Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on July 6, 2017

Israel's Environment Minister Amir Peretz (L) is surrounded by journalists during the 18th ordinary meeting of contracting parties to the Barcelona convention and its protocols, Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 5, 2013.(photo byOZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Author:Mazal Mualem Posted July 5, 2017

The winds of change blowing through the Labor Party can be deceptive, even though Knesset members Amir Peretz and Avi Gabai just advanced to the second round in the party's leadership primaries. Regardless of whether the party members elect Gabai, a political novice, who only joined the party eight months ago, or a more experienced politician such as Peretz, who once served as defense minister, neither of them will be the dark horse of the next election. Assuming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is, once again, the Likud's candidate for prime minister in the next election, there is no reason for him to worry about the Labor's turnabout.

TranslatorDanny Wool

First of all, the party failed to recruit a new candidate with real public and security standing, such as former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, to defeat the right and win power. Furthermore, there already is a large and powerful centrist party (Yesh Atid) headed by Yair Lapid, who has proved his mettle as a fairly talented survivor. Given these conditions, Peretz or Gabai will have to transform the Labor Party into the largest platform in the center-left bloc, and this is no simple task.

In 2002, Amram Mitzna, a major general in the reserves, took the party by storm. Yet he walked away from the January 2003 election with just 19 seats. At the time, 15 seats in the center-left bloc preferred the centrist Shinui Party, headed by Tommy Lapid. In the ensuing elections, the Labor Party failed to take power again and again. It fell into a deep crisis of identity, set off in search of itself, and lost entire communities of voters along the way. When it brought back former Prime Minister Ehud Barak as leader in 2009, it actually reached the lowest point in its entire history, winning just 13 seats. In contrast, Tzipi Livni of the centrist Kadima Party (now defunct) overwhelmed the center-left bloc by winning 28 of its seats.

Shelly Yachimovich also failed to prove herself to be the party's savior in 2013, even though she offered a refreshing new brand. In that election, a new centrist party (Yesh Atid) headed by Tommy Lapid's son Yair swept up 19 seats. In the last election, in 2015, Isaac Herzog as the Labor Party leader and a strategic merger with Livni was not enough either. Even though Lapid's party showed some decline, it still managed to win 11 of the center-left bloc's seats.

In other words, as long as it is not clear who the leader of the camp opposing the right really is and the sum of its votes divided between two dominant parties, the chances for a center-left turnover are reduced considerably.

Peretz and Gabai will face off in the next round of voting for the Labor's leadership July 10. This will be followed by the big battle that will take place within the center-left bloc. The one person who will apparently benefit from this will be the leader of the right, Netanyahu. He will stand off to the side to watch the squabbling in the opposing camp in a process, which long earned itself the moniker, "the cannibalism of the center-left." Several parties will be competing for the same restricted pool of voters, without being able to unite around a single candidate.

The Labor primaries created quite a few headlines and interesting political moments due to the large number of candidates and Erel Margalit's particularly aggressive campaign. In the end, the miracle that the current head of the party, Herzog, had been hoping for never happened. He was deposed as leader of the party and the opposition. But that should come as no surprise, considering the party's longstanding tradition of removing its chair after failing to win an election.

As far as party members were concerned, Herzog lost not only at the ballot box in the 2015 elections but also in his opposition gamesmanship against Lapid. His flirtation with Netanyahu over the possibility of joining the government was both long and damaging and ultimately proved lethal, with opinion polls indicating that Labor could shrink to as few as 11-13 seats. Meanwhile, Lapid's centrist platform steered clear of the left. It gained momentum as he crisscrossed the country and set off to distant continents as a stalwart opponent of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.

Polls showed the Labor Party's seats switching allegiance to Lapid like two connected containers of fluid. As one empties the other one fills up, but the volume remains the same. The climax came several months ago, when Lapid surpassed Netanyahu and the Likud in the polls and was named the head of country's largest party in terms of voter preferences at the moment. Lapid has declined in the polls since, but as an outstanding campaigner, who heads a well-organized party with a network that extends across the entire country, and as someone who can appeal to the soft right at a time when the country is trending right, Lapid remains the most relevant player facing Netanyahu.

Nevertheless, both Gabai and Peretz claim that they know how to expand their base by winning the support of Likud voters. Peretz, who was born in Morocco and lives in the periphery southern town of Sderot, already proved he could do that as head of the Labor Party in the 2006 election, by bringing in new voters from the periphery. Meanwhile, Gabai boasts that he is the "new thing." As the son of Moroccan immigrants and as a person who grew up in a periphery town and made good, he claims that he can win the support of the periphery even better than Peretz.

In the Labor's history, the fact that two Mizrahim (of Middle Eastern origin) are competing over the leadership position signifies that internal changes are taking place in a party that is still searching for its identity. But the fact that two Mizrahim now stand at the head of the predominantly Ashkenazi Mapai Party (mother party of Labor) is not the main point here. It is, of course, symbolic and indicative of a new spirit in the party. On the other hand, considering Mizrahi voters as monolithic is a mistake, and even rather patronizing.

