Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 17, 2020

Important decisions loom front and center for houses of worship in Greater Cincinnati.The risks of reopening doors are getting a lot of scrutiny by those who hold the keys.Whether it's a church, mosque or synagogue, they all pray they'll strike the right balance.Henry Hand, the executive director of the Islamic mosque in West Chester, said as of right now, there is no firm reopening date set yet."We are working on a plan step-by-step to ensure safety," Hand said.Asked if he would have a date to announce by the end of the month, Hand thought it would more likely be in June.Crossroads Church said moving forward, they don't have plans to reopen buildings in Ohio or Kentucky for weekend services for quite some time. Officials said that plan could change based on what happens in the coming weeks. Like so many other places of worship, Crossroads has been conducting online services only.As religious leaders plan the reopening of in-person services, the one thing they know is that things will be different."We're going to be progressive, but we're also going to be cautious," said Reverend Matthew Young of St. Paul Episcopal in Newport.The 19th Century Stone Church is where Brent Spence and the Wiedemann family were once among the faithful.2020 requires a new faith in sanitizing, social distancing, removing hymnals and choirs and possibly even Communion. "I think you're going to see us giving multiple services for smaller amounts of people," said Young.At St. Michael Church in Sharonville, there was a sign of gallows humor for our times."Can we uninstall 2020 & install it again? This version has a virus," it reads.St. Michael can seat 700 inside, but said 350 will be the new limit.Guidance right now comes not only from the divine."What type of image does that send of a church saying I'm sorry, you're over the limit," commented Fr. Ed Burns, the pastor. "So, we're considering using other spaces on the campus."The 19-county Archdiocese is leaving much of the decision-making up to individual parishes, but has set two guidelines in stone.There will have to be six feet of distance between worshippers, and parishes must follow whatever public health authorities decide.Jeremy Helmes developed guidelines for the Archdiocese. He is the Director of the Office for Divine Worship and Sacraments.He studied best practices in other states, saying, "A lot of parishes are going to opt, I think, for a one-way traffic pattern where everybody's going to enter through one door and exit through the other door."Of course, in-person worship could start this moment according to a court that overruled Kentucky's governor last week.But it sounds like those who conduct services want to first make sure they're fully prepared so the new normal can work long-term."So, somewhere in the middle of throwing caution to the wind and being so rigid that nothing can happen, probably therein lies the answer," noted Reverend Young.He emphasized the importance of focusing on "being the church instead of going to church."Rabbi Robert Barr of Beth Adam added "It's complex and a moving target."He likened it to being in an earthquake and not knowing which way to run.The last time he was in his synagogue was March 20.He said the Jewish Community will rely on reason, science and data when it comes to reopening. And, like other houses of worship, on Zoom and online technology.

Important decisions loom front and center for houses of worship in Greater Cincinnati.

The risks of reopening doors are getting a lot of scrutiny by those who hold the keys.

Whether it's a church, mosque or synagogue, they all pray they'll strike the right balance.

Henry Hand, the executive director of the Islamic mosque in West Chester, said as of right now, there is no firm reopening date set yet.

"We are working on a plan step-by-step to ensure safety," Hand said.

Asked if he would have a date to announce by the end of the month, Hand thought it would more likely be in June.

Crossroads Church said moving forward, they don't have plans to reopen buildings in Ohio or Kentucky for weekend services for quite some time. Officials said that plan could change based on what happens in the coming weeks.

Like so many other places of worship, Crossroads has been conducting online services only.

As religious leaders plan the reopening of in-person services, the one thing they know is that things will be different.

"We're going to be progressive, but we're also going to be cautious," said Reverend Matthew Young of St. Paul Episcopal in Newport.

The 19th Century Stone Church is where Brent Spence and the Wiedemann family were once among the faithful.

2020 requires a new faith in sanitizing, social distancing, removing hymnals and choirs and possibly even Communion.

"I think you're going to see us giving multiple services for smaller amounts of people," said Young.

At St. Michael Church in Sharonville, there was a sign of gallows humor for our times.

