Monday, October 27, 2014
Bastardization of black feminist theory propels Israel-bashing on campus
During both early October’s Open Hillel conference at Harvard University, and the just-concluded Students for Justice in Palestine gathering at Tufts University, Israel was condemned for imposing an “interlocking matrix of oppression” onto Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, women, children, gays, the disabled, and others.Sorry, brothers in Africa, the “Palaestinaïsm” virus stole all the money for Ebola!
Coined in 1989, the feminist sociological theory of intersectionality has often been applied to studies of black women, who – so goes the theory – derive their most potent sense of identity from the intersection of being female and black, as opposed to one characteristic over the other.
More recently, anti-Israel groups have adopted intersectionality to denounce Zionism’s alleged subjugation and silencing of its many critics, including Jews.
“Our very bodies disrupt Zionist narratives,” said Sa’ed Atshan, a Tufts lecturer in peace and justice studies, who also advises the campus SJP chapter.
Identifying himself to conference participants as a gay Palestinian, Atshan demanded Israel be “decolonized” for its racist policies. He also condemned Israel for creating a Palestinian society rife with honor killings and the persecution of gays – all caused by the intersection of Zionism with misogyny and homophobia, he said.
Dear brothers in Africa, who are abused, killed, exterminated, who we let agonize, hoping that you will not come to western countries, Israel, we grieve for you. We have already sent dozens of doctors in your countries to help you. Even in countries that don’t have diplomatic relations with us, but we did it out of Zionism. In 1905, the father of this too often distorted movement, Theodor Herzl, wrote: “After feeding the children of Israel, the land of Israel will have to feed his African brothers”. That’s what we’re doing. We’re helping you. We treat you as much as we can, considering a country like ours, a country without petrodollars. And if we had these petrodollars, we would invest in your futur rather than in football clubs!Israel and the West's Submission to Islam
Brothers in Africa, Palaestinaïsm stole your future. Your children’s. Your brothers’, parents’ and cousins’. Palaestinaïsm destroys not only the lives of Palestinian cells that are sane, but also of Israel’s, and now yours. Yet you are not complicated! Bread, water and health. Work too. It would be so easy to please you. To treat you.
And when you do not have tears to cry at the funeral of your neighbor, despite the hope, never forget that the fate of your entire continent is based on the selfishness of 4 or 5 million Palestinians who seized money from the rich countries, countries in crisis but rich, who do not have enough to give you the small amounts you need!
What the Europeans ignore about the Arab-Israeli conflict and the long war is the precedent of 1948. When the Arabs attacked, and the West militarily embargoed Israel, the Zionists yet won a compelling victory in their ancient homeland; and a half a million Arabs became refugees, never to return. In 1967, the Arabs again declared their goal to be the annihilation of Israel; but Israel won, and another quarter of a million Arabs fled the country.Ex-Spanish PM slams European recognition of 'Palestine'
In 2014 the same scenario is unfolding. Pushed to the wall by Europeans who overlook and justify escalating domestic Arab violence and provocations, Israel will sooner or later need to unleash a severe response against the Muslims in the country who deny the right of Israel to exist, at all, and certainly as a Jewish and Zionist state. Newton’s political physics teach us that an action produces a reaction, and Hegel’s dialectics charted how a thesis leads to an antithesis, culminating in a new, rarely anticipated, synthesis. All this fondling of the Palestinians and coddling of Islam is putting in place a horrific threat to Israel, which may however evoke a welcome opportunity for deliverance and triumph.
Are we not passing through a very momentous period of history: with signs of the political decline and social decadence of Europe and the West, the clash between Israel and Islam, between Islam and Christianity, and with attendant results that could change the political -- and religious -- map of the world? The cutting edge of history is the crossroads we now face.
Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has spoken out against unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
"The Palestinian state does not exist yet and the Gaza Strip is still controlled by Hamas, but many nations are already moving to recognize it," he said. "The Swedish government announced it would recognize Palestine, the British Parliament voted to recognize it, and we should expect similar moves to be made throughout Europe. Regardless of good intentions, recognizing a Palestinian state is not appropriate, not helpful, and wrong. It will not promote peace and will only cause the Palestinians to back away from an agreed upon solution."
The former Spanish leader warned that whatever boost in morale the Palestinians get from European recognition will "not translate to a change in the situation on the ground."
"These initiatives put unfair pressure only on Israel. The State of Israel has been harassed by neighbor states and terrorist groups, and subsequently offered concessions to reach a fair peace agreement and was only met with refusal from the Palestinian Authority."