In the next election, with the public asked to decide between alternatives to lead the country, the decisive factor will be security. The Mizrahi issue does not have what it takes to stand alone. Gabai will have to prove that despite his very limited experience in politics and his lack of experience in dealing with national issues, he could still head a country such as Israel. But how, in fact, is he really better than Lapid or Netanyahu? Being Mizrahi is not a viable claim. Peretz, on the other hand, will have to convince the public that he deserves a second chance. His advantage is that he has proven experience at the national level. The fact that he is Mizrahi is not the main point for him either.

Regardless of which of these two men is elected, the winner will first have to compete against Lapid in a kind of undeclared primary, which will inevitably be expressed in their respective poll numbers. If he is elected, Gabai will be unable to serve as leader of the opposition because he is not a member of Knesset. This presents a new political situation, which could hurt him.

The situation within the party will become much clearer by July 10. The various Knesset members, including those who competed for the leadership, will form their own alliances. If elected, Gabai would have the role of opposition chairperson to trade, and he might even offer it to Herzog or Yachimovich. "Netanyahu has reason to be worried," Peretz said the day after he finished first in the vote, with 32.7% to Gabai's 27.1%. However, it is actually Peretz who has cause for worry. As interesting as it may be, the fight over the Labor leadership did not shake up a thing, whether Netanyahu's grip on power or the political system at large.

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Israeli Labor's new leaders must rebrand party - Al-Monitor

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Posted By admin on July 6, 2017

by Lori Silberman Brauner NJJN Staff Writer

July 6, 2017

Only a few months ago, I was standing on the womens balcony of my Orthodox Sephardi synagogue, not so different than the one depicted in the popular Israeli film by the same name. And just like a scene in The Womens Balcony, the women excitedly threw candy during a bar mitzvah ceremony.

At the time I remember asking myself, How did I get here? Even though I had not yet heard of the film, I realized how far I had come from my roots as an Ashkenazi Jew who grew up in a Reform household.

But looking back, I can appreciate how my background, while perhaps not the conventional path to my current lifestyle, was for me, at least, a logical progression. Growing up at Temple Emanu-El in Livingston, a Reform congregation known for its commitment to tikkun olam, social action, under Rabbi Peter Kasdan and (the late) Cantor Louis Davidson, I absorbed the lesson that Judaisms focus is not only on prayer or ritual it is nothing less than a drive to make the world a better place through fighting, for example as advocated by Kasdan, migrant farm workers in the southwest. That women are of equal value to men, and have a role in the synagogue. And that the revival of the Hebrew language wasnt designed to sound like our Eastern European ancestors, but as a modern, thriving tongue pronounced similarly to how Sephardim speak Hebrew (read: Shabbat shalom, not Gut Shabbos.)

I had the chance to reflect on my upbringing when I learned that the temple where I grew up and had my bat mitzvah was closing its doors for good. It held its final Friday night service this past Shabbat, on June 30. The membership officially voted to merge with (in reality, to be absorbed by) Temple Sinai in Summit, though some, including my parents, are choosing to join other congregations closer to their homes.

Its unfortunate, and Im sad for the congregants who were committed to Emanu-El until the end. And while I consider myself much more observant than I was as a bat mitzvah student, Ive come to understand that the core values of the synagogue have had a much stronger impact on me than I realized.

For one, I remain committed to improving the world, as corny as that sounds. As a journalist who believes in the motto taught in journalism school, that our role is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, I try to do that in my writing, pursuing stories for NJJN and other publications that strive to make a difference in the public realm.

I also hold strong views about the role of women in Judaism. While many believe that Orthodoxy treats women as inferior to men, I have found, for the most part, that they are well respected by their spouses and the community, and are encouraged to attain high levels of both Jewish and secular education. And while many Orthodox women are content to have limited ritual roles in the synagogue, others seek fulfillment by taking on further religious obligations. Having grown up encouraged to read Torah and having chanted my bat mitzvah portion, Behaalotecha, I take pride in participating in an (Ashkenazi) Orthodox womens prayer service every Simchat Torah and receive an aliyah to the Torah; I also attend conferences of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA).

Then there is the issue of modern, spoken Hebrew. To this day, I have trouble following along, and even wince at times, when listening to the pronunciation of prayers in Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogues (i.e., Toirah for Torah, and mitzvos for mitzvot). I have also sent my children to an educationally progressive Modern Orthodox day school in which Hebrew immersion is one of its priorities, as Jews should not only understand the meaning of the prayers they read, but be able to converse in our historical language.

So while it was no short journey from Emanu-El to the womens balcony, its an experience I am most grateful for. And yes, Rabbi Kasdan and Cantor Davidson, your teachings have provided a foundation that helped set my lifes course; after all, you cannot know where you are headed without appreciating where youve been.

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Exit Ramp: Looking back and inward as a temple closes its doors - New Jersey Jewish News

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Posted By admin on July 6, 2017

From Painting the World Jewish to Senior Shimmy Belly Dancing to kosher cooking, the Tucson Jewish Community Centers Arts & Culture, Fitness & Wellness, and Jewish Life & Learning departments will offer a wide array of programs for seniors this fall.