"Can we uninstall 2020 & install it again? This version has a virus," it reads.

St. Michael can seat 700 inside, but said 350 will be the new limit.

Guidance right now comes not only from the divine.

"What type of image does that send of a church saying I'm sorry, you're over the limit," commented Fr. Ed Burns, the pastor. "So, we're considering using other spaces on the campus."

The 19-county Archdiocese is leaving much of the decision-making up to individual parishes, but has set two guidelines in stone.

There will have to be six feet of distance between worshippers, and parishes must follow whatever public health authorities decide.

Jeremy Helmes developed guidelines for the Archdiocese. He is the Director of the Office for Divine Worship and Sacraments.

He studied best practices in other states, saying, "A lot of parishes are going to opt, I think, for a one-way traffic pattern where everybody's going to enter through one door and exit through the other door."

Of course, in-person worship could start this moment according to a court that overruled Kentucky's governor last week.

But it sounds like those who conduct services want to first make sure they're fully prepared so the new normal can work long-term.

"So, somewhere in the middle of throwing caution to the wind and being so rigid that nothing can happen, probably therein lies the answer," noted Reverend Young.

He emphasized the importance of focusing on "being the church instead of going to church."

Rabbi Robert Barr of Beth Adam added "It's complex and a moving target."

He likened it to being in an earthquake and not knowing which way to run.

The last time he was in his synagogue was March 20.

He said the Jewish Community will rely on reason, science and data when it comes to reopening. And, like other houses of worship, on Zoom and online technology.

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Churches prepare for reopening with new guidelines, restrictions - WLWT Cincinnati

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Posted By admin on May 17, 2020

Gabe Silverman is sheltering at home with his family and this is the first Zoom mitzvah for Temple Shir Tikva, a congregation west of Boston. The Silvermans hide caption

Gabe Silverman is sheltering at home with his family and this is the first Zoom mitzvah for Temple Shir Tikva, a congregation west of Boston.

As Gabe Silverman chants his Torah portion, he's intensely focused on every word. It's the culmination of months of study and the high point of his Bar Mitzvah service. The same is true for almost every 12- or 13-year-old celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah.

"For the Torah service, I was very nervous about, like, losing my place," Gabe said. "It's so big and all the letters look the same, basically."

The Torah is rolled open on a table in his family's living room and positioned in front of a computer camera. Gabe is sheltering at home with his parents and younger brother and this is the first Zoom mitzvah for Temple Shir Tikva, a congregation located 20 miles west of Boston.

May and June are popular months for bar and bat mitzvahs and many congregations schedule the Jewish coming-of-age ritual two to three years in advance. It takes time to learn Torah portions and prayers and to book venues and caterers for the celebration afterwards.

That makes postponing tough.

Now, during the coronavirus pandemic, congregations are reimagining the ceremony and bringing it online.

For family and friends watching Gabe's Zoom bar mitzvah, Gabe and the Torah occupy a central square flanked by Shir Tikva's rabbis and cantor.

Rabbi Danny Burkeman calls upon a few family members. They temporarily appear on screen for aliyot -- blessings over the Torah reading. Gabe's grandmother Helaine Silverman is honored with the first of the aliyot. Before Helaine begins, Burkeman reminds her to switch on her camera and unmute.

Burkeman leads the service remotely from his synagogue's main sanctuary. He's doing double duty, making sure the ceremony follows tradition and monitoring all the technology involved.

"Our aim was to create for them as much as possible a digital bar mitzvah experience," Burkeman said. "And we use the word digital because it wasn't virtual. There was nothing virtual about it. It was real."

Rabbi Danny Burkeman delivers the Torah two days before the bar mitzvah. Erica Silverman hide caption

Rabbi Danny Burkeman delivers the Torah two days before the bar mitzvah.

The Silvermans thought about postponing until the end of the year, but two weeks before the big day, they decided to go forward on Zoom on the original date. At that point, the most pressing question became: What elements of the bar mitzvah mattered most?

Gabe wanted to read from an actual Torah, not the sheets of paper he used for practice. Two days before his bar mitzvah, Burkeman made a special delivery.

