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Reprinted with permission from AlterNet. White House Press Secertary Sarah Sanders was not happy Sunday about the Washington Post’s reporitng on the ties between President Donald Trump and the recent high-profile attacks against a Pittsburgh synagogue and major Democratic figures, who were sent mail bombs that failed to detonate this week. Eleven people were shot and killed at the Tree of Life synagogue attack Saturday, and six others were wounded. Sanders angrily responded to a tweet showing that the Post’s front page, which addressed what critics were saying about Trump’s violent and often bigoted rhetoric and the clear support that the suspect in the mail bombings case showed for the president. “Is there any tragedy the Washington Post won’t exploit to attack President @realDonaldTrump?” Sanders wrote. “The evil act of anti-Semitism in Pittsburg was committed by a coward who hated President Trump because @POTUS is such an unapologetic defender of the Jewish community and state of Israel.” New York Times reporter Peter Baker pointed out, however, that the Post’s reporting wasn’t an “attack” on the president. It was journalism. “To be clear, the Washington Post is not attacking the president,” Baker said. “The president’s critics are and the Post is writing about the conflict. That’s what newspapers do. We don’t just quote the people in power but the people who disagree with the people in power.” Maggie Haberman, also with the Times, added: “Additional point – the alleged bomber had a truck covered with Trump/MAGA photos. Covering reality-based events isn’t an ‘attack.'” Of course, there’s no reason to think Sanders doesn’t know this. The administration has cynically been attacking the press since day one, often for simply reporting the facts. Trump and his aides will often decry a story or a report as “fake news” — only to confirm it in the weeks to come and ignore the fact that they had ever denied it. It’s a dangerous and self-serving game that is particularly condemnable given that the mail bomber also targeted CNN this week. Continuing the administration’s shameful and baseless attacks on the press is nothing short of negligence in light of these events. Cody Fenwick is a reporter and editor. Follow him on Twitter @codytfenwick.

Subscribe To our E-Newsletter Caught in the Backlash of the Storm; Tehran Off the Hook? Military historians speak of the "fog of war" that clouds the decisions of commanders in the midst of battle. In the wake of the catastrophic storm that devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast, we may well speak of a "fog of bureaucracy" that obscures the ability of governments to take action when needed. While most of the country's focus has been on the question of which branch of government to blame for the horrendous problems that arose after Hurricane Katrina generated a killer flood, other controversies have captured their fair share of attention. One of them concerns Washington's decision in the days after the storm to turn down Israel's offer of expert medical teams, and to ask instead for material like tents and medical supplies. Israel complied with that request, and President Bush specifically acknowledged that help last week in a speech. But that hasn't stopped some criticism that points out that the supplies Israel sent could only have arrived after the need for such emergency materials was already past. Moreover, Israeli first responders, who have valuable experience in dealing with disasters, have played key aid roles in Third World countries in the past - such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and even in Africa after the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa - would have proved useful in the crucial first days after the storm hit. There's plenty of blame to go around in any human catastrophe, and this one is no different. But it would be better for all of us now to keep our focus on continuing efforts to aid those in need. Given the scale of the disaster, Israeli aid - no matter what form it took - was bound to be more symbolic than anything else. But we can be proud of their generous response to this tragedy, as well as of the grass-roots aid efforts created by American Jews here in Greater Philadelphia and around the country. Funds like the Hurricane Relief effort of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, which will provide humanitarian relief and long-term rebuilding efforts for the general and Jewish communities affected by the hurricane, deserve the support of every member of our community. Tehran Off the Hook? The General Assembly of the United Nations will gather this week for its annual opening in New York. This event will be attended by all of the usual suspects of international diplomacy, and probably result in the usual amount of blathering and little in the way of solutions for the numerous problems that might benefit from the world body's attention. Highest on the list of priorities for world leaders ought to be recent developments in Iran's effort to gain a nuclear capability. As that country moves closer and closer to possessing weapons that it has already bragged it might use against Israel, even the European nations that have sought Tehran's friendship in the past are getting a little worried. But Iran is moving ahead, undaunted by the possibility of sanctions. They are confident that the United States is too distracted by the war in Iraq, and that Europe's belief in appeasement will overcome common sense. If the United States and other Western nations are unable to rouse the United Nations to act on this issue, then no "reform" of this corrupt institution will save it. If the globe's official representative cannot act against this clear threat to world peace, then arguments about its utility will soon be irrelevant.

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The court said in 5-4 decision that the content of the prayers is not significant as long as officials make a good-faith effort at inclusion. The ruling was a victory for the town of Greece, N.Y., outside of Rochester. In 1983, the court upheld an opening prayer in the Nebraska legislature and said that prayer is part of the nation's fabric, not a violation of the First Amendment. Monday's ruling was consistent with the earlier one. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, said the prayers are ceremonial and in keeping with the nation's traditions. "The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce nonbelievers," Kennedy said. Justice Elena Kagan, in a dissent for the court's four liberal justices, said the case differs significantly from the 1983 decision because "Greece's town meetings involve participation by ordinary citizens, and the invocations given — directly to those citizens — were predominantly sectarian in content." A federal appeals court in New York ruled that Greece violated the Constitution by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Christianity. From 1999 through 2007, and again from January 2009 through June 2010, every meeting was opened with a Christian-oriented invocation. In 2008, after residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens complained, four of 12 meetings were opened by non-Christians, including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local Baha'i congregation. A town employee each month selected clerics or lay people by using a local published guide of churches. The guide did not include non-Christian denominations, however. The appeals court found that religious institutions in the town of just under 100,000 people are primarily Christian, and even Galloway and Stephens testified they knew of no non-Christian places of worship there. The two residents filed suit and a trial court ruled in the town's favor, finding that the town did not intentionally exclude non-Christians. It also said that the content of the prayer was not an issue because there was no desire to proselytize or demean other faiths. But a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that even with the high court's 1983 ruling, the practice of having one Christian prayer after another amounted to the town's endorsement of Christianity. Kennedy, however, said judges should not be involved in evaluating the content of prayer because it could lead to legislatures requiring "chaplains to redact the religious content from their message in order to make it acceptable for the public sphere." He added, "Government may not mandate a civic religion that stifles any but the most generic reference to the sacred any more than it may prescribe a religious orthodoxy." Kennedy himself was the author an opinion in 1992 that held that a Christian prayer delivered at a high school graduation did violate the Constitution. The justice said Monday there are differences between the two situations, including the age of the audience and the fact that attendees at the council meeting may step out of the room if they do not like the prayer. The case is Greece v. Galloway, 12-696 Follow Mark Sherman on Twitter at: @shermancourt

Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar's Live Interview on Aba TV and Kocaeli TV dated December 11th, 2010 ADNAN OKTAR:Rabbi Mordechai Moshe Linhart; By the leave of Allah the One and the True God. Knowing that you are fighting against the teachings of Evolutions" He means the struggle against evolutionist, Darwinist way of thinking, to demolish Darwinism. ".. which I do share with you; I would like to share something I read in one of our Jewish books, on Creation, and I am sure that you, your followers and your viewers will enjoy to hear the words of Rabbi Eli J. Mansour. Please reassure my Muslim brothers and sisters that their Jewish Brothers and sisters do share the same believe when it comes to Creation and Allah's awesome power!" So he says; 'we do believe in One Allah and that Allah had created directly, not through evolution. He says that this is a definitive truth in Judaism and he kindly asks us to give that information. "My God continue to bless you with health strength and perseverance to continue your sacred mission. Sincerely, with much respect and love, Rabbi Mordechai Moshe Linhart" Insha'Allah. Our friend has written a long fact leading to faith Masha'Allah. I will read it not today but in our next program insha'Allah.

Last Updated: 1:50 PM, September 25, 2009 With less than one week before a runoff election between comptroller candidates David Yassky and John Liu, a group of Williamsburg residents demonstrated in front of Councilmember Yassky’s downtown Brooklyn district office (114 Court Street) over his position on the city’s plan to rezone 31 acres in South Williamsburg. “He sold us out! He’ll sell you out!” chanted about 12 constituents, while they walked in a protest circle on the corner of Court and State streets on Sept. 24. The constituents were members of the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition, an umbrella group of 40 Brooklyn community organizations opposed to the city’s plan to rezone a 31-acre site in South Williamsburg for residential use. Yassky, whose district includes the proposed site, known as the Broadway Triangle, has publicly stated his support for the rezoning plan, which will provide 1,895 units of affordable housing. Under the proposed plan, two North Brooklyn organizations, the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council and the United Jewish Organizations, are slated to develop housing on the site following a charette with the city’s housing Department. “If you can’t even stand up for your local community residents, what makes you think you can stand up for the entire city?” said Rob Solano, executive director of Churches United for Fair Housing. “If you can’t even deal with the Broadway Triangle controversy in your local district, how can you deal with this issue as a whole?” A spokesperson for Yassky, Danny Kanner, dismissed the criticism while saying that the councilmember “fully respects the right of the demonstrators to voice their disapproval.” “David’s support for the rezoning is based on the hundreds of units of affordable housing, open space, and jobs it will create for the Greenpoint-Williamsburg community,” said Kanner. The demonstration marks a change in strategy for community leaders who oppose the Broadway Triangle, as the debate over the rezoning moves from the City Planning Commission to the City Council. BTCC members are lobbying councilmembers on the Council’s Land Use committee, including Queens Councilmembers Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills), John Liu (D-Flushing), and Brooklyn Councilmember Al Vann (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant). Yassky has already submitted testimony to the City Planning Commission in favor of the plan and has not indicated that he would change his position on the issue. “The rezoning of the Broadway Triangle is a long overdue step toward the creation of much-needed affordable housing and a revitalized central business district in this largely underdeveloped section of Williamsburg,” said Yassky following Community Board 1’s Land Use Committee approved the plan. BTCC leader Juan Ramos said he was “deeply disturbed” that Yassky did not meet with coalition members to explain his position on the plan. “We are entitled to an explanation of how Yassky can justify a process that led to a plan that limits affordable housing to half of what it could be, provides no open space, and destroys the existing businesses on the site,” Ramos said. Staff from Yassky’s district office confirmed, however, that the councilmember reached out to coalition leader Rob Solano to speak with him over the phone about the Broadway Triangle rezoning, but Solano demurred. “He would only talk with me. I said I could not morally represent the entire coalition by myself,” Solano said. The City Planning Commission is expected to vote on the rezoning on October 7, after the vote was rescheduled from September 23. The change in date will not delay when the City Council will take up discussion of the vote at a Land Use Committee hearing in late October or early November. Concurrently, the BTCC filed a lawsuit against Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city’s Housing Department regarding the process by which the rezoning took place. A court hearing for the suit was moved from October 9 to October 19.

An Elegant, Natural Wedding at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan “We prefer simple, fresh aesthetics,” Aja Jovanovski (27 and a pediatrician) says of her and Jesse Bean’s (28 and works at Google) decision to stick to clean lines, classic florals and muted tones of ivory and green. Aja wore an A-line ball gown, ditching a traditional veil for flowers in her hair. Aja and Jesse honored their respective religions by exchanging vows in a Jewish meets Serbian Orthodox ceremony. “Neither of us planned to convert to the other’s religion, so it was our goal to find officiants willing to marry us outside of a temple or church,” Aja says. “We were lucky to find two incredible officiants who modified their traditional roles to create a ceremony that represented us perfectly.” “We got married the day before Mother’s Day, so flower prices were through the roof,” Aja says. Luckily, she had already decided on a fresh look with lots of greenery rather than large, colorful blooms.

It is Rosh Hashanah tomorrow. I think of Phylllis, my Jewish mama on every holiday. She would be proud to know the culture that she immersed me in is now being reinforced and renewed by my “partner in crime” at work, Ilene. Ilene is a New Yorker through and through. She moved here a year ago. Through thick and thin at work, we became friends. In some ways, she reminded me of Phyllis. Ilene is also a comedian. One of Ilene’s famous line: She is Jewish, so she makes reservations! Well, I am the cook; there is no question about that. When Ilene first told me about vegetarian chopped liver, I thought she was joking. Well, she wasn’t and she gave me this recipe and asked whether I would make this for her on Rosh Hashanah. How could I say no to a friend? I read the recipe and I was very skeptical, first of all, I am a vegetable snob, I don’t like canned vegetable. This recipe used 2 of my most dispraised vegetables – canned peas and canned beans!! I thought of changing the mix and use real green beans and peas, then I remembered many years ago, I tried to make the famous Minnesota green beans hot dish with real beans and mushroom, I ended up with soup. I reluctantly followed the recipe. I am so amazed! I LOVE it. Ilene is right, I like this as much as I like real Chopped liver from Golden’s in New York. I will make it spread anytime! Hmmm I actually ate canned peas and canned green beans! Thanks you, my friend and Happy Rosh Hashanah to you, and of course, you too, Phyllis. Vegetarian “Chopped Liver” 1 can 14.5 oz green beans 1 can 14.5 oz sweet peas 1 medium onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed 4 hardboiled eggs 2 cups chopped walnuts ½ cup mayo Salt and pepper to taste In a fry pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and carmalize the onion and garlic In the food processor, add in green beans, peas and onion mixture process till blended. Add in roughly chopped hardboiled eggs and 1 cup of walnut to start. Process and check for consistency. Add additional ½-1 cup of walnut and mayo. Season with salt and pepper. Process till the puree resemble the texture of chopped liver. Remove and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Spoon some of the pate into a bowl Serve with matzo or crackers.

The Challenge of Biblical Criticism: Dogma vs. Faith Rabbi Herzl Hefter In recent weeks we have been witnessing a vibrant debate within the modern Orthodox community concerning the authorship and historicity of the Torah triggered by a thought provoking piece by Rabbi Dr. Zev Farber. Unfortunately, much of the discussion has revolved around what one is “allowed” to believe rather than striving to understand what one should believe -אליבא דאמת- authentically. What we believe should be driven not by fear and submission to authority but by passion for truth and trust in God and the Torah. If we believe in the Torah, we cannot live in fear or denial of scientific inquiry (whether in the natural sciences or the humanities). As a community, the first step of freeing ourselves from this fear is to understand from where it derives. The general tone of modern society is pluralistic. Truth (with an upper case T) has been replaced by subjective “narratives.” Consequently asserting allegiance to a particular tradition and maintaining a distinct identity is very difficult. In this challenging environment we naturally seek an anchor in certainty which can justify our commitment and construct our particular identity. For many years that anchor has been our belief that the Torah in its present form was communicated by God directly to Moshe. If that belief is undermined, how can we maintain our religious commitment to Torah and mitzvot and our particular identity as Jews? Our religious beliefs, convictions, commitments and adherence to practice cannot be held hostage by rigid dogma which asserts historical truths yet demands immunity from inquiry. By accessing our own Kabbalistic and Hassidic traditions which are rooted in Chazal, we can free ourselves from the necessity of asserting historical truths while maintaining and actually fortifying our belief in God and the Torah. Our tradition affords us the instruments with which to encounter biblical criticism without bias and apologetics and come away more committed as Jews. The encounter with modern biblical scholarship actually affords us an opportunity to clarify and refine two crucial and inter-related faith issues: 1) The nature of the Torah and 2) the nature of Divine revelation. The Nature of the Torah It is safe to say that the basic assumption of “Torat HaSod” is that the Torah needs to be read symbolically. That means that the elements in the stories of the Torah and the stories themselves point to a Divine reality and that their value does not rest in their literal truth. Thus, for example the Zohar (Bereishit 7b) divides the word “Bereishit” to read “Bet” (=two) “Reishit,” namely two beginnings, one revealed and one hidden. On one level the biblical narrative in sefer Bereishit tells of the creation of the cosmos by God. Yet, according to the Zohar, this narrative is an outer manifestation of a deeper story, the story of how God is revealed to us. The “pshat” narrative is a garment (levush) which paradoxically both obscures and facilitates the revelation of this spiritual reality. The significance of the biblical narrative according to this tradition rests not in its historical accuracy but in the underlying spiritual content. Rav Kook shared this assumption when, back in 1908, he responded to the “biblical criticism question” of his day, namely how to relate to the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin. His response is so important and relevant that I wish to quote part of it here. (Igrot HaRaayah no. 134. The translation is my own). Concerning opinions which are derived from recent scientific investigations which on the whole contradict the straight forward meaning (pshat) of the words of the Torah: “In my opinion … even though these theories are not necessarily true, we are not at all obligated to deny them and stand against them. This is because it is not at all (stress mine-HH) the point of the Torah to inform us of simple facts and occurrences of the past. The main point (‘ikar) is the inner content (tokh). … For us it is of no consequence whether in fact there ever existed in this world a golden age (i.e. the Garden of Eden – HH) in which mankind lived in spiritual and physical bliss or [not]… and thus when we have no vested interest we can judge [these new theories ] fairly.” The intellectual integrity displayed by Rav Kook in this last sentence should not be lost upon us and should serve as a model for emulation for those engaged in this discussion. The purpose of the Torah, according to the “sod” tradition is not to convey historical truths but rather to gesture toward a deeper and more profound spiritual reality. It is possible, then, to accept that the Torah in its current form is the product of historical circumstance and a prolonged editorial process while simultaneously stubbornly asserting the religious belief that it none the less enshrouds Divine revelation. The Nature of Divine Revelation In order to assert this, of course, we need to refine our understanding of Divine revelation. And so we come to our second point. Though this short essay is not the platform to properly flesh out differing views concerning Divine revelation, I will bring one or two Hassidic sources which are representative of a school of thought. Rather than thinking about revelation as something which originates “out there”, the great Hassidic masters turned the focus inwards and spoke of the heart as the seat of revelation. R. Zadok Hakohen of Lublin (Tzidkat HaTzadik 261) writes that the burning palace (birah doleket) which gives birth to the faith of Avraham is the burning of his very own heart. Faith in God (as well as the Torah) is produced by the encounter with God which transpires in the heart and not necessarily through history or nature “out there”. R. Ya’akov Leiner of Radzyn goes even further than R. Zadok when he writes that if one was to be conscious of the mystery of one’s own spirit which rests in the heart, that would be tantamount to knowledge of God. (Beit Ya’akov, Mishpatim no.4). This doctrine is held to be true not only (or even primarily) for the individual but for the nation of Israel as an organic whole. R. Zadok HaKohen repeats many times the midrash from Shir HaShirim Rabbah (5:2) “The Holy One Blessed Be He is the heart of Israel.” This means that the will and presence of God in creation is manifest through the collective consciousness of the Jewish people. The instrument of Divine revelation is the human heart; it is in the heart that He dwells and through the heart that (to the extent that it is at all possible) He may be known. To be sure, the heart of which we are speaking needs to be refined and sensitized through rigorous involvement in the study of Torah and avodah. None the less the ultimate platform for the revelation remains the emotive and intuitive faculty symbolized by the heart. Thus, our God is not only a hidden God (El mistater) but a subtle God as well. God stirs our hearts and He stirs in our hearts; that is the revelation. The rest is interpretation. As a matter of faith, I believe that in the ancient history of our people we experienced such a stirring of our communal heart. God, fashioning our collective consciousness launched our tradition and civilization in the course of which our Torah came to be. Is the Torah then human or divine? The answer is paradoxically, yes. There is a tremendous tactical advantage to this approach. Because of the minimal truth claims that it makes, it is unassailable by any scholarship. Yet the real advantage here is spiritual. The friction generated by the encounter between biblical scholarship and traditional Judaism and the consequent undermining of long-held truth statements can actually strengthen our commitment and identity. Considered faith is far more meaningful religiously than adherence to dogma. A religiosity which affirms the immediacy of the Divine in the human heart feeds a sense of urgency to make that presence manifest. This urgency can serve as the catalyst which ultimately invigorates our commitment to avodat HaShem as Jews and as human beings created in the image of God. Rav Herzl Hefter is a graduate of Yeshiva University where he learned under the tutelage of Rav Yerucham Gorelikזצ”ל and Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik זצ”ל. For the next ten years, Rav Hefter continued his Torah studies at Yeshivat Har Etzion under Rav Aharon Lichtenstein. Most recently, Rav Hefter taught advanced Talmud to the Kollel fellows at Yeshivat Hamivtar in Efrat. Prior to that Rav Hefter taught Yoreh De’ah to smicha students at the Gruss Kollel of Yeshiva University for 17 years and served as the head of the prestigious Bruriah Scholars Program at Midreshet Lindenbaum. He also taught at Yeshivat Mekor Chaim in Moscow and served as Rosh Kollel of the Torah M’Zion Kollel in Cleveland, Ohio. Rav Hefter combines a passion for Lithuanian style Talmudic analysis with the study of Hassidut

It’s all very well to accuse Judaism of being patriarchal, but the fact is that tradition has a matriarchal theme that comes to the fore when parents bless their daughters on Erev Shabbat, saying, “May God make you like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah”. Sarah heads the list. Her name literally means “princess”, so that she shares equal status with Abraham, whom the Bible calls a prince. The sages call her a prophet and say that her gift of prophecy was greater than Abraham, able to see right into the spirit of a person or situation. When Abraham sought a wife for Isaac, he looked for a woman with Sarah’s qualities. She was beautiful all her life, in character as well as appearance; she was sinless, determined to live in harmony with God, her husband and the world. THREE OR FOUR COUPLES? The death of Sarah recalls the tradition that three couples – Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, were buried in the Cave of Machpelah. This name is from “k-f-l”, “double”. Why Abraham chose this as a burial place is explained in “Pir’kei d’Rabbi Eliezer”, which says that when Abraham bought the site from the local inhabitants he was visited by three angels. He wanted to give them a feast but the calf he chose ran into the cave of Machpelah and he went after it. In the cave he found the grave of Adam and Eve, and decided that the family would have their last resting place there. Hence there are two traditions about Machpelah – one that says that three couples were buried there, and another that says there were four. The site was holy both to the monotheistic faiths who all revere the Biblical patriarchs, and (in theory at least) to all mankind, who, whatever their nation or creed, descend from the first man and woman. PROTECTING OUR CEMETERIES The Machpelah theme illustrates our age-old concern that our dead should be properly buried. One of the first things we did when we settled anywhere was to establish a cemetery. The silent graves there speak volumes. Historical researchers, who do not necessarily have a personal connection with the people buried there and sometimes no personal affiliation with Judaism, find cemeteries an indispensable historical resource – for example, the Jewish cemetery in Prague despite its higgledy-piggledy look. Tragically, our cemeteries were treated without the slightest respect wherever antisemites had the chance, and this still goes on. What to do about such attacks is a major problem, but from the internal Jewish point of view we need to make sure that we do not compound this savagery by our own neglect of our cemeteries. It would be the final indignity if we left old graves to fall apart and disintegrate because of our neglect. WHERE DID ABRAHAM COME FROM? “And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her” (Gen. 23:2). The word “came” leads us to ask where he had been. Was he not at his wife’s bedside when she passed away? Some link this verse with the story of the Akedah in the previous chapter and say that when Sarah heard that Isaac had nearly lost his life the shock killed her. Others (e.g. Rashi) suggest he had been looking after his flocks at Beersheva. Ramban argues that since a Biblical wife had her own tent (Gen. 24:67), Abraham came from his tent to hers. It may be that “came” reflects mere linguistic usage; it does not mean he physically came from anywhere but simply proceeded to mourn when she had died. The question we ask is however not merely why he came but why he mourned first and wept for her afterwards. Surely human nature would go the other way! But perhaps there are two reasons, not one, to cry when a person dies. The first tears are the outpouring of emotion. The second are in a sense more intellectual. “To mourn” is “lispod”, which has the sense of eulogising, giving a “hesped”. What does a eulogy do? It describes, it assesses the person who has died. Mourning is not just feeling but thinking, reflecting, contemplating. The mind arouses the heart. If the past saw many years of shared life when you thanked God for the person who has now gone, their death inevitably, tragically concentrates your thoughts. No wonder, like Abraham, you cannot help crying. Judaism knows this, but it also promises that the Almighty will “make death pass into life eternal, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces” (Isaiah 25:8). Rabbi Apple served for 32 years as the chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious congregation. He was Australia’s highest profile rabbi and held many public roles. He is now retired and lives in Jerusalem. Rabbi Apple blogs at http://www.oztorah.com

Mike Bloomberg’s (very expensive) moment The former mayor of New York’s lavish spending and weak rivals make him a contender ON A RAINY afternoon in Chattanooga, the queue for Mike Bloomberg trailed around the block. Eleven weeks into his presidential campaign, the former New York mayor and world’s 12th-richest man is already well known in Tennessee. This was his fourth visit to the state, one of 14 that will hold its primary vote on March 3rd. He is also dominating its airwaves, with television ads touting his criticisms of Donald Trump, mayoral record and philanthropic support for gun control and climate-change policy running on a loop. “It’s almost like it was with Obama,” said a sodden Chattanoogan retiree, marvelling at the size of the crowd. The back-to-front oddity of Mr Bloomberg’s campaign has drawn a lot of scorn. Presidential primaries have traditionally been decided by the first four early-voting states which, because of his late entry to the race, he is sitting out. His politics, as a former Republican, once synonymous with racially insensitive policing, also looked hopeless to many leftist commentators. Yet self-made billionaires tend not to be bad at reckoning their odds. And, sure enough, while Mr Bloomberg’s rivals knocked lumps out of each other in Iowa and New Hampshire, his aggressive campaigning in the Super Tuesday states has produced the biggest, fastest polling surge of the contest. He sits third in The Economist’s national polling aggregate, on 16%. And with Joe Biden falling, he may soon be second to Senator Bernie Sanders, the winner in New Hampshire. This has already attracted an impressive ripple of endorsements, including from three members of the Congressional Black Caucus—hitherto Mr Biden’s biggest champion—this week. And if the primary were indeed to start looking like a face-off between Mr Bloomberg and the widely mistrusted Mr Sanders, many more would follow. Diminutive, prickly and poor at public speaking, Mr Bloomberg is almost nothing like Barack Obama—save potentially in one regard. Unlike their more uniform opponents, Democrats’ first concern is to find a leader capable of uniting their party’s ethno-politically divided coalition. Mr Obama did so magnificently—which is why Mr Biden, his bumbling deputy, has been afforded such an extended stab at assuming the role. The nascent enthusiasm for Mr Bloomberg, before he has contested a primary or debated any of his Democratic rivals, suggests he might soon be auditioned for it. There are two reasons for his rise. First, the vastness of his spending. He is estimated to have splurged over $300m on TV, radio and digital advertising alone. To put that in perspective, Amy Klobuchar, a rival moderate, recently had $5m in hand. Mr Bloomberg has also assembled a huge and talented campaign team—with so far 2,100 employees, many of whom earn twice what other campaigns pay. The resources and professionalism of his rallies are on a different level from his rivals’. When it became clear that the venue in Chattanooga could not accommodate at least 200 of those queuing, his technicians rigged up a sound system outside the building within minutes. At a later event in Nashville, over 1,000 attendees were served a barbeque supper and all the “I like Mike” badges and T-shirts they could carry. The second thing in Mr Bloomberg’s favour is that the verdict of the earliest states is far from decisive. The centre-left is currently split between Pete Buttigieg, Ms Klobuchar and the fading Mr Biden. This has made Mr Sanders, through his dominance of the smaller left-wing faction, a weak front-runner. To challenge him, either Mr Biden would have to rally his erstwhile non-white supporters, or else Mr Buttigieg or Ms Klobuchar would have to win them. Yet Mr Biden looks blown. And, notwithstanding their attributes, Mr Buttigieg and Ms Klobuchar are still giving many voters pause. Neither a gay mayor nor a woman has yet made it to the White House. The fact that Mr Bloomberg is himself a “short, divorced Jewish billionaire from New York”, as he once self-deprecatingly termed himself, does not now seem disqualifying. In reality, no candidate looks able to unite Democrats as Mr Obama did: Mr Bloomberg would certainly alienate many Sandernistas. Yet the best argument for his candidacy may be that he is unusually able to focus wandering Democratic minds on the common enemy: Mr Trump. The many symmetries between the two New Yorkers are glaring and unfailingly to Mr Bloomberg’s credit. He is a self-made billionaire; Mr Trump inherited his wealth and bankrupted his companies. Mr Bloomberg has a record of improving government by bringing business-like efficiencies to it; the president is a wrecker. Mr Bloomberg is one of America’s most generous philanthropists; Mr Trump used his family foundation to buy a portrait of himself to hang in one of his golf clubs. And if Democrats doubt that such comparisons are important, they should reflect that, if Mr Bloomberg were his opponent, Mr Trump would think about little else. A recent quip by Mr Bloomberg about Mr Trump’s lesser wealth (asked about the prospect of two billionaires vying for the presidency, he asked: “Who’s the other one?”) was plainly intended for an audience of one. There are still huge questions about his candidacy. His support has been inflated by high name-recognition in places where his opponents are absent. If he performs badly in his first clashes with them—starting with a televised debate in Las Vegas on February 19th—it could shrivel. Having been largely ignored by his rivals thus far, he is also due some potentially damaging attention. The unearthing this week of some past thuggish remarks by Mr Bloomberg in support of his controversial policing was an early taste. A bigger fear is that, instead of capitalising on the Democrats’ divided field, he may fracture it further. He could nab enough of Mr Biden’s support with non-whites to stop Mr Buttigieg or Ms Klobuchar uniting the centre-left, yet be unable to do so himself. Perhaps his qualities are worth the risk. But if it backfires, he will have done more than almost anyone to make Mr Sanders the nominee.■ Sign up and listen to Checks and Balance, our new newsletter and podcast on American politics The Democratic primaries will be a contest between radicals and repairers Who will be Donald Trump’s most forceful foe? Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg emerge from New Hampshire as the Democrats’ favourites This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "Mike Bloomberg’s moment" United States February 15th 2020 From the February 15th 2020 edition Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition Whatever happens to the public-health rule, America will have to grapple with a surge in migration The efforts have attracted only muted controversy in their home states, but they are revolutionary A conspiracy theory that was once on the fringe leads to another mass shooting

Wray, John (2001), The Right Hand of Sleep, Knopf There are so many books around that most of the time we barely manage to read what we really feel we should read or have to read, and reading a book for a second or third time is often just too much. At least that is my stance, and the reason why I rarely re-read books. In some rare cases, a second reason enters the picture: if I’m afraid a book won’t hold up, won’t be as good or interesting the second time around. This was the fear that I had upon re-reading John Wray’s debut novel The Right Hand of Sleep after reading and reviewing his excellent most recent book, Lowboy (my review here). Now, I was right about one thing at least. It really is not as good a novel as Lowboy, but I was wrong about everything else: it’s a very good book, a very smart and clever one, too, and a moving work of art. The Right Hand of Sleep is a very, very good novel and an astonishing debut. It radiates assurance, and displays a rare comfort and agility with the tools of fiction, but even this description feels inadequate. In his debut, Wray introduces here many topics that will resurface in later books, but they have a disturbing, haunting quality here that they don’t have elsewhere. Haunting is maybe the best word to describe this book, which occupies an odd place between memory and history, between an emotionally wrought tale of a village in decline, and a clever play with history and narrative. Its chief fault is a certain lack of decisiveness. In his debut, Wray is too often content with sketching something, hinting at it, instead of developing it in a more satisfactory fashion. This is in part, certainly, because the topic and the setting is infinitely rich; in The Right Hand of Sleep, Wray is basically trying to tell us three to five stories at once, but at the same time he’s writing a very tight, controlled, technically impressive novel. These two aspects of it, the sprawling, wide, sumptuous fabric on the one hand, and the well-ordered, scintillating strictness of literary craftsmanship on the other, clash and struggle to cohere. Ultimately, craftsmanship wins the day in The Right Hand of Sleep, but the final result is too magnificent, too well made a novel to complain. I understand why some readers have criticized the book for being boring, too conventional, uninteresting, even, because it is really a very conservative book, written under the banner of traditional narrative. In those parts of the story that are set in a nostalgic, sentimental version of a rural Austrian valley, there is no parody, no irony or other postmodern devices to break up or challenge traditional notions. But Wray is a subtle writer and adds other kinds of layers that move beneath the surface of the narrative, tectonic plates beneath a seemingly placid ocean. The Right Hand of Sleep is a book that only seems easy to categorize, easy to assign and confine to a place on the shelves of genre. I am under the impression that the book withdraws as soon as you scrutinize it, that in place of clear and unambiguous stories, it leaves our hands full of paradoxes and tricky situations. However, it’s hard to imagine any novel written by a competent writer that would be set in the period and place Wray chose and not be full of tricky situations. This comes with the topic. The Right Hand of Sleep is the story of a man called Oskar Voxlauer, who returns home to his village in Austria after decades of exile. The year of his return, 1938, is a year of changes for Austria: its fascist leader, Dollfuss, had been murdered four years earlier and the current dictatorial chancellor, Kurt Schuschnigg, under threat of violence, basically agreed to a takeover of Austria by Nazi Germany on March 11th . The next day, when German troops marched into Austria, they were greeted by joyous Austrians, who, the day before, had celebrated the announcement of the takeover in a tumultuous fashion, which led Carl Zuckmayer, a major German playwright, to refer to the public displays of national socialist hate and rage as a veritable “Witches’ Sabbath of the mob.” On March 15th, tens of thousands cheered Hitler as he gave a speech on the Heldenplatz in Vienna. That day and the horrendous public reaction to what happened have been re-told and recounted multiple times, most famously by Thomas Bernhard in his play Heldenplatz. Its a curious fact about Austrian post-war history that Austria, a fascist state long before Hitler´s takeover, has always seen itself as an innocent victim of German aggression, on a par with France and Poland. It took writers like Bernhard or Innerhofer in the 1970s to destabilize that national narrative. Both Bernhard and Innerhofer are important references here because, even though occurrences such as the one described by Zuckmayer and the Heldenplatz speech took place in Vienna and other large cities, these two writers were fascinated by and obsessed with the rural life, the ugliness in would-be bucolic landscapes. Bernhard’s first published novel and many shorter pieces that followed examine the cold, the heartlessness, the violence and mob-mentality of the rural population. Innerhofer’s disturbing debut, Beautiful Days (1974), does something similar. A book about a boy raised on a brutal farm it coined the expression “Bauern-KZ” (~ Peasant Concentration Camp). There is opportunistic behavior, emotional apathy and unthinking and vicious brutality and neglect and this is just a small sample of the issues with which Innerhofer confronts the myth of a bucolic rural Austria. In Wray’s invented village, Niessen (possibly modeled on Friesach, where his mother is from), we find a similar mob mentality and similarly ugly thing happen or are hinted at, but Wray doesn’t develop any of these in detail. However, he clearly relies on our reading of Niessen as a hateful small backwater village, where a crowd of citizens stands by or takes part, as enraged Nazis demolish a restaurant owned by a Jew, but he also mentions and makes use of other, more interesting nuances. Voxlauer is returning home, but he isn’t the only one to do so. Nazis are returning, too, and I’m not talking about the German troops. In his brief dictatorial reign, Engelbert Dollfuss (and his successor Schuschnigg) strove to destroy any left-wing opposition by means of raids, incarcerations and murder, they encouraged and tacitly supported Antisemitic violence, but they also tried to eradicate any National Socialist movements in Austria. Austrian fascism was modeled on Francoist Spain more than anything, and a revulsion of Hitler’s mobs fueled not just Dollfuss’ opposition to the Nazis, but also that of other famous antisemitic fascists like Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. With some justification, the Dollfuss regime saw the Austrian Nazis as subversive and dangerous elements in their state, a danger that needed to be curbed as quickly and thoroughly as possible. When a group of Austrian Nazis tried to overthrow the government in the so-called “Juliputsch” in 1934, this fear was vindicated, but too late for Dollfuss, who was murdered. Many Nazis were banished or had to flee in these years of upheaval only to return triumphantly after March 11th,, 1938. In The Right Hand of Sleep Wray makes use of the fact that these individuals are a mixture between being victims and being perpetrators, of being persecuted by a dictator, but originators of a different, worse dictatorship. As we see them return to the village and its environs, we see how estranged they are to what used to be their home, as well. Simple inside/outside dichotomies, useful to describe the narrative behind antisemitic rallies and hate in Germany, don’t work here. The Jewish inn-keeper, at the receiving end of discrimination and violence, is a native, he is from the village and part of the village in a way that neither Voxlauer, nor the Nazi who develops into a kind of antagonist of Voxlauer’s, Kurt Bauer, are. Questions of blood and heredity, so central to the National Socialist narrative, are subtly subverted by an association with inbreeding on Bauer’s part, and a sterile sexuality on Voxlauer’s, just as social hierarchies, “the architecture of things” are upset by similar associations. And in the midst of this, Wray places the local landscapes. His powerful evocations of nature, the use of amazingly precise metaphors, they establish nature as something independent from humans and their stories. Voxlauer, who., upon returning, is offered the job as a gamekeeper, never really does what he is paid for. He’s an awful hunter and a perennial drunk, stumbling through the wildness like a harmless, vaguely vegetarian animal. Fittingly, the only thing he does shoot is himself, by accident, halfway through the book. And when some riled up villagers rough him up, break his ribs and try to kick his head in, he’s as helpless as the animals he’s paid to hunt. This helplessness, though, isn’t new to him. As a young soldier in the Kaiser’s army in WWI, he was just as help- and hapless and when he, almost accidentally, deserts after being forced to murder another deserter, he drifts through Eastern Europe like a leaf in the wind, or a lost animal. This we learn in the frequent flashbacks. Structurally, the book consists of the main story, which follows Voxlauer’s experiences in Neißen between March, 4th, 1938 and October the same year, with flashbacks added. First flashbacks of Voxlauer’s own experiences as a deserter, and then flashbacks of Kurt Bauer’s past. These back stories are not written like historical accounts; they read like feverish visions of two person’s troubled past. Both are guilty of something and both feel the guilt weigh heavily upon them, I’d say, although Bauer appears to be somewhat sociopathic. What’s more, these visions or accounts are shot through with dreams and hallucinations. Not all of them visible and clear as such, but historical truth or accuracy is certainly not the aim of these sections. What they are meant to accomplish is twofold. On the one hand, they need to place the story of Voxlauer and Bauer in a broader historical context, and on the other hand they do the same for Neißen as landscape and lieu de mémoire. Taking a different tactic than Nora, Wray focuses less upon buildings and other man-made monuments to shared memories. Instead, he has Voxlauer stumble through a European wildness, over fields, through woods and end up at a Ukrainian farm. Subsequently, he falls in love with the farmer’s widow, is denounced as a kulak and lands himself in a Soviet camp. At this point he is a Communist or shares at least the basic emancipatory ideals with them. Fear, disappointments and the harsh daily life leads him to drop his “belief in things”. The Voxlauer who returns to Neißen is an empty shell of a man, hollowed out by guilt, loss and sadness. The landscape is the only (or last) reliable thing for him, it doesn’t require his belief, it is content with the fact of his body. In Neißen, an odd love story develops, but it draws heavily upon clichés and seems, within the fabric of the book, less important than Voxlauer’s education. Yes, education, because Voxlauer, returning, re-learns the world. Lowboy‘s protagonist is haunted by his body and his problems with reading the world, which makes the most sense to him when he’s confined in the well-ordered world of the underground tunnels of the subway. Voxlauer’s predicament is similar, not just in this respect. Like Lowboy‘s Will, Voxlauer isn’t mentally completely sound, and as in Will’s case, this runs in the family. The oddities of memory, and the vicissitudes of violence create, here and there, an interesting discourse about the limitations of the body and of the mind. Voxlauer’s body and mind don’t work as he wants them to, they work in starts and fits, and they capitulate not only before the onslaught of fascism and nature, they are also inferior to the limbs and brains of people of comparable strength. Voxlauer’s main limitation is his unwillingness to take action, not even to run away. He bides his time, while the world as he knew it, crumbles around him. His last action was the murder of an innocent man, as sick of the war as himself, and this crime he cannot forgive himself, and it blinds him to the ethical and political necessities of the present. The development of Wray’s protagonists, from the apathetic and guilt-ridden drunk Voxlauer to the idealistic, driven, resourceful Will is fascinating, especially in light of the fact that Voxlauer’s crime (desertion) has consigned him to the margins, while he was actually born in privilege. Will’s situation, of course, couldn’t be more different. Kurt Bauer’s memories, meanwhile, place him at the center of world history. I’m loath to divulge more but Wray has used one of the less well known parts of history, and adapted it to his purpose, exchanging names and characters, swamping the scene with references en masse. For a book set where it is, many of these references, in this scene or in others, intended or not, are pretty obvious, like Joseph Roth or Thomas Bernhard. Others are more sly but important ones, such as Camus’ famous novel L’Étranger. The connection of Voxlauer’s inaction with that bible of secular existentialism adds one more layer to an already rather complex book. If anything, this is its main fault. The book, while technically taut and controlled, is philosophically indulgent, it’s filled with ideas and it points in many directions at once, without allowing the plot to reciprocate. That we don’t feel this failing as readers, that we still enjoy this book, is due, most of all, to Wray’s fantastic writing. More elaborate than in Lowboy, Wray completely dazzles his reader. In an almost arrogant display of skill, Wray shows us that he can do anything. He slips into German and out again, slows down and speeds up his syntax at will, makes it bulky in one place and sleekly efficient in others. The way he can retard meaning in a paragraph by using a sluggish, slow syntax, mirroring German constructions, is extraordinary. There’s nothing in here that doesn’t work, and so the evocation of a country at the abyss, of a continent about to plunge into one of its darkest periods, is pitch-perfect. The plot and the characters are not yet as fleshed-out, believable and palpable as in his two other books, but The Right Hand of Sleep gets so much right, that it’s hard to dwell on the things it doesn’t. Highly recommended.

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First published on JCR-UK: 2003 THE JEWISH TOMBSTONES OF SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Susser A year or so after I was appointed to minister to the small Jewish community in Plymouth in the 1960s the late Prof Cecil Roth suggested to me that I should record the tombstone inscriptions in the old Jewish cemetery on Plymouth Hoe. Most of Plymouth's 200 or so Jews who then lived there had never even visited it, and only a few knew exactly where it was. When I first visited it I could only see the tops of a half dozen tombstones, the rest were drowned in a sea of weeds, brambles and rubbish. Eventually, I approached the local probation service who arranged for youths doing community service to tidy it up. The experiment was not a success, one lad saying that he would rather do a fortnight inside than tear himself to pieces on the brambles. The members of the congregation took a similar view, except a righteous Gentile (he attended service every Shabbat morning after having been attracted by the sound of our singing as he passed by in the street) who, single-handed, cleared it and kept it spotless thereafter. In all, I was able to decipher 146 inscriptions, though there were another dozen or so which might have been read if one were to spend two or three hours on each stone. Around 1900 the Revd Dr M. Berlin made a transcript of the main information from 95 tombstones, but 50 of these had totally disappeared by the time I transcribed those still extant in the 1960s. It did not take long for me to realize that here was a valuable insight into the nature of the Plymouth Jewish community and the lives of the men and women who belonged to it a hundred and two hundred years ago. Trying to discover more about the individuals whose tombstones gave only a bare minimum of information kindled in me a desire for more and more knowledge of the Jewish communities of the South West of England, until my research was rewarded by a doctorate from the University of Exeter. Tombstone inscriptions in the South-West Jewish cemeteries clearly demonstrate the process of acculturation. At first only Hebrew was used on the stones. In 1840, English appears for the first time: "Our lives are in thy hands O God/ And the length of our days/ Are as nought before thee./ /For 50 years a member of the Congregation of this town./(1) From 1850 the Jewish name is retained in Hebrew but the secular name as well as the Jewish date appear in English. There were isolated uses of the common era year in the first six decades of the nineteenth century but after 1870 it appears invariably. Surnames themselves may be an indication of the assimilatory process - Kennard, Palmer, Harding, Walter. Hebrew names ending in indicating a convert are similar indicators. Perhaps the ultimate stage in the process is represented by a tombstone in the Torquay Jewish cemetery in Paignton which is a railed off part of the municipal cemetery. There is, or was, a stone which when approached from the Jewish section displays on its front a magen david but when looked at from the municipal part has on its rear a cross! Until the third quarter of the nineteenth century religious sentiments are to be found. On the tombstone of Mary Nathan (died 1858) is inscribed: Her poverty was no exaggeration. In 1827 her husband had written to the "Congeratation ... I am Drove to the last Extramity, without a farthin in the world having disposed of Everything I could make money of - so as my wife and sevon children should not starve ...."(2) Shortly after this he became a constable, rising to Superintendent of Police in 1851. A real belief in is evidenced by inscriptions such as: on the stone of Woolf Emden (died 1867) and on the stone of Reichla, widow of Naphtali Benjamin, who died in 1817: Pride in being native-born, whether of the city in which the cemetery was situated or elsewhere in Britain, is often to be inferred. On the tombstone of James Jacob Hart, for example, is inscribed: "...late her Majesty's consul for the kingdom of Saxony. A native of Penzance. Died London 19 February 1846." The stone of Abraham Emden, a Town Councillor of Plymouth who died in 1872, proclaims: .(4) The stone of Andrew George Jacob who died in 1900 reads: "... born at Falmouth, Cornwall. Died at Exeter".(5) A former place of residence in Britain is often given. Thus Miriam Jacobs (died 1850), born in Devon in 1771, is described in Hebrew and English as " ... wife of Nathan Jacobs, formerly of Dartmouth".(6) David Moses (died 1812) was "from Norwich". He was born in Saarbruck in 1737, landed in Harwich in 1759, went straight to Norwich where he stayed until 1793, and then moved to Plymouth where he spent the last 19 years of his life. Similarly, her tombstone in the Exeter cemetery tells us that Rachel (died 1826), wife of Gershon Levy, was "of Guernsey".(7) The tombstone of Moses Solomon (died 1838) tells us that he was "from the city of London which was the city of his birth and formerly of Scotland".(8) Immigrants often had their former town or country recorded. Thus we are told that the Reverend Moses Horwitz Levy (died 1834) who ministered to the Exeter Hebrew Congregation for 42 years was "from Danzig",(9) David Jacob Coppel (died 1805) was "from Bialin(10) in Polin", in 1832 a "Ze'ev ben Judah from Shatwinitz in the country of Polin died of the plague",(11) Jacob Phillip Cohen (died 1832) was "from Lontschotz",(12) and Esther, wife of Lazarus Solomon who died in 1831 was "from the holy congregation of Lublin in the state of Polin".(13) It is, perhaps, noteworthy that foreign provenance is always recorded in the Hebrew part of the inscription, whereas British former residence or place of nativity generally appears in the English part. The stones which record an East-European origin are of interest inasmuch as they indicate an immigration from Eastern Europe much earlier in the nineteenth century than has been generally recognized. The trend is corroborated by an examination of the decennial census returns from 1851 onwards. There are snippets of information to be gleaned regarding the character and activities of some individuals. Thus, we are told that "Samuel Cohen (died 1860) was of the stock of martyrs ... hastening to his prayers evening, morning and noon".(14) From the chronogram , Moses ben Isaac (died 1780) must have been a mohel.(15) The description of men variously as indicates that they were an outstanding scholar, a president of the congregation, and a philanthropist respectively. is used to describe both bachelors and married men, though in the Sephardi tradition the term is reserved for elderly bachelors of high repute. The hardships of foreign travel, even post mortem, are brought to light, as the following inscription (in translation) indicates: "The bachelor Issacher Behrman the son of the President Joshua Levy the righteous Priest from the holy congregation of London, died Yom Kippur 5565 [= October 1804] in the Island of Madeira and was buried here in Plymouth on Friday, the eve of Sabbath, 6th 16 Iyyar 5565 [= May 1805]".(16) The dead man was the son of Levy Barent Cohen, the progenitor of the distinguished Cohen family of nineteenth-century London. One of Issacher's sisters, Hannah, married Nathan Meyer Rothschild, whilst another, Judith, married Sir Moses Montefiore. The Plymouth Hebrew Congregation still uses a magnificent silver ewer and bowl for the use of the cohanim presented by his widowed mother and brothers in 1807 "for the loving kindness bestowed on the bones of her son". The dangers of travelling the countryside is illustrated by another inscription (in translation): "Joshua Falk the son of Isaac from Breslau. He was slain in the place of Fowey by the wicked man Wyatt and drowned in the waters 14th Kislev 5572 and buried on the 17th thereof [= 30 November 1811]".(17) Isaac Valentine, as he was called, became the shochet of the Plymouth congregation in 1811 when he was paid £25 per annum. He augmented his wages by acting as an agent of the Joseph family of Plymouth who in turn were agents of the London bankers Goldsmid buying up for the Government golden guineas for paper money during the Napoleonic Wars. Valentine was enticed to bring £260 to Fowey by an innkeeper called Wyatt who murdered him and dropped his body into the dock. Wyatt was hanged at Bodmin in the presence of a large crowd which flocked in from the surrounding countryside. Tragedies of a different nature are recorded on war graves. In the Plymouth Hebrew Congregation's Gifford Place cemetery there is a tombstone erected to "John Lithman, late of the Judeans 38/40 Royal Fusiliers, died 8th January 1919/5679 aged 16 years and 9 months" and in the Hebrew inscription (18). I wondered how a lad who was sixteen and a half years old lad when the war ended in November 1918 came to be in the army at all, and whether he died in the post World War I flu epidemic. I made enquiries at the War Office but they had no information other than his army number and that the War Graves Commission knew of his grave. Enquiries at Bet HaGedudim, the Museum near Netanya devoted to the history of the Judeans which became the Jewish Brigade and which in turn developed into the Israeli Defence Force were similarly fruitless. But a speculative phone call to a person bearing the same surname was answered by the statement, "I was his brother, and remember that as a young boy I attended his funeral". Later, he told me that his brother had falsified his age to get into the army and had died in some kind of accident. Why should we take an interest in our past? Well, perhaps a lesson I learned from Rabbi Dr Louis Rabbinowitz will answer this question. He had returned to South Africa and made time to visit a young man who had been in a coma for more than ten years. As the patient could have no knowledge of his visit, I asked why he had bothered? He told me that he once conducted a funeral and before he left the cemetery he visited the grave of a rabbi who had died many years ago and who had left no family, and there he recited a short psalm. As he made his way back to his car, he said, he happened to look back. He saw a cemetery groundsman go over to the grave at which he had paused, clear away some grass and weeds which had overgrown the tombstone and wash it down. "Because I had taken notice of that grave the groundsman realized that it was of some special significance, and took an interest in it. If I visit that unconscious patient perhaps the nurses will take more interest in him, perhaps they will tidy his sheets so that he will lie more comfortably!" If we do not want others to vandalize and rubbish our sacred places, perhaps we should show the way and demonstrate our own respect for them. This website is owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose. Copyright © 2002 - 2015 JCR-UK. All Rights Reserved

News & Events City Tech Receives $398,700 from JFEW The 2012 City Tech Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women scholars, include, from left to right: Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging students Yelena Mironova, Myriam Canarte, Shqipe Suka, Samantha Raghunandan and Irin Poly. City Tech has received a $398,700 grant from the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women (JFEW), which is among the largest philanthropic gifts in the College’s history. The grant establishes the JFEW Scholars program, which awarded 20 scholarships of up to $2,500 per year to students in associate degree programs. The first year’s focus will be on students enrolled in City Tech’s healthcare programs – nursing, radiologic technology/medical imaging and dental hygiene. The second year adds students enrolled in the computer information systems program. The students, most of whom will be entering their second semester at City Tech, will be chosen on the basis of financial need and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in their first semester at City Tech. City Tech’s JFEW scholars will receive mentoring their first year, a paid summer internship between their first and second year, and additional help preparing for employment during their second year. “We are grateful to the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women for its generous support. JFEW’s commitment to ensuring the success of our students is outstanding,” says City Tech President Russell K. Hotzler. City Tech recently hosted a reception for JFEW scholars, 20 of whom were chosen out of 60 well-qualified applicants, and members of the JFEW board of directors. “We noted the exceptional success of City Tech graduates in licensure and qualifying exams,” says JFEW Executive Director Elizabeth Leiman Kraiem. “Setting up this scholarship program was an excellent fit for both JFEW and City Tech.” The 20 students and their zip codes are as follows: |Cheryl Ann Peters||11203| The Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) is a New York City-based, nonsectarian organization that helps women with financial need meet their education and career goals through scholarships and opportunities for professional development. New York City College of Technology (City Tech) of The City University of New York

