Out of the Echo Chamber

No Israel Trip This Summer

2011-07-14T21:50:00.001-04:00

Since it is now public that I am not going to be the next executive director at JCRC, I thought I might check in and share a few choice thoughts.

I won't be going to Israel this summer. It makes me sad, but it made no sense to go when my employment status at JCRC is so unclear. I've made no decisions and closed no doors, but it seemed imprudent to have me invest in new long term relationships.

So what am I thinking about these days? Well, on the Israel front it is the new anti-boycott law and other measures that, in my humble opinion (remember, not necessarily the positions of my employers) hurt Israel's ability to make the case that it is the bastion of democracy in the middle east. On the home front, I am looking forward to our trip to California this summer, albeit to take G-Dubbs to his new adventure at Pitzer college. We will miss him terribly but I am very excited to see what this next chapter of his life will bring. Pretty banal stuff, I admit. But family is really the only important thing -- as I have learned far too well in the last month and a half.

So what does the future hold for me? Doors are opening and new possibilities await. JCRC will be in good hands whether I am there or not. The Jewish people will continue to survive and thrive even if I am not there professionally. No one is irreplaceable but only a small few are irrepressible. I am the latter.

So, at 44, it's time to turn a page. Should I go the easy way out and stick around, or find something in my "wheelhouse"? Or should I explore the great unknown? Maybe I can find a way to do both...

I will be writing more, that's for sure. I'm going to try to get a few articles published... so you can look for those. Something will be coming out soon... Just waiting for my co-author to come back from vacation.

Stay tuned... it's going to be a hell of a ride and as Lady Macbeth said "Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail."

And, by the way, I'd love suggestions and any good advice you have.

So here I go.

On the Elimination of Bin Laden

2011-05-02T11:54:00.000-04:00

We all have our 9/11 stories. For me, they revolve around two visiting Israeli anti-terrorism experts who were sharing breakfast with me and a journalist friend the morning the attacks took place. It was one of the only times that I had left my cell phone in the car. As we left breakfast, I noticed that I had more than 5 messages from my office. Normally, since 2001 was a year in which the 2nd intifada was raging, I would've thought that something horrible happened in Israel. On the 6th try, my boss finally reached me and told me about the attacks. When I first heard her, I thought that a small plane had crashed into the towers.

Obviously, none of us anticipated what happened that day. And it is an understatement and a cliché to say that it changed our lives forever.

I spent the rest of the day shuttling these Israeli experts TV stations to newspapers so that they could share their expertise with our local community. Over and over again, they said that the media's response to this was counterproductive. That showing the pictures of the towers being hit by the planes and the Pentagon burning would further traumatize the population – especially children. In Israel, they explained that the media coverage focuses on ways that people could find out about the disposition of their family and friends that they could not locate.

Finally, at the end of the day, I spoke with my boss and realized that we had not heard anything from civic or religious leaders about a service or gathering. We reached out to the Cardinal and the mayor and within 24 hours organized the interfaith service that took place at City Hall Plaza. 25,000 people showed up that day including pilots and flight attendants and employees of American and United Airlines who marched into the ceremony, unannounced, in full uniform. No one in attendance will ever forget that poignant moment.

Several months later I met someone who had a friend who was killed at the World Trade Center. Their grief was as raw in March as it had been in September. I'll never forget those days, oscillating between rage and sadness.

Which brings me to the elimination of Osama bin Laden.

This is an important moment in American history. While the demise of bin Laden will not eliminate Al Qaeda or end the threat of global Jihad, it sends a message to everyone about the ability of the United States, despite a complex world situation, to act decisively and pursue justice thoughtfully when necessary.

But I must confess that I am disturbed by the reaction of many well-meaning people in our country that took to the streets and celebrated with cheers and music. I am not one who is predisposed to being circumspect during a victory. However, in this case, it seems to me that the memory of all those people who've been killed by Al Qaeda over the years required acknowledgment that their lives were the reason that we pursued bin Laden in the first place. This was an opportunity to mourn and reflect and pray for their families to receive comfort. It just seems to me that the time for chanting and celebrating is more appropriate at a ballgame then it is for the killing of a terrorist.

It would also been an opportunity to contrast our values with those of the radical Islamists who support bin Laden and his cause. Often you'll find them in the streets, handing out candy when innocent people are killed. Hamas today mourned Osama bin Laden and seeks to use him as a martyr in its campaign of jihad against the West. I'm not drawing any moral equivalence between well-meaning Americans expressing their joy over the elimination of a vicious terrorist but I am hopeful that the next few days will be a time of reflection and memory without the need to resort to slogans.

That was one of the hallmarks of the American response to 9/11 in the 1st place we are angry and were anguished. So, with our joy today we need to remember just what we were fighting for and the victims that suffered so much at the hands of Al Qaeda.

I know it is satire, but still….

2011-01-04T17:30:00.001-05:00

Since taking a look at this video yesterday, I can’t stop thinking about it. Not only because it is hysterical (The Norwegians killed the Salmon), but because it is so sad. It comes from "Eretz Nehederet," an Israeli political satire program and has spread across the internet among those of us who care deeply about Israel.

As we struggle with making the case for Israel, too often our dialogue and approach resembles that of the kindergarteners in this video.

Fixated on our echo chamber (there it is again), we delude ourselves into thinking that a binary view of the world will suffice in communicating Israel’s message to anyone outside of the bubble. We struggle with the incredibly difficult position in which Israel finds itself and the seemingly endless pressure it deals with. Without “skin in the game”, we have been told for decades, our role is to support and defend. However, we are faced with an interesting dilemma.

On one hand, we experience many of those in the “Peter Beinart” generation who not only do not have “skin in the game” but aren’t connected at all – despite what the “studies” tell us. Despite the miracle of Taglit-Birthright, many of our institutions do not confront the dilemmas of supporting Israel in a complex world. And, certainly do not approach the question of when it is appropriate to question the decisions of one government or another.

I recall one Tisha B’av, at a rally to support victims of terror, I exhorted the crowd to pressure the Israeli government to act decisively on behalf of the people of Sderot region. (I admit that I asked the Israeli Consul, who was in attendance that day, if it would be ok. She graciously agreed). So there I was, in front of hundreds of people, activists and community leaders, urging the crowd to do something I had never asked before – to put pressure on the democratically elected government of Israel to take action on a matter of peace and security. After the speech a well-known community activist and gadfly in his own right approached me and said – “How about that from Ronkin! I toned down my remarks and you came out and finally said it!”

And, do we not have “skin in the game?” No, we don’t fight in the army or pay taxes (however, many Israelis don’t either – but that’s a topic for another time), but we put ourselves out there every day – organizationally and personally – on behalf of Israel, and by extension, the Jewish people. Increasingly, the Jewish people are being held accountable for Israel’s behavior. This is true in Seattle where a wonderful Jewish professional was murdered at the beginning of the 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and in numerous incidents across Europe. While I firmly believe that not all critique of Israel is anti-Semitism, I think that we are all susceptible when anti-Zionism leads to extremist rhetoric or worse.

So, where are we today?

Honestly, I am not sure.

Many of us, myself included, have strong opinions about which policy alternative makes most sense. Some of us speak out. Some of us speak privately to those whom we think we can influence. And others keep their mouths shut.
So, what’s a committed Zionist (or Zionist organization) to do? How do we stay relevant and create a space for the discussion. And, more importantly, how do we make a real difference, because ultimately, talk is cheap if it has no impact.
Let’s discuss!

Body Versus Soul

2010-08-21T21:00:00.013-04:00

Last week, I returned from Israel and have some thoughts about what I saw and the direction in which the country is going. It was a trip of great contrasts. I traveled with 17 ministers and rabbis on a JCRC study tour. (If you want to learn more about the trip you can read its blog at http://www.jcrcinisrael.blogspot.com/) We toured the Christian holy sites, examine the political and historical aspects of the country and talked a lot about the competing narratives that impede the development of the state of Israel. Not that it's not developing but imagine what state would be like if it were able to achieve peace with its neighbors.

