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 Some see signs of growing strife within American Jewry over the issue of Israel. American Jews confront internal rancor over IsraelBy Joe Sterling, CNN Atlanta (CNN) - When the editor of a Jewish newspaper here wrote this month that the Jewish state might consider assassinating an American president, his column made national headlines and provoked a Secret Service inquiry. The most striking criticism came from the Jewish community itself, which collectively held its nose and harshly denounced the column by Andrew Adler, who is also the owner of the weekly paper, the Atlanta Jewish Times. Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham Foxman called Adler's words "irresponsible and extremist." Adler apologized and resigned as editor, but some see the episode as the latest example of an increase in divisive, over-the-top rhetoric within American Jewish communal life, revolving largely around the hot-button issue of Israel and its policies toward the Palestinians. The tensions have provoked Jewish groups across the country to launch programs aimed at lowering the political temperature in their own religious communities. Israel is not "one of the great unifying factors" that it once was in the Jewish community, said Samuel Freedman, author of "Jew vs. Jew: the Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry.”
"Since the Lebanon invasion and the First Intifada, it has become a dividing line,” he said, referring to the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation in the late 1980s. “It's probably deeper now than I've ever seen it." Tensions within American Judaism are rising as some Jews detect an "existential threat" to Israel, with Iran's nuclear aspirations and Islamist parties coming to power during the Arab uprisings, he says. Freedman also sees broader trends at work, including the fading line between private and public talk dissolving in the era of blogging and tweeting. The Atlanta Jewish Times incident, he says, is a reminder that words that sound bold in private will "resonate really differently when they are out in public." Ethan Felson, vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, says emotions have been much more "intense and destructive" lately as ideological camps within the American Jewish community harden their views over the contentious U.S. presidential campaign, tensions between Israel and Iran, and issues from health care to marriage. "This is going to be a brutal year," he says. "We're looking at a scorched earth political environment." Felson’s group spearheads a nationwide civility initiative and held a "civility institute" last year to help Jewish leaders with conflict resolution, listening and "communicating across polarized divides." Leaders from 15 Jewish communities across the country participated. The council recently issued a civility statement signed by a range of prominent Jewish entities, saying the effort has "deep roots in Torah," the Jewish sacred text, and "in our community's traditions." But the statement also spoke to a troubled Jewish landscape. "The expression and exchange of views is often an uncivil, highly unpleasant experience,” it said. “Community events and public discussions are often interrupted by raised voices, personal insults, and outrageous charges." Jane Schiff, a Jewish Council for Public Affairs board member who is also on the group’s civility task force, says she has seen the hostile atmosphere take its toll in her Atlanta community, with rabbis backing off from talking about Israel. "They are afraid it will affect their employment. I'm seeing friends saying to each other, 'I'm not talking to you about that because I want to stay your friend,' " she said of controversial issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Judy Saks, the community relations director for the Jewish Federation of Nashville and editor of the federation-produced community newspaper, can attest to the vituperation. In May, an online video surfaced about Muslims in Nashville that said they were fomenting pro-terrorist ideas. Called “Losing our Community,” the video was produced by a Boston-based group called Americans for Peace and Tolerance. A video on the group’s website says one Nashville Muslim figure it regards as radical has been embraced by “self-described progressive Jewish religious leaders," including a rabbi, and is respected as an interfaith activist in the community. Saks said that the original video blasted three Nashville rabbis but that two were removed after several weeks. Americans for Peace and Tolerance did not respond to a request for comment. "It brought out such divisiveness in this community,” Saks said. “It pointed fingers at our rabbis for doing what rabbis do." The organized Jewish community decided to draw up its own civility statement, which supports "robust and vigorous debate about critical issues – as long as it is civil and tolerant" and disagreement "without threats of reprisal." "This willingness to listen to other points of view honors Nashville's spirit as an open, welcoming and friendly city, our nation's history and our Jewish heritage," it said. "We will not engage with those who threaten the safety and security