These reflections are based, in part, on a recent visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of a trip to visit partners in the Middle East and Germany, March 1-14, 2009. The delegation included the Rev. John Thomas, Peter Makari, Executive for the Middle East and Europe of Global Ministries, and the Rev. Lydia Veliko, UCC Ecumenical Officer. The ancient tones of the Armenian liturgy echoed through the cavernous spaces of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem late Friday afternoon as the seminarians and priests of the Armenian Patriarchate moved through the final Stations of the Cross. Here in the old walled city the Lenten liturgy recalls more than one Calvary for this venerable community, survivors of the 20th century's first Genocide. Even before the Armenians had finished their devotions, a Greek priest began making preparations for the procession of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. Candles were hastily lit and pilgrims and tourists pushed to the side as the priests, bishops and Patriarch made their way to the tomb and then to a splendid adjacent room for their divine liturgy. |Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, pastor of the ChristmasLutheranChurch in Bethlehem, shows our delegation progress on the construction of Dar al-Kalima, a college for Palestinian young people. My colleagues and I waited for the procession to end, then left to follow the rush of Jewish residents and tourists heading toward the western wall for Sabbath evening prayers. They dashed through the narrow winding streets to be there by sundown, some dressed in Hasidic garb, others in western suits, still others in army uniforms. There, massed in the great plaza in front of the wall, they clustered in small groups, some at the wall, vigorously bowing their heads in prayer, others dancing in boisterous circles of ecstatic prayer, still others standing around large reading desks, their holy texts open before them for scholarly prayer. Above the wall the Muslim holy sites were quiet. Muslims had prayed at the Dome of the Rock and al Aqsa Mosque earlier in the day under the watchful gaze of the Israeli Defense Forces. As is often the case, men under the age of forty-five were not permitted to pray there on this Friday, denied access to holy places that would be unthinkable for Christian and Jewish residents and pilgrims in Jerusalem. Apparently only Muslims are security risks in the Holy City. Here is the Jerusalem that struggles to be home to the world's three great Abrahamic faiths, a multi-ethnic, multi-faith celebration of diversity yet a city where the slightest trespass on another's holy space or ancient privileges is likely to ignite violence between or among faith groups. For some this is a place of inspiration, the ancient stones of the city echoing with the footsteps of sacred ancestors. For some this is a place of religious encounter, the living stones of today's communities of faith striving to maintain ancient traditions. For others it is a kind of curiosity, a living and breathing museum complete with panoramic displays and replete with hawkers of religious trinkets and souvenirs. But there is another Jerusalem rarely seen by tourists and pilgrims whose itinerary seldom extends beyond the Old City, Yad Vashem, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Israeli Museum and the holy sites in Bethlehem and Nazareth. This Jerusalem, and the villages and cities of the West Bank and Gaza, is the place where the Biblical and Koranic injunctions to love God and neighbor are challenged daily by the reality of Occupation. On our pilgrimage we met many in Jerusalem and the West Bank who inspired us with their witness and their work: - The staff of B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories who document the violations and abuse that characterize the Occupation of Palestine. - Bernard Sabella, director of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees and a Christian member of the legislature of the Palestinian Authority who guides development and humanitarian relief work for the refugees who have lived without a home for sixty years. - Mona Zaghrout Hodali who supervises the counseling programs of the East Jerusalem YMCA in Beit Sahour. In her office adjacent to the Shepherds Field, a traditional site linked to the herald angel's message of peace in Bethlehem, Ms. Hodali supports efforts to address the emotional damage of the Occupation and, most recently, of the destruction in Gaza. - Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and of the International Center which is building a college to provide academic training and vocational opportunities for Palestinian young people. - The members of the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel we met in Hebron who provide a non-violent monitoring presence in Hebron and elsewhere on the West Bank where tensions between Palestinians and Israeli settlers and soldiers keep communities in a constant state of fear and hostility. - Naim Ateek of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center whose gentle but courageous spirit and persistent commitment to non-violence challenges the demonizing of him by some prominent pro-Israeli voices in the United States. His writing provides a powerful Biblical and theological framework for Christian perspectives on the conflict and the Occupation. - Mark Brown and the Lutheran World Federation program on the Mount of Olives. Here one sees plans for a housing development for Palestinian Christians to stem the decline of a Christian population in East Jerusalem. Here you see the Augusta Victoria Hospital, a primary source of medical care for Palestinians throughout Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, with its brand new pediatric oncology unit and construction that will double its ability to provide radiological oncology services. - Mira Rizek, General Secretary of the YWCA of Palestine, providing vocational training and economic development of Palestinian women. - Our friend Jean Zaru in Ramallah, Clerk of the Religious Society of Friends, known throughout the world for her commitment to justice and peacemaking and author of Occupied by Nonviolence, a collection of reflections and challenges published just last year. - Mission personnel of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who work on our behalf in Jerusalem and the West Bank: Samuel and Noemi Pagan, Ian Alexander and Lydia Bartholomew. Yes, there are many whose persistent witness to justice and peace inspire our deepest admiration even under Occupation. |John Thomas speaks with residents of the Abu Tur community, whose apartment building is among those scheduled for demolition But for pilgrims willing to listen to hard things and to look at painful realities in Jerusalem and the West Bank there are other faces of the Occupation. Here one finds a kind of contemporary Via Dolorosa, a way of sorrows that can easily inspire discouragement and rage. Six years after my first visit to the Occupied Territories the Separation Barrier grows relentlessly, in some places an ugly, thirty foot concrete wall, in others a series of well tended fences, in still other places a neatly designed landscape designed to obscure the ugly reality from cars passing by on "Israeli-only roads." According to B'Tselem, the Separation Barrier runs deep into the West Bank, effectively annexing almost 12 percent of the West Bank and separating nearly 500,000 Palestinians from the West Bank, calling into question its justification as simply a security measure to protect Israelis from attack. Temporary looking checkpoints have now been transformed into elaborate "terminals" where Palestinians with proper identification must pass through from the West Bank to Jerusalem. We walked with them through the terminal between Ramallah and East Jerusalem overseen by heavily armed soldiers, an automated set of dehumanizing gates and narrow metal passageways suited more for stockyards than human transit. Forty checkpoints control entry into Israel, and an additional 63 permanent check points deep inside the West Bank limit Palestinian access to employment, health care and family. Israeli settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank tower over Palestinian villages and cities, growing relentlessly in size. Some of these settlements are veritable suburban communities attracting Israeli families with hefty economic incentives such as low cost residences and no- or low-interest loans. With the Separation Barrier built to accommodate their growth they increasingly displace indigenous Palestinian populations. Today there are over 120 settlement blocks in the West Bank and twelve large settlements in East Jerusalem. In addition there are 100 settlement blocks which Israel does not recognize but which it still supplies and defends. The 2008 population of the settlements, all illegal in the eyes of international law, approaches 500,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem, their population growing at a rate three times that of the population in Israel proper. The settlement expansion – more than 20,000 new units are under construction or approved – reported to be accelerating in the coming years, and the road system being built to serve them, creates a deliberate and growing obstacle to any hope for a meaningful two state solution, up to now the centerpiece of any real peace process. Hebron represents a particularly poignant case. In 1968 religious settlers began occupying the center of Hebron's main business district adjacent to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. In the ensuing years the Israeli government has provided armed security for this illegal settlement, a military operation that has had the effect of closing down hundreds of Palestinian businesses and cutting off Palestinian neighborhoods behind army checkpoints. Settler violence is regular; even Palestinian children walking to school have stones thrown at them. Our visit to the area provoked intense surveillance by soldiers and settlers alike who clearly were not happy with our presence. Young soldiers watched us with suspicion, refusing to let us visit the holy sites. Two young settler boys threw projectiles at us, eager to chase us away. In Jerusalem we visited with families who had recently been notified that their homes were to be destroyed within days. These are not squatters in camps, but home owners in large, modern apartment buildings in Palestinian communities now slated for demolition. The reason given is that building permits are not in order. In fact, building permits are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain in Jerusalem. In one apartment complex we visited in East Jerusalem, 250 people were awaiting the destruction of their homes with no place to move. They are prepared to pay any fines in order to stay, but have not been given that option. Meanwhile, settler communities quickly move in to occupy the newly vacant land. Together with a resident permit system that restricts access to East Jerusalem even for people who have jobs or families living there, along with the clever manipulation of housing permits and development rights, Israel is relentlessly and effectively ridding Jerusalem of its Arab population. We had hoped to visit Gaza to see the humanitarian relief work we are supporting there in the aftermath of the war in late December and early January. As has been the case, however, in previous visits, our application for entry was denied by the Israel government. Few internationals have been allowed to enter Gaza where over 1,300 Palestinians were killed and over 5,320 wounded during fighting which also claimed the lives of 12 Israeli soldiers and left two hundred Israeli soldiers and civilians wounded. The head of the YMCA Counseling Department has been unable to visit her counselors in Gaza to provide care for the care givers. Even the Anglican and Lutheran Bishops of Jerusalem – both Palestinian – were twice denied access to Gaza to make a pastoral visit their hospitals and parishes in the aftermath of the fighting. Only this past week, seven weeks after the cease-fire, were they allowed to enter. Children in Gaza needing advanced cancer treatment at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem wait weeks for permission, and are then given only one day passes for treatment that requires days if not weeks. Even before the war the suffering in Gaza was intensified by Israel's closing of the borders. Unemployment had already reached 50% in Gaza by mid 2008, with 79% of Gazans living under the poverty line. Palestinians we met expressed little optimism in the changing political realities. They are uncertain about the real intentions of the Obama administration and face the likelihood of a far right coalition government in Israel. They expressed frustration with their own Palestinian leadership for failing to offer a compelling and unifying vision for a way forward. Two doctors from Gaza attending a Red Crescent Society meeting in Ramallah told us chilling tales of the treatment Fatah supporters receive from Hamas, and there is a sense that political leadership from every side has failed them. The sense of abandonment and vulnerability is profound, the sense of political powerlessness pervasive. John reflects on the Separation Barrier, just inside Bethlehem. Is this a fair and balanced view of the situation in Israel-Palestine? This visit was almost exclusively devoted to our Palestinian partners, or to Israeli groups critical of the Occupation. On previous trips I visited the Chief Rabbi of Israel and a cabinet minister and member of the Knesset. There I restated our long commitment to security for the State of Israel behind internationally recognized borders. I have read the testimony of Israelis who have lost loved ones in places like Siderot and have noted B'Tselem's clear acknowledgment of Palestinian human rights abuses, acknowledging that there is real suffering on both sides of the conflict. And like many others, I have been moved by the portrait of the Jewish narrative of suffering and persecution found at Yad Vashem, a centuries long narrative culminating in the unspeakable horror of the Holocaust. But those encounters only underscore the fact that there is no memorial to the Nakba, to the catastrophe of 1948 for Palestinians whose villages and olive trees vanished in the wake of the creation of Israel. There is no museum with artifacts of their lost communities, no monuments to the places and people who once called Palestine home. All we have is the growing apparatus of the forty year old Occupation that is relentlessly completing the process begun sixty years ago, an Occupation that is as much about determining the future as it is about defining the present. Uncontested, this apparatus of Occupation will increasingly resemble elements of South African apartheid and its end game will feel eerily familiar to Americans brave enough to remember and confront the genocide against our own indigenous population of Native Americans. Some will find this language provocative, even offensive. It reflects, however, what I see. And as citizens of the nation that provides billions of dollars a year to support the Occupation, we are deeply complicit, and therefore called to a particular responsibility to say, "No longer in my name!" Is it demeaning to our Palestinian partners and their Jewish allies to view their work as the gilding of the Occupation's cage? Or rather is it for us instead to acknowledge and reflect their courage to hope in the face of so much that demoralizes? The Armenians, Greeks and Jews we watched at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall that Friday afternoon, and the Arabs who prayed earlier in the day at the Dome of the Rock, may seem to us as strange artifacts of ancient practices and beliefs hardly relevant to the challenges of today. Yet each, in their own way, bears witness to a hope that transcends the vanities and idolatries of a particular generation. The question for them today is whether they can transcend the exclusive claims to a place that lure them toward oppression, violence and despair. The question for us is whether we can be brave enough to challenge an Occupation seeking to claim the souls of all involved, and that demeans and dehumanizes even those it seeks to privilege. Naim Ateek reflects on these themes in his recent book, A Palestinian Cry for Reconciliation, concluding with a quote from Karen Armstrong: We must keep in mind that although humans tend to cling to places – especially so-called holy places – and are willing to shed blood to guard and protect them, God is not limited in this way. God is bigger and greater than all that we humans create for God. We do have a need to sacralize the material – we need things that we can see and touch – but we must remain aware that it is through the Spirit that we worship God. . . . Ultimately, we must build the New Jerusalem here and now. We live today in the midst of empire, and it demands our allegiance at every turn. Because empire can exist only through violence and domination, we must rely on our faith in Jesus the Christ to reject the deceptive nature of empire. When faced with empire, we must remember that the "societies that have lasted the longest in the holy city have, generally, been the ones that were prepared for some kind of tolerance and coexistence in the Holy City. That, rather than a sterile and deadly struggle for sovereignty, must be the way to celebrate Jerusalem's sanctity today." Statistics found in this report related to the Occupation are found in Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, 2008 Annual Report, B'Tselem, the Israeli Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.

this story really captured my imagination ... i just found this so very interesting ... interesting enough to share! 2,000-year-old palm seed germinates Last Updated Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:12:18 EDT copied from: CBC News Israeli scientists say they've succeeded in growing a sapling from what's believed to be the oldest seed ever germinated – a date palm seed 2,000 years old. One of the scientists leading the project said she hopes the ancient DNA from the seed will reveal medicinal secrets that have disappeared from the modern plant. Sarah Sallon, of the Louis Borick Natural Medicine Research Centre in Jerusalem, said on the weekend that her team used seeds from archeological excavations at Masada, the ancient fortress where Jewish rebels committed mass suicide rather than be captured by the Romans in AD 73. Researchers have named the plant Methuselah after the biblical character said to have lived for nearly a millennium. The palm is now 30 centimetres tall, with leaves much longer than the modern date leaf. Sallon and her colleagues sent a leaf for DNA testing, which may reveal clues to the tree's ancient medical applications. DNA results are expected in the coming weeks. "Dates were highly medicinal. They had an enormous amount of use in ancient times for infections, for tumours," Sallon told the Associated Press. "We're researching medicinal plants for all we're worth. We think that ancient medicines of the past can be the medicines of the future." The date palms that grow in Israel today are from a strain originating in Iraq, but were imported from California. Sallon said that before Methuselah, the oldest seed to have been germinated was a 1,200-year-old lotus seed from China.

Feminism and Generational Conflict in Recent German Literature and Film The last two decades have been transformational, often discordant ones for German feminism, as a new cohort of activists has come of age and challenged many of the movement’s strategic and philosophical orthodoxies. Mad Mädchen offers an incisive analysis of these trans-generational debates, identifying the mother-daughter themes and other tropes that have defined their representation in German literature, film, and media. Author Margaret McCarthy investigates female subjectivity as it processes political discourse to define itself through both differences and affinities among women. Ultimately, such a model suggests new ways of re-imagining feminist solidarity across generational, ethnic, and racial lines. Subjects: Gender Studies Media Studies Film Studies Made In Egypt Gendered Identity and Aspiration on the Globalised Shop Floor Chakravarti, L. Z. This ground-breaking ethnography of an export-orientated garment assembly factory in Egypt examines the dynamic relationships between its managers – emergent Mubarak-bizniz (business) elites who are caught in an intensely competitive globalized supply chain – and the local daily-life realities of their young, educated, and mixed-gender labour force. Constructions of power and resistance, as well as individual aspirations and identities, are explored through articulations of class, gender and religion in both management discourses and shop floor practices. Leila Chakravarti’s compelling study also moves beyond the confines of the factory, examining the interplay with the wider world around it. Subjects: Gender Studies General Anthropology Sociology Made in Sheffield An Ethnography of Industrial Work and Politics In 1900, Sheffield was the tenth largest city in the world. Cutlery “made in Sheffield” was used across the globe, and the city built armored plate for the navy in the run-up to the First World War. Today, however, Sheffield’s derelict Victorian shop floors and industrial buildings are hidden behind new leisure developments and shopping centers. Based on an extended period of research in two local steel factories, this book combines a lively, descriptive account with a wide-ranging critique of post-industrial capitalism. Its central argument is that recent government attempts to engineer Britain’s transition to a post-industrial and classless society have instead created volatile post-industrial spaces marked by informal labor, industrial sweatshops and levels of risk and deprivation that divide citizens along lines of gender, age, and class. The author discovers a link between production and reproduction, and demonstrates the centrality of kinship relations, child and female labor, and intra-household exchanges to the economic process of de-industrialization. Paradoxically, government policies have reinvigorated working-class militancy, spawned local industrial clusters and re-embedded the economy in the spatial and social structure of the neighborhood. Subjects: Urban Studies Political Economy Power, State and Camps in Rwanda's Unity-Building Project Since the end of the Rwandan genocide, the new political elite has been challenged with building a unified nation. Reaching beyond the better-studied topics of post-conflict justice and memory, the book investigates the project of civic education, the upsurge of state-led neo-traditional institutions and activities, and the use of camps and retreats shape the “ideal” Rwandan citizen. Rwanda’s ingando camps offer unique insights into the uses of dislocation and liminality in an attempt to anchor identities and desired political roles, to practically orient and symbolically place individuals in the new Rwandan order, and, ultimately, to create additional platforms for the reproduction of political power itself. Making a Difference? Social Assessment Policy and Praxis and its Emergence in China Price, S. & Robinson, K. (eds) Social assessment for projects in China is an important emerging field. This collection of essays — from authors whose formative work has influenced the policies that shape practice in development-affected communities — locates recent Chinese experience of the development of social assessment practices (including in displacement and resettlement) in a historical and comparative perspective. Contributors — social scientists employed by international development banks, national government agencies, and sub-contracting groups — examine projects from a practitioner’s perspective. Real-life experiences are presented as case-specific praxis, theoretically informed insight, and pragmatic lessons-learned, grounded in the history of this field of development practice. They reflect on work where economic determinism reigns supreme, yet project failure or success often hinges upon sociopolitical and cultural factors. Subjects: Development Studies General Anthropology Making Nordic Historiography Connections, Tensions and Methodology, 1850-1970 Haapala, P., Jalava, M., & Larsson, S. (eds) Is there a “Nordic history”? If so, what are its origins, its scope, and its defining features? In this informative volume, scholars from all five Nordic nations tackle a notoriously problematic historical concept. Whether recounting Foucault’s departure from Sweden or tracing the rise of movements such as “aristocratic empiricism,” each contribution takes a deliberately transnational approach that is grounded in careful research, yielding rich, nuanced perspectives on shifting and contested historical terrain. Making Peace with the Earth Twenty-First Century Talks Bindé, J. (ed) The current world situation is fraught with potential future conflicts and calls for global responses. The point needs to be made yet again that sustainable development concerns us all and is a vital prerequisite for effectively combating poverty, since it is the poorest individuals that are most affected by drought and other natural catastrophes looming over the planet. Today, though, we understand that our war on nature is a world war…As part of the current reform of the United Nations system, a wide-ranging debate has now begun concerning the governance of the environment at a world-wide level and the need for better coordination of everybody’s efforts. [from the Preface] Unesco is actively involved in the debate as reflected in this volume that outlines some of the fundamental themes outlined here by prominent thinkers and offered as a forum for discussion. Subjects: Environmental Studies Development Studies Management by Seclusion A Critique of World Bank Promises to End Global Poverty 50 years ago, World Bank President Robert McNamara promised to end poverty. Alleviation was to rely on economic growth, resulting in higher incomes stimulated by Bank loans processed by deskbound Washington staff, trickling down to the poorest. Instead, child poverty and homelessness are on the increase everywhere. In this book, anthropologist and former World Bank Advisor Glynn Cochrane argues that instead of Washington’s “management by seclusion,” poverty alleviation requires personal engagement with the poorest by helpers with hands-on local and cultural skills. Here, the author argues, the insights provided by anthropological fieldwork have a crucial role to play. Subjects: General Anthropology Development Studies How Clientelism, Citizenship, and Power Shape Personhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina Why do people turn to personal connections to get things done? Exploring the role of favors in social welfare systems in postwar, postsocialist Bosnia and Herzegovina, this volume provides a new theoretical angle on links between ambiguity and power. It demonstrates that favors were not an instrumental tactic of survival, nor a way to reproduce oneself as a moral person. Instead, favors enabled the insertion of personal compassion into the heart of the organization of welfare. Managing Ambiguity follows how neoliberal insistence on local community, flexibility, and self-responsibility was translated into clientelist modes of relating and back, and how this fostered a specific mode of power. Managing Northern Europe's Forests Histories from the Age of Improvement to the Age of Ecology Oosthoek, K. J. & Hölzl, R. (eds) Northern Europe was, by many accounts, the birthplace of much of modern forestry practice, and for hundreds of years the region’s woodlands have played an outsize role in international relations, economic growth, and the development of national identity. Across eleven chapters, the contributors to this volume survey the histories of state forestry policy in Scandinavia, the Low Countries, Germany, Poland, and Great Britain from the early modern period to the present. Each explores the complex interrelationships of state-building, resource management, knowledge transfer, and trade over a period characterized by ongoing modernization and evolving environmental awareness. Managing Reproductive Life Cross-Cultural Themes in Fertility and Sexuality Tremayne, S. (ed) Throughout history human societies have sought to manage their reproductive lives to make them fit in with their social, economic and biological conditions. But the different ways communities regulate their fertility, penetrating every aspect of their social life, are so varied and specific that they are often incomprehensible to outsiders. In this book a group of anthropologists set out to throw new light on the dynamics of human reproduction in the world today, looking at the intricate ways that people manage their reproductive life across different cultures, and highlighting the wider meaning of human reproduction and its impact on social organization. The importance of human agency, ethnic boundaries, the regulation of gender relations, issues of fertility and infertility, the significance of children and motherhood and the problems of two large vulnerable social groups, youth and refugees, are all considered in their broader social contexts. Subjects: Medical Anthropology Gender Studies Managing the Unknown Essays on Environmental Ignorance Uekötter, F. & Lübken, U. (eds) Information is crucial when it comes to the management of resources. But what if knowledge is incomplete, or biased, or otherwise deficient? How did people define patterns of proper use in the absence of cognitive certainty? Discussing this challenge for a diverse set of resources from fish to rubber, these essays show that deficient knowledge is a far more pervasive challenge in resource history than conventional readings suggest. Furthermore, environmental ignorance does not inevitably shrink with the march of scientific progress: these essays suggest more of a dialectical relationship between knowledge and ignorance that has different shapes and trajectories. With its combination of empirical case studies and theoretical reflection, the essays make a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary debate on the production and resilience of ignorance. At the same time, this volume combines insights from different continents as well as the seas in between and thus sketches outlines of an emerging global resource history. Subjects: Environmental Studies General History Giuliani, M. & Jones, E. (eds) In 2009 the political and social life of Italy featured high levels of uncertainty. Lackluster economic performance was the most obvious source of anxiety, but Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right coalition also had to contend with a series of sensational revelations about the prime minister’s personal life as well as more troubling divisions within the coalition itself. Meanwhile, the governing coalition faced additional challenges: the European elections, a referendum on electoral reform, and a controversial G-8 summit. The center-left opposition struggled as well: from the resignation of Walter Veltroni to the election of Pier Luigi Bersani, the Partito Democratico had difficulty uniting around a common platform or even a coherent mission. As many of the more salacious stories involving politicians faded from the public eye, debate revolved around the reform of welfare state institutions and administrative practices, while fundamental cleavages over religious values and immigration deepened. The popular mood was unsettled but events calmed markedly in the immediate aftermath of a violent attack on the prime minister, and as the year closed, Italians proved capable of managing the uncertainty that continued to hover over the country. Subject: Postwar History Manufacturing Tibetan Medicine The Creation of an Industry and the Moral Economy of Tibetanness Within a mere decade, hospital pharmacies throughout the Tibetan areas of the People’s Republic of China have been converted into pharmaceutical companies. Confronted with the logic of capital and profit, these companies now produce commodities for a nationwide market. While these developments are depicted as a big success in China, they have also been met with harsh criticism in Tibet. At stake is a fundamental (re-)manufacturing of Tibetan medicine as a system of knowledge and practice. Being important both to the agenda of the Party State’s policies on Tibet and to Tibetan self-understanding, the Tibetan medicine industry has become an arena in which different visions of Tibet’s future clash. Subject: Medical Anthropology The Many Faces of Women in Contemporary Ukraine Rubchak, M. J. (ed) Drawn from various disciplines and a broad spectrum of research interests, these essays reflect on the challenging issues confronting women in Ukraine today. The contributors are an interdisciplinary, transnational group of scholars from gender studies, feminist theory, history, anthropology, sociology, women’s studies, and literature. Among the issues they address are: the impact of migration, education, early socialization of gender roles, the role of the media in perpetuating and shaping negative stereotypes, the gendered nature of language, women and the media, literature by women, and local appropriation of gender and feminist theory. Each author offers a fresh and unique perspective on the current process of survival strategies and postcommunist identity reconstruction among Ukrainian women in their current climate of patriarchalism. Subjects: Gender Studies Sociology A Centenary Tribute James, W. & Allen, N. (eds) Marcel Mauss, successor of Emile Durkheim and one-time teacher of Claude Levi-Strauss, continues to inspire social scientists across various disciplines. Only selected texts of Mauss's work have been translated into English, but of these, some, as for instance his "Essay on the Gift," have proved of key significance for the development of anthropology internationally. Recently and starting in France, the interest in Mauss's work has increased noticeably as witnessed by several reassessments of its relevance to current social theory. This collection of original essays is the first to introduce the English-language reader to the current re-evaluation of his ideas in continental Europe. Themes include the post-structuralist appraisal of "exchange", the anthropology of the body, practical techniques, gesture systems, the notions of substance, materiality, and the social person. There are fresh insights into comparative politics and history, modern forms of charity, and new readings of some political and historical aspects of Mauss's work that bear on the analysis of regions such as Africa and the Middle East, relatively neglected by the Durkheimian school and by structuralism. This volume is a timely tribute to mark the centenary of Mauss' early work and confirms the continuing relevance of his ideas. Marginal At the Center The Life Story of a Public Sociologist A self-proclaimed guerrilla fighter for ideas, Baruch Kimmerling was an outspoken critic, a prolific writer, and a “public” sociologist. While he lived at the center of the Israeli society in which he was involved as both a scientist and a concerned citizen, he nevertheless felt marginal because of his unconventional worldview, his empathy for the oppressed, and his exceptional sense of universal justice, which were at odds with prevailing views. In this autobiography, the author, who was born in Transylvania in 1939 with cerebral palsy, describes how he and his family escaped the Nazis and the circumstances that brought them to Israel, the development of his understanding of Israeli and Palestinian histories, of the narratives each society tells itself, and of the implacable “situation”—along with predictions of some of the most disturbing developments that are taking place right now as well as solutions he hoped were still possible. Kimmerling’s deep concern for Israel's well-being, peace, and success also reveals that he was in effect a devoted Zionist, contrary to the claims of his detractors. He dreamed of a genuinely democratic Israel, a country able to embrace all of its citizens without discrimination and to adopt peace as its most important objective. It is to this dream that this posthumous translation from Hebrew has been dedicated. Subjects: Sociology Jewish Studies Markets and Civil Society The European Experience in Comparative Perspective Perez-Diaz, V. (ed) The nature of the currently emerging European society, which includes the economic and social transformation of Eastern and Central European countries, has been hotly debated. At its center is the relationship between markets and civil society within political and social contexts. The contributors to this volume offer perspectives from various disciplines (the social sciences, conceptual history, law, economics) and from several European countries in order to explore the ways in which markets influence various forms of civil society, such as individual freedom, social cohesion, economic effectiveness and democratic governance, and influence the construction of a civil society in a broader sense. Subject: Political Economy Holocaust Memory in the Global Age Goldberg, A. & Hazan, H. (eds) Talking about the Holocaust has provided an international language for ethics, victimization, political claims, and constructions of collective identity. As part of a worldwide vocabulary, that language helps set the tenor of the era of globalization. This volume addresses manifestations of Holocaust-engendered global discourse by critically examining their function and inherent dilemmas, and the ways in which Holocaust-related matters still instigate public debate and academic deliberation. It contends that the contradiction between the totalizing logic of globalization and the assumed uniqueness of the Holocaust generates continued intellectual and practical discontent. Subjects: Postwar History Genocide Studies Marriage and Its Obstacles in Jewish Law Essays and Responsa Jacob†, W. & Zemer†, M. (eds) THE FREEHOF INSTITUTE OF PROGRESSIVE HALAKHAH The Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakhah is a creative research center devoted to studying and defining the progressive character of the halakhah in accordance with the principles and theology of Reform Judaism. It seeks to establish the ideological basis of Progressive halakhah, and its application to daily life. The Institute fosters serious studies, and helps scholars in various portions of the world to work together for a common cause. It provides an ongoing forum through symposia, and publications including the quarterly newsletter, HalakhaH, published under the editorship of Walter Jacob, in the United States. The foremost halakhic scholars in the Reform, Liberal, and Progressive rabbinate along with some Conservative and Orthodox colleagues as well as university professors serve on our Academic Council. Subjects: Jewish Studies Gender Studies Marxism and Film Activism Screening Alternative Worlds Mazierska, E. & Kristensen, L. (eds) In Theses on Feuerbach, Marx writes, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world differently; the point is to change it.” This collection examines how filmmakers have tried to change the world by engaging in emancipatory politics through their work, and how audiences have received them. It presents a wide spectrum of case studies, covering both film and digital technology, with examples from throughout cinematic history and around the world, including Soviet Russia, Palestine, South America, and France. Discussions range from the classic Marxist cinema of Aleksandr Medvedkin, Chris Marker, and Jean-Luc Godard, to recent media such as 5 Broken Cameras (2010), the phenomena of video-blogging, and bicycle activism films. Subject: Film Studies Understanding Social Thought and Conflict 6, P. & Richards, P. Mary Douglas’s innovative explanations for styles of human thought and for the dynamics of institutional change have furnished a distinctive and powerful theory of how conflicts are managed, yet her work remains astonishingly poorly appreciated in social science disciplines. This volume introduces Douglas’s theories, and outlines the ways in which her work is of continuing importance for the future of the social sciences. Mary Douglas: Understanding Human Thought and Conflict shows how Douglas laid out the agenda for revitalizing social science by reworking Durkheim’s legacy for today, and reviews the growing body of research across the social sciences which has used, tested or developed her approach. Masculinities in Polish, Czech and Slovak Cinema Black Peters and Men of Marble Gender, especially masculinity, is a perspective rarely applied in discourses on cinema of Eastern/Central Europe. Masculinities in Polish, Czech and Slovak Cinema exposes an English-speaking audience to a large proportion of this region’s cinema that previously remained unknown, focusing on the relationship between representation of masculinity and nationality in the films of two and later three countries: Poland, Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The objective of the book is to discuss the main types of men populating Polish, Czech and Slovak films: that of soldier, father, heterosexual and homosexual lover, against a rich political, social and cultural background. Czech, Slovak and Polish cinema appear to provide excellent material for comparison as they were produced in neighbouring countries which for over forty years endured a similar political system – state socialism. Subjects: Film Studies Gender Studies Masks and Staffs Identity Politics in the Cameroon Grassfields The Cameroon Grassfields, home to three ethnic groups – Grassfields societies, Mbororo, and Hausa – provide a valuable case study for the anthropological examination of identity politics and interethnic relations. In the midst of the political liberalization of Cameroon in the late 1990s and 2000s, local responses to political and legal changes took the form of a series of performative and discursive expressions of ethnicity. Confrontational encounters stimulated by economic and political rivalry, as well as socially integrative processes, transformed collective self-understanding in Cameroon in conjunction with recent global discourses on human, minority, and indigenous rights. The book provides a vital contribution to the study of ethnicity, conflict, and social change in the anthropology of Africa. Subject: General Anthropology Mass Communication In Israel Nationalism, Globalization, and Segmentation Mass communication has long been recognized as an important contributor to national identity and nation building. This book examines the relationship between media and nationalism in Israel, arguing that, in comparison to other countries, the Israeli case is unique. It explores the roots and evolution of newspapers, journalism, radio, television, and the debut of the Internet on both the cultural and the institutional levels, and examines milestones in the socio-political development of Hebrew and Israeli mass communication. In evaluating the technological changes in the media, the book shows how such shifts contribute to segmentation and fragmentation in the age of globalization. Subject: Media Studies Mass Media and Historical Change Germany in International Perspective, 1400 to the Present Media influenced politics, culture, and everyday life long before the invention of the Internet. This book shows how the advent of new media has changed societies in modern history, focusing not on the specifics of technology but rather on their distribution, use, and impact. Using Germany as an example for international trends, it compares the advent of printing in Europe and East Asia, and the impact of the press on revolutions, nation building, and wars in North America and Europe. The rise of tabloids and film is discussed as an international phenomenon, as the importance of media during National Socialism is looked at in comparison with Fascist Italy and Spain. Finally, this book offers a precise analysis of media during the Cold War, with divided Germany providing the central case study. Subjects: Media Studies General History Conflict, Emotions, and the Enemy in an Israeli Army Unit Studies of the military that deal with the actual experience of troops in the field are still rare in the social sciences. In fact, this ethnographic study of an elite unit in the Israeli Defense Force is the only one of its kind. As an officer of this unit and a professional anthropologist, the author was ideally positioned for his role as participant observer. During the eight years he spent with his unit he focused primarily on such notions as "conflict", "the enemy", and "soldiering" because they are, he argues, the key points of reference for "what we are" and "what we are trying to do" and form the basis for interpreting the environment within which armies operate. Relying on the latest anthropological approaches to cognitive models and the social constructions of emotion and masculinity, the author offers an in-depth analysis of the dynamics that drive the men's attitudes and behavior, and a rare and fascinating insight into the reality of military life. Material Culture and Embodied Experience among Karenni Refugees in Thailand Focusing on the highly diverse Karenni refugee population living in camps on the Thai-Burma border, this innovative book explores materiality, embodiment, memory, imagination, and identity among refugees, providing new and important ways of understanding how refugees make sense of experience, self, and other. It examines how and to what ends refugees perceive, represent, manipulate, use as metaphor, and otherwise engage with material objects and spaces, and includes a focus on the real and metaphorical journeys that bring about and perpetuate exile. The combined emphasis on both displacement and materiality, and the analysis of the cultural construction and intersections of exilic objects, spaces, and bodies, are unique in the study of both refugees and material culture. Drawing theoretical influences from phenomenology, aesthetics, and beyond, as well as from refugee studies and anthropology, the author addresses the current lack of theoretical analysis of the material, visual, spatial, and embodied aspects of forced migration, providing a fundamentally interlinked analysis of enforced exile and materiality. Motherhood, Welfare and Social Policy in the Twentieth Century Klein, M. van der, Plant, R. J., Sanders, Nichole, & Weintrob L. R. (eds) Beginning in the late 19th century, competing ideas about motherhood had a profound impact on the development and implementation of social welfare policies. Calls for programmes aimed at assisting and directing mothers emanated from all quarters of the globe, advanced by states and voluntary organizations, liberals and conservatives, feminists and anti-feminists – a phenomenon that scholars have since termed ‘maternalism’. This volume reassesses maternalism by providing critical reflections on prior usages of the concept, and by expanding its meaning to encompass geographical areas, political regimes and cultural concerns that scholars have rarely addressed. From Argentina, Brazil and Mexico City to France, Italy, the Netherlands, the Soviet Ukraine, the United States and Canada, these case studies offer fresh theoretical and historical perspectives within a transnational and comparative framework. As a whole, the volume demonstrates how maternalist ideologies have been employed by state actors, reformers and poor clients, with myriad political and social ramifications. Subjects: 20th Century History Gender Studies Matters of Testimony Interpreting the Scrolls of Auschwitz Chare, N. & Williams, D. In 1944, members of the Sonderkommando—the “special squads,” composed almost exclusively of Jewish prisoners, who ensured the smooth operation of the gas chambers and had firsthand knowledge of the extermination process—buried on the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau a series of remarkable eyewitness accounts of Nazi genocide. This careful and penetrating study examines anew these “Scrolls of Auschwitz,” which were gradually recovered, in damaged and fragmentary form, in the years following the camp’s liberation. It painstakingly reconstructs their historical context and textual content, revealing complex literary works that resist narrow moral judgment and engage difficult questions about the limits of testimony. Subjects: Genocide Studies WWII History Jewish Studies Max Liebermann and International Modernism An Artist's Career from Empire to Third Reich Deshmukh, M., Forster-Hahn, F. & Gaehtgens, B. (eds) Although Max Liebermann (1847–1935) began his career as a realist painter depicting scenes of rural labor, Dutch village life, and the countryside, by the turn of the century, his paintings had evolved into colorful images of bourgeois life and leisure that critics associated with French impressionism. During a time of increasing German nationalism, his paintings and cultural politics sparked numerous aesthetic and political controversies. His eminent career and his reputation intersected with the dramatic and violent events of modern German history from the Empire to the Third Reich. The Nazis’ persecution of modern and Jewish artists led to the obliteration of Liebermann from the narratives of modern art, but this volume contributes to the recent wave of scholarly literature that works to recover his role and his oeuvre from an international perspective. Subjects: General History General Cultural Studies Meaning and Representation in History Rüsen, J. (ed) History has always been more than just the past. It involves a relationship between past and present, perceived, on the one hand, as a temporal chain of events and, on the other, symbolically as an interpretation that gives meaning to these events through varying cultural orientations, charging it with norms and values, hopes and fears. And it is memory that links the present to the past and therefore has to be seen as the most fundamental procedure of the human mind that constitutes history: memory and historical thinking are the door of the human mind to experience. At the same time, it transforms the past into a meaningful and sense bearing part of the present and beyond. It is these complex interrelationships that are the focus of the contributors to this volume, among them such distinguished scholars as Paul Ricoeur, Johan Galtung, Eberhard Lämmert, and James E. Young. Full of profound insights into human society pat and present it is a book that not only historians but also philosophers and social scientists should engage with. Subject: General History Bicultural Nationhood, the Free Market, and Schooling in Aotearoa/New Zealand Doerr, N. M. School differentiates students-and provides differential access to various human and material resources-along a range of axes: from elected subjects and academic "achievement" to ethnicity, age, gender, or the language they speak. These categorizations, affected throughout the world by neoliberal reforms that prioritize market forces in transforming educational institutions, are especially stark in societies that recognize their bi- or multicultural makeup through bilingual education. A small town in Aotearoa/New Zealand, with its contemporary shift toward official biculturalism and extensive free-marketization of schooling, is a prime example. Set in the microcosm of a secondary school with a bilingual program, this important volume closely examines not only the implications of categorizing individuals in ethnic terms in their everyday life but also the shapes and meaning of education within the discourse of academic achievement. It is an essential resource for those interested in bilingual education and its effects on the formations of subjectivities, ethnic relations, and nationhood. Subjects: Educational Studies General Anthropology Media and Nation Building How the Iban became Malaysian With the end of the Cold War and the proliferation of civil wars and "regime changes," the question of nation building has acquired great practical and theoretical urgency. From Eastern Europe to East Timor, Afghanistan and recently Iraq, the United States and its allies have often been accused of shirking their nation-building responsibilities as their attention — and that of the media -- turned to yet another regional crisis. While much has been written about the growing influence of television and the Internet on modern warfare, little is known about the relationship between media and nation building. This book explores, for the first time, this relationship by means of a paradigmatic case of successful nation building: Malaysia. Based on extended fieldwork and historical research, the author follows the diffusion, adoption, and social uses of media among the Iban of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo and demonstrates the wide-ranging process of nation building that has accompanied the Iban adoption of radio, clocks, print media, and television. In less than four decades, Iban longhouses ('villages under one roof') have become media organizations shaped by the official ideology of Malaysia, a country hastily formed in 1963 by conjoining four disparate territories. Subjects: Media Studies General Anthropology Media and Revolt Strategies and Performances from the 1960s to the Present Fahlenbrach, K., Sivertsen, E. & Werenskjold, R. (eds) In what ways have social movements attracted the attention of the mass media since the sixties? How have activists influenced public attention via visual symbols, images, and protest performances in that period? And how do mass media cover and frame specific protest issues? Drawing on contributions from media scholars, historians, and sociologists, this volume explores the dynamic interplay between social movements, activists, and mass media from the 1960s to the present. It introduces the most relevant theoretical approaches to such issues and offers a variety of case studies ranging from print media, film, and television to Internet and social media. Subjects: Postwar History Media Studies Media, Anthropology and Public Engagement Pink, S. & Abram, S. (eds) Contemporary anthropology is done in a world where social and digital media are playing an increasingly significant role, where anthropological and arts practices are often intertwined in museum and public intervention contexts, and where anthropologists are encouraged to engage with mass media. Because anthropologists are often expected and inspired to ensure their work engages with public issues, these opportunities to disseminate work in new ways and to new publics simultaneously create challenges as anthropologists move their practice into unfamiliar collaborative domains and expose their research to new forms of scrutiny. In this volume, contributors question whether a fresh public anthropology is emerging through these new practices. Subjects: Applied Anthropology Media Studies New Media, Mass Communications, and the European Public Sphere Harrison, J. & Wessels, B. (eds) The on-going constitutionalization of Europe has led to various changes in media and communications, opening up areas of debate regarding the role of traditional and new media in developing a specific European public sphere as part of the wider European Project. This timely volume addresses the little understood relationship between old and new media, communications policy at the European level, issues of regulation and competition within the EU, the role of the European Parliament in media policymaking, and the questions emerging about the sustainability of traditional public service broadcasting. To understand the concrete significance of these debates two contributions address specific practical areas, i.e. the potential of online environments and specific developments in European media contexts, such as channel strategies, web-related services, iDTV and community networks. Consequently, Mediating Europe provides an original and important contribution to understanding the role of the media in shaping a European public sphere. Subjects: Media Studies Healing, Well Being and Personhood Maynard†, K. (ed) Illness and misfortune more broadly are ubiquitous; thus, healing roles or professions are also universal. Ironically, however, little attention has been paid to those who heal or promote wellbeing. These come in many different guises: in some societies, healing is highly professional and specialized; in some cases, it is more preventative, in others more interventionist. Based on rich and wide-ranging ethnographic data and especially written for this volume, these essays look at how a great variety of health providers are perceived – from traditional healers to physicians, from diviners to nursing home providers. Conversely, the authors also ask how healers, or those concerned with wider matters of well being, view themselves and to what degree social attitudes differ in regard to who these people are, as well as their power, prestige and activities. As these essays demonstrate, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or state policy may all play formative roles in shaping the definition of health and wellbeing, how they are delivered, and the character and prestige of those who provide for our health and welfare in society. Subjects: Medical Anthropology Sociology A Historical Anthropology of Kingship in East and Central Africa As soon as Europeans set foot on African soil, they looked for the equivalents of their kings – and found them. The resulting misunderstandings last until this day. Based on ethnography-driven regional comparison and a critical re-examination of classic monographs on some forty cultural groups, this volume makes the arresting claim that across equatorial Africa the model of rule has been medicine – and not the colonizer’s despotic administrator, the missionary’s divine king, or Vansina’s big man. In a wide area populated by speakers of Bantu and other languages of the Niger-Congo cluster, both cult and dynastic clan draw on the fertility shrine, rainmaking charm and drum they inherit. Subjects: General Anthropology Colonialism Medicine and Medical Ethics in Nazi Germany Origins, Practices, Legacies Nicosia, F.R. & Huener, J. (eds) The participation of German physicians in medical experiments on innocent people and mass murder is one of the most disturbing aspects of the Nazi era and the Holocaust. Six distinguished historians working in this field are addressing the critical issues raised by these murderous experiments, such as the place of the Holocaust in the larger context of eugenic and racial research, the motivation and roles of the German medical establishment, and the impact and legacy of the eugenics movements and Nazi medical practice on physicians and medicine since World War II. Based on the authors' original scholarship, these essays offer an excellent and very accessible introduction to an important and controversial subject. They are also particularly relevant in light of current controversies over the nature and application of research in human genetics and biotechnology. Subjects: WWII History Genocide Studies Medicine Between Science and Religion Explorations on Tibetan Grounds Adams, V., Schrempf, M. & Craig, S. R. (ed) There is a growing interest in studies that document the relationship between science and medicine - as ideas, practices, technologies and outcomes - across cultural, national, geographic terrain. Tibetan medicine is not only known as a scholarly medical tradition among other Asian medical systems, with many centuries of technological, clinical, and pharmacological innovation; it also survives today as a complex medical resource across many Asian nations - from India and Bhutan to Mongolia, Tibet (TAR) and China, Buryatia - as well as in Western Europe and the Americas. The contributions to this volume explore, in equal measure, the impacts of western science and biomedicine on Tibetan grounds - i.e., among Tibetans across China, the Himalaya and exile communities as well as in relation to globalized Tibetan medicine - and the ways that local practices change how such “science” gets done, and how this continually hybridized medical knowledge is transmitted and put into practice. As such, this volume contributes to explorations into the bi-directional flows of medical knowledge and practice. Subjects: Medical Anthropology Religion Negotiating the Self, Narrative, and Modernity In a series of epic self-narratives ranging from traditional cultural embodiments to picaresque adventures, Christian epiphanies and a host of interactive strategies and techniques for living, Kewa Highlanders (PNG) attempt to shape and control their selves and their relentlessly changing world. This lively account transcends ethnographic particularity and offers a wide-reaching perspective on the nature of being human. Inverting the analytic logic of her previous work, which sought to uncover what social structures concealed, Josephides focuses instead on the cultural understandings that people make explicit in their actions and speech. Using approaches from philosophy and anthropology, she examines elicitation (how people create their selves and their worlds in the act of making explicit) and mimesis (how anthropologists produce ethnographies), to arrive at an unexpected conclusion: that knowledge of self and other alike derives from self-externalization rather than self-introspection. Subject: General Anthropology Memoirs of a Mbororo The Life of Ndudi Umaru: Fulani Nomad of Cameroon This remarkable book recounts the life of Ndudi Umaru, a pastoral nomadic Fulani, who was born in the Nigeria-Cameroon border zone, but spent most of his life in Cameroon where he was treated for leprosy. Left to his own devices at an early age—his illness having separated him from his kith and kin—Ndudi is befriended by Père Boquené, a French missionary who takes him on as a field assistant. Working closely with the young man, Père Boquené realizes Ndudi is a keen observer of his own pastoral society, with its links to a wider social setting, and suggests he record his observations on tape. The result is a rare and sensitive collaboration, which sheds new insight into the world of the Mbororo and the complex and ever-changing social mosaic of West African savanna societies. Ndudi's leprosy and his efforts to find a cure grant him the necessary perspective to analyze this complex world, while still remaining a part of it. For the western public, the Mbororo have often been the photogenic subjects of "Disappearing World" documentaries or glossy coffee table books. However, this account renders "the exotic" comprehensible, preserving the cultural authenticity of Ndudi's story while making this unique world more accessible to outsiders. Subjects: General Anthropology Colonialism Memorializing the GDR Monuments and Memory after 1989 Since unification, eastern Germany has witnessed a rapidly changing memorial landscape, as the fate of former socialist monuments has been hotly debated and new commemorative projects have met with fierce controversy. Memorializing the GDR provides the first in-depth study of this contested arena of public memory, investigating the individuals and groups devoted to the creation or destruction of memorials as well as their broader aesthetic, political, and historical contexts. Emphasizing the interrelationship of built environment, memory and identity, it brings to light the conflicting memories of recent German history, as well as the nuances of national and regional constructions of identity. Subject: Postwar History Memory and Amnesia The Role of the Spanish Civil War in the Transition to Democracy Using a rich variety of sources such as official newsreels, school textbooks, the work of contemporary historians, memoirs, official documents, legislation, and monuments, this book explores how the historical memory of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) influenced the transition to democracy in Spain after Franco's death in 1975. The author traces the development of official discourse on the War throughout the Franco period and describes the régime's attempts to achieve political legitimacy. Although there was no universal consensus regarding the events of the Civil War, general agreement did exist concerning the main lesson which should be drawn from it: never again should Spaniards become embroiled in a fratricidal conflict. Subject: 20th Century History Memory and Change in Europe Pakier, M. & Wawrzyniak, J. (eds) In studies of a common European past, there is a significant lack of scholarship on the former Eastern Bloc countries. While understanding the importance of shifting the focus of European memory eastward, contributors to this volume avoid the trap of Eastern European exceptionalism, an assumption that this region’s experiences are too unique to render them comparable to the rest of Europe. They offer a reflection on memory from an Eastern European historical perspective, one that can be measured against, or applied to, historical experience in other parts of Europe. In this way, the authors situate studies on memory in Eastern Europe within the broader debate on European memory. Subjects: General History Sociology Tracing the Dynamics of Memory Studies Bond, L., Craps, S., & Vermeulen, P. (eds) Though still a relatively young field, memory studies has undergone significant transformations since it first coalesced as an area of inquiry. Increasingly, scholars understand memory to be a fluid, dynamic, unbound phenomenon—a process rather than a reified object. Embodying just such an elastic approach, this state-of-the-field collection systematically explores the transcultural, transgenerational, transmedial, and transdisciplinary dimensions of memory—four key dynamics that have sometimes been studied in isolation but never in such an integrated manner. Memory Unbound places leading researchers in conversation with emerging voices in the field to recast our understanding of memory’s distinctive variability. Subjects: General History General Cultural Studies Crisis, Race, and Nation-State in a Postcolonial World Loftsdóttir, K., Smith, A. L., & Hipfl, B. (eds) Using the economic crisis as a starting point, Messy Europe offers a critical new look at the issues of race, gender, and national understandings of self and other in contemporary Europe. It highlights and challenges historical associations of Europe with whiteness and modern civilization, and asks how these associations are re-envisioned, re-inscribed, or contested in an era characterized by crises of different kinds. This important collection provides a nuanced exploration of how racialized identities in various European regions are played out in the crisis context, and asks what work “crisis talk” does, considering how it motivates public feelings and shapes bodies, boundaries and communities. Everyday Machines in Colonial Sri Lanka Everyday life in the Crown colony of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was characterized by a direct encounter of people with modernity through the consumption and use of foreign machines – in particular, the Singer sewing machine, but also the gramophone, tramway, bicycle and varieties of industrial equipment. The ‘metallic modern’ of the 19th and early 20th century Ceylon encompassed multiple worlds of belonging and imagination; and enabled diverse conceptions of time to coexist through encounters with Siam, the United States and Japan as well as a new conception of urban space in Colombo. Metallic Modern describes the modern as it was lived and experienced by non-elite groups – tailors, seamstresses, shopkeepers, workers – and suggests that their idea of the modern was nurtured by a changing material world. Metaphors of Spain Representations of Spanish National Identity in the Twentieth Century Moreno-Luzón, J. & Núñez Seixas, X. M. (eds) The history of twentieth-century Spanish nationalism is a complex one, placing a set of famously distinctive regional identities against a backdrop of religious conflict, separatist tensions, and the autocratic rule of Francisco Franco. And despite the undeniably political character of that story, cultural history can also provide essential insights into the subject. Metaphors of Spain brings together leading historians to examine Spanish nationalism through its diverse and complementary cultural artifacts, from “formal” representations such as the flag to music, bullfighting, and other more diffuse examples. Together they describe not a Spanish national “essence,” but a nationalism that is constantly evolving and accommodates multiple interpretations. Subject: 20th Century History Methodologies of Mobility Ethnography and Experiment Elliot, A., Norum, R., & Salazar, N. B. (eds) Research into mobility is an exciting challenge for the social sciences that raises novel social, cultural, spatial and ethical questions. At the heart of these empirical and theoretical complexities lies the question of methodology: how can we best capture and understand a planet in flux? Methodologies of Mobility speaks beyond disciplinary boundaries to the methodological challenges and possibilities of engaging with a world on the move. With scholars continuing to face different forms and scales of mobility, this volume strategically traces innovative ways of designing, applying and reflecting on both established and cutting-edge methodologies of mobility. Michael Haneke's Cinema The Ethic of the Image Existing critical traditions fail to fully account for the impact of Austrian director, and 2009 Cannes Palm d'Or winner, Michael Haneke’s films, situated as they are between intellectual projects and popular entertainments. In this first English-language introduction to, and critical analysis of, his work, each of Haneke’s eight feature films are considered in detail. Particular attention is given to what the author terms Michael Haneke’s ‘ethical cinema’ and the unique impact of these films upon their audiences. Drawing on the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Stanley Cavell, Catherine Wheatley, introduces a new way of marrying film and moral philosophy, which explicitly examines the ethics of the film viewing experience. Haneke’s films offer the viewer great freedom whilst simultaneously imposing a considerable burden of responsibility. How Haneke achieves this break with more conventional spectatorship models, and what its far-reaching implications are for film theory in general, constitute the principal subject of this book. Subject: Film Studies Microhistories of the Holocaust Zalc, C. & Bruttmann, T. (eds) How does scale affect our understanding of the Holocaust? In the vastness of its implementation and the sheer amount of death and suffering it produced, the genocide of Europe’s Jews presents special challenges for historians, who have responded with work ranging in scope from the world-historical to the intimate. In particular, recent scholarship has demonstrated a willingness to study the Holocaust at scales as focused as a single neighborhood, family, or perpetrator. This volume brings together an international cast of scholars to reflect on the ongoing microhistorical turn in Holocaust studies, assessing its historiographical pitfalls as well as the distinctive opportunities it affords researchers. Subjects: Genocide Studies WWII History Jewish Studies Migrants, Refugees, and Foreign Policy U.S. and German Policies Toward Countries of Origin Münz, R. & Weiner† , M. (eds) Foreign policies have always played an important role in the movements of migrants. A number of essays in this volume show how the foreign policies of the United States and Germany have directly or inadvertently contributed to the influx from the former Yugoslavia, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the former Soviet Union. Now being faced with growing resistance to admit foreigners into their countries, both governments have once again been using foreign-policy instruments in an effort to change the conditions in the refugees' countries of origin which forced people to leave. This volume addresses questions such as which policies can influence governments to improve their human rights, protect minorities, end internal strife, reduce the level of violence, or improve economic conditions so that large numbers of people need not leave their homes. Subjects: Refugee & Migration Studies Migration by Boat Discourses of Trauma, Exclusion and Survival Mannik, L. (ed) At a time when thousands of refugees risk their lives undertaking perilous journeys by boat across the Mediterranean, this multidisciplinary volume could not be more pertinent. It offers various contemporary case studies of boat migrations undertaken by asylum seekers and refugees around the globe and shows that boats not only move people and cultural capital between places, but also fuel cultural fantasies, dreams of adventure and hope, along with fears of invasion and terrorism. The ambiguous nature of memories, media representations and popular culture productions are highlighted throughout in order to address negative stereotypes and conversely, humanize the individuals involved. Migration Control in the North-atlantic World The Evolution of State Practices in Europe and the United States from the French Revolution to the Inter-War Period Fahrmeir, A., Faron, O. & Weil, P. (eds) The migration movements of the 20th century have led to an increased interest in similarly dramatic population changes in the preceding century. The contributors to this volume - legal scholars, sociologists, political scientist and historians - focus on migration control in the 19th century, concentrating on three areas in particular: the impact of the French Revolution on the development of modern citizenship laws and on the development of new forms of migration control in France and elsewhere; the theory and practice of migration control in various European states is examined, focusing on the control of paupers, emigrants and "ordinary" travelers as well as on the interrelationship between the different administrative levels - local, regional and national - at which migration control was exercised. Finally, on the development of migration control in two countries of immigration: the United States and France. Taken altogether, these essays demonstrate conclusively that the image of the 19th century as a liberal era during which migration was unaffected by state intervention is untenable and in serious need of revision. Subjects: Refugee & Migration Studies Archaeology Migration Past, Migration Future Germany and the United States Bade, K. J. & Weiner, M. (eds) The United States is an immigrant country. Germany is not. This volume shatters this widely held myth and reveals the remarkable similarities (as well as the differences) between the two countries. Essays by leading German and American historians and demographers describe how these two countries have become to have the largest number of immigrants among advanced industrial countries, how their conceptions of citizenship and nationality differ, and how their ethnic compositions are likely to be transformed in the next century as a consequence ofmigration, fertility trends, citizenship and naturalization laws, and public attitudes. Subjects: Refugee & Migration Studies Migration Without Borders Essays on the Free Movement of People Pécoud, A. & Guchteneire, P. de (eds) International migration is high on the public and political agenda of many countries, as the movement of people raises concerns while often eluding states’ attempts at regulation. In this context, the ‘Migration Without Borders’ scenario challenges conventional views on the need to control and restrict migration flows and brings a fresh perspective to contemporary debates. This book explores the analytical issues raised by ‘open borders’, in terms of ethics, human rights, economic development, politics, social cohesion and welfare, and provides in-depth empirical investigations of how free movement is addressed and governed in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia. By introducing and discussing the possibility of a right to mobility, it calls for an opening, not only of national borders, but also of the eyes and minds of all those interested in the future of international migration in a globalising world. Migration, Development, and Transnationalization A Critical Stance Glick Schiller, N. & Faist, T. (eds) The relationship between migration and development is becoming an important field of study, yet the fundamentals – analytical tools, conceptual framework, political stance – are not being called into question or dialogue. This volume provides a valuable alternative perspective to the current literature as the contributors explore the contradictory discourses about migration and the role these discourses play in perpetuating inequality and a global regime of militarized surveillance. The assumptions surrounding the assymetrical transfers of resources that accompany migration are deeply skewed and continue to reflect the interests of the most powerful states and the institutions that serve their interests. Those who seek to address the morass of development failure, vitriolic attacks on immigrants, or sanguine views about migrant agency are challenged by this volume to put aside their methodological nationalism and pursue alternative pathways out of the quagmire of poverty, violence, and fear that is enveloping the globe. Migration, Memory, and Diversity Germany from 1945 to the Present Wilhelm, C. (ed) Within Germany, policies and cultural attitudes toward migrants have been profoundly shaped by the difficult legacies of the Second World War and its aftermath. This wide-ranging volume explores the complex history of migration and diversity in Germany from 1945 to today, showing how conceptions of “otherness” developed while memories of the Nazi era were still fresh, and identifying the continuities and transformations they exhibited through the Cold War and reunification. It provides invaluable context for understanding contemporary Germany’s unique role within regional politics at a time when an unprecedented influx of immigrants and refugees present the European community with a significant challenge. Subjects: Postwar History Refugee & Migration Studies Migration, Settlement and Belonging in Europe, 1500-1930s King, S. & Winter, A. (eds) The issues around settlement, belonging, and poor relief have for too long been understood largely from the perspective of England and Wales. This volume offers a pan-European survey that encompasses Switzerland, Prussia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Britain. It explores how the conception of belonging changed over time and space from the 1500s onwards, how communities dealt with the welfare expectations of an increasingly mobile population that migrated both within and between states, the welfare rights that were attached to those who “belonged,” and how ordinary people secured access to welfare resources. What emerged was a sophisticated European settlement system, which on the one hand structured itself to limit the claims of the poor, and yet on the other was peculiarly sensitive to their demands and negotiations. Subjects: Refugee & Migration Studies General History Migrations in the German Lands, 1500-2000 Coy, J., Poley, J., & Schunka, A. (eds) Migration to, from, and within German-speaking lands has been a dynamic force in Central European history for centuries. Exemplifying some of the most exciting recent research on historical mobility, the essays collected here reconstruct the experiences of vagrants, laborers, religious exiles, refugees, and other migrants during the last five hundred years of German history. With diverse contributions ranging from early modern martyrdom to post–Cold War commemoration efforts, this volume identifies revealing commonalities shared by different eras while also placing the German case within the broader contexts of European and global migration. Militant Around the Clock? Left-Wing Youth Politics, Leisure, and Sexuality in Post-Dictatorship Greece, 1974-1981 During the 1970s, left-wing youth militancy in Greece intensified, especially after the collapse of the military dictatorship in 1974. This is the first study of the impact of that political activism on the leisure pursuits and sexual behavior of Greek youth, analyzing the cultural politics of left-wing organizations alongside the actual practices of their members. Through an examination of Maoists, Socialists, Euro-Communists, and pro-Soviet groups, it demonstrates that left-wing youth in Greece collaborated closely with comrades from both Western and Eastern European countries in developing their political stances. Moreover, young left-wingers in Greece appropriated American cultural products while simultaneously modeling some of their leisure and sexual practices on Soviet society. Still, despite being heavily influenced by cultures outside Greece, left-wing youth played a major role in the reinvention of a Greek “popular tradition.” This book critically interrogates the notion of “sexual revolution” by shedding light on the contradictory sexual transformations in Greece to which young left-wingers contributed. Subject: 20th Century History Attachment Parenting and Intensive Motherhood in the UK and France Following networks of mothers in London and Paris, the author profiles the narratives of women who breastfeed their children to full term, typically a period of several years, as part of an 'attachment parenting' philosophy. These mothers talk about their decision to continue breastfeeding as 'the natural thing to do': 'evolutionarily appropriate', 'scientifically best' and 'what feels right in their hearts'. Through a theoretical focus on knowledge claims and accountability, the author frames these accounts within a wider context of 'intensive parenting', arguing that parenting practices – infant feeding in particular – have become a highly moralized affair for mothers, practices which they feel are a critical aspect of their 'identity work'. The book investigates why, how and with what implications some of these mothers describe themselves as 'militant lactivists' and reflects on wider parenting culture in the UK and France. Discussing gender, feminism and activism, this study contributes to kinship and family studies by exploring how relatedness is enacted in conjunction to constructions of the self. Subjects: Medical Anthropology Gender Studies Mimesis and Pacific Transcultural Encounters Making Likenesses in Time, Trade, and Ritual Reconfigurations Mageo, J. & Hermann, E. (eds) How do images circulating in Pacific cultures and exchanged between them and their many visitors transform meanings for all involved? This fascinating collection explores how through mimesis, wayfarers and locales alike borrow images from one another to expand their cultural repertoire of meanings or borrow images from their own past to validate their identities. Subjects: General Anthropology General Cultural Studies Miners and the State in the Ottoman Empire The Zonguldak Coalfield, 1822-1920 The story of the miners of Zonguldak presents a particularly graphic local lens through which to examine questions that have been of major concern to historians—most prominently, the development of the state, the emergence of capitalism, and the role of the working classes in these large processes. This book examines such major issues through the actual experiences of coal miners in the Ottoman Empire. The encounters of mine workers with state mining officials and private mine operators do not follow the expected patterns of labor-state-capital relations as predicted by the major explanatory paradigms of modernization or dependency. Indeed, as the author clearly shows, few of the outcomes are as predicted. The fate of these miners has much to offer both Ottoman and Middle East specialists as well as scholars of the developing world and, more generally, those interested in the connections between economic development and social and political change. Mirrors of Passing Unlocking the Mysteries of Death, Materiality, and Time Seebach, S. & Willerslev, R. (eds) Without exception, all people are faced with the inevitability of death, a stark fact that has immeasurably shaped societies and individual consciousness for the whole of human history. Mirrors of Passing offers a powerful window into this oldest of human preoccupations by investigating the interrelationships of death, materiality, and temporality across far-flung times and places. Stretching as far back as Ancient Egypt and Greece and moving through present-day locales as diverse as Western Europe, Central Asia, and the Arctic, each of the richly illustrated essays collected here draw on a range of disciplinary insights to explore some of the most fundamental, universal questions that confront us. Between Europe and Germany Katzenstein, P. (ed) German unification and the political and economic transformations in central Europe signal profound political changes that pose many questions. Will post-Communism push ahead with the task of institutionalizing a democratic capitalism? How will that process be aided or disrupted by international developments in the East and West? And how will central Europe relate to united Germany? Based on original field research this book offers, through more than a dozen case studies, a cautiously optimistic set of answers to these questions. The end of the Cold War and German unification, the empirical evidence indicates, are not returning Germany and central Europe to historically troubled, imbalanced, bilateral relationships. Rather changes in the character of German and European politics as well as the transformations now affecting Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia point to the emergence of multilateral relationships linking Germany and central Europe in an internationalizing, democratic Europe. Subject: Postwar History Mitterrand, the End of the Cold War, and German Unification Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, this important book explores the role of France in the events leading up to the end of the Cold War and German unification. Most accounts concentrate on the role of the United States and look at these events through the bipolar prism of Soviet-American relations. Yet because of its central position in Europe and of its status as Germany’s foremost European partner, France and its President, François Mitterrand, played a decisive role in these pivotal international events: the peaceful liberation of Eastern Europe from Soviet rule starting in 1988, the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany’s return to unity and full sovereignty in 1989/90, and the breakup of the USSR in 1991. Based on extensive research and a vast amount of archival sources, this book explores the role played by France in shaping a new European order. Subject: Postwar History Transgressive Unions in Germany from the Reformation to the Enlightenment Luebke, D. M. & Lindemann, M. (eds) The significant changes in early modern German marriage practices included many unions that violated some taboo. That taboo could be theological and involve the marriage of monks and nuns, or refer to social misalliances as when commoners and princes (or princesses) wed. Equally transgressive were unions that crossed religious boundaries, such as marriages between Catholics and Protestants, those that violated ethnic or racial barriers, and those that broke kin-related rules. Taking as a point of departure Martin Luther’s redefinition of marriage, the contributors to this volume spin out the multiple ways that the Reformers’ attempts to simplify and clarify marriage affected education, philosophy, literature, high politics, diplomacy, and law. Ranging from the Reformation, through the ages of confessionalization, to the Enlightenment, Mixed Matches addresses the historical complexity of the socio-cultural institution of marriage. Subject: Early Modern History Mobility and Migration in Indigenous Amazonia Contemporary Ethnoecological Perspectives Alexiades, M. N. (ed) Contrary to ingrained academic and public assumptions, wherein indigenous lowland South American societies are viewed as the product of historical emplacement and spatial stasis, there is widespread evidence to suggest that migration and displacement have been the norm, and not the exception. This original and thought-provoking collection of case studies examines some of the ways in which migration, and the concomitant processes of ecological and social change, have shaped and continue to shape human-environment relations in Amazonia. Drawing on a wide range of historical time frames (from pre-conquest times to the present) and ethnographic contexts, different chapters examine the complex and important links between migration and the classification, management, and domestication of plants and landscapes, as well as the incorporation and transformation of environmental knowledge, practices, ideologies and identities. Modalities of Change The Interface of Tradition and Modernity in East Asia Wilkerson, J. & Parkin, R. (eds) While in some cases modernity may dominate 'traditional' forms of expression, in others, the modern is embraced as a welcome source of new ideas that can modify 'tradition' while still keeping it within its own bounds. Maintaining a strong and distinct cultural identity with the help of modernity helps representatives of that identity cope with the modern world more generally. By contrast, assimilation to a dominant culture marked as modern is clearly associated with not only the loss of a distinct identity, but also its specific forms of cultural expression. This book explores the consequences of the interface between modernity and tradition in selected societies in Taiwan, mainland China and Vietnam. The contributors examine how traditions are themselves exploiting modernity in creative ways, in the interests of their own further cultural developments, and to what extent this approach is likely to help a tradition survive. Subject: General Anthropology Models and Mirrors Towards an Anthropology of Public Events Ritual is one of the most discussed cultural practices, yet its treatment in anthropological terms has been seriously limited, characterized by a host of narrow conceptual distinctions. One major reason for this situation has been the prevalence of positivist anthropologies that have viewed and summarized ritual occasions first and foremost in terms of their declared and assumed functions. By contrast, this book, which has become a classic, investigates them as epistemological phenomena in their own right. Comparing public events - a domain which includes ritual and related occasions - the author argues that any public event must first be comprehended through the logic of its design. It is the logic of organization of an occasion which establishes in large measure what that occasion is able to do in relation to the world within which it is created and practiced. Prostituting Children in Thailand Child prostitution became one of the key concerns of the international community in the 1990s. World congresses were held, international and national laws were changed and concern over "cemmercially sexually exploited children" rose dramatically. Rarely, however, were the children who worked as prostitutes consulted of questioned in this process, and the voices of these children brought into focus. This book is the first to address the children directly, to examine their daily lives, their motivations and their perceptions of what they do. Based on 15 months of fieldwork in a Thai tourist community that survived through child prostitution, this book draws on anthropological theories on childhood and kinship to contextualize the experiences of this group of Thai child prostitutes and to contrast these with the stereotypes held of them by those outside their community. Subject: Medical Anthropology Modern Crises and Traditional Strategies Local Ecological Knowledge in Island Southeast Asia Ellen, R. (ed) The 1990s have seen a growing interest in the role of local ecological knowledge in the context of sustainable development, and particularly in providing a set of responses to which populations may resort in times of political, economic and environmental instability. The period 1996-2003 in island southeast Asia represents a critical test case for understanding how this might work. The key issues explored in this book are the creation, erosion and transmission of ecological knowledge, and hybridization between traditional and scientifically-based knowledge, amongst populations facing environmental stress (e.g. 1997 El Niño), political conflict and economic hazards. The book will also evaluate positive examples of how traditional knowledge has enabled local populations to cope with these kinds of insecurity. Modern Germany in Transatlantic Perspective Meng, M. & Seipp, A. R. (eds) Bringing together incisive contributions from an international group of colleagues and former students, Modern Germany in Transatlantic Perspective takes stock of the field of German history as exemplified by the extraordinary scholarly career of Konrad H. Jarausch. Through fascinating reflections on the discipline’s theoretical, professional, and methodological dimensions, it explores Jarausch’s monumental work as a teacher and a builder of scholarly institutions. In this way, it provides not merely a look back at the last fifty years of German history, but a path forward as new ideas and methods infuse the study of Germany’s past. Subjects: 20th Century History WWII History Postwar History Modernity and Secession The Social Sciences and the Political Discourse of the lega nord in Italy The northern Italian, ‘Padanian’ identity, fostered by the Lega Nord, is rooted in the long-standing tradition, in political and scholarly discourse, of casting regional differences within Italy in terms of a North-South geographic divide. Trying to come to terms, in the late 1980s and 1990s, with Italy’s (real or presumed) inadequacies – such as inefficient government, corruption, and organized crime – this imagined geography acquired political centrality in that the North became associated with the virtues of modernity and the South with the vices of un-modernity. It was not only politicians but also social scientists, who fostered and perpetuated this conceptualization of the North-South divide, thus imposing a normative hierarchy between the two parts of the country. In response to this discourse many scholars, both in Italy and abroad, have started to question this perception of the South as a “backward” and implicitly inferior society. Starting from this critical tradition, Michel Huysseune provides a new, systematic, and interdisciplinary approach that re-interprets the premises behind Italy’s imagined geography of modernity. He moves beyond an understanding of the South as a “backward” and implicitly inferior society and problematizes normative notions of modernity, thus offering a new perspective on the North-South divide, which has a significance well beyond the case of Italy. Subjects: Peace & Conflict Studies Sociology The Politics of Franz Josef Strauss and the CSU, 1949-1969 In 1949 Bavaria was not only the largest and best known but also the poorest, most agricultural, and most industrially backward region of Germany. It was further its most politically conservative region. The largest political party in Bavaria was the Christian Social Union (CSU), an extremely conservative, even reactionary, regional party. In the ensuing twenty years, the leaders of the CSU's small liberal wing (in particular Franz Josef Strauss, long-time party chair and the most colorful and polarizing politician in postwar Germany) broke with the anti-industrial traditions of Bavarian Catholic politics and made themselves useful to industry. With tactical brilliance the politicians pursued their individual political ambitions, rather than a coherent modernization strategy, which, by 1969, had turned Bavaria into a prosperous Land, the center of Germany's new aerospace, defense, and energy industries, with a disproportionate share of its research institutes. Subjects: Economic History Postwar History Anthropological Musings on the Meanings of Travel Salazar, N. B. Grounded in scholarly analysis and personal reflection, and drawing on a multi-sited and multi-method research design, Momentous Mobilities disentangles the meanings attached to temporary travels and stays abroad and offers empirical evidence as well as novel theoretical arguments to develop an anthropology of mobility. Both focusing specifically on how various societies and cultures imagine and value boundary-crossing mobilities “elsewhere” and drawing heavily on his own European lifeworld, the author examines momentous travels abroad in the context of education, work, and spiritual quests and the search for a better quality of life. Monetising the Dividual Self The Emergence of the Lifestyle Blog and Microcelebrity in Malaysia Combining theoretical and empirical discussions with shorter “thick description” case studies, this book offers an anthropological exploration of the emergence in Malaysia of lifestyle bloggers – precursors to current social media “microcelebrities” and “influencers.” It tracks the transformation of personal blogs, which attracted readers with spontaneous and authentic accounts of everyday life, into lifestyle blogs that generate income through advertising and foreground consumerist lifestyles. It argues that lifestyle blogs are dialogically constituted between the blogger, the readers, and the blog itself, and challenges the assumption of a unitary self by proposing that lifestyle blogs can best be understood in terms of the “dividual self.” Subjects: General Anthropology Media Studies Money at the Margins Global Perspectives on Technology, Financial Inclusion, and Design Maurer, B., Musaraj, S., & Small, I. (eds) Mobile money, e-commerce, cash cards, retail credit cards, and more—as new monetary technologies become increasingly available, the global South has cautiously embraced these mediums as a potential solution to the issue of financial inclusion. How, if at all, do new forms of dematerialized money impact people’s everyday financial lives? In what way do technologies interact with financial repertoires and other socio-cultural institutions? How do these technologies of financial inclusion shape the global politics and geographies of difference and inequality? These questions are at the heart of Money at the Margins, a groundbreaking exploration of the uses and socio-cultural impact of new forms of money and financial services. Money in a Human Economy Hart, K. (eds) A human economy puts people first in emergent world society. Money is a human universal and now takes the divisive form of capitalism. This book addresses how to think about money (from Aristotle to the daily news and the sexual economy of luxury goods); its contemporary evolution (banking the unbanked and remittances in the South, cross-border investment in China, the payments industry and the politics of bitcoin); and cases from 19th century India and Southern Africa to contemporary Haiti and Argentina. Money is one idea with diverse forms. As national monopoly currencies give way to regional and global federalism, money is a key to achieving economic democracy. Subjects: General Anthropology Political Economy Money in the German-speaking Lands Lindemann, M. & Poley, J. (eds) Money is more than just a medium of financial exchange: across time and place, it has performed all sorts of cultural, political, and social functions. This volume traces money in German-speaking Europe from the late Renaissance until the close of the twentieth century, exploring how people have used it and endowed it with multiple meanings. The fascinating studies gathered here collectively demonstrate money’s vast symbolic and practical significance, from its place in debates about religion and the natural world to its central role in statecraft and the formation of national identity. Subject: Economic History Montaigne Amongst the Moderns Receptions of the Essays Montaigne is one of the most cross-cultural writers ever – both in the assimilation of writings from other cultures into his own work and in the subsequent translations, critical receptions, and creative adaptations of the Essais by other writers throughout the world for the last four hundred years. His work is generally considered as exemplary of the European Renaissance, yet also demonstrates a remarkable relevance to the literary and intellectual activity at the present time. However, whereas there has been an abundance of commentary on Montaigne during the first centuries after his death, much less attention has been paid to his impact on writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly those outside France. This study redresses the imbalance. By establishing a stylistic and ideological relationship between Montaigne’s work and that of such writers as Emerson, Nietzsche, Pater, Woolf, and Sollers, we not only gain a greater appreciation of the richness of the Essays, but also of some of the roots of modernist and postmodernist writing. Subject: General Cultural Studies His Contribution to the Establishment of Political Science Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws (1748) is one of the outstanding works of modern social thought. Durkheim's Latin thesis (1892) is not only one of the outstanding interpretations of that work, but also a seminal statement of his own ideas on society and on sociological method. It was the companion thesis to The Division of Labour and a forerunner of The Rules of Sociological Method. This is the first English translation directly from the original Latin text, and also includes the original text, along with full editorial notes, a related article by Durkheim on Hyppolite Taine and a commentary on Durkheim and Montesquieu by W. Watts Miller. Kapferer, B. & Gold, M. (eds) A development in anthropological theory, characterized as the 'moral turn', is gaining popularity and should be carefully considered. In examining the context, arguments, and discourse that surrounds this trend, this volume reconceptualizes the discipline of anthropology in a radical way. Contributions from anthropologists from around the world from different theoretical traditions and with expertise in a multiplicity of ethnographic areas makes this collection a provocative contribution to larger discussions not only in anthropology but the social sciences more broadly. Subject: Theory & Methodology in Anthropology Exploring the Ethical Drives in Human Life Mattingly, C., Dyring, R., Louw, M., & Schwarz Wentzer, T. (eds) In the past fifteen years, there has been a virtual explosion of anthropological literature arguing that morality should be considered central to human practice. Out of this explosion new and invigorating conversations have emerged between anthropologists and philosophers. Moral Engines: Exploring the Ethical Drives in Human Life includes essays from some of the foremost voices in the anthropology of morality, offering unique interdisciplinary conversations between anthropologists and philosophers about the moral engines of ethical life, addressing the question: What propels humans to act in light of ethical ideals? Subjects: General Anthropology General Cultural Studies The Magic of Witchcraft Neither power nor morality but both. Moral power is what Sukuma farmers in Tanzania in times of crisis attribute to an unknown figure they call their witch. A universal process is involved, as much bodily as social, which obstructs the patient’s recovery. Healers turn the table on the witch through rituals showing that the community and the ancestral spirits side with the victim. In contrast to biomedicine, their magic and divination introduce moral values that assess the state of the system and that remove the obstacles to what is taken as key: self-healing. The implied ‘sensory shifts’ and therapeutic effectiveness have largely eluded the literature on witchcraft. This book shows how to comprehend culture other than through the prism of identity politics. It offers a framework to comprehend the rise of witch killings and human sacrifice, just as ritual initiation disappears. Subjects: Medical Anthropology Religion Morality and Economic Growth in Rural West Africa Indigenous Accumulation in Hausaland The land, labor, credit, and trading institutions of Marmara village, in Hausaland, northern Nigeria, are detailed in this study through fieldwork conducted in two national economic cycles - the petroleum-boom prosperity (in 1977-1979), and the macro-economic decline (in 1985, 1996 and 1998). The book unveils a new paradigm of economic change in the West African savannah, demonstrating how rural accumulation in a polygynous society actually limits the extent of inequality while at the same time promoting technical change. A uniquely African non-capitalist trajectory of accumulation subordinates the acquisition of capital to the expansion of polygynous families, clientage networks, and circles of trading friends. The whole trajectory is driven by an indigenous ethics of personal responsibility. This model disputes the validity of both Marxian theories of capitalist transformation in Africa and the New Institutional Economics. Subjects: General Anthropology Development Studies Morality, Hope and Grief Anthropologies of AIDS in Africa Dilger, H. & Luig, L. (eds) The HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has been addressed and perceived predominantly through the broad perspectives of social and economic theories as well as public health and development discourses. This volume however, focuses on the micro-politics of illness, treatment and death in order to offer innovative insights into the complex processes that shape individual and community responses to AIDS. The contributions describe the dilemmas that families, communities and health professionals face and shed new light on the transformation of social and moral orders in African societies, which have been increasingly marginalised in the context of global modernity. Subject: Medical Anthropology Morals of Legitimacy Between Agency and the System Pardo, I. (ed) With the growing fragmentation of western societies and disillusionment with the political process, the question of legitimacy has become one of the key issues of contemporary politics and is examined in this volume in depth for the first time. Drawing on ethnographic material from the U.S., Europe, India, Japan, and Africa, anthropologists and legal scholars investigate the morally diversified definitions of legitimacy that co-exist in any one society. Aware of the tensions between state morality and community morality, they offer reflections on the relationship between agency - individual and collective - and the legal and political systems. In a situation in which politics has only too often degenerated into vacuous rhetoric, this volume demonstrates how critical the relationship between trust and legitimacy is for the authoritative exercise of power in democratic societies. Italo Pardo is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent. Subject: General Anthropology More Than a Music Box Radio Cultures and Communities in a Multi-Media World Crisell, A. (ed) Since the rise of television, much radio consists of 'capsule' news and music formats which are heard as background to other activities. However the medium offers a great deal more. This collection of essays shows how in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and the South Pacific, radio continues to provide distinctive forms of content for the individual listener, yet also enables ethnic and cultural groups to maintain their sense of identity. Ranging from radio among the primordial communities to digital broadcasting and the internet, these essays suggest that the benefits and gratifications which radio confers remain unique and irreplaceable in this multi-media age. Subjects: General Cultural Studies Media Studies Death Ritual and the Reproduction of Moral Community in Pacific Modernities Lipset, D. & Silverman, E. K. (eds) Mortuary Dialogues presents fresh perspectives on death and mourning across the Pacific Islands. Through a set of rich ethnographies, the book examines how funerals and death rituals give rise to discourse and debate about sustaining moral personhood and community amid modernity and its enormous transformations. The book’s key concept, “mortuary dialogue,” describes the different genres of talk and expressive culture through which people struggle to restore individual and collective order in the aftermath of death in the contemporary Pacific. Subject: General Anthropology Relations, Return and Belonging Gregorič Bon, N. & Repič, J. (eds) Moving Places draws together contributions from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, exploring practices and experiences of movement, non-movement, and place-making. The book centers on “moving places”: places with locations that are not fixed but relative. Locations appearing to be reasonably stable, such as home and homeland, are in fact always subject to practices, imaginaries, and politics of movement. Bringing together original ethnographic contributions with a clear theoretical focus, this volume spans the fields of anthropology, human geography, migration, and border studies, and serves as teaching material in related programs. Moving Subjects, Moving Objects Transnationalism, Cultural Production and Emotions Svašek, M. (ed) In recent years an increasing number of scholars have incorporated a focus on emotions in their theories of material culture, transnationalism and globalization, and this book aims to contribute to this field of inquiry. It examines how ‘emotions’ can be theorized, and serves as a useful analytical tool for understanding the interrelated mobility of humans, objects and images. Ethnographically rich, and theoretically grounded case studies offer new perspectives on the relations between migration, material culture and emotions. While some chapters address the many different ways in which migrants and migrant artists express their emotions through objects and images in transnational contexts, other chapters focus on how particular works of art, everyday objects and artefacts can evoke feelings specific to particular migrant groups and communities. Case studies also analyse how artists, academics and policy makers can stimulate positive interaction between migrants and non-migrant communities. The First Biography Franz Xaver Niemetschek was born in 1766 in what is now the Czech Republic and came from a musical family, which gave him a deep appreciation and admiration for Mozart's genius. In 1798 he published his biography on Mozart, with a touching dedication to Haydn, the only one written by an eyewitness, and authorized by Mozart's widow Constanze. It is one of the earliest specimens of musical biography which, compared with other branches of biography, was still in its infancy even in the later part of the 19th century. In this sense, it is an important document of music history. However, this loving and intimate portrait of Mozart, based on documents, letters and other original sources, also conveys a vivid picture of the social and especially courtly life that formed the background of Mozart's sheer magical talents as composer and virtuoso. Much Ado About Nothing? Gualmini, E. & Pasotti, E. (eds) The year 2010 marked the halfway point for Silvio Berlusconi’s fourth government with the solidity of its electoral mandate threatened on a number of occasions by strong clashes with the opposition, ultimately leading to a “divorce” from Gianfranco Fini. The upheaval that followed this rift dominated the second half of the year. This volume examines not only this rift but also the important political and social events of a period full of polemics and tensions, from the regional elections and the debate on fiscal federalism to the state of the opposition parties. The political agenda was consumed by everyday matters, such as the scandals surrounding the Civil Protection Service and the confrontations with the magistracy over phone tapping, and appeared to lack any strategic planning for the longer term. The reform of the university system was approved by a slim margin and still saw violent protests from its opponents. Then, all of the government’s actions were restricted by a return to austerity policies. Through the confidence vote of 14 December, the government retained its tenuous hold on power and left a sense of “much ado about nothing”. The crisis was averted, but possibly only postponed, and now there remains the unresolved, increasingly chronic problems of a country that is limping along without growth, more and more divided according to geographical areas, social and professional categories, and above all, torn between generations. Subject: Postwar History Dilemmas, Paradoxes, Conflicts As cross-cultural migration increases democratic states face a particular challenge: how to grant equal rights and dignity to individuals while recognizing cultural distinctiveness. In response to the greater number of ethnic and religious minority groups, state policies seem to focus on managing cultural differences through planned pluralism. This book explores the dilemmas, paradoxes, and conflicts that emerge when differences are managed within this conceptual framework. After a critical investigation of the perceived logic of identity, indicative of Western nation-states and at the root of their pluralistic intentions, the author takes issue with both universalist notions of equality and cultural relativist notions of distinctiveness. However, without identity is it possible to participate in dialogue and form communities? Is there a way out of this impasse? The book argues in favor of communities based on nonidentitarian difference, developed and maintained through open and critical dialogue. Multiculturalism in Transit A German-American Exchange Milich, K. & Peck, J. (eds) Multiculturalism is one of the most controversial topics in both the United States and Germany.This interdisciplinary collection of essays by German scholars in American Studies and American scholars in German Studies analyze the "other" from this dual perspective and from their respective disciplines such as literary and cultural studies, political science, anthropology,and history. More particularly they examine multiculturalism in terms of national and ethnic identities, as well as gender and race, and look at the disciplines and institutions that produce and legitimize discourses on subjects such as minority literatures, feminism, and the notion of foreignness itself. What becomes clear is the fact that careful attention must be paid to the particular conditions and different ideological concepts that shape this term, i.e., the "national" historical, political, social, and institutional contexts in which it appears, circulates, and accrues meanings. Contributors: G. Welz, T. Brennan, B. Ostendorf, R. Hof, S. Lennox, A. Koenen, F. Hajek, C.Gersdorf, G. H. Lenz, F. Trommler, H. C. Seeba, A. Seyhan, A. Hornung, B. Thomas, G. O. Kvistad, H.-J. Puhle< Klaus J. Milich is Assistant Professor of American Literary and Cultural Studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Jeffrey Peck is a Professor of German in the Center for German& European Studies and the German Department at Georgetown University. Subject: General Cultural Studies Multiculturalism in the New Japan Crossing the Boundaries Within Graburn, N., Ertl, J. & Tierney, R. K. (ed) Like other industrial nations, Japan is experiencing its own forms of, and problems with, internationalization and multiculturalism. This volume focuses on several aspects of this process and examines the immigrant minorities as well as their Japanese recipient communities. Multiculturalism is considered broadly, and includes topics often neglected in other works, such as: religious pluralism, domestic and international tourism, political regionalism and decentralization, sports, business styles in the post-Bubble era, and the education of immigrant minorities. Subjects: General Anthropology General Cultural Studies Multidimensional Change in Sudan (1989–2011) Reshaping Livelihoods, Conflicts and Identities Casciarri, B., Assal, M.A.M. & Ireton, F. (eds) Based on fieldwork largely collected during the CPA interim period by Sudanese and European researchers, this volume sheds light on the dynamics of change and the relationship between microscale and macroscale processes which took place in Sudan between the 1980s and the independence of South Sudan in 2011. Contributors’ various disciplinary approaches—socio-anthropological, geographical, political, historical, linguistic—focus on the general issue of “access to resources.” The book analyzes major transformations which affected Sudan in the framework of globalization, including land and urban issues; water management; “new” actors and “new conflicts”; and language, identity, and ideology. Subjects: General Anthropology Development Studies Multiple Medical Realities Patients and Healers in Biomedical, Alternative and Traditional Medicine Johannessen, H. & Lázár, I. (eds) Nowadays a plethora of treatment technologies is available to the consumer, each employing a variety of concepts of the body, self, sickness and healing. This volume explores the options, strategies and consequences that are both relevant and necessary for patients and practitioners who are manoeuvring this medical plurality. Although wideranging in scope and covering areas as diverse as India, Ecuador, Ghana and Norway, central to all contributions is the observation that technologies of healing are founded on socially learned and to some extent fluid experiences of body and self. Subject: Medical Anthropology Multiple Moralities and Religions in Post-Soviet Russia Zigon, J. (ed) In the post-Soviet period morality became a debatable concept, open to a multitude of expressions and performances. From Russian Orthodoxy to Islam, from shamanism to Protestantism, religions of various kinds provided some of the first possible alternative moral discourses and practices after the end of the Soviet system. This influence remains strong today. Within the Russian context, religion and morality intersect in such social domains as the relief of social suffering, the interpretation of history, the construction and reconstruction of traditions, individual and social health, and business practices. The influence of religion is also apparent in the way in which the Russian Orthodox Church increasingly acts as the moral voice of the government. The wide-ranging topics in this ethnographically based volume show the broad religious influence on both discursive and everyday moralities. The contributors reveal that although religion is a significant aspect of the various assemblages of morality, much like in other parts of the world, religion in postsocialist Russia cannot be separated from the political or economic or transnational institutional aspects of morality. Subjects: Religion General Anthropology Museum Websites and Social Media Issues of Participation, Sustainability, Trust and Diversity Sánchez Laws, A. L. Online activities present a unique challenge for museums as they harness the potential of digital technology for sustainable development, trust building, and representations of diversity. This volume offers a holistic picture of museum online activities that can serve as a starting point for cross-disciplinary discussion. It is a resource for museum staff, students, designers, and researchers working at the intersection of cultural institutions and digital technologies. The aim is to provide insight into the issues behind designing and implementing web pages and social media to serve the broadest range of museum stakeholders. Subjects: Museum Studies Media Studies Museums, the Media and Refugees Stories of Crisis, Control and Compassion Goodnow, K, Lohman, J. & Marfleet, P. (eds) Across countries and time, asylum-seekers and refugees have been represented in a variety of ways. In some representations they appear negatively, as dangers threatening to ‘over-run’ a country or a region with ‘floods’ of incompatible strangers. In others, the same people are portrayed positively, with compassion, and pictured as desperately in need of assistance. How these competing perceptions are received has significant consequences for determining public policy, human rights, international agreements, and the realization of cultural diversity, and so it is imperative to understand how these images are perpetuated. To this end, this volume reflects on museum practice and the contexts, stories, and images of asylum seekers and refugees prevalent in our mass media. Based on case studies from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the overall findings are illustrative of narratives and images common to museums and the media throughout the world. They aim to challenge political rhetoric and populist media imagery and consider what forms of dissent are likely to be sustained and what narratives ultimately break through and can lead to empathy and positive political change. Subjects: Museum Studies Refugee & Migration Studies Music and International History in the Twentieth Century Gienow-Hecht, J. (ed) Bringing together scholars from the fields of musicology and international history, this book investigates the significance of music to foreign relations, and how it affected the interaction of nations since the late 19th century. For more than a century, both state and non-state actors have sought to employ sound and harmony to influence allies and enemies, resolve conflicts, and export their own culture around the world. This book asks how we can understand music as an instrument of power and influence, and how the cultural encounters fostered by music changes our ideas about international history. Subjects: 20th Century History Media Studies Music and Manipulation On the Social Uses and Social Control of Music Brown, S. & Volgsten, U. (eds) Since the beginning of human civilization, music has been used as a device to control social behavior, where it has operated as much to promote solidarity within groups as hostility between competing groups. Music is an emotive manipulator that influences attitude, motivation and behavior at many levels and in many contexts. This volume is the first to address the social ramifications of music’s behaviorally manipulative effects, its morally questionable uses and control mechanisms, and its economic and artistic regulation through commercialization, thus highlighting not only music’s diverse uses at the social level but also the ever-fragile relationship between aesthetics and morality. Subjects: General Cultural Studies General Anthropology Mussolini's Dream Factory Film Stardom in Fascist Italy The intersection between film stardom and politics is an understudied phenomenon of Fascist Italy, despite the fact that the Mussolini regime deemed stardom important enough to warrant sustained attention and interference. Focused on the period from the start of sound cinema to the final end of Fascism in 1945, this book examines the development of an Italian star system and evaluates its place in film production and distribution. The performances and careers of several major stars, including Isa Miranda, Vittorio De Sica, Amedeo Nazzari, and Alida Valli, are closely analyzed in terms of their relationships to the political sphere and broader commercial culture, with consideration of their fates in the aftermath of Fascism. A final chapter explores the place of the stars in popular memory and representations of the Fascist film world in postwar cinema. Subjects: Film Studies Performance Studies Heritage-Making, Bagamoyo, and the East African Caravan Trade In the late nineteenth century, tens of thousands of porters carried ivory every year from the African interior to Bagamoyo, a port town at the Indian Ocean. In the opposite direction, they carried millions of meters of cloth, manufactured in the USA, Europe, and India. This book examines the centrality of the caravan trade, both culturally and economically, to Bagamoyo’s development and cosmopolitan character, while also exploring how this history was silenced when Bagamoyo was instead branded as a slave route town in 2006 in an attempt to qualify it for the UNESCO World Heritage List. Myth and Modernity Barlach's Drawings on the Nibelungen Paret, P. & Thieme, H. In interpreting its own age art often turns to the past. At the beginning of the twentieth century one of these encounters between present and past was prompted by the interest a major figure in German modernism, the sculptor Ernst Barlach, came to take in the medieval epic The Song of the Nibelungen. There exists no statement by Barlach to explain what prompted his interest and the resulting sequence of large drawings on the epic’s climactic final segment, reproduced here. In conception and execution these drawings stand out in Barlach’s graphic oeuvre, as they stand apart from the multitude of interpretations the Nibelungen inspired in art, literature, and music. This book discusses the epic and its course through German history, the artist’s biography and the course of his work, as well as the place the drawings occupy in the art, culture, and politics of Germany in the 1920s and 30s and beyond to the ideological and political crises of Central Europe before and after the First World War. Subjects: 20th Century History General Cultural Studies Mythology, Spirituality, and History The Arakmbut are an indigenous people who live in the Madre de Dios region of thesoutheastern Peruvian rain forest. Since their first encounters with missionaries in the 1950s,they have shown resilience and a determination to affirm their identity in the face of many difficulties. During the last fifteen years, Arakmbut survival has been under threat from a goldrush that has attracted hundreds of colonists onto their territories. This trilogy of books traces the ways in which the Arakmbut overcome the dangers that surround them: their mythology and cultural strength; their social flexibility; and their capacity to incorporate non-indigenous concepts and activities into their defence strategies. Each area is punctuated by the constant presence of the invisible spirit, which provides a seamless theme connecting the books to each other. Following the Arakmbuts' recommendation, the author uses their three greatest myths to introduce social, cultural and historical aspects of their lives. He ends with a discussion of the relationship between myth and history showing how the Arakmbut recreate their myths at the dramatic moments of their history. Subjects: General Anthropology Religion Development Studies