This post is dedicated to my friend Ari Alexenberg who left JCRC on Friday. Ari worked since 2008 as the director of the Israel Action Center. We often discussed trends in the Jewish community as well as Israel. Last week as he was wrapping up our time together we talked about the root causes of the internal conflict within the Jewish community between our right and left wings. He described this as a conflict between body and soul – the right being so concerned with our physical security, "the body", that it is willing to sacrifice the ethics of the "soul". On other hand, the left is so concerned about ethical dilemmas that it overlooks the fact that one cannot have an ethical state when security is constantly at risk. This of course, is a simplistic view of this complex internal conflict. If you talk with people on our right or on our left they would argue that one must emphasize one of these concerns or otherwise you wind up with nothing.

While in Israel 2 weeks ago, I had a lot of opportunity to think about this. We talked with people who represent these 2 approaches – albeit not from the extreme sides of the equation. What I heard, for the most part, was a basic understanding of the trade-offs that are being made.

I believe that Israel will never have peace until it solves this very important existential conflict within its own community. That having been said, I believe that there always will be – and should be – tension between these viewpoints. Without it, I believe the intellectual and moral dilemmas that are being faced will not be adequately addressed.

However something else is of great concern these days. Throughout the trip, one of our rabbis continually raised the issue of the recognition of Conservative and Reform Judaism in Israel. While, in my view, it probably wasn't the best time to raise this issue – given that we were on a trip with non-Jewish clergy – it was on my mind as well as we listened to Israelis, read the press and absorbed what was going around us. In the time period close to when we were there a woman was arrested at the Western Wall for carrying a Torah. In addition, I heard several stories about people who are having difficulty marrying in Israel because of issues of personal status including being questioned about their parents and grandparents wedding ceremonies. Some were even asked for the marriage contract of their parents and grandparents and were told that without them they would not be permitted to be married by Israel's chief rabbinate.

However last night really took the cake. I had a wonderful dinner with some close friends who were celebrating their wedding anniversary. Around the Shabbat table we sang a great deal. And for those of you who know me personally, you know that this is one of my great joys in life – singing the Shabbat songs on a Friday night on a Saturday afternoon. I believe that it is one of the reasons that I've stay connected to Jewish life for all of these years. Clearly, I have many questions about ritual and adherence to Jewish law. However my connection to the music and the ancient songs touches me in a way that I can't really describe. I guess it is about as close as I get to a spiritual experience – as hard as it is for me to admit that.

During dinner I discovered that the twentysomething son of my friends' guests attended the same yeshiva in. Israel that I did. Even though he attended 20 years later than I did, I felt a kinship with the young man. As alumni of the same institution we knew many of the same songs and I listened to him saying and in some ways heard my own voice. After dinner we had a chance to talk and I found out that his experience in the school was not as good as mine had been. While I've heard that it moved significantly to the right after I left, I never imagined that I would hear what I heard. Apparently, during the time that he was there some of the students found a box of prayer books from the conservative movement at the Western Wall. They took them and asked their Rabbi if it was permissible to dispose of the books since they included the name of God. To my horror he told them that it would be permissible to burn the books, and they did.

Something in me died at that moment. Having just visited Yad Vashem and seeing the video of Nazis burning Jewish books I couldn't help but be disgusted and shocked and deeply saddened. The Rabbi that made this ruling was someone that I had almost a transcendent respect for – even all these years later. In my view he was a pious man. During my 2 years at the school I spent many hours sitting in the front row absorbing his teaching, hours at his table in extracurricular study and was even invited to his Passover Seder. Ironically, I chose not to attend that Seder because at that time, unbeknownst to my teachers, I was dating a conservative girl and chose to go to the Seder with her and a number of her friends.

I was very happy to hear that this young man left the school a short time after this incident happened. Having been raised correctly – in my humble view – he could not abide being in a place where people so brazenly used their religion in an immoral way, devoid of open-mindedness, and appreciation for what's right and, even if they felt that it was somehow justifiable to act in this way, willing the ignore our tragic history.

To me, this embodies the ultimate desecration of the soul for the body. Or, as my Christian friends might say, the substitution of the letter of the law for the spirit of the law. These people apparently believe that adherence to ideological purity is so important that it justifies the denigration of others and the most horrific of actions. To me, burning a book is pretty much tantamount to burning a person. I believe that there is some aphorism or quote from a famous person that says something to that effect.

Sometimes when I'm in Israel I struggle about whether or not to wear my kippah. I don't want to be lumped in with these folks. I don't want people to think of me as intolerant, or boorish, or extremist. But yet, this is where I come from.

I'm not sure where to go with this at this point. But as I approach the high holidays with my own sense of introspection I can't help but hope that some of these people – particularly the Rabbi – thought about their actions in advance of the holidays that year and knew somewhere in their hearts that what they had done was terribly wrong - a desecration of God's name.

Because of stories like this, the arrest of the woman at the wall, the refusal of Israel's rabbinic establishment to recognize liberal branches of Judaism, and this terrifying anecdote about horrible and amoral actions, I return to my search for the sensible center.

On Tisha b'Av – the Jewish day of national mourning – we read a poem that begins: "for these things I cry out" – these are the things I cry out about. I hope someone is listening.

Heading off to the Holy Land

2010-07-26T06:11:00.000-04:00

This morning I will begin my journey as the staff lead on JCRC's annual Summer Study tour of Israel. This year we are bringing Christian clergy - 14 ministers and priests with three local rabbis and myself. Though I have led many trips before -- back when we called them missions -- I haven't done a clergy trip and I haven't worked with rabbis as my chairs.

This will be a fun and interesting experience and I invite you to join me as I process it...

More later as we head off!

Wish me luck!

A

Rethinking Germany

2010-07-06T18:16:00.000-04:00

Let me state for the record that I'm not a soccer fan. However, as the parent of a soon-to-be 17-year-old. I've drawn into watching the World Cup. Recently, during the England versus Germany soccer game. I was asked who I was rooting for.to my surprise, my answer was Germany.

Now, I've been responsible for Holocaust education and advocacy for many years during my professional career.I am proud of the advocacy that I have done for Holocaust survivors to receive their claims from German government, as well as the relationships that I have built with them.

So what am I doing rooting for Germany?

Recently, I had the opportunity to have lunch with the German ambassador to Israel. It was a small group, only 6 of us in total. We began talking about Europe and its deteriorating relationship with Israel. This lunch took place during the time of the Gaza flotilla incident. For many of us at the Jewish community, we were very concerned about how the media and how European countries were piling on Israel. While all of us were upset about the loss of life, it seemed that Europe had turned a deaf ear to Israel's security concerns and its need to keep weapons and other materials out of the hands of Hamas.

I asked the ambassador why he thought the Europeans were so eager to jump on Israel at this very delicate time. He noted that this incident was particularly problematic from the European mindset. It highlighted the role of Turkey -- a country that the EU is not anxious to admit to its ranks.

He noted that Germany continues to play an important role behind the scenes as Israel's only supporter among the of the European countries. While I have some skepticism about the degree to which this is true, he waxed eloquently about debates in the European Parliament with Germany taking Israel's side. Whatever the level of support, I believe that he was describing an important phenomenon.

It seems to me that in Europe, only Germany understands the need for a Jewish state. In contrast to the rest of Europe, (and many people in the United States) Germans regard Jews as a people. The Holocaust was carried out against a people, not a religious group. Ironically, Hitler's appeal to race taught the Germans an important lesson. They have committed to remembering that what their country did under the Nazi regime in some ways, made a Jewish state necessary. That the Jews are a people apart, no different than the Japanese, Italians or Germans themselves. A people with national as well as individual rights.

I reject the idea that the Holocaust was responsible for the creation of the State of Israel. I have pointed out to friends and others that the Zionist movement existed before the Holocaust and there was significant Jewish immigration to mandatory Palestine before the Second World War. I also point out that Israel is the Jewish people's ancestral homeland and that the Jewish people have yearned to return to Zion for 3000 years.