of our community." In California's San Francisco Bay Area, controversy erupted over a film about Rachel Corrie shown at a 2009 San Francisco Jewish film festival. Corrie, an American member of the International Solidarity Movement who was killed in Gaza nine years ago by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer, symbolizes for many the battle on the left against Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. Corrie's mother spoke at the event, angering some Jews, who said her appearance politicized what was supposed to be an artistic moment. The reaction to the film reflected the political fissures in the Bay Area Jewish community. In response, two community leaders, Abby Michelson Porth and Rachel Eryn Kalish, co-founded Project Reconnections, which included an initiative called the Year of Civil Discourse. The well-funded effort throughout 2011 worked to bring Jews of different political stripes together for dialogue and deliberation, study and workshops. It also focused on reconciliation in four synagogues beset by political enmity and engaged community leaders over issues such as the Middle East. Porth, also associate director at the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council, says the project helped infuse the community "with the skills and the opportunity to have a rich, meaningful and civil discourse." She says it got people on opposite ends of the spectrum to stay at the table to understand the other person's point of view and to to deliberate thoughtfully over disagreements. Kalish, the Year of Civil Discourse project facilitator, saw people’s "fight or flight" instincts shift as they learned to communicate thoughtfully and gain a deeper understanding of issues such as Jewish settlements and the status of Jerusalem. A healthy conversation, Kalish said, helps people think and understand that "maybe there's a third way" to approach a stubborn issue. She recalls an interaction in one synagogue between an older man who lived through Israel's War of Independence in 1948 and the Six Day War in 1967 and a young woman who sees Israel through the prism of its criticized actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The two synagogue members came to understand each other and now work side by side as dialogue "facilitators" at their congregation. Kalish cites this as an example of "pretty dramatic change" in learning how to listen and speak honesty and respectfully. Mitch Chanin, executive director of the Jewish Dialogue Group in Philadelphia, offers dialogue programs for Jews in synagogues, colleges and other organizations and trains people as dialogue facilitators. The group formed in 2001 and has done work across North America. Chanin, who says his group refrains from promoting political opinion, says the dialogues have included talking through the tough issues around the Middle East conflict. "People grapple with the questions of what risks are we willing to take and what actions are ethical. Who can we trust and not trust?" Chanin said. "The likely consequences of Israeli policies. What are the intentions of Palestinian actors? “What can we do to be safe? When is it OK to kill? When is it necessary? When is it wrong? When are there alternatives?" |
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If palestine would lay down their arms there would be peace. If Israel lay down their arms, there would be no Israel.
Yes, that's why the Zionist Regime in Israel should exterminate the Palestinians so that it can lay down its arms.
I remember this line "we need living space" Who was that ?? Oh HITLER.
if you stfu, no1 would care.
Palestinian weapons – rocks, few guns, home made rockets
Israeli weapons – advanced laser guided missles, massive amounts of advanced guns, white phosphorous
look at the death toll more innocent Palestinians are killed then Israeli.
Palestinian home made rockets barely ever hit anything inside of Israel yet alone kill anyone. they usually land in empty fields.
if you think that causes fear in the hearts and minds of the israelis and i am sure it does what do you think the retaliation of an advanced super power and their super weapons causes....joy...no i dont think so, especially the fact israel kills more innocent ppl and their weapons are far more advanced.
maybe if Israel stops demolishing palestinians homes and stops building settlements in disputed areas there will be peace
“John Hick, a noted British philosopher of religion, estimates that 95 percent of the people of the world owe their religious affiliation to an accident (the randomness) of birth. The faith of the vast majority of believers depends upon where they were born and when. Those born in Saudi Arabia will almost certainly be Moslems, and those born and raised in India will for the most part be Hindus. Nevertheless, the religion of millions of people can sometimes change abruptly in the face of major political and social upheavals. In the middle of the sixth century ce, virtually all the people of the Near East and Northern Africa, including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt were Christian. By the end of the following century, the people in these lands were largely Moslem, as a result of the militant spread of Islam.