Sweden and anti-Israelism
What most people don't know is the important role that Sweden plays as a major facilitator in the Palestinian statehood race. The public servants and the involved authorities, ministerial departments and their spokespeople do not openly mention their direct engagement and commitment to act in the inflammatory Israel-Palestine conflict. On the surface you can merely trace the extremist ideological core values within the headquarters of the non-existing state in Ramallah and Gaza, which is diligently working to hide its true agenda from its third-largest funder.Israel and EU to Discuss Terror Against Jews
Sweden's active participation in the Palestine statehood affair is being promoted as a purely moral entrepreneurship, namely a nation-building incentive. Geopolitically, Sweden could not possibly have anything to gain by winning this lunatic race to be the first "democratic" EU-member to declare its support for Palestinian statehood, other than gaining political influence in the Middle East as well as appeasing the fast-increasing Muslim immigrant population harbored in Sweden.
The Arab lobby in Europe, particularly in Sweden, has reached new strengths. The tremendous magnitude of the 70-plus years of ongoing lobbying efforts is not commonly known to the average Swedish taxpayer.
For the first time, Israel's Foreign Ministry is set to discuss, with representatives of the European Union (EU), the jihadist terror threat against Jewish communities in Europe.What will the next 20 years of Jordan-Israel relations look like?
Israel and the Commission of the European Union will hold the eighth meeting of experts discussing how to combat anti-Semitism and racism, in Jerusalem on October 27 and 28.
Anti-Semitism has been on the rise in Europe the past few years, with many attributing this fact to increasing Muslim populations throughout Europe. Tensions and attacks particularly flared anew over the summer during Israel's Operation Protective Edge.
The dialogue subjects will include the attack on the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels in June of this year - where a gunman opened fire and killed 4 people, including 2 Israeli citizens; the threat of jihad on European Jewish communities; the increased levels of anti-Semitism in the European Union; and the continued trend of growing anti-Semitism on the Internet and how to deal with it.
Despite some rough riding and bumps in the road, the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan has served the interests of both countries, as well as the US, but the question is whether King Abdullah II’s regime will last even five or 10 more years.Two decades after peace accord, Jordan finds little to celebrate
The peace agreement, signed in the Arava 20 years ago on October 26, 1994, cemented perhaps the closest relationship between Israel and any Arab state. This, despite the fact that the Jordanian population, which is mostly Palestinian, loathes Israel.
Jordanian views were adequately summed up in the front-page leading story in Sunday’s Jordanian newspaper Al-Arab Al-Yawm: “Twenty Years of ‘Odious Peace’ with Israel.”
Israel’s ambassador to Jordan, Daniel Nevo, suggested that King Abdullah’s recent allegation that Israel kills Arab children en masse stems from pressure by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.
Twenty years after Jerusalem and Amman signed a historic peace agreement, Jordanian media is marking the anniversary with a mixture of anger and disappointment and faulting the agreement for having produced few political and economic dividends.20 years on, Israeli-Jordanian peace is troubled, but perseveres
“20 years of ‘despised peace’ with Israel,” read the top headline of independent daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm Sunday, quoting Jordan’s minister of parliamentary affairs Khaled Kalaldeh asserting that “contact with Israel doesn’t mean love.”
Indeed, much murky water has flowed through the Jordan River since the historic handshake of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian King Hussein at the dusty Wadi Araba Crossing two decades ago. Today, the regime struggles to justify a treaty largely reviled by the general public in Jordan.
There’s been no shortage of reasons for official Jordanian antipathy toward Israel of late, from a spike in violence in and around Jerusalem’s Temple Mount — an area Jordan still considers part of its sphere of influence despite losing it to Israel nearly 50 years ago — to the deadlock in peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Positive developments in the relationship, such as the signing of a multi-billion dollar gas deal in early September and the close security cooperation in countering jihadist terror in Syria, are consistently downplayed.
In the two decades since the October 26, 1994 accord, the frosty relationship has survived numerous tests, mostly from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Jordan's Arab Bank starts appeal against Hamas finance ruling
Although the treaty remains a source of public chagrin in Jordan, where over half the population are Palestinian, the relationship has been quietly strengthened as both countries face up to rising Islamist extremism across the Middle East.
David Schenker, head of the Arab politics program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Israel and Jordan both viewed jihadist outfits “the same way,” including the Islamic State group that controls large parts of Syria and Iraq.
