Monthly Archives: March 2009
Iraq
Cashing In After he takes out his silver clip of 20 sawbucks and tosses it on the table, my father snoozes on the couch, dreams made of Scotch. My mother slaps the iron with her palm to hear it … Read More
Gaza: Soldiers are Speaking Out
Once permission has been given to the destroyer to do harm, it does not discriminate between the guilty and the innocent. (Mechilta, Bo) Today the NY Times reported on an issue that has gripped the Israeli press and public for some … Read More
Gilad Shalit and the Politics of Weeping
A Facebook search for ‘Gilad Shalit’, the 21-year-old Israeli conscript who was captured by Palestinian militants nearly three years ago, brings up 240 results. ‘Bring Gilad Shalit Home!!!!!!! (NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!)’ demands one group. ‘Gilad Shalit is still alive!’ insists another. On … Read More
Put Down the Damned Pitchforks!
I am starting to be genuinely worried by the potential destructiveness of a growing torch-and-pitchfork mentality that is partly the result of cynical manipulation, partly a result of failures of understanding, and partly the result of perfectly justified but presently … Read More
Jewcy Zeitgeist: Two Navy Ships Collide, Obamas Eat What They Grow, and Spring Arrives with Mixed Messages
Here are today’s top stories in no particular order: Some Israeli soldiers are now saying that rabbis pushed for a "religious war" in Gaza. Fifteen U.S. sailors were mildly injured after two U.S. Naval vessels collided near Iran. A submarine is reported to have … Read More
Jews In Unlikely Places: Scattered Among The Nations
I tripped across an article about Penn State hosting an exhibit entitled Scattered Among The Nations by photographers Bryan Schwartz, Jay Sand, and Sandy Carter. The photographs depict Jews in the most unlikely places: India, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Peru and Uzbekistan. … Read More
For Those Who Died in Gaza
December 27, 2008 East Jerusalem, lunchtime today. I’m in Wa’el’s restaurant, having coffee with Jamilah and Khaled. We’ve been driving these last two hours, just arrived. I take Wa’el’s picture. He wants me to show him. I take a few … Read More
Welcome To My Neighbourhood, Part II
To say that Jews have a complex relationship to Europe would be a gross understatement. In many respects, this relation is just as complex as Diaspora Jewry’s connection to Israel. The Jewish experience of Europe is both the basis for … Read More