"Rabbi Danny just came to our driveway with the Torah seatbelted in the front seat," Gabe recalled. "It was wrapped up, seatbelted, and then he handed it off to my dad."

At his bar mitzvah, as soon as Gabe finishes reading from that Torah, he looks at his parents, smiles and noticeably exhales. For him, the toughest part is over.

Soon the entire service concludes. Then, Burkeman exhales.

"I felt really good that we'd been able to give him an experience," Burkeman said. "And you could see in his face and in the face of his family that this was meaningful for them."

Gabe wanted to read from an actual Torah, not the sheets of paper he used for practice. The Silvermans hide caption

Gabe wanted to read from an actual Torah, not the sheets of paper he used for practice.

After the ceremony, family and friends turn on their cameras and unmute. They wave and hold up congratulatory signs and shout "Mazel Tov!"

Reflecting on the bar mitzvah, Gabe's mom Erica is happy with the whole online event, but she knows it's not for everyone.

"I'm very compassionate for people who are making the other decision to postpone and do it in person," she said. "But for us, in that moment, it was the right decision. It was more special because of the circumstances."

As she talks, Erica sits next to Gabe and her husband Scott. The Torah is still there, a couple feet away on the dining room table.

She glances over at the scroll and adds, "I feel very complete by what we experienced."

Erica and Scott wonder if they'll need to celebrate with a big bar mitzvah party when family and friends can gather again. And Gabe?

"I hope that we can have a party," he said. "But I can do without."

The pandemic has made the service the actual religious ritual the place where the most meaningful and memorable moments happen.

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For Some, Zoom Bar And Bat Mitzvahs Highlight 'Most Meaningful And Memorable Moments' - NPR

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Posted By admin on May 17, 2020

He was also previewing a set of formal guidelines that the organization he helps lead, the Orthodox Union, would release just a day later.

The issuance of this guidance does NOT imply that any reopening should be done at this point, the guide says in bold on its first page. Later, it says about the possible resumption of informal, backyard services, Care must be taken to ensure that this not become a free-for-all.

The guide instructs synagogues to wait at least two weeks after services are legally possible to hold them, to make sure that coronavirus cases do not rise as restrictions are relaxed. The guide also spells out that people who are unwell or at high risk for coronavirus complications should not attend services even then. And it emphasizes that healthy, young people who are fearful of contracting the virus at synagogue should be considered exempt from obligations related to communal prayer.

When services do resume, according to the guide, congregants should wear masks, sit far apart and coordinate their attendance so spaces do not become crowded. This will be a fundamental and difficult shift for many individuals and communities, the guide says.

Even once communal prayer is reestablished, the guide says, Jews should resist the urge to synagogue-hop, or pray with different groups of people at different times, to minimize each persons total number of contacts.

Orthodox communities must make and follow their own guidance, Agudath Israels document says, because observant Jews communal lifestyles dont fit neatly into the frameworks that most states are using to guide reopening decisions.

Governmental regulations were not designed to address the realities of someone davening at a bustling shul with multiple minyanim daily; attending kiddushim; large families having a Shabbos meal together; children from multiple families playing together perhaps all on a single day! the guide reads.

It continues in bold: An abrupt return to all of this, while tempting, risks our communities suffering reversals of whatever gains were achieved during the difficult months of quarantine endured.

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Wait to resume services, then proceed carefully, Orthodox Jews are told - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on May 17, 2020

Dear Dawn: My son Joeys bar mitzvah was scheduled for June of this year and now it cant happen as planned. Our synagogue is closed. Some of my sons peers are having a Zoom bar mitzvah on their scheduled date and planning to have a chance to read their Torah portion to the congregation at a later date. Im not sure how that will work. Everything is so chaotic. I want to go ahead and do the bar mitzvah on Zoom and do something else later. But my son is adamant that he will not feel like it is the real thing if he does it online. He says doing something additional later will be anti-climactic since he will have already sort of become a bar mitzvah. He also wants his bar mitzvah to be just like his older brothers with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins present. My husband isnt Jewish and just wants Joey to be happy. I dont think my husband is taking this as hard as I am. Also, how can my son become a bar mitzvah over the internet; is that even a real thing? I dont know what to do. Should I insist on him doing it online on the scheduled date? Stressed Mom

Dear Stressed: Take a deep breath. Part of what you are going through is the result of the confusion and uncertainty that we are all experiencing daily. The pandemic has tossed all the patterns of our lives out the window.