The Situation Today
Barring military conquest, conversion to a faith other than that of one’s birth is rare. Some Jews, Moslems, and Hindus do convert to Christianity, but not often. Similarly, it is not common for Christians to become Moslems or Jews. Most people are satisfied that their own faith is the true one or at least good enough to satisfy their religious and emotional needs. Had St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas been born in Mecca at the start of the present century, the chances are that they would not have been Christians but loyal followers of the prophet Mohammed. “ J. Somerville
It is very disturbing that religious narrow- mindedness, intolerance, violence and hatred continues unabated due to randomness of birth. Maybe, just maybe if this fact would be published on the first page of every newspaper every day, that we would finally realize the significant stupidity of all religions.
Every state of the former Greater Syria is a 20th Century invention. Lebanon was created to protect the Maronite Christians, who are no longer the majority due to Syrian and Hezbollah attacks funded by Iran. Palestine was allowed limited Jewish immigration to the former Judea, and unlimited Muslim immigration to appease Arab sensibilities regarding the permanent inferiority of non-Muslims. Hostility towards the dhimmi created what happened next. CNN bloggers are not pacificists, or in sympathy with poor downtrodden Hamas-voting police-state Palestinians. CNN bloggers dislike Jews.
Woman: Wait a moment, but then the world will say "how come you're conquering again?"
Netanyahu: the world won't say a thing. The world will say we're defending.
Woman: Aren't you afraid of the world, Bibi?
Netanyahu: Especially today, with America. I know what America is. America is something that can easily be moved. Moved to the right direction.
Child: They say they're for us, but, it's like...
Netanyahu: They won't get in our way. They won't get in our way.
Child: On the other hand, if we do some something, then they...
Netanyahu: So let's say they say something. So they said it! They said it! 80% of the Americans support us. It's absurd. We have that kind of support and we say "what will we do with the..." Look. That administration [Clinton] was extremely pro-Palestinian. I wasn't afraid to maneuver there. I was not afraid to clash with Clinton. I was not afraid to clash with the United Nations. I was paying the price anyway, I preferred to receive the value. Value for the price.
Jews in America should be treated like Arab Israelis, made to swear a special oath.
Orthodox Jews against Zionists Jews, just like Muslims Shi'ite against Muslims Sunnis, Catholics against protestants etc ... Why so surprised?! I want to say something that I wanted to say for the longest time ever: We are the future, our grandparents & parents thought us good things but also they thought us so many wrong things based on their time ... Time have changed since your grandfather was a teenager or your father/mother ... I was thought to hate the Jews!! Why? because they told me so the exact words were :" We hate the Jews because they hate us!" I grew to become a woman and I read and watched movies about Nazi's, war in Palestine ... I fell in love with a Jew! I'm a Muslim! You know what?! I fought for him and I married him. We are very happy and so in love. We celebrate Jewish, Muslim and Christian celebrations. From Hanukkahs " which he never celebrated before he met me", Mawlid nabaoui charif, and Christmas. We agreed that if we ever have kids we will teach them bout Judaism, Islam, and Christianity and to teach them to know people for who they are not for what they worship!! My husband had to declare himself Muslim because of the Muslim marriage law and I was very happy to embrace any Judaism that was offered to me. We are having a lot of fun together, sharing our traditions, foods and culture even learning Hebrew. I know that what is happening in Palestine is not fair, but Jews deserve to have a land also after all these years of suffering and torture of the heartless Nazi's I would say let them be. I hope one day I see Palestine safe & free and Israel happy and safe. If you wish to watch movie's about Jews and Muslims inspired from true stories in Palestine and Israel here is a list: " Lemon Tree, The infidel, Paradise Now, Free Zone ..." If you have Netflix you can watch them on live streaming. Teach your children to love people no matter what their religion is as long as they are good people.