“It necessarily drives these countries closer together, just like it has driven Egypt and Israel closer together,” he said.
“They recognize that the closer the intelligence relationship is, the closer the military relationship is, (and) security for both countries will be stronger.”
Jordanian lender Arab Bank Group said it had begun legal steps to appeal a US jury ruling which found it liable for financing Islamic militant group Hamas.The Death of Klinghoffer Opera: Palestinian Propaganda Masquerading as Art
The US civil lawsuit brought against the Jordan-based bank has been described by lawyers as the first of its kind to reach trial. Jurors last month found it was liable for giving material support to Hamas and said it must compensate victims of two dozen attacks attributed to the group in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Chairman Sabih Masrii said the bank was preparing an appeal against the verdict that it described as unjust and exposed not just the bank but others to "enormous liability" for providing routine services.
I am saddened despite all the national attention given to the justified protest at this opera’s performance by the Met.The production made clear that anti-Zionism often gives rise to anti-Semitism and vice versa. Leon Klinghoffer was not an Israeli; he was Jew and therefore he was understandably a target. The production was about the Palestinian cause, yet was punctuated at times with strange Christian symbols. For instance, the Jewish exiles’ efforts working the land in the second act results in the raising of two naked Christ-like crucified figures, replete with outstretched arms.ADL report: Campus anti-Israel events have more than doubled this fall
In this opera, it is the murderers who are the victims and Leon Klinghoffer is a mere prop to the Palestinian suffering. Klinghoffer is included so the viewer might be led to understand why Palestinian terrorism occurs. Klinghoffer’s murder is portrayed as justifiable rage unleashed on an accessible, but guilty by association, target. As the terrorists explain, they are “not criminals”. They are “idealists”.
As for the music and singing, it is so lugubrious and virtually all musically uninteresting recitative. No one would ever perform this as opera without the politics as agenda. If ever there was propaganda masquerading s art, this is it.
More than 75 anti-Israel events have been reported on U.S. college and university campuses this fall, more than twice as many as last year, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League.Middle East Analyst Asaf Romirowsky Addresses Students on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The anti-Israel events have more than doubled in the wake of Israel’s 50-day operation in Gaza over the summer, according to an ADL report, “Anti-Israel Activity on Campus after Operation Protective Edge.”
There were 35 anti-Israel events scheduled in 2013, marking a 114 percent increase in the number of those events scheduled to take place this year.
“Not all criticism of Israel is anti-Israel in nature, and not all anti-Israel rhetoric and activity reflect anti-Semitism. However, anti-Israel sentiment increasingly crosses the line to anti-Semitism by invoking anti-Semitic myths of Jewish control and demonic depictions of Israelis or comparing Israel’s actions to those of the Nazis during the Holocaust,” according to the report. Such messages appear to be moving more to the forefront of many anti-Israel protests, the report said.
Romirowsky also criticized UNRWA, saying it was seen by many in Israel as too closely affiliated with Hamas.The Guardian’s Car Crash Headline
UNRWA has condemned the placement of Hamas rockets in its schools, as well as the confiscation of its supplies by Hamas. The organization receives the majority of its funding from the U.S. government, but has been criticized for failing to conduct sufficient background checks on its employees, distributing textbooks with anti-Semitic content and general inefficiency.
“UNRWA has given up its humanitarian integrity,” Romirowsky said.
Romirowsky also highlighted the difficulty of negotiating with Hamas.
“Hamas' charter still calls openly for the destruction of the state of Israel,” he said.
He said negotiation will remain difficult “until there is a clear and significant marginalization of Hamas within Palestinian society” and the creation “of some kind of semi-parliamentary system” in the Palestinian territories.
Following the death of three-month-old Chaya Zissel Braun, murdered by a Palestinian who rammed his car into a crowd of passengers disembarking Jerusalem’s Light Rail, another victim has succumbed to her wounds.Irish Diplomat: It’s All About the Settlements
Karen Yemima Muscara, 22, was laid to rest. This is how The Guardian covered her funeral and that of the Palestinian terrorist responsible:
"Jerusalem car crash funerals held - video"
So, for The Guardian, the deaths were the result of a “car crash,” which is no different to a road traffic accident. The attempt to dismiss this as an act of terrorism continues in the accompanying text underneath the video:
It is perfectly legitimate to question Israel’s settlement policy. But to claim that it is the “greatest threat to real and lasting peace,” however, is to fly in the face of reality.BBC presents property purchased by Jews as ‘settlements’
Indeed, nowhere in Ryan’s article is there any mention of Palestinian responsibilities for a lack of peace in the region. Nothing about terrorism, nothing about incitement, nothing about internal Palestinian conflicts.