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February 3, 2000 Community Groups Weigh in on Golan Bennett Zimmerman, a buttoned-down investment fund manager by day, stood up at the end of an evening's conversation and removed his shirt to reveal a T-shirt with bold Hebrew letters spelling out Ha'am im HaGolan -- The People are with the Golan. Although negotiations between Israel and Syria on the future of the Golan are on hold, concerned Jews, like Zimmerman, think it's not too early to weigh in on what promises to be an agonizing debate within American Jewry, no less than among Israelis. At this point, major local Jewish organizations have not yet spoken out, waiting for resumption of the Israeli-Syrian talks, under American auspices, and the terms of a final settlement between the two governments. But Zimmerman feels he has to act now to try and forestall what he perceives as a suicidal surrender of vital Israeli territory and interests. On the other side, delegations of Reform rabbis and lay leaders met recently with Israeli diplomatic officials here and across the country. They expressed full support for the course being charted by Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his government, which looks toward Israeli withdrawal from the Golan as the price for a lasting peace with Syria, the Jewish state's most intractable neighbor. Zimmerman is the ad-hoc chairman of the newly formed Friends of the Golan and he and four other members sat down with a reporter recently to lay out their case. "I agree with what Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin stated that whoever gives up the Golan gives up the security of Israel," said Zimmerman. "Syria has shown that it really doesn't want peace, but it looks like Barak's policy is on autopilot and he is buckling under pressure from President Clinton."

Old Testament Jewish Matriarch. Wife of the Patriach Jacob. She spent a lengthy marriage in shame over her sterility, considered a sign of God’s disfavor. However, late in life she had two sons, Joseph, he of the many-coloured coat, and Benjamin. - 17th-18th century BC - 17th-18th century BC in childbirth - buried in Bethlehem - the lamb While he [Jacob] was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep; she was the one who tended them. As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, with the sheep of his uncle Laban, he went up, rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well, and watered his uncle’s sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and burst into tears. He told her that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son, and she ran to tell her father. When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he hurried out to meet him. After embracing and kissing him, he brought him to his house. Jacob then recounted to Laban all that had happened, and Laban said to him, “You are indeed my flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a full month, Laban said to him: “Should you serve me for nothing just because you are a relative of mine? Tell me what your wages should be.” Now Laban had two daughters; the older was called Leah, the younger Rachel. Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was well formed and beautiful. Since Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, he answered Laban, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban replied, “I prefer to give her to you rather than to an outsider. Stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, that I may consummate my marriage with her, for my term is now completed.” So Laban invited all the local inhabitants and gave a feast. At nightfall he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob consummated the marriage with her. (Laban assigned his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.) In the morning Jacob was amazed: it was Leah! So he cried out to Laban: “How could you do this to me! Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why did you dupe me?” “It is not the custom in our country,” Laban replied, “to marry off a younger daughter before an older one. Finish the bridal week for this one, and then I will give you the other too, in return for another seven years of service with me.” Jacob agreed. He finished the bridal week for Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel in marriage. (Laban assigned his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.) Jacob then consummated his marriage with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Thus he remained in Laban’s service another seven years. When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he made her fruitful, while Rachel remained barren. Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, “It means, ‘The LORD saw my misery; now my husband will love me.’” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “It means, ‘The LORD heard that I was unloved,’ and therefore he has given me this one also”; so she named him Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, since I have now borne him three sons”; that is why she named him Levi. Once more she conceived and bore a son, and she said, “This time I will give grateful praise to the LORD”; therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing children. When Rachel saw that she failed to bear children to Jacob, she became envious of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children or I shall die!” In anger Jacob retorted, “Can I take the place of God, who has denied you the fruit of the womb?” She replied, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Have intercourse with her, and let her give birth on my knees, so that I too may have offspring, at least through her.” So she gave him her maidservant Bilhah as a consort, and Jacob had intercourse with her. When Bilhah conceived and bore a son, Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; indeed he has heeded my plea and given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan. Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah conceived again and bore a second son, and Rachel said, “I engaged in a fateful struggle with my sister, and I prevailed.” So she named him Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had ceased to bear children, she gave her maidservant Zilpah to Jacob as a consort. So Jacob had intercourse with Zilpah, and she conceived and bore a son. Leah then said, “What good luck!” So she named him Gad. Then Leah’s maidservant Zilpah bore a second son to Jacob; and Leah said, “What good fortune!” – meaning, “Women call me fortunate.” So she named him Asher. One day, during the wheat harvest, when Reuben was out in the field, he came upon some mandrakes which he brought home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Please let me have some of your son’s mandrakes.” Leah replied, “Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you must now take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well, then!” Rachel answered. “In exchange for your son’s mandrakes, Jacob may lie with you tonight.” That evening, when Jacob came home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You are now to come in with me,” she told him, “because I have paid for you with my son’s mandrakes.” So that night he slept with her, and God heard her prayer; she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. Leah then said, “God has given me my reward for having let my husband have my maidservant”; so she named him Issachar. Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob; and she said, “God has brought me a precious gift. This time my husband will offer me presents, now that I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun. Finally, she gave birth to a daughter, and she named her Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel; he heard her prayer and made her fruitful. She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has removed my disgrace.” So she named him Joseph, meaning, “May the LORD add another son to this one for me!” - Genesis 29.9-30.23 - “Rachel the Matriarch“. Saints.SQPN.com. 12 April 2013. Web. 20 May 2013. <>

This booklet is a guide through the why and how of bringing Shabbat to your home and table. It includes all the blessings traditionally said at the table with candles, wine and the braided bread called challah. Connecting Interfaith Families to Jewish Life in Greater Cleveland by providing programs and opportunities for interfaith families to experience Judaism in a variety of venues, meet other interfaith families, and to connect to other Jewish organizations that may serve their needs. A great way for Jewish professionals and volunteers who work with and provide programming for people in interfaith relationships to locate resources and trainings to build more welcome into their Jewish communities; connect with and learn from each other; and publicize and enhance their programs and services. Jewish Peoplehood - its complex origins, its implications and how it might be sustained. This is an issue of wide concern in the Jewish community today as the concept of a "Jewish collective" appears at odds with the contemporary ethos of intense individualism. Through a series of video lectures, text study, and lively group discussion, we are again pleased to bring the world-renowned faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute into the Kesher Israel community this year. Please bring a friend and join us Sunday Mornings from 9:45 to 11:00 AM Sept 29 2013 The Meaning and Significance of Peoplehood in Jewish Life Oct 13 2013 Genesis and Exodus: Two Models of Jewish Peoplehood Oct 20 2013 The Emergence of Jewish Peoplehood from the Biblical Perspective Nov 3 2013 Prioritizing Peoplehood: A Reading of the Book of Jonah Nov 10 2013 The Individual and the Collective Nov 24 2013 Peoplehood and the Centrality of Place Dec 8 2013 Core Principles of Jewish Peoplehood

As incredible as Real Madrid's five consecutive European Champions’ trophies were, it was inevitable that one day they would be toppled. In a seemingly relatively even playing field, Hamburg, inspired by Uwe Seeler looked well placed to step up, as did Barcelona with their skilful Hungarian imports. The side that stepped up a gear, however, were the leading club from the other Iberian capital, Lisbon. Benfica were the second side from the Peninsula to make their mark on the European Cup, quickly establishing themselves on the international stage on the basis of their continental exploits in the 1960s. To this day the Portuguese side boast one of the highest memberships of any club in the world, and enjoy a huge national and international fanbase on the basis of their 1960s exploits. The Lisbon club contested five European Cup finals in the 1960s (more than any other club in that period, Internazionale and Real Madrid having played in three). Their success was built upon a number of factors, not least the forward-thinking tactical acumen of Bela Guttmann. If Real were astute in bringing Hungary’s finest player to their club in the late fifties, Benfica’s decision to hire (arguably) Hungary’s most innovative coach, Guttman was certainly no less influential. Guttmann acquired his ideas during a playing career that began and finished predictably with two of the top Jewish clubs of the time (Budapest’s MTK Hungaria and Hakoah Vienna). In between two spells with the Vienna club Guttman found time to launch the first of numerous attempts to spark American interest in the beautiful game. Guttmann turned out for the Brooklyn Wanderers and the New York Giants in the twenties, winning honours with both. Guttmann’s career would really take off, however, as a manager. Guttman’s arduous and nomadic apprenticeship saw him manage (in this order) Hakoah Vienna, Enschede (now FC Twente), Hakoah Vienna (again), Újpest, Vasas, Ciocanul Bucharest, Újpest (again), Kispest, Padova, Triestina, Quilmes (Argentina), Peñarol (Uruguay), APOEL Nicosia, Milan, Vicenza, Honvéd, São Paulo and Porto from 1933 to 1959, in between fleeing Nazi persecution before and during the Second World War. Clearly not one to get too romantically attached to one place, Guttmann employed a synthesis of styles carefully honed during his frequent travels to trial and successfully incorporate the 4-2-4 system that would successfully conquer Europe for Benfica. A formidable front-line of central strikers Eusébio da Silva Ferreira and José Águas, flanked by José Augusto and António José Simões would terrorise the defences of Europe during the 1960s. After the 1962 triumph, Guttmann was all too acutely aware of his value to the operation, duly beginning negotiations to up his salary to a level commensurate with his value and contribution to the club. Guttman, however, was not noted for his modesty. In fact he could be seen as an early precursor to the great Brian Clough or José Mourinho in the egomaniac stakes. Benfica’s hierarchy, against a backdrop of nationalistic fervour in a right-wing dictatorship, were never likely to grant Guttmann his wish, and as the Hungarian’s history suggests, he was happy to move on once again to pastures new. Upon leaving Guttmann felt fit to offer his skills as a clairvoyant in assessing ‘os encarnados’ chances for the forthcoming century in the following infamous statement: ‘Nos próximos 100 anos, o Benfica não voltará a ser campeão europeu’ (In the next 100 years Benfica won’t be the champions of Europe again) As is well known, to date, this has proved true with Benfica ending as losing finalists in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1988 and 1990 (not forgetting 1983 and 2013 of course) respectively. If the wily Guttman’s accrued tactical nous was pivotal in Benfica’s triumph then the influence of the geo-political factors that allowed the Lisbon club to pluck the finest talent from the countries ‘overseas provinces’, specifically Angola and Mozambique, must also be acknowledged and analysed. As most of the colonial powers retreated from empire in the aftermath of World War II, António de Oliveira Salazar clung on to Portugal’s splintered empire by means of rebranding its subjugated colonies as a single national state spread across continents. Salazar’s one-party corporatist authoritarian Estado Novo (new state) was fiercely criticised by the international community. The regime’s brutal repression of civil liberties and political freedom gave rise to decades of closed isolationism, poverty and repression for the Portuguese people. Right up until the Carnation Revolution of 1974 the Estado Novo ensured that Portugal continued down an integralist path privileging monarchism, conservatism, steep hierarchical structure and Roman Catholicism and systematically marginalising Anti-Colonialist movements, Trade Unionism, Marxism, Social Democracy, Secularism, Progressivism or any other pluralist tendency with the potential to encourage diversity or social equality. Logically enough, any such authoritarian regime could not be expected to function without a sinister underhand secret service with the sole objective of protecting the regime through a combination of terror tactics and victimising the inevitable opposition. The PIDE (Policia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado – International and Defence of State Police) took charge of ruthlessly eliminating ideological opponents of the regime. Political prisoners were taken to Tarrafal (Cape Verde) were they were routinely torture and often never seen again.. Against this backdrop the (economically and mentally) impoverished Portuguese masses needed an outlet for their frustrations and some escapism from the horror of everyday life. As a result of the political travails, the successes achieved by Benfica were a release valve for the entire nation, not only in the capital Lisbon. This explains, in large part, a phenomenon that is clearly reflected in the incredible number of Benfiquistas both nationally and internationally today. If one club can be said to have embodied Portugal socially and culturally, it could only be Benfica. The socio-political situation in Portugal was inseparable from the rise of Benfica. Just a couple of months after even Conservative leader Harold Macmillan had begrudgingly conceded the death knell of English colonialism with his Cape Town ‘wind of change’ speech, Benfica were fielding a side featuring a spine of players plucked from Portuguese East Africa (modern-day Mozambique) and Portuguese Angola. Beyond dispute is the fact that the Salazar regime left Portugal as a pariah state in Western Europe. Right-wing dictatorship in Spain and Portugal comfortably outlasted its equivalents in Germany and Italy, and inevitably left a stronger imprint on Spanish and Portuguese Society respectively. Portugal’s long colonial history had left behind a mixed legacy, not only at home but also abroad. Vasco Da Gama’s voyages during what Europeans call the Age of Discovery were eulogised in Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads) by Luís Vaz de Camões and Portugal’s place in history was secured. Portuguese colonial history differed fundamentally from that of other European powers as they were more prone to miscigenação (miscegenation). According to eminent Brazilian sociologist Gilberto Freyre this was, in great part, down to the historical miscegenation in Portugal, dating back to the Moors and the Romans. Freyre spoke of a Lusotropicalism in the following idealistic terms: ‘Given the unique cultural and racial background of metropolitan Portugal, Portuguese explorers and colonizers demonstrated a special ability - found among no other people in the world - to adapt to tropical lands and peoples’ The Portuguese colonizer, basically poor and humble, did not have the exploitive motivations of his counterpart from the more industrialized countries in Europe. Consequently, he immediately entered into cordial relations with non-European populations he met in the tropics. This is clearly demonstrated through Portugal's initial contacts with the Bakongo Kingdom in the latter part of the fifteenth century. The ultimate proof of the absence of racism among the Portuguese, however, is found in Brazil, whose large and socially prominent mestiço population is living testimony to the freedom of social and sexual intercourse between Portuguese and non-Europeans’ Freyre’s romanticised multi-racial theories were long ignored by the Portuguese regime, as they touched on truths inconvenient to a fascist regime’s ideology. In the early 1950s, however, looking for justification for a prolonged Portuguese presence in Africa, a simplified and decidedly nationalistic slant on Lusotropicalism , re-branded as Portugalidade (Portugueseness), was opportunistically appropriated by the regime and the Estatuto da Indigena (Statute for Indigenous peoples) was quickly rushed out to formalise the rights of indigenous people in Portugal’s colonies. Hitherto they were neither recognised with citizenship nor benefitted from any civil or legal rights. Even after this, as will be seen later, the rights of those in the ‘provinces’ were still significantly inferior to those of metropolitan Portuguese, as one might expect in a Fascist dictatorship. The Machievelian attempt to re-brand Portugal’s empire as one big happy family may have convinced a domestic audience with access to a limited amount of information, but in Africa, in the wake of several successful independence movements in neighbouring countries, a revolutionary consciousness was beginning to develop. In Guinea-Bissau revolutionary socialist Amilcar Cabral was stirring the masses towards liberation. Cabral and many of his freewheeling milieu spoke of a battle not against Portugal and its people, but against Portuguese colonialism. Inspired by leaders advocating Pan-Africanism like Ghanaian independence leader Kwame Nkrumah, the seeds were sown for a long battle for independence. The early sixties also provided a literary angle to the revolutionary struggle. In Lourenço Marques (the Portuguese name for Maputo), Mozambican writer Luis Bernardo Honwana wrote Nós Matámos o Cão-Tinhoso ,1964 (We killed the mangy dog), a subtle metaphorical social critique which belies its rather simple title. The ‘mangy dog’ represents the decadent system of Portuguese Colonialism. Honwana’s collection of short-stories exposes the crude racial hierarchy operating in Portuguese colonial society. The characters represent their respective positions in the divisive social hierarchy, namely branco (white), assimilado (assimilated), indígena (indigenous) and mestiço (mixed race), all with their attendant rights and status. Honwana depicts a Portuguese Colonialism worlds apart from the idealism of Freyre, which so suited the needs of the dictatorship back in Portugal. A number of Portuguese African writers began to articulate a multitude of issues ranging from the treatment of women to the need to change the economic and political systems within the countries. Agostinho Neto was so popular that he met Che Guevara and became Angola’s first post-independence leader. Paulina Chiziane became the first Mozambican woman to publish a novel. Jose Craiverinha became attached to the Négritude movement that had gathered pace in Francophone Africa. However, significantly from a footballing perspective, the statute for indigenous peoples allowed the assimilation of ‘culturally Europeanised’ indigenous people. The idea of the mixed race pluricontinental state free from prejudice, seems rather undermined by the premise that in order to reach the highest cultural level, it is necessary to Europeanise culturally, but this is the perverse logic of a fascist dictatorship. In any case this law opened the door for a number of Portuguese Africa’s finest footballers to ply their trade in Europe, a move that would prove pivotal in Benfica’s emergence as a power of European football. This thinly veiled prolongation of colonialism meant that Portuguese teams were able to draw upon (read: steal) from a large catchment area of untapped African talent, a situation that has only intensified rather than disappeared in the supposedly post-colonial world we inhabit today. One of the great pioneer African players in European football was Larbi Ben Barek. The Maghrebi superstar was hugely successful in both France and Spain enjoying memorable spells with Marseille and Atlético Madrid among others. It’s worth noting that the introduction of African born players to Portuguese players pre-dates Eusebio by some time. One of the first ‘culturally Europeanised’ players, Sebastião Lucas da Fonseca, better known as Matateu, was the first import of note. Spotted playing in his native Lourenço Marques (modern-day Maputo). The man they called a oitava maravilha do mundo (the eighth wonder of the world), was a prolific goalscorer in Portuguese football, scoring 218 times in 289 outings for Belenenses and twice securing the prestigious Bola da Prata (Silver Ball) awarded to the leading goalscorer in Portuguese Football. He also represented the Portuguese national team, again scoring 13 in 27 goals, proving his prowess on the international stage. This successful foray into Portuguese East Africa encouraged other Portuguese clubs to cast an eye over the best their colonies (or overseas provinces) could offer. The eventual emergence of Eusebio in African football can be traced back to Hilário, (not Chelsea’s 3rd goalkeeper but rather Hilário Rosário da Conceição) who offered to arrange a trial for Eusebio with Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting Lisbon), where he had been playing since 1959. Hilario knew of Eusebio through the Sporting Lourenço Marques club. Eusébio, naturally, was flattered and very much interested in the move. When he arrived in Lisbon it quickly became apparent that Sporting were not the only team interested. Legend has it the young Mozambican fled to a quiet village in the Algarve while the ensuing battle for his signature unravelled. Why he instead signed for Benfica, is subject to intense argument and counter-argument, insult and counter-insult. What is for sure, is that Sporting’s loss was Benfica’s gain. The legendary marksman made an instant impact at the Estádio da Luz where he would score an incredible 462 goals in 437 appearances. The man from Mafalala (a suburb of Maputo which would go on to be a flashpoint in the nascent struggle for Mozambican Independence) struck twice at Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium in the 1962 European Cup Final to deny Real’s veteran hitman Ferenc Puskas who had scored a first half hat-trick for the Madrid club. Benfica toppled Real 5-3 in a classic final, to retain the trophy they had won in another classic 3-2 victory over Barcelona in Bern 12 months earlier. Barcelona, with two prominent members of the Aranycsapat (Kocsis and Czibor) at their disposal, were unable to contain a Benfica side with a beautiful balance of guile, brute force and stamina. Mário Coluna, fittingly, would score the decisive goal, adding to an unfortunate own goal attributed to Barcelona goalkeeper and captain Antoni Ramallets and an early equaliser from Benfica skipper José Águas. The victory sparked wild celebrations in Lisbon, as the Portuguese side announced their arrival on the international scene. On both occasions Benfica were unable to crown their European victory with an Interncontinental Cup victory, falling to the Peñarol of Alberto Spencer in 1961 and the Santos of Pelé and Coutinho in 1962. Eusebio, in fact, first figured on Pelé’s radar when Santos met Benfica in 1961. The Brazilians ran out 6-3 winners thanks to the brilliance of Coutinho and Pelé, but Benfica’s young substitute caught the eye, grabbing a 20 minute hat-trick after coming off the bench. His debut in Portugal was also marked with a hat-trick. Luckily, such was his quality, he continued to dazzle, eventually gaining the title ‘O Rei’ (the King). Not a bad title for a black African in a fascist dictatorship. Of course, one man does not a team make. The African contingent in the Benfica side also included the not inconsiderable presence of Mario Coluna in the midfield, Alberto da Costa Pereira in goal (plucked from Clube Ferroviário de Lourenço-Marques, the capital’s railway team) and the Angolans wing-forward Jose Aguas and Joaquim Santana, who both hail from the port town of Lobito. Added to that, the tricky, diminutive António Simões, who was known in Portuguese football circles as the giant gnome. Simões is currently assistant to Carlos Queiroz, who looks on course to take the Iranian national team to Brazil 2014. Coluna was known as o monstrous sagrado (the sacred monster – doesn’t translate so well). His stamina and strength were a huge asset in midfield as was his sheer physical presence. Moving away from the narrow stereotype of the modern African midfielder, Coluna possessed a rare poise in the middle of the field. His elegant control of the ball gave himself time to rifle in powerful long-range efforts or pick out dangerous passes to play in a team-mate. Coluna’s significance doesn’t end with his on-field ability though. The gentle giant from Mozambique personifies the international, universal appeal of Benfica. During the prolonged struggle for Mozambican Independence, Coluna joined FRELIMO (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique – Mozambican Liberation Front) to fight against the Portuguese. He speaks about his experience: “Convidaram-me para ser membro do Partido FRELIMO e deputado da Assembleia da República. Aceitei. Atribuíram-me a ‘Ordem Eduardo Mondlane do Terceiro Grau’, a mais alta condecoração do Estado, mas não se recordam em devolver o meu prédio, que comprei com dinheiro de futebol” (They called me up into FRELIMO. I accepted, they gave me the Third Grade Eduardo Mondlane Order, which is the highest state decoration, but they didn’t remember to return me my house. The one I bought with the money I earned playing football) Mário Coluna Coluna’s remarkable life saw him move from being twice Champion of Europe living in a right-wing dictatorship to being a relatively wealthy citizen in a fledgling independent nation swinging dramatically to the left under Samora Michel. Mozambique became a strong ally with Cuba, and the country that he left was no longer recognisable to him. “Nasci em Magude e depois vim para Lourenço Marques (hoje Maputo) aos 4 anos. Quero fazer chegar ao meu Governo que voltei a Moçambique porque nasci aqui. Sou bem-vindo no Benfica de Portugal com direito à casa e dinheiro, mas preferi voltar para minha terra” (I was born in Magude, and then I moved to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) at 4 years old. I want my government to know I returned to Mozambique because I was born here. I am welcome at Benfica with rights to a house and with money, but I preferred to return to my homeland. Coluna however, remains in Mozambique, loyal to his homeland. Eusebio, pragmatically and diplomatically, has opted for the relative comfort of life in Portugal. Eusebio, beyond any reasonable doubt, is Portugal’s greatest ever player, not only because he was part of the great Benfica side that secured Portugal’s first European Cup triumphs but also because he brought his form onto the national stage. The recent pretender Ronaldo, of course, has also reached a World Cup Semi Final, but he has not lit up a World Cup in the way that Eusebio did in England in 1966. Eusebio took the Golden Boot for his 9 goals, including 4 in a memorable comeback from 3-0 down in the Quarter Final against North Korea. He also won the heart of the Portuguese public in the Jogo das Lágrimas (Game of the Tears) against England in 1966. To this day the Portuguese complain bitterly at the eleventh-hour change of venue which allowed England to remain in London and meant Portugal had to travel down from Liverpool to face their opponents. Incidentally, in the same game, in an act of conspicuously un-Corinthian spirit, Jackie Charlton handled the ball on the line (in much the same way as Luis Suarez did in South Africa) but was greeted by a shamelessly unrepentant ‘oh Jackie Charlton had to do that’ from Kenneth Wolstenholme. Any possibility of controversy was buried by the fact that Eusebio comfortably tucked away the resulting penalty, but the incident was symptomatic of the double-standards that reigned under Stanley Rous, and continue to this day. Portugal would enjoy a revenge of sorts, deservedly edging out England in consecutive Penalty Shoot-Outs after 2-2 draws in 2004 and 2006. The great Portuguese returned to Wembley in 1968 to face Manchester United. In the dying minutes, with the sides deadlocked at 1-1, the deadly finisher par-excellence uncharacteristically hammered his shot directly at Alex Stepney, who gratefully collected, allowing United to re-group for Extra Time, where they ran out comfortable 4-1 winners thanks to the genius of Best, Charlton and Law. More characteristically, the assimilated Portuguese gentleman generously congratulated the Englishman on the save, ensuring a continuance of jolly Anglo-Portuguese relations, an enduring diplomatic alliance, which began with the Windsor Treaty of 1386. When the great Real Madrid and Benfica sides of the early days of the European Cup are remembered, two of the three best remembered players in the Madrid side hail from outside of Europe (and others besides), whilst the Benfica side boasts four or five key players from Africa. Without these key additions it is dubious whether the Iberian Peninsula could have denied the rest of the continent a success in the opening seven years of the tournament. Whilst there is much to celebrate and admire in the respective histories of Real Madrid and Benfica it is important that the overarching themes of the era are not lost in the annals of history. At a time when the legacy of Civil War, dictatorship and colonialism is hotly contested, it is important that a balanced picture of history, and by extension footballing history, emerges. Recently Madrid has seen the unveiling of Margaret Thatcher Street and the removal of a monument celebrating the role of International Brigade Volunteers on the Republican side. Knowing the pettiness of Spanish Politics it is not inconceivable these two moves be reversed once again the next time the left takes power. What is surely more important is to be able to view history in a detached balance way, without airbrushing inconvenient truths out, such as the manifest racism towards the great majority of people in Portugal’s colonies at the time of Benfica’s rise. The fact that Coluna fought against Portugal in his country’s war for independence makes him no less of a hero at the Estádio da Luz. It is simply historical fact. The Benfica team were aided greatly by the intransigent undemocratic leadership of that era, though the country surely suffered greatly. The importation and integration of players from ex-colonies has long been an advantage for Spanish and Portuguese clubs, and remains so today, owing to linguistic and cultural common ground, the ease of gaining dual nationality for players from ex-colonies etc. English clubs have been unable to benefit to the same extent as each of their significant colonies has, if not actively rejected football, then certainly embraced other sports to a greater degree, and thus not proved fertile ground for the importation of players. Even with the insane wealth of Manchester City, it is unlikely that, given the choice, the next Neymar or Messi would opt for England over Mediterranean Europe. Allied to this is the role of tactical innovation and re-invention of the sides that has best allowed the players from other continents to express themselves. Real Madrid and Benfica can thank, in no small part, their early European victories for their hegemonic position in their respective countries. The aloof, aristocratic hegemony of the traditional powers from that era, if anything, will be protected by the disingenuous FFP initiative, as it stands to reason that the status quo will only be protected by a rule that allows the biggest clubs to continue spending their immense gains from gate receipts and merchandising and the smaller clubs to struggle by on theirs. The hugely unequal distribution of television monies on the Iberian Peninsula can only exacerbate this, meaning the only clubs under any threat are the nouveau riche who are spending considerably beyond their means. Regarding Africa and Latin America, the plundering of the best talent prevents national leagues from reaching anything like the standard of those in Europe and means that the countries’ only chance of putting one over on their ex-colonial masters is in international competition. The passion generated by national sides in Africa and Latin America lies in sharp contrast to the prevailing European idea, that watching elite European clubs has superseded international competition as a footballing spectacle. This may be the case, but the appeal of national teams will always be strong in the developing world, as international games provide a rare glimpse of their stolen stars.Read more from Mark at cafefutebol.net , and follow @cafefutebol on Twitter.