Respect life!
There should be more people like you.
Keeping it simple and to the point:
• There was no Abraham i.e. the foundations of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are non-existent.
• There was no Moses i.e the pillars of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have no strength of purpose.
• There was no Gabriel i.e. Islam fails as a religion. Christianity partially fails.
• There was no Easter i.e. Christianity completely fails as a religion.
• There was no Moroni i.e. Mormonism is nothing more than a business cult.
• Sacred/revered cows, monkey gods, castes, reincarnations and therefore Hinduism fails as a religion.
• Fat Buddhas here, skinny Buddhas there, reincarnated Buddhas everywhere makes for a no on Buddhism.
You didn't wrap it up with a smarmy sentence.
You speak the truth but no one is paying attention to you because people generally are scared of dying so they want to hold on to some promise that someone out there would bring them back- and that is what religion provides – a knowingly false promise just to get you thru this life.
Go troll somewhere else
The US media needs enemies. Fox and the right wing media have been putting out these inflammatory messages for muslims for the last 10 years.
People need to grow up and realize that their lives arent governed by their invisible friends in the sky (gods). Organized religion is on the decline in the western world, and I hope this trend continues.
Israel does have a legitimate concern that Iran, if capable, may attack with nuclear technology though.
Don't see why everyone is so worked up over this; every group has its idiots. The Jews are no different. There are good Jews and bad Jews, tolerant ones and bigoted ones. Just like there are good Christians out there among all of the bad ones, same with whites, blacks, asians, hispanics...pick a group, ANY group. Within you will have people who are smart enough and tolerant enough to get along with just about everyone. Within that group you will also have people who are opinionated, bigoted, self righteous, racist and filled with hate and contempt. They will ALWAYS do stupid things that make the whole group look bad.
They got nothing to worry about, they own our Media, they own our Banking System, They own our Education System and soon they will take over our Entire Government
KKK much? you got problems
Why are there never any articles in the news about white christian racists (75% of people who seem to comment on messegeboards)? Ignorance is a nasty thing, especially when it becomes a herd mentality to hate on a certain group of people without knowledge of what the hell you are talking about.
Israel is not the United States. We should keep the money we send them and divide it among the states. They have been spying on us from day one, and now one of them suggests an assassination because we won't start a war with Iran. They are quickly becoming the enemy due to these actions and others, including their ongoing spying missions against the US.
Israel has done very little to foster a solution, two state. Neither have the Palestinians with lobbing missles. But it is time for the Israelies to make the first move and I'm not sure they have any intentions in doing anything. Assasinate a US President, what a joke. Just try it and see what happens.
I have friends in Israel and the thoughts of the locals are completely different from the American Jews. They want piece with their neighbors, including Iran. The American War machine rattling Jews want war to line their pockets with profits from war! Talking about assassination of anyone is horrible. We chastise other countries and leaders for this, why would we tolerate it from the Jews!
We wont.
Welcome to the 21st Century:
origin: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482 NY Times review and important enough to reiterate.
New Torah For Modern Minds
“Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.
Such startling propositions – the product of findings by archaeologists digging in Israel and its environs over the last 25 years – have gained wide acceptance among non-Orthodox rabbis. But there has been no attempt to disseminate these ideas or to discuss them with the laity – until now.
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents the 1.5 million Conservative Jews in the United States, has just issued a new Torah and commentary, the first for Conservatives in more than 60 years. Called "Etz Hayim" ("Tree of Life" in Hebrew), it offers an interpretation that incorporates the latest findings from archaeology, philology, anthropology and the study of ancient cultures. To the editors who worked on the book, it represents one of the boldest efforts ever to introduce into the religious mainstream a view of the Bible as a human rather than divine doc-ument.