But, my argument seems to fall flat with many people. They have a very hard time understanding why there should be a "Jewish state" when there are no longer any Christian states. I am not sure that that's really true -- but people really do see it that way. And pointing out that there are 23 Muslim states seems not to move anyone either.

So, my German friend pointed out something critical about the future of Israel and the Jewish people in general. In Europe, the idea of a Jewish state has not taken root. Israel as a Jewish state is something still foreign to the enlightened peoples of Europe.

This is a very important matter as Europe approaches a multilateral foreign policy approach. At this time, Germany is able to have its own foreign policy as is France and the other European Union partners. At some point, however, the EU will establish a one foreign-policy system and at that point Israel may be in very serious trouble.

It's ironic that Germany, of all the nations of the world, recognizes the basic rights of the Jewish people to live in its ancestral home.

And, while I'm not running to buy a Volkswagen or BMW anytime soon, I'm rooting for Germany in the World Cup.

You have to stick up for your friends, after all.

Transitions (Politics Free for a Change!)

2010-04-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

This has been a week of real transitions for me. Almost simultaneously I have been rocketed into the world of the "sandwich generation." Several months ago, Liz, David and I planned a "college tour" in which three of us would set out for the great unknown (beyond 495 even!) and introduce the IBOM (as he is fondly called - International Boy of Mystery) to the next phase of his education. We were to see Vassar, Bard (Oy!), NYU, Union and Skidmore (which I still refer to as Swarthmore - but no matter).

And as if the circle rounded itself, my dad had a terrible fall that broke two vertebrae. In the end, we got off pretty easy. There was no paralysis and no damage to the spinal cord and brain. But my dad's dementia has really increased -- not unusual in these kinds of situations and hopefully somewhat reversible.

So, I am sandwiched. Strangely, I feel pretty good about it. Seeing David see a few schools (I bailed from the tour early to head to SoCal where my parents retired many years ago) was amazing. While I got into the game a bit late with the boy, I felt a strong sense of parenthood, pride and, dare I say it, accomplishment. While for a long time I have struggled with finding my place in his upbringing, things are getting clearer now. As the adult male figure who sees David the most - although these days he is pretty scarce with homework, friends and school sports taking much of his attention -- I have watched him grow into a mature young man with a strong sense of himself - even though he doesn't always know it. I see him hang onto his childhood, particularly in new situation, clinging to his mom (and me!) as we walk down the street on the way to schools, finding his way to a new place in the world. And yet, once in the environment, he asks excellent questions and forms opinions with the best of them.

Together with his dad John, I think I have done a pretty good of raising him to question, even though many of the questions make me uncomfortable. But that's all in the job description,

And so I head to California with some dread. Liz tells me that I have done a good job so far, managing the doctors, nurses, my mother and all of our expectations. I arrive in California in a new role. Still a son who loves his father, I now become a key factor in his physical and psychological wellbeing. Scary stuff. At least we now have the resources for me to fly out there, rent a car and make key purchases without a second thought about the financial implications. There was a long time when that would not have been the case and would have thrown me for quite a loop.

One of the most interesting things happening now is how my job is factoring in here. For decades my job was the most important thing to me. And we all saw where that got me -- for better or worse. Anyone reading this blog knows how passionate I can get about what I do professionally. But since Liz and I decided to create a life together - complete with "instant family" - things have shifted, and rightly so. And while I have had the luxury to separate myself from issues with parents and siblings for such a long time, I now face them with a whole different set of skills and expertise.

Wish me luck.

"The US-Israel Relationship is in Tatters" and Other Hyperbole

2010-03-15T20:44:00.000-04:00

So, it appears that the US Israel relationship is in tatters. Harsh words are being spoken between administration officials and the pressis placing Israel under pressure, making American Jews either very nervous or very angry. (And some, actually relieved).

There certainly is a lot of bluster going around. The Prime Minister is expressing remorse to the Obama administration, apologizing on one hand, but maintaining that the policy of building in Jerusalem will continue.

What are we to make of this "crisis in US Israel relations?"

This latest kerfuffle indicates that things are different these days, both in Washington and Jerusalem. While this would appear obvious, many of us in the center maintained for a long time,  that with Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod in Obama's inner circle that the relationship between United States and Israel would continue the way that it always had. Nothing could be further from the truth. But not for the reasons that everybody thinks.

The White House is a very busy place these days. Congress appears to be out of control, Democrats are running scared, they continue to fight 2 wars, and, by the way, there are no jobs and the economy, while improving slowly, is at best in a "hidden" recovery.

So why is the administration focusing so much attention on negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians? Traditionally, US presidents don't pay attention to"peace process" until the 6th year of their term. This is because the situation is extraordinarily complicated, and after midterm elections in the 2nd term presidents generally feel that they can do complicated things.

But the Obama administration is all about taking on complicated things. Healthcare, jobs,education reform, and changing the way that prisoners are dealt with at Guantanamo Bay have all been high priorities for the president. It seems that after the Bush years, the administration felt that there was so much to do and no time to waste.

So fulfilling a campaign promise, the president sent George Mitchell to the Middle East and expected some progress.

What he found was 2 leaders with very tenuous domestic positions, both unable to move a process forward. For a year Israel indicated it was willing to enter direct negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinians on the other hand, wanted to dely those negotiations until receiving concessions from the Israeli side -- a price to come to the table. When the Israelis called their bluff, the Palestinians folded.

So what are we to make of Eli Yishai, the new hero of the Israeli right? Some claim that his pronouncement about building new homes in Jerusalem (East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah, Ramat Shlomo) was designed to provoke the US administration. Others claim that the Israelis would never do such a thing and that the Netanyahu government is out of control. (This argument is also being played out regarding the assassination in Dubai -- why would the Israelis get caught even though none of them were actually apprehended? Etc. etc.)

In truth, it doesn't really matter whether Israel intended to offend the United States or not. What matters is that the impression going forward is that despite their protestations the gulf between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government is widening. This may be. We need to remind ourselves that the US Israel relationship goes beyond any particular prime minister or president. What appears to have changed is the calculus among US leaders that Israel now poses a strategic liability for America's needs in the Middle East with regard to its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. No amount of partisan posturing will counter State Department and Defense Department's analysis if they conclude that progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort is a prerequisite for reducing threats to American soldiers and the war effort in the Middle East. And, they may be right.

What really worries me is the "linkage" between progress with the Palestinians and dealing with the question of Iran. I have heard from friends on the left that, at some level, those issues are connected. I think it's an obscene connection, but it's very hard for many people to separate out defending Israel from nuclear attack and seeing Israel as a recalcitrant party in the peace process.

Let's hope that our community organizations resist the urge to spin out of control. The world is not coming to an end, Israel has weathered these kinds of crises before, and perhaps this will be a wake-up call to the Israeli people that they do need to make a choice. They can continue to support governments, both left and right, that perpetuate the status quo or, as they did in 2005, they can embrace change. No one knows what that change is or how it should go. But Israel can no longer have it both ways. They need to decide what the best possible course of action is, deal with the political consequences and begin to move forward.

Ironically, this is what the Obama administration is doing regarding healthcare. Like it or not, they are taking a risk. Whatever they do, they will be ridiculed by a large part of the American people. From the right, whether they pass the House bill are not, they will be considered to be abject failures -- either "ramming a bill down the American people's throats", or failing to achieve their legislative goals with a large majority in both houses. From the left, while many will applaud the passage of the health care bill, there are still many who will be disappointed that it does not embrace the reforms that many wanted. Particularly on the issue of abortion.

And so the Netanyahu and Obama governments have something in common. For both it is time to take a serious domestic risk for the betterment of the country. Obama has already chosen his path, and, for better or worse, he will be remembered for it.   Netanyahu also needs to make a choice -- or history will make it for him. Whatever he chooses, many Israelis will ridicule him. But, a true leader needs to step up in the face of ridicule.