03 July 2009 - The New York Times reported today that the High Court of New Delhi has issued a ruling against section 377 of the Indian penal code against gay sex, a remnant of the Colonial laws of 1861 which the Court deems as unconstitutional. It was a very harsh and unjust law with 10 years imprisonment for the alleged crime of same sex love between two consenting adults. The detractors had a weak case “You seem to have gathered much medical evidence that homosexuality is not a disease,” said Chief Justice A.P. Shah, “unlike the (other side’s) lawyer, who argued in court that ‘homosexuality is a matter of fun’.” Religious groups such as the Catholic Church has declared their concerns as increasing abuse of young children and the rise of the HIV as a result of this ruling. This argument is illogical and can be akin of asking Christianity to be banned as it may cause communal violence, abuse of young boys by the church Priests and forced conversions. There are many Christians in Singapore who claim that this is against the will of the conservative majority. However, basic rights should never subject to democratic vote but to be protected under the constitution. The High Court of India said that “Those perceived by the majority as ‘deviants’ or ‘different’ are not on that score excluded or ostracized,” ie the majority cannot solely exclude the minority on account of a democratic majority opinion. If it is so, then in the same manner, then laws preventing conversion to Christianity strongly fought by Christians should also stand in Orissa, India. Christians are seldom consistent. We have forgotten that our rights are somewhat intertwined. In view of such strong arguments based on the constitution, the Times of India has stated that the Indian Government is unlikely to repeal against the ruling even in view of opposition from religious groups. The High Court bench declared that “In our view, Indian Constitutional law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconceptions of who the LGBTs are. It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual”. In other words, in the Singapore Context, the Anglican Church which has condescendingly called for gays to be treated with dignity cannot on the other hand call for gays to be put in prison. We have expected the tidal wave of Gay Rights to come East of Singapore from California through the legalization of gay marriage there. Aborted by Proposition 8, it came nevertheless from both the East and the West, from news of Gay Pride in Shanghai and now the ruling against 377 in India. When the Penal Code is finally repealed in India, it would set an undeniable precedence due to the large size, population, of India. If relatively “third world” Asian giants such as India, and China decriminalizes Homosexuality, and then promotes diversity by having “Gay prides”, it does not look good on Singapore to be the first from the back. We can’t convincingly call ourselves progressive and first world in innovation, creativity and development. More importantly perhaps, it speaks of India and China taking an aggressive stance for progress and development which if we were too nostalgic of looking back to the good old days will find ourselves sadly losing a momentum of looking forward. For a small nation such as Singapore, there is no alternative but to be in front without much avenues of fallback if we do fail. The Christians Extremist in Singapore is fighting a losing war, not because they are not militant or aggressive enough, nor because of the small gay rights movement in Singapore, but because of the increasing realization by Gays themselves that they are different but normal, ie they are coming out of the closets, which itself is a position of defiance against the church who wants to put in prison both physically and metaphorically. After the Christian Perspective on Homosexuality event in 2007 held at Tanjung Pagar, a walk down the road would see teenagers walking hand in hand, which is what you would expect as couples, except these were same sex couples. Even as we debate on the issues, we often forget that God has had the last say, and if the bible is any guide, we see:- Some churches talk about the Grace Revolution, but Jesus showed the way of Grace is not sitting and getting fed by great preaching of Jesus on grace alone, but by outward action and deliberate positioning. We have our churches in the most affluent, powerful, and educated part of the community, but if Jesus was here, His HQ would be at Tanjung Pagar, the Gay Hub, to make a statement that His Grace extends to the least in the community. The wind of change is coming and it cannot be stopped. Peter tried to forget about his dream about gentiles being unclean and remained in Jerusalem despite persecution, but God sent Paul to contend with him. The Jewish Christian were having a great time of revival amongst themselves, but the move of the Spirit was for revival in Jerusalem and beyond. If we do not move in the wind of the Holy Spirit, then events that happen naturally will compel us. In the case of the early Christians, it was persecution even though they had revival but could not move on. We now see the signs of change that as Christians fail to abide by the Gospel of Grace that extends to all, including the gay community which we have closed the door of the church and persecuted them, the coming winds of change is an ominous sign. There will be great pressure that will shake our roots and foundations for we have refused to move by the wind of the Holy Spirit and kept on denying the grace of God to the Gay community. At the end of the road of grace, the Law takes over when we do not hear repeated warnings of the Holy Spirit. We crucified the few prophets of God that has been sent to us calling them heretics and “homosexuality” activists. It is time for the Church to stop kicking the Rock, Jesus Christ. For when we come against gays, we come against God, whose heart of grace, mercy and compassion is to the Gay community. His work is finished for the straight as well as the gay community. One day in heaven, you will see a multitude of people praising Jesus, white, yellow, black, male and female, and oops, Gays as well. Holy Spirit of God And by faith, we believed His work is finished,

The Airplane that Wasn't There A B-25 bomber ditched in a Pennsylvania river in broad daylight 1956 and, seemingly impossibly, was never found. by Brian Dunning March 26, 2013 Podcast transcript | Download | Subscribe |TB-25N, circa 1956 | Photo credit: USAF This is the story of a WWII-era bomber that disappeared in broad daylight, during peacetime, with plenty of witnesses. Something like an ultimate magician's trick. It was 1956, and a B-25 bomber was on a routine transport flight, headed from Nevada to Pennsylvania to pick up some spare parts and also deliver a couple of passengers. As the plane neared Pittsburgh, a sudden loss of fuel was observed. The bomber ran out of gas, and with both engines out, it made a controlled belly landing in the Monongahela river. All six men aboard survived the landing, but only four were rescued. Two of the men died from exposure in the freezing January water. The real mystery is that the aircraft itself, in water that was scarcely deeper than the plane's tail stood from the ground, completely vanished. To this day, not a single relic or piece of debris has been found, despite extensive searching by numerous groups. Did the bomber manage to almost incredibly evade detection, or was it secretly removed? The North American B-25 Mitchell was a twin-engine medium bomber developed just before the United States entered WWII. It saw service throughout the war and normally carried a crew of six. B-25s are best known from the Doolittle Raid, in which sixteen of them were launched from an aircraft carrier for a one-way bombing raid against Tokyo, greatly exceeding the design capabilities of both the carrier and the aircraft. It was a B-25 that crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945, killing 14 people. In 1969, nearly a quarter of all flying B-25 survivors were acquired and featured in the 1970 movie Catch-22. So it's a well-known plane with a familiar history. This particular plane was a TB-25N, a variant designed for training navigators, of which some 47 were made. Its serial number was 44-29125. After the war it was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, from where it departed with 7 men on board on January 30, 1956. One man, a Cap. Tabak, stayed behind when the crew overnighted at Selfridge AFB in Michigan. The remaining six crew left for Olmstead AFB in Pennsylvania, a flight which should have required only an hour and 40 minutes. They left at 1:43pm on Tuesday, January 31, with three hours of fuel indicated on board — plenty for this short flight. Once they got to the vicinity of Pittsburgh, they noticed a sudden decrease in the fuel readings. No problems were found, but to be on the safe side, they decided to change course for Greater Pittsburgh Airport, the nearest refueling site. And, unfortunately, their story became one that's all too common in aviation. Weather closed in, they stayed aloft off-course longer than they should have; and once they sighted a break in the clouds, they were short on fuel and all they could see were populated areas. The fuel ran out and both engines quit and 3000 feet. Rather than crash into a populated area, they made the decision to ditch in the Monongahela river. The air temperature was below freezing; the water temperature only a fraction above. The B-25 ditched in the river just clear of the 1936 Homestead Grays Bridge, following the current in a southwesterly direction. Reports from the crewmen and the witnesses state that the plane stayed afloat for 10-15 minutes, and during that time, drifted about one mile downstream. The current was reported as 8-10 knots, so all these numbers are roughly in the same ballpark; but it's hard to say at exactly what time the plane disappeared from view or exactly where that was, witnesses said it was near the Jones and Laughlin steel plant. The water in the Mon river (as it's commonly called) is kept dredged just deep enough for towboats and coal barges; if you stood a B-25 up on its end in the water, about half or even two-thirds of it would be out of the water. It seemed unthinkable that it might be able to sink and never be found; but at the time, energy was focused on rescuing the six men who were on the verge of a frozen death. Dotson and Smith were picked up by a commercial boat. Alleman successfully swam to shore. Jamieson was rescued by a police boat. The other two men, Ingraham and Soocey, were seen swimming but didn't make it. Both bodies were recovered, but only after their remains were discovered months later. The sunken airplane was an obvious hazard to navigation in the small river, so efforts to remove it began quite quickly, in fact the very next day. The water of the Mon was both muddy and polluted, so search efforts depended upon the dragging of anchors and grappling hooks, and hoping to latch onto something. For several days, a Coast Guard cutter, the Forsythia, marked all candidate debris with buoys. A barge commission by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Monello II, patiently scraped and search each spot. Only once did they think they had something; operators began raising what they believed to be a wing of the aircraft, but the anchor slipped off and the object, whatever it was, sank and was not found again. No photographs were taken that may have confirmed what was believed to have been found. After two weeks of combing the river with the mind-boggling result of not finding such a large object that must be in such a small space, the search was called off. Nobody has ever since reported finding so much as a scrap of aluminum. The loss defied all logic and expectations, but facts are facts. The Air Force put the salvage rights up for auction in September. They sold for $10. The buyer, John Evans who owned a nearby seaplane base, mounted his own search, but also found nothing. So what did become of the plane, and do we have the facilities to solve this mystery after so many decades? The null hypothesis is that the wreck of the plane simply evaded detection, which does happen from time to time, in spite of its apparent unlikeliness. Some point to a jinx, as it was neither the first nor the last time a plane ditched in the Mon with a loss of life. Three such tragedies occurred in close succession: in 1955, an airliner ditched in river killing 10, and less than two months after the loss of the B-25, a Navy plane ditched near Masontown at night killing all three aboard. But associations like these are only apparent when pointed out; when viewed against the background noise of all data of all fatality crashes anywhere, they fade into randomness. Statistics do not, at all, support the existence of a "jinx" at the Mon river. Suggested theories go as far as claiming that Howard Hughes was on board, despite it obviously not fitting into the timeline of his life, nobody reporting rescuing him, and no coherent suggestion as to why he'd be there or why it would demand secrecy. But the prevailing theory today is a bit of a conspiracy: some say the Air Force came in that very night of January 31, found, raised, and removed the wreck, and transported it away on trucks to a nearby Nike missile base, before daylight and before anyone began the "official" search on that cold February morning. This theory has become something of an urban legend, to the extent that any number of people have "come forward" and claimed to have been part of it in some way. Researcher Robert Goerman has collected extensive anecdotal information supporting this version of events. This information consists of stories that someone heard an anonymous phone call into a radio station by a trucker claiming, 20 years after the fact, to have been hired to transport the wreckage in the middle of the night. Not only is this a third-hand anecdote, it's desperately illogical. If such a trucker existed — in defiance of the fact that the military had sufficient resources of its own — he was either paid or threatened into silence, but then allowed to speak freely about it on the radio. Such a fancy is indistinguishable from a crank call into the radio station, and doesn't deserve to be treated any differently. There are other severe weaknesses in the Air Force conspiracy version of the story. For one thing, a TB-25N is a specially modified trainer version of the plane; it would be in no shape to carry a nuclear weapon, nor was there any reason for it to have done so in 1956. But, granted, if the Air Force had decided it wanted to use this particular TB-25N aircraft for some secret purpose, it certainly had the resources to do so. But the fact that it might have been so does not constitute evidence that it was. We've not left the realm of pure conjecture. The biggest problem, from my analysis, is the proposal that the Air Force located, raised, disassembled, and transported the wreck during the dark of night, with no lights, with nowhere near enough time, and accomplished it with no witnesses. Fenced-off train tracks border both banks of the Mon river up and down that whole region. The southern bank is largely forested, and busy Carson Street runs alongside the tracks. On the north bank, the fenced-off train tracks separate the river from a trainyard, neighborhoods, utility yards, or forested areas, depending where you are. The claim that the Air Force completed their recovery with nobody noticing requires a lot of stretchers. For one thing, it's non-trivial to remove and replace fencing and get heavy equipment across active railorad tracks — certainly blocking the train tracks for a good part of the night — with nobody finding out. The traffic along Carson Street can easily see both sides of the river, and any lights used, or such light sources as cutting torches. The military had no river assets like barges or cranes, and would have had to hire them; and yet the logs of all the assets that actually were hired into the project over the next few days have not been called into question, so far as I've been able to find. But mainly, the B-25 was the Air Force's own plane. They were well within their rights to raise it, cut it apart, and take it wherever they wanted. There was no need for secrecy, even if they did have some clandestine cargo. It's not like nobody knew the Air Force existed or knew about nuclear weapons. In other cases, for example when an XB-70 bomber crashed in California in 1966, they cordoned off the area while doing their cleanup. There was no reason to do their recovery in the dead of night and pretend it never happened. The conspiracy version of events is without any meaningful evidence, would be unprecedented, illogical, and excrutiatingly improbable. So where is the missing B-25? We don't know. But the group that has put the most time and energy into finding out has a theory that requires no leaps of logic. A private association called the B-25 Recovery Group, working with the Sen. John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, believes there is a solution that would fit all the observations. According to their research, extensive gravel dredging had been done for years right off of the Jones and Laughlin steel plant, at a place called Bird's Landing. This left great deep pits in the riverbed into which the B-25 quite likely would have sunk and been stuck. In the decades since, it's been covered with silt, and it's probable that nothing besides the engines, landing gear, and other heavy parts might remain — for anyone with the resources to dredge for it. So far, nobody has stepped up to do magnetometer readings or other expensive surveys. More than likely, according to their theory, the B-25 simply slipped Tetris-like into a slot that has effectively hidden it, and will likely remain so for the forseeable future. Where is the TB-25N that fell into an icy grave all those years ago? The fact is we don't know, but we've also insufficient reason to believe it's anywhere other than where everyone saw it go. "I don't know" does not mean "I do know and it was an Air Force conspiracy", so for now, we're going to leave the book open. By Brian Dunning Please contact us with any corrections or feedback. Cite this article: Dunning, B. "The Airplane that Wasn't There." Skeptoid Podcast. Skeptoid Media, 26 Mar 2013. Web. 22 Aug 2017. <http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4355> References & Further Reading Curran, A. The Cooper Mural: Wall-to-Wall Memories. Pittsburgh: Senator John Heinz History Center, 2012. 17. Editors. "Tragedy in the Air." Connellsville Daily Courier. 24 Dec. 1956, Newspaper: 17. Editors. "Wants to Lift Plane." Uniontown Evening Standard. 10 Dec. 1956, Newspaper: 2. Goerman, R. "Thirty Seconds over Pittsburgh." FATE. 1 May 2009, Magazine. Goerman, R. "Pittsburgh B-25 Monongahela River Mystery." Robert A. Goerman. Robert A. Goerman, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://robertgoerman.tripod.com/b25/index.html> Powell, A. "Mystery in the Mon: The Search for the B-25 Bomber." About.com: Pittsburgh. About.com, 6 Feb. 2006. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/transportation/a/b25_bomber.htm> Shema, R., Byers, S., Pundzak, M., Uldrich, J. "Help the Search for the B-25: One of Pittsburgh's Historic Mysteries." B-25 Recovery Group. Sennex, 6 Dec. 1998. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://sennex.com/b25/> ©2017 Skeptoid Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Rights and reuse information The Simple Proof of Man-Made Global Warming Deconstructing the Rothschild Conspiracy All About Fracking Did Jewish Slaves Build the Pyramids? The Black Knight Satellite There Is No Finland: Birth of a Conspiracy Theory Who Is the Grinning Man? The Exorcism of Anneliese

Sami Al-Arian: From Exoneration to Criminal Indictment Sami Al-Arian: From Exoneration to Criminal Indictment By Stephen Lendman Global Research, July 14, 2008 A personal note. I’ve twice before written about Al-Arian and discussed his case on my radio program with his wife and daughter. Since February 20, 2003, he’s been unjustly imprisoned. The FBI hounded him for 11 years. It falsely accused him of backing organizations fronting for Palestinian Islamic Jihad – a 1997 State Department-designated "Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)." It’s one of 30 organizations so-designated that year. In 1999, three were removed. Another was added in 2001 for a total of 28. Sixteen of them are Arabic/Muslim and include Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda. Their ideologies differ from western standards. Washington thus calls them FTOs that "engage in terrorist activity (and) threaten the security of US nationals or the national security of the US." In August 2001, Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) General Secretary, Dr. Fathi Shikaki, agreed to be interviewed. He called the organization "an independent, Islamic, and popular movement with Islam (advocating) grassroots popular action and armed struggle (for the) liberation of (Occupied) Palestine." In this respect, it’s no different from the Vichy French resistance. They were renown freedom fighters. So were the Mujahideen (when they were on our side) against the Soviets in Afghanistan and Serbia in the Balkans. As Michel Chossudovsky noted in a September 2001 Global Research.ca article titled "Who is Osama Bin Laden?:" ….while the Islamic Jihad – featured by the Bush administration as "a threat to America" – is blamed for the (9/11 attacks), these same Islamic organizations constitute a key instrument of US military intelligence in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union." In other words, they’re (unwittingly) used to further US interests and at the same time justify Washington’s war on Islam (aka the "war on terrorism"). Shikaki denied that PIJ or the Islamic Jihad Movement (IJM) practice "terrorism." On the contrary, "terrorism is practiced by a state (Israel) that is fully supported by the West. (It and especially America back) dictatorial regimes that are tyrannical, oppressive and practice human rights abuses on massive scales….Tens of thousands of Islamists have been arrested and….held under severe conditions." However, "only a small segment used violence against the state-sponsored and state-supported violence." How can Palestinians be called terrorists. We "scream from pain and suffering and (are) defending (our) land against Jewish soldiers….We are calling for peace based on justice, rights and dignity. We must be dealt with as equals and as carriers of a great civilization. Only then will peace prevail in our region and the whole world….Our state is Palestine….As for the Jews, they have lived peacefully with us for centuries….They could (always) live among us freely, but not as a political entity….We don’t espouse throwing the Jews into the sea (but) there will be no peace unless Palestine is returned to the Palestinians." Al-Arian: Falsely Targeted For Supporting "Terrorism" Because of his faith, ethnicity, political activism and prominence, Al-Arian became a prime target. He was falsely vilified for supporting terrorism. Then at the behest of Governor Jeb Bush and despite his tenured status, the University of South Florida fired him following his February 20, 2003 arrest. Ever since, he’s been imprisoned and held in brutalizing and dehumanizing confinement in over a dozen maximum and other federal prison facilities. Only his spirit sustains him. His June 2005 trial was a travesty. It lasted six months, cost about $50 million, and in the end Al-Arian was exonerated on eight false terrorism charges. On nine lesser ones, jurors were deadlocked 10 – 2 for acquittal. Al-Arian is a Palestinian refugee, a distinguished professor and scholar, community leader and civil activist. His crime – being an activist Muslim at the wrong time in America. After his exoneration, prosecutors planned to retry him but instead struck a secret plea bargain with his lawyers. It stipulated: — he neither engaged in or had any knowledge of violent acts; — that he would not be required to cooperate further with prosecutors; — and that he would be released on time served and deported voluntarily to his country of choice. He remained in custody pending sentencing and deportation on May 1, 2006. Yet he’s still imprisoned and his ordeal continues. In October 2006, assistant prosecutor Gordon Kromberg violated plea bargain terms by subpoenaing Al-Arian before a grand jury. It was to entrap him on perjury and obstruction of justice charges through clever and manipulative questioning. At the time, he said this about all Muslims that should have automatically disqualified him: "If they can kill each other during Ramadan, they can appear before the grand jury – all they can’t do is eat before sunset. I believe Mr. Al-Arian’s request is part of the attempted Islamization of the American Justice System. I am not going to put off (his) grand jury appearance just to assist in what is becoming the Islamization of America." Following these comments, Al-Arian’s attorney accused Kromberg of anti-Muslim bias and asked him to recuse himself. He denied the request and called Al-Arian before the grand jury. He refused to testify and was held in contempt. He refused again before a newly convened grand jury, was again held in contempt, and had his sentence extended without mitigation until April 7, 2008. On March 3, 2008 (three weeks before his scheduled release and deportation), Al-Arian was again ordered to appear before another March 19 grand jury. He again refused, remained imprisoned, and on June 26 was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt. Al-Arian’s case is crucially important. It shows the peril of being Muslim in America. It also represents a disturbing abuse of the grand jury system before which Al-Arian has no obligation to testify. It’s at a time our constitutional checks and balances have eroded, our civil liberties are weakest, a president has usurped "unitary executive" powers to claim the law is what he says it is, and when we teeter on the edge of tyranny unless these practices are stopped. Law Professor and Lead Al-Arian Counsel Jonathan Turley Turley calls Al-Arian’s case "a classic perjury trap used repeatedly by the government to punish those individuals who could not be convicted before an American jury." All the more so if you’re Muslim, high-profile, and easily exploited for political advantage. On June 30, Al-Arian was arraigned before Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Columbia. Turley was denied the right to meet with him in advance and wasn’t prepared to enter a plea. The Court did it for him – "not guilty." His trial is scheduled to begin on August 13, 2008. Turley requested that Al-Arian be released on bail. He’s not charged with terrorism, has no passport, and isn’t a flight risk. Since charges involve contempt, there’s no reason to hold him. He’s lived in the country since 1975, has lawful alien status, his children are US citizens, and they have deep ties here. In addition, citizens have volunteered to be custodians, and Al-Arian is willing to be continually monitored under home confinement. Turley calls the government’s actions "purely gratuitous and retaliatory under (these) conditions." He further requested a bond hearing, and Judge Brinkema agreed. During his Florida trial, friends offered millions in property as security. They were denied. Prosecutors asked for a one-day trial. Turley requested three days and told Judge Brinkema that counsel believes Al-Arian’s indictment is "invalid on its face." He didn’t refuse to cooperate. He’d already given two detailed affidavits establishing that he had no knowledge of any crimes committed by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (a Herndon, Virginia think tank) or its officers. He also repeatedly asked to take a polygraph exam for verification. He was denied. Turley also explained that the day before his indictment the government expressed satisfaction with his affidavits. By indicting him, "the government’s long pattern of retaliation against Dr. Al-Arian has now degraded further into raw thuggery." It has no interest in truth and justice. It intends to act outside the law by whatever means it takes to keep an innocent man imprisoned. Al-Arian is now at Alexandria, VA City Jail awaiting his bond hearing. On July 10 it was held, and for the first time since his February 2003 arrest there was good news – at least so far. Over strong government objections, Judge Brinkema agreed that Al-Arian is not a flight risk or danger to his community and granted him bail. But it’s not over yet because DOJ is sure to fight it. One possible way according to Turley – having ICE officials hold him for deportation and keep him imprisoned until his trial. Turley cited Judge Brinkema’s "significant statements in the hearing: — that she was getting "strange signals" about this case; that "the government should not be found to have harassed efforts for another government to accept Dr. Al-Arian under his plea agreement; — that the plea agreement still applies and the government is required to deport him "with expedition;" — should ICE resume custody, the deportation provision would be triggered; and — Judge Brinkema wants confirmation that Al-Arian already gave the government detailed statements and repeatedly offered to take a polygraph exam to prove his truthfulness. Prosecutor Kromberg twisted the truth to deny Al-Arian bail. Turley expertly countered him. The week of July 14 he’ll submit pre-trial motions and (formally) request Al-Arian’s release on bail. DOJ will surely fight it. The case is far from resolved, and according to Turley: "Things are likely to become stranger still as the government continues its long campaign to hold Dr. Al-Arian by any means or method. We remain hopeful, however, that (he’ll) be vindicated and (allowed) to leave the country" as his plea bargain stipulates. Yassin Aref – Another Muslim Political Prisoner A personal note. I’ve twice before written about Aref, discussed his case with his lawyers on my radio program, and have personal contact with him in prison. Like others of his faith, he was hunted down, rounded up, held in detention, kept in isolation, denied bail, restricted in his right and access to counsel, tried on secret evidence and trumped-up charges, then convicted in a kangaroo court proceeding and given a long prison term. Like Al-Arian and other Muslims, Aref was targeted for his faith and ethnicity. He’s an innocent man and another victim of police state justice. He’s now serving a 15 year sentence at the secret Terre Haute, Indiana federal penitentiary’s Communication Management Unit (CMU). Opened in December 2006, it’s for "high-security risk" Muslim and Middle Eastern prisoners to limit or cut them off entirely from outside contact. Doing so violates the Supreme Court’s 2004 Johnson v. California decision and Prison Bureau regulations. However, the courts and Congress haven’t intervened. Aref appealed on March 24, 2008 before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. After the proceeding, one of his pro bono trial lawyers, Stephen Downs, was hopeful but cautious. He explained that predicting the outcome was uncertain at best and foolhardy at worst. On July 2 in United States v. Aref, the (three-judge panel) Appeals Court rendered a unanimous decision. Aref was denied, and unless a motion for rehearing or the Supreme Court decides otherwise, he’ll remain imprisoned for 15 years. The Court issued an 11 page summary order rejecting evidentiary challenges and other defendant claims. Appeals Court lawyers Terrence Kindlon and Kathy Manley expressed profound disappointment with Kindlon saying: "I feel like somebody hit me in the face with a pie….We were feeling some optimism here. We thought there were some significant issues that dealt not just with the law but with some of the events that occurred throughout the course of the trial….I can honestly say I strongly and respectfully disagree with the decision." A Schenectady, NY columnist, Carl Strock, was also dismayed and commented: "I thought the arguments (for reversal) were compelling, but I could hardly imagine an appeals court overturning a jury verdict in something so sensitive as Muslim terrorism, even if the terrorism was" bogus. The ruling "means it’s OK for the FBI to lure law-abiding citizens (or legal residents) into doing something illegal" or that government prosecutors can claim (with secret evidence unavailable to counsel) is illegal and then arrest, charge and convict them for it. "That’s the long and short of this case." It’s also OK for federal judges to assure jurors that the government has "good and valid (prosecutorial) reasons" even when there are none. The same government claimed "valid reasons" to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. We now know there were none. Kindlon said he’s preparing an en banc motion for rehearing before the full Appeals Court and a writ of certiorari petition to the Supreme Court asking it to review the lower court ruling. Winning a reversal in either court will be daunting given the preponderance of hard right federal judges on the bench. It shows what all Muslims (and the rest of us) are up against despite the important Boumedienne v. Bush Supreme Court decision. It ruled Guantanamo detainees have habeas rights even if they’re not US citizens and are held outside the country. Despite having them, however, getting justice in US federal courts may prove a bridge too far. Especially for those targeted as enemies of the state with or without evidence. Like Al-Arian, Aref is an innocent man. His crime is being Muslim at the wrong time in America. He committed no crime and was victimized by an FBI frame. I have direct contact with him in prison. We exchange letters and occasional emails when he’s allowed to send and receive them. He’s a friend and a supremely gracious and decent man. Injustice to him, Al-Arian and others denies it to everyone. Today we’re all Yassin Arefs and Sami Al-Arians, Boumedienne v. Bush notwithstanding. "I Am Not Surprised" On the web site maintained for him (yassinaref.com), Aref responded to the Appeals Court decision in prose and poetry. Below are extended excerpts. "I am not surprised. When they arrested me….I was shocked the next morning when they took me to court. I was surprised to see all those police, marshals and media, and I was really confused: what was all that about? Who am I (to be so important)? What did I do? What was going on? All of it was unbelievable. I (told) the marshals that there is a law in this country and I did nothing wrong, so the judge will free me and let me go back to my family." He didn’t and refused me bail, "claiming I was a flight risk and danger to the community, even" though I have no "travel documents and there was 50 cents in my wallet, plus I am stateless and have no country to go to. Above all, I did nothing wrong (and) have (nothing) to hide. Then while….in jail….I understood what was going on….it’s not me, it’s politics and discrimination….if I was not a Muslim and Imam….never would I have been targeted (or) indicted" or tried without evidence. Even if they" tried me, no "jury (would) find me guilty," and if they did no judge would accept it. Even if the judge did, no "appeal court" would go along. "But all of this happened….because I was a foreigner, a Muslim who had a little beard. All the government did was misrepresent their evidence to confuse the court and prevent justice from taking place." Everyone in the drama played a role. "But still I am happy because I did nothing wrong and harmed no one….what they did to me is wrong and not fair, and I believe the truth will never die and people will find it sooner or later." The government "dishonored justice and humiliated the Constitution, not me. Anyone who knows me….knows I am innocent." Knows I’m not "a dangerous wild animal who must be locked down in an isolated unit. I am just a scapegoat for the (government’s wrong policies and a victim (of) their nonsensical ongoing war." Millions of others are suffering like me. "The government….know(s) very well I had nothing to do with terrorists or (have any) anti-American (beliefs) or (approve of) violence, and that never in my life did I participate in any fighting or….support any terrorists….I am just a Muslim and a stateless Kurd….Let the government celebrate their victory for destroying my family and for putting an innocent man in prison. Let the media" and appeals court support what they did. It changes nothing. "I am innocent and did nothing wrong. I am grateful for everyone who has supported me, wished and prayed for the best for me and felt sorry for my family….They cannot put hate in my heart and revenge in my thoughts. I know it’s not over, and I hope you believe the same and stay firm until justice takes place and the truth comes out. Please do not forget my family." We never will Yassin or stop supporting your struggle for justice. Or other innocent victims like yourself. For Muslims in America, Their Ordeal Continues Rumors are circulating about new police state tactics later this summer – so the DOJ may open new investigations without evidence of wrongdoing. Merely on the basis of an undisclosed "terrorist profile" or "pattern of behavior" suggesting suspects should be watched and interrogated about their Muslim or Arab-connected activities. Other grounds as well – where they travel as well as their occupation, race or ethnicity. It means millions of Americans will be targeted at a time no one’s civil liberties are protected. Bogus charges will be brought against innocent people, and if they’re Muslims and called "terrorists" imagine what little justice they’ll get. Congress won’t help either. It gutted the Fourth Amendment further after both Houses passed and George Bush signed (on July 10) the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. It’s FISA on steroids and more by granting telecom companies retroactive immunity to conduct warrantless spying post-9/11. Obama and McCain supported it. So did most others in Congress. Everyone has reason to fear it. Muslims most of all. They’ve suffered hugely since 9/11. No letup is in sight. This is how a police state works. Congress, the courts, and executive are on board. So is his successor. Expect little change in 2009 and no open public debate. The law of the land is now lawlessness. No one is safe, and there’s no place to hide. Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on www.RepublicBroadcasting.org Mondays from 11AM – 1PM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests. All programs are archived for easy listening.

To a casual observer religion and Christianity seem like different words for the very same thing. Jesus would openly disagree. So often Jesus spoke with the authority of heaven pointing out the difference. For example, who would have been more rigidly religious than the Jewish people of His day. Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20, NIV). What did He mean? He pointed out that religious righteousness which was approved by men and real spiritual righteousness approved by God were totally different in nature. Paul spoke of “righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ,” which he said brings “glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11, NIV). Add to that this truth from Scripture, that righteousness is “not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV). So then, let’s realize that Jesus taught us that a person can be very religious and even claim a belief in God and yet totally miss heaven! What else do you conclude by these words of Jesus, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven …” (Matthew 7:21, NIV)? In this sense nothing is more dangerous than trusting in outward religious acts for eternal life. The list is long; religious celebrations, giving to the church, faithful attendance, and other religious acts and traditions must never be the basis of our confidence. We must seek authentic Christianity. So we need to listen again and again to the Biblical criticism of religion. No book, frankly, is more scathing of empty religion than the Bible. The Old Testament is full of it—denunciations of formalism and religion without heart. The Bible speaks of the hypocrisy of some worship of God. Jesus made people feel uncomfortable by pointing out, “These people … honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13, Mark 7:6). Consider the judgment of one of the most respected spokesmen of the Christian faith, John Stott, who said, “Too much of our worship is ritual without reality, form without power, fun without fear, religion without God.” Religion declares our own piety is acceptable and therefore, it is the foundation on which humans would confidently approach God and attempt to establish a claim on His forgiveness and spiritual benefits. Religion does not teach selfless adoration of God but self-righteousness and our religious achievement. This idea haunts the church today. It is spiritual death in the making and it leads to totally missing heaven! Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” All religion without a focus on Christ as our exclusive hope is empty, dead, and lifeless. It is a body without a breath, it is a world without a sun, it is a frame without a picture, and it produces a religious person without a personal relationship with God. Let me say it like this: self-salvation is impossible. We know that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior and salvation is a gift, not a reward. Salvation is by God’s grace alone based on Christ’s cross alone, and it comes into our life by faith alone. We are “justified by grace through faith.” All of us are sinful and guilty before God, and we cannot do anything to merit and win God’s favor. Salvation is only by grace, only through Christ, and only through faith. What does this say about millions of very religious people who commend themselves to God by their own good works? What does it say about people, sincere but sincerely wrong, who try to win their acceptance by God and merit their going to heaven? Religion says to all of us: We are the masters of our own destiny and we can fully save ourselves! What religion puts the emphasis on is my achievement, but Christianity puts the emphasis on His achievement. For example, “Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ …” (Ephesians 2:8-10, TLB). Religion gives room for boasting, “Look what I have done for God.” Christianity is a direct contrast, “Look what God did for me!” Our boast is in God. “… it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Again the Word of God, “Then what can we boast about doing to earn our salvation? Nothing at all. Why? Because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds; it is based on what Christ has done and our faith in him. So it is that we are saved by faith in Christ and not by the good things we do” (Romans 3:27-28, TLB). And there is more. To be sure, there are people who are fully willing to embrace the rituals and rules of religion yet refusing to admit, “I am a sinner whose only hope is the Savior Jesus.” Yes, they may be committed to something they do not even understand! And we see this in the day of Isaiah the prophet. He spoke for God, who said, “Hear the word of the LORD … ‘The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?’ says the LORD. ‘… Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me … I cannot bear your evil assemblies … and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them … I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen …” (Isaiah 1:10-15, NIV). And it is evident that all these people had some degree of respect for God, they knew that He existed, and yet here is what James said in the New Testament, “… Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too—so strongly that they tremble in terror!” (James 2:19, TLB). Yet, demons are not in heaven and never will be. Demons are religious and reverent—yet excluded from heaven! James, with God’s authority, calls people like this foolish! And the reason is: they have religion and religious thoughts, but they really do not have God. So let’s stand back and provide a striking contrast. — Religion is an effort to simply improve our old nature, but Christianity is allowing God to give us a new nature. Paul said, “But that isn’t the way Christ taught you! If you have really heard his voice and learned from him the truths concerning himself, then throw off your old evil nature—the old you that was a partner in your evil ways—rotten through and through … Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good …” (Ephesians 4:20-22, 24; TLB). Here is the truth of the Scripture, I quote, “… How differently I feel now! When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (II Corinthians 5:16-17, TLB). Religion focuses on the seen outward things, but the Christian faith focuses on the unseen inward things, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done [that’s outward], but according to his mercy he saved us …” (Titus 3:5). Religion is built on “Do, do, do more!” Christianity is built on “Done!” It’s what He has done for us. John 19:30 speaks of what, “When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” He did it for us! Once a Moslem girl said to my wife—“Now, I understand why you love Jesus Christ, why—you think He did everything for you!” She then said, “But it’s not the same for us!” Do you see the great difference? Religion is based on my continual sacrifice, but Christianity is based on His perfect eternal sacrifice. Religion stresses attainment, but Christianity stresses atonement! “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18-19). Religion bases everything on faint human hopes—“I hope I make it to heaven.” Christianity bases everything on fantastic God-given promises. Here is our confidence, “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). Hebrews 4:15 says of Jesus that He is the “one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” And the declaration from the Bible is, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21). Do you see what is said? He, Jesus Christ, is and was the only person in history uniquely qualified to be our Savior. There is “no other name” and it’s coming to know Him personally through repentance and faith that gives us eternal life. And that’s a living relationship, not a dead religion. You see—it’s not ritual or rites or religion—it’s a personal relationship with Him! Without that, in reality, we have nothing at all. And here is the great danger for us; it’s possible to believe in the moral precepts of what is taught in the Bible, such as the Ten Commandments, yet refuse to wholeheartedly believe in and rest in the Lord Jesus alone as our only eternal hope. Religion centers on my behaving but Christianity on my believing, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). So the contrast is evident. Religion says, “I must do my very best for God,” Christianity says, “I must accept God’s very best!” It all centers on God giving His one and only Son--“the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Religion depends on my merit, but Christianity depends on His mercy. Again listen, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” What is mercy? It is loving compassion which is not deserved! You must understand it—that “through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you” (Acts 13:38, NIV). Religion is man seeking God and wanting to have His pleasure. Christianity is God seeking man and wanting him to have His pardon. What Jesus taught is called the gospel of grace; it is God’s free and unmerited favor given to sinful people. Let me alert you; whenever you start hearing man exalted and implying that he can contribute anything to his salvation by his own respectability, morality, or religious activities, know this: the gospel of grace is being corrupted and it is a lie. In the New Testament, from Jesus onward, it is free grace from God that is magnified and glorified. Always! A blinded religious person cannot begin to understand the message of Scripture for the God of the Bible is the God of all grace, for “our God, who is full of kindness through Christ” (I Peter 5:10, TLB). “Please tell me,” some may say, “what is this grace you speak about?” The answer: grace is love, but it is love of a special kind. It is love which is kind to the unkind. It is love that is giving to the undeserving. It is love that loves the unlovely. It is God coming down to lift us up and clean us up. It is love that takes the worst and makes that person the best by changing his heart. Grace is God’s free and unmerited favor which shapes a sinner into the likeness of Christ. Grace makes beautiful successes out of complete and total failures. Grace is the very opposite of man lifting himself by his own bootstraps! Christianity focuses on the loving, undeserved initiative of God, in giving Christ to die, raising Him from the dead, and revealing Him to people like you and me. The whole message of the Bible is then “the good news of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Religion knocks on a closed door, Christianity goes through an open door. Religion seeks to achieve, Christianity is based on Christ’s achievement. It makes us a son, a brother, and an heir. Religion makes God an unacceptable offer—an improved me! Christianity accepts God’s amazing offer—a forgiven me! Religion stands to bargain with God, Christianity bows before God. The overwhelming New Testament emphasis is to tell all forgiven sinners what by grace we are. We realize, we recall, we respond in grateful love to Him who is our “all in all.” Religion says, “I rescued myself by my goodness,” Christianity says, “Christ rescued me by His grace!” And now in conclusion; I would ask any and all: Do you see yourself as only a person of religion or a person in Christ? Do you have only religion aimed at pleasing God or a Christianity centered in God? Oh, may you be “found in him” that you may never “come into condemnation; but … passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

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Andrew Mitchell has been the president and CEO of Peconic Bay Medical Center (PBMC) since 2001. Under his leadership, he has helped bring advanced healthcare services to Eastern Long Island. Mr. Mitchell has helped guide Peconic Bay’s growth as the largest and most comprehensive health care delivery system in the region. He also established PBMC as a regional teaching hospital with residencies in family practice and surgery; created the PBMC Foundation, which has cultivated more than $50 million in philanthropic support; developed the region’s most comprehensive surgical and emergency medicine facilities; instituted the PBMC Medical Group; built an extensive, model ambulatory campus; opened a New York State Designated Stroke Center; expanded the PBMC Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; and advanced the largest orthopedic program in the county. Previously, Mr. Mitchell served as executive director of Long Island Jewish Forest Hills. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the recipient of numerous professional and community awards. Mr. Mitchell has been published in various American College of Healthcare executive journals and has lectured extensively in the United States and Europe. Mr. Mitchell received his bachelor’s degree from Union College and an MPH in health services administration from Yale University.

- Why does God speak to us? - How did God speak to the prophets? - Can God speak to you through your mind? - What are three ways that God speaks to us today? - How do you know it’s God’s voice? - Who did God speak to in dreams in the Bible? - Is there a right or wrong way to pray? - What is God’s purpose for me? - Can God reveal things to you in a dreams? - Are Dreams Messages From God? - Does God know our thoughts? - What does the number 40 mean in the Bible? - How did God speak to Moses? - Does God speak to us through others? - Does God talk to us directly? - How does God speak to us in dreams? - Why do I cry when I feel the Holy Spirit? - Does God speak to your heart or mind? - What does God expect from us? - What does the Holy Spirit do for us? - What was the language that God spoke? Why does God speak to us? God wants each of us to hear and know His voice for ourselves. But many times, we don’t always know what to listen for. God makes it clear that He has confidence in our ability to hear Him. God believes you’ll know His voice when He calls to you.. How did God speak to the prophets? God is understood as speaking by or through the prophet. Thus, in Deuteronomy (5:27, 31), the people ask Moses to “hear all that the Lord our God will say” and then to relay back to them what God has said. Can God speak to you through your mind? The only way that the Lord speaks using your voice is through prophecy but using your physical voice that you can hear, not in your mind. It is like speaking in tongues. God can speak using your voice but “physically speaking,” not in dreams or in minds like many people claim. What are three ways that God speaks to us today? 4 Ways God Speaks To Us TodayGod Speaks To Us Through His Word. … God Speaks To Us Today In The “Still, Small Voice” … God Speaks To Us Through Other P eople. … God Can Use Dreams To Speak To Us. How do you know it’s God’s voice? How to Discern God’s Voice From Your Own Voice. The best way to discern God’s voice from your own is to practice stepping out and acting on his voice when you think it’s Him. As you take those steps of faith, He helps you sort out and recognize his voice through a process of learning. Who did God speak to in dreams in the Bible? When inheriting the throne, King Solomon sets off to the sanctuary at Gibeon, northwest of Jerusalem. He presented burnt offerings and went to sleep to incubate at the sacred precinct, whereupon he dreamed a dream in which God appeared to him (1 Kings 3: 5 ff.). Is there a right or wrong way to pray? Yes, definitely, there is a right or wrong way to pray. … When you pray, you pray for the things that are beyond you or your abilities. You can pray to thank God for the things he has granted you. When it comes to things to do with others, God sends you into a mission impossible. What is God’s purpose for me? In one sense, you are always living in God’s purpose. … Psalm 57:2 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” This is key in understanding God’s purpose for your life. God has numbered your days and will fulfill every purpose He has for you. Can God reveal things to you in a dreams? The world is full of symbols. … God often uses symbolism to give you the answers you seek. That’s why you need to write down even the most insignificant part of your dreams, because the one part could be the key to unlocking what the dream means and what God is trying to tell you. Are Dreams Messages From God? Some dreams come directly from God, offering introspective insight and revelations about the future. Does God know our thoughts? A: God knows absolutely everything about us, not only what we do, but also what we think. The Psalmist said, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar” (Psalm 139:2). This is a sobering thought, because it reminds us that we can never hide from God. What does the number 40 mean in the Bible? In the Hebrew Bible, forty is often used for time periods, forty days or forty years, which separate “two distinct epochs”. Rain fell for “forty days and forty nights” during the Flood (Genesis 7:4). … Examples include Eli (1 Samuel 4:18), Saul (Acts 13:21), David (2 Samuel 5:4), and Solomon (1 Kings 11:42). How did God speak to Moses? God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you. ‘” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, `The LORD, the God of your fathers–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob–has sent me to you. Does God speak to us through others? Through People: “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pt. 4:11). An “oracle” is an “utterance, a spokesman or mouthpiece.” God speaks through preachers and teachers, but He can also speak through our spouse, kids, friends and even enemies. Does God talk to us directly? More often than not, God uses the people He has placed in our lives to speak to us. Over the years, those who have heard His voice have recorded what He has had to say in His written word, the Bible. God continues to speak through the words that were written. How does God speak to us in dreams? Only after you have prayed for wisdom and understanding should you attempt to interpret the dream. Let God give you the understanding He wants you to have. … Our dreams are only one way in which the Lord speaks to us directly as believers. The primary way He speaks is through His Word. Why do I cry when I feel the Holy Spirit? It feels so relieving, and you feel so loved, that is makes you cry. It happens to me very often the feeling of His Holy Spirit’s presence is overwhelming. … Keep crying God sees our tears it is our emotional connection to show our heart felt honesty in having faith in Him. Does God speak to your heart or mind? God or the Lord is described as being able to know, search, enlighten, open, recreate, examine, strengthen, and establish one’s heart — not the mind. One can have a clean, contrite, perfect, pure, or wise heart, but those qualities are not biblically attributed to the mind. What does God expect from us? God expects us to accept His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as our Savior. He expects us to give our lives to Him, and in so doing, develop the character of Christ. God wants us to become more like Christ. … “God is far more interested in who you are than in what you do. What does the Holy Spirit do for us? The Holy Spirit enables Christian life by dwelling in the individual believers and enables them to live a righteous and faithful life. The Holy Spirit also acts as comforter or Paraclete, one who intercedes, or supports or acts as an advocate, particularly in times of trial. What was the language that God spoke? Hebrew languageMiddle Ages. Traditional Jewish exegesis such as Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 38) says that Adam spoke the Hebrew language because the names he gives Eve – Isha (Book of Genesis 2:23) and Chava (Genesis 3:20) – only make sense in Hebrew.

When people of African descent speak to me about white privilege, it’s one thing, however much I find the concept deeply flawed. But when Jews and Asians, two groups which earn more than whites, talk about it, it truly enters the realm of the absurd. These people are so institutionally oppressed that, on average, they earn more than the people whom society supposedly elevates to the most special of categories. In recent times, 44% of Jewish households earned over $100,000 annually, two and a half times the national average and still significantly more than gentile whites. The “masters” of American political and social life, white mainline Protestants (pejoratively called WASPs), were only half as likely to be in this category of household wealth. Similar privilege can be found amongst Asians in the United States. Asian-American men earn one-fifth more than white American men and Asian-American women are effectively at parity with white American men. In a recent article for Forbes, by no means a friend of ROK because of its biased “reporting” on our Star Wars: The Force Awakens coverage, Tim Worstall points out statistics showing that white men earn just 83 cents for every dollar earned by Asian men in America. Worstall drew his figures from Mark J. Perry, Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Michigan. If structural racism against Gentile whites in the United States is less than a thimble’s worth or non-existent, how can two groups like Jews and Asians earn so much more than them? What happened to context and reporting figures properly? Let’s be clear here: there are millions of non-privileged Jews and Asians in the United States and other Western nations. Poor Jews and Asians share the same miseries as poor whites, Latinos and blacks. Yet this is precisely the sort of context those who claim white privilege exists refuse to admit or insert into their arguments. The white garbage collector from Staten Island somehow benefits from the same invisible force as trust fund baby Mitt Romney. I do not dispute that Jews and Asians receive better test scores, grades and other indications of academic achievement. But why? Well, to start off with, their parents are unsurprisingly much more likely to not only have a good education but also a good job. The privilege this creates is no different from a WASP family who passes on their wealth and non-genetic family traits to their children. In addition, because of years of pseudo-moral arguments about “white racism,” it is presumed that at least 25% of the rationale behind a white getting his job is based on his race, not his qualifications, experience, or other attributes. Despite no evidence that Jews faced markedly greater social and economic barriers in the first half of the 1900s than Irish or Italians in America, who were the subject of repeated immigration control attempts by authorities, they have been elevated to a superior level of victimhood. Similarly, the internment of Japanese families during the Second World War is used to argue that America was and still is irrefutably racist, even during the 1990s, 2000s and now 2010s. This ignores the fact that internment was a fate faced by a number of German and Italian immigrants, or their first and second generation descendants. Gerrymandering white privilege arguments There are a number of devices those believing in white privilege use to make their position seem more realistic. One of the most potent, as Seth Rogen illustrated last year, is to count Jews, whose phenotypes are usually white, as Caucasians: If you think there's some conspiracy against white people, you are, I guarantee, a stupid white person. — Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) September 17, 2015 The benefits of this approach are obvious. If Jews are counted as whites, thorny questions about things such as their overrepresentation in higher education, including the Ivy League, can be averted. Harvard had a student body that was 25% Jewish according to 2013 figures. Yet Jews are only about 2.5% of the population and Harvard draws from across America, and even the world (the world being much less Jewish than even the United States). The numbers for Yale and Columbia were 27% and 30% respectively. Leaving Jews to the side for a moment, Asians are around 4-5% of the US population and accounted for over 20% of Harvard College admissions for the class of 2019. People have alleged that Harvard and other Ivy League schools discriminate against Asians, requiring them to have much higher SAT scores and other measures than non-Asians. But if your race is roughly four times more represented at a place like Harvard, it is difficult to argue that racism is rife in the United States. A sad state of affairs Again, in trying to refute the idea that white privilege is a myth, critics will no doubt raise certain aspects of US history, however far back into the past they need to sift. They will re-raise Franklin Roosevelt’s wartime internment of Japanese-Americans (once is not enough, clearly), Sinophobia during the Californian Gold Rush, or the hostile reception meted out to Jewish immigrants to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, even though they had just escaped the pogroms of the old Russian Empire. And all this does not even broach the topic of slavery. Regrettable things have happened in America over hundreds of years, but the notion that white privilege is pervasive is no less a fairytale than the stories of Pinocchio or Cinderella. These critics could also reference individual instances of racism in a country comprising over 300 million people to claim that racial bigotry and white privilege are rife. Whether through a swastika hoax in a university dorm or a random white man beating up an Asian kid, though, such assertions about society-wide hatred by whites and a system of privilege reserved for them are all drivel. White privilege is nearly as outdated and false as the claim that the sun revolves around the world. It is nothing but a lie liberals tell their children and, worse still, yours, whenever they get their hands on them through popular culture or the education system. If you like this article and are concerned about the future of the Western world, check out Roosh's book Free Speech Isn't Free. It gives an inside look to how the globalist establishment is attempting to marginalize masculine men with a leftist agenda that promotes censorship, feminism, and sterility. It also shares key knowledge and tools that you can use to defend yourself against social justice attacks. Click here to learn more about the book. Your support will help maintain our operation.