And ultimately there is nothing from Ryan concerning Palestinian rejectionism and the real obstacle to peace – the failure of the Palestinians to accept the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Middle East.
Instead, for Richard Ryan, it’s all about the settlements.
What there is in that neighbourhood of Jerusalem is existing housing purchased and inhabited by some 90 Jewish families (roughly 500 people out of a population of over 50,000). Hence we see that the BBC is herding audiences towards a very dubious narrative which encourages them to view the purchase of property in certain areas of a city by people of a specific faith and ethnicity as “illegal” and undesirable. One has to wonder whether the BBC’s ‘progressive’ approach would extend to encouraging its audiences to view neighbourhoods of mixed religion, ethnicity (and perhaps colour or sexual orientation) in any other city in such a light.Guardian’s photo choice again illustrates their obsession with Israel
But of course that anachronistic BBC narrative does not appear by chance: it is also the narrative of the Palestinian Authority, the president of which recently introduced new punishments (unreported by the BBC) for those who sell property to Jewish Israelis.
Even by the standards of the Guardian Left, George Monbiot represents an extreme example of those commentators who go beyond mere hostility to Israel and the United States, but, more broadly, seem to wake up in the morning convinced that reactionary jihadists are actually victims of the democratic (“imperialist”) West.Haaretz Partially Corrects Article on "Settler Attacks" on Al Aqsa
Though his Oct. 21st op-ed in the Guardian is about the ‘duhumanising rhetoric’ used by political leaders to demonize and exploit vulnerable minority groups, he naturally avoids citing the most egregiously racist and violent Islamist extremist movements, instead citing – as examples of those who use dehumanising rhetoric to render people expendable – Israel, the UK and the United States.
Here’s the photo Guardian sub-editor’s chose to illustrate his op-ed (Cleansing the stock’ and other ways governments talk about human beings).
The decision by Guardian editors to use this photo – one over five years old which shows the IDF, during the 2008-09 Gaza war, using a smoke screen to protect against Hamas anti-tank units operating nearby – is especially telling when you consider that only 24 words in Monbiot’s 1,000 word essay actually pertain to Israel. In contrast, 246 words are used in the column to describe the violence meted out by US forces in Iraq and Pakistan, yet editors decided not to use any of the myriad of photos from those long-running conflicts.
The new headline places the phrase "stop settlers from attacking Al-Aqsa" in quotes, thereby indicating that there is not necessarily any truth to Abbas' charge. Likewise, the commendable addition of the phrase "what he called attacks by Jewish settlers" has the same effect. Contrary to common journalistic practice, editors did not append any note to the article indicate that changes had been made.Illinois man charged for vandalizing synagogue
But, as has been reported on numerous occasions at Haaretz, it is Palestinian visitors to the site who routinely attack police and target Jewish worshipers in the Western Wall plaza. There is not "fighting between the two sides," because Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount and the Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall are not attacking Palestinians.
An Illinois man has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly vandalizing a synagogue.At least 1,000 Nazis worked for US as spies -- report
John White, of Westmont, Ill., was charged Friday with a hate crime for allegedly vandalizing Congregation Etz Chaim, in Lombard, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.
White, 40, was arrested Oct. 21 and accused of smashing the synagogue’s windows and writing anti-Semitic graffiti on its walls, as well as driving recklessly on its property.
During a search of White’s house following his arrest, police found thousands of rounds of ammunition, a shotgun, a rifle and four handguns.
Putting perceived security concerns before conscience, US intelligence and law enforcement agencies likely employed over 1,000 Nazis as spies during the Cold War, sometimes ignoring or concealing their war crimes and helping them immigrate to the United States, the author of a soon-to be released book wrote in an article published Monday.Hitler coffee cream pot company faces closure
“At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, law enforcement and intelligence leaders like J. Edgar Hoover at the FBI and Allen Dulles at the CIA aggressively recruited onetime Nazis of all ranks as secret, anti-Soviet ‘assets,’ declassified records show,” Eric Lichtblau wrote in The New York Times, ahead of the Tuesday release of his book “The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men.”
“They believed the ex-Nazis’ intelligence value against the Russians outweighed what one official called ‘moral lapses’ in their service to the Third Reich,” he wrote.