I've left the issue of the Palestinians and their leadership side. To say that Abu Mazen is weak is an understatement. Unilateral action, as we saw with Gaza, is risky. But, for Israel, unilateral action that are seen as further concessions without a price is foolish. The problem is that now, Israel has to make concessions to the Americans and that is a huge game changer.

And so, Israel now needs to negotiate with the United States. And we have Eli Yishai to thank.

Finally, I want to say a word about another potential fallout from this terrible incident. While I was initially skeptical, I have come to embrace the rebuilding of the Hurva synagogue in the old city. When I lived there so many years ago, the memorial to the synagogue, the 51 foot arch above the Ramban synagogue, stood as a record of what had been in that place. When I heard that it was being rebuilt, I was concerned that the memory of the destruction of the Jewish quarter by the Jordanians would be forgotten. However, I now believe that it is more important to build a synagogue for the future and move beyond that terrible past. If that synagogue is held hostage to Palestinian demands, that would truly be an outrage of historic and biblical proportions. We cannot let that happen.

The TSA, Christmas Day and the state of the Jews (or is it the State of the Jews?)

2009-12-27T12:06:00.001-05:00

Many of my friends are commenting on the Homeland Security and TSA's reactive approach to combating terrorism. "Fighting the last war", they say... Shoe bomber yields no shoes. Guy tries to blow up the plane in the hour before landing yields no getting up an hour before landing (actually they have been doing this on flights to DC for a few years now) and one carry-on, laptop or purse etc. And yet, the airlines can still charge for baggage.

I agree. Not a lot to comment on here, but something more comprehensive needs to be done. MacArthur award for the person who finds the solution to this problem without making privacy and civil rights a thing of the past. I still think Tom Friedman had it right about issuing scrubs to everyone. One of my Orthodox friends suggested that they wouldn't be modest enough. Burka anyone? They are the "rage" around the world!

On to nicer thoughts. Christmas was so cool this year. A three day weekend is the way to go... quiet and serene for those of us not suffering from dysfunction and loneliness. I wonder if Brookline is quieter on Christmas or Yom Kippur. It's a pretty close tie.

To some serious things... (Not that terror and no traffic on Beacon Street aren't serious)...

I was speaking with an esteemed colleague who I really respect this week about the dilemma of bringing together the issues of human rights and Israel. We know that Israel has a mixed record here. For whatever the reasons are, Israel is unable at this time to hold itself to a "western" standard of human rights. The security risks are just too high. But, we also know that it certainly is a rock star in this area when compared to the autocratic, religiously extreme regimes in its neighboorhood. (spelling intentional).

Does it make sense to trumpet Israel's record in the minor leagues when it tries to cast itself as a major league player? Regrettably, probably not. But aspirations count for something. While the other guys benefit from their repression, Israel can still claim the high ground of giving it its best shot in a lousy arena. That said, they have a long way to go -- but I am sitting on my couch in Brookline, so I don't make it a practice to take potshots from here. I'll let the guys at Ha'aretz who are there do their jobs. Israel has enough Diaspora critique, especially from our won people.

This leads me to the question of the state of the Jews, particularly in the State of the Jews. I've been worried about this question for a very long time. It seems to me that we haven't progressed much since the Second Temple period. When we have times of relative quiet, we turn on ourselves, reverting to tribal habits of attacking our own. This has spilled over a bit in recent times to attacking our own even in times of tension. But, to be honest, Israel hasn't faced an existential threat since the Yom Kippur war. Its soldiers (unless I am forgetting something) have fought primarily on foreign soil (depending on how you view Judea/Samaria/West Bank and Gaza). And there wasn't really full scale war in the territories except from the air -- maybe in Jenin, but it's hard to make the case that they were fighting among Jewish communities there. See what I mean?

In any case, missiles from Hezbollah and Hamas fell on Israel proper, but the soldiers fought where our enemies were.

My point here is that while things are quiet, we attack one another. Maybe that is just the way that we are.

A bit of reflection from the trenches. Cut it out! But seriously, reflection is a good thing. A wise person told me (several times, in fact) that it is not only about them. Whoever them is. So what is it about ourselves that invites turning on one another when we are left to our own devices?

Thoughts? I invite you to reflect with me. Otherwise I am just in the damn echo chamber again by myself.

Civility for the Uncivil

2009-10-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

I’ve just returned from my quarterly meetings in New York where we had some quality discussions on issues of the day. Because there was so much going on, I had to make some choices about what meetings I would attend, but there were a number of combined sessions that brought the whole group (about 75 in all) together.

While the agenda covered the “usual suspects” – Israel, Iran, Church-State issues, Social and Economic Justice and the like, these meetings kicked off a new initiative on “civility” in the public discourse. While tangentially linked to the raucous and often disrespectful summer of “town meetings”, this initiative responds to the deterioration of the Jewish community’s ability to sit in the room and talk amongst ourselves when we disagree. The heat is mostly seen on the Israel agenda. Not that there aren’t deep disagreements about domestic social issues, but those conflicts are handled very differently. (I will defer discussing those).

On the Israel agenda, especially after 9-11 and the end of the Bush presidency the debate has polarized our community like never before. I experience this on a regular basis in Boston where the left has no problem categorizing the right as fascists and the right returns the favor by referring to the left as traitors. (Forgive me for oversimplifying)

Now, one of the speakers at the meetings described this conflict as being so heated because both sides believe that their survival is at stake. For the “pro-Israel” left, the soul of the Jewish people can no longer withstand the guilt of the oppression of the Palestinian people. For the “pro-Israel” right, knuckling under to terrorists spells the end of the Zionist enterprise and threatens the Jewish people with being thrust back to 1938 and the hands of modern anti-Semites, primarily of the radical Islamic persuasion.

By the way, there is merit to the arguments on both sides and therein lies the rub.

Our community pattern is pretty straightforward. The left looks at the right, turns its collective nose up and either expresses condescension or walks away from the mainstream with its tail between its legs, complaining that they have been silenced or marginalized. The right screams invective, sometimes goes on personal attacks and walks away from the mainstream cursing those who don’t agree with them or, at best, pitying the “useful idiots.”

And so it goes.

What troubles me is that this initiative on civility is being organized by the most “civil” organization in the Jewish Community. For more than 60 years, JCPA (once NJCRAC, once NCRAC) has developed and implement policy positions and a unified action agenda for the broadest spectrum of the organized Jewish community. Sometimes, they are able to achieve that by taking principled stands that not everyone agrees with but doesn’t object to enough to do anything more than “dissent” (abortion rights) and other times by not taking action when the community would be torn apart (like on ‘settlements’).

So the question that I am left with is “Why would the uncivil come to the table?” As a dear friend and colleague said at the meeting, the “public square” is virtual. One need not ever see those with whom they disagree. Snarky, vicious comments posted on websites have replaced face to face confrontation and the uncomfortable need to put a face with the ideas that one so abhors.

So if the “table” is a place where idiots sit or bullies marginalize people, why would they bother?

The speakers at the meeting offered some potential incentives, but nothing rang true to me. One young rabbi quoted Jewish texts. This is a non-starter since anyone who takes Jewish texts on civility and “derech eretz” seriously is not behaving badly. Those who do will not be swayed when the very existence of the Jewish people is at stake. And, of course, there is a text to support that (Et Laasot LaShem hafeiru Toratecha). At the time when you must take action on behalf of God, you can violate the Torah. So much for that.

I think that we can only reestablish civility when it is in everyone’s enlightened self-interest to be civil. Unfortunately, the uncivil seem to get their voices heard. (Insert cliché here about the squeaky wheel or uppity women).

It would be easy to end this with an admonishment that we must redouble our efforts to build the relationships, meet people where they are and invite them to the table to participate. That was once an option. Nowadays, that leads to nasty letters, threats to funding and out of context reporting to those with power about the (fill in the blank) process that either silenced me or threatens to destroy all of us.

Oh well, (insert cliché Jewish text here forbidding giving up or that we are not free from starting a task although we may never finish – or something like that).

Thoughts?