The Tucson J will partner with Ballet Tucson to host two performances in the J s Sculpture Garden: Putting Your Best Foot Forward, where participants and dancers alike will create their own art that moves on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m., and Sole Impressions: New Works by Ballet Tucson on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. Ballet Tucson faculty also will teach Senior Swans, a new ballet class geared for seniors, Thursdays at 10 a.m. beginning Aug. 17.

Local musician Robin Bessier will perform The Jewish-Jazz Connection and the Great American Songbook on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 6:30pm. The Celebration of Heritage Concert Series will highlight the music of siblings Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., a celebration of Americas history through original compositions by Richard Fuchs on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m., and Italian operatic melodies on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m.

Along with Painting the World Jewish: Basic Watercolor Techniques (Sept. 11-Oct. 2), studio art classes will include Anyone Can Draw & Paint (Aug. 29- Dec. 29) and Chinese Calligraphy (Sept. 12-Oct. 17), part of an ongoing partnership with the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center.

The Chinese Cultural Center also will present Introduction to Mandarin (Sept. 12-Oct. 17) and the J will partner with the Alliance Franaise de Tucson to offer Beginner French (Oct. 17-Nov. 21). The Js Spanish language program continues to grow and will include a literature class (Sept. 20- Oct. 25) focusing on Luis Lopez Nievess The Silence of Galileo. Beginner Hebrew (Oct. 19-Nov. 30) will be offered in addition to Intermediate Hebrew (Oct. 18-Nov. 29) and Advanced Hebrew (Oct. 19-Nov. 30), and the Yiddish group will continue to meet on the second Wednesday of the month.

Adult classes focusing on culture, finance, and history will include Geniuses of Russian Literature: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov (Oct. 9-30); Writing Family History (Oct. 10-31); Introduction to Food Writing (Nov. 1-22); The Communist Utopia and Its Jewish Victims (Nov. 8-Nov. 29); Tax Efficient Retirement (Nov. 9); Journey Through World Music (Nov. 10-Dec. 8); and Musical E-Motion (Nov. 27-Dec. 18 ).

The J is partnering with Pima Community College to offer new courses this fall. Highlights include Coiled Basket Weaving (Sept. 18 and 27); Poker Strategy (Oct. 3-Nov. 7); Makeup for Boomer Women (Nov. 3); Introduction to Floral Design Techniques (Nov. 7-Nov. 14); and Introduction to First Aid (Nov. 12).

The Fitness & Wellness department is continuing several popular programs designed to get seniors up and moving and having fun.

PWR! is a comprehensive neuroplasticity-principled program that integrates the latest research on Parkinsons disease and rehabilitation, exercise, and wellness. Certified PWR! trainer Mary Byrnes will present free meet and greet sessions on Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. and Aug. 25 at 11 a.m.

The next session of the BEST Protocol for Osteoporosis begins Oct. 4 and runs through Dec. 20, with three sessions a week.

Elder Rehab starts a new semester on Sept. 18. This program partners a senior, memory-impaired participant with a University of Arizona volunteer who supervises them, one-on-one, in physical fitness workouts and engages them in memory and language stimulation. Applicants must be screened prior to registering. For an application, call Sharon Arkin, Ph.D. at 603-2912.

New classes will include Senior Shimmy Belly Dancing, held on Mondays at 11:30 a.m. (Aug. 7-28, Sept. 11-Oct. 2, Oct. 9-30 and Nov. 6-27); Yoga for a Healthy and Happy Back on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m., Sept. 13-Oct. 18; and Get the Most Out of Your Knee and Hip, Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m., Oct. 25-Nov. 15 (if students have had a total knee or hip replacement, they must be at least four months post-surgery).

The J has partnered with Banner University Medical Center for a free, three-part Senior Stand Tall program, Oct. 10, 17 and 24 at 10 a.m. Registration is required; contact Susan Kinkade at 694-4713.

A Healthy Back program with Colin Easom, certified orthopedic exercise specialist, will be held on Thursdays at 6 p.m.; and Getting Ahead of Menopause, which will include 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise and 30 minutes of interval training, will be held Tuesdsays and Thursdays at noon. These are continuous four-week classes; check tucsonjcc.org or call 299-3000 for start dates.

Jewish Life & Learning will present a family cooking class in the demonstration kitchen on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. The class will bring kids and grandparents together to celebrate International Grandparents Day and to prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, by learning new dishes that are kosher and vegetarian.

Senior Shabbat Luncheons will be held on the third Friday of each month from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. (Sept.15, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, and Dec. 15.) The luncheons will begin with Shabbat music and blessings with children in the Js Early Childhood Education Center. Participants will then enjoy lunch and a featured program with eighth-grade students from Tucson Hebrew Academy. On Oct. 20, Tucson writer Lynn Saul will lead a writing program focused on how to tell ones story. On Nov. 17, the Senior Shabbat Luncheon will host Evan Schreiber, news anchor from Tucson News Now on KOLD Channel 13. Advanced registration is required for the programs.