The company that designed the coffee cream pot lids featuring images of Hitler and Mussolini is facing bankruptcy after Swiss supermarket chain Migros said it planned to terminate its contract with the Bern-based outfit.'I spit on your house, you damn Nazi!'
Karo Versand designs and prints creamer lids which are attached to mini cream pots produced by Migros subsidiary ELSA.
The company, which employs four people, is the only one in Switzerland to keep a record of the limited edition creamer lids which have a cult following among collectors.
Prominent Israeli fat-cat publicist Rani Rahav was recently on a trip to Argentina. He made a point of not missing out on a rather unusual tourist attraction - the former house of late Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann.Israeli team delivers aid to Christians displaced by Islamic State
Rahav went there to hock a symbolic loogie. "I was in Argentina and visited Eichmann's house on Garibaldi street," Rahav wrote on his 7000+ follower-strong Twitter profile.
"I had to, to spit on the earth in the name of the families of my grandmothers and grandfathers."
He included a photo of himself hocking said loogie.
Earlier this month, the Israeli relief organization, IsraAID provided Yazidi and Christian refugees with essential aid to help survive the winter, as the Internationally Displaced Persons (IDPs) flee the persecution of the Islamic State.Opening the Gates for Israel’s Slain Olympians in Rio de Janeiro
More than 90 percent of Iraq’s Christians are currently displaced, fleeing religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, and violence, according to the Greek Orthodox Bishop for Baghdad, Kuwait, and the surrounding areas, Ghattas Hazimt. To keep their faith and stay alive, many of these Christians have fled to refugee camps in Duhok, Erbil, and nearby regions.
Many of the IDPs receiving aid from IsraAID are Iraqis fleeing persecution by the Islamic State, or Kurds escaping persecution in northern Syria. More than 1,000 to 1,500 Kurdish refugees arrive to the camp in Duhok every day, crossing into Iraq from Turkey.
Now, it seems that the IOC has heard us, too. Ankie and Ilana have just participated in the various commemorations in Israel of the 1972 murders, and Ankie reports that attendance was greater than it has been in years. She notes that the Olympic Committee of Israel, under new leadership, has committed to making the minute of silence happen in at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC, under Thomas Bach’s leadership, recently committed funds to a memorial in Munich honoring the slain Israelis. There appears to be heightened concern and a will to acknowledge that something needs to be done regarding what happened in 1972. For the first time since she sat stoically at the Montreal Olympics, waiting for the IOC to do something, Ankie feels hopeful that it might.British Airways expanding London-Tel Aviv service
Our petition, and what we did, changed things. It was a crazy idea. But it shows just how far determination and a just cause can take you. Yet Ben Berger’s death reminds us of life’s frailties, and how the things we hold dear are often forgotten when we pass. David Berger’s murder, and the deaths of his teammates, should not be relegated to the dustbin of sports history with the passing of their families. Ben’s cause has outlasted him, but we can still make it right. The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are less than two years away.
As Yom Kippur came to an end, my thoughts were drawn back to Ben Berger and his quest for justice. Our JCC has committed to continue that work and will make another effort in support of the Munich 11 families, in hopes that the IOC will grant that minute of silence. Ben didn’t live to see his son finally memorialized, as he deserved.
Starting in the summer of 2015, British Airways is raising the seat capacity on the London-Tel Aviv route by about 50%, the airline announced today. Six weekly flights will be added, raising the total number to 20. British Airways says that it operates a longhaul service on its Tel Aviv-London route, despite the relatively short flight duration and distance, offering advanced entertainment systems with personal touchscreens, high quality catering and free offering of quality soft and alcoholic beverages. All the airline flights on the route are operated via Heathrow Terminal 5.Pepsi to test make-your-own sodas with SodaStream
British Airways Israel Manager Yael Katan said, “Due to the growing demand for our service to London and long-distance flights, we have decided to expand our Israel operation, with a significant increase in seat capacity and frequency. In addition, we have recently changed our schedule in order to offer convenient connections to various North American destinations, specifically in the West Coast which are extremely popular with our Israeli passengers, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vegas.”
SodaStream and PepsiCo have cut a small deal that will see the giant soda company testing new flavors in the make-your-own beverages market via Israel’s at-home carbonation specialist.Ceva component in new Asus smartphone-tablet
At the SuperBowl earlier this year, SodaStream’s commercial for Game Day was banned because of a jab at Coke and Pepsi.
But it now seems the giant soft drink makers want a cut of the homemade drinks market. The SodaStream-Pepsi deal comes in the wake of Coca-Cola announcing a contract with Keurig Green Mountain, which plans to introduce a SodaStream rival.