Until next time…

Revisiting Dissent - Why speaking with many voices can be powerful

2009-09-13T10:01:00.000-04:00

Now this is really echo chamber stuff, so forgive me.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the rise of J-Street, Z-Street and the growing vocal and public displays of division in the Jewish community over Israel. It seems to be, to my great chagrin, that Israel has become the most divisive issue in the Jewish community today.

Now, on one hand, that's a bad thing. If one thing should keep us united, it's the sense that the Jewish people deserve a safe, secure and Jewish homeland should be a no-brainer.

But that's not what the divide is about.

The divide is about how to get there. And that discussion is a good thing. What is wrong is that the discussion, like the August congressional town meetings, is not a discussion at all. It's a series of screaming matches that convince no one of anything except that the gap is widening. And, that is causing most of our community to tune out, leaving the discussion to those who would seek division. But that's a matter for another time.

What I would like to posit today is that the division and the discussion is a good thing. After all, they do it in Israel, why shouldn't we do it here. What are we afraid of?

That said, I think there is an actual benefit to the division. Namely, when there is agreement on an issue -- like there is for the most part about Iran, our community is more powerful. When people who disagree unite on an issue (like Christian conservatives and liberals do on the environment) the message is much stronger.

(J-Street is a bit out of sync on this issue - take a look at this article from JTA at this point, but I think the issue is timing rather than substance)

I won't belabor the point - but as this Rosh Hashana approaches let's find ways to be civil when we disagree and harness our power when we do.

Last Swans Dispatch

2009-09-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

I took the plunge today, left the house and finally bought a Swans Island sticker for the car. Not the silly SI that you see about every place from Dorchester (DOT) to USVA.. but a nice unassuming sticker that has the outline of the island. Nothing flashy; just like it is up here.

There have been some "echo chamber" moments since arriving; little bits of the outside world interfering with our time away. I have a work dilemma that i need to work through that I won't be discussing here and some troubling thoughts about the discussion about health care going on among my Facebook friends. I specify Facebook friends because, as you all know, the Facebook friend is a special kind of person. They can range from your spouse to this guy.

Most of my liberal friends have been posting the silly status update about "Everyone deserves health care..." blah, blah, blah. Some of my conservative friends are sniping about Obama the socialist and that the space aliens who believe in the death panels couldn't be more right.

Oh well.

What troubled me more this week was the circulation of a symposium published by Commentary magazine about why Jews are liberal. It could have been easily titles "Why the hell are these idiots still deluding themselves and disobeying the Torah"?

A note of clarification: I am not a registered Democrat. I have voted for Republicans over the years (sometimes as protest votes against entrenched incumbent Congressmen in safe districts who I find to be dismissive and downright hostile at times) and other times because I thought that they had it right on an issue that I cared about. I am not so concerned about the Christian right taking over the country. I think they had their peak and the evidence shows that they are now moving away from the divisive issues like abortion/choice and on to stuff where their agenda overlaps with the left -- like the environment. It's about time. Not to stereotype, but I find those on the Christian right to be mostly earnest, well meaning people. Most aren't looking to walk over Jewish heads to achieve salvation or lock women in cages.

However, I have to say that I disagree with most of their domestic agenda.

As an old friend Dave Ross from KIRO Radio in Seattle used to say, "I am a radical moderate."

So what bugged me so much about the Commentary piece? (FYI, for some reason, the article paginates strangely).

Well, first off with the exception of David Wolpe, they only ask conservatives. Jonathan Sarna, while a great guy, plays his usual role of historian without tipping his hand. Knowing Jonathan, I am not really sure where he is politically.

The other issue is that the article has a tone of derision and critique about the "other". It sounds like the reasons given are that American Jews have forgotten what it means to be Jewish... abandoned the Torah. Now Michael Medved (when I lived in Seattle, at least) was connected to Rabbi Daniel Lapin and Jeff Jacoby goes to the Young Israel in Brookline, MA. But, I kind of doubt that Bill Kristol is putting on tefillin every day.

As you know, I have a real problem with Orthodox-Centricity. (Not a word) or Triumphalism. Liberal Jews embrace the prophetic tradition of building a society that values the downtrodden and tries to help those in need -- however imperfectly. Orthodoxy claims to be interested in the same tradition -- but if you read me regularly, you know my feelings about that.

But no matter. The conclusion of Podhoretz' piece (that I have not yet read), is that American Jews are hopeless and will continue to vote for socialists like Obama like lemmings. Others hope that they will do teshuva and return to a rejection of the role of woman as equals in a modern society and a rugged individualism that leaves most people behind. Maybe that's unfair. It probably is. I think that to write off the majority of their people as irredeemably naive, stupid or apostates is the kind of thinking and writing that makes people want to run the other way.

So they have.

On an island with one laptop in the house there is a great deal of need for other family members to make use of its benefits... the checking of fantasy baseball scores, a visit to Facebook, reading of email and an occasional glance at a "People magazine" article of shopping for bicycle parts or shoes.

So, that's it for me. More when I return to Boston and leave the Island after a week of relative calm.

Shabbat Shalom (or for my conservative friends -- Good Shabbos or Have a Nice Weekend!).

From the deck...

2009-09-01T17:53:00.000-04:00

It's getting to be that time on my vacation when things begin to melt away. The boy is still asleep. It's only 11:30 after all; Liz and I are going to take our daily walk to the lighthouse and the weather is beautiful. Lily is having a good time now that she has adjusted to yet another summer home. She spent some time at her "city apartment" and now in her vacation home in Maine. Not bad for a neurotic dog.

This is a great place to get out of the echo chamber. I went to the office only two days over the last couple of weeks. It's just enough to really understand the dysfunction and insanity of the place. At this point, I have this fantasy that I can keep some of this perspective and even have a heart to heart with my boss to try to get us to commit to making the place more livable, particularly since we are going to be smaller.

A man can dream... in fact, dreams are really all we have, aren't they.

So much for the philosophy.

On a lighter note, I was teaching Dave to drive today. He seems to be picking it up well. He's not quite ready for Manhattan or highway driving, but the main roads of a remote Maine island seem to suit him just fine. He asked if he could do some of the driving home on 95 to Boston. I don't think he's quite ready yet, but I do understand the feeling of freedom that my father must have had when he turned over the responsibilities of driving to Philadelphia to me. All in good time I guess. He needs his license first.

Elizabeth is preparing the evening's wine and cheese and a board game is in the offiing.

It's good to be on vacation.

The daily grind can wait.

Nadav and the Bubble

2009-08-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

I've deliberately stayed out of the fray on the Nadav Tamir discussion. Nadav is a friend of mine, someone who I have had in my home for Shabbat dinner and his daughter Maya is in my son's class at Brookline High School.

So, now that it's over -- at least for the moment -- some reflections.

I'm not going to comment on the memo, Nadav's conclusions or the motivations for the leak from the Foreign Ministry. I will only say that I am completely convinced that Nadav did not intend the memo to be leaked.

So what does this tell us about our Boston "bubble". This is another echo chamber moment for us.

Did the rest of the world care about this story? Apparently. Jim Smith at the Boston Globe did several front page stories on this. They even wrote an editorial ( Alan Berger no doubt). Reuters even covered it so it wound up in the Boston Metro.

We learn, according to Jonathan Sarna, that the community no longer speaks with one voice. No kidding.

We also learn that there is tremendous anger among conservative leaning Jews that the "mainstream" doesn't listen to them. We learned that the mainstream thinks that it listens to them -- but, in their view (and survey research backs them up) that the vast majority of the community disagrees with them. We have also learned (and not for the first time -- this author can tell you many stories) that folks are not shy about being rude, disrespectful and will attack people personally when they disagree with them. One only need read the comments posted on MSM articles about this story to hear that Nadav is a weak kneed traitor who needs to be imprisoned and a naive fool bent on the destruction of Israel. One blog referred to him as being from Mars -- etc. etc. I stopped reading a lot of this stuff a long time ago.

I do not believe that those who protest are "astro-turf". They are real. And they are smart, cunning and unafraid. (and I mean that as a compliment). For the Russians, they grew up with the belief that authority is to be distrusted (unless it shares their view -- and even then quislings are all around us!) and to be torn down, mocked and even personally denigrated. It's a shame.