For more information or to suggest new programs, contact Barbara Fenig, director of Arts & Culture, at 299-3000, ext. 236 or bfenig@tucsonjcc.org; Amy Dowe, director of Fitness & Wellness at 299-3000, ext. 251 or adowe@tucsonjcc.org; or Jennifer Selco, director of Jewish Life & Learning, at 299-3000, ext. 106 or jselco@tucsonjcc.org. To register for fitness classes, call the Sports and Wellness desk at 299-3000, ext. 118.

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Tucson J's program variety is boon for seniors - Jewish Post

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Posted By richards on July 6, 2017

Jay-Zs recently released album 4:44 has once again stirred up controversy.

The Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish non-government organization, condemned lyrics off the artists new album for what it says are anti-Semitic implications.

In The Story of O.J. he raps, You wanna know whats more important than throwin away money at a strip club? Credit/ You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it.

The track quickly sparked debate about whether or not Jay-Z was promoting harmful stereotypes.

We do not believe it was Jay-Zs intent to promote anti-Semitism, a rep for the ADL told Rolling Stone. On the contrary, we know that Jay-Z is someone who has used his celebrity in the past to speak out responsibly and forcefully against the evils of racism and anti-Semitism.

Still, the group said his lyrics perpetuate negative biases.The lyric does seem to play into deep-seated anti-Semitic stereotypes about Jews and money. The idea that Jews own all the property in this country and have used credit to financially get ahead are odious and false. Yet, such notions have lingered in society for decades, and we are concerned that this lyric could feed into preconceived notions about Jews and alleged Jewish control of the banks and finance.

Guy Oseary, who is Jewish, was born in Israel, and is a manager for Madonna, U2, and Amy Schumer recently spoke out about the song andargued the lyrics, in context, are not anti-Semitic.

If you listen to the song in its entirety you will hear that the whole of the song is based on exaggerated stereotypes to make a point, he wrote on Instagram, adding, Im not offended by these lyrics. I hear them the way he intended them to be heard.

Russell Simmons also defended the track earlier this week. The fact is this culture that promotes good business and financial well-being is and has been a guiding light to the black and specifically the hip-hop community, he tweeted.

Since releasing his album June 30, Jay-Z has received significant praise and criticism. Rapper 50 Cent recently slammed the project in a now-deleted Instagram video, saying, Some of that s was like golf course music. 4:44 stillgained platinum status in less than a week.

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Anti-Defamation League Criticizes Jay-Z Over 'Story of OJ' Lyrics - Variety

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Posted By admin on July 6, 2017

The Story of O.J., the black capitalism anthem onJAY-Zs 4:44,has faced a fair amount a blowback for the following lyrics, which have been perceived by some as anti-semitic: You wanna know whats more important than throwin away money at a strip club? Credit. You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it. The Anti-Defamation League caught wind of the lines and issued a statement to Rolling Stonerebuking Hov for the aside.

We do not believe it was Jay-Zs intent to promote anti-Semitism, a rep told the publication. On the contrary, we know that Jay-Z is someone who has used his celebrity in the past to speak out responsibly and forcefully against the evils of racism and anti-Semitism.

The lyric does seem to play into deep-seated anti-Semitic stereotypes about Jews and money. The idea that Jews own all the property in this country and have used credit to financially get ahead are odious and false. Yet, such notions have lingered in society for decades, and we are concerned that this lyric could feed into preconceived notions about Jews and alleged Jewish control of the banks and finance.

Fans and supporters have come to JAY-Zs defense in the face of the blowback, including fellow black entrepreneur Russell Simmons. JAY-Z hasnt directly responded to the anti-semitism allegations, but his companion video shortFootnotes for The Story of O.J. argues that the songs concept is rooted in pro-blackness.Another video from4:44 is due tonight.

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Anti-Defamation League Goes After JAY-Z for Allegedly Anti-Semitic ... - SPIN

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Posted By simmons on July 6, 2017

Pictured at the awards ceremony: Margaux Griffin, Cameron Yuen, Robbie Treanor, Lauren McDonald, Timmy OHanlon, Mary Grlic, Corinne Lafont, and Farren Martinus. On May 24, representatives from Garden City Middle School attended a recognition ceremony at NYU in Manhattan. At the ceremony, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) presented the middle school with a No Place for Hate Gold Star banner, in recognition of their efforts to reduce bullying and bias in the school.

The ADL describes No Place for Hate as a program designed to create inclusive school communities by promoting unity and respect, and empowering schools to reduce bullying, name-calling and other expressions of bias.

Throughout the school year, the middle school conducted four events that involved students from grades 6-8. This year the events were: Unity Day, #No One Eats Alone, GC Cares, and the ABC EXPO. Students played a vital and prominent role in the initiative.

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GCMS named Gold Star School by Anti-Defamation League - Garden City News

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Posted By richards on July 6, 2017

Louisiana Third District Congressman Clay Higgins issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, apologizing to those who were offended when he had a video shot of his visit to the gas chamber at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site and agreeing to retract the video.