You have seen your son through his studies, invited family and friends, arranged for the details of the Torah service and the party to follow. Now none of this will happen as planned. Of course you are feeling awful and stressed.

You may be feeling that since your husband isnt Jewish he isnt taking this as hard as you are. Another possibility is that he is trying to be calm and steady for you.

Your sons determination to have a ceremony that feels personally authentic is admirable. His desire to have family and friends around him is a very Jewish perspective. All our lifecycle events are communal. I think your husbands instinct to support your sons desire at this time is wise. This is clearly something that Joey is taking seriously.

You ask if a bar mitzvah done online can be a real thing. Becoming a bar or bat mitzvah means that a child becomes a son or daughter of the commandments. This spiritual responsibility occurs when a child turns 13.

When they wake up on their 13th birthday they are a bar or bat mitzvah. Being called to the Torah is simply an honor that acknowledges this fact. In the same way that an American child can vote the day they become 18, a Jewish child becomes a Jewish adult, responsible to fulfill the mitzvot, when they become 13. (In traditional communities, a girl becomes bat mitzvah at age 12.)

Your son understands that in postponing his bar mitzvah he will have to retain his Torah-reading skills and be prepared to lead the entire service at the synagogue at an unknown date. Kudos to him. Please tell him that I am impressed and delighted by his commitment.

You are now a part of history.

Being a part of history is not always pleasant, but it is significant and important to recognize.

As each week goes by with the shelter-in-place orders, I see families and synagogues coming up with more and more strategies for coping with how to observe Jewish life.

Additionally some folks are adding new rituals to enhance our newly limited practices. Some families are allowed to go into their synagogue, alone, to borrow the shuls torah scroll. Some extended family members may park outside the house of the celebrant and sing loudly from their cars.

I loved reading in J. about the creativity of the parents of Raizel Mahgel-Friedman, members of Congregation Beth Israel, a Modern Orthodox shul in Berkeley.

Lifecycle events are part of what makes us feel whole.

Ask Joey if there are some special things that he would like to do to acknowledge his new status on his birthday. Maybe he would enjoy taking on a Jewish practice that is new to him as of that date. Mazel tov!

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My son's bar mitzvah has to be postponed due to Covid-19 - The Jewish News of Northern California

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Posted By admin on May 17, 2020

Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, fear of the virus transmission has engulfed the world and stormed into places of worship.

Religious services, which gather large groups of people, have amplified the horror. In South Korea the countrys COVID-19 outbreak began from interactions of worshippers. A synagogue in New York was one center of the coronavirus outbreak in that city.

Across the world, religious leaders have struggled to keep their members safe from contagion by guiding their congregations on how to curb transmission. They made a hard and painful decision when announcing closure of churches, synagogues and mosques.

Similarly, Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended pilgrimages to its holy shrines for foreigners, so has the Holy See in Vatican, home to the Catholic Church.

Last month, Christians across the world...

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Worshipping in the age of coronavirus - Fri, May 15 2020 - Jakarta Post

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Posted By admin on May 17, 2020

Browse > Home / News / Back to shulbut read the rules.

May 17, 2020 by Henry Benjamin

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Shuls in NSW will reopen on Shavout with attendance restricted to ten worshippers and two officials comprising a singe minyan.

This move negotiated by the Sydney Beth Din with the government will mean two women can attend shul services.

Following the festival on May 29 and 30, synagogues will open on Shabbat morning only each week.

The Sydney Beth Din has put a one hour limit on the service suggesting the reading of the Torah and Musaph as the basis for the prayers.

Only people between 13 and 69 may attend excluding anyone who has a death-threatening condition such as diabetes or cardiovascular or immuno-compromised diseases.