I swear, I don’t travel much. It may seem that way because I just came back from Las Vegas only a month ago (argh which reminds me I haven’t blogged about the Las Vegas restaurants yet *sigh* backlog is me). But really, I usually don’t go on vacation that often. Road trips maybe, but not in a plane kinda thing. Anyhoo, I will be in Chicago with my boyfriend for the long weekend! Leaving Friday morning and coming back Tuesday night. Actually, by the time you read this post I may be walking around Chicago already, or maybe still on the plane, or maybe still waiting to board at YYZ? Not sure. I ♥ Chicago! I’ve been there many times for work but never for leisure so I’m still very excited. My boyfriend has not been before (or maybe he did but when he was really young) so I’m eager to show him the Chicago, a city which I think is a hybrid of Toronto and New York; not as crowded as New York and with cleaner streets, but definitely a more beautiful version of Toronto. I can’t get enough of all the incredible architecture and stunning lakeshore in Chicago, as well as the museums / aquarium / art institute / planetarium, The Magnificent Mile for shopping, and last but not least, the FOOD! Not sure if you have seen my extreme planning in action before but many of you may know that I’m a big planner who loves using Microsoft Excel and Google Maps. Don’t believe me? Check out my Montreal Bound post and my Diner’s, Drive-ins and Dives Road Trip post (or simply just scroll down). So here goes for Chicago! First we have the Excel spreadsheet (I did not purposely use colours that match my blog but I really do love pink and purple ^_^). Blues are shopping / sight seeing, pinks are CityPASS attractions, and purples are restaurants. Google Map. Planning for Chicago was a lot harder than the Montreal road trip and my Diners, Drive-ins and Dives road trip combined because we had a car for those, whereas for Chicago, we are relying purely on public transit, which means I had to make sure that the restaurants are on the way and what made the most sense. This of course also means that I had to forego many restaurants listed in Eater’s 38 Essential Chicago Restaurants and restaurants listed in The Eater Chicago Heat Map. Ah well, life goes on. Nevertheless, here is a list of places that I’m planning to hit up in Chicago. It would be nice if we end up going to all of them but things change, circumstances change, so we may not end up going to ALL but I am going to keep my fingers crossed. 1. XOCO – A quick-service cafe from Rick Bayless that serves Mexican street food and snacks like churros and empanadas, Mexican hot chocolate (ground from Mexican cacao beans right in our front window), warm, crusty tortas (Mexican submarine sandwiches), and made-to-order caldos (meal-in-a-bowl soups) that feature everything from roasted vegetables to seafood to pork belly. 2. Lou Malnati’s – Chicago-style deep dish pizza is a must! There are several places well known for deep dish pizza in Chicago but I picked Lou Malnati’s. 3. Eleven City Diner – According to Gazette Chicago, “Fashioned as a replica of an ‘old school dine’ Eleven City Diner is authentic not only in its décor but also its menu. Breakfast is served all day as well as a bounty of Jewish delicatessen selection“. Sounds good to me (I honestly just wanted to grab a quick lunch on the way to The Museum of Science and Industry from Millennium Park). 4. Big & Little’s – Partners Gary Strauss and Tony D’Alessandro (from season six of Hell’s Kitchen) serves fish and chips, grilled tilapia tacos and shrimp battered and fried to order at a tiny spot with only eight stools at the counter. 5. Purple Pig – Voted 1 of the 10 Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appétit Magazine 2010, The Purple Pig is a collaboration of Chefs Scott Harris of Mia Francesca, Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia, Jimmy Bannos and Jimmy Bannos Jr. of Heaven on Seven. Featuring housemade charcuterie, cheeses and classic Mediterranean fare.

Via Dave, I ran into a recent accusation of anti-Semitism against Gregg Easterbrook by Roger L Simon that resulted in Gregg getting fired by ESPN. Here is the paragraph from Gregg's post to his blog that caused all this: Set aside what it says about Hollywood that today even Disney thinks what the public needs is ever-more-graphic depictions of killing the innocent as cool amusement. Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, is Jewish; the chief of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein, is Jewish. Yes, there are plenty of Christian and other Hollywood executives who worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence. Does that make it right for Jewish executives to worship money above all else, by promoting for profit the adulation of violence? Recent European history alone ought to cause Jewish executives to experience second thoughts about glorifying the killing of the helpless as a fun lifestyle choice. But history is hardly the only concern. Films made in Hollywood are now shown all over the world, to audiences that may not understand the dialogue or even look at the subtitles, but can't possibly miss the message–now Disney's message–that hearing the screams of the innocent is a really fun way to express yourself. – Gregg Easterbrook In response, Roger L. Simon posted this: Thanks (but no thanks) to Meryl Yourish and Instapundit for pointing out the astonishing and hugely depressing example of anti-Semitism by Gregg Easterbrook in The New Republic (of all places). Mr. Easterbrook holds two Jewish movie executives, Michael Eisner of Disney and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax, responsible for the violent oeuvre of Quentin Tarantino, singling them out as Jews and making reference to the Holocaust in the defense of his argument. – Roger L. Simon What I don't quite understand is exactly what constitutes anti-Semitism? Does it work like Jihad in that any Jewish person can accuse someone of anti-Semitism? Or does it work like the N word which can be used liberally by black people but not by anyone else? In a way, I feel jealous because Semitism seems to have a very powerful forcefield that protects it where most other minorities don't. I mean accusations of anti-Kimchee or anti-Korean just doesn't have the oomph anti-Semitism have. Even worse, anti-Islamic sentiments are seemingly cheered on rather than frowned upon in America today. Anyway, I would appreciate more education on this subject.

The new year has not always started on January 1 -- or with a hangover. In the Middle Ages, most European countries used the Julian calendar and marked the beginning of the new year on March 25. Called Annunciation Day, it was celebrated as the day on which Mary learned that she would give birth to the Son of God. With the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, Roman Catholic countries began to celebrate New Year's Day on January 1. Traditionally, the day has always been observed with feasting, but in modern times, any religious overtones have been abandoned in favor of high-spirited celebration, the making and breaking of personal resolutions, and a lot more than Dick Clark and his big ball in Times Square. A sampling of different celebrations around the globe. Japan: The Japanese celebrate New Year's during the first three days of the new year, known as Shougastu. The event begins at midnight January 1, when Buddhist temples toll their bells 108 times, symbolizing the 108 human frailties in Buddhist belief. Once listeners have heard all 108 chimes, they've been relieved of their sins -- and can enjoy the rest of the three-day celebration in style. Venezuela: Wearing yellow underwear brings good luck at a Venezuelan New Year's celebration; so does swallowing grapes whole while sitting under a table. Those who want to travel in the new year pack a suitcase and carry it around the house; some write their wishes for the new year in a letter and then burn it. Large family meals are also popular. Italy: Neapolitans toss pots and dishes out their windows to bring good luck. Russia: Muscovites crowd Red Square, tossing empty vodka bottles overhead at midnight. Romania: Young men go around the countryside banging drums, ringing cowbells and cracking whips. Iceland: Residents ring in the New Year with family feasts, fireworks and elf dances, in accordance with their belief that elves are out and about and might want to stop and rest on their way home. Scotland: Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, is celebrated on December 31 -- and usually in a most exuberant fashion. Festivities start in the early evening and reach a crescendo by midnight, with the traditional smooching and singing. Colombia: The burning of "Mr. Old Year" is the major event. Families fabricate big male dolls that represent the old year. After stuffing the doll with different materials (including fireworks, to make things more interesting), the family lights it on fire at midnight to burn away any bad memories of the past year. Brazil: In Rio de Janeiro, residents gather at the beaches and plunge noisily into the sea at midnight, bearing offerings of flowers, candles, candies, cigars and sugarcane alcohol for the ocean goddess, Iemanja. Armenia: Families take turns feasting around their hearths, as neighbors lower baskets of presents down the chimneys. Of course, many significant celebrations do not take place at the customary end of the year. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is one of those special holidays. Hebrew for "beginning of the year," Rosh Hashanah is normally recognized during September or October, on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishri, when the ram's horn, or shofar, signals that it is time for people to repent. Thus begin the ten High Holy Days, which end on Yom Kippur. Also known as the Day of Atonement, that solemn occasion is marked by fasting, prayer and confession. The Chinese New Year is another grand holiday tradition. Festivities begin with the new cycle of the moon (which usually falls between January 10 and February 19); the celebration of the new year lasts two weeks. But preparing for the holiday is just as important as celebrating: Residents decorate their towns and villages, families thoroughly clean their homes to "sweep away all traces of misfortune," and everyone purchases fireworks to ignite at midnight -- the better to attract benevolent gods and frighten evil ones. Cambodia's New Year celebration is also based on the lunar calendar. But the new year begins in mid-April, at the end of the harvest, when workers and their families can enjoy the fruits of their labors. An astrologer determines the exact date on which the festivities will begin; they last three days, during which people build a sand mountain, adding more sand each day. It beats the hell out of Dick Clark's big ball. Find everything you're looking for in your city Find the best happy hour deals in your city Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90% Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city

By Mick Krever, CNN To many people, particularly non-Jews, the story of the Jewish people is one of sadness and tragedy; it is that very stereotype that Historian Simon Schama set out to shatter with his latest project, The Story of the Jews. “Particularly to the non-Jewish world, Jews are mostly defined … through the frame of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Schama told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday. “And I can’t run away from that, but that of course is not the whole story.” The Story of the Jews is a five-part BBC series and book out now in the UK; it releases in the U.S. this spring, with the series airing on PBS. Many people who come to the Jewish story, he said, are nervous, whether because of “a kind of Jewish truculence” or because they do not want patronize. “Part of the series states stop being so nervous,” he said. “We're all in this together.” Indeed, the story of the Jews can be a case study. “What happened to the Jews has happened in other measures to other people, it’s just that we've lived it very dramatically; we've written about it,” Schama told Amanpour. “We've made it the heart of our story, both the celebration and the lament.” In putting together both a TV series and book on the subject, Schama wanted to paint the long arc. “I was very concerned not to predetermine it. It ends in a sad place in the Holocaust Memorial,” Schama said, but that shouldn’t be where it starts. “The Jews have not lived separately, you know, until they've been forced to by other people or their own sense of nervousness, as with the security fence in Israel has made them to do that. The default mode for Jewish life is not to self-ghettoize. So Jewish history has been American history and Russian history and British history and French history and German history.” At the heart of all modern history is the struggle between ethics and power, he told Amanpour, and it is particularly stark of the Jews. “It still haunts Israeli life,” he said. “It's why a lot of my friends who are writing the stories of the Jews who are novelists, right, David Grossman, are kind of haunted about whether or not actually ethics comes first and power comes second, or whether we have an obligation to think about our survival.” There are few place where that struggle is more apparent right now than in the Syrian civil war, as the international community hems and haws over if and how to intervene. “It'll come back to haunt us. It came back to haunt us in the 1930s,” he said, referring to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler’s conquest into “a faraway place of which we [knew] little,” Czechoslovakia. A big anniversary this year – the 500th anniversary of Machiavell’s “The Prince,” sheds surprising light on Russia’s attempt to use diplomacy to avoid a military strike on Syria. “Machiavelli,” Schama said, “who looks weirdly like Vladimir Putin – same skinny face and beady little eyes – actually, they could have been brothers, Machiavelli and Putin – Machiavelli's point was out of unvirtuous calculations, things for the good of all can arise.” “It is a Jewish position, really, to want to do more than wring your hands,” Schama told Amanpour.“Of course in the back of our minds is the sense in which … it's not what the Nazis did to the Jews that makes a case for Israel. It's what everybody else failed to do.”

- Foreign Bodies, by Cynthia Ozick (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) “Cynthia Ozick’s Foreign Bodies is a memorable achievement. Not only does she take Henry James’ The Ambassadors and turn its plot inside out, what she makes of it is a contemporary family saga, together with all the ethnic battles and feuds of generations resurfacing for each of her young characters in their own escape from a business-oriented American family to the “culture” of Post-World War II Paris. This remarkable stylist creates her persuasive tale by encompassing in some of her portraits a depiction of the brutality and displacements of 20th Century Europeans in the years that followed James’ own times. And only true mastery could balance such a shocking history while still making her novel wholly compelling. ” — Julia Braun Kessler - iBoy by Kevin Brooks (Puffin Books) “I’d never heard of Brooks—he’s an award-winning English author—but now that I’ve read iBoy, I’m urging everyone to read the book and track down his other work. Set in a grungy, downmarket section of London, the story is both a coming-of-age tale and a vengeance thriller, with an engaging young hero and a villain who controls the world he lives in. It’s a dark book, set against a bleak landscape of council flats and gang activity. It’s a book about situation ethics and moral compromises. The book is a stylish, stunning read.” — Katherine Tomlinson - The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer (Knopf) “Hungary was one of the Central European nations devastated by the 20th Century and its Jewish community, one of the most assimilated on the continent, drank every drop of that bitter history to its dregs. So, it’s fitting that Julie Orringer chose Budapest as the setting for her novel chronicling the lives of two lovers who are ultimately an embodiment of the suffering of their fellow Hungarians, Jewish and gentile alike, from the 1930s through the destruction of their world during the World War II. This has been compared by various critics to Dr. Zhivago, which too few people actually read any more to make it a legitimate measure for any other lengthy novel of life during wartime. It actually reminds me more of Flaubert and, like the great French author’s work, Orringer’s novel is worth the investment of time and effort to read.” — Sam Stowe - Long, Last, Happy: New and Collected Stories, by Barry Hannah (Grove Press) “Hannah’s fiction has a long, sad history of being ignored by the reading market and the fame machine. But, it’s brilliant all the same: grounded in the rich moral soil that nurtured Faulkner, O’Connor, Agee and other great 20th Century Southern writers. Hannah is one of the main reasons that Southern writers still display a very distinct regional style and concern with the better and lesser angels of mankind’s nature at a time when cultural homogenization has stripped other parts of the U.S. of any regional distinction in thought or temperament. Hannah is also subversive and very, very funny.” — Sam Stowe - The Petting Zoo, by Jim Carroll (Viking) “The Petting Zoo is one of the most noteworthy novels of 2010. It achieves this status not by literary merit alone – or even primarily. The most significant feature of this story of artistic angst and biblical allusion is that Jim Carroll died, aged 60, while working on the final draft in 2009. It is sadly the “alpha and omega” of Carroll’s work as a writer of fiction. Jim Carroll was no flashing meteor on the cultural scene, however. By the time of his death, he had two books of autobiographical writing on his resume. The Basketball Diaries was first published in 1978 and later became a cult hit of the 1980’s. Forced Entries: The Downtown Diaries, 1971-1973, continued the story of Carroll’s immersion into the drug culture of the1970’s. Carroll also published several collections of highly regarded poetry and headed a punk rock band that flirted with big time success in the early 1980’s. Carroll had, moreover, the trappings of legend about him. The “Catholic Boy” rebel personified the iconoclastic, self-destructive New York scene of the 1970’s. He was a living link to the world of Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe and sex without fear of AIDS. And now Carroll is gone too. The Petting Zoo, in its way, is an elegy to this ever-more remote milieu. Yet, its over-arching theme is far more serious than that. The novel charts the interior struggle of an artist, Billy Wolfram, who suddenly confronts the unpleasant fact that his considerable status as a painter and sculptor has less to do with his talents than it does to his role as a Manhattan celebrity. Billy Wolfram, like Carroll, hails from Irish Catholic working class roots. His upward assent in the contemporary art scene was anything but assured. But then Billy comes face-to-face with paintings by the 17th century master, Diego Velázquez, at the glittering opening to an art exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A panic attack sends him wandering about Manhattan in a state of severe distraction. He winds up in Central Park’s Petting Zoo, taking a blow to the head from a tree limb and talking to a raven who may or may not be real. Surreal scenes like Billy’s encounter with the raven alternate with meditations on his Irish Catholic boyhood and early artistic career. Billy’s attempt to unravel life’s mysteries is by turns spiritually bleak and darkly humorous. Carroll’s abundant writing skill, however, fails to fuse the flash-backs of the early Billy with the travail of his latter day self. Too often, memories of a young Billy grappling with his sexuality just get in the way of an otherwise absorbing novel. The Petting Zoo is the work of a genius, rather than a work of genius. For all that, it deserves a wide readership and serious literary consideration. If an author only gets one chance to write a serious novel, then it had better deal with universal themes. Despite its flaws, Jim Carroll’s The Petting Zoo does exactly that.” — Ed Voves - Purge, by Sofi Oksanen (Atlantic Books) “This book was initially released in Finland in 2008, but the English version was released in the U.S. earlier this year. Oksanen’s novel asks the central question all of us strive to avoid: what would you do to survive? Three generations of women in a small farming community in Estonia have to face their own moral limits while trying to survive war, Communism and an equally ruthless form of capitalism. What amazes me is Oksanen has the restraint to let readers form their own judgments about her characters, while still giving us a sympathetic look at their lives. Get this and read it. Oksanen is no one-hit wonder and this novel proves it.” — Sam Stowe - Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel, by Gary Shteyngart (Random House) “Welcome to America the Suspicious! Shteygart’s loppy tale of romantic woe takes place in an America gone rancid, where democracy has been replaced with a police state. It’s not a political novel per se, though. It’s more like Woody Allen before he turned pathetic.” — Sam Stowe - Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans (Random House) “In his cycle of novels, A Dance to the Music of Time, Anthony Powell presented a memorable portrait of life in the 20th century. Jennifer Homans’ Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet goes one step further. Her book is literally a study of Western civilization’s dance to the rhythm of the most beautiful of art forms. An accomplished dancer herself, Homans traces the course of ballet’s 500 year history from the Renaissance to its most recent golden age, the magnificent flowering of dance at the New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine during the post-World War II era. Homans’ concluding remarks that ballet may well be making its final curtain call, given the changing nature of modern culture, comes as a shock. Hopefully she is wrong. But it is hard to resist Homans’ compulsively readable, brilliantly researched book. Apollo’s Angels is not merely one of the best nonfiction books of 2010. It deserves to be cherished as an enduring study of human creativity at its best.” — Ed Voves - The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis (W. W. Norton & Company) “There was an avalanche of books in 2010 about the Great Crash of 2008. Many of them have ideological axes to grind. Michael Lewis, though, is a straight shooter and a brilliant narrative writer. His rare gift of explaining very technical aspects of the financial world to laymen is unsurpassed.” — Sam Stowe - Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America, by Matt Taibbi; Spiegel & Grau “Matt Taibbi has two things going for him. First of all, he has a scathing writing style that reminds me for all the world of Hunter S. Thompson. Taibbi’s invective is half the fun of this book, especially since it’s aimed at the very people who yanked the economy off its feet and their enablers in the D.C. media village, on Capitol Hill and in the White House. Second, Taibbi has the greatest gift any journalist or serious poker player can bring to the table: a leaden ass, which allows Taibbi to actually sit through hours of Congressional hearings and sift through mountains of data. You should laugh long and loud throughout most of this book, then be angry enough afterward to start paying closer attention to what is really going on in D.C.” — Sam Stowe - The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers (Knopf) “Larry McMurtry has called this saga of the legendary martyred warrior Crazy Horse, his life, negotiations with the whites and his death, “one of the finest books yet written about the American West.” Indeed, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Powers, writing with compassion and intelligence, explores the complexities (and the brutality) of this crucial chapter in the “settling” of the West. In 1876 Crazy Horse, leader of the Lakota people, inflicted upon U.S. troops their worst ever frontier defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn, but then began negotiations with the white invaders from the East. Crazy Horse came to trust them, but trust ended in betrayal. Within the year Crazy Horse was murdered, and some 10,000 of his Native American followers were driven from their home territory to walk and, some, to ride horseback, 200 miles across open windswept prairie-land in rain and snow along “wretched roads” toward the Missouri River.” — Judith Harris - The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them, by Elif Batuman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) “This is a delightful sleigh ride through some of the odder corners of Russian literature. It’s well worth the trip and will give you entree into great Russian works of fiction that don’t run in excess of 1,000 pages. You can follow up with Vladimir Nabokov’s brilliant lectures on the literature of his homeland or Mikhael Bakhtin’s literary theory.” — Sam Stowe - They Live (Deep Focus), by Jonathan Lethem (Soft Skull Press) “Have you ever read a book or seen a movie and thought it was a brilliant piece of art, but after you tell two or three friends or family members about it, you shut up because you get the definite sense that they think you’re nuts. Yeah, that’s what happened to me with They Live, John Carpenter’s 1988 sci-fi classic about aliens who take control of our planet by exploiting our need to consume goods and services, our aspirations to higher class status and our unwillingness to confront uncomfortable truths about our society and culture. And it stars Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David, respectively a cheesy pro wrestler and one of the greatest actors currently working in American cinema. And it features cool, cheap sunglasses that allow the humans who wear them to see through the aliens’ outside facade to the monsters underneath. It was the perfect middle finger salute to the Reagan Era. Apparently, author Lethem was the only other person than me to take They Live as brilliant, stinging social commentary. He explains why in this great book.” — Sam Stowe

Last weekend the Allied powers celebrated the 65th anniversary of victory in World War II. For the first time in the history of Moscow’s Victory Day parades, 10,000 Russian troops were joined on Red Square by wartime allies: soldiers from Britain’s 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, the US 2nd Battalion, 18th Regiment, the Normandie-Niemen squadron from France, and the Polish armed forces. The ceremony was solemn and dignified. Politics, for the large part, was missing, though not completely: the president of Georgia was not invited, an absurd démarche since Georgian Meliton Kantaria was among the three Soviet soldiers who placed the flag of victory on the Reichstag on May 1, 1945 (the other two were Russian Mikhail Yegorov and Ukrainian Aleksei Berest). Most importantly, the celebrations were not spoiled by references to Stalin. Almost at the last minute the authorities, faced with an outpouring of public anger, cancelled plans to “decorate” the city with portraits of the dictator. These plans, originally announced in February, appeared in line with the creeping rehabilitation of Stalinism brought about by Vladimir Putin, with the restored Stalinist national anthem and new school textbooks claiming that mass purges were “adequate to the task of modernization.” As well as insulting the memory of millions who perished under the communist regime, this initiative was an affront to veterans, who, as the authorities implied, fought the Nazis not to defend their country, their homes, and their loved ones, but to protect Stalinism, kolkhozy, and the Gulag. “We view this decision … as a personal insult to ourselves and to our entire people which has earned this Victory,” a group of Russian World War II veterans wrote to the Moscow mayor. “It is unacceptable to put up portraits of a butcher and a murderer.” Veterans recalled that Stalin’s true role in the war was shown not in the victory, won by the blood and toil of the peoples of the Soviet Union and its allies, but in the purges of army commanders in the 1930s, the pact with Hitler in 1939, the dismissal of intelligence reports about an impending German invasion in 1941, and the branding of Soviet prisoners of war as “traitors.” “Our people won the war in spite of Stalin, not because of him,” read a statement from the opposition Solidarity movement. “This decision condemns hundreds of thousands of Muscovites to commemorate [Victory Day] with feelings of bitterness and hurt.” Yabloko, Russia’s only registered pro-democracy party, called the initiative “hateful” toward “the Russian people and other peoples whose genocide was perpetrated by Stalin.” The hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, usually hesitant to challenge the authorities, issued a strong statement declaring that Stalin’s “inhuman system” cannot be justified “by anything, not even by the Victory.” Images of Stalin were displayed in Syktyvkar and in St. Petersburg. Within hours both were defaced: in Syktyvkar with ketchup, in St. Petersburg with paint. The authorities must have realized that this was a conflict they could not win. Days before the victory celebrations in Moscow, Deputy Mayor Lyudmila Shvetsova announced that plans for the installation of Stalin’s posters on the streets of the city have been cancelled. The reason she offered was fear of “vandalism.” The peoples of the former Soviet Union should be rightfully proud of the defeat of Nazism. It was they who decided the fate of World War II: three-quarters of German casualties were borne on the Eastern Front. Their heroism and sacrifice (Soviet losses are estimated at 27 million; nearly half the total) saved millions of lives, including Jewish lives. It was the soldiers of the 322nd Soviet Rifle Division who opened the doors of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. Yet we owe it to victims’ memory to acknowledge the whole truth, including mass deportations, arrests, and killings in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which in 1945 exchanged one occupation for another; and the fate of the Russian victors themselves, who returned home from the front lines to the same dark fear and repression of Stalin’s totalitarianism. The victory of 1945 can and should be honored without glorifying a dictator, no less murderous and brutal than the one who was defeated.

I recently discovered that the “Miracle of Chanukah” story, is just a legend. You know the one I’m taking about, where Judah and his merry band of Maccabees go into the destroyed temple and discover just enough oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day. But somehow, miracle of miracles, the oil lasted for eight days and the flames of the menorah burned for eight nights. When I discovered that the long lasting oil is not really at the root of the Chanukah commemoration, I felt gutted. Kind of reminiscent of coming home for winter break in first year university to discover that I was the last one in the family to find out that our dog, Heidi, had died! “Truth” is a word to be avoided when discussing history and religion. Since the victors of a battle often write the history, the facts of what happened in the past depend very much on whom you ask and when it comes to religion, everyone has a different truth. Chanukah is the only major Jewish holiday not explicitly mentioned in the Torah (Judaism’s written law), since the events that inspired the holiday occurred after it was written. The Rabbis wrote about Chanukah in the Talmud (Jewish oral law and tradition), but that was written over 600 years after the Maccabees revolt. Their version of Chanukah differs markedly from The Books of Maccabees written in the 2nd century B.C.E. So we have here two versions of the Chanukah story: one from the Book of Maccabees and the other from the Talmud. Both versions agree on the first part of the story. Around 200 B.C.E., Judea (Israel) came under control of the Syrian King, Antiochus III. He was a benevolent fellow and allowed the Jews to continue practicing their religion. Things changed drastically when his son, Antiochus IV, took over. This evil king outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. In 168 B.C.E., his soldiers marched into Jerusalem, exterminated thousands of people and desecrated the holy Second Temple by constructing an altar to Zeus and commanded the Jews to sacrifice a pig upon this alter. The Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons led a large-scale rebellion against Antiochus and his army. When Mattathias died in 166 B.C.E., his son Judah Maccabee took over. Within two years, the Jews, relying on Guerrilla warfare tactics, defeated the Syrian Greek army and drove them out of Jerusalem. The Maccabees cleansed the Second Temple, rebuilt the altar, lit its menorah and celebrated the rededication (the word Chanukah means dedication). And thus the eight-day festival of Chanukah was born. Why eight days? Well, here’s where the story begins to diverge. According to The Book of Maccabee II, while the Maccabees were fighting, they had missed the eight-day holiday of Sukkot, (celebrated in early fall) and so to celebrate the Second Temple rededication, they declared a “better-late-than-never” celebration of Sukkot. Version 2, as written in the Talmud gives us this spin on the eight-day festival. Judah Maccabee and his team, who took part in the rededication of the Second Temple, witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Even though there was only enough oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames burned for eight nights. This wondrous event inspired the Rabbis to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival. The Rabbis barely mentioned the battle between the Maccabees and the Greeks in the Talmud. The reason for this is unclear. Perhaps they did not want to encourage the celebration of a military battle, or perhaps, as pacifists, they did not want to encourage the Jewish people, who at that time, were living under Roman rule, to be inspired by revolt. Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, on “Blog Shalom” explains the miracle of Chanukah this way, “…even without the oil, .Chanukah is still a miraculous story. The Maccabees were a tiny group of Jews who should not have been able to defeat the powerful Greeks. But they did! And because of this miracle, Judaism survived and did not become consumed by Greek culture. This story of miraculous survival repeats itself many times throughout Jewish history. Despite tremendous powers that have raged against us, nothing has stopped the Jewish people. This is a miracle.” Although the miraculous oil story may be just a legend, I refuse to give up food fried in oil on Chanukah! To celebrate my newfound knowledge, I am going to go all out this year and celebrate Chanukah with these decadent Pomegranate Sugar-Dusted White Chocolate Doughnuts.The idea behind these doughnuts comes from the genius mind of Chef Lynn Crawford. However, after discovering that her recipe called for a pound of butter in the doughnut dough, I decided to use her white chocolate filling and pomegranate sugar coating, but looked elsewhere for the actual doughnuts. Anna Olsen‘s recipe used only a 1/4 pound of butter. So while these doughnuts are not exactly light fare, they are lighter than originally intended by Chef Lynn! These are yeast raised, not cake doughnuts. The dough comes together in about 5 minutes if you have a stand mixer. Thanks to a quarter pound of butter this brioche-like dough has an amazing silky texture. My deep fryer, which normally only gets pulled out once a year to make french fries takes all the guess work out of deep frying. You can of course use a deep pot with a candy/oil thermometer to regulate the temperature.These babies puff up like little pillows. I can not accurately express the joy I experienced watching my own little miracle here in the deep fryer!Filling the doughnuts with the white chocolate ganache whipped cream is quite simple. A plain piping tip, inserted into the side of the doughnut makes easy work of the job. These doughnuts are really best eaten the same day they are made. I sent 16 of these beauties off with my husband to share with his hockey team after I made them one Sunday afternoon. He said that they were inhaled very quickly and that they actually brought a few of these strong burly hockey players to their knees as they gushed at how good they were.

Daniel 1:1–21 (NKJV) 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. As we begin looking at the Book of Daniel, we transition from prophecies about military defeat and exile into actual accounts of life in the exile. Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, are examples of the young people from Israel and Judah who are taken to Babylon. This book is full of amazing stories, prophecies, divine deliverance, and other encouraging accounts. 3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. Here, the four Hebrews young men appear and are identified as part of the sons of Judah who were chosen. They were to be educated and fed richly. 8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.” 11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. This story speaks of the wisdom and faithfulness of Almighty God. Daniel and the other three purposed not to eat the rich foods of Nebchadnezzer, as they were not part of the Jewish dietary laws permitted by their God. Convincing the eunuch to allow them this exception for ten days, they proved their point as they were healthier looking after those days than the other boys. Because they obeyed the Lord, they were blessed and favored, and they continued to obey the Lord and thrive. 17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. When a person or persons follow the instruction of the Lord, and obey His commands, the Lord will favor that person in many ways. Whatever skills or gifts God has given you, great or small, He wants to use you for His glory and purpose. If you submit your teaching, leading, planning, organizing, singing, playing, preaching, greeting, or other skills to God’s purposes, He will make them phenomenal for Him. Daniel and the others submitted their intellectual and prophetic gifts to God’s glory and found favor in the eyes of God and men in Babylon. Let God take what He has already given you and make it greater for His glory!

Five Investments in Our Immigration System to Address the “Crisis” at the Border The White House has continued to pursue misguided and illegal deterrence strategies, including seeking billions for a border wall. At the same time as the White House just cut a deal with Congress for billions of additional dollars for so-called border security, the administration has used existing funds to try to shut down our current asylum system, cut off access at ports of entry and lock up families and children. To be clear, this administration’s chaotic and illegal immigration policies of deterrence and detention are making the situation worse, not better, and go against both our legal obligations and our values as Americans. Congress must reject additional misguided spending requests and instead insist that the administration invest in legal, common sense solutions to the current humanitarian needs at the border. Following the 2019 funding bill, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has more than enough funding to humanely, safely, and efficiently process and support families and children at our borders--what’s needed, and what the Trump administration has failed to actually put in place, is a holistic approach to dealing with the drivers of migration in the region. #1 Establish Regional Refugee Processing Centers, Stop Blocking Asylum in the U.S. and Strengthen the Mexican Asylum System Rather than blocking asylum seekers through the “Remain in Mexico” program, our government should work to strengthen the existing Mexican asylum system and invest in regional refugee processing in neighboring countries such as Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. The United States should also reinstate an expanded Central American Minors Refugee/Parole program, which could create an orderly way for children and families in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to apply for protection in their home countries without having to make the dangerous journey to the United States. These measures should not come at the expense of access to the U.S. asylum system. The Trump administration’s twin efforts to block access to asylum at ports of entry through “metering” and to force asylum seekers to wait for their hearings in dangerous cities at Mexico’s northern border mean that more families, children, and others feel they have no choice but to attempt to cross the border between ports of entry and present themselves to Border Patrol agents. This response is contributing to the humanitarian situation at the border by forcing many individuals to cross in between ports of entry. #2 Modernize the Ports of Entry DHS should ensure that all asylum seekers are treated humanely and efficiently processed at the ports of entry. The Administration should modernize and ensure adequate staffing at ports of entry to efficiently, humanely, and expeditiously process asylum applicants and facilitate international trade and cross-border travel. Upgrading infrastructure and technology at ports of entry not only enables the United States to better manage the asylum and immigration process and promote trade and travel, but also improves border security, as a majority of dangerous drugs, including opioids, enter the country through ports of entry. #3 Use Existing Funding to Hire Child Welfare, Medical, and Language Professionals at the Border In order to humanely receive and process the increasing numbers of families and children arriving to the country, who now make up more than 60% of Border Patrol apprehensions and most often turn themselves in, CBP must use existing funding to hire child welfare professionals and station them at Ports of Entry and Border Patrol Stations along the border. State-licensed professionals specially trained in the screening and care of children and in trauma-informed interviewing -- not uniformed, armed CBP agents -- should evaluate the needs of children and families and conduct all relevant screenings at the border. CBP must also ensure that everyone in their custody is provided with a medical screening and that real-time translation services, including in indigenous languages, are available to ensure that health emergencies can be communicated rapidly to CBP personnel. Above all, we must make sure that no child suffers the horrible fate of Jakelin Caal Maquin and Felipe Gomez Alonzo, who died in CBP custody because of inadequate medical care and language access policies. #4 Fund Community-Based Support Services and Proven, Humane Alternatives to Detention Child welfare and medical professionals continue to warn that the use of detention -- for any period of time -- is irrevocably harmful for children. Immigration detention has proven harmful and even deadly to those who pass through it, even while proven alternatives exist. It is a discretionary choice, not a requirement, to detain adults and families who seek asylum. Despite this choice, DHS continues to expand detention and needlessly lock up asylum seekers at enormous U.S. taxpayer expense. Congress should insist that, in place of detention, DHS dedicate more funds to case management programs and other alternatives to detention. These programs save taxpayer dollars and are extremely effective at ensuring compliance with immigration court hearings and even removal. A robust network of non-profit and faith-based organizations, with proven track-records, already exists at the border and throughout the United States providing support services to recently arrived migrants; with government support these organizations could quickly mobilize to vastly increase the capacity of welcoming centers and community housing programs for asylum seeking families, children and adults. #5 Address Root Causes The only way to truly make it so that children and families no longer feel that they must make the dangerous journey to the U.S. is by addressing the root causes of political instability, economic deprivation, unchecked violence, impunity for abusive government security forces, and food insecurity in Central America. Attempting to close the border or shut people out of applying for asylum once they arrive in the U.S. will do nothing to tackle the underlying fundamentals pushing people out of their home countries. The White House has irresponsibly said that they plan to end aid to the Northern Triangle countries, even though its own administration believes such aid helps to stem the flow of migration. A choice by the United States to divest from aid that might ameliorate these problems will only make the situation worse and a decision to increase aid can actually help to reduce migration. The Administration should immediately reverse its decision to end funding and instead use a comprehensive approach to address the root causes of forced migration with well-targeted assistance focusing on reducing structural poverty, addressing gang and gender-based violence, combating corruption, and strengthening human rights and the rule of law in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America. African American Ministers in Action, America’s Voice, American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA, ASISTA, Center for American Progress, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Center for Victims of Torture, Christian Reformed Church North America Office of Social Justice, Church World Service, Coalition on Human Needs, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, The Episcopal Church, Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), Faith in Public Life, Families Belong Together, Friends Committee on National Legislation, HIAS, Hispanic Federation, Human Rights First, Immigration Hub, Indivisible, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, MomsRising, National Council of Jewish Women, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Law Center, National Survivor Network, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Oxfam America, South Texas Human Rights Center, T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, UnidosUS, United Church of Christ - Justice and Witness Ministries , United We Dream, Women’s Refugee Commission, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Diodore of Tarsus (circa 390) This text [Romans 8:29-30] does not take away our free will. It uses the word foreknew before predestined. Not it is clear that foreknowledge does not by itself impose any particular behavior. What is said here would be clearer if we started from the end and worked backwards. Whom did God glorify? Those whom he justified. Whom did he predestine? Those whom he foreknew, who were called according to his plan, i.e., who demonstrated that they were worthy to be called by his plan and made conformable to Christ. (Romans (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. New Testament, volume 6. Edited by Thomas Oden. P 235) Ambrosiaster (late 4th century) Those whom God foreknew would believe I him he chose to receive the promises. But those who appear to believe yet do not persevere in the faith are not chosen by God, because whosever God chooses will persevere. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. New Testament, volume 6. Edited by Thomas Oden. P 235) Theodoret of Cyrus (circa 393 – 457) Those whose intentions God foreknew he predestined from the beginning. Those who are predestined, he called, and those who were called, he justified by baptism. Those who were justified, he glorified, calling them children. To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God. Let no one say that God’s foreknowledge was the unilateral cause of these things. For it was not foreknowledge which justified people, but God knew what would happen to them, because he is God. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. New Testament, volume 6. Edited by Thomas Oden. P 237) Origen (circa 185–254) It is not because God knows that something is going to b e that that thing is going to be, but rather it is because it is going to be that it is know by God before it comes to be. For even if we imagine for the sake of argument that God does not foreknow anything it was without a doubt going to happen that, say Judas became a traitor, and this is just the way the prophets foretold it would happen. Therefore, it was not because the prophets foretold it that Judas became a traitor, but rather it was because he was going to be a traitor that the prophets foretold the things that he was going to do by his wicked designs, even though Judas most certainly had it within his power to be like Peter and John if he had so willed; but he chose the desire for money over the glory of apostolic companionship, and the prophets, foreseeing that this choice of his, handed it down in their books. Moreover, in order that you might understand that the cause of each person’s salvation is to be found not I God’s foreknowledge but in that person’s intentions and actions, notice that Paul tormented his body and subjected it to servitude because he feared that, after having preached to others, he himself might perhaps become reprobate. (Book 7 of his commentary on the epistle to the Romans (Romans chapter 8)). John Damascene (circa 676 – 749) From this it is clear that foreknowledge was not in the least a cause of the devil’s becoming evil. For a physician, when he foresees a future illness, does not cause that illness. To the contrary, the real cause of the illness consist I a perverse and immoderate way of life. For it’s part, the physician’s foreknowledge is a sign of his erudition, whereas the cause of the foreknowledge is the fact that things were going to turn out that way. (Dialogs against Manichees) Jerome (circa 347 – 420) For Adam did not sin because God knew that he would do so; but God inasmuch as He is God, foreknew what Adam would do of his own free choice. (Against the Pelagians. Book 3 part 6) For not because He knew that which is about to come, is it necessary for us to do that which He has foreknown: but He became cognizant of the future because we were about to do it by our own will. For He is God. (Dan’s translation of Jerome’s comments on Ezekiel 2:5) Tertullian (circa 160 – 220) You ought, however, to deduct from God's attributes both His supreme earnestness of purpose and most excellent truth in His whole creation, if you would cease to inquire whether anything could have happened against the will of God. For, while holding this earnestness and truth of the good God, which are indeed capable of proof from the rational creation, you will not wonder at the fact that God did not interfere to prevent the occurrence of what He wished not to happen, in order that He might keep from harm what He wished. …The necessary consequence, therefore, was, that God must separate from the liberty which He had once for all bestowed upon man (in other words, keep within Himself), both His foreknowledge and power, through which He might have prevented man's falling into danger when attempting wrongly to enjoy his liberty. Now, if He had interposed, He would have rescinded the liberty of man's will, which He had permitted with set purpose, and in goodness. ….If He had checked (man's freedom), would He not then seem to have been rather deceived, through want of foresight into the future? But in giving it full scope, who would not say that He did so in ignorance of the issue of things? God, however, did fore-know that man would make a bad use of his created constitution; and yet what can be so worthy of God as His earnestness of purpose, and the truth of His created works, be they what they may? (Against Marcion book 2 chapter 7) Justin Martyr (circa 100 – 165) But when the Spirit of prophecy speaks of things that are about to come to pass as if they had already taken place, ….The things which He absolutely knows will take place, He predicts as if already they had taken place. …But lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever happens, happens by a fatal necessity, because it is foretold as known beforehand, this too we explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen by fate, neither is anything at all in our own power. For if it be fated that this man, e.g., be good, and this other evil, neither is the former meritorious nor the latter to be blamed. And again, unless the human race have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions, of whatever kind they be. But that it is by free choice they both walk uprightly and stumble, we thus demonstrate. We see the same man making a transition to opposite things. Now, if it had been fated that he were to be either good or bad, he could never have been capable of both the opposites, nor of so many transitions. But not even would some be good and others bad, since we thus make fate the cause of evil, and exhibit her as acting in opposition to herself; or that which has been already stated would seem to be true, that neither virtue nor vice is anything, but that things are only reckoned good or evil by opinion; which, as the true word shows, is the greatest impiety and wickedness. But this we assert is inevitable fate, that they who choose the good have worthy rewards, and they who choose the opposite have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds, which cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy of reward or praise did he not of himself choose the good, but were created for this end; nor, if he were evil, would he be worthy of punishment, not being evil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made. And the holy Spirit of prophecy taught us this, telling us by Moses that God spoke thus to the man first created: “Behold, before thy face are good and evil: choose the good.” …So that what we say about future events being foretold, we do not say it as if they came about by a fatal necessity; but God foreknowing all that shall be done by all men, and it being His decree that the future actions of men shall all be recompensed according to their several value, He foretells by the Spirit of prophecy that He will bestow meet rewards according to the merit of the actions done, always urging the human race to effort and recollection, showing that He cares and provides for men. (First Apology Chapters 42-44) And that God the Father of all would bring Christ to heaven after He had raised Him from the dead, and would keep Him there until He has subdued His enemies the devils, and until the number of those who are foreknown by Him as good and virtuous is complete, on whose account He has still delayed the consummation—hear what was said by the prophet David. These are his words: “The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. (First Apology Chapter 45) For among us the prince of the wicked spirits is called the serpent, and Satan, and the devil, as you can learn by looking into our writings. And that he would be sent into the fire with his host, and the men who follow him, and would be punished for an endless duration, Christ foretold. For the reason why God has delayed to do this, is His regard for the human race. For He foreknows that some are to be saved by repentance, some even that are perhaps not yet born. In the beginning He made the human race with the power of thought and of choosing the truth and doing right, so that all men are without excuse before God; for they have been born rational and contemplative. And if any one disbelieves that God cares for these things, he will thereby either insinuate that God does not exist, or he will assert that though He exists He delights in vice, or exists like a stone, and that neither virtue nor vice are anything, but only in the opinion of men these things are reckoned good or evil. (First Apology Chapter 28) Pseudo- Justin Martyr (date unknown) Foreknowledge is not a cause of that which is going to be, but rather that which is going to be is a cause of foreknowledge. For that which is going to be does not ensue upon foreknowledge, but rather foreknowledge ensues upon that which is going to be. (link) Irenaeus (2nd century – 202) Man has received the knowledge of good and evil. It is good to obey God, and to believe in Him, and to keep His commandment, and this is the life of man; as not to obey God is evil, and this is his death. Since God, therefore, gave [to man] such mental power (magnanimitatem) man knew both the good of obedience and the evil of disobedience, that the eye of the mind, receiving experience of both, may with judgment make choice of the better things; and that he may never become indolent or neglectful of God’s command; and learning by experience that it is an evil thing which deprives him of life, that is, disobedience to God, may never attempt it at all, but that, knowing that what preserves his life, namely, obedience to God, is good, he may diligently keep it with all earnestness. Wherefore he has also had a twofold experience, possessing knowledge of both kinds, that with discipline he may make choice of the better things. …Offer to Him thy heart in a soft and tractable state, and preserve the form in which the Creator has fashioned thee, having moisture in thyself, lest, by becoming hardened, thou lose the impressions of His fingers. … If, however, thou wilt not believe in Him, and wilt flee from His hands, the cause of imperfection shall be in thee who didst not obey, but not in Him who called [thee]. … Nor, [in like manner], does the light fail because of those who have blinded themselves; but while it remains the same as ever, those who are [thus] blinded are involved in darkness through their own fault. The light does never enslave any one by necessity; nor, again, does God exercise compulsion upon any one unwilling to accept the exercise of His skill. Those persons, therefore, who have apostatized from the light given by the Father, and transgressed the law of liberty, have done so through their own fault, since they have been created free agents, and possessed of power over themselves. But God, foreknowing all things, prepared fit habitations for both, kindly conferring that light which they desire on those who seek after the light of incorruption, and resort to it; but for the despisers and mockers who avoid and turn themselves away from this light, and who do, as it were, blind themselves, He has prepared darkness suitable to persons who oppose the light, and He has inflicted an appropriate punishment upon those who try to avoid being subject to Him. (Against Heresies chapter 39) John Chrysostom (circa 347–407) But when He said, “It must needs be,” it is not as taking away the power of choosing for themselves, nor the freedom of the moral principle, nor as placing man’s life under any absolute constraint of circumstances, that He saith these things, but He foretells what would surely be; and this Luke hath set forth in another form of expression, “It is impossible but that offenses should come.” But what are the offenses? The hindrances on the right way. Thus also do those on the stage call them that are skilled in those matters, them that distort their bodies. It is not then His prediction that brings the offenses; far from it; neither because He foretold it, therefore doth it take place; but because it surely was to be, therefore He foretold it; since if those who bring in the offenses had not been minded to do wickedly, neither would the offenses have come; and if they had not been to come, neither would they have been foretold. But because those men did evil, and were incurably diseased, the offenses came, and He foretells that which is to be. (Homilies # 59 on Mathew 18:7) Sunday, March 22, 2009 Steve: I’ve been busy with more important business, such as my review of Ehrman’s silly new book. Thanks for responding to Ehrman's blasphemies. Steve: Moreover, I’ve already corrected him on his misstatement that determinism rules out possible alternatives. That’s demonstrably false. In supralapsarian Calvinism, for example, God chose a particular means to achieve a particular end. There were other possible ends, with corresponding means available to him, but he chooses the end that best furthers his purpose (i.e. the glorification of God in the glorification of the elect). Determinism does rule out possible alternatives. Calvinism isn't equivalant to determinism. Granted some Calvinists hold to exhaustive determinism - the ones who deny God's LFW. But Calvinists who affirm God's LFW deny exhaustive determinism. Granted, for these Calvinists, God not man has LFW. But to the extent that God has LFW, determinism isn't exhaustive. Steve: Once again, here is Kane’s definition:“A choice is the formation of an intention or purpose to do something,”How is that an especially technical or philosophical definition–much less a definition distinctive to Kane’s action theory? I had already explained this to Paul, but here goes... Kane’s theorizes that while we are simultaneously making efforts to choose two different things, indeterministic chaos in the neural networks of the brain hinders both efforts. The two attempted choices push up against each other and create indeterminism. The “winner” is the choice. For Kane, the indeterminism isn’t in the source of the choice, but rather it’s an obstacle to making choices. (Kane, For Views on Free Will, ed. Sosa, Blackwell, 2008, p35) How does this relate to Kane's definition of a choice? Kane needs a definition of choice that works with determinism, because at least to some degree, choices work deterministically in his system. He leaves off "alternatives" becauce they don't fit his system. For Kane, indeterminism isn't an intrisic part of the process of developing one choice, rather it's a side effect of the parallel development of two choices. In fact, Kane holds that some choices are predetermined (while others are not). You find Kane's definition agreeable, because for Kane, choice must fit within a deterministic system. Steve: Let’s compare two definitions of choice:a) ”A choice is the formation of an intention or purpose to do something” (Kane).b) ”A choice involves the power to instantiate alternate possibilities” (Dan). My comment was not a definition. Steve: But suppose, for the sake of argument, that Kane’s definition were a technical definition. So what? Kane's definition is fine for discussions, after the definition is understood. It's just not a good idea to assume it's the definition of scriptural terms. Steve: As I’ve also pointed out to Dan, dictionary definitions include technical definitions as well as popular definitions. It’s quite arbitrary for Dan to cite the dictionary as his frame of reference, then arbitrarily restrict what definitions are “suitable.”This seems at odds with Steve's claims that "Dan is overinterpreting lexical usage and trying to abstract the end-result from the process" and "A dictionary is a vicious hermeneutical circle." How is it that my approach is "selectivly technical" and "hicksville" at the same time? The dictionary reports a common usage of the term choose, which just happens to rule out determinism. I am not really being all that selective. I simply googled choose and dictionary and dictionary.com's "to select from a number of possibilities" was the first definition in the first link. Granted, at this point I have looked at bunches of dictionaries, but most either use "possiblities" or "alternatives" or both. If I am being techincal, it's because the common usage is technical. Steve: For Dan to reject [Kane's] definition is special pleading in excelsis. Kane is unique, even among libertarian phlosophers. Steve: And even on its own terms, it’s problematic to include “execution of choice” in your concept of choice–considering the fact that a finite agent often fails to execute his choice. Maybe, but that's what the dictionary seems to be doing. I believe "failed attempts" wouldn't qualify as choices under the dictionary method, since the belief that X was possible was false. Semantically, I can see a case for that. It's a bit awkward to say I choose something, when I wasn't able to execute the choice. If a linebacker stops him, we might say "Romo wanted to cross the goal line", but we wouldn't normally say "Romo chose to cross the goal". Now perhaps this is a failing in the dictionary. Perhaps the dictionary should only talk about things we think are possible (which may or may not be possible), rather than taking about things that are possible. But that's not what it does. Steve: ”Selection between possible alternatives” is a mental act involving deliberation. Resolving on one alternative is also a mental act. That’s irrelevant to the extramental structure of the world. That’s a psychological claim, not an ontological claim. No. This is the switcharoo to square the dictionary with determinism. Steve exhanges possibilities for what we think are possilities. The exhange is quite subtle and easy to overlook, but it's there. A determinist wouldn't even think they were possibilities; she would think they might be possibilities, only as a result of our her ignorance of what has been predetermined. So a possibility is being exhanged for "I don't know if this is a possibility or not". Steve: Dan was forced to admit that there’s absolutely no empirical evidence for LFW. His fallback was to invoke intuitive evidence for LFW. That's not my argument. I have always taken LFW on faith. Let me give some background here.... About a year ago Gene challanged Arminians for an exegetical argument for LFW. I offered to debate him on the topic. He declined. A few months ago he repeated the challenge, and again I offered to debate him. He again declined, but Paul and I did have a brief exhange. This lead to a more extensive exhange, which you have picked up on. So my core argument, from the begining is this: P1: The bible says people have wills and choose P2: But choosing rules out determinism C1: Therefore, the bible rules out determinism. P1 is obvious. Some folkes have pointed out that the bible talks about God choosing more often than it talks about man choosing, but even a single instance of the bible saying man chooses substaniates P1. I supported P2 based on the dictionary, with hooks back into biblical usage based on modern scholarship and ancient Jewish opinion. What I have received back so far has been 1) counterdefinitions and 2) attempts to reconcile the dictionary with determinism. This has been the main battle ground. My reponse to #1 has been that while counterdefinitions exist they are either tautological or technical and neither are useful for understanding scripture. My response to #2 is that the attempts to reconcile determinism with the dictionary fail, and only look successful due to the switcharoo. My use of "intuition" was only to respond to the question of why the "switcharoo" wasn't common sense. Steve: That, however, would require a one-to-one correspondence between the hypothetical options we thought were within our power to realize, and what we could actually achieve. Failed attempts destroy the intuitive evidence for LFW since they demonstrate that Dan’s intuitive criterion is unreliable. If choice requires a one-to-one correspondence, then only cases with a one-to-one correspondence are choices. "Failed attempts" wouldn't be choices. Of course, if determinism is true, there is never a one-to-one correspondence, so we never choose. But if LFW is true, sometimes there is a one-to-one correspondence, and so sometimes we choose. So even if we grant the argument regarding failed attemps (which I don't), it still doesn't eliminate LFW, it simply limits the cases in which we choose to a smaller subset. Steve: Dan is not a classic Arminian. To the contrary, Dan is a Molinist. I am not sure how Molinism is relivant to the current discussion, but in any case Steve's statement is a false dichotomy - a person can be both classic Arminian and Molinist. Steve: But Molinism is at odds with Dan’s definition of choice. In Molinism, God is the only agent who can instantiate alternate possibilities. It’s God who determines which possible world to actualize, not the human agent.In Molinism, human choice is purely counterfactual. There’s a possible world in which Dan does A, another possible world in which Dan does B, yet another possible world in which Dan does C, and so on. But the Dan of each possible world lacks the power to instantiate these alternatives. The human agent is not the agent that instantiates a possible world. Only God can do that. So the human agent lacks access to alternate possibilities.In Molinism, God chooses which possibility to instantiate, not the human agent. God chooses in light of what the human agent would do, but the human agent, in a possible world, isn’t free to make that happen himself. For a human agent in a possible world has no objective existence. A possible agent is not a real agent. A possible agent can’t do a thing. b) What is more, once God chooses which possible world to instantiate, the agent has no freedom to do otherwise in the actual world to which he belongs. The freedom of choice representing possible worlds might be significant if, in addition, a Molinist agent had the freedom to choose which choice would be actualized. But since he lacks that complementary freedom, the freedom which the Molinist scheme imputes to him is quite illusory. c) Summing up, a Molinist agent lacks the freedom to choose between one possible world and another. That’s because each possible world (or world segment) represents a choice (or set of choices, involving other agents as well). Within each possible world, a Molinist agent only has one choice available to him. They pair off: one alternate choice per world, where a possible world (or world-segment) corresponds to an alternate choice. And in the actual world, a Molinist agent only has one choice available to him. That’s because the actual world selects for that particular choice to the exclusion of other possibilities. In a possible world, or in the actual world, all other possibilities are inaccessible to the world-bound agent. The real freedom belongs to God, who chooses which possible world to instantiate. A Molinist agent doesn’t get to choose the actual world in which he will find himself. He’s stuck with God’s choice. Hence, a Molinist agent has precious little freedom. I am not quite sure if this was intended as a "reducto ad absurdem" argument against Molinism or a description of Molinism. If it's a description, it's an incorrect summary of Molinism. God does not choose between possible worlds, He chooses between hypotheticals (sometimes called feasible worlds). Further, the agent is able to choose between possible worlds. God knows they will not (and would not), but they still can choose other possible worlds. God's choice (decree) does not elimitate the alternative possibilities. I think Steve is confusing "would" with "can". Here's how it works. Let's say there are 3 possible worlds (one in which I choose chocolate, a second in which I choose vanilla, and a third in which the I don't even go to the ice cream parlor.) God looks at the set of worlds and "runs a hypothetical scenario" in which I am in the ice cream parlor. The result is hypothetical Dan, who can choose either chocolate or vanilla, chooses chocolate. God says, "that's what I want", and He creates that world. God created the world He saw in the scenario and it's just like the world in the scenario. In the scenario, hypothetical Dan was able to choose chocolate or vanilla (i.e. had access to 2 possible worlds), so actual Dan can choose chocolate or vanilla (i.e. has access to 2 possible worlds). Steve: It [hypothetical options] can mean I imagine a number of ostensible alternatives. I contemplate different flavors. And it can also mean deciding to eat one flavor rather than another, or deciding to refrain from eating any flavor. These are mental acts. And there’s no equipollent relation between what I can conceive and what I can do. It's a switcharoo to change from things we can do to things we think we can do, but bypassing that... alternatives are two or more things we can choose, not two or more things we can do, but bypassing that as well... If determinism is true, we don't have alternatives and if one is a determinist, he can't think he has alternatives. How can they appear to be alternatives, if one believes in determinism? If determinism is true, a person can't choose otherwise. But if a person is a determinist, he can't think he can choose otherwise. He can't think he can choose either chocolate or vanilla. His ignorance of what he has been predetermined to do may lead him to think "I might be able to eat chocolate but if so, I can't eat vanilla and I might be able to eat vanilla, but if so I can't eat chocolate", but he couldn't consistently think of chocolate and vanilla as alternative possibilities. If libertarianism is true, there sometimes is and sometimes isn't an equipollent; if determinism is true, there's never an equipollent. But if a person is a determinist, it makes no sense to even think they have alternatives. Since alternatives are a part of the definition of choosing, the definition of choose rule out determinism. But even the retreated (switcharoo) understanding of alternatives to "what we thought were alternatives" doesn't work. Since it makes no sense for a determinist to think he has alternatives, it makes no sense for a determinist to think he can choose. Dan: Normally people think we are able to choose otherwise before the choice but not after the choice. This seems due to time and perhaps also cause and effect. But in any case, normally we think possibilities lapse. No crying over spilt milk. Steve seems to be calling this into question. One can only speculate as to why.Does he think God time-travels? Does he disregard time as we know it? Does he think maybe we will wake up tomorrow and God chose Esau all along? Steve: Remember what I said in my previous post? “Of course, depending on whether the agent is human or divine, choice will involve different preconditions. Since God is timeless, his mind was never in a state of uncertainty or indecision. His intent or purpose is timeless. Due to his omnipotence, various alternatives were available to him. Many things were possible. But it took no time for him to ‘form’ an intention or purpose. It’s a timeless intention.” I agree with this statement, but it doesn't answer my questions or explain your statement about time-travel or lingering possibilites. Dan: we have the freedom to choose otherwise than we will choose and had the freedom to choose otherwise than we did. If God alone had LFW (the uniwiller theory) and has issued one simple, eternal decree, all possibilities should be spoken of in the past tense. Steve: That’s an assertion without an argument. A timeless God would employ tensed language when addressing time-bound creatures. My comment was a description, not argument. Steve attacked a position (the idea that LFW entails the ability to change the past), so I explained that LFW doesn't entail the ability to change the past. While your previous statement about God and time was one I agreed with and I don't think it explained our differences here; this comment about God's timelessness might. God's decree and/or creation of the world starts time. Once time starts, God is in it. God has alternative possibilities before creation and does not after creation. For man, the change from one moment to the next is associated with the lapse of possibilites. For God, it's the change from being outside of time to being in time. But let's say you're right and God remains timeless after the inception of time. This leads us to question if time itself is real, since apparently God doesn't see things that way. Further, so long as the decree logically precedes the act, alternative possibilities have still lapsed. Given God's decree, there are no possible alternatives. So it still does not make sense to use possible alternatives (indexed to God) as a core ingredient in defining man's choices (logically and/or temporally after the decree). Further still, one questions if God ever had alternative possibilities (temporally or logically), since they seem to entail change. Dan: God knows the heart and will judge us based on our choices. We trust Him to take care of the consequences. Steve: Irrelevant to what I said. This is what I said: “What’s the value of having libertarian freedom if you can never explore the consequences of each alternative in advance of committing yourself to just one course of action?” It's very relevant. The "value" and rewards are eternal, not temporal. Matthew 6:25-34 Steve: Even Dan admits that “remorse” is one of the available definitions.ii) He is also disregarding the implications of a word. There is more at issue than the meaning of a word. When a word attributes a certain attitude to an agent, that carries certain implications. It’s not just a question of what the word means, but what the attitude denoted by the word implies. The word denotes an attitude. What does the attitude imply? Why would God have a change of heart or feel remorse unless he regretted his prior course of action?When we read about people, and certain states of mind are attributed to them, we draw certain inferences. This isn’t just a question of looking up some words in a dictionary. Words don’t exist in isolation to the world they denote. They derive their meaning from the world they denote. No question remorse is one of the definitions, but it's not the only one. Change of heart and remorse are alternative definitions. You cited some Engish translations that translate naham as sorry, but other versions translate it repent. Interestingly, the newer translations (and dynamic equivalants) tend to go with "sorry", and the older ones tend to favor "repent". The LXX, Vulgate, Tyndale, Webster, KJV, ASV, Youngs, and Darby all go with repent. Translations aside, the Hebrew itself allows for either change of heart or remorse. I disslike "sorry" as a translation, because it's too specific and misses the range of meaning in the Hebrew naham. The denotation for divine repentance is not the same as it is for God's repentance, unless you think God, like man, sins, and physically reacts. God has a change of heart, not because of His own sins, but due to His hatred of ours. God previously saw mankind and said "it is good", now He sees mankind as only evil. So before He wished to have a creation, now He wishes their destruction. That's the change of heart from one intention to another, and it's not due to God's sins, but man's. Steve: “God's knowledge is temporally prior but logically after the outcome, so God still foreknows in a temporal sense.”i) From a Molinist standpoint, in what sense is God’s knowledge temporally prior? If God is contemplating possible worlds, then that would be apart from time since time itself would be a result of instantiating a possible world. At the beginning of time, God knows the whole of time. Dan: “On the other hand, if God's knowledge isn't based on the outcome, then it's not knowledge of the outcome.” Steve: This is one of the semantic games that Dan tries to play. And in so doing, he abandons is commitment to common sense and popular usage. In popular parlance, to know the outcome is to know what will happen. However, knowledge of the outcome needn’t be based on the outcome itself. Not so. In popular usage knowing what will happen means your knowledge of what will happen corresponds to what will happen. Of course, there's usually some degree of uncertainty for us, but we judge the truth or falsehood of future tense propositions based on outcomes. If I said "it will rain tomorrow", one would not say my statement was true, if it does not rain tomorrow, even if at the time I (and everyone else on the planet) had every reason to believe it would rain tomorrow. Even if nature was about to deterministically cause rain and God miraculously intervened and stopped the rain, people would still say my statement was false. What Steve is talking about doesn't seem to be a common topic of discussion, but it would be better described as knowledge of causal forces and relations rather than knowledge of the future. Steve: That’s a possible mode of future knowledge. Knowledge of the future after the fact. Of course, that falls short of knowing the future as future. Rather, that’s knowing the future as past. After the fact. Yes, but knowing it as past, before it happens. Steve: If knowledge of the outcome is caused by (i.e. “based on”) the outcome, then such knowledge is inherently ex post facto. Caused and "based on" are not equivalent. The future does not cause God's knowledge, since God's knowledge is immediate. The relation between God's knowledge and the event is logical, not causal. It's closer to that of a definition and a word rather than that of fire burning paper. Steve: If, on the other hand, the agent is causing the future, then it’s not the outcome that causes his knowledge of the outcome; rather, causing the outcome is the source of his knowledge. God knows the outcome by knowing himself. God knows what is going to happen because God decreed the outcome and God also executes his decree through primary and secondary causation. That's inductive and can never amout to knowledge of the future. Steve seems to be denying that the future is the basis of truth of statements about the future. Dan: Finding fault’ is conduct. The passage doesn't say why would God still find fault or if no one resists His will. It says why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” Steve: Dan is too flatfooted to appreciate Pauline rhetoric. Rom 9:19 is a counterfactual objection in which, for the sake of argument, a hypothetical opponent takes Paul’s position, as he (the opponent) understands it, to its logical extreme. To think this is a statement of what the opponent actually believes is to get the objection completely backwards. The objection is a reductio ad absurdum of what the opponent takes to be a Pauline premise. It's interesting Steve thinks I am sticking to the text of Romans 9:19 too closely. Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Whedon’s discussion of foreknowledge is fascinating. His refutation of Edwards' God's foreknowledge rules out freewill argument is solid. I like his pointing out that we don't know how God knows the future (229). I really like his moderate use of Molinism (245, 256). He enters an interesting discussion about the difference between certainty and necessity. Apparently Calvinists split in reaction to Hobbs. Some (like Edwards) argued the future is necessary. Others said it is not necessary, but it’s certain. Whedon argues that certainty is equal to necessity if in every possible world the thing never happens (190-191). Whedon’s response to Edwards is devastating. He points out that Edwards view of freedom is post-volitional, not freedom of the will (17). Edward’s notion of freedom is accurate, but incomplete and irrelevant to the Calvinist/Arminian debate. Whedon explains that that the three types of necessity (causal, logical and temporal) are all necessity. (33) Edwards attempts to split necessity into various categories is one of the ways he goes way off course. Whedon argues that saying "I can do X" implies "I can choose to do X" (209). Whedon exposes Edwards error of attempts to split them and then usurp the common notion of freedom based only on "I can do X". Whedon explains that choice makes the strongest motive and the last judgment of reason strongest and last (57). I am glad John brought Whedon back. It’s good to see such as strong Arminian response to Edwards, as I have often heard the claim that Edwards is unanswered. Saturday, March 7, 2009 For the most part, I agree with Steve's explanation of how dictionaries/lexicons work and only resist his characterizing my position as falling outside the parameters he so skillfully lays down. Paul and I reviewed 9 dictionary definitions of "choose". 8 of them use either "alternative" or "possible" or both within the definition. Wiktionary did not; it used synonyms (including "decide"). I cited this as a failing on the part of the Wiktionary and argued that the definitions provided in the other 8 dictionaries ruled out determinism. So my contention is that the question of why dictionaries and lexicons are what they are is not relevant to the business at hand. The questions should be: “what does the dictionary say” and “does that conflict with determinism”? Since dictionaries speak of possible alternatives and determinism rules out possible alternatives, it seems like an open and shut case. Steve: i) To choose=to make a decision. ii) Or, if you prefer a definition from one of your own, how about this: “A choice is the formation of an intention or purpose to do something,” R. Kane, “Libertarianism,” J. Fischer, et al, Four Views On Free Will (Blackwell 2007), 33. The first definition descends to a tautology and the second is handcrafted to fit Kane's unique philosophical theory. Neither is suitable for understanding scripture, though Kane's definition is useful for understanding Kane. I have already made my case against leaving out essential ingredients and technical, philosophical definitions. Steve: However, if you insist, we could even include “alternatives” in our definition of choice. That doesn’t get you anywhere close to LFW, for there’s a difference between the hypothetical options I contemplate–on the one hand–and whether that process of deliberation matches accessible alternatives in the real world–on the other. It’s child’s play to come up with many examples in which the conceivable alternatives I imagine to be possible are not, in fact, available to me. I generally think of choices at three levels: 1) contemplation, 2) choice and 3) execution of choice. Let’s take chocolate/vanilla ice cream. Related to #3 there's a set of alternative possibilities: I can eat chocolate and I can eat vanilla. Likewise related to #2 there's a different set of alternative possibilities: I can choose chocolate and I can choose vanilla. #1 corresponds to #3. I think about eating chocolate and I think about eating vanilla. The dictionary defines choose as selection between possible alternatives (or options). Steve trades options for "hypothetical options" (#3 for #1). Doing so misses the dictionary (common sense) definition. Thinking about eating chocolate should not be confused with eating chocolate. Steve uses several examples of "failed attempts" to disprove LFW. These are situations like thinking you can eat chocolate but you can't (i.e. #1 without a corresponding #3). Let's say chocolate is sold out. I can't eat chocolate, but I can fail in the attempt. Given Steve's understanding of choice (which includes #1, but not #3), #3 is irrelevant to choice. It doesn't matter if we can eat chocolate or not, we are still choosing. On the other hand, if choice does involve #3, failed attempts don't disprove LFW. The level 3 possible alternatives moves from "I can eat chocolate/I can eat vanilla" to "I can eat vanilla/I can fail in the attempt to eat chocolate". Maybe not what we had in mind, but possible alternatives none the less. Determinism cuts off alternative possibilities at the source (level 2 – I cannot choose chocolate). If determinism is true, there are no alternative possibilities at level 2 or level 3. If I am predetermined to eat vanilla, eating chocolate is impossible; I can neither eat chocolate nor fail in the attempt. What are we to understand by "hypothetical options"? Could it mean me imagining I am eating chocolate? Could it mean the thought "if I choose chocolate, I will eat chocolate"? Could it mean "if I am predetermined to eat chocolate, I will eat chocolate"? It's unclear what Steve means. Let's say it's the first. Why call it "options" unless we also imagine ourselves choosing chocolate. In that case we are to the second. But what if chocolate is sold out? I might think it's a hypothetical option, but I would be wrong. Given the hypothesis (if I choose chocolate), I still don't get to eat chocolate. What about the third ("if I am predetermined to eat chocolate, I will eat chocolate"). Even if chocolate is sold out, this one entails a counter-factual past in which chocolate is not sold out. That works, but does anyone think this is the key ingredient in the normal definition of choice? In short, not only does Steve trade options for "hypothetical options", he really shouldn't be calling what he has in mind "hypothetical options".Why wouldn’t libertarianism, if true, entail the possibility of time travel? To do otherwise is only incompossible if you can’t repeat the past–up to a certain point, then do something different. But if you have the ability to do otherwise, then you should be able to repeat the past–up to the point where you do otherwise. Here’s a surprising statement. And perhaps not unrelated to this interchange: Me: However, since the [God’s] decree is done and immutable, it is fair to say all counterfactuals are no longer possible, given the decree. So Calvinism seems unable to maintain the existance of alternative possibilities.” Steve: …Alternate possibilities exist because alternate possibilities inhere in God’s omnipotence. The finite world does not exhaust the unlimited resources of divine omnipotence. There are many unexemplified possibilities: things which it was within God’s power to do, but he refrained from doing. Normally people think we are able to choose otherwise before the choice but not after the choice. This seems due to time and perhaps also cause and effect. But in any case, normally we think possibilities lapse. No crying over spilt milk. Steve seems to be calling this into question. One can only speculate as to why. Does he think God time-travels? Does he disregard time as we know it? Does he think maybe we will wake up tomorrow and God chose Esau all along? In a world with turducken, I am not one to look down on innovation. Perhaps Steve can explain what's going on here. In the meantime...we have the freedom to choose otherwise than we will choose and had the freedom to choose otherwise than we did. If God alone had LFW (the uniwiller theory) and has issued one simple, eternal decree, all possibilities should be spoken of in the past tense. Steve: What’s the value of having libertarian freedom if you can never explore the consequences of each alternative in advance of committing yourself to just one course of action? God knows the heart and will judge us based on our choices. We trust Him to take care of the consequences. Regarding divine repentance and Gen 6:6.... In reviewing my analysis of texts regarding "divine repentance", Steve seems to conflate the definitions of the words and the range of interpretations left open by the definitions of the words. I am not saying you can look up interpretations in a dictionary; I am saying definitions can bar things from inclusion within the interpretation. In analysing Gen 6:6 we should not confuse repentance with remorse. Lexicons provide "a change of heart" or "relenting of a past course" as a possible definition for naham; although another definition is remorse. In particular, the LXX's enthumeomai excludes remorse and only includes a change of course. So in this case "antropromorphism" is overly complex and per Occham's razor should be avoided. If God’s knowledge of the outcome derives from the outcome, then God is ignorant of the future. He only knows the future when the future is past. He only knows the future after the fact. God's knowledge is temporally prior but logically after the outcome, so God still foreknows in a temporal sense. On the other hand, if God's knowledge isn't based on the outcome, then it's not knowledge of the outcome. The critic is not objecting to God’s conduct. Rather, the critic is objecting to Paul’s doctrine of God. Steve: "Finding fault" is conduct. The passage doesn't say why would God still find fault or if no one resists His will. It says why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" Steve: It would also behoove him to read Cunningham’s article on “Calvinism, and the Doctrine of Philosophical Necessity.” Thanks for the suggestion. Friday, March 6, 2009 Keith has an interesting take on hardening. Since both Pharaoh and God are said to harden Pharaoh's heart, Keith sees various roles in the hardening process. God provides the impetus for harding and Pharaoh responds by hardening his heart. Regerading the objector in Romans 9:19, Keith explains the objection as "the questioner is asking why faith in Christ should be necessary. That is, how can God blame the Jew for expecting to be among the chosen people because he’s a Jew—in other words, because he’s descended from Abraham and because he’s kept (in a relative sense) the Law? How can God blame the Jews for failing to come to faith in Christ, since faith was not what the Jews were led to expect to be the criterion of election?" Keith then explains that vessals of mercy and wrath are dynamic, not static, groups.