As for us in the mainstream, centrist community, I think this was a good example of sticking to our guns, defending our friends and attempting to hear all views. That's a good thing.

But it does pose a real dilemma for us policy wise. In my professional life, I am often called upon to "defend Israel." Now, my personal belief is that the IDF defends Israel. Fighting against "anti-Israel" activists is important. Making Israel's case and building support for Israel among those who influence others is important. But at the end of the day, since I never put on "madim" and carried an "M-sheh esray" (except for a week when I did a Gadna program) I don't consider myself a defender of Israel (and, if anyone reads this, please don't take that out of context -- I think I have been very clear about what I think my role is and how important it is).

But, back to the point. In my professional life I have held to the standard that I advocate and explain the positions of the "democratically elected government of the State of Israel" -- particularly on matters of peace and security. So, if Israel is dissing American Jews by allowing some rabbis to invalidate their conversions or consider their marriages invalid I feel fully empowered to speak up. On matters of identity, they need to extend respect to all. On matters of security, what do I know?

So what do you do when, after 20 years fighting this fight, you come to the conclusion that the current government of Israel is getting it wrong? So, in 2000 when Ehud Barak was talking about redividing Jerusalem, it concerned me greatly. I called a respected colleague and I said to him -- "What the hell are they doing? Do they really want to abandon everything that they fought for in the six-day war?" His response was classic -- he said, "Don't worry -- they will never move this forward -- it's just too complicated.

And now, nearly 10 years later the government is taking the same position and I agree with it. But, 10 years later I also see the nuances of how to approach it that I missed before. That's a topic for another time.

But on the issue of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, I have to admit that I think that this government's heavy handed approach and saying "no" to a very popular American president is not the way to go. Again, there is nuance here. And the nuance is being lost because of the bombast being thrown around by an inexperienced foreign minister who -- like our Russian friends here -- doesn't take any prisoners and eschews nuance.

The week before the Tamir memo was leaked -- the FM was accused of a variety of corruption charges. And his response was admirable. He said something to the effect that if he was indicted, he would resign. No "Ehud Olmert nuance" here. Very straightforward, very black and white. Wonderful for being elected by a constituency that reflects that approach. Not so wonderful for a world that sees the other side as white and Israel's settlement policy as black.

Israel has striven to be in the grey in this area. Even Jimmy Carter, the spiritual leader of anti-Israel activists around the world, visited Gush Etzion a few months back and said that Israel would never have to give that area to the Arabs. Even Jimmy Carter found some nuance in his heart.

So, that's what I try to communicate to people. I usually say something like "there are Settlements and there are Settlements." And then I go on to explain the "consensus" zones and even tell them that the Arabs don't want to return to the 1949 armistice borders (commonly known as the 67 borders). Syria wants access to the Galilee and the Palestinians want a land bridge between Hamas' Gaza and Fatah's West Bank. So there will have to be some give. And most people -- even those who are center left -- get it. I've heard Nadav Tamir say it and I think it's a way to keep some sanity about all of this.

I am sure President Obama knows this and "gets it". But I think he is perceiving Israel's current diplomatic approach as obdurate and counterproductive. And, unlike his predecessors, won't stand for it. And the Congress no longer feels that there is only one Jewish game in town. AIPAC (which to its credit has no policy on settlements as do most of the mainstream Jewish organizations) is now in competition with J-Street among Democrats. The D's control the House, Senate and the White House for a reason. And no amount of screaming and personal attacks is going to turn that around for at least another year. Israel may be willing to stall that long. But I don't think the majority of American Jews will be very happy to be on a collision course with the administration. And I don't think, as some of my more conservative friends do, that they are going to abandon Obama. There is little support for settlements among the mainstream.

So, here's a plea for nuance. Publicly and privately.

What is Jerusalem? What is in Israel's best interest for both it's security and it's Jewish character? Was leaving Gaza a good idea? Is leaving far flung communities in Judea and Samaria a good idea?

It would be easy to say yes or no. And we will never really know some of the answers. But let's at least give ourselves the freedom to step out of the echo chamber (in fact the many little politically homogeneous echo chambers that we have nicely built for ourselves) and explore some non-dogmatic options. We are critical of others for using their dogma to drive their actions. Let's not do the same.

Thoughts?

More on the issues we've been talking about...

2009-07-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

I would recommend this article which, I think, elaborates on the points I have been making quite nicely.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/07/28/1006864/focus-turns-to-ways-norms-may-reinforce-improper-conduct

Disgusted and Disgusting

2009-07-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

This morning I am reflecting on the most recent scandal in the Jewish community. It seems that in the NJ and Brooklyn area the FBI arrested several rabbis and other "Orthodox" Jews for being part of a massive money laundering and corruption ring. Among them was one Levi Yitzchak Rosenbaum -- who is accused of being "the main U.S. broker for an international trafficking network" - http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/07/24/2009-07-24_seven_year_quest_to_end_rosenbaum_evil_work_pays_off.html#ixzz0MBtEZESX. Trafficking in organs!

Its been a bad year for the Jews -- in my view, particularly the Orthodox -- Rubashkin, continued evidence of sexual abuse (without recourse, by the way), riots in Jerusalem including the burning of a welfare office to defend a woman accused of attempted murder of her child, "Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria" -- i.e. settlers riding on horseback to burn Palestinian olive tree groves -- and now these guys. Add this to Madoff, and its been a pretty rotten year. With just about 7 weeks before the introspective period of the high holidays, a few thoughts. And a rant.

What galls me about this is, for one, the basic inhumanity of all of these people. Come on, organ trafficking at a huge profit? Extortion? Terrorizing farmers? Give me a break.

However, I think there is a deeper, more disturbing observation here. It has to do with religion and religious fundamentalism.

There used to be a tendency to look at religious fanatics and write them off as "crazy or bad apples." Now, it is fashionable to look at people -- Muslims in particular -- and say -- "Well so much for the religion of peace. Look what the Koran says about such and such... the religion is at fault and anyone who is a religious Muslim must be a fanatic and that the only good Muslims are secular or those who outwardly reject parts of their traditions (the Hadith, etc.)"

We don't say the same thing about Christian fundamentalists -- the Kansas people who protest at soliders' funerals or kill doctors who perform women's health services. We look at them as outlyers -- but I think that somewhere we also look at their theology as being corrupt or at least suspect.

So, what about the Jews? I am tired of people circling the wagons on this issue. I expressed my concern to a couple of prominent rabbis in my community -- people that I respect. One, who shall remain nameless because of my real respect for his scholarship and community involvement said (and I paraphrase): "I hope that people don't use this as a partisan issue in the community" -- in other words, don't blame the Orthodox for the sins of these people.

Another community leader said something similar when I wrote about this on Facebook. She attributed this chillul Hashem - desecration of God's name -- to free will. This implies that is has nothing to do with our teachings and our tradition.

I would propose that our tradition and the way that it is taught -- particularly among those who consider themselves to be the most learned and pious -- is at the core of this problem. Rather that this being deviant behavior, it is the logical conclusion of those who read the texts and surround themselves with those who agree with them.

If you look at our tradition, there is a very disturbing theme that runs throughout the Torah and the Talmud -- exclusivism. It is at the core of being the "chosen people". That in and of itself is not a bad thing. For a people to have a certain "self esteem" is not unusual. And, it's healthy. How else does one perpetuate a way of life in a competitive environment.

However, at the root of our tradition is also a strain that says that other people -- whether its non-Jews (referred to in religious literature as "ACUM" -- the worshippers of stars and constellations -- or Jews who do not observe the stricture of Jewish law (more on that later) are not "friends" and in some cases not considered human beings. This extends in some small measure to women -- who are excluded from rituals and delegated to a second class status for reasons that are explained away.

How is this expressed?