No-one can attend with a cold or flu or anyone who has within their household someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Facemasks are essential and must be provided by the congregant.

No-one will be allowed to leave his seat during the service not even to kiss the Torah.

A minyan will not be allowed in a private home. If a synagogue has three separate areas including outside which can accommodate the four metre rule then one shul can hold up to the three minyanim.

Following a service, there can be no kiddush and no consumption of food.

How to become a member of a minyan:

During the week preceding Shabbas, a questionnaire has to be completed up and returned to whoever is in charge of the services at your synagogue.

Applicants will be advised if they can attend with priority being given to those mourners and those with Yizchor.

The Sydney Beth Dins goal is that as a result of minyanim there be no infection at all.

In a statement, the SBD said: We cannot sufficiently press home the following point. There is absolutely no Halachic allowance for engaging in communal prayer at the expense of a participant contracting or spreading a potentially life-threatening illness such as COVID-19.

We believe that the success of these guidelines in protecting our community will be only if we all abide by them uniformly. If any group or Synagogue, even with the best of intentions, departs from this approach, we believe it may lead to an attitude of each one can do as he sees fit without any controls. Our community has seen minyanim selfishly organised by persons who ignored both Halachic and civil law and a lack of unity only invites such abhorrent behaviour.

The Sydney Beth Din has thanked to The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, JEMP and The Executive Council of Australian Jewry for their input.

Visit J-Wire's main page for all the latest breaking news, gossip and what's on in your community.

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Back to shulbut read the rules. - J-Wire Jewish Australian News Service

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Posted By admin on May 15, 2020

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's incoming foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, is the son of a Holocaust survivor and served as a special forces commando, spending nearly four decades in the military before entering politics.

A member of the centrist Blue and White Alliance, he has had his differences with right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but is now poised to be his top envoy.

Ashkenazi, 66, a veteran of major combat operations and several high-profile commando missions, served as Israel's army chief from 2007 to 2011 -- a term that overlapped with Netanyahu's second stint as Israeli premier from 2009.

He was replaced as army chief by Benny Gantz, now Netanyahu's alternate premier, and then spent several years in the private sector leading an oil and gas exploration company.

When the married father of two entered politics last year, he declared his opposition to Netanyahu -- who faces multiple graft charges, which he denies -- saying that "leadership is about setting an example".

"How can you be prime minister when you have been indicted three times?" he said.

Gantz's decision to seek a coalition with Netanyahu, following three inconclusive elections in less than a year, fractured Blue and White.

While two of Blue and White's top leaders -- Yair Lapid and Moshe Yaalon -- broke with Gantz accusing him betrayal, Ashkenazi remained in the alliance, a decision that set him up for a prominent position in the unity government to be sworn on Thursday.

- Decorated soldier -

Ashkenazi, the son of a Bulgarian Holocaust survivor and a Syrian-born mother, grew up in a lower income family in central Israel before earning degrees from Haifa University and Harvard Business School.

He joined the army in 1972 and fought in the Yom Kippur war a year later.

He also took part in Operation Entebbe, a daring Israeli commando raid to rescue hostages from a plane that had been hijacked by Palestinian and German militants and diverted to Uganda's main airport.

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Netanyahu's brother Yonatan was killed in the operation.

Ashkenazi went on to take part in or lead a series of high-profile and sometimes controversial operations.

Turkey put Ashkenazi and three other Israeli military leaders on trial in absentia in 2012 over the deadly 2010 storming of a Turkish activists' ship that had been bound for Gaza.

He was army chief during Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza in 2008-2009.

- Annexation question -

In Ashkenazi's new role, military credentials may prove less immediately relevant than his stance on Israel's possible move to annex Jewish settlements and other territory in the occupied West Bank.

The Oslo peace accords of the 1990s gave the Palestinians self-rule in parts of the West Bank. But some 60 percent of the territory remains under full Israeli civil and military control, with Jewish settlements in those areas considered illegal under international law.