Sunday, October 16, 2011 Around the Blogosphere - October 16 9 Reasons to Publish an eBook by Ben Barden on Quick Blog Tips. If you are a blogger and aren't reading Ben's blog, you need to be. Another post that focusing on writing has to do with NaNoWriMo - on The Ginger Jewish Genealogist. Do you think you can write a book in a month's time? That's what NaNoWriMo is about - and November is the month. Maybe your book doesn't have to be a novel, but about family history. The idea is to get it in gear and write! Paula Stuart-Warren offers a perspective on Budget Choices in Life and in Family History on Paula's Genealogical Eclectica. Dan Curtis is a professional personal historian and has a blog that genealogists and geneabloggers should subscribe to. This week he provided links to 20 articles about interviewing techniques. I always lament the fact that my college journalism coursework focused on reporting, writing and editing, but in four years, there was no mention or instruction on how to conduct an interview. It's certainly a lot more than writing out your questions ahead of time. Randy Seaver is my genea-angel of the week with all of his posts about the new 2012 Family Tree Maker. While I haven't read every one all the way through (yet), I will - because, for a change, I want to avoid some mistakes by just clicking through a lot of buttons and not know what I'm doing. Randy provides a compendium to all of his articles about FTM 2012 in one post. And - another Nebraska genealogist has joined the blogging world. Please visit Marcia Stewart's blog about her Turpin family on Turpin Traces. Marcia teaches beginning and intermediate genealogy classes at Southeast Community College here in Lincoln. And as a former student, I can tell you she is very good at it!

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989 and opened for signatures. As of 2009, some 194 countries have ratified the convention, including all members of the UN except Somalia and the United States. The Convention specifies child-specific needs and rights allowing parents to act in the interests of the child. As United Nations conventions go, this is a short one, with some 54 articles. Article 28 states: 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in particular: (a) Make primary education compulsory and available free to all; (b) Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child, and take appropriate measures such as the introduction of free education and offering financial assistance in case of need; (c) Make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means; (d) Make educational and vocational information and guidance available and accessible to all children; (e) Take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates. 2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child's human dignity and in conformity with the present Convention. 3. States Parties shall promote and encourage international cooperation in matters relating to education, in particular with a view to contributing to the elimination of ignorance and illiteracy throughout the world and facilitating access to scientific and technical knowledge and modern teaching methods. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries. Much has been written about children's rights, both by philosophers and within other disciplines treating more legal and political aspects of children's rights. To some extent, the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child has resulted in a particular attention to this issue. In the United States, a movement concerned with children's rights has, to a large extent, emerged out of the attention to unprivileged groups that can be traced back to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Similar movements were growing in Europe at that time which culminated in the 1970s. Still, those movements may be said to have started much earlier in Europe. One example is the writings and works of individuals such as the Polish educationalist Janusz Korczak (the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit), who struggled against governments to help orphan children. Those individuals, at least in Korczak's case, seemed to take upon themselves the endless task of giving relief to children in societies where few cared about them. Korczak believed that this was the result of a tacitly learned attitude towards unprivileged groups. He said that we, "teach indifference towards the weak by our own example" (Korczak 1992, p. 162). Korczak's foremost example of such unhappy teaching was the lack of legal rights of children. We can hear Korczak anticipating this declaration and the UN's convention in his major text, "How to love a child" (1920): "For years I have been observing the quiet sadness of sensitive children and the brazen antics of grownups. The child has a right to be himself, has a right to respect. Before you make revolutions, before you make wars, think first of these proletarians with short legs, think first of the child (Korczak, in Kulawiec, 1992, p. xiv)." Read More: The Public Intellectual Project Even earlier, in the constitution for his Jewish orphanage, he writes that children have, "the right to be loved, the be right to be listened to, the right to respect, the right to past and present and to a future" (Kulawiec 1992, p. xiv). This invocation of the discourse of rights from individuals such as Korczak seems to have been a result of the frustrating insight that the work of one man or woman or groups of people is not only insufficient, but incapable to promote lasting change. As so many feminists realize, to protect and empower children, we need changes in both the mentality of the public and in the societal practices that make children particularly vulnerable. The history of the children's rights movement reveals that it began as early as the late 18th century, with Thomas Spence's 1796 "The Rights of Infants." In the United States, child advocacy to abolish child labor was established in 1890, although it was not until 1938 that Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which placed limits on child labor. Korczak wrote several works on the rights of the child in the 1920s, yet the first effective attempt to promote children's rights was the Declaration of the Rights of the Child drafted by Eglantyne Jebb, the British social reformer, in 1923 and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924. The original included the following stipulations: 1. The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and spiritually. 2. The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succored. 3. The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress. 4. The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood, and must be protected against every form of exploitation. 5. The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow men. This document was accepted by the United Nations in 1959 and updated in 1989. Another European example, perhaps with a stronger impact on policy with more lasting effects, is the founding of Save the Children in the UK in 1919, its twin organization Rädda Barnen (Save the Children) in Sweden later that same year, and, together with other local organizations, the organizing of the International Save the Children Union in Geneva in 1920. Though, at first, the organization's primary focus where on professional charity for children (and mothers), the focus slightly evolved to promoting the establishment of laws and policy documents to protect children, which resulted in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by The League of Nations in Geneva in 1923. Indeed, it is not only the rights discourse in general which has been challenged, but also the idea of children's rights. Some argue that a rights approach seems too oriented around Western institutions and practices, and that it is not as applicable in other contexts. Accordingly, the level of commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child differs radically between different nations. Others argue that the rights discourse is misleading when applied to issues concerning children. Although one may recognize that giving children rights is useful for protecting children, it can be argued that giving rights also results in obscuring children's need for protection by leaving them with the responsibility to claim their rights, and, thus, conceiving them as independent and capable of governing their own lives to a further degree than they actually are. This perspective, however, confuses the use of the notion "right" as referring to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and similar documents, and the use of the notion of moral rights as philosophers discuss them. Philosophers such as Locke, Mill, Kant and Bentham have all attended specifically to questions of the moral status of children, and in such discussions, worked on the notion of children's rights long before any of the discussion of children's rights responded to the need for conventions to protect children. The emphasis by all those philosophers was quite different. Locke, Mill and Bentham wished to qualify their different conceptions of freedom, and they claimed that freedom was dependent on having certain capabilities (though their opinions differed somewhat on what those capabilities where). The moral status of children is, they agree, a matter of paternalistic protection until children mature in the relevant capabilities. Concerning legal rights, it is quite clear, assuming the law is well formulated, what the right consists in, who it involves and whose responsibility it is to fulfill. In the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this is quite clear. The ratifying nation and its institutions have taken the responsibility to fulfill the convention, and it concerns children, defined as individuals under the age of 18, unless the age of majority is reached earlier in the considered nation. Such a legal approach to rights, depending on the right under discussion, must not involve any particular capabilities on the child's part, and it is not up to the individual child to claim its rights. The legal approach to children's rights is instead subject for investigation, a criticism of another kind. Do these rights really protect the child? Are they too controlling and, therefore, limit the freedom of the child? Do they correspond with our moral responsibilities? If children are taken as possessors of moral rights, the role of an individual child's capabilities are somewhat different. Locke, Mill, Bentham and, to some degree, Kant, require some capability on the part of the child (for example, rationality or certain sensibilities). Nonetheless, if our conception of childhood is historicized, and if our conception of children's moral status is constitutive of what we see them as - that is, our (inter)subjective understanding of them - another approach to philosophy of childhood is possible. We need a philosophy of childhood that, without confusing the issues at stake, can reconcile the activism of Korczak and the legal and moral tendencies in the discourse children's rights. Standard entries on philosophy of childhood (for example, Matthews, 2005; Matthews, 1994) begin by problematizing the child as an object of study and then tacitly follow a chronology that embraces historical developments emphasizing theories of cognitive and moral development (after Piaget and Kohlberg), children's rights, agency of children, the good of childhood (focused on aesthetics), philosophical thinking in children and children's literature. Matthews' (2005) conception that is the entry for the "Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy" is motivated by an Aristotelian reading and tacitly accepts a chronology that flows from Piaget's theory without elaborating the ways in which these approaches are different or, indeed, "philosophical." It does not mention historical approaches except for Philippe Aries' work, nor does it mention much on the influence of Freud, psychohistory and psychotherapeutic accounts of childhood or more recent social, cultural and political accounts. Michael Pritchard (2009) writes the entry for "philosophy for children" that again begins with Piaget to focus on the empirical account of Gareth Matthews, Matthew Lipman, McPeck and others before profiling the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC). These standard or received views are predominantly psychological in the broad sense of the term, and also cognitive, following a chronology shaped by Piaget's work in child psychology. While these approaches are undeniably significant in the history of the study of childhood, they have been supplemented, and, some would say, eclipsed, by new approaches that draw much more from cultural and political analyses, viewing childhood less as a standalone empirical and universalist account of "development" shared by all children, and rather, more as reflecting the new postcolonial emphasis on cultural difference and the fashionable historicism in the human science that tends to challenge developmentalism as an ideology. Also, philosophers since Plato have had an ambiguous relationship to children and childhood. On the one hand, many philosophers have seen the importance of childhood to their philosophical positions; on the other hand, there are very few philosophical accounts devoted to investigations of childhood and children in its own right. This ambiguity corresponds with tendencies in the ideologies tacit in our many different approaches to children. On the one hand, this ideology is very attentive to children and childhood: we care about children and try to understand them socially and psychologically; children's education is often a debated issue among politicians, and children's political, legal and moral rights are widely discussed. On the other hand, children rarely are understood on their own terms, and children tend to be seen as cultural others in societies where the terms for the good life are set by adults. Despite our care for our children, we may even speak of this tacit ideology as a form of racism, or, in David Kennedy's words, a form of "adultism": The history of adulthood in the west - in the privileged, patriarchal West anyway, which is mostly what we have a record of - is characterized by an attitude toward children and childhood that I have called "adultism." Like racism, ethnocentrism, and sexism, adultism is based on what appear to be empirical differences - in anatomy, neural development, ego-structure, psychoculture, size, and physical strength. These "real" differences very often lead to "subspeciation," or the tendency to regard or treat certain human others implicitly as if they were members of a separate species (Kennedy 2006, p. 63). If there is some truth in this description of our lives with children, it is well worth investigating how, when and if, adultism works out in different accounts of children and childhood. Adultism may distort philosophical and psychological accounts of children and childhood, despite other strengths of the accounts. We suggest that what is needed is a philosophy that (1) can reveal where and when adultism takes place (that is, a philosophical cultural critique); (2) a philosophy that can present ideological alternatives to the adultist tendencies we find in some of the philosophical accounts here; and (3) a philosophy that can account of how positions on childhood are dependent on our previous and current ways of talking and thinking about, and interacting with, children. Accordingly, we need a philosophy of childhood that is both historicized and which provides ways for us to work on our subjective experiences of children and childhood. We find that one point of departure for such a philosophy may be in Foucault's historicized accounts, which can help to establish a discourse concerning children and childhood the brings awareness of children similar to how postcolonial theory, feminism and queer theory have affected our experience in their respective areas. This is a move from an ahistorical, apolitical and psychologized account of childhood to a historical and subjectivized account that recognizes the voices of children rather than "theories" of the voices of experts who speak for them. In the world today, the vast proportion of children are in poverty, or are hungry or abused. As "The State of the World's Children 2012" shows with clarity, "hundreds of millions of children today live in urban slums, many without access to basic services." Under neoliberalism, the status, health and education of children, even in the first world, has been downgraded as inequalities have rapidly grown and outstripped the gains made during the 1960s and 1970s (Hill, 2009; Ross & Gibson, 2007). As children are taken seriously as subjects of political and moral theory - a very recent historical change - and as the discourse of rights for children matures, it is important to understand that it is no longer possible to accept a simple equation between the interests of children and those who traditionally are seen as bearing responsibility for them. They must be encouraged to speak for themselves, and we must become more adept at both providing the vehicles to access their voices and to actively listen to them. Kennedy, D. (2006) "The Well of Being: Childhood, Subjectivity, and Education" (Albany, State University of New York Press). Matthews, G. (2005) The philosophy of childhood, "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Matthews, G. (1994) "The Philosophy of Childhood," Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Pritchard, M. (2009) Philosophy for children, "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy." UNICEF (2012) "The State of the World's Children 2012." Hill, D. (ed) (2009) "Contesting Neoliberal Education: Public Resistance and Collective Advance," New York/Abingdon: Routledge. Ross, E.W. and Gibson, R. (eds) (2007) "Neoliberalism and Education Reform," Cresskill, N.J. : Hampton Press. 1. See the full text of the convention at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm. 2. In this regard, we can mention also the journal Childhood and Philosophy. The focus and scope of editorial policy makes interesting reading, as the following excerpt indicates: Childhood and philosophy is a journal which has been waiting to be born at least since Socrates sat down in the unique (at least for us) shelter of the 5th century BC pólis and founded a discipline. The journal's conception lies much, much later, in the fateful historical meeting between childhood education and philosophy. This meeting, in turn, had to wait for Rousseau's mantic pronouncements of the Emile, sent like a letter in a bottle to the approaching revolution, and for the slow development, over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, of a kind of adult actually capable of listening to children, much less of hearing them. This, in turn, required the romantic deconstruction of that very enlightened (male) adult whom, we must admit, made revolution possible.

Rabbi Eliezer MelamedThe writer is Head of Yeshivat Har Bracha and a prolific author on Jewish Law, whose works include the series on Jewish law "Pininei Halacha" and a popular weekly column "Revivim" in the Besheva newspaper. His books "The Laws of Prayer" "The Laws of Passover" and "Nation, Land, Army" are presently being translated into English. Other articles by Rabbi Melamed can be viewed at: www.yhb.org.il/1 Three years ago, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, upon the recommendation of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, decided to terminate the ‘Hesder’ program in Yeshiva Har Bracha. Thus, the Yeshiva became a ‘yeshiva gevoha’ (an advanced level yeshiva), devoid of a means for the students to combine army service with their Torah studies. Why? Because I voiced my Torah-based opinion that a soldier who receives an order to expel a Jew from his house in the Land of Israel should refuse the order. This is not the place to explain the validity of this position. Nevertheless, even one who disagrees with it, believing that a soldier must fulfill such an order, and if not, be punished – at the very least, should respect this position, seeing as it is the position of ‘Gedolei Torah’ (eminent Torah scholars), my Rabbis, in whose path I am simply attempting to continue. When the uppermost security echelon tries to impose its position, determining what a Rabbi can or cannot say, basically, they resolve that they possess all the truth and morality, and a Rabbi has no freedom to think or express himself. Such an attitude is intolerable towards any human being – let alone a Rabbi, whose job requires him to express a Torah-based position according to the best of his knowledge, and without bias or fear of retribution. However, Barak and Ashkenazi presented themselves as the bearers of the flag of morality, Zionism, and the law, and in its name, decided to revoke the ‘Hesder’ option from Yeshiva Har Bracha which I head. Now, in the wake of the publication of the State Comptroller’s report concerning the scandalous ‘Harpaz affair’, which involves the two of them, it turns out that the same uppermost security echelon itself acted with unparalleled corruption, and hence, the “quality of their judgment” and the “purity of intention” in their lofty speech against us has become a parody. The ‘Harpaz affair’ occurred in the months following the removal of Yeshiva Har Bracha from the ‘Hesder’ program. A Corrupt Moral Infrastructure When the moral infrastructure is corrupt, there is no choice but to hold tight to the formal law regarding having to carry out orders. Therefore, it is no surprise that it is those who are themselves corrupt, who are willing to risk national security in order to promote their own interests, using all methods of falsehood, forgery, fraud, and incitement – made such efforts to preach about the duty of obeying the law and fulfilling orders. From their perspective, this is the moral straw they hold on to, in order to give some value to their jobs. Even Col. Erez Weiner, the now-dismissed assistant to the Chief of Staff, claimed in his own defense that all the borderline criminal activities he was suspected of performing, was done under orders, and therefore, absolved him of responsibility. The State Comptroller, however, was not convinced by this bizarre argument, but rather, recommended that the Attorney General open an extensive criminal investigation against all those involved. “Orders” cannot purify the rot of corruption, just as they cannot purify the expulsion of Jews from their land simply because they are Jews. This is even more obvious when such an order is given to soldiers who enlisted in the army in order to protect their nation and country, and not to fight their own brothers and sisters; even the most basic of military commands do not permit the use of troops against a country's own citizens. If we had a normal court of law, it would defend the soldiers from such immoral orders, and also defend citizens from the discrimination on the basis of their being Jewish that was immoral in the expulsion. A person whose value system is shallow, is unable to distinguish between refusing an order to fight the enemy, an act which damages the essential military infrastructure, and refusing an order to expel his own people, which expresses a higher level of conscience, seeing as it is a refusal of an order that must not be imposed to begin with on a soldier in a democratic, moral state. The Roots of Corruption This corruption did not start with these individuals – the fact is that much of the General Staff were involved, directly or indirectly, in all the episodes of deceit and mutual harassment. The corruption began, however, with the gnawing-away of the moral recognition of the Jewish nation’s right to its land, and the duty of the army to protect its people and country, and to strike and defeat those who rise against it. When the revised goal of the top military leadership is not to fight the enemy, but to advance the “peace” process, together with members of bloodshed and deceit, world-class terrorists like Arafat and his cronies – then, all notions of good and evil are jumbled; morality and justice are replaced with the values of blind obedience to orders. Instead of defeating the enemy. The current goal is to please the media and the world’s political leaders. Praise from Western leaders is more important than the country’s security, and settling the Land. Thus, concepts such as “victims of peace” are created, so while “peace” is only written about in the newspapers, the victims are buried in the cemetery. Without real vision and values, career advancement in the army and in civilian life has become the main purpose of these senior officers. To this end, it is better not to initiate any military actions, not to take any pre-emptive operations against the enemy, to participate in deceiving the public about the hallucinations of future peace, and to promote a secular agenda in the army because, currently, they believe this will advance them further. And when a security operation does occur, their main goal is to ensure that they come out of the commission of inquiry unscathed, and if there is guilt, to make sure it falls on the head of the lowly guard at the gate, who just happened to be there by coincidence. We are left with the consolation of all those exemplary people, the soldiers and junior officers, from the lower and middle levels, who truly are ready to risk their lives for the people and the country; but the values that motivate them to do so, were absorbed in their parent’s home’s, and not from the leaders of the army. The Deep-Rooted Rectification In order to purge corruption from the senior echelons, the Government and the heads of the Defense organization must once again define the goals of the army: to defend the people and the country. To repeat and re-affirm that there is no nation in the world whose rights to their land are as well-established as the Jewish nation. It starts with the Divine commandment from the Bible, with which the whole world is familiar; it continues with the historical rights to the land of our forefathers – there not being another nation in the world who claims their country is their native land; and continues with the inherent moral right, which states that after the Jewish nation agreed to share the land with the Arabs living here, (most of whom emigrated to the country over the last one hundred and fifty years), but they refused all these offers, and in a series of wars, strove to destroy us – they have no right whatsoever to request a compromise. Additionally, in wake of the Left’s hallucinatory “peace”, it has become abundantly clear that the Arabs are not willing to compromise, but at most, are willing to deceive us in order to receive – without going to war – parts of our land, and generous funding – and afterwards, continue fighting us for the rest. And if asked: Well, what can you do? There are still Leftist’s who innocently believe that it is justified and possible to make peace with enemies, even if those enemies don’t express remorse for all the murder and hatred? Unfortunately, I do not have a comforting answer to this question. As long as such people have an impact, we will have to suffer all the ills of moral weakness that leads to corruption, to terrorist attacks, and to security crises. In other words, we will have to continue dealing with ‘victims of peace’ – in souls, and in values. In souls – the holy martyrs; in values – the corrupting of moral principles, and of historical and inherent justice.

“I speak to them about what a settler is”… that’s what the guy said. So, I’m looking at this guy… US born, short beard, knitted Kippah on his head, lives in Gush Etzion, sort of what can be expected. I continued to eavesdrop and the conversation continued… he went on to say that by coming out to his place in the Gush, they get to see a real “settlement” and “settlers”. He was very sincere about how he is a good example of a “settler”… Now I know a lot of you are getting all upset about the word “settler”, but chill for a bit. A “real settler”… what the hell kind of statement is that? Its like saying a “real Jew”, or someone saying that they are a real New Yorker, Angelino, or whatever kind of narrow minded statement one may choose to make. Honestly, having the nice guy hinting that he will show people what a “settler” is about kept me quite un-settled… and might I add, a bit pissed. Besides that, the diversity of the Jewish residents here in the ole’ country equals that of almost anywhere in the world. I know that the New York Times, Al Jazeera and HaAretz like to portray the “settlers” in a pretty much stereo-typed visual of us all having large knitted kippahs, long “Payis” and wielding axes while chopping down trees or spray painting some stupid “tag” somewhere, but… nah, not the way it is. Yes, we have those types too, actually not as many as you may think, but we, out here on the perimeter, come in all shapes, colors, sizes, religious affiliations, political opinions and genders. Long hair, short hair, Tattoos, piercing, all sorts of stuff. No one mold can fit any of us. I know that the many of us living out in yonder “Heartland” like to call ourselves “settlers” as does the pro/anti world, but that is not exclusive to the residents of Judea, Samaria, and many parts of Jerusalem!!! The former Security Chief of Kibbutz Nirrim (Gaza border), was killed in the last mortar barrage, his name is Zevick z”l, and he was/is my friend. I just attended his “30” memorial service, unveiling, I believe it is called in english. The Regional Council head in his “speech”, said how many like to think that the term “settler” and the “settler movement” only applies to those living over the “Green Line”, he went on to say that it is high time that all of Israel realize that the folk along the Gaza border are as much “settlers” as anybody else… including the Jewish residents of the Negev and the Galil, and yes Tel Aviv. So there you have it, all of Israel are “settlers”. The Arabs have been saying this for years, most Jews just haven’t been paying attention. So now that we have that settled, we can move on to the term “settler”… or not.

Secretary-General's Address to the United Nations General Assembly [Bilingual, as delivered version] 20 September, 2016 I stand before you with gratitude for your support across the decade I have had the privilege to serve this great organization, the United Nations. In taking the oath of office in December 2006, I pledged to work with you for “we the peoples”. With the Charter as our guide, and the dedication of the staff, we have achieved much together. I also stand before you with deep concern. Gulfs of mistrust divide citizens from their leaders. Extremists push people into camps of “us” and “them”. The Earth assails us with rising seas, record heat and extreme storms. And danger defines the days of many. One hundred and thirty million people need life-saving assistance. Tens of millions of them are children and young people -- our next generation already at risk. Yet after ten years in office, I am more convinced than ever that we have the power to end war, poverty and persecution. We have the means to prevent conflict. We have the potential to close the gap between rich and poor, and to make rights real in people’s lives. With the Sustainable Development Goals, we have a manifesto for a better future. With the Paris Agreement on climate change, we are tackling the defining challenge of our time. We have no time to lose. I urge you, leaders, to bring the Paris Agreement into force before the end of this year. We need just 26 countries more, representing just 15 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. I ask you to help lead us to a world of low-carbon growth, increased resilience and greater opportunity and well-being for our children. These great gains are threatened by grave security threats. Armed conflicts have grown more protracted and complex. Governance failures have pushed societies past the brink. Radicalization has threatened social cohesion – precisely the response that violent extremists seek and welcome. The tragic consequences are on brutal display from Yemen to Libya and Iraq, from Afghanistan to the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin. In today’s world, the conflict in Syria is taking the greatest number of lives and sowing the widest instability. There is no military solution. Many groups have killed many innocents – but none more so than the Government of Syria, which continues to barrel bomb neighbourhoods and systematically torture thousands of detainees. Powerful patrons that keep feeding the war machine also have blood on their hands. Present in this Hall today are representatives of governments that have ignored, facilitated, funded, participated in or even planned and carried out atrocities inflicted by all sides of the Syria conflict against Syrian civilians. Just when we think it cannot get any worse, the bar of depravity sinks lower. Yesterday’s sickening, savage, and apparently deliberate attack on a UN-Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy is the latest example. The United Nations has been forced to suspend aid convoys as a result of this outrage. The humanitarians delivering life-saving aid were heroes. Those who bombed them were cowards. Accountability for crimes such as these is essential. I appeal to all those with influence to end the fighting and get talks started. A political transition is long overdue. After so much violence and misrule, the future of Syria should not rest on the fate of a single man. One year ago, Palestine proudly raised its flag at UN Headquarters. Yet the prospects for a two-state solution are being lowered by the day. All the while, the occupation grinds into its 50th year. As a friend of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, it pains me that this past decade has been ten years lost to peace. Ten years lost to illegal settlement expansion. Ten years lost to intra-Palestinian divide, growing polarization and hopelessness. This is madness. Replacing a two-state solution with a one-state construct would spell doom: denying Palestinians their freedom and rightful future, and pushing Israel further from its vision of a Jewish democracy towards greater global isolation. On the Korean Peninsula, the fifth nuclear test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has again threatened regional and international security. Meanwhile, the people’s suffering and plight are worsening. I urge the leaders of the DPRK to change course and fulfil their obligations – to their own people and to the family of nations. In Ukraine, the violence has caused an internal upheaval, renewed tensions across Europe and rekindled geopolitical rivalries. In South Sudan, leaders have also betrayed their people. Indeed, in too many places, we see leaders rewriting constitutions, manipulating elections and taking other desperate steps to cling to power. Leaders must understand that holding office is a trust, granted by the people, not personal property. My message to all is clear: serve your people. Do not subvert democracy; do not pilfer your country’s resources; do not imprison and torture your critics. Yesterday we made great progress in helping people find a haven from conflict and tyranny. The New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants points the way toward saving lives and protecting the rights of millions of people. We all must meet those promises. All too often, refugees and migrants face hatred. Muslims in particular are being targeted by stereotyping and suspicion that have haunting echoes of the dark past. I say to political leaders and candidates: do not engage in the cynical and dangerous political math that says you add votes by dividing people and multiplying fear. The world must stand up against lies and distortions of truth, and reject all forms of discrimination. We must also address the factors that compel people to move. That means investing in conflict prevention and engaging in patient diplomacy. And as the demand for peacekeeping rises, we must continue strengthening peace operations to help countries secure and sustain peace. I am encouraged that the General Assembly has endorsed the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, which can help us tackle the drivers of conflict. In Myanmar, the transition has entered a promising new phase. In Sri Lanka, post-war healing efforts have deepened. In both countries, true reconciliation rests on ensuring that all communities, minorities and majorities alike, are included in building a new union. Next Monday, I will travel to Colombia for the signing of a peace agreement to end one of the world’s longest-running armed conflicts. The United Nations will support the Colombian people every step of the way. There is also encouraging movements towards an agreement on Cyprus. Let us all support the progress and solutions that may now be at hand. Je saisis cette occasion pour exprimer mes regrets au sujet de deux situations qui ont terni la réputation de l'Organisation et, pire encore, traumatisé les nombreuses populations que nous servons. Premièrement, les actes odieux d'exploitation et de violence sexuelles commis par certains soldats de la paix et d'autres membres du personnel des Nations Unies ont aggravé les souffrances de populations déjà prises dans un conflit armé et sapé les efforts accomplis par tant d'autres agents de l’ONU dans le monde. Les protecteurs ne doivent jamais devenir des prédateurs. Les États Membres et le Secrétariat doivent redoubler d’efforts pour faire appliquer et renforcer la politique de tolérance zéro de l'Organisation. Deuxièmement, Haïti a cumulé les épreuves : peu après un tremblement de terre dévastateur, le pays a été frappé par une épidémie de choléra. J'ai beaucoup de regret et de peine face aux terribles souffrances du peuple haïtien affecté par le choléra. Une nouvelle stratégie s'impose pour atténuer sa détresse et améliorer ses conditions de vie. Nous sommes fermement résolus à nous acquitter durablement de cette responsabilité morale. Nous élaborons actuellement un ensemble de mesures d'assistance pour les personnes les plus directement touchées et redoublons d'efforts pour établir de solides systèmes d'approvisionnement en eau, d'assainissement et de santé, qui sont la meilleure défense à long terme contre les maladies. Nous n'y parviendrons qu'avec l'appui politique et financier sans faille des États Membres. Je vous donnerai plus tard des précisions sur cette stratégie. Unissons nos efforts pour honorer nos obligations envers le peuple haïtien. Allow me to briefly touch on a few other areas that I hope will long remain priorities of the United Nations. I am proud that UN Women came to life during my tenure. It is now our established champion of gender equality and empowerment, aiming for a “50-50 planet”. I have appointed more women to senior positions at the United Nations than ever before -- and I am proud to call myself a feminist. Women hold up half the sky and are essential to meeting all our goals. I have been saying that the least utilized resource in our world is the potential for women. So we must do far more to end deep-seated discrimination and chronic violence against women, to advance their participation in decision-making, and to ensure that every girl gets the start in life she deserves. I have been a proud defender of the rights of all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Our human rights machinery – along with the Human Rights up Front initiative -- is placing human rights at the centre. Human rights are the pillars of society -- and the antidotes to violent extremism and civic despair. We have deepened support for the Responsibility to Protect. We have made inroads against the death penalty. Landmark convictions by the International Criminal Court and other bodies have advanced accountability -- but we still must do far more to prevent genocide and other atrocity crimes. Civil society is essential for all of these efforts. I ask all of you to join me today in saying “yes” to greater space for civil society and independent media, and “no” to cracking down on the freedoms of assembly and expression. Ces dix dernières années nous avons réalisé de grands progrès dans les domaines de l’éducation et de la santé. Nous avons pratiquement éradiqué la polio. De plus en plus de femmes survivent à l’accouchement. Davantage d’enfants sont scolarisés et vivent plus longtemps, dans de meilleures conditions. Les mesures que nous avons prises ensemble pour contenir l’épidémie d’Ebola nous ont préparés à de futures urgences sanitaires. Les travaux du groupement tactique mondial sur la santé nous rappellent que la vigilance s’impose bien avant que les pandémies fassent la une des journaux. La maîtrise des armes meurtrières a progressé grâce à la Convention sur les armes à sous-munitions et au Traité sur le commerce des armes, ainsi qu’à l’action efficace menée contre les armes chimiques. Nous devons tirer parti de cet élan pour nous rapprocher de l’objectif ultime : éliminer les armes nucléaires une fois pour toutes. Le Sommet mondial sur l’action humanitaire a permis de renforcer les opérations de secours pour s’orienter vers la prévention et la résilience, ainsi que la réduction des besoins. Nous tirons parti, comme jamais auparavant, de l’énergie des jeunes, notamment grâce à l’action de mon tout premier Envoyé pour la jeunesse et du nouvel Envoyé spécial sur l’emploi des jeunes. Les partenariats avec le secteur privé se sont multipliés : nous encourageons les entreprises à adopter des pratiques responsables qui soient les meilleures pour la société et le monde. Nous avons aussi fait de grands progrès pour ce qui est d’adapter et de réformer l’Organisation aux réalités du XXIe siècle. Continued progress will require new heights of solidarity. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Member States have still not agreed on a formula for reform of the Security Council -- a continuing risk to its effectiveness and legitimacy. In the same spirit, I want to put on the table today a major and much needed reform for fairnessand effectiveness in the United Nations. Far too often, I have seen widely-supported proposals blocked, in the name of consensus, by a few or sometimes even just one country. We see this being done by large and small countries alike. Time and again, I have seen essential action and good ideas blocked in the Security Council. Blocked in the General Assembly. Blocked in the budget process, blocked in the Conference on Disarmament and other bodies. Is it fair in this complicated 21st century for any one country or few countries to yield such disproportionate power, and hold the world hostage on so many important issues? Consensus should not be confused with unanimity. The global public is right to ask whether this is how an organization in which we have invested so much hope and aspirations should function. I propose, Mr. President, that you explore, with my successor, the establishment of a high-level panel to find practical solutions that will improve decision-making at the United Nations. States must also respect the independence of the Secretariat, in accordance with the Charter. When our reports say what needs to be said, Member States should not try and rewrite history. When our human rights personnel act on behalf of the most vulnerable, Member States should not block their path. When our humanitarian workers need to reach populations under siege, Member States should remove all obstacles. And when our envoys and personnel raise difficult issues, Member States should not ostracize them or threaten to banish them from the country. We must all be open and accountable to the people we serve. There is one last measure of the change that has defined the past decade. It is hard to believe, but when I took office, a smart phone like this had not even been introduced to the world. Today it is a lifeline and, perhaps at times, the bane of our existence! It is an indispensable part of our lives. Our phones and social media have connected the world in ways that were unimaginable when I took office. Yes, they have been abused by extremists and hate groups. But they have also created a world of new communities and opportunities. For me, it is all a reminder of the power of individuals to change the world. After all, people power helped make the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the most inclusive development process of our time. People power mobilized millions to push leaders to take climate action. People power is what I have seen in every corner of the world this past decade. People like Rebecca Johnson, a nurse I met in Sierra Leone who contracted Ebola, recovered and then rushed and risked her life again to save her community. People like Yusra Mardini, the Syrian teen swimmer who pushed her damaged refugee boat to safety and then went on to compete in the Rio Olympic Games. And, of course, people like young Malala Yousafzai, who came to the United Nations and showed us all how one book, one pen and one person can make a difference. A perfect world may be on the far horizon. But a route to a better world, a safer world, a more just world, is in each and every one of us. Ten years on, I know that working together, working united, we can get there. I count on your leadership and commitment. Thank you very much. (UN Photo / Cia Pak)

Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 I do not mince words. There is a reason why ‘human rights’ is written in quotation marks. I want to explain what is the goal of the ‘human rights’ program in my college. I am not going to mention the name of my college for obvious reasons but it is one of the few colleges in New York City that has a ‘human rights’ program at the undergraduate level. The ‘human rights’ program is for students to either earn a minor or for the more advanced a certificate. A few months before transferring to this specific college, I went to a transfer student fair. There was a wide array of tables filled with many majors and programs being offered by the college. I was immediately drawn to the ‘human rights’ table. My intentions were good when I enrolled in that program. I was aware of many injustices going on in the world through my news subscriptions which included Vice News, Huffington Post, The Young Turks and others. Do notice how I mentioned the world and not the United States of America. I will make a point about this later on in this post. My first semester I took two ‘human rights’ courses as required for the certificate. One was called “Introduction to Human Rights” and an English course titled “Utopian Fictions: Human Rights and Literature”. The intro course for ‘human rights’ was heavy on reading human rights cases, reading international human rights laws and learning the history of the laws of war. On the very first day of class, students were required to read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UDHR was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 and is not legally binding. I have no complaints about the course overall. The course was great and very leftist bent when cases were discussed. I met people in that class that made me wonder about their mental health. One person in particular was a girl from Tibet who expressed throughout the entire semester her hatred of the Chinese government and its relentless program of committing cultural genocide. This young woman told me that she wanted to slit her wrists in front of the Chinese consulate. I told her that will not free Tibet or receive attention from the Chinese government. It will land her in a psych ward or on a hospital bed. However, this was the course where I criticized and attacked the BLM movement in a final assignment and the professor did not penalize me for it. I was shocked and grateful for the fact that he liked my essay and appreciated a different view of the movement. The Utopian Fiction course was also great because I read a lot of literary works. When I enrolled in this class, I automatically assumed that my class was going to read the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and others. That specific work of Vonnegut’s is one of my favorites because of how it equality was depicted in a negative light. Nope. There was no Science Fiction in this course. Many of the books, short stories and plays, were works of fiction but nonetheless interesting. Some of these works included South African author J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace. Disgrace takes place in South Africa after the end of the apartheid period. One must have some good historical background knowledge of South Africa in order to understand the intention of the book. South Africa was once a Dutch colony and its lands were dominated by the Boer farmer. After a series of wars against the British known as the Boer Wars, South Africa became a British colony. The apartheid policy in South Africa was implemented in 1948 while countries in the African and Asian continents under European colonialism were experiencing independence movements. A variety of crimes were committed during the apartheid period that lasted until 1994 between whites, blacks, Indians, and ‘colored’ people. Being ‘colored’ in South Africa was very different from the American definition. As my English professor described it, being ‘colored’ meant being negated since it meant being a black and white mixture. Discrimination against ‘colored’ people was much worse and open than foe other groups. There are many figures that had some kind of involvement and influence in apartheid policy and history of South Africa in general. These include significant figures such as Jan Smuts, Winston Churchill, Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, John Cecil Rhodes, Mohandas Ghandi and others. I can write about South Africa and my knowledge of the country one day in a future blog post primarily focusing on Jan Smuts, Holism and Apartheid policy. Another book that was read in this class is by Canadian author Michael Ondaatje. The book tiled Anil’s Ghost is about a forensic anthropologist named Anil Tissera who returns to her native Sri Lanka. Anil was in Sri Lanka as part of a United Nations Human Rights Investigation. Sri Lanka had been going through a civil war after it received its independence from the British Empire in 1948 and again in 1972. The civil war was fought between the Tamil and Sinhalese ethnic groups. Anil’s Ghost takes place during the height of the conflict which lasted from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. The course focused on human rights issues as they were being portrayed in these written works and focused outside the Western world during postcolonial times from 1945 until present. These countries include Afghanistan, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Botswana and others. These two courses, although I enjoyed them, were a glimpse to what the ‘human rights’ program was about. Now I will be going back to the point I made earlier regarding the injustices around the world. If these two courses made me realize one thing, it was that the ‘human rights’ program will primarily focus on issues outside of the United States and the Western world. This was and still is problematic for me. It is as if the ‘human rights’ program refuses to acknowledge that there are legitimate issues in the United States and the West. The U.S. is no utopia and is not immune to social ills. Why should these ‘human rights’ students want to focus on the ills of their backyard? There can be a variety of reasons to answer this. It feels better to help starving people who they may never meet by donating money to a charity. Perhaps sending them food and supplies. Even posting a link on their social media accounts to raise awareness of a multitude of issues and get ## number of likes, comments filled with praises. These are the same type of people that would rather raise awareness of the plight of Syrian refugees versus the starving homeless family in a Manhattan street. Also the issues of a Chinese sex trafficking victim that was brought to Australia is more important than an American mother whose teenage daughter is missing. ‘Human rights’ ought to not be applied to Americans, according to leftist logic and feelings, because this is a rich and powerful country. Problems that Americans have will go away quicker and are less relevant because of its privileges. Not trying to deter from the main topic of this post on ‘human rights’ but this is one of the reasons why Trump won the presidential election.When the federal government, through federal programs, prefers to provide services to illegal immigrants over American citizens or Veterans there is a problem. This attitude of fulfilling the needs and wanting to assist outsiders over fellow citizens by leftists is symptomatic of globalism. Leftists care more about the needs of foreigners before their own fellow neighbor. This kind of behavior is fueled by pop culture where celebrities would rather adopt children from developing countries instead of those in their own countries. These public and private schools are no longer a place of education but indoctrination. If and when someone mentions how they would rather fix issues in America before Papua New Guinea, a leftist will call this person a racist. This is called ‘Cultural Marxism’ and I heard this term uttered by Andrew Breitbart, founder of Breitbart News, in a speech addressing a student. How can one want to change the world if they refuse to help their own country, home state, city or their own neighborhood? How can anyone want to help someone else when they refuse to help themselves? This is one of my many problems with the ‘human rights’ programs in academia. They would raise awareness of issues in Haiti, South Africa, Pakistan, Colombia but developed countries simply cannot experience these issues. “This is why you must reject post-structuralist thinking. No offense but you are the definition of the indoctrination and you don’t even understand what you are saying”.– RIP Andrew Breitbart 1969-2012 ‘Human rights’ program aims to selectively raise awareness of violations that occur to certain populations i.e. Muslims, LGBTQ, women, children, disabled, and others. However, Christians are being persecuted across the globe and even in America. There was a case of a bakery that refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple. The lesbians wanted to show how progressive they were, filed a lawsuit against them that drove them out of business. These women could have opted to buy a wedding cake elsewhere. It seems as if this lesbian couple did this deliberately. What about the poor Whites that live in the Appalachians that are dirt poor? These poor Americans do not receive much government assistance because of this false white privilege. Social ladders are non-existant for these people. Diane Sawyer, of ABC News, reported on the poor, White people of Appalachia on a special 20/20 report back in 2009. Feminists in the Western world whine and complain about not having rights as a woman and do not realize how blessed they are. There are women in the world who cannot work or go to school. Women cannot be seen in public without a male companion. Sometimes these women and girls are rape survivors and are blamed on the victim and stoned to death. These are practices in the Islamic world. Western feminists do not raise issues about these atrocious acts because they simply do not care. Western feminists’ needs are greater than the other. Having access to birth control is more important than trying to save a young female from female genital mutilation.Notice the Women’s March in Washington (I jokingly called it the THOT patrol because these whiners do not represent all women) was spearheaded by Linda Sarsour who supports Sharia Law. Sharia Law is the very set of laws that DO NOT give women rights. Do not believe me but look at what is going on in Muslim majority countries. Members of the LGBTQ community complain about not having rights in the United States and other Western parts of the world because of stupid marriage or ability to adopt. I tell them directly that not to complain because in Muslim majority countries, a mere accusation of homosexuality can lead to people being tossed off of buildings or imprisoned. Look at how male children in Afghanistan are victims to a cultural practice known as a bacha bazi. These young boys are dressed as females, wear makeup and are taught to dance. They are repeatedly raped by men who rent them for their services. This practice is known by American military men whose commanders tell them in advance to ignore their screams for help. An Army Sargeant named Charles Martland beat up a man who was an alleged child rapist while on duty in Afghanistan. Thankfully Martland did not lose his position in the American armed forces. Many of these students in the ‘human rights’ program are only in it simply to look good in front of their peers. This reminds me of a white woman in an introductory anthropology course I was enrolled in many years ago who bragged about braiding a black girls hair in Tanzania. I also recall another account of a male classmate of mine bragging about how he taught a village of seven children some certain English words. The point of these stories that I have mentioned is that these people, especially these who come from privileged backgrounds, is to look good. Outside of ‘human rights’ courses, I have interned in various non-profit organizations in New York City. These non-profits focus on a multitude of issues for specific interest groups. In order to volunteer or intern in any of these during the summer months, you would have to be lucky. A native New Yorker would be competing with out of town students from Ivy League and private colleges across the country such as Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, Princeton and others. Again these students do it to look good for graduate school or job opportunities. To provide their parents or guardians with bragging rights at dinner parties or work functions. ‘My child is so wonderful. She is volunteering for a non-profit organization that raises awareness of child labor exploitation in Guatemala. Now she officially speaks conversational Spanish and has raised a few thousand dollars to help build an orphanage…’ I have heard conversations like this and more. Does ‘human rights’ exist and if so for whom? It is quite obvious that this idea only applies to certain humans. This is another problem I have with the term ‘human rights’ which is misleading. It is not as all encompassing as it pretends to be. There is so much historical evidence that can be used for this argument and I will use a few. For instance, the United Nations has dark origins that are lesser known. I can elaborate on that in another post. The organization was formed for various reasons one of which was to prevent acts of genocide that occurred during World War II. Sadly there were a lot more genocides in the postwar period because of non UN intervention most notably the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica in Bosnia and Pol Pot’s Camboda to name a few. The presence of UN peace officers were in Rwanda and Bosnia BUT nothing was done. Also how the term genocide, as was defined by Polish Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, purposely omitted political and social groups. American and Soviet government officials that lobbied at the United Nations headquarters wanted to ensure that those groups were not incorporated in the definition of genocide. If political and social groups would have been added to that definition of genocide, both the United States and the Soviet Union would have been on trial for war crimes committed during WWII. Stalin killed way more people than Adolf Hitler and began his mass killings in 1929 with systemic famines. A book that discusses the history of the United Nations definition of genocide and Stalin’s crimes is titled ‘Stalin’s Genocides’ by Norman M. Naimark. Here in this section I am going to discuss ‘human rights’ theory as I have learned in my English class. Giorgio Agamben, an Italian political philosopher, wrote and published a work titled Beyond Human Rights. Agamben argues that the idea of human rights is very much tied to citizenship. He, too, uses many historical examples such as the homo sacer which is a term used to describe a non citizen living in the Roman Empire. Any crime can be committed against him or her because they have no right or ties to the Roman state. Another example Agamben uses to strengthen his argument is of how many refugees who flee their countries due to political or religious persecution seek asylum and then eventually become a citizen of the nation-state they fled to. Mark Mazower, historian wrote a book titled No Enchanted Palace, where he discusses the dark historical origins of the United Nations. Mazower’s book supplements Agamben’s theory of how human rights are tied to citizenship. He uses the historical account of how German Jews were denationalized and denaturalized, meaning they lost their rights as citizens and their citizenship, before being sent to concentration and death camps. Since these German Jews were no longer citizens, their ‘human rights’ had been stripped away leading many to their tragic deaths. This has been some of my experiences in the ‘human rights’ program in my college campus. I may have generalized but in all honesty I am sure my campus is a microcosm of what goes in liberal colleges in America and other Western countries. Although I have been harsh and critical of ‘human rights’, I have met people who are genuine about trying to make the world a better place. That is admirable but like I have stated some needs are more important than others. It is just as important to volunteer in an after school program in an inner city community than it is to tutor kids in Somalia. I am just saying. This post went from attacking the ‘human rights’ program to discussing ‘human rights’ theory. Human rights in my college will be continued in another post. I only got to describe one semester.