I filmed the Auschwitz message with great humility, Higgins statement began. My intent was to offer a reverent homage to those who were murdered in Auschwitz and to remind the world that evil exists, that free nations must remember, and stand strong.

However, my message has caused pain to some whom I love and respect. For that, my own heart feels sorrow. Out of respect to any who may feel that my video posting was wrong or caused pain, I have retracted my video.

The atrocities that happened at Auschwitz were truly despicable, and we must never let history repeat itself in such a way. I have always stood with Israel and all Jewish people, and I always will. We live in a dangerous world, and massive forces of evil do indeed yet exist. We must all stand united against those evils. My Auschwitz video has been removed, and my sincere apology for any unintended pain is extended.

Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive officer of the Anti-Defamation League, issued a statement accepting Higgins apology.

We are satisfied with Congressman Higginss statement and his recognition that he understands why the video was offensive, Greenblatt wrote. We welcome his words of apology, and now consider the matter closed.

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Anti-Defamation League accepts Higgins' apology for video - FOX 15

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Posted By simmons on July 5, 2017

Its only right that once the People of the Book got around to establishing a modern nation-state, theyd dedicate a week to celebrating books. Even in this age of budding screens and rampant social media, Shvua HaSefer, or Book Week, remains one of Israels most beloved traditions, with book fairs popping up in cities all over the country and authors giving talks to share their ideas and their work. Earlier this month, the popular Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot commemorated the joyful occasion by reaching out to a handful of renowned writerssome Israeli, some American Jews, and one a dapper French philosopherto talk about politics, prophecy, identity, family, and, of course, Donald Trump. Following are excerpts from these conversations.

***

On Being Jewish

Etgar Keret: Jewish writers have the most fun, especially Jewish American writers. Theres no topic they cant squeeze absolutely dry. In the time it takes me to write 60 pages, Jonathan Safran Foer writes a 600-page novel.

Paul Auster: I have to admit that all this obsession with identity is one I dont fully understand. Identity to me is my passport, which has my name and my photograph. I never considered my characters as being in any way confused about their identity. It is true, however, that theyre struggling, and that they suffer from loss or some other hardship and are trying to piece their lives back together, but these are universal struggles, neither Jewish nor non-Jewish. My ambition as a writer has always been to write about the meaningful things in a persons lifebeing born, growing up, falling in love, being in loveand the experiences they create.

Nicole Kraus: For 20 years now I attend a monthly Jewish study group. Everyone there is 75 years old, and I eagerly await these meetings. With each session, I understand just how my brain is shaped by being Jewish. Its a tremendous wealth.

A.B. Yehoshua: When you talk about writing and Judaism, its important to make it clear that Judaism is a term that dates back to the 19th century. My writing is Israeli. Im the fifth generation of an old Jerusalemite family on my fathers side. His ancestors arrived from Saloniki and from Prague. On my mothers side, my grandfather was a wealthy Moroccan who left behind all of his children and grandchildren and made aliya in 1932, when there were 200,000 Jews living here. He came from a Morocco free of anti-Semitism, a religious man who came here because he was a Zionist. So Im entirely Israeli, and so is my writing. The shift from being a Jew to being an Israeli is a moral shift, because it means taking responsibility of the entirety of reality and everything that surrounds you. A Diaspora Jew is a Jew who is free when interacting with other Diaspora Jews. Hes neither here nor there, but, really, hes everywhere. Here, in Israel, you live as one does anywhere else, in a nation that offers mutual responsibility and enforces mutual discipline. Youre tested day in and day out based on what you do, not on what you say. I live inside of Hebrew. Im an Israeli citizen. My identity is clear. Theres not a single Israeli you can say is an assimilated Israeli, even if he hasnt read Bialik or the Siddur, just as you cant say a Frenchman is assimilated if hed never read Moliere or knows little about French history.

Meir Shalev: Judaism creates its identity from two sources. The first is observing the mitzvot. A Jew is a person who observes the mitzvot, and Im fine with us having our differences in that regard. The other source is genius, its storytelling. Jews are people who know their own stories and who come up with new ones, even it theyre arent that good. More people celebrate the Passover seder than fast on Yom Kippur. Why? Because the story is terrific, and thats how you create identity. Even secular Jews love the story of the Exodus, even though they know parts of it are total fiction. We dont just sit around and eat delicious food on Passover. We read a text that is one of the most pitiful texts ever written in Hebrew, but one that is full of little ceremonies that sear the memory right into your brain.

Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman: Waldman: For a while we tried to find a Judaism that had to do with the actual religion. My parents raised me Zionist atheist, so I never went to synagogue. There was a hatred for all things Orthodox. But then we went through a period where we embraced Judaism with our family. All of our kids have been bnei mitzvah and there were beautiful ceremonies and they were really meaningful to us as a family. And we celebrated Shabbat, and we even went to the synagogue for a little while, occasionally.

Chabon: For a decade.

Waldman: Yeah, we tried, we did our best. And then at some point, we both looked at each other and we were like, Enough. It was the idea of: Here we were trying to force these structures of Judaism into a sort of progressive spiritually meaningful rubric, when its like a joke. You know, you can rewrite the prayers over and over again. The real truth is this is a religion that is all about

Chabon: Chauvinism.