The terms of the Netanyahu-Gantz agreement allow the government to begin legislative action towards annexing those areas from July 1, in accordance with provisions laid out under Trump's peace plan.

Trump's initiative has been rejected by the Palestinians and criticised by much of the international community. Any moves to implement it will likely cause massive diplomatic uproar, notably from the European Union.

A month after Trump's plan was announced in January, in the middle of Israeli election campaign, Ashkenazi described it as "an opportunity to make history and realise the vision of the State of Israel".

However, former US president Barack Obama's ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, told AFP this week that he believes Ashkenazi is "lukewarm on annexation, at best".

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Israel's Ashkenazi: former army chief turns top diplomat - Yahoo News

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Posted By admin on May 15, 2020

When Benny Gantz took up his post as IDF chief of staff in 2011, the IDF was still roiling over the Harpaz Affair the forging of a document that had detailed a strategy on how to secure the appointment of then-major-general Yoav Gallant as chief of staff.The Harpaz Affair was much more than just a forged document. At its core was a rotten relationship between Gabi Ashkenazi, Gantzs predecessor as chief of staff, and then-defense minister Ehud Barak. The feud saw both men working to undermine the others decisions, nasty briefings against one another to the media and, ultimately, Baraks decision not to extend Ashkenazis term.Against this background, the new chief of staff convened his generals for the first time in the General Staff conference room at the Kirya military headquarters. There is the smell of a carcass in the room, Gantz told the officers. I find myself thinking about our friends who fell in battle, and whether we are still worthy of their sacrifice.Gantz wasnt exaggerating. The atmosphere within the top echelons of the IDF at the time was bitter and acrimonious. Generals didnt know whom they could trust: behind closed doors, the defense minister was speaking against the former chief of staff, and vice versa. Ashkenazi and Barak could barely look at one another in public.Despite the 10 years that have passed, the Harpaz Affair was brought back last week by Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party, who are trying to use it to delegitimize Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit ahead of the prime ministers bribery trial scheduled to begin a week from Sunday.Moreover, Gantz is now reliving a similar situation to the one he encountered in 2011. What he smelled when becoming chief of staff will be similar to what he will encounter nine years later when he enters the cabinet room in the Prime Ministers Office next week, now as defense minister.After 17 months of political bickering and negating one another, Netanyahu and Gantz may be joining hands to establish a government, but that doesnt mean the smell of the carcass is no longer in the room. There is still the issue of trust between the two men, which remains at a minimum. It might not be where it was before the March 2 election, when Gantz told members of his party that he did not believe a single word Bibi said, but there is still a great deal of suspicion between the two Benjamins. Gantz desperately wants to believe that Netanyahu will abide by the deal and step down for the scheduled rotation at the end of 2021; and Netanyahu is still fearful that once his criminal trial begins, Gantz might end up jumping ship.But beyond the politicians, and much more important, is the need for Israel to heal. Not just the politicians but the entire nation. The last few weeks battling the coronavirus might have made some of us forget, but this country was split ahead of the last election two and a half months ago. It was split politically more than half the country voted against Netanyahu and it was split socially: the Right attacked the Arabs; the Left the haredim (ultra-Orthodox), and on and on. The stench of that carcass is still out there. It has not gone away. We might have come together for a few weeks amid the COVID-19 lockdown, but we are far from being where we should be as a nation.In their coalition agreement, Gantz and Netanyahu agreed to set up a Reconciliation Cabinet. What this means exactly remains to be seen. But Gantz should make sure that the fate of this special cabinet is not like almost every other committee established in this country a panel set up to send an issue to die a slow death. That is what happened with the Nissim Commission, set up two years ago to come up with a resolution to the conversion crisis, and that is what happened to the committee set up seven months ago to fight crime in the Arab sector, which is also now a fading memory.If done right, the novel coronavirus does not need to be the only justification for Netanyahu and Gantz to form the government that will be sworn in on Sunday. It can also be a catalyst for reconciliation across society, a reconciliation that is needed and could become the incoming governments greatest achievement.This wont be easy. Based on the attacks against Mandelblit and the resurfacing of the Harpaz Affair, politicians like Amir Ohana the outgoing justice minister and incoming public security minister are not going to stop. He is on a mission to delegitimize Mandelblit ahead of his boss Netanyahus trial. The reason is because with COVID-19 mostly behind Israel (for now), there is almost nothing that can be done to stop Netanyahu from having to appear in court. But what he and his cronies can do is turn the tables on the prosecution and make it seem that not only is their case illegitimate, but so are the prosecutors themselves.They are trying to divert the publics attention away from the trial, so that people are more focused on the prosecutors themselves and 10-year-old allegations that were already dismissed and found to be baseless. The fact that Ayala Hasson, a veteran journalist on Channel 13, revealed the transcript from an unlawfully obtained recording banned from publication by the courts shows to what length this machine is willing to go to undermine the rule of law in Israel.Gantz will have many challenges ahead of him, but protecting the countrys democracy will be the most important one. He might have helped Netanyahu stay in power, but he doesnt have to help Netanyahu and his Likud Party undo Israels democratic character. Unfortunately, if not stopped, that is what might happen.