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Unite against austerity and struggle for a better life for all Robert Bechert, CWI Millions upon millions displaced, forced to flee, living in appalling conditions, facing brutality from state forces and sectarian militias while putting their lives at risk as they seek safety; this is the reality of the wars that have followed years of foreign, imperialist intervention in the Middle East and defeats suffered by the revolutions that began in 2011. The result is waves of refugees abandoning their homes and former lives. Most of the figures for the number of refugees underestimate the humanitarian crisis. Around six and a half million Syrians are refugees within Syria and a further four million are officially registered as refugees outside. Syria. In addition are the refugees from Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia and other war zones. Hundreds of thousands have come to Europe for refuge and a future, often facing perilous journeys, state brutality and exploitation from racketeers. As the situation worsened, more and more died this year trying to overcome the obstacles governments, particularly those in the European Union, put in their way. This provoked a reaction. Growing numbers of Europeans were outraged by the unfolding human disaster in the Middle East, Mediterranean and southern Europe. This anger, especially at the growing number of deaths, forced a few governments to take more steps to help some of the millions of refugees fleeing war in the Middle East. But this limited concession has not been the result of a change of heart at the top. If it had not been for the growing popular anger at the treatment of refugees then nothing would have changed. For months European governments have been firmly resisting such steps. Earlier this year the European Union’s Mare Nostrum rescue mission in the Mediterranean was replaced with the much more limited Triton operation. The aim was to make the sea crossing more dangerous for refugees and would-be migrants. The British government said that Mare Nostrum was a “pull factor” encouraging people to try to reach Europe, and therefore told the British parliament last October that these “emergency measures should be stopped at the earliest opportunity”. In other words, their idea was to increase the risk of drowning and lessen the chance of rescue in order to keep the refugees out. Sure enough, this is what happened. In April 2014 42 migrants are thought to have drowned when Mare Nostrum was operating, in April this year 1,308 are believed to have died in the waters of the Mediterranean. But it was not just the British government who openly expressed what they wanted to do. The German government, which received some praise for its changed approach, fully supported ending Mare Nostrum because, as the German interior minister explained, “Mare Nostrum was intended as emergency aid and has proved to be a bridge to Europe”. Berlin wanted to destroy that “bridge” for refugees. Now, for a moment, the German government appears to be the most generous in taking Syrian refugees, but it is just as hypocritical as the other capitalist governments. While allowing in refugees arriving via Hungary, Berlin almost simultaneously asked the Rome government to impose border checks at Brennero on the Italian-Austrian border to try to limit the numbers coming from there. It is clear that both Germany and Austria will move to do something similar on their eastern borders. Just days before the refugees in Hungary were allowed into Germany the Bavarian regional government opened its first so-called “one-stop” “reception and deportation centre” aimed at rapidly deporting those asylum seekers from countries Berlin deems as “safe”. The Bavarian government wants Kosovo to be added to the German “safe country” list, a country which Transparency International lists as the most corrupt in Europe where “cronyism is ubiquitous. It is impossible to find a job without connections”. Change in public mood While the change in public opinion had a big impact on what Merkel did, the German government saw this as a chance to repair its international image after its brutal treatment of Greece while also moving to help deal with Germany’s looming population crunch. Already in early August the president of the German Federation of Industry (BDI) called for more asylum seekers to be accepted into Germany. This is because the German population is falling and is getting, on average, older. In 2003 the population of Germany peaked at 82.5m before falling to 80.3m in 2011. Since then it has risen to 81.1m last year, but this has been on the basis of migration into Germany; the number of German nationals living in Germany is still falling, down to 73.6m last year from a peak of 75.2m in 2004. It is against this background that many German employers want more migrants, particularly skilled and professional workers. The German labour minister was absolutely clear: “we will profit from this too because we need immigration”. This is why, when announcing tougher measures to speedily deport asylum seekers from the Balkans, Merkel has also explained that “people from these (Balkan) states who can provide evidence of employment or a training position will be able to work here”. There are reports that significant numbers of those able to get to Germany are professionally trained. The BBC economics editor reported British businesspeople complaining “that Merkel is creaming off the most economically useful of the asylum seekers”. Despite these economic calculations, obviously for most refugees the German government appears much more welcoming than those governments that refuse to take any, or only very few, refugees from the Middle East. However, capitalist countries treatment of refugees has always been based on ruling class self-interest or in response to the pressures of public opinion or mass movements. The western powers agreed to the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention in order to try to overcome the negative political legacy of their strict limits on pre-Second World War refugees from Nazism and to score propaganda points against the former Stalinist states’ travel restrictions. But today the ruling classes cannot simply go back to the pre-1939 situation when, for example, nearly all countries at the 1938 Evian conference, called by US President Roosevelt, failed to provide any significant increase in offers of asylum for Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. This past experience is the reason why demands to defend, and expand, the rights of asylum to help the victims of war and persecution are so widespread. Additionally in Germany and Austria, there is the memory of the huge numbers of refugees who came after the Second World War, 8 million to the then West Germany plus 4 million to East Germany. All these are reasons why the terrible plight of some of the refugees has so moved millions of people to demand they are helped at once, thus leading to more being given refuge in Western Europe. It is noteworthy that the oil rich autocracies of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, countries from where some of the jihadist groups are funded and armed, have taken in few Syrians as official refugees, just 33 Syrians in the Gulf States. So far this year Saudi Arabia, has given just $18.4 million to the UN Syria appeal, much smaller Kuwait has given far more, $304 million. While some mild criticism of this has been made in the western media, it is not being made a big issue. This is because the western imperialists understand that an influx of refugees could help undermine the local ruling elites, clearly something the western powers want to avoid. But in Syria, faced with a catastrophic situation, particularly the growth of ISIS and increased fighting, the number fleeing the country rose from 11,000 a day in 2010 to 42,000 a day last year. Many feel trapped in the surrounding countries, particularly as they are being held in camps and not legally allowed to work. Against this background the immediate question is how to provide quick relief for people fleeing the wars in the Middle East and elsewhere. There is a big groundswell of sympathy in many countries and many are asking what can they do to help? Large amounts of money, food and other items for the refugees have been collected. The workers’ movement has to take a lead in demanding that the refugees are granted asylum, in helping organise the relief and encouraging the refugees themselves to get organised. But at the same time there needs to be a concrete programme of what can be done to help settle the refugees and, most importantly, where will the resources come from. Unless this is done there is a danger that this mass exodus will provoke a counter-reaction as right–wing and far right forces try to exploit the situation, particularly by claiming that the refugees are taking resources away from the host population. While the refugees have received a warm welcome from many in Germany, the far right arson attacks on asylum hostels there continue almost daily and it seems only a matter of time before someone is killed. Campaign for better conditions for all In the situation where there are already pre-existing shortages of good jobs, housing, pressures on schools and health services the sudden influx of tens of thousands will inevitably cause tensions with the existing population unless the labour movement campaigns for better conditions for all. There are already signs of resentment in the poorer EU countries of central and Eastern Europe of aid being given to refugees and possibility also fears that the refugees will become a new source of cheap labour, undercutting the already low wages received by central and east Europeans working in Western Europe. The right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, himself under pressure from the growing far right party Jobbik, mixes anti-migrant rhetoric with exploitation of the historic memory of the invasions centuries ago by the Ottoman Empire. Thus Orban argues that borders must be strengthened because “we do not want a large number of Muslim people in our country” and “is it not worrying in itself that European Christianity is barely able to keep Europe Christian”. The anti-migrant demagogy is repeated in some other countries with, for example, the Czech president Zeman recently telling migrants “nobody invited you – if you don’t like it here, leave”. But in Hungary it is not just words against the refugees, force has been used against them as well, something which has only increased the calls in other countries for the refugees to be admitted. But in many countries, the discovery of 71 bodies in a truck in Austria and then the picture of a drowned child, brought to a head the feeling that something must be done. In Vienna over 20,000 marched on August 31 demanding that the refugees be given asylum. Like in Germany, a huge wave of sympathy and often practical support greeted the refugees arriving in Austria. This is very significant in a country where the far right, anti-migrant FPÖ has sometimes been the largest party in recent opinion polls. Such is the mood in Austria that currently the FPÖ is keeping its head down. But it is waiting for the opportunity to raise anti-migrant issues again when issues of housing, jobs, schooling etc. arise due to the sudden influx. Already the FPÖ is raising the slogan of helping “our poor”, i.e. Austrians, in the run-up to the important Vienna regional election next month. Sympathy is not enough and can run out, especially when there is a renewed economic crisis. It is urgent that the labour movement starts to campaign on a concrete programme that can answer the inevitable anti-immigrant propaganda from the right. Such a programme must provide clear answers to the practicalities of housing, food, language, work etc. in a way that answers the fears of local people that it will be at their expense. As a start, a stop should be put to private companies profiting from refugees; in Germany the largest provider of refugee hostels is a private company – European Homecare – which has been described by the German financial daily Handelsblatt as a very profitable concern. Socialist policies are needed to prevent “divide and rule” on an international scale. Already we saw during the Greek crisis how capitalist politicians in central and eastern Europe exploited the low living standards in their countries in order to mobilise local opinion against any concessions being given to the Greek people’s struggle against austerity. This could now be repeated with right-wing politicians attempting to mobilise against refugees and divert anger away from capitalism at this time of economic stagnation and a threat of a new recession. Such developments will add to the tensions within the European Union. Action now can win immediate improvements. Reforms can be won through mass struggle, or the threat of struggle. After 1945 capitalism in Europe was forced to grant significant reforms because it was under huge pressure from the massively increased support for socialist ideas in in reaction to war, fascism and the dire 1930s. Fearing revolution the ruling classes gave many concessions. Needs of local population and refugees The workers’ movement should put forward concrete demands that link together the needs of the local population and the refugees, for instance on both housing the refugees and ending the homes crisis that exists in some countries. Last year the British Guardian newspaper reported that there were 11 million empty homes in Europe. In Vienna there are currently 80,000 empty homes, plus in many cities there are empty office spaces which could, at least, quickly provide emergency accommodation. While they might not all be in the right places, they could immediately provide some of the homes needed for the refugees. In Britain during the Second World War the state used empty properties to immediately rehouse “bombed-out” families. Similar action must be taken now to house both the current homeless and the refugees. In Greece, Italy and other countries, emergency re-settlement centres need to set up. These should not be financed by people already suffering through austerity but, along with the other needs of the refugees, by the companies that have profited from the Middle East and the Middle Eastern elite themselves. Nationalising the assets of these companies and the Arab elites would provide plenty of resources that could be immediately used. But the housing crisis is not simply a result of growing populations. Currently in Britain there is an acute housing shortage, partly the result of a big increase in population and internal migration, but mainly because home building, especially public housing, has collapsed. In 1953, under a Conservative government, a record 245,000 publically owned homes for rent were completed in Britain. But later, under both Conservative and Labour governments this was massively cut back as part of neo-liberal austerity measures, reaching a low point of 130 new publically owned homes in 2004. While there has been a tiny increase since then, the 2013 figure was just 2,080, less than 1% of the 1953 total. So when in Britain questions are raised that the refugees’ situation is tragic but Britain itself is too crowded to accept many, the labour movement should answer that yes, there is a housing crisis, but this is largely the result of government policy and what is needed is an emergency, publically funded, house building programme. Along with the nationalisation of the property companies and large landlords this would allow a planned approach to decently housing people. It is the ruling classes of both the imperialist countries and the Middle East that should pay for looking after and resettling the refugees, as well as the later rebuilding of the region. They should pay as it is their system and policies which are largely responsible for this crisis, whether it is the results of the imperialist interventions in Iraq and Libya or the financing of jihadist groups by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The refugee crisis is not a simple tragedy; it is not an unavoidable disaster. The millions of refugees are not fleeing an unavoidable natural disaster but wars and counter-revolution. Imperialist countries bear major responsibility It is the ruling classes of the imperialist countries which bear the major responsibility for the current situation. Historically British and French imperialism largely drew the boundaries and initially created most modern Middle East states. Then, along with US imperialism, they worked to maintain their local allies and agents in control. Oil and weapon companies have especially profited from this region. In 2014 Saudi Arabia was the world’s biggest arms importer, spending $6.4bn on weapons, 10% of the total $64.4bn world arms trade. UAE imported a further $2.2bn’s worth. But it is not just “ordinary” capitalist trading that the big companies profit from. A year ago the EU’s ambassador in Iraq, Jana Hybášková, told the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs that some unnamed European countries were buying oil from, and effectively helping fund, ISIS. Significantly she refused to name who was involved. As usual for capitalism, profit comes before human or democratic rights. However when imperialism’s interests are threatened they intervene, usually suddenly highlighting democratic issues as a smokescreen. But local despots could, and still do, rule unchallenged if they do not act against the interests of imperialism. Thus Saddam Hussain was unopposed by the West, in fact supported in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, until he invaded Kuwait in 1990. It is US and British imperialism which, above all, have the immediate responsibility for what is happening now in the Middle East. It was their 2003 invasion of Iraq that set off a chain of events which, in the absence of a successful movement by the Iraqi working people themselves, has resulted in sectarian division, violence and civil war. While fighting to defend the right to asylum, the demand for emergency programmes, funded by the rich and those which have profited from exploiting the Middle East, is essential. Now we have elements amongst the imperialist nations trying to exploit the growing refugee crisis as an excuse to justify renewed military intervention in the region. Under the banner of trying to help solve the crisis, France has announced that it will begin air strikes in Syria, while the British government has begun drone attacks and is considering asking for parliamentary agreement for wider air strikes. But this will not help stop the flow of Syrian refugees. The addition of a few French and British planes to the US planes already bombing Syria, while adding to death toll, will not make much strategic difference to a situation that has spiralled out of western imperialism’s direct control. The aim of Paris and London is to try to prepare the way for possible wider intervention and for the British and French governments to have more of a “say” in what happens. Socialists are clear that it is only the united action of the working people and poor in the Middle East that can end the civil war, defeat the sectarian forces, overthrow the tyrants, win democratic rights and break the chains of imperialism and capitalism. We saw in the revolutions that began in 2011 in North Africa and the Middle East a glimpse of how action by working people can bring change. Tragically many of 2011’s opportunities were lost because the mass movement did not have a clear programme on how to achieve its goals. To prevent that happening again the building of independent movements, with socialist policies and tactics, of working people is necessary. Such movements can put an end to the sectarian divisions, wars, repression, poverty and fight for a world free from capitalist exploitation where the use of the globe’s resources is democratically planned in the interests of the mass of humanity and not the ruling classes.

The Gnostics and Their Remains, by Charles William King, , at sacred-texts.com THAT nothing upon the subject of Gnosticism should have hitherto been attempted in our language except by Dr. Walsh in his very meagre sketch (long since out of print), seemed to me a sufficient excuse for my undertaking the same task upon a more comprehensive scale, as well as upon different principles. Dr. Walsh's performance, entitled 'An Essay on Coins, Medals, and Gems, as illustrating the progress of Christianity in the Early Ages,' is little more than an abridgment of some popular Church History for the period comprehended within its scope, illustrated from the very scanty store of monuments at his command; whilst his explanations are, like the source supplying them, based upon grounds altogether fallacious, and, even to the beginner, obviously unsatisfactory. Taking for granted, upon the bare word of their opponents, that the various Teachers of the Gnosis were mere heretics, that is, perverters of the regular (!) Christian doctrine which they had at first embraced as a divine revelation, he, like his guides, did not trouble himself any further to investigate the true origin of their systems, but was content with roughly sketching their most prominent features; whilst in explaining their extant productions, he refers all, however diverse in nature, to the same school, and interprets them according to his own preconceived and baseless views of their character. On such a plan as this, neither the doctrines nor the monuments they have bequeathed to us in such profusion are susceptible of even a plausible explanation, much less of one capable of satisfying an unprejudiced and inquiring mind. The method, therefore, of treating the subject which I have followed in the present work is to begin by reviewing the great religious systems of the East, flourishing at the time of the promulgation of Christianity in those regions, with the influence of these systems upon the modes of thought and expression of both the missionaries of the new creed and their opponents; and lastly to establish, upon the testimony of the Apostle to the Gentiles himself, the previous existence of the germs of Gnosticism in the cities that were the scene of his most important labours. In my sketch of these older systems I have done little more than condense Matter's admirable introduction to his 'Histoire Critique du Gnosticisme'; but from that point forward have carried on my investigations according to a theory to which that writer once alludes approvingly, although, from some unaccountable reason, he has neglected to follow it out to its legitimate consequences. Restricting himself to describing in his lucid and elegant style the speculations of the several heresiarchs, and seeking no further back than the Zendavesta and Kabbala for the storehouses whence they all must have drawn their first principles, he falls into the grave error of representing their doctrines as novel, and the pure inventions of the persons that preached them. That the seeds of the Gnosis were originally of Indian growth, carried so far westward by the influence of that Buddhistic movement which had previously overspread all the East, from Thibet to Ceylon, was the great truth faintly discerned by Matter, but which became evident to me upon acquiring even a slight acquaintance with the chief doctrines of Indian theosophy. To display this in the most incontrovertible manner, the two systems, each in its highest form of development--that of Valentinus, and that of the Nepalese Buddhists--are described and confronted for the sake of establishing their original identity: and throughout these pages innumerable other points of affinity will be found noticed as they present themselves. Actual historical proof of the same fact will also be adduced, establishing the important circumstance (but hitherto entirely unnoticed, or disregarded) that Buddhism had already been planted in the dominions of the Seleucidæ and the Ptolemies at least as early as the times of the generation following the establishment of those dynasties, and was provided for in treaties made between those Grecian princes and the great [paragraph continues] Hindoo promoter of the religion. In the history of the Church it is most certain that almost every notion that was subsequently denounced as heretical can be traced up to Indian speculative philosophy as its genuine fountain-head: how much that was allowed to pass current for orthodox had really flowed from the same source, it is neither expedient nor decorous now to inquire. In order to obtain a clear view of the principal forms of Gnosticism, as well as to escape relying upon second-hand information (in this case more than elsewhere untrustworthy), I commenced the collecting materials for the present work by carefully perusing the vast 'Panarion' of Epiphanius--a laborious undertaking, but well repaid by the vivid picture he presents of the inner state of society under the Lower Empire, and of the war even at that late period so fiercely waged between Reason and Faith. The 'Panarion' is a connected history of the Gnosis in all its developments during the first three centuries--the author quoting Irenæus for the earlier ages; for the later his account is of the highest value, having been derived from personal experience, Epiphanius having in his youth belonged to the Marcosian sect. After his days nothing new sprung up in the field of Religious philosophy, before so diversified with the vigorous and more curious flowers (or weeds) of the Gnosis; the civil now combining with the ecclesiastical power to cut down and root out all such daring and irregular growths of the human mind. Since the first publication of this treatise I have become acquainted with and minutely studied two authorities of the greatest importance for the true understanding of Gnosticism--the one for its philosophy; the other for its tangible remains. 'The Refutation of all Heresies,' of Hippolytus, written two centuries before the 'Panarion,' gives a view of the chief schools of the Gnosis, drawn up with the utmost intelligence united with the most charming candour; qualities sadly to seek in the other ecclesiastical historians. The Pistis-Sophia,' the only Gnostic Gospel preserved, throws a light upon the terminology and machinery of the religion that, before its discovery and publication was perfectly unattainable. Both these treatises are of recent discovery, and consequently their assistance was lost to the previous historians of Gnosticism. I have therefore availed myself largely of these invaluable resources, which will be found doing good service in almost every section of the present work. After considering the class of speculations that owed their birth to India, next in importance for her contributions to the opinions, still more to the monuments before us, conies Egypt with her primeval creed, although exhibited in its Romanized and latest phase; and whose productions are too often confounded with the true offspring of the Gnosis. These remains are here discriminated; their distinctive characters are pointed out; and they are arranged under several heads, according as their object was religious or medicinal. In the consideration of these remains, Bellermann's classification has been chiefly followed; according to which the truly Gnostic are regarded as those only that exhibit the figure of the Pantheus, Abraxas, the actual invention of Basilides, and which gives its name to the class. The second, Abraxoids, includes the types borrowed from different religions by the other Gnostic teachers. The third, Abraxaster, consists of such as in their nature are purely astrological, and intended for talismans; deriving their virtues from the stars. In the first of these classes much space has been devoted to the ingenious creation of the Alexandrine philosopher, the pantheistic image of the supreme Abraxas; whose title has hitherto been improperly applied to monuments some of which are anterior in date to his embodiment in a visible form; whilst others spring from nations entirely unconnected with his worship. Of this eidolon of the personage thereby typified, of the meaning of his name and titles, much information has been collected, and presented here in a connected form for the benefit of those interested in learning what can on safe grounds be established in elucidation of these abtruse questions. Mithraicism, under whose kindly and congenial shelter so much of Occidental Christianity grew up unmolested, is reviewed in its due order, and the causes explained of an alliance at first sight so inexplicable. With this subject are connected the singular resemblance between the ceremonial of the two, and the transfer of so much that was Mithraic into the practice of the orthodox; and many curious memorials will be found described bearing witness to the reality of this adaptation. After the Mithraic, the religion of Serapis comes to be considered; a worship which, besides being the last of the Heathen forms to fall before the power of Christianity, had previously contributed, as largely as the Mithraic, to the constitution of the later Gnosticism. It is in truth a great mistake, the confining the name of "Gnostic" (as is commonly done) to the sectaries who, boasting of their "superior lights," declared that they were the only real Christians (as did the Ophites), and that too in virtue of a creed professedly of their own devising. Such Gnostics indeed were Christians by their own showing, and regarded all who differed from them as heretics: but at the same time they based their arguments upon the tenets of Pagan religions; very far from regarding the latter as the empty fabrications of demons, which was the persuasion of the orthodox. But although they accepted these ancient Ethnic legends, it was only because through the help of their "knowledge" they were enabled to discern the truth enveloped within these seemingly profane traditions. But the followers of Mithras and of Serapis had in reality, and long before them, a Gnosis of their own, communicated in their Mysteries to the initiated few; and they opposed to the predictions of orthodox and Gnostic alike claims and pretensions lofty as their own. The Emperor Hadrian, a most diligent inquirer into things above man's nature, got himself initiated into one mystery after another; nevertheless we shall find him writing from Alexandria that the worship of Christ and of Serapis was in that city one and the same, and moreover the sole religion of that immense population. Consequently, those initiated into the true secrets of the old religion must have recognised the fact that their deity, whether the Sun or the Soul of the Universe, was nothing but a type of the One, the Saviour recently revealed to them: or else it would appear (which tells equally for our argument) that the new converts, in order to escape persecution, enjoyed their own faith under the covert of the national worship, which was susceptible of a spiritual interpretation quite cognate to their own ideas, and indeed enshrouding the same. As for the worshippers of Mithras, their whole elaborate system of sacraments and degrees of initiation had no other object than the securing of spiritual enlightenment and spiritual blessings. The foundation being the pure teaching of Zoroaster, its holders were prepared gladly to accept any higher revelation, and to discover that the greater mystery had been foreshadowed in the types and ceremonies of the former one. In this way a man might continue a Mithraicist and yet accept all the doctrines of Christianity, as the priests of that religion in their last days assured the incredulous Augustine. After thus pointing out the various elements which the Apostles of the Gnosis worked up so ingeniously into one harmonious whole, incorporating therewith so much of the Christian scheme as fitted to the rest, we come prepared to the examination of the Symbols and Terminology by which these ideas were communicated to the members of the sect who had attained to the Arcanum; the composite images or sigils "having a voice for the intelligent, which the vulgar crowd heareth not." Astrology justly claims for her own a large share of the relics popularly called Gnostic; for Gnosticism, from the beginning, had linked its own speculations to those of the Magians’ national science, and borrowed as a vehicle for its own peculiar ideas the machinery of the latter--its Astral Genii, Decani, and Myriageneses. And this truth was seen by the earliest writers upon Gnosticism, for Hippolytus proves conclusively, at much length, that the system of the Peratae (a branch of the Ophites) was nothing more than a barefaced plagiarism from the rules of Astrology. Under this head I have endeavoured to separate the purely Astrological talismans from those to which the illuminati, their makers, had given a more spiritual sense. "Astrology, not Christ, is the author of their religion," says Hippolytus of the sects founded by Euphrates and Celbes; and proceeds to give extracts from their writings, held in the highest esteem at the time, which amply bear out his assertion. Next pour in, a multitudinous swarm, the stones covered over with long strings of bare inscriptions, genuine offspring of the Kabbala, that betray the handiwork of the idol-hating Jewish dreamers of Alexandria--spells even then ascribed to Solomon, and which secured the favour One object I have kept steadily in view throughout the whole of this investigation--to show how the productions of the different schools are to be distinguished from each other; and to this particular attention has been given in describing the numerous remains proceeding from the several sources just enumerated, that are collected in the accompanying plates, and thus in some degree to remedy the confusion that reigns at present in the whole department. My predecessor, Matter, busied himself only with the doctrines, making use of the monuments merely in illustration of his remarks; but as my own labours are properly designed to be subsidiary to his invaluable treatise, I refer the reader to him for the more complete elucidation of the philosophy of Gnosticism, and give my full attention to its archæological side, which he has too cursorily glanced at, and for which nothing has been done of any importance since the publications of Chiflet and Montfaucon. Last to be considered comes the Gnosis in its final and grandest manifestation, the composite religion of Manes: with its wonderful revival and diffusion over Mediæval Europe; and its supposed connexion with the downfall of the Templars, of which catastrophe the history and causes are here briefly sketched; although to form a satisfactory judgment on the merits of the case is about the hardest problem history can offer. With their scandal and their fate is coupled the most singular phenomenon of modern times--the preservation by their professed descendants, the Freemasons, of so much symbolism that appears to be indisputably Gnostic in its origin. For this, however (unfortunately for the lovers of mystery), a very matter of fact but doubtless sufficient cause can be assigned, and by valid arguments established: when the solution of the enigma irresistibly brings to mind Æsop's apologue of the "Fox and the Mask," and his exclamation of disappointment after he had at last mustered up sufficient courage to examine the interior of the awe-inspiring and venerable head. This section is illustrated by all the information I have been able to glean from different sources upon the curious subject of Masons’ Marks--which, yet existing and in common use amongst our own craftsmen and equally so amongst the Hindoos in daily religious observance, can be traced back through Gothic retention, and Gnostic usage, through old Greek and Etruscan art, to their ultimate source; and which attest more convincingly than anything else what region gave birth to the theosophy making such liberal use of the same siglæ in Roman times. To assist inquirers into this point I have been careful to give references to all the published lists of these Marks that have come to my knowledge; which same rule I have observed as regards other monographs upon the several various questions discussed in the following pages. In this way the shortcomings of myself can be supplied by those desirous of fuller information: for I am well aware that my own best qualification for attempting an arduous investigation like the present, extending over so many and unconnected branches of learning, lies in a larger practical experience of the monuments themselves, tangible and literary, than was possessed by those who have hitherto attempted it. And as it is a most true adage, "Dans le pays des aveugles le borgne est roi," there is some probability of my labours proving both novel and interesting to many, who desire to know something authentic upon the much-talked-of but little understood subject of Gnosticism. Related to this religion by their nature are talismans and amulets in general; for Gnostic symbols and Gnostic formulæ gave their virtue to many of the class: being borrowed either directly from the Gnosis, or from the older creeds out of which the latter was constructed. Their employment, and the notions generating them, have been here described; showing the derivation of many of the mediæval examples from the Gnostic class; and by following out the same principle it has been attempted to find a key to their cabalistic legends, which may fit them better than any hitherto offered by their interpreters--symbols and emblems being with them those conveying the idea of death, which last indeed has of all others furnished the richest store of such imagery; for thereby the human mind endeavoured to familiarise itself with the thought of mortality, and by embellishing the idea tried to reconcile itself to the inevitable. This being a topic of universal interest, to say nothing of its very important relations to Art, my collections connected therewith have been somewhat extensive, and embrace many particulars neglected by Lessing in his curious essay entitled 'Wie die Alten den Tod gebildet.' With respect to the illustrations of this book, many doubtless will be surprised as well as disappointed at finding them derived entirely from monuments of such small apparent importance as engraved stones; and, thinking this part incomplete on that account, may accuse the author of negligence in not having had recourse to other evidences of a more public character. But the limitation is in truth the necessary result of the nature of the things discussed in this inquiry. Secret Societies, especially the one whose maxim was (as Clemens records) that truly wise one-- erect no monuments to attract public attention. They deal but in symbols, to be privately circulated amongst their members in passwords known only to the illuminati; or else they embody their doctrines in mystic drawings, like the Ophite "Diagramma"; or upon papyri long since committed to the flames. The man of taste, but not an antiquary, will certainly exclaim against the rudeness of the drawing in my illustrations; but the truth is that, rude as they look, they in most cases flatter their originals, the extreme barbarism of which it was often found impossible to reproduce with any hope of leaving the meaning recognisable. Be it remembered that Pallas no longer, as in the earlier ages of the art, guided the engraver's hand, but Siva and Bhavani (ill-disguised as Hermes and Isis) suggested the designs; or else he was inspired by the Typhonian monsters which imagined the Genii of Astrology. The religion of Fear, under its various manifestations, now reigned supreme, having banished the beauteous sensuous machinery of the old Greek Nature-worship, into which nothing that was malignant or hideous was ever suffered to intrude. The virtue of the talisman lay in the type it carried; and in its own material substance the manner of the exhibition of the potent sigil was altogether unregarded. One of the most learned men this University has ever produced once remarked to me that the Gnostic theories reminded him of the visions that float through the brain of a madman--not of a fool. Circumstances following gave a melancholy force to this acute and accurate distinction. Let any imaginative person read my extracts from the "Revelation" of Marcus, with all its crazy ingenuity in deducing the nature of the Deity from the properties of numerals; above all, his exemplification of Infinity by the perpetual multiplication of the letters contained in other letters making up a name--he will speedily find his brain begin to whirl, and be reminded of similar phantoms of numerals recurring in endless series, and the equally endless attempts to sum them up in order to obtain repose, that fill the head when suffering from the first approaches of fever before actual delirium pushes memory from her seat. Or, again, when the febrile disturbance of the brain is yet slighter, one will sometimes awake out of a dream with a fleeting sensation of inexpressible happiness arising from the immediate attainment of Omniscience in virtue of something that has just been revealed to him; but too soon he finds that ineffable something has fled for ever, all that is left of it being the faint recollection that it was contained in a numeral. And one of the most striking points in the revelation of the 'Seherin von Prevorst,' so religiously recorded by Justinus Kerner (and which proves that all the wondrous narrative was not imposture), is her declaration that she could see the entire history of each year as it closed, with every event, however trifling, clear and distinct before her mind, all comprehended within the form of a single numeral; and her assertion upon these grounds that at the Judgment-Day the whole past life of every man will thus be pictured in a single moment before his mind's eye. About half the number of the drawings for these illustrations were done by myself from the most interesting specimens that came under my notice in the course of several years, so that I am able to vouch for their scrupulous fidelity. Afterwards, when the sudden failure of my sight prevented my carrying on the drawings, the kindness of the then owner of most of the originals came to my assistance and furnished the remainder. Most of them in fact were taken from the large and unpublished set contained in the ancient Praun Cabinet (formed three centuries ago), now unfortunately broken up. The Gnostic stones, however--73 in number--have been since that time purchased for the British Museum, where they will be found conveniently arranged for consultation, in the Egyptian Room, which contains the works in terra-cotta. This my collection of drawings was in truth the occasion of the present work; for after making out a detailed description of each specimen, it became easy to put the mass of materials I had collected for their elucidation into a form available for supporting my explanations by showing the grounds on which they were based: and in this way the work has grown up by gradual accretion to its present dimensions. The theme offers so boundless a variety of interesting subjects for research, one suggesting another in endless succession, that it can only be compared to Marcus’ own exposition of the infinite composition of the Ineffable Name (quoted above), and would alone supply materials for a whole library of distinct treatises upon its various subdivisions. In those few instances where the better style of the original deserved reproduction by a more artistic hand, I have had recourse to the services of Mr. R. B. Utting, who has executed the woodcuts with a spirit as well as an accuracy that leave nothing to be desired.

Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern is Jewish, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a resident of Bucharest, where she fields the occasional anti-Semitic remark. Which is why European reporters raised eyebrows when they learned the imposing actress was playing the Virgin Mary in Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion," about Jesus' final hours. Critics have denounced the hyperrealistic drama as a modern version of the medieval passion play, blaming Jews for the death of Jesus. But Morgenstern, 41, doesn't view the film as anti-Semitic. Yes, the villain is the Jewish high priest, Caiaphas, she said from her Bucharest home; but he clearly represents the regime, not the Jewish people. "Authorities throughout history have persecuted individuals with revolutionary ideas," she said. Morgenstern feels "The Passion" opposes such oppression. "It is about letting people speak openly about what they think and believe," she said. "It denounces the madness of violence and cruelty, which if unchecked can spread like a disease." Morgenstern's family experienced such violence during World War II. Her grandfather disappeared after being arrested in his native Transnistria; her father survived Nazi and Stalinist labor camps. Morgenstern experienced her own share of anti-Semitism while growing up in Bucharest. When she was 9, a classmate called her "Jidan," a slur for "Jew": "But I was absolutely innocent, so I came home and asked my mother, "Who is a 'Jidan?'" she said. After her mother complained to the school, her teacher sat her in front of the class and explained she was no different from other students. "But that hurt me more, because I realized she had to assure them I was a person like everyone else," she said. Even so, Morgenstern felt proudly Jewish. At home, her mathematician parents taught her Jewish history and philosophy; around age 15, she became curious about ritual and started frequenting the Bucharest synagogue. "I fell in love with the sound of the Hebrew language," said Morgenstern, who will attend services on Yom Kippur. In her late teens, she auditioned for the Jewish State Theatre and began performing plays in Yiddish; the following year, she entered the prestigious Bucharest Film and Theatre Academy and landed her first film roles. Early in her career, she said, "There were suggestions, 'Maybe you should change your name, because 'Morgenstern' is not very Romanian, and maybe audiences will be unable to pronounce it." When she earned Europe's coveted Felix prize in 1993, anti-Semitic observers scoffed "of course she won, she's Jewish." The actress developed a technique for addressing such remarks: "When I see the irony is delicate, I give a delicate and a very spiritual answer. When it's not a question anymore of irony and not delicate at all, I give quickly a sharp answer." Morgenstern eventually became a star of Bucharest's National Theatre and more than 30 Eastern European films; in Maria Meszaros' "The Seventh Room," she played Edith Stein, the Jew who died as a nun in Auschwitz and was canonized in 1998. Between scenes shot just outside the camp gates, Morgenstern -- who shaved her head for the role -- perused Nazi records and discovered her grandfather had died in the camp. "That greatly affected my performance," she said. "It gave me a sort of motivation that I could somehow fight violence through the weapon of my art." Apparently it was Morgenstern's performance as Stein that drew Gibson's attention; but she was so busy rehearsing a Gogol play that she initially ignored several voice mail messages from his casting director last year. She assumed the filmmaker was scouring Eastern Europe for an actress to play a minor role and didn't take the query seriously. Even after the casting director finally reached her, "I didn't think my chances were high,"she said. She changed her mind when Gibson -- whose work she had admired -- promptly mailed her the script and flew her to Rome to meet with him. "It was the day after my theater opening and I was exhausted but full of emotions," she recalled. "My heart was about to burst." When she walked into his preproduction office at Rome's Cinecitta studios, her first impression was "of a man who was utterly enthusiastic and confident of his artistic vision." He didn't ask Morgenstern to read from the script, which was written in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew, but rather chatted with her about her Gogol opening. "We started a conversation like two actors, and we were talking and talking until the casting director interrupted and said, 'I have to know, what is your decision about Ms. Morgenstern?'" she said. "And Mel Gibson replied, 'Of course I'll take her -- now please keep telling me, Maia, how was your opening?'" Afterward, the actress was whisked away to the wardrobe department, where she said, "Everyone was so disappointed with me at first. They said, 'Oh, she has short hair, what a pity.'" Gibson, unperturbed, simply had them make her a wig. When Morgenstern arrived for the shoot in November 2002, she found Gibson to be a director "who knows exactly what he wants. He makes no compromises with his art, and he respects actors very much." Gibson agreed with her interpretation of her role as "essentially the question of a mother losing a child." He was gracious when she discovered she was pregnant with her third child in the middle of the four-month shoot. Over the course of the production, Morgenstern emphasized, not a single scene struck her as anti-Semitic. Characters such as Mary and John are sympathetic Jews, and Gibson "allowed me to make suggestions based on my Jewish culture," she said. In the scene in which Mary learns Jesus has been arrested, it was Morgenstern's idea to whisper the Passover question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" When visiting reporters asked why a Jewish actress was portraying Jesus' mother, she replied, "I played Clytemnestra in 'Oresteia,' and it didn't mean I killed my husband. And as far as I know, Mary was a Jewish lady, so I think it is very normal." In between takes, priests visited the set and the devout Gibson attended Mass, but the Catholic presence was "discreet," according to Morgenstern. "We worked hard but it was a very relaxed environment. We were actors from all over the world, and the atmosphere was of sharing, like an exchange of cultures. And we had our jokes. Mel Gibson came once with a red clown nose and asked me, 'Would you please put this on for your close-up?'" After Morgenstern returned home in 2003, she said she read a New York Times article about the "Passion" controversy, but remained relatively isolated from the conflict. She was unaware of charges that Gibson's father was a Holocaust denier, for example, or that Gibson told the New Yorker "modern secular Judaism wants to blame the Holocaust on the Catholic church." The actress said she never heard him make such remarks; she is concerned that the media scourging amounts to a kind of "censorship" that will prevent the movie from finding a distributor. "I'm very worried about that, because I want this film to be seen by many, many people," she said. "Despite the blood and the violence, it's a beautiful film. I believe it brings an important message, a peace message." We welcome your feedback. Your information will not be shared or sold without your consent. Get all the details. Terms of Service JewishJournal.com has rules for its commenting community.Get all the details. JewishJournal.com reserves the right to use your comment in our weekly print publication.

July 2, 2012 | Seeking to brush up his foreign policy credentials, Mitt Romney will travel to Israel this summer on a trip that will highlight his warm personal relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and potentially build his support among Jewish and evangelical voters. A campaign official confirmed that the trip, which had been rumored for months and was first reported by the New York Times on Monday, will include a visit with Netanyahu. Romney's team is not yet releasing any other details, including whether it will be a component of his trip to London to attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. May 26, 2011 | Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Thursday that it is a “gross overstatement” to suggest that President Obama did serious damage to his support from Jewish voters when he proposed last week that Israel’s 1967 borders should be the starting point for peace talks with Palestinians. She also lashed out at a Republican Jewish organization that has been critical of her, denouncing what she said was the group’s decision to put partisanship ahead of its support for Israel. December 7, 2011 | America needs to "up our game"? President Obama is still "on the bench," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie argued Wednesday. Christie leveled a blistering critique of the president as a failed leader in his luncheon remarks at the Republican Jewish Coalition's candidate forum in Washington. It's not that he objected to Obama's major address in Kansas Tuesday. In fact, he said he thought it was a fine message for the times. The problem was the messenger. Christie zeroed in on a single line, in which Obama said that America needed to "meet the moment. February 26, 2006 As the immediate past president of Temple Beth Israel, I found Mark Arax's description of the politics of the Fresno Jewish community overreaching and flawed ("The Valley's Not So Civil War," Feb. 5). The article laments that Temple Beth Israel has exhibited "its own kind of madness" post-9/11, and that pro-Israel advocates have cozied up with "Christian Zionists" to support Israel and the war in Iraq while abandoning the temple's history of advancing "liberal causes." Our synagogue has had a long history of supporting Israel. September 5, 2012 | WOODSTOCK, Vt. - Republican vice president nominee Paul Ryan sharply criticized Democrats for removing a passage from their 2012 platform stating that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel - language that was part of the party document in 2008. “This is tragic,” Ryan said during a Wednesday morning appearance on "Fox & Friends. " "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Mitt Romney and I are very clear on this…. What is so tragic about this is that this is one of the few issues where the Republican Party and the Democratic Party agreed.” “Our two party platforms were emphatic about Jerusalem being the capital of Israel, the issues surrounding the right of return, and Hamas," he said. The status of Jerusalem, which is the legal capital of Israel, is a central point of dispute in Israeli-Palestinian relations. February 5, 2011 | Though the U.S. presidential primaries are still a year from now, a different sort of contest is underway in Israel. Beginning Saturday, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will be the third potential GOP presidential candidate to visit the Jewish state since the first of the year, and the second during the protests in neighboring Egypt. Barbour will arrive on the heels of Mike Huckabee, who spent much of the week touring the country, and Mitt Romney, who swung through in January. And like Romney and Huckabee, Barbour is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and tour some holy sites.

Service and Market Research Tools The America's Health Rankings website has an interactive map that shows the relative status by state for a number of health-related conditions and environmental factors including overall death rate, incidence of cancer and STDs, and levels of pollution. This paper and presentation delivered at the 2013 Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference describes work done in the Ochsner Health System to reduce orthopedic joint replacement costs and improve quality for the patient. High quality care at an affordable cost is an attainable goal that is both in the best interest of the patient and the healthcare system. Driving value through minimization of clinical variation enabled OHS to meet a higher standard of patient care while ensuring the long-term financial stability of the organization. Industrial and systems engineering students at Rutgers University completed a number of senior projects with potential high impact including a hand prosthetic that uses much less energy than current devices and a medicine dispensing machine that improves nursing workflows, inventory management, and documentation. ISE senior design projects offer innovative solutions to industrial challenges. Sepsis continues to be a disease with high mortality, low clinical standard adherence, and high cost variation for many healthcare organizations. This Sepsis Toolkit from down under may be a useful reference for organizations looking to improve the quality of care for treating sepsis. The authors posit that the time has come to deconstruct suffering by breaking it down into meaningful categories that reflect the experience of patients and help caregivers identify opportunities to reduce it. The authors propose a framework for major types of patient suffering so that health care providers can organize themselves to address suffering more effectively. This article from Clinical Laboratory News describes several strategies several hospitals around the country, including Cleveland Clinic, are using to reduce over-utilization of routine lab. This presentation at the 2013 Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference highlights the reduction in mortality rate at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN as the result of learning from every death. A multidisciplinary, mixed method approach to mortality review was developed to learn as much as possible about system improvements that could save lives. This rich data source is a critical component of effective our DMAIC initiatives for mortality rate reduction. To improve revenues, the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital needed to determine the financial viability of particular surgical procedures. This presentation discusses how the hospital used TDABC to determine costs, utilization, and potential process improvements for cataract surgeries to determine whether it should do more or less of them. The approach can be applied to other surgical specialties to identify areas of opportunities and priorities. The March/April-2013 issue of AAMI's peer reviewed journal Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology (BI&T) has a cover story on Systems Engineering applications in Healthcare Technology Management. "Many of the challenges in healthcare are the same challenges other industries have faced decades ago," says Pat Baird, an engineering director with Baxter Healthcare Corporation. "Healthcare needs to catch up, and I think that 'systems thinking' could help speed the process." Case study series on pneumonia care improvement measures: Improvement strategies of top-performing hospitals The following synthesis of performance improvement strategies is based on a case study series published on The Commonwealth Fund website. The hospitals profiled in this series were identified based on their performance on the pneumonia care improvement measures that are reported to the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Please see the case studies for a full description of the selection methodology. Kaiser Permanente's healthcare IT Journey This presentation (large download) at the 2012 World of Health IT Conference describes how Kaiser Permanente is successfully leveraging IT resources to improve patient care. Many U.S. healthcare organizations are already being exposed to Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) reviews of Medicare and Medicaid billing as well as other third-party payor audits to assure accurate and non-fraudulent billing. In response, the authors propose an analytical approach to efficiently evaluate the accuracy of billing. In this 2010 presentation at the Dartmouth School of Engineering, SHS contributor and past president, James Benneyan, Ph.D., from the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Northeastern University discusses that challenges of measuring performance of evidenced-based medicine and provides solutions to address these challenges. A discussion of survey results regarding communication between providers and the patient. The visit quality as perceived by the patient increases with fewer communications. This paper details the errors in medical history records that can occur over time within the present U.S. system, and proposes a solution.

FROM NYN MEDIA: * In this week’s podcast we speak to Rhea Wong of Breakthrough New York about how the organization shepherds at risk youth through middle school, high school and college with after-school tutoring, summer enrichment programming, SAT prep, internship placement and mentorship. Also, New York Civil Liberties Union Organizer Brandon Holmes talks about his work on police reform and other progressive causes since the election of President Donald Trump. * CORRECTED LINK: Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed KPMG executive David Hansell to replace former Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner Gladys Carrion, who officially stepped down earlier this month following a string of deaths and high-profile abuse cases. * New York City may have to spend nearly 200 million dollars more on homeless shelters next year, in addition to what’s in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s budget, according to a report by the New York City Independent Budget Office, the Daily News writes. * As city-contracted nonprofit organizations continue to call for funding increases from the de Blasio administration, Deputy Mayor Richard Buery insisted that the administration is “sympathetic” to those concerns and is doing everything in its power to ensure a “strong and robust” nonprofit sector, Gotham Gazette writes. * A Queens nonprofit executive was sentenced for embezzling approximately 100,000 dollars in federal and state funds meant to serve the developmentally disabled in order to subsidize her posh personal lifestyle, including maids and nannies, a personal spa and luxury furnishings, according to the New York State Inspector General. * Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff denied allegations that he had pressured the staff of the New York City nonprofit to misuse grant money and mislead donors, Stars and Stripes reports. * De Blasio’s new commissioner for the Administration for Children’s Services unveiled a four-point plan to “fix what isn’t working” at the beleaguered agency and said he’s looking forward to working hand in hand with a state-appointed independent monitor, the Observer reports. * Financial, leadership and mission challenges are plaguing the Municipal Art Society, which in the 20th century led the charge for better planning and historic preservation in the city, the Architects Newspaper writes. * Researchers found that in the year following the adoption of same-sex marriage, a state showed a 14 percent drop in suicide attempts among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning youth, LGBTQ Nation writes. * Many baby boomers with long careers in the business world are now eyeing work in the nonprofit sector, according to Kiplinger. * Kimberly George, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together NYC, writes in Gotham Gazette that while the City Council debates legislation to curb construction accidents, they should consider supporting and partnering with nonprofits that are already pursuing this work nimbly and effectively. * Gov. Andrew Cuomo's former state budget director Bob Megna will serve as president of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute's two nonprofit development arms and will oversee day-to-day operations of the real estate entities at the center of the school's bid-rigging allegations, the Times Union reports. Princeton AlumniCorps is accepting applications for our 2017-18 Emerging Leaders program. Emerging Leaders provides young nonprofit professionals with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to accelerate their growth in the sector. This nine-month program includes monthly workshops, individual coaching, and networking opportunities with established nonprofit leaders. Cohorts are formed in both New York City and Washington, DC. Applications are due March 8th, 2017. Apply online at www.alumnicorps.org. *President Trump rescinded protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, overruling his own education secretary and placing his administration firmly in the middle of the culture wars that many Republicans have tried to leave behind, according to the New York Times. * With the Trump administration intent on curbing illegal immigration, for many people, the threat of deportation has now begun affecting their every move, the New York Times writes. * NYPD commissioner James O’Neill had a defiant message for the president, saying his officers will not enforce administrative warrants issued by federal immigration officials as a result of the new expansive deportation policies, the Daily News writes. * The National Council of Nonprofits has created a webpage about its platform against the proposed repeal of the Johnson Amendment that conditions tax-exempt status in part on not engaging in partisan, election-related activities for or against candidates for public office. * For those seeking to aid refugees, the New York Times offers suggestions on how to decide which charities to support, as well as a sampling of well-regarded organizations to which donors can give directly. Event: Power in Numbers: Leveraging Financial Statements for Strategic Decision-Making On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 the Foundation Center will host a session for Board Members, Executive Directors, CFOs, and key decision makers. Paul Konigstein a senior consultant at Accounting Management Solutions (now CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) will help you leverage the financial information you already have to find the best solutions to the most common operational and strategic problems facing nonprofits. Learn more and register. NONPROFITS IN THE NEWS: * Staffed mostly by ex-offenders, New York’s Fortune Society works to build a safety net for its clients, even before they’re released from jail or prison, CityLab writes. * The Joint Equity Ownership Entity, also called JOE NYC, plans to officially launch this spring, taking ownership of 3,000 affordable units in about 50 developments, Bisnow writes. Event Journal is a leading resource for sponsor recognition, providing digital marketing solutions serviced by a dedicated team of experts. Our flexible platform accommodates the needs of nonprofit organizations, expanding reach for increased value to sponsors and greater fundraising potential. Digital ads are integrated into an event website or embedded directly into a nonprofit’s own webpage. The journal is showcased at the event with an elegant presentation for large screens or iPad centerpieces. Learn More. * The Local Initiatives Support Corporation has selected three social services agencies developing Pay for Success programs focused on disconnected youth, chronic health challenges and children at risk of entering foster care to receive technical assistance from LISC to launch their programs. LISC will use its $1.33 million grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service Social Innovation Fund to help the organizations design first-time PFS programs—efforts that connect government funding directly to outcomes. Program efforts are funded upfront through loans, grants or other private-sector investments with government providing payment for successful outcomes as specific benchmarks are met. The grantees announced this week include: Latin American Youth Center, National Kidney Foundation of Michigan's Diabetes Prevention Center, and Safe Families for Children. * St. Christopher’s, Inc., a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children with special needs and their families, announced that the internationally respected Council on Accreditation has reaccredited the organization, following an intensive eighteen month audit of its programs, management and operating procedures, financial practices and governance structure. St. Christopher’s was expedited through the Pre-Commission Review Report process as a result of not receiving any out of compliance ratings in any of the fundamental practice standards. Since its inception in 1881, St. Christopher’s has helped teens with emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities by providing a residential program encompassing comprehensive therapeutic, social and family services coordinated with special education schooling. * Council Member Margaret Chin, chair of the Council’s Committee on Aging, joined the Council’s LGBT Caucus and community partners to encourage all New Yorkers 50 years or older who identify as LGBTQ to take an important survey on the housing needs of the LGBTQ senior community. The online survey, which will be live until April 15, can be taken at www.lgbtsurvey.org. The survey, which is available in English and Spanish, should take about 10 minutes to complete. The anonymous responses will be used to understand the “housing market profile” of the community and will inform strategies to deal with this upcoming crisis. (Visit www.nyncareers.com to view all jobs.) The Bronx Prevention Program has implemented the Evidence Based Model, Family Connections. We are a home based program and weekly contact is made with our families who reside in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx, Community District 12. Case Planners typically have a caseload of 8-10 families. A Case Planner is responsible for: insuring case records are maintained; documenting client and collateral engagement; completing Family Assessment Service Plans and other required Family Connections assessments; and collaborating with ACS and other familial supports to provide quality and supportive services to families. Bilingual (Spanish) preferred. OnTrackNY is a new, innovative treatment program that will serve adolescents and young people (16-30 years old) who are within one year of experiencing the onset of non-affective psychosis. The Psychiatrist will work approximately 10 hours per week as part of a small multidisciplinary team providing coordinated and assertive treatment and support in the earliest stages of psychosis. The team Psychiatrist engages the participant in shared decision making about medication and the next steps in medication treatment. Medication management will be guided by a medication algorithm that provides information about evolving best practices. Acts as the primary therapist to a caseload and performs case management functions as necessary. Communicates with family collateral and other agency staff and coordinates services with other agencies on behalf of clients. NYS LCSW required or Ph.D. Minimum of 2 years of post master exp. and high degree of computer literacy. Starting salary is 56,100 dollars. Position is located in Valhalla (Westchester County), NY. For complete details and to apply visit our website at www.childrensvillage.org/employment. Please contact us with any questions at (914) 693-0600 x1754. Recruiting a Diverse Workforce EOE As a leading provider of residential and support services to individuals with special needs, Services for the UnderServed provides the resources you need to build on your experience amidst our culture of team support. The practitioner Meets with Program Director, Director of Social Services, Psychiatrist, Program Nurses, and Social Service staff to coordinate shelter residents to receive ongoing psychiatric treatment in the community; Meets with all new residents within the first 30 days for psychiatric evaluation; and provides referrals for transitional Psychiatric Treatment to all Residents not currently in care. NYN MEDIA CAREERS: To advertise your employment opportunities with NYN Media email firstname.lastname@example.org. Urban Ecologies and Urban Practice at Parsons School of Design Develop and implement innovative projects that transform community organizing, public space, housing, infrastructure, and transportation. Explore the urban complex and its interconnections with political, social, economic, and environmental systems. The MS Design and Urban Ecologies and MA Theories of Urban Practice at Parsons School of Design in NYC provide a progressive, critical understanding of the past, present, and future of urban ecologies. Learn more about these programs and apply today. POLITICAL BULLETIN by CITY & STATE: * NYPD commissioner James O’Neill said it will cost significantly less to guard Trump Tower than the city had initially estimated, and will now seek reimbursement of 24 million dollars from the federal government, The New York Times reports. * A New York City building owner failed to convince a Manhattan judge to scrap the city’s list of “100 Worst Landlords” – that includes him at No. 34 – but is still reviewing his case against Public Advocate Letitia James, whose office compiles the list, the Post reports. * In passing the 5-cent bag fee, the New York City Council had already researched the pros and cons of a total ban and rejected it, but Cuomo trashed all that hard work when he signed legislation to block the fee, the Daily News writes in an editorial. Feb. 28 -- Critical issues facing at-risk youth in Brooklyn’s low-income neighborhoods will be examined at Brooklyn Community Services Youth Action Summit: Voices for the Future of Brooklyn. Visit http://go.cityandstatemedia.com/e/168882/events/m8bpn/53116023 to submit an event or view all community events. On Friday, March 24, New York Nonprofit Media will host Nonprofit FundCon which brings together fundraising and development executives from nonprofits across New York to discuss how to create a campaign and raise money. Click here to learn more. On June 15, NYN Media will host its third annual Nonprofit OpCon. This event focuses on streamlining processes and operations for nonprofits in New York. How do we make things easier and more pleasant for executive leadership, operations, IT, risk, finance, HR and more? There are new industry standards to consider, and new guidelines around applying for public funds to learn. Bring your organization into the 21st century and abandon old practices that are depleting your valuable resources. It’s a new day in the nonprofit industry; join us as we explore these insights and strategies. Click here to learn more. TODAY’S GOVERNMENT SKED: 11 a.m. – State Sen. Daniel Squadron tours senior centers in Manhattan to organize a petition drive against proposed senior center cuts in state budget, CPC New York Chinatown Senior Center, 70 Mulberry St., Manhattan. 11 a.m. – State Sen. Tony Avella holds press conference to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to change his plan to redirect Title XX funds away from senior centers, SNAP of Eastern Queens, 80-45 Winchester Blvd., Building No. 4, Queens. 1:30 p.m. – New York City Councilman Ruben Wills, nonprofits, faith leaders and small business owners hold event to provide clarity on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Richmond Hill, Sybil’s Bakery, 13217 Liberty Ave., Queens. 2 p.m. – Cuomo holds a closed-press roundtable with the Jewish community and interfaith leaders, followed by an announcement, Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, Manhattan. 6:15 p.m. – Public Advocate James delivers remarks at Grand Street Guild Tenants Association meeting, 131 Broome St., Manhattan. 7 p.m. – Velazquez attends a Woodhaven immigration know your rights workshop, All Saints Episcopal Church, 85-45 96th St., Woodhaven, Queens. 8 p.m. – De Blasio and Stringer deliver remarks at One Hundred Black Men Annual Gala, Sheraton Hotel, 811 Seventh Ave., Manhattan.