On Israel

Ayelet Waldman: The Jewish community in America is probably the most consistently progressive white community, in terms of abortion rights, civil rights, the constitution, equal rights, feminism, everything from healthcare to foreign policy. And Israel is like for previous generationsmy parents generation, for examplethere was this kind of like carveout for Israel. So they would have these progressive politics at home, they would march with Martin Luther King, but they had like a carveout for Israel, which was, you know, Israel can do what it wants because theres that kind of anxiety, the Holocaust anxiety. But the youth of America, the young Jewish community, doesnt have that same sense of carveout. They cannot tolerate the contradiction of politics, of their expression of American politics, and Zionism. The best-case scenario is organizations like J Street, because J Street is overtly Zionist for the State of Israel, and they believe in the two-state solution. The truth that most American Jews experience is a complete disconnect, even Jews who desperately want to have a relationship with Judaism. I always feel like Israel has made this terrible error in vilifying J Street, because J Street is the best-case scenario. The next level is kids like my children, who just dont want to hear about it. They dont care, theyre not interested. Their values as Democrats in America cannot be aligned with whats happening in the occupied territories, and thus they disconnect. Were bringing two of our younger kids to Israel for the first time. I offered my older kids. They were like, No. They would rather go anywhere else in the world. Completely disconnected. They dont want to hear about it, to think about it, nothing.

Amos Oz: The nationalistic fanaticism is almost all the product of European Jews, not to say Ashkenazim. The fanaticism of Israels founding fathers, of some of the people closest to me, to mightily forge here a new man and erase all the traditions of all the diasporas, including Yiddish and Ladino, thats an Eastern European sort of fanaticism. It comes complete with the adoration of the armed forces and the imperialist aspirations. Similarly, the fanaticism of haredi Jews, the one that dictates that being Jewish means secluding yourself in your ghetto, that, too, is a European import. Middle Eastern Jews were always more religiously tolerant, and were accustomed to living peacefully with people very different from themselves. Fanaticism is a curse that comes to us from Europe, not the Middle East, and my heart breaks to see how the sons and daughters of Jews who emigrated to Israel from Middle Eastern countries are infected and are carried away by that European fanaticism. I wish it was the other way around.

Bernard-Henri Lvy: The extremists are really a minority. But if theres a fault line Israeli Jews are having a hard time talking about, its the chasm between the religious and the secular, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. In my book, I explain why the word Orthodox isnt really the best term for these people. Orthodox means belonging to an ossified school of thought, and theres nothing less ossified than studying the Talmud. These men in black study the holy books, they keep the texts in constant motion. Someone in Israeli politics needs to say that. Israel needs appeasing conversations; thats something your leadership doesnt do well, and it makes me very sad.

Paul Auster: Ive grown very pessimistic about Israels future. Each of the sides in this conflict digs its heels deeper and makes no effort to see the other sides viewpoint. Im not blaming only Israel or only the PalestiniansI blame both sides. Its a mutual failure to realize that both sides have a place in this strip of land, and they have to find a way to live there. I cant stop thinking that if Arafat were Gandhi and the Palestinians had a different attitude, they wouldve had a state 30 years ago. But it didnt work that way. Instead of nonviolent resistance, they came with guns and bombs. And Israel, on its end, doesnt seem interested in ending the conflict. I have no concrete suggestions. I dont know what needs to be done. But I feel that things over there arent so promising.

Etgar Keret and Jonathan Safran Foer: Keret: I dont think Jonathan loses sleep worrying about Israel being destroyed. I think hes asking questions about the relationship between Israel and American Jews. And the best way to answer these questions is to imagine Israel in real mortal danger and ask how far would American Jews go to defend it. This, at least, is how I read it [Safran Foers latest novel, Here I Am]. I dont know if this is what you had in mind when you wrote it.

Safran Foer: This is what I had in mind. I had questions of identity I didnt know how to resolve. I tried to understand just how much American Jews care, and you cant examine how much you care about something without pondering the possibility that you may lose it. The second question that interested me in the book wasnt specific to Israel, but to the notion of home in general. Whats a home? And whats a homeland?

On Donald J. Trump

Ayelet Waldman: You know, Jared Kushner is Trumps pet Jew. Theres always been that character, like there were facilitators in the death camps and in the ghettos too. Theres always the Jew who will facilitate the agenda of the anti-Semite. I dont think that Trump has a coherent ideology. I think hes personally an anti-Semite, and you can see that with the things he says. Like when he says, You people and your moneyI mean, those are anti-Semitic tropes, right? I think he cares only about personal power, and you dont see anything wrong with striking a bargain with overtly anti-Semitic people. I think were lower on his list than Muslims, but I do think that that kind of vicious anti-Semitism now has permission to flourish. I feel safe in California, but I no longer feel comfortable in the United States.

Paul Auster: As far as Im concerned, electing Donald Trump is the greatest catastrophe that couldve befallen America. I wake up every morning and ask myself, how couldve this happened? And how much worse can it get? We elected a madman, the sort of person who should never be allowed to have any political power.