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To the new government: Help heal our nation - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on May 15, 2020

The Likuds new smear campaign against Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit and the State Attorneys Office ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus corruption trial on May 24 needs to be condemned in the strongest terms. It is a campaign to undermine and delegitimize the rule of law in Israel, as well as impugn the good name of Mandelblit and those who work under him. To achieve this goal, Likud officials led by outgoing Justice Minister Amir Ohana and Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev have reopened the 10-year-old Harpaz Affair, accusing Mandelblit who served as chief military advocate general at the time of impropriety.They allege that in 2010, Mandelblit assisted then-IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi in discrediting Yoav Gallant, a leading candidate favored by then-defense minister Ehud Barak to replace Ashkenazi. On Friday night, Channel 13 published part of a transcript of a conversation between Ashkenazi and Mandelblit that had been deemed inadmissible by legal authorities 10 years ago. Digging it up now is not only potentially illegal, but also shows to what length this campaign is willing to go.The so-called Harpaz document, detailing plans to launch a mudslinging campaign against Askhenazi, turned out to be a forgery produced by Boaz Harpaz, a former Ashkenazi associate in IDF Military Intelligence, and Mandelblit was cleared of any wrongdoing in the affair. In fact, three years later, in 2013, Netanyahu saw fit to appoint Mandelblit to the post of cabinet secretary, and three years after that, in 2016, he was appointed to the prestigious position of attorney-general backed by Netanyahu and then-justice minister Ayelet Shaked.Why, you may ask, is the Likud conducting this campaign against Mandelblit now, five months after he indicted Netanyahu for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases, dubbed Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000? According to a senior official in the State Attorneys Office quoted by Ynet, the campaign is aimed at disgracing Mandelblit ahead of Netanyahus trial. Netanyahus close associates will try to present the attorney general as the accused as opposed to the accuser, the official was quoted as saying. The prime ministers goal is to arrive at court after Mandelblit has been disgraced, as if Mandelblit himself were a criminal.The Likud narrative, according to the official, will depict Mandelblit as unworthy of leading the prosecution against Netanyahu.Besides targeting an attorney general, the smear campaign demonstrates that there is something rotten in the State of Israel. Although Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has now reneged on his pledge not to sit in the same government as an indicted prime minister, in the interests of national unity during the coronavirus pandemic, we urge him to take a firm stand against the campaign to smear the attorney general and his good offices.With members of the new government due to take their oaths of office this week, we also appeal to them and especially the new justice minister, Avi Nissenkorn to fully back Mandelblit and appoint a new state attorney who will uphold the rule of law.The rule of law is a fundamental principle of a democratic state such as Israel. If Netanyahu is innocent, as he proclaims repeatedly, let him prove this before the Jerusalem District Court. Turning the attorney general into a scapegoat ahead of his trial sets a dangerous precedent and is a preview of what is likely to come once the trial officially begins. Before it gets out of hand, Netanyahu should put an immediate halt to the campaign by members of his government and his political party assailing the countrys judicial authorities and their personnel. On the contrary, they should be showing respect to a fair legal system that is a source of pride for all Israelis. After all, it is this same legal system that cleared Netanyahu last week to form the new government even though he is facing severe corruption charges. As the ruling party, the Likud should remember its late leader Menachem Begins famous line, There are judges in Jerusalem. There is room for criticism, but launching attacks like the one against Mandelblit has the potential to erode the rule of law in Israel and lead the country to a state of anarchy. That cannot be allowed to happen.

