin, a Harvard Law Professor and expert in conflict resolution, describes accurately and expansively the stresses and strains on  American Jews today and discusses the opportunities to confront these challenges creatively and with a fresh approach. He challenges historical models of Jewish identity in light of diminishing observance and knowledge of Judaism, widening polarities in the American Jewish community and State of Israel, a rising rate of intermarriage, and raising children to be positively identified Jews.

For those living in Los Angeles, I will be in dialogue with Dr. Mnookin on Monday evening, March 4 at 7:00 PM at Chevalier’s Book Store, 126 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004.

Read –  https://bit.ly/2TQ0HfX

The Super Bowl – a reflection of a violent America

04 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Jewish Identity

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Watching the Super Bowl, likely the last time I do so, I felt alienated from my own country for the Super Bowl and football generally present a world that is contrary to my Jewish values.

To understand why, go to my Blog at the Times of Israel –  https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-super-bowl-a-reflection-of-a-violent-america/

 

If Howard Schultz runs as an independent for President, a national boycott of Starbucks ought to be the consequence

29 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Howard Schultz, should he run for President as an Independent, would likely take more Democratic votes away from the Democratic nominee than from the Republican Trump, and that could be the difference that elects Donald Trump to a second term.

Schultz should run, if he wants, as a Democrat. That he wants to do so as an Independent is not only self-centered and likely to be a failure (no Independent candidate has ever won for President including Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 – remember John Anderson in 1980 and Ross Perot in 1992), but it’s a cowardly act because, in my view, it seems that he doesn’t want to run competitively in the primaries against other far more politically experienced than him, despite running an international company with a strong concern for ethics and fair treatment of employees.

I hope that Schultz decides to drop this potentially disastrous run and do the responsible thing – step aside altogether or run as a Democrat in the primaries just like the 20 or so other potential candidates will do.

If he runs as an Independent, I will never step foot in a Starbucks again – and neither should any of us because we will likely be able to blame him for a 2nd Trump term!

Correction to my blog characterizing IfNotNow as a pro-Israel organization

22 Tuesday Jan 2019

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

≈ 1 Comment

In my blog at the Times of Israel I mischaracterized IfNotNow.
 
IfNotNow takes no position on Zionism or a Jewish state. Not taking a position is not support. The best that one can say about IfNotNow is that it is neutral, but that doesn’t put it in the Zionist camp.