Nicole Kraus: Part of what makes my relationship with Israel so convenient is that my life doesnt depend on its politics. But they do depend on the politics of my own country, and things arent very good right now. Our situation is shocking, because for the first time we are under the deep influence of the psychology of a single human being. We learned in school about Hitler, Mussolini, and Gadafi, but in America, for all of our reverence for individualism, weve created a system of checks and balances so that we never find ourselves dependent on the psychosis of one man. The founding fathers couldnt have anticipated social media, and the fact that one day well have a president wholl tweet our lives. Now were all like the children of a totalitarian father who suffers from narcissism and paranoia. Shifting from a very smart and very decent president to the one we have now is one heck of a trauma.

On Prophecy

Amos Oz: I want to repeat something I said 30 or 40 years ago. I still agree with it, and find it nontrivial: In Judaism, any form of Messianism that thinks of itself in the present tense is false Messianism. This is the paradox of the messianic idea in Israel; as soon as it becomes the present, its a lie. Messiah Now is a false Messiah.

Paul Auster: Im bound to my Judaism, both theologically and historically speaking. Judaism is a radical religion, the first one to take into account all peoplerich and poor, masters and slaves. Its appearance was a turning point in human consciousness, and there are chapters in Jewish history that have had a great influence on shaping my own worldview. Take the Book of Jonah, for example, the text we read on Yom Kippur. Its one of the oddest books in the Bibleits short, written in the third person, and is kind of comical. Jonah tries to escape his divine destiny. He doesnt want to be a prophet, doesnt want to go to Ninveh, which is a sinful town known for its hatred of Jews. Its a bit like God sending a Jewish prophet to preach in Nazi Germany. And then, when the locals make teshuva and repent, you understand that the book is all about universal justice. Its main message is that if only some people enjoy the benefits of justice, then its not justice at all.

***

Interviews conducted by Tzippy Shmilovitz, Yehuda Shohat, and Ronen Tal. You can help support Tablets unique brand of Jewish journalism. Click here to donate today.

Elad Zeret, who edited the original compendium of these author interviews to appear in Israel, writes about literature for Yediot Aharonot. Liel Leibovitz, who translated this material from Hebrew, is a senior writer for Tablet Magazine.

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Posted By admin on July 5, 2017

Jewish worshippers covered in prayer shawls pray @kotel 370. (photo credit:Courtesy Yazel Shavit Communications)

Gal Beckerman, in his study of the Soviet Jewry movement of the 1960s, 70s and 80s entitled When They Come for US, Well Be Gone, puts forward the thesis that the Soviet Jewry movement was not only a victory for Jews living behind the Iron Curtain, but also for American Jewry, whose approach toward the issue of Soviet Jews completely trumped the Israeli governments approach.

This dichotomy of American Jewry and its interests and the Israeli government and its interests set the tone for much of the narrative surrounding the crisis of the conversion bill which reached its crescendo this past Friday. The story was being told of American Jews supporting conversions outside the rabbinate, and the Israeli government opposing them.

And with the seeming agreement on Friday afternoon which essentially froze the proposed bill, it seems once again that the Americans have been successful, even though the Israeli government had greater resources, leverage and much more at stake.

The new national conversion bill, as it came to be known, seemingly attacked the prospects of the Reform and Conservative movements capacity to gain recognition for their conversions, and it required according to the accepted narrative the American Jewish leadership, meaning the heads of the federations, Jewish Agency and even AIPA C, to come and protect American Jewish interests, by putting intense pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prefer their interests over the interests of the coalition.

Though the bill would have endangered the prospects for the Reform and Conservative communities in Israel achieving greater recognition of their conversions, the central victim of the bill would have been the religious Zionist conversions which are now taking place by the hundreds outside the rabbinate. Since the state rolled back a government resolution that would have expanded the number of rabbis performing conversions in Israel, rabbis from the mainstream of religious Zionism have created Giyur Kahalacha which is now the largest non-governmental rabbinical court in Israel. (At present, only 33 rabbis are licensed by the state to engage in conversion despite the fact that there are at present 374,000 people who became citizens under the Law of Return but are listed in the population registry as lacking religion) The bill had it moved forward would have prevented these Orthodox conversions being performed by municipal rabbis, rosh yeshivas and other prominent rabbis from ever being eligible for recognition.

The conversions of Giyur Kahalacha have the best potential in more than a decade to help the hundreds of thousands of immigrants fully join the Jewish People. The fact that he bill has been frozen still enables tens of thousands to pursue conversion that will hopefully one day be fully recognized in Israel.

Seen in this light, the American Jewish leadership that came to Israel to lobby the government to kill the bill were actually working in Israels best interest and the best interest of Israels government.

And the ministers who were fighting for the bill to move forward were actually working against Israels greater interests.

Ironically, the government was working against the interests of Zionism and the Americans were best expressing the Zionist ideal.

In the end, it wasnt the Americans who won, but in fact Israel. We now have an opportunity and maybe even a responsibility to encourage people to pursue religious Zionist conversion to protect the future for us all.