"And you shall love your neighbor as yourself". The Talmud says that this is one of the centerpieces of the tradition -- the proverbial golden rule. However, the accepted interpretation of this verse (quoted by Rashi) is that your neighbor is only one who observes the Jewish commandments.

This has profound implications for Jewish law.

I will provide a few concrete examples:

There are many activities considered to be work that are forbidden on the Sabbath. One of the discussions that arose in Talmudic literature involves doctors saving lives and people going into burning burnings etc. The rabbinic ruling is that one is permitted to enter a burning building or to provide life saving treatment to Jews only. But not to non-Jews. In a later period, it was determined that "in order to keep the peace" (in other words to avoid persecution at the hands of the non-Jewish majority) one can (if they have to) provide medical treatment or rescue non-Jews.

In addition, a Kohen (one of the priestly caste -- children of Aaron) who serve in the Temple and are to remain religiously pure can not attend funerals with the exception of their closest relatives. (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Spouse, Son or Daugther)... no grandparents, step-childen, friends etc. However, they are permitted to attend the funeral of non-Jews. Since non-Jews are apparently not people.

I could go on and on. I won't even begin to discuss the second class status of women who are grouped with children, the mentally handicapped and the slave as ineligible to provide testimony at trial, lead religious rituals and the like.

And don't get me started about homosexuals.

So, the deciet and and lawlessness observed in the fundamentalist communities is perfectly explainable. If you treat others with disrespect and disdain why should you worry about child labor in Iowa, burning welfare offices in Jerusalem, physically attacking women in Beit Shemesh, extorting and laundering money in New Jersey and selling kidneys all over the world?

After all, as long as you eat glatt kosher, wear a big yarlmuke and use some of that filthy money to support religious instituions that promote your values, you are a good Jew.

Poppycock.

As we approach Tisha B'av, where we traditionally think of the destroyed Temple from two thousand years ago and some pray for the restoration of a messianic religious theocracy in the Holy Land, let's consider the filth in our own midst and the ugly parts of our tradition that must be rejected and expunged. Otherwise, the exile will go on and on. If not in our bodies, then in our spiritual fabric.

Is this offensive to Jews?

2009-07-21T11:06:00.000-04:00

Gentle reader,

I've gotten a request in my official capacity to "speak out" against this mural in Harvard Square? Does this strike you as something that the Jewish community should be doing?

Please let me know your thoughts...

Alan

Random musings...

2009-07-14T19:05:00.000-04:00

That's my awesome dog Lily. More on her later.

Fringes annoy me. And I am not talking about Tzitis (They annoy me too in a different way)

The lefty fringe leaves me somewhat speechless. I just can't get my head around what they are thinking on most issues. The right fringe scares me. I always feel that violence is just around the corner with those folks. What's most annoying is when the left and right agree... Buchanan and Finkelstein... weird and annoying.

Today's shanda regards the neturei karta woman who was arrested in Jerusalem for starving her 3 year old son. They arrested her while trying to pull out his feeding tube. Probably Munchhausen's by Proxy. That's a terribly sick woman... the shanda was the group of charedim who rioted and torched a Jerusalem welfare office to protest the arrest. Click here for more on the story... Don't these idiots have anything else to do? Oh yeah... they don't work, serve in the army or play ball... so not much else there. They need a little midnight basketball and to get off welfare and stop being parasites.

So why is the All-Star Game such a let down every year? I remember watching it with my family is some random motel room during family trips... Maybe inter league play has killed the mystique. I still would have liked to have seen Griffey vs. Randy Johnson... not going to happen. Maybe in some far off old timers game. Does any team other than the Yankees still do one of those? I haven't seen such a thing in Cleveland, Seattle or Boston.

I am frustrated learning to use Twitter. I usually master this kind of stuff quickly. Its just a mystery to me. I'd prefer that people follow this rather than 140 characters.

So we had our Iran divestment bill hearing today. We had great support from our friends in the legislature. I have to say that this should not be their number one priority right now. The state is hemorrhaging money and disabled children, seniors and others without a voice are really suffering. (not to mention the poor zoo animals -- the guys that run the zoo are brilliant -- what a PR coup.)

That said, the Iran bill is the right thing to do for so many reasons... I am just glad that it isn't going to take too much time from the important business of the legislature and it certainly is the fiscally responsible thing to do.

What happened to Dice-K this year? Was last year really a fluke?

What the hell is with the new Taliban of Bet Shemesh? What's going on over there? This is a clear out growth of not managing the extremists in our own community. Its nice to see moderates coming together; there is no place for intimidation. I hope that they will see some serious prison time... and then the haredim will have another opportunity to put on their special riot shoes.

Do you wear a gartel to riot? Probably not.

I am told that JCRC's Israel Seminar for Christian ministers was very successful. Apparently they prayed all over the place... I would have been sick to my stomach. All that piety is a dangerous thing...

Lily is devouring a bone. It's nice to watch her enjoy herself and play. She's a special dog. I know, I know. I also want to know how to move those pictures to the bottom of the text of the blog. Another thing I haven't yet figured out.

Looking out at the Boats and the Harbor

2009-07-05T18:20:00.001-04:00

Due to the generosity of my wife's ex-husband John (long story, don't ask), I have the opportunity to spend some time each summer in Swans Island, ME at a beautiful house overlooking the lobster co-op and a terrific harbor. Each morning, as the sun rises, the water is electric with color as the lobster men (and women) set off to haul their daily catch, returning in the late afternoon hoping to sell the creatures to the co-op's agent who market the lobster to those on the main land who each such things (I wouldn't know...).

This is one of the most beautiful places in the world. My wife calls it her "happy place."

So what happens to the echo chamber when we are here? It fades, and wonderfully so. Until it returns in surprising and sometimes disturbing ways.

Today Elizabeth and I went to the annual "Swans Island" Independence Day festival that benefits the Swans Island school.

The festival brought the echo chamber back into focus.

Sitting at the table eating our blueberry and apple pie (delicious! -- welcome to Maine!) I spoke with a female relative of John's. Not 35, she has seen it all. Probably no more than 110 pounds wet, she is a lobster woman. She heads out on those cold mornings (I'm not sure how she gets her two young kids to school -- probably with the help of a neighbor since she split with her husband a couple of years ago) , gets in her small boat, rain or shine, and hauls lobster traps to the surface all day long. This woman has seen it all... One year she won the Maine moose license lottery and "took" a moose. Her family ate that moose for at least six months. She told me that two weeks ago she broke her tail bone. But, off to work she went that morning -- ibuprofen in hand.

She reports that this has been a tough year for the lobster industry. In a normal year, the lobster men and women earn about $6-8 per pound in the winter and $4 in the summer. This winter the lobster went for $2.50 - 3.00 per pound. In the summer about $2. Traps went uncollected and the debt rose.

Also with us at the table was Dorothy, an older woman who cleans this terrific house between renters. Surrounded by her grandchildren, she is joyful and wistful at the same time. Her husband is home, in perpetual recovery from the emphysema that has taken his ability to work and at times to even breathe. When I ask about him, I am told he is doing better - he's lost a bunch of weight, but he is holding his own.

Last winter, Dorothy broke her leg after a nasty fall on the ice near their small home. I don't recall the entire story, but on the island going to the hospital in the middle of night requires a helicopter and a long ride to Bangor. Dorothy elected not to go despite the urging of all around her. Amazingly, she got through a long night and took the ferry the following morning to the mainland.

I have to wonder how the folks who live here do it.

Swans Island has about 400 permanent residents year round. The school has about 30 kids (K-8) with three teachers.

It's a rough life for those people living in paradise.

I wish we had paid extra for our pie today.

A letter from the Echo Chamber

2009-06-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr. President,

Much has been written about your trip to the Middle East and to Buchenwald last week. Across the globe the pundits have weighed in about each phrase and word. I want to add my voice to the chorus and share my thoughts.

All in all, I think the speech was a powerful gesture to the Muslim world at a critical moment in our history as a country. There is no more important task than doing what we can to drive a wedge between the extremists and moderates in the Muslim world.

I hope that your speech will achieve that goal.