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Likud's campaign to undermine and delegitimize the rule of law in Israel - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on May 15, 2020

Nonetheless, the column incited a furious and ad hominem response. Detractors discovered that one of the authors of the paper Stephens had cited went on to express racist views, and falsely claimed that Stephens himself had advanced ideas that were genetic (he did not), racist (he made no remarks about any race) and eugenicist (alluding to the discredited political movement to improve the human species by selective breeding, which was not remotely related to anything Stephens wrote).

It would have been appropriate for the New York Times to acknowledge the controversy, to publish one or more replies, and to allow Stephens and his critics to clarify the issues. Instead, the editors deleted parts of the columnnot because anything in it had been shown to be factually incorrect but because it had become controversial.

Worse, the explanation for the deletions in the Editors Note was not accurate about the edits the paper made after publication. The editors did not just remove reference to the study. They expurgated the articles original subtitle (which explicitly stated Its not about having higher IQs), two mentions of Jewish IQs, and a list of statistics about Jewish accomplishment: During the 20th century, [Ashkenazi Jews] made up about 3 percent of the U.S. population but won 27 percent of the U.S. Nobel science prizes and 25 percent of the ACM Turing awards. They account for more than half of world chess champions. These statistics about Jewish accomplishments were quoted directly from the study, but they originated in other studies. So, even if the Times editors wanted to disavow the paper Stephens referenced, the newspaper could have replaced the passage with quotes from the original sources.

The Times handling of this column sets three pernicious precedents for American journalism.

First, while we cannot know what drove the editors decision, the outward appearance is that they surrendered to an outrage mob, in the process giving an imprimatur of legitimacy to the false and ad hominem attacks against Stephens. The Editors Note explains that Stephens was not endorsing the study or its authors views, and that it was not his intent to leave an impression with many readers that [he] was arguing that Jews are genetically superior. The combination of the explanation and the post-publication revision implied that such an impression was reasonable. It was not.

Unless the Times reverses course, we can expect to see more such mobs, more retractions, and also preemptive rejections from editors fearful of having to make such retractions. Newspapers risk forfeiting decisions to air controversial or unorthodox ideas to outrage mobs, which are driven by the passions of their most ideological police rather than the health of the intellectual commons.

Second, the Times redacted a published essay based on concerns about retroactive moral pollution, not about accuracy. While it is true that an author of the paper Stephens mentioned, the late anthropologist Henry Harpending, made some deplorable racist remarks, that does not mean that every point in every paper he ever coauthored must be deemed radioactive. Facts and arguments must be evaluated on their content. Will the Times and other newspapers now monitor the speech of scientists and scholars and censor articles that cite any of them who, years later, say something offensive? Will it crowdsource that job to Twitter and then redact its online editions whenever anyone quoted in the Times is later canceled?

Third, for the Times to disappear passages of a published article into an inaccessible memory hole is an Orwellian act that, thanks to the newspapers actions, might now be seen as acceptable journalistic practice. It is all the worse when the editors published account of what they deleted is itself inaccurate. This does a disservice to readers, historians and journalists, who are left unable to determine for themselves what the controversy was about, and to Stephens, who is left unable to defend himself against readers worst suspicions.

We strongly oppose racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry. And we believe that the best means of combating them is the open exchange of ideas. The Times retroactive censoring of passages of a published article appears to endorse a different view. And in doing so, it hands ammunition to the cynics and obfuscators who claim that every news source is merely an organ for its political coalition.

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Opinion | The New York Times Surrendered to an Outrage Mob. Journalism Will Suffer For It. - POLITICO

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