And maybe this victory is emblematic of the real conclusion to the story of the Soviet Jewry movement. For if it was American Jewry who were successful in bringing the Jews out of Russia, it is Israeli society that is ultimately responsible for making sure that the 1,100,000 immigrants feel fully at home here. Only by working together, hand in hand, for a better Jewish future will we protect Israel for the long term. The author, a rabbi, is director of ITIM and among the founders of Giyur Kahalacha.

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Posted By simmons on July 5, 2017

Harei at mkudeshet li btabaat zo kdat Moshe vYisrael. Harei atah mkudash li btabaat zo kdat Moshe vYisrael.

Behold, you are consecrated for me, with this ring, according to the religion/tradition of Moses and Israel.

We memorized these Hebrew vows for weeks, drilling until we could recite them without a hitch when the pressure was on, under the Chupah, in front of friends and family. 38 years later we can still pull them up, though we did not know their meaning at the time. The vows served their ritual function. My heart was pounding for all it was worth, which was a lot in those days.

Over the years my wife (Jewish) and I (not) have recited Hebrew prayers and blessings over bread and wine, over candles lit, over Talmud studied; at Passovers, Hannukahs, and Shabbats. We have participated in these prayers and blessings like we have sung along with popular songs on the radio, learning the melodies, sort of, catching some of the words with confidence, and faking others in between. We are not unique in this, nor is it a new phenomenon.

Hebrew as it is written in Torah and Talmud emerged as a written language sometime in the late second millennium BCE. But even during the first temples heyday, there is reason to think that there were significant differences between the spoken and the written language. What we know as biblical Hebrew is without doubt basically a literary language, which until the Babylonian exile [following the fall of Jerusalem] existed alongside living, spoken, dialects, says Angel Saenz-Badillos, a Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at Universidad Complutense, Madrid.

The Hebrew religion, after all, was a sacrificial cult while the temples stood. The people brought their unblemished goats, produce and other offerings to the priests, and the priests recited their blessings over the sacrifices. It seems unlikely that these goatherds and farmers were well versed in biblical Hebrew. Liturgy was not the job of the common man and woman, and speaking biblical Hebrew was not an entrance requirement for being a Jew. Indeed, by the time the first temple was destroyed (586 BCE), Hebrew fell out of use as a vernacular tongue and was replaced by Aramaic. Only a small elite, the scribes and priests, carried the language forward for its literary and liturgical purposes.

After 586 BCE Babylon became a flourishing center of Judaism. Throughout the Diaspora over the subsequent centuries, Jews spoke Persian, Polish, German, and of course Yiddish. Biblical Hebrew retained its liturgical role. A 1931 census in Poland inquired as to the first language spoken. Of 3.1 million Jews, 2.5 million identified Yiddish as their first language, and only 244,000 said Hebrew.

Jewish practice in America places emphasis on biblical Hebrew. The Reform movement in recent times has moved to reinsert more Hebrew ritual into its services. Bar and bat mitzvahs spend a year learning how to read a portion of scripture in Hebrew at the bima. Its a special skill because biblical Hebrew is written without vowels. Correct and fluid pronunciation is the main goal. Understanding what is being said not so much. For that we have the drash, in English. In America, today, therefore, Hebrew is still largely confined to a liturgical role. Per the 2013 Pew study on Jewish life in America, A Portrait of Jewish Americans: Half of Jews (52%), including 60% of Jews by religion and 24% of Jews of no religion, say they know the Hebrew alphabet. But far fewer (13% of Jews overall, including 16% of Jews by religion and 4% of Jews of no religion) say they understand most or all of the words when they read Hebrew. And, of course, there is a difference between understanding most or all the words when reading a prayer or blessing that is repeated over and over for decades, and reading and understanding a random page of Talmud in biblical Hebrew. Most people in synagogues are like me: they fake the language. Most may fake it considerably better than me but theyre still faking it. And there is nothing illegitimate or not genuine about that. It is consistent with the liturgical role that Hebrew has served in Judaism through the ages.

Some Zionist Jews, like the American-Israeli writer David Hazony, argue that learning Hebrew is the essence of being Jewish: [it] will let you engage with your Bible, your Talmud, your medieval Jewish texts, without the hazy filter of translators and professional interpreters. If American Jews dont learn modern Hebrew fluently never mind biblical Hebrew he suggests, they will stop being real Jews. But Hazony is mixing up his Zionism with Judaism: Judaism has worked just fine for 2,000 years with most Jews faking their biblical Hebrew; it will continue to do just fine with American Jews continuing that tradition.

Like any vibrant tradition, Judaism needs a core of elite practitioners. These can be found in the ranks of the Orthodox, to a lesser extent in the Conservative Movement, and among rabbis and not so few members of the Reform and other movements. But Judaism doesnt need most, and it doesnt need me, to fully learn Hebrew of the biblical or modern varieties. Im content with continuing to fake it, and I find myself in good company among my Jewish friends.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

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We're All Faking Hebrew And That's Just Fine. - Forward

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