However, I have great concerns about your statements about the founding of the State of Israel. The world was paying very close attention to what you said about the relationship between the Jewish state and our country. And, your reaffirmation of the unshakable bond between the two countries was a critical message for the Muslim world to hear.

But, your statement that "the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history" is a dangerous mischaracterization that undermines any lasting resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

For the conflict to end, the Arabs of the Middle East, Muslims and Christians alike, must accept that the Jewish people has an historical right to live among them on our ancestral homeland. For over 2000 years, Jews have longed to return to the Land of Israel. A rich archaeological record demonstrates the Jewish connection to the land from time immemorial. Jews have a right to live with self determination in their ancestral land.

Mr. President, I urge you to set the record straight. Please find a way to reaffirm the history and birthright of the Jewish people in our ancient homeland. Our unbreakable relationship between the United States and Israel demands no less.

Sincerely,

Alan Ronkin

Brookline, MA

Netanyahu Comes to Town

2009-05-17T10:43:00.000-04:00

One word of clarification before I begin today. I quoted Norman Lamm in the last posting speaking about tolerance and disagreement. Someone brought his recent pronouncement about the Reform and Conservative movements to my attention. A few thoughts. First off, I am no fan of YU. I think it sold its soul to the Orthodox right a long time ago. And, in my experience, most of the guys that I knew in the college were devoid of spirituality and those that did seemed to be the most condescending of the lot.

However, I fear that Rabbi Lamm may be right about the Reform and Conservative movements. At least about the Conservative movement. It seems that they have no centering principle, no real leadership and that the Conservative Jews that are continuing to connect to a traditional Jewish practice are abandoning the synagogues in great numbers and either forming alternative minyanim or winding up in Orthodox shuls where they hold their noses. The movement made a critical error when it transferred the core of the movement from the home to the shul. Enough said about that. I know less about the trajectory of the Reform movement but I have to say that whatever they are doing now to reinvigorate themselves may be "too little, too late." I am not sure what that says about the future of Jewish life in the US. My gut feeling is that its a bad thing. Yitz Greenberg was right when he asked the questions "Will there be two Jewish peoples by 2010?" The answer is yes. Maybe three if you count the "national" Jews of Israel.

That's a good segue to my next point, Bibi's visit with Obama next week. I have serious misgivings about these administrations. Both have to do with "kishkes". I think that Bibi has kishkes -- mostly about himself and staying in power. He is pursuing an unsustainable course in a region where sustainability is measured in centuries, not years. I am concerned that we are moving toward the end of the Zionist century and that we have lost the argument about the viability of Jewish sovereignty. Most of our community -- those out of the echo chamber -- can't answer the question of why we need a "Jewish" state.

Obama, on the other hand, now has the freedom to hold Israel to its word. If Israel is serious about a two-state solution, Obama seems to think, it has to get serious about seizing ostensibly Palestinian land and make some movement. All the talk about moving rockets closer to the airport, empowering Hamas and its acolytes and Palestinian pronouncements about destroying Israel have fallen on deaf ears -- even in Congress where its members pledge support but see a two-state solution as the only hope for peace -- not only in Israel but in the Middle East in general. As naive and ridiculous as it may be, this is now the consensus.

So, what to do? I have no idea. But I do know that staying in our own echo chamber -- sticking to our own narrative at all costs -- is not working. Israel can play for time but, each time that it does it loses more people. Time is not our friend despite facts on the ground.

I know that a simple throwaway paragraph is completely inadequate. If Israel shows "weakness" to the Arab world, it will continue to be pounded. If it shows "strength" to the West it will be depicted as the villain -- an obstacle for peace. And for those who think a purist solution is the way -- (especially those in the diaspora) they risk fighting until the very last Israeli.

Well, it appears that I have gone into the echo chamber this morning. Maybe its because I am going to the AIPAC dinner tonight. I love AIPAC -- I love their clarity and single minded pursuit of their goals. I worry about AIPAC because our song is wearing thin -- even among those members of Congress who pledge their undying loyalty. (Don't even ask me about campaign contributions from wealthy AIPAC donors).

Being right may not be enough anymore -- both for Israelis and Palestinians.

Oh well... maybe if the sun was out this morning I would have more clarity.

Until next time, Go Celtics!

Progressive?

2009-05-14T23:25:00.000-04:00

So, another good friend inquires if one must have progressive political views in order to be out of the echo chamber. Perish the thought. In fact, I am equally critical of my liberal friends -- some of whom had trouble even acknowleding the legitimacy of the Bush administration. I recall several years ago during the Bush-Kerry election (talk about bad choices!) a colleague who came to my office in tears after the other members of my staff learned that she had, imagine this, voted for Bush! Intolerance of other views, like Hebrew and English, moves left to right and right to left.

What am I talking about? What am I writing about?

I guess its a general frustration with the quality of community in the United States today. A wise woman told me this week that our current crisis is a result of the "commoditization" of other people. Some of us, myself included at times, treat people like commodities -- their utility to us (and perhaps to our causes) being the only measure of their worth. Our system buys and sells them -- their mortgages, their credit accounts and plays with them in any way that it pleases.

Of course, I am not calling for the end of capitalism. Anyone who knows me knows that I am pretty clear about my fiscally conservative beliefs. That said, I really believe that we need to begin to treat people like people and not potential assets.

I recall a wonderful TV PSA (its all about TV, you know) in which a highway you saw a highway and a group of drivers -- one family car included someone sitting a couch, another having what appeared to be a glass of lemonade. The upshot was the suggestion that we treat others like they were guests in our home -- even on the road.

I vote for graciousness, warmth and openess. Even toward those with whom we disagree.

As Rabbi Norman Lamm said, "Let's agree to disagree agreeably." Its too bad that more of us don't take that to heart.

Shabbat Shalom/Good Shabbos and Happy 36th day of the Omer.

AR

An Echo Chamber moment

2009-05-05T17:46:00.000-04:00

So, I got a "friend request" on Facebook today. I had no idea who this person was, but I saw that I had one friend in common -- a guy that I went to Yeshivat Hakotel with back in the day. I was reluctant to accept the request. After all, how many more neocons with 5 kids living in (pick one) Cedarhurst, Chashmonaim, Raanana or some other Orthodox enclave do I need to be connected to.

But, to my surprise, this fellow was different. Looking at his profile I saw that, of course, he has a daughter ready to go to college. However, he is also interested in "men"! He is active in gay politics in New York and, as they say, v'chulai, v'chulai.

So I wrote on his wall that I was delighted to see that another YK alum was involved in progressive causes and doing real work for inclusion and civil rights. I said that I wished that more of the Kotel boys would be able to see themselves getting involved in making the world a better place for everyone.

He wrote back -- Don't worry, they will!

And I responded -- only if they get out of the echo chamber.

p.s. I am embarrased to say that I still don't remember this fellow... Too bad. Maybe he will visit from NY and come for Shabbos. (or Shabbat)...

Welcome to "Out of the Echo Chamber"

2009-04-27T12:43:00.000-04:00

Insurance experts will tell you that the vast majority of traffic accidents occur within 3 miles of one's home. This is not to say that people are more reckless nearer to their homes. People have more accidents near their homes because that's where they drive the most.

Opinions and our vision of the world, too often, follow the same pattern. We form our opinions based on what we usually read and our closest colleagues and friends -- in other words, the "usual suspects."

This small circle is what I call the "echo chamber." In the echo chamber, perceptions of the world are often distorted -- "groupthink" is not reality. By definition, it cannot be.

Truth is also a victim of this process. Many people claim to tell "the truth" and demand that others do the same. However, what often drives this desire to tell the "truth" is not only to recount facts but also to convince people that our interpretations of those facts should inform their actions. And that's where the "echo chamber" is dangerous.

This blog will explore many of the "echo chamber" assumptions that our "little circle" makes. My goal is to think about ways to get out of the box and enrich our perspectives by hearing others and broadening our take on the world.

I look forward to a healthy and respectful discussion. (If anyone ever reads this!).

Until next time,

AR