The notion that the Bible is not literally true "is more or less settled and understood among most Conservative rabbis," observed David Wolpe, a rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and a contributor to "Etz Hayim." But some congregants, he said, "may not like the stark airing of it." Last Passover, in a sermon to 2,200 congregants at his synagogue, Rabbi Wolpe frankly said that "virtually every modern archaeologist" agrees "that the way the Bible describes the Exodus is not the way that it happened, if it happened at all." The rabbi offered what he called a "LITANY OF DISILLUSION”' about the narrative, including contradictions, improbabilities, chronological lapses and the absence of corroborating evidence. In fact, he said, archaeologists digging in the Sinai have "found no trace of the tribes of Israel – not one shard of pottery."
I am an American-Born Jew. Furthermore, I am the child of two Holocaust Survivors, both of whom eventually fled to Israel after liberation. Just three-years after his liberation from Buchenwald, my Father was fighting in Israel's War of Independence. The Jewish people whom have been persecuted throughout the history of the entire world, from Ancient Egypt to the Spanish Inquisition, to the rise and thankful fall of the third reich, etc., have every right to their own homeland, and Israel has every right to defend herself.
The problem today, as was during the evil third reich, is there is too much false propaganda and lies being spread about the Holy Land and her people. As Americans, we should all be fully aware and adept to the meaning of terrorism. Each and Every single day, Israeli Citizens are faced with acts of terrorism arising from Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. Israel and her GREAT People have every right to defend themselves against these cowardly terrorist acts, just like the USA had every right to go after al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan after the tragic 9/11 disasters.
The Palestinian Terrorist Group, Hamas, is NO BETTER than al Qaeda; nor is Hezbollah. And the worst part – Both TERRORIST Organizations are supported and funded by the evil empire that we know as Iran. Now Iran is looking to build WMD's and the Iranian Dictator, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would like nothing better than to "wipe Israel off the map..." Rest assured, this will NEVER HAPPEN !! Even if Israel has to go at it alone, they will wipe out Iran's nuclear infrastructure, just as they had previously done in Iraq (June 1981, Iraq's Osirak nuclear facility) and again in Syria (September 2007, Syrian nuclear facility being built with North Korea's aide).
Israel has EVERY RIGHT TO DEFEND HERSELF AGAINST ANY AND/OR ALL COWARDLY TERRORIST ACTS BROUGHT AGAINST HER CITIZENS !! And just like you see innocent Palestinian women and children dying in the streets of the Gaza Strip, SO TOO are there many innocent Israeli women and children dying in the streets of Israel at the hands of Hamas Terrorists shooting rockets into Israel. But only the Palestinians cry wolf.
So again I say, Israel has EVERY RIGHT TO DEFEND HERSELF AGAINST ANY AND/OR ALL COWARDLY TERRORIST ACTS BROUGHT AGAINST HER CITIZENS !!
I agree, Israel has every right to defend itself. But Israel also has a responsibility to it's people and the rest of the world to seek a solution to the Palestinian peoples need for a homeland as well. Just saying no, building settlements in occupied lands and transferring the capital to Jerusalem is shoving it in the Palestinian face. It's time for a solution and then the rest of the world will see to it that the bambing stops. Maybe the Palestinians will even become your ally.
Let's see ... Assanation, murder, kidnapping, extortion, corruption, hijacking, CIA impersonations, violations of international law, ethnic cleansing. Israel is an old hand at all of these. Yes, I beleive they would do it.
MR. Adler's comments in his newspapers have all the rwritings of the domestic terrorist regime the Tea Party. If you just look at how these people have behaved since President Obama has been elected, you would discover that their actions follow a certain pattern of fear mongering and divisive tactics and domestic terrorism to manipulate and influence Jewish and Hispanic voters. For example, a few months ago a Hispanic gunman traveled all the way from the midwest to fire his rifle at the White House just like a hired gunman out of the wild west. Now you have this Jewish American writing this outrageous column and if you were to connect the dots, you would discover that these acts have the writings of the Tea Party trying to casue a diversion by manipulating and influencing Hispanic and Jewish voters who voted overwhelmingly for President Obama in 2008. After all, the Tea Party don't retreat, they reload!