“At-home, make-your-own beverages represent an emerging category that has generated interest among some consumers,” Pepsi said in a statement.
SodaStream shares surged upon news of the Pepsi deal.
Asus announced last week the launching of PadFone X, its new device, based on an Intel communications chip and Ceva's digital signals processor. It will be launched in the US in the coming days by telecommunications provider AT&T, and will be sold for $200, although enormous sale quantities are not expected. Ceva usually receives royalties of $0.08-$0.14 for each chipset of this type.Can ‘King David’ rule Hollywood?
Herzliya-based Ceva trades on Nasdaq at a $281 million market cap. The company is scheduled to publish its third quarter financial statements on October 30, and its results are expected to show an improvement over the second quarter. The company failed to meet the second quarter forecasts, due a delay of several days in signing a licensing agreement, deferring the revenue to the third quarter.
Hollywood, which has been on a bona fide Biblical kick with “Noah,” “Son of God,” and “Mary, Mother of Christ,” to name a few, has a new star in its sights: King David.Israeli ecosystems appear too tough for climate change
According to Variety, Warner Bros. is starting to develop a movie based on the life of the warrior-poet-king, teaming up with a duo of producers from Gulfstream Pictures for the as-yet-untitled project.
The film will be based on the book “David: The Divided Heart” by Rabbi David Wolpe.
Variety notes that this is actually the second David-centric film currently being made in Tinseltown; Fox, Chernin Entertainment and Ridley Scott are together working on their own film about the character of King David following his epic battle with Goliath.
Climate change may not pose a serious risk to plants in parts of Israel in the coming decades, according to an ecological study based on years of induced drought. The conclusion — the plants are tougher than the changes — runs counter to the current scientific consensus.Watch: Hundreds Participate in Jerusalem 'Challah Bake-Off'
Semi-arid and Mediterranean ecosystems are thought to be among the most vulnerable to climate change, but in the study, conducted by an international team of scientists, a nine-year climate change rainfall simulation had almost no effect on two such ecosystems in Israel.
The scientists, who say they were as surprised as anyone by their findings, reason that plants in Israel and in the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean region may have been girded against climate change by millennia of exposure to drought and climatic variability — possibly dating back to the seven-year famine that Joseph foresaw in the Bible.
Joining events in 170 cities and more than 1,000 communities around the world, Jerusalem on Thursday hosted the Great Big Jerusalem Challah Bake to help prepare for Shabbat in the spirit of togetherness and unity.Chloe Valdary: I ask FIRST for Zionism
Featuring Celebrity Chef and Author Jamie Geller, hundreds of Jerusalem women and girls attended this spiritually uplifting event.
Originating in South Africa as a groundbreaking initiative of the South African Chief Rabbi, The Shabbos Project has taken off in communities around the world, calling on people to keep this one sacred day in its entirety and connect with the worldwide community.
Hosted and sponsored by JICNY, Jerusalem Interactive, The First station, Fun in Jerusalem, One Family Fund and Lisa’s List, the event which took place at Jerusalem’s First Station was pulled together by Jodi Samuels, a recent immigrant to Israel, community activist and entrepreneur.
I ask FIRST for Zionism.
Not for pogrom. Not for libel. Not for Shoah.
Not for discussions on arab-israeli conflicts; not for discourse on legal texts; not for pschoanalyzing the dead; not for pragmatic positions cutting asunder a land; not for stifling the breath of a people; not for justifying murder; not for the ramifications of the UN; not for the permission or lack thereof of the US; not for the scorn of the EU.
Not for demise nor for analyzing demise. Not for depression, nor for evaluating depression.
I ask for celebration of a civilization; of a memory; of a legacy; of life itself.
Of Mendelssohn and Maimonides; Of Einstein and Heschel; Of inventions and philosophies; Of Herzl and Hess; Of Brandeis and Nordau; Of Mandeles and Goldstein; Of Mael and Maazig; Of art; Of triumph; Of debate; Of prayer; Of collective belonging and individuality; Of Milk and Honey; Of rationality and spirituality; Of identity; Of identity; Of identity;
Of Wailing Walls; Of Shilo; Of Soaring; Of life itself.
To this I raise monuments. To this I give a toast. To this I dedicate poetry and song and dance and no tears, no more tears, but laughter and devotion. I begin here, only here, with redemption, with victory, with achievement. With ideas that moved and constructed the world, and a people that invented them.
I ask FIRST for Zionism.
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