I am an American-Born Jew. Furthermore, I am the child of two Holocaust Survivors, both of whom eventually fled to Israel after liberation. Just three-years after his liberation from Buchenwald, my Father was fighting in Israel's War of Independence. The Jewish people whom have been persecuted throughout the history of the entire world, from Ancient Egypt to the Spanish Inquisition, to the rise and thankful fall of the third reich, etc., have every right to their own homeland, and Israel has every right to defend herself.
The problem today, as was during the evil third reich, is there is too much false propaganda and lies being spread about the Holy Land and her people. As Americans, we should all be fully aware and adept to the meaning of terrorism. Each and Every single day, Israeli Citizens are faced with acts of terrorism arising from Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. Israel and her GREAT People have every right to defend themselves against these cowardly terrorist acts, just like the USA had every right to go after al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan after the tragic 9/11 disasters.
The Palestinian Terrorist Group, Hamas, is NO BETTER than al Qaeda; nor is Hezbollah. And the worst part – Both TERRORIST Organizations are supported and funded by the evil empire that we know as Iran. Now Iran is looking to build WMD's and the Iranian Dictator, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would like nothing better than to "wipe Israel off the map..." Rest assured, this will NEVER HAPPEN !! Even if Israel has to go at it alone, they will wipe out Iran's nuclear infrastructure, just as they had previously done in Iraq (June 1981, Iraq's Osirak nuclear facility) and again in Syria (September 2007, Syrian nuclear facility being built with North Korea's aide).
Israel has EVERY RIGHT TO DEFEND HERSELF AGAINST ANY AND/OR ALL COWARDLY TERRORIST ACTS BROUGHT AGAINST HER CITIZENS !! And just like you see innocent Palestinian women and children dying in the streets of the Gaza Strip, SO TOO are there many innocent Israeli women and children dying in the streets of Israel at the hands of Hamas Terrorists shooting rockets into Israel. But only the Palestinians cry wolf.
So again I say, Israel has EVERY RIGHT TO DEFEND HERSELF AGAINST ANY AND/OR ALL COWARDLY TERRORIST ACTS BROUGHT AGAINST HER CITIZENS !!
Yes, but don't expect the U.S. to do the fighting or pay for it!
Israel dosen't defend herself Mark L. That's what they have the US for. Time to cut the cord and let Israel's problems be her own.
@Jim – Uh, excuse me, but the USA did NOT Help Israel when she took out the Osirak Nuclear Facility in Iraq nor Syria. The Israeli's DO NOT depend on USA during acts of war or terrorism. Why don't you pick up a history book and read about Israel's war of independence (1948), the six day war (1967), the Munich Games disaster (1972), the raid on Entebbe (1976), etc. Israel went at it ALONE for ALL of these events !! Israel does not need the USA's money and/or military !!
You're a self righteous liar and having parents in the Holocaust doesn't give you any special rights. Do you really think nobody knows the history of the Zionist movement before 1948? Do you really think that nobody sees what Israel is doing or understands how criminal it is? Looking at the history of both I don't see any ideological difference between Zionism and Nazism. Sure Israel has the right to defend itself, just like the Third Reich did. So do the Palestinians and the Iranians. Just remember that the world is watching and Israel is losing the fight with each new house built in occupied territory, each murder, each earmarked bill, each lobby, each expulsion of innocent people, each lie and each denial of possessing nuclear arms.
As to the good folks in the US Jewish community who are speaking up for decency and fairness (which is what the article is about), you have my support in what will be a very difficult fight with your share of the worlds' greedy fascists.
@ Steve – So what are you? A Nazi sympathizer? Why don't you go join Hamas or Hezbollah and support their cause if you actually sympathize with them? You are a COMPLETE, ANTI-SEMETIC IDIOT !!!!