The Valmadonna Trust Library is a collection of 13,000 books and manuscripts printed and handwritten in Hebrew or in Hebrew script, primarily collected by Jack V. Lunzer, a British industrial diamond merchant, born in Antwerp in 1924. It is named after Valmadonna, a small town near Alessandria in north-west Italy with longstanding connections to the Lunzer family. Despite containing few books from the Americas, reflecting Lunzer's personal interests, the collection encompasses works from throughout the world, particularly Italy, "the cradle of Hebrew printing", and covers over a millennium; many items in the collection are rare or unique, and many date back to the earliest Hebrew printings., According to Arthur Kiron, curator of Judaica collections at the University of Pennsylvania, "I don't know any other collection quite like it in private hands. It even rivals some of the great institutional collections in the world." Notable items in the collection include - A well-preserved set of the Babylonian Talmud (1519-23) designed by a panel of scholars and codifying many aspects of how the Talmud is laid out, printed in Venice by Daniel Bomberg; this was acquired by Lunzer from the collection of Westminster Abbey in exchange for a 900-year-old copy of the Abbey’s original Charter, and supporting endowments, fulfilling a 25 year dream., - A Hebrew Bible from England (known as the Codex Valmadonna I), handwritten in 1189 and looted the next year during the destruction of the Jewish community of York, which is the only known surviving Hebrew text from England dated prior to the expulsion of the Jews in 1290 under King Edward I. , - A Franco-German Pentateuch, probably written in the tenth or eleventh century - The first Mikraot Gedolot - A Pentateuch from 1547 Constantinople, containing Spanish and Greek translations written using Hebrew script. - The first book printed in Lisbon, 1489, Nahmanides’ commentary on the Pentateuch. - A 19th-century copy of A Thousand and One Nights from Calcutta, in Arabic spelled out in Hebrew script. - An illustrated guide for shechita from early twentieth century Pakistan, with Hebrew and Marathi on facing pages. - A copy of every Hebrew book published in Cremona during the ten year period such printing was allowed, ending in the 1560s. - An 1848 copy of the Communist Manifesto in German, one of 11 surviving copies of the first edition's February 1848 second printing in London. - A 1666 Dutch newspaper with a front page headline and article describing Sabbatai Zevi - A Venice Sukka decoration from 1783 The collection, estimated to be worth in excess of $40 million, was placed for sale in early 2009 by Sotheby's, with the proviso that it be sold as a whole and not broken up., Lunzer, who is not benefitting from the proceeds of the sale, has stated that "I would like our library to be acquired by the Library of Congress. That would be my great joy." - ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 "A Lifetime’s Collection of Texts in Hebrew, at Sotheby’s", Edward Rothstein, New York Times, February 11, 2009 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Rare Trove of Hebrew Books Displayed in NYC", Beliefnet News, February 10, 2009 - ↑ "'Manifesto,' From 1848, Is Sold for $39,811", New York Times, May 30, 1986

I’ve been quiet about this – at least in the details. I will continue to be quiet until more is understood. I first wrote a letter to a monastery in June, and have been slowly gaining in communication since then via email and phone calls. I will be visiting a monastery from Thursday August 7th through Sunday August 10th. In lieu of a stipend to stay at the guest house, I’ll be working with the sisters for a few hours each day. If I’m really diligent and finalize the vocation questionnaire, I may be able to speak with the Novitiate during recreation one evening. I’ve told my spiritual director, and three additional friends, the specific details. My parents are not aware. My sister, once she reads this blog post will know precisely the information that is here and nothing more. How come? What happens when you spread your business everywhere – is anything respected? Is it honored? Is it accepted? I’ll bet you a student loan that the answer is ‘No’. Everyone runs roughshod all over your thoughts, your desires, God’s desires for you, and so forth; suddenly everything is up for debate. In my previous experience in trying to enter the DSMMEs (Thank goodness I did not; I loathe teaching.) I was told a great number of things: ~ we should use this to get more drinks at the bar ~ you’re a lesbian ~ you’re a disgrace ~ you’re neglecting your responsibility ~ you’re throwing your life away ~ do you know how other women will touch you? ~ what about sex? ~ you should go do all the things that you can’t do once you enter ~ that’s a blessing ~ you’ll save your family ~ what grace See how the vast majority of responses are negative and bitter? How focused they are on an erroneous thought that I’m losing something when I enter religious life. Rather, consider what I gain, in a non-materialist way: God. I have Him. All of Him. His full and complete attention. I get to respond to His love for me in a unique way, a way that I was created to do. I have the ability to work in cooperation with God. This world will kill you; it will kill me. It will slay me to death with pride, lust, sloth/laziness, anger, greed, gluttony. I do not choose this world. I was born in the world at the time God wanted me to exist here, but He did not make me or you to be immersed in it to the extent that you can lose yourself in it. He bought you and me at the price of His Son’s Flesh, Blood, Soul and Divinity hanging tattered and exsanguinated on a Roman cross at the behest of the Jewish elders. Keep me in your prayers, I’ll pray for you – you can leave requests in the comment box or you can (I think?) email or message me.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg issued her first extensive statement about her husband's passing. The essay comes a month after the sudden death of Dave Goldberg and at the conclusion of the 30-day mourning period Jewish spouses undergo. I have lived 30 years in these 30 days. I am 30 years sadder. I feel like I am 30 years wiser. Sandberg triumphantly declared she will cope by focusing on those she cares about as well as how someone battles immense pain. She continued, I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. Sandberg, who wrote a bestseller about why more women should pursue careers, went on to thank her mother for "holding [her] each night until [she cried herself] to sleep" and her loved ones who took over her usual role as "the 'doer' and the planner" when she needed their guidance. She also said she has allowed herself to be "more open and vulnerable than [she] ever wanted to be" to her coworkers and has learned to "appreciate every smile, every hug" from her children. Goldberg, 47, was the CEO of online polling service SurveyMonkey. He sustained a fatal head injury while exercising on a treadmill during a family vacation to Mexico, according to The Guardian. Here's the entire post: Today is the end of sheloshim for my beloved husband—the first thirty days. Judaism calls for a period of intense...

During the Jewish holiday of Purim, which starts this Saturday at sundown, people dress up in costume and remember the biblical story of Queen Esther, who saved her people from persecution. Friends and family come together to host parties, eat hamantaschen, and watch parades – like the annual Adloyada Purim Parade in Holon. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the national Adloyada Purim Parade in Holon, the country’s central event. The parade will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2017, under the theme “Heroes of our Childhood and Youth.” “I’m very happy to see that this parade is celebrating 25 years. When I started 25 years ago, Israel didn’t have such a thing. Today, it is a part of the culture of Israel,” Ifat, the national parade’s designer for 23 years, tells ISRAEL21c, at the Holon studio where the floats are being built weeks before the big event. “At the parade, I feel very happy. And as soon as it’s over, I begin to think about next year.” So, who will be rolling along in this year’s national parade? Look out for Mary Poppins; The Beatles dressed up as ladybugs (in Hebrew, the band is known as Hachipushiyot, which translates as ladybugs and not beetles); Pippi Longstocking leading a horse with a rider in the image of Adloyada General Manager Doron Shalom; “Frozen” characters Anna, Elsa and Olaf, [and more].

Workers Vanguard No. 1135 1 June 2018 On Our Defense of Roman Polanski Sex, Lies and Witchhunts 21 February 2018 For forty years, WV has declared Roman Polanski completely innocent. It’s considered an expression of willingness to buck opinion, defend egalitarianism, and champion sexual freedom—fine things indeed. However, I now think this position is wrong. The problem isn’t the girl’s age: the problem is she did not consent to sex with Polanski. Because of the plea bargain, Polanski was convicted only of sex with a minor. However, the plea bargain merely reflects the girl wanted her judicial and media nightmare to end. Her attorney requested it; Polanski accepted. The judge then suggested Polanski might spend decades incarcerated—vitiating the sentencing agreement—prompting Polanski’s flight. This is why the case continues. Read the grand jury transcripts. WV has gone to extraordinary lengths to impugn the girl’s testimony, claiming she was “clearly coached” or her memory was unreliable. Yet she recounted: - She repeatedly tried to get away from Polanski. - She continually told Polanski she wanted to go home. - She repeatedly said “no.” - She was so desperate to escape, she claimed she had asthma. - Afterwards, she went straight to Polanski’s car—because she had no other way to get home—and cried. This is “mutually consensual sex”? WV acknowledged only what little testimony it could distort. Besides describing her “blatantly obvious sexual maturity” and experience, WV 192 claims she’d “been ‘experimenting’ with Quaaludes since the age of 10 or 11.” Actually, she testified that one time she took “part of” a Quaalude, and she had sex one time with her former boyfriend. Insinuating she’d do anything to advance her career, WV laments Polanski “had the misfortune to run into” her. Actually, Polanski offered to photograph her for Vogue; she said yes. When he asked her during the shoot to take off her shirt, she nervously complied. When he demanded more, she testified, she resisted but gave in because “there was no one else there and I had no place to go.” This may not be physically violent rape, but it is not “effective consent.” It demands understanding sexual oppression can take many forms—and showing, for once, a shred of sympathy for the girl. WV 192 quotes Polanski: “In America, California, I lose my wife, my baby, my friends, perhaps my sanity and almost my freedom. ‘No,’ I say, ‘No!’ The Nazis couldn’t take it away from me, nor could the grief of my losses. And this little whore and the California laws won’t either. I have given much and they have taken too much from me.” This powerfully evokes Polanski’s horrific sufferings. There was, however, no excuse for the misogyny—and certainly none for WV to respond: “Good for him.” WV 948 quotes Gore Vidal. “Look, am I going to sit and weep every time a young hooker feels as though she’s been taken advantage of?… The idea that this girl was in her communion dress, a little angel all in white, being raped by this awful Jew…” Much as I respect Vidal, this is malevolent and degrading. “Little whore.” “Young hooker.” All this venom, toward a girl. And somehow, these epithets are supposed to express a vision for women’s liberation. Read Samantha Geimer’s memoir. You will find a strong, fair-minded, intelligent woman, whose greatest mistake was being thirteen and beautiful, alone with a successful, talented, selfish, horny man. WV replies: The sexual encounter between Roman Polanski and Samantha Geimer (then Gailey) in 1977 is one of the most controversial in modern history. For four decades, the U.S. government and its media hounds have carried out an unrelenting vendetta against Polanski, smearing him as a predator and child rapist—lies to publicly crucify a man who committed no crime. Kathleen’s letter carefully cherry-picks five points from the 1977 grand jury transcripts and presents them as fact. But these points are not the least bit credible. The entire purpose of the grand jury, contrary to any illusion of impartiality, was for the prosecution to indict Polanski on six separate felony charges, including rape. Geimer’s testimony was never tested by cross-examination, which is not permitted in grand jury proceedings, or brought to trial. It was vague and contradictory. The teenage Geimer claimed to have said “no” and told Polanski to “keep away,” yet also stated, “I can barely remember anything that happened.” In a recent interview with Quillette (31 January), she confessed, “I never told Polanski to ‘keep away’.” Like all witnesses, Geimer was “clearly coached” by a prosecution intent on throwing Polanski behind bars. With no findings of damage or use of force, the prosecution resorted to having Geimer repeatedly claim in her testimony that she was “afraid” of Polanski, a maneuver to evoke danger and coercion, which are belied by the absence of physical evidence. However, later she would basically admit that this was a lie. In her 2013 memoir, The Girl, Geimer wrote that she “never felt in physical danger” during her sexual encounter with Polanski. Recalling her thoughts after sex, she wrote: “I had done some dumb things, but I was going to be okay. After all, he was this famous man—and famously experienced lover—who hadn’t wanted to hurt me; he even wanted me to feel pleasure.” Feminist decree stipulates that only the alleged victim is to be believed, but Polanski has just as much right to be listened to as his accuser. Shocked and incredulous at the time of his arrest, Polanski recounts in his 1984 autobiography Roman that he “couldn’t equate what had happened the day before with rape in any form” and refers to the encounter throughout as “making love.” Before sex, Polanski encouraged Geimer to check in with her mother on the phone (which she did), and expressed concern when Geimer, feeling high and overheated in the Jacuzzi, said she had asthma and had left her medication at home. (Polanski was baffled when he found out later that Geimer had lied about the asthma.) He also described the act: “Then, very gently, I began to kiss and caress her. After this had gone on for some time, I led her over to the couch. There was no doubt about [her] experience and lack of inhibition. She spread herself and I entered her. She wasn’t unresponsive.” Nowhere in his account does Polanski describe her crying in the car. Rather, she “talked a lot during the drive home,” including about her guitar lessons and Shakespeare. Polanski has consistently maintained that what happened between him and Geimer was consensual. Indeed, she herself described it as “just sex” in a 2010 interview with Larry King. Lacking any evidence to convict him of rape or the other charges he faced (such as “sodomy” and “perversion”), the prosecution pushed a plea bargain based on the only card it had left to play: unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. As the girl was 13 and therefore underage according to California law, Polanski accepted, with the understanding that he would get only probation after his “psychiatric evaluation.” But with the media baying for Polanski’s blood, the power-hungry judge, Laurence Rittenband, reneged on the deal and threatened him with up to 50 years behind bars. Polanski fled to Paris. Even the prosecutor, Roger Gunson, later acknowledged, “I’m not surprised that he left under those circumstances.” It is not accidental that Kathleen, a former member of the Editorial Board of this paper, is presenting her newly embraced “facts” at a time when the witchhunt against the 84-year-old director has been revived by the liberal #MeToo movement. The premise of #MeToo, which tars Hollywood men and others as criminals whether they were accused of a regretfully bad date or actual sexual assault, is that women, especially young women, cannot possibly consent to sex with someone in a higher age, prestige or pay bracket. Despite Kathleen saying that “the problem” has nothing to do with the girl’s age, we very much doubt she would be raising a fuss if Polanski had been, as she puts it, a “talented, selfish, horny” teenager. From the get-go, Polanski was the whipping boy for a puritanical crusade against intergenerational sex. And he was acutely aware of why he was being hounded: “The young girl admitted in front of a tribunal that she’d already had intercourse with other people before meeting me, though the tribunal wasn’t concerned about these other men. When Mr. Smith or Mr. Brown sleeps with fourteen year-old adolescents who look eighteen, it doesn’t interest anyone. But when a famous film director does, the law and the press sound the alarm.” Our defense of Polanski always infuriates those who think young people are incapable of consenting to sexual acts, or that sex between people of different ages is inevitably coercive. We oppose all statutory rape laws because they wrongly criminalize consensual sex. In the U.S., “age of consent” laws not only differ state to state, but also are in marked contrast to a country like France, where Polanski was born and retains citizenship. In France, there is no minimum legal age for sexual activity and no presumption of “rape” if a minor is involved, though there have been recent efforts to impose an “age of consent” law. That there is broader acceptance of the potential for a sexual relationship between adults and minors is in large part due to an atmosphere of sexual freedom and changing social attitudes following the mass student and worker struggles of May 1968. Young people do have sexual desires, and they act on them—sometimes with much older people. The shame or self-recrimination they may suffer as a result comes directly from the hypocritical and obscene morals of this society, which are enforced by religion, parents and cops. Kathleen misleadingly paints a picture of an unknowing child desperately trying to escape the clutches of an aggressive seducer. But it is not insignificant that Geimer, an aspiring model and actress, viewed Polanski as “my ticket to stardom” and showed off her experience and maturity as a young adult—she told him she was sexually experienced, had drunk alcohol, tried Quaaludes, seen Playboy. Even if one accepts Geimer’s account of the encounter as conveyed in her book, all it reveals is a young woman engaged in an inner dialogue dealing with the complexity of sex, trying to balance the feelings of physical pleasure and societal shame: “He asks if it feels good, which it does—and that, in itself, is awful. I don’t want this, my mind recoils, but my body is betraying me.” Our view of sexual consent is the effective and voluntary agreement between individuals during an encounter. Given the class and social divisions in capitalist society, we know consent can also be murky, particularly when fame or money plays a role. Signals can get mixed and misread, especially when drugs and alcohol are involved. There is no universal consensus on consent: an enormous range of both verbal and nonverbal behavior exists that allows people to communicate desire or absence of desire. Under such circumstances, motive and intent are crucial; by all accounts, Polanski’s motive was mutual pleasure. We reject the idea that there must be “affirmative consent,” a guideline that criminalizes anything less than repeated, enthusiastic agreement and opens the door for any sexual encounter to be regarded as assault. We also reject the notion that rape can be ambiguous, “gray” or a matter of miscommunication. Such a view grossly minimizes this uniquely violent crime, which is based on coercion and degradation. There is no denying that Polanski was singled out for a crime that didn’t occur. The 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, directed by Marina Zenovich, demonstrates the vindictive scapegoating by the media and the state, which was determined to punish Polanski. In one interview, journalist Richard Brenneman, who covered the case, discloses the rumor in 1977 that the prosecuting attorney, Gunson, was chosen because he was both a Mormon and the only one in the D.A.’s office who hadn’t had sexual relations with an underage girl. According to Gunson, none of the people in L.A. County who had been convicted of sex with a minor in the year preceding Polanski’s case spent any time behind bars. This seems improbable in today’s reactionary climate, where to be labeled a pedophile is to be branded a sex offender for life. The documentary notes that the targeting of Polanski started years before his encounter with Geimer, setting the stage for a perfect Hollywood case with a stereotypical “villain.” Polanski, whose mother was murdered in the Holocaust, was a controversial director, a short Jewish man, a foreigner with a heavy accent, and the victim of one of the grisliest crimes California had yet seen: the butchering of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and others in his home by the crazed Charles Manson gang in 1969. In the months after the murder, and before Manson was apprehended, the press mercilessly hounded Polanski. The media claimed that his films proved that he and Tate engaged in sinister practices, then churned out references to orgies, drug parties and black magic, grotesquely blaming Polanski’s lifestyle for the crime. Tate’s death was an emotional watershed for Polanski that would affect him for decades; it also began a mutual loathing between him and the American press, which exists to this day. As for Kathleen’s demand for “a shred of sympathy for the girl,” how about a shred of sympathy for an innocent man who has been maligned and witchhunted for over four decades? As for Geimer, she herself makes clear that it was the media and the legal system that traumatized her, not Polanski. Her repeated requests that the prosecution drop its charges against Polanski have been denied time after time. For protesting the ongoing witchhunt against Polanski, Geimer has been smeared as a “rape apologist” who suffers from “Stockholm syndrome” and “victim’s guilt.” This is the logic of the dangerous climate enhanced by the anti-sex feminists of #MeToo: anyone defending the accused is sent to the gallows. Kathleen’s brief serves a purpose: to slander us as misogynists and defenders of rapists, including because we printed “epithets” uttered by Polanski and the late Gore Vidal. After a yearlong judicial nightmare, 42 days of “psychiatric observation” in Chino state penitentiary, facing decades of imprisonment for having sex with a starstruck girl who appeared to be entrapping him, Polanski made the verbal comments Kathleen refers to in her letter. Solidarizing with Polanski’s justifiable anger, we wrote in “Stop the Puritan Witchhunt Against Roman Polanski!” (WV No. 192, 10 February 1978), “Good for him. We are cheered to see that this ordeal of puritanical witchhunting has not broken Roman Polanski’s spirit.” Gore Vidal’s comments, which were made in 2009 as Polanski faced extradition to the U.S. for the 1977 case, alluded to the well-known Hollywood scene where sex is exchanged for advancement. As we wrote in WV No. 192, “Regardless of what one thinks of the scene as a whole, its all-too-obvious reality makes absurd Rittenband’s attempts to force rigid morality of the Victorian era into L.A. freeways and bedrooms.” It is the next portion of Vidal’s remarks that contains his core point: “Anti-Semitism got poor Polanski. He was also a foreigner. He did not subscribe to American values in the least. To [his persecutors] that seemed vicious and unnatural.” To the Atlantic interviewer’s question as to what are “American values,” Vidal responded, “lying and cheating.” And the capitalist rulers sure love a good moral panic, especially if supplemented by a witchhunt of someone who deviates from their moral compass. In “On Our Defense of Roman Polanski—Sex, Lies and Witchhunts” (WV No. 1135, 1 June), we wrote in reply to a letter: “In France, there is no minimum legal age for sexual activity and no presumption of ‘rape’ if a minor is involved, though there have been recent efforts to impose an ‘age of consent’ law.” France does not currently have an “age of consent” law akin to those that exist in the U.S., where a minor is legally presumed incapable of consent, and thus sex with a minor is treated as a form of rape (statutory). France also does not have a minimum legal age for sex per se—i.e., people under 18 can legally engage in sexual activity. However, an adult who has sex with someone under the age of 15, while not automatically presumed to have committed rape, can be prosecuted for a “sexual infraction” punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of 75,000 euros ($87,500). (From WV No. 1136, 29 June 2018.)

Isaiah 6. Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) 6 In the year of King ‘Uziyahu’s death I saw The Lord sitting on a high, lofty throne! The hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 S’rafim stood over him, each with six wings — two for covering his face, two for covering his feet and two for flying. 3 They were crying out to each other, “Holy, holy holy is The Lord of armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 The doorposts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Misfortune for me! I am doomed! — because I, a man with unclean lips, living among a people with unclean lips, have seen with my own eyes the King, The Lord of Armies!” 6 One of the s’rafim flew to me with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Here! This has touched your lips. Your iniquity is gone, your sin is atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying, “Whom should I send? Who will go for us?” I answered, “I’m here, send me!” 9 He said, “Go and tell this people: ‘Yes, you hear, but you don’t understand. You certainly see, but you don’t get the point!’ 10 “Make the heart of this people fat, stop up their ears, and shut their eyes. Otherwise, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their hearts, they might repent and be healed!” 11 I asked, “Lord,how long?” and he answered, “Until cities become uninhabited ruins, houses without human presence, the land utterly wasted; 12 until the Lord drives the people far away, and the land is one vast desolation. 13 If even a tenth remain, it will again be devoured. “But like a pistachio tree or an oak, whose trunk remains alive after its leaves fall off, the holy seed will be its trunk.” Uzziah had been a good and successful king of Judah, so his death would have been a challenging moment for a prophet who believed that God worked through the royal line of David. At this juncture, in the temple, the prophet has a vision of God who occupies the throne of the universe. Earthly rule is subject to time and happenstance, but God’s rule is certain. The heavens are depicted as a court with the “flaming creatures” (s’rafim) as courtiers. They are wonderfully mobile in their active praise of God as holy, that is, as separate, removed, altogether different from humanity and the world. This praise is antiphonal, one creature echoing the praise of another. In this way the created universe acknowledges its creator. This is the kind of praise envisaged by St. Francis is his Canticle of the Creatures, “All creatures of our God and king, lift up your voice and with is sing, Alleluia!” The Hebrew is more vivid than this translation in depicting each individual creature, “one called to another..” The shaking of the doorposts, inanimate as they are, emphasises the shaking of the human witness who responds with terror. The One whom human beings cannot see and live, has been seen by the prophet who expects his death. It’s easy to dismiss this as a sort of piety, but no, the words speak of genuine terror; the prophet’s vision is real to him. Instead of death, the prophet is subjected to a divine cleansing, which is directed to his mouth, the organ of speach, which is touched with a burning coal from God’s altar. The text does not describe the pain, relying on the reader’s imagination. This intimate contact with holiness cleanses the sinful person and “covers over” his sin. The holiness of God is transferable without ceasing to belong to God. The cleansed prophet is now privy to God’s concern, and able to respond as a member of God’s court: here I am; send me. This is no general mission but specifically to Judah, the prophet’s people. Ironically he is called to confirm the refusal of the people to listen to their God. His message makes them deaf and unresponsive! His preaching shuts them off from repentance and healing. This terrible mission does not frighten the prophet who nevertheless asks how long his unrewarding task will last, and receives a pitiless reply: until the cities become uninhabited ruins…the only comfort is the image of the treestump which will be fruitful. After disaster there may be hope. As an account of the prophet’s calling, this emphasises Isaiah’s love of God’s holiness, which simultaneously judges his people and cleanses them to serve God’s purpose.

A common Jewish tradition is for parents to wait until the bris to announce the name of their newborn baby boy. That's right--for over a week, they keep the name a secret from friends and family and just about everyone who pops in to see the new addition to the family. But waiting for eight whole days to announce a baby's name can be hard on the parents, and on all of the well-wishers. So what gives? Superstitions and Sensibility First of all, it is a custom to give the baby a name at the bris. According to Jewish law, the bris has to take place on the eighth day after the boy is born. So that means we give baby boys their names on the eighth day. But why the secrecy? According to Cantor Philip Sherman, who has been called "the busiest mohel in New York," Jews keep baby boys' names under wraps because, "keeping the name a secret is based on superstition, i.e. not giving the Angel of Death the opportunity to identify the child and kill him before the bris. Two practical reasons for not disclosing the name until the bris are: 1. In case the parents decide on a last minute change, they will not have painted themselves into a corner by announcing the Jewish name in advance and 2. It helps the parents avoid meddling relatives (Read the following in a whiny voice: How come you're not naming the baby after Uncle Louie?)" This Angel of Death business might sound a bit scary, but it's nothing more than a bubbe meise (a superstitious belief). It probably stems from high infant mortality rates that were the norm until quite recently. It wasn't unusual for a mother or a baby to die shortly after a birth, and so all kinds of superstitious practices arose to try to ward off the risk of death. In the spirit of egalitarianism, some families have the tradition of waiting until the eighth day to announce girls' names, too. Other families will announce a girl's name at the Torah service after her birth. Because the Torah is read on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, these families don't ever have to wait too long. In any event, there's no real rule about this. It's customary (and maybe just a sensible idea) to wait before broadcasting your choice to the world, but it's not actually an obligation, so if you're itching to tell, don't worry about it.

December 14, 2006 Chanukah (חנכה) Is Tomorrow Night Chanukah (חנכה) is tomorrow night, it is probably the most favorite Jewish holiday for kids. This is the holiday kids are dripping with gifts from their parents and relatives. Of course, the Wikipedia has a fairly nice write up on Chanukah. That is me, dressed up as a "Dreidel," which is a toy kids play with on the holiday. The four sides of the dreidel (a top) have letters on them standing for נס גדול היה שם. How does the game work? Well, you spin the dreidel and depending on which side it lands gets you something: - נ - Nun - nisht - "not" - nothing happens and the next player spins - ג - Gimel - gants - "all" - the player takes the entire pot - ה - Hey - halb - "half" - the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number - ש - Shin - shtel ayn - "put in" - the player puts one marker in the pot Aside for that, we light the menorah eight nights, we sometime eat special food and we give gifts. I'll let you know what I get this year. Here is a preview of the Search Engine Roundtable's special logo for the 8 days.

In her role as Executive Director of Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties, Andrea Steinberg, LCSW is a recognized leader in organizational leadership and transformation. A well known frontrunner in information technology in a clinical setting and leading the implementation of paperless records, Ms. Steinberg attributes her successes in promoting and sustaining a productive Agency culture through a strong strategic partnership with Human Resources and effective inter-Agency collaborations. An alumna of Boston University, and MSS from Bryn Mawr College, Andrea has an unique and impressive lifelong commitment to the field of Jewish communal service. Featured as a speaker at past AJFCA conferences, Ms. Steinberg serves as the Chairperson of the Executive Director’s Committee of The United Way of Atlantic County Board of Directors, The National Board of AJFCA’s Conference Committee, selected as a member of the Women’s Leadership Committee of Jewish Federation of Atlantic County’s Annual Campaign, and holds an active role on the Early Childhood Committee of The Jewish Community Center of Atlantic County. Among her many awards and accolades, Ms. Steinberg was awarded a Peer Leadership Award by Samost Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Southern New Jersey and a United Way honor for her exceptional contributions in support of United Way programming. - Andrea Steinberg, LCSW, Executive Director | email - Thomas Ruben, LCSW, Assistant Executive Director | email - Naomi Jones, Ph.D., Director of Clinical & Intake Services | email - Barbara Jean Pinnock, LCSW, Director of Older Adult Services | email - Marie Reyes-Canales, MPA, Director of Integrated Case Management Services | email - Laura Rodgers, LCSW, Senior Director of Mental Health Services | email - Nina Stolzenberg, Ph.D, Director of Children's Services | email - Kelly Celano, Controller | email - Lisa Witkowski, SPHR, Director of Human Resources | email - Yelitza Chang, Technology & Systems Coordinator | email - Beth Joseph, Director of Communications & Donor Relations | email - Patricia Leith, Manager of Administrative Operations | email - Barbara Moscariello, Manager of Billing & Data System Administration | email

Grand Rapids Cultural Marketing Group Receives National Award Congratulations to another Grand Rapids Award winner. The Grand Rapids Cultural Marketing Group (CMG), consisting of members from area arts and cultural organizations, has received the Arts Destination Marketing Award 2012 from the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) and Americans for the Arts for its role in the Culture Pass GR program. The award was presented to 2012 CMG board president Kerri VanderHoff at the annual National Arts Marketing Project Conference (NAMPC) in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 10, 2012. As a collaborative effort of more than 20 area arts and cultural institutions, the multi-faceted pass was launched by the Culture Marketing Group to innovatively promote awareness, membership, and tourism opportunities. “The award is an excellent example of how the synergy between destination marketing organizations and arts organizations plays a key role in building awareness in the marketplace by weaving a community’s cultural heritage into the narrative,” said Kerri VanderHoff, CMG 2012 board president and director of marketing at Grand Rapids Art Museum. “Culture Pass GR has certainly helped establish Grand Rapids as a true arts destination and this national recognition is yet another step in CMG’s efforts to continue growing the program.” The Cultural Marketing Group worked in partnership with Experience Grand Rapids to create Culture Pass GR, a year-round discount card that provides access to exclusive savings and special offers to over 20 partnering West Michigan arts and cultural organizations. The pass is free for members and subscribers of these organizations. It is also available to visitors and the local community for $10 annually, to help promote the area’s wide range of arts and cultural opportunities. Experience Grand Rapids also supported the Culture Pass initiative by leveraging its relationships with area lodging partners to develop the “Get Cultured” hotel package concept, resulting in new collaborations between hotels and the Cultural Marketing Group. Participating hotels incorporated free Culture Passes into their signature “Get Cultured” packages, which offer hotel guests special rates and incentives. “It is a tremendous honor to be recognized as the best in the industry. Such recognition is due in large part to our dedicated and passionate staff at Experience Grand Rapids and the role they played in uniting culture with tourism by facilitating new connections to develop a novel and collaborative program,” said Doug Small, president of Experience Grand Rapids. Established by Destination Marketing Association International and Americans for the Arts, the award celebrates destination marketing organizations and partner cultural institutions that have effectively used the arts to market the community as a distinctive travel destination. Presented at the annual conventions, the honor emphasizes the importance of a strong relationship between a community’s convention and visitor’s bureau and its cultural-heritage and arts agencies. The DMAI event took place July 16-18 in Seattle, Washington, and the NAMPC event took place November 9-12 in Charlotte, North Carolina. About the Cultural Marketing Group and the Culture Pass GR: Since its inception in 2006, the Cultural Marketing Group has been bringing together Grand Rapids’ arts and entertainment marketing leaders in an effort to collaborate, and support marketing and public relations efforts. The group has representatives from more than 20 area non-profit arts and cultural organizations, and support organizations. Culture Pass GR is the region’s first technology-based arts and cultural discount pass. Through discounts and promotional offerings, the Culture Pass not only encourages members of the community to frequent the cultural and entertainment options in Grand Rapids, but also informs tourists of the diverse and plentiful reasons to stay and play in the City for a weekend or more. Cultural Marketing Group members include: Broadway Grand Rapids DeVos Performance Hall Downtown Alliance Grand Rapids Experience Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Grand Rapids Art Museum Grand Rapids Ballet Company Grand Rapids Children’s Museum Grand Rapids Civic Theatre Grand Rapids Public Library Grand Rapids Public Museum Grand Rapids Symphony Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids John Ball Zoo Kent District Library Opera Grand Rapids St. Cecilia Music Center Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts Van Andel Arena WGVU Public Media

One day after Israeli military forces raided the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, killing 8 Turkish citizens, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said “this bloody massacre by Israel on ships that were taking humanitarian aid to Gaza deserves every kind of curse.” The Turkish-Israeli rift has set off the American right wing, many of whom have been claiming that Turkey is drifting away from the West (despite its application for inclusion in the European Union). Liz Cheney last week said the “Turkish-Syrian-Iranian axis” is working together to ostracize Israel. Yesterday, she even went so far to suggest that Turkey has “threaten[ed] to destroy Israel.” Today on Fox News, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) picked up on Cheney’s talking point: CANTOR: What the president I believe should be doing is standing by our ally Israel. Everyone understands now that the international community has gone in uproar over this and the point that’s been missed is the fact that Israel’s enemies really are aiming to destroy Israel. Those voices start in Iran, Syria and what seems to be now Turkey is throwing in with those voices. It’s important to note that Turkey is a member of NATO, and the United States has signed a treaty pledging to defend Turkey if it is ever attacked. Moreover, it’s naive to suggest that Turkey and Israel are enemies and that Ankara has aims to “destroy” Israel. In fact, Erdogan recently referred to Turkey as Israel’s “best friend” in the Middle East. Simply because Turkey is a predominantly Muslim nation doesn’t mean that any disagreement with the Jewish state of Israel should be interpreted as Turkey allying itself with al Qaeda, Iran, or Syria. The Wonk Room’s Matt Duss wrote recently that — in their quest to drive up fears of a new “Islamist” Turkey — the neocons’ overly simplistic analyses of Turkey and the wider Middle East have trouble making this subtle distinction: Much like the United States, Turkey is a fairly religious society. It makes perfect sense, then, that as Turkey has become more democratic, and political participation has expanded beyond an elite, Euro-centric core, that religious conservatives have become more visible, and issues relating to Turkey’s Islamic identity have come to the fore. There’s nothing necessarily to be feared about this — a similar debate is a central feature of American politics, too (or didn’t you notice our presidential candidates meeting with one of our most prominent clerics on television?) But this type of fear-based knee-jerk facile thinking has been a key feature of the neocon foreign policy circuit for quite some time. And as Duss noted, they “haven’t let their disastrous misreading of modern Iraqi society and culture deter them from a similar misreading of Turkish society.”

This week the place where I live was violated. Children from our city and our region, were cruelly killed and maimed. As you are no doubt aware, Manchester is living through one of the most difficult weeks in its proud history. And in the heart of this city my colleagues and I at Northern Baptist College have been getting on with the job that we believe God has given us, the same job that the college has been doing for over 150 years, preparing people for servant leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ. It hasn’t been easy. On Tuesday, our staff team travelled out of our shaken city for an away day. We spent most of our time naming, discussing and praying for each of our students. Today, back at Luther King House, our home base on Manchester’s famous curry mile, we have been interviewing four people who believe that God is calling them into Christian ministry, calling them in other words to devote their lives to helping people to follow Jesus, helping people to love, to serve, to pursue peace and to work for justice. To be involved in such a process is always a profound privilege. This week it seems a particularly fitting way to be spending our time. Well, because the slaughter on our doorstep has reminded us just how much our city needs communities of people committed to living the Jesus way. When some might be tempted to let anger turn into hatred, Manchester needs people who will remember that each of its citizens, whether red or blue, whether African, Asian or European, whether Sikh or Christian, Jewish or Muslim, whether northern-born or less fortunate, every last one of us is first and foremost a human being, created by God, bearing the image of God (however distorted) and precious in the sight of God. As one of those charged by my denomination to form the next generation of church leaders I have to make sure that all our students remember what churches are for. No one can be allowed to leave our college in any doubt whatsoever that our churches must never become self-interested, seeking only their own wellbeing, neglecting the communities that God has called them to serve. They must never be allowed to think that mission is only about growing bigger and bigger churches. They must never be allowed to devote themselves to growing disciples simply for the sake of growing disciples without asking what disciples are for, what difference disciples are supposed to make in the wider world. We need leaders who will help churches become what they were always meant to be: communities of the prince peace, the healer, the lover of outcasts, the one who would eat with anyone whether he was supposed to or not, the one who wept for Jerusalem. Any church that does not seek the welfare of its city is a contradiction in terms. Any church that forgets to build bridges of reconciliation forgets whose church it is. Any church that is content to let outsiders stay out has lost its way and lost sight of its Lord. Any church that thinks that this kind of stuff is none of its business is plain wrong. That’s what I have to remember. That’s what this difficult week has reminded me. I pray to God that I will never forget. I pray that you will never forget either, even if you are not fortunate enough live in Manchester. One of the things that people often say, when they are touched by tragedies such as the one that happened on our doorstep, is, “I wanted to do something but I felt helpless.” If that’s you then thank God you’re are not helpless. If like me you name Jesus as your saviour, there’s lots you can do. Here’s six suggestions for starters. 1. You can resolve to remind yourself each morning that every person who lives in your village, town or city is a child of Adam and Eve and therefore your brother or sister in God. 2. You can commit yourself to helping your church to become the kind of church that behaves a bit more like Jesus. 3. You can identify someone in your community from another background, another race, another religion and simply get to know them. If that sounds scary, start by smiling and saying, “Hello.” 4. You can find a group that is working to build bridges in your community and join them, whether they carry a Christian label or not. 5. You can go on praying the prayer that Jesus taught us pray, “… your will be done in my part of your earth as it is in heaven” and then act like you mean it. 6. And you can, if you would be so kind, pray for my colleagues and me in the heart of our hurting city, that we might be able to grow leaders who know how to grow churches who know how to grow the kind of communities that will gladden the heart of God. This first appeared on Christian Today

Son of Saul, the debut feature from Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes, is an unusually intimate look at the Holocaust. Told almost exclusively in the first person, with a camera hovering closely to its protagonist, the film paints a visceral portrait of daily life in a Nazi death camp. Saul, a Jewish worker in Auschwitz, is on a quest to bury a young boy he believes is his son. Casting aside the impulse to portray the Holocaust as an ensemble piece, this is the story of one individual’s fight for his life, his identity and his culture. The intimacy of this struggle is a double-edged sword; as it brings us closer than ever to the personal strife of life in the camps, it similarly forgoes deeper nuance about the nature of industrialized death. While the film has amassed a number of awards, it has divided critics. Its champions heralding the personal nature of its approach, its detractors accusing it of treating historical tragedy as an “art-film rollercoaster.” Heavily informed by the complicated discourse that exists surrounding the artistic depiction of the Holocaust and the real Sonderkommando (a group of Jewish workers whose primary role was to clean and dispose of bodies from the gas chambers) the answer to the film’s quality lies somewhere between these opposing factions. I spoke with Nemes over the phone in early January. Justine Smith: In other interviews, you’ve said that with Son of Saul you are trying to refute the mythology of heroism and the artificial depiction of concentration camps in the cinema. Can you explain what these myths are, and how you are trying to detach from these ideas? László Nemes: The paradigm that exists in the representation of the Holocaust, how it was collectively perceived in the post-war, is hinged on the myth of survival. These films are obsessed by survival though we have to admit in reading about the Holocaust — it’s not about survival, it’s about death. Focusing on the stories of the Holocaust about survival create a false narrative. For me, it’s important to communicate what it was really like. In a visceral way, not in an intellectual way — feel the experience physically and physiologically. It’s really the break from myth. JS: Your film focuses on the minutiae of the camps, what motivates this approach? LN: The daily life of the camps is something that people have never understood. We have a vision of the camp, a vision of when it was no longer dangerous. We have a vision of the pre-war, in one way or another. Even in cinema, the point of view – even when we see a lot – is a false vision of that life. I tried to transmit the human condition of the camp, as without that we will never understand the true situation. JS: What about this story and its context that continues to resonate so deeply in the contemporary era? LN: The Holocaust occurred in the most sophisticated and advanced society on Earth, maybe even in history. This is where they created an industrialization of death. It forces us to question civilization itself, and cinema has the power to ask questions about this scenario. If we don’t seek to answer these questions, it is unhealthy: it’s a question we need to ask to prevent even more. We are still in that same period of history, the cruelty is not gone and civilization has not brought universal humanism. JS: This is a story as much about the destruction of culture as it is about mass murder. At the centre of the story, at the point where Saul’s goal is to bury his son, he does not even know about the proper procedure of a Jewish burial. He is already losing touch with his identity. Why is this so important to you? LN: Saul is someone who has already lost their culture. This lost culture is from an assimilation effort that began in Europe before the war. Now there is no longer a Jewish culture in Europe. It was destroyed during the war and still has not recovered. I am from this dead civilization, I wanted to talk about the disappearance of this world. It touches me, this disappearances affects me to this day. JS: This film is about all of Europe, but it feels also directly connected to Hungary. Is the film meant to be a message to the Hungarian people? LN: The Hungarians sent 500,000 Jews to the death camps in eight weeks and they didn’t need the Nazis for that. The Nazis were trying to slow it down, Auschwitz was not able to accommodate that many people at that time. It’s not just a Hungarian question, it is a European question. It is a major issue. I wanted to say something to Hungary, a place where people are so keen on hating Jews. I am telling something to Hungary — I am saying something to all of Europe. ■ Son of Saul opens in theatres on Jan. 15. Watch the trailer here:

An arson attack targeting first-grade classrooms at a Jewish-Arab school sparked a wave of condemnation Sunday, as months of racial tensions in Jerusalem showed little sign of abating. The attack, apparently by Jewish extremists, occurred Saturday evening at the Hand-in-Hand bilingual school, a rare symbol of coexistence in a city fraught by growing friction between Jews and Palestinians from annexed east Jerusalem. Scrawled on the walls were slogans in Hebrew reading “Death to Arabs” and “There’s no coexistence with cancer,” police said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and pledged to act “forcefully” to return “the rule of law” across all parts of the city. And Justice Minister Tzipi Livni pledged a “zero tolerance” approach to anyone behind such acts. “I will work determinedly against everyone who acts against the law and expresses through violence the racist demon which has emerged in Israeli society — whether it is through hateful graffiti, arson or other forms of violence,” she told reporters at the school. Headmistress Nadia Knane said one of the first-grade classrooms had been badly damaged by the fire, and that the attackers had tried to set alight another classroom. The assailants had piled up textbooks and set them on fire. BLACKENED, CHARRED SCHOOLBOOKS “After I saw what was written, I realised it was not just a fire. They wrote ‘Death to Arabs’ and ‘Kahana was right’ — words which have a lot of meaning,” she told army radio. Meir Kahana was a virulently anti-Arab rabbi whose Kach party was banned over incitement to racial hatred but whose ideology still inspires loyalty among Jewish extremists. “The school had been targeted several times in recent months but every other time was outside the school. This is the first time it was inside,” the headmistress said. Inside the classroom, blackened and charred books were piled on the floor and the walls and ceiling were badly burned. On the balcony outside were the words “Death to Arabs”. On Sunday, scores of people gathered in support of the school and its pupils and teachers. They carried placards in Hebrew, Arabic and English reading: “Spread the light — together against terror” and “Light in a place of terrorism”. Another giant spray-painted banner in Hebrew and Arabic read: “We will continue together, without fear.” Speaking to AFP, Hatem Matar, head of the parents’ committee, denounced it as “a barbaric attack”. “We learnt to respect and understand each other without making distinctions… to see each other as human beings,” said his daughter and former student Imane, who is now at university. Shuli Dichter, chief executive of the Hand-in Hand foundation, which manages five of the country’s seven bi-lingual schools, said it was time to change the public atmosphere in order to prevent such attacks. “In the past months, we’ve witnessed… a wave of racism (that) is dangerous, even physically dangerous,” he told army radio. Jerusalem’s deputy mayor Rachel Azaria denounced the attack as “a horrific crime perpetrated by people who want to destroy any place that creates real cooperation between Jews and Arabs”. “We will not let them do this.” Education Minister Shai Piron said it was a “violent and despicable incident” and “a serious affront to the fabric of Jewish-Arab relations”. The school is located on the Green Line separating west Jerusalem from the annexed eastern sector, and has 624 pupils. In the past few years, it has been targeted by a string of so-called “price tag” hate crimes by suspected Jewish extremists, most recently during Israel’s 50-day war against Hamas militants in July and August. Such attacks tend to involve anti-Arab vandalism, which sometimes manifests as arson, and offensive Hebrew graffiti. On Sunday, two Israelis were indicted for a 2013 attack in which Palestinian cars were torched in the West Bank, the justice ministry said.

How an effort to popularize classical music undermines what makes orchestras great. In late June, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra came within days of foreclosure on its concert hall, an imposing neoclassical structure that opened in 2006. Designed by a national architecture firm that specializes in faux-historical buildings, and costing $123.5 million, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, with its massive columns and impressive portico, was meant to give one of this country’s finest regional orchestras cultural and civic gravitas.1 But in March, leaders of the institution decided that they could no longer afford the interest rates on a letter of credit, and effectively threatened to default on their mortgage. A confidential agreement, brokered by wealthy symphony supporters, saved the orchestra from homelessness, but the situation remains bleak. In recent years, the Nashville Symphony has been running deficits of $10 to $20 million a year, and a contract with the musicians is about to expire. If recent history is any guide, negotiations will be complex and rancorous. It has been a dark few years for this country’s orchestras. In the past season, a bitter strike in San Francisco and a lockout in Minneapolis led to cascading cancellations, including of the San Francisco Symphony’s East Coast tour. Since the economic crisis of 2008, bankruptcies have afflicted orchestras around the country, leading to the closure of the Honolulu, Syracuse, and Albuquerque symphonies, and in April 2011 came the stunning news that one of the country’s “Big Five,” the Philadelphia Orchestra, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Some of those groups reorganized, or opened in new forms, and Philadelphia emerged from bankruptcy in July 2012 with a hiring freeze, ten fewer players, and a 15 percent pay cut for the remaining ones. No surprise, then, that many of the attendees at the recent annual meeting of the League of American Orchestras seemed in the grip of a strange mania, a mix of bitter gloom and hysterical optimism. The League, made up of orchestra managers and wealthy donors and board types, does not like bad news, and members tend to blame problems on the economy or on their musicians and the union that represents them. Not all orchestras are in dire straits, but all of them face roughly the same cultural and economic challenges, made painfully clear in the years since the economic crash of 2008. So the mood in St. Louis oscillated wildly between a counterfactual conviction that orchestras are too vitally necessary to civic life to disappear and a Cassandra-like compulsion for ineffectual truth-telling. American orchestras, said Jesse Rosen, the League’s president, in his keynote address, have had “more than our usual share of strikes, lockouts, and bankruptcies,” and “this discord takes a heavy toll on the reputation of our entire community.” But the field is beginning to reverse “the deficit trend line,” and many groups are having a real social impact in their communities: in Stockton the symphony is working with youth to quell gang violence, and in Cleveland, whose orchestra was once led by the mandarin George Szell, the musicians have started a series at the Happy Dog Bar. Orchestras, argued Rosen, are finally grappling with big issues, including “the threshold of what we mean by diversity,” and are contemplating radical new definitions of purpose: “Maybe the concert is not what it’s ultimately about.” If all of this sounds familiar, perhaps that is because the theme of the League’s meeting—“Reimagining 2023”—coincided with the twenty-year anniversary of its controversial and much-derided report “Americanizing the American Orchestra,” a document that grappled with the same problems and offered much the same solution: a future in which the orchestra was redefined more as a social- and community-services organization than a musical one. In 1993, cultural diversity was promoted as a primary goal of orchestra activity, from hiring musicians (despite the near universal use of blind auditions) to repertory choice and boardroom and executive leadership. Orchestras were encouraged—some would say strong-armed—to think about their community’s needs, not their traditional role as custodians of a musical tradition. Critics, most notably The New York Times’ Edward Rothstein, lacerated the “Americanizing” document, calling it “thoroughly wrongheaded, an abdication of the tradition orchestras represent and a refusal to accept the responsibilities of artistic leadership.”2 But skeptics won only the battle, not the war. The League was embarrassed by the controversy—even today Catherine French, then the League’s CEO, refuses to be interviewed about the document—but most orchestras substantially adopted the basic tenets of the report. Rothstein’s critique was seen at the time as polemical, but much of his analysis was prescient: “Cynically led by its managerial class, the orchestra is explicitly urged to lean toward pop and make courting audiences its primary activity.” The worry about leaning toward pop and courting audiences has a long and complicated history. Historians of classical music in the United States point out that the orchestra in America in the nineteenth century leaned and courted with Barnum-esque bravado—an orchestra program in the age of Mark Twain might include popular waltzes, Irish ballads, a movement of a Beethoven symphony, and a potboiler of patriotic ditties inexpertly woven into symphonic form. In some venues, juggling, ballet, and monologues from Shakespeare might be interspersed with the musical offerings, and clapping, whistling, and hooting were all acceptable, even during the music. When Twain recounted his European travels to American audiences, one thing he noted approvingly about the musical experience in Germany was the audiences: they were quiet, well-behaved, and reverential, unlike American audiences, which still enjoyed classical music as if in a beer hall.3 But the appeal to history does not end there. American orchestras got better and taste grew more refined. With an influx of European Jewish musicians in the 1930s and 1940s, American orchestras achieved a sophistication second to none in the Old World. The concert format became settled, audience members began to respect each other’s right to listen attentively, and (like so many other cultural institutions in America) the whole thing took on a pseudo-historical aura of sacredness. Advocates for blowing up the current concert experience—which in the orchestral world is seen as the proper progressive approach—view this period as an aberration, a pompous deviation from the true trajectory of American musical history. There was indeed pomposity aplenty and insufferable cultural posturing during the “golden age” of American orchestras. But as anyone who grew up accustomed to a quiet and focused concert hall can attest, there is no better way to hear Mozart, Mahler, and Messiaen. In the past century, most developments in the orchestra world, from the architecture and the acoustics of the concert hall to the economic structure of its governance, have tended to favor the development and appreciation of music as a complex and aurally subtle phenomenon. Beethoven may have written with the rowdy audience in mind, but the music of Debussy and Mahler assumed new conditions of listening, and pushed music to new extremes of intellectual concentration, sonic elaboration, and dynamic scale. Americans tend to draw the line between connoisseurship and fatuousness at a level just slightly higher than their own degree of appreciation. Cultural authority rankles, as does anyone wagging an admonishing finger in the concert hall or art museum. Last year Richard Dare, then the CEO and managing director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, leapt onto The Huffington Post with a polemical indictment of the concert-hall tradition:4 The most common practices in classical musical venues today represent a contrite response to a totalitarian belief system no one in America buys into anymore. To participate obediently is to act as a slave. It is counter to our culture. And it is not, I am certain, what composers would have wanted: A musical North Korea. Who but a bondservant would desire such a ghastly fate? Quickly now: Rise to your feet and applaud. The Dear Leader is coming on stage to conduct. He will guide us, ever so worshipfully through the necrocracy of composers we are obliged to forever adore. That the head of an important American orchestra could refer to the patrimony of classical music as a “necrocracy” was astonishing, but Dare only said openly what others in the musical establishment apparently believe. Dare, who prided himself as an entrepreneurial outsider to classical music, was briefly a hot commodity in the orchestra world. After he wrote his comments on musical decorum, he was hired away from Brooklyn by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, only to resign a few days later when it became known that he had been registered as a sex offender in California (the victim refused to cooperate with police and Dare later married her) and had inflated aspects of his résumé. Dare’s comments were another contribution to a long argument about what classical music in America should be. For decades, the musical world has been going through its own protracted and painful Vatican II, initially driven by the assumption that the only thing that really ails the form is a superficial matter of liturgy and presentation. Conductors should turn away from the altar and face the congregants, speak in the vernacular, and forego white-tie-and-tails vestments. The service should be consumer-friendly. The process has liberated certain mavericks, and led to interesting experimentation. In the early 1970s, Pierre Boulez, then the music director of the New York Philharmonic, inaugurated his “rug concerts,” removing the seats from the acoustically inert Philharmonic Hall and inviting listeners to recline on carpets and cushions. “There is so much formality involved in the performance of music that we make it hard for audiences to get emotionally involved,” he said at the time. But the same process also led to a severe dilution of the reverential aura surrounding music, and with it the implicit power of conductors to curate the concert experience. Like Vatican II, it brought on a severe crisis of confidence within the Church, and worse, it has not stemmed the decline in audience attendance or improved the financial bottom line. One striking thing about the League’s annual navel-gazing in June was how many top orchestra leaders acknowledge that many of their innovations—educational programs, diversity and outreach efforts, musical healing events at hospitals and hospices, community concerts away from the orchestra hall—have not yielded anything encouraging when it comes to enticing new audiences. “But it’s the right thing to do,” they say, regardless. The problems are financial and cultural, and the two are intertwined. For decades, orchestras operated on a subscription model, a kind of artistic socialism that spread the costs and risks of programming among a broad base of listeners. Audiences subscribed to a block of concerts throughout the season, choosing a night of the week that was convenient, or a series that generally appealed to their musical interests. Interspersed with familiar repertory were new or unfamiliar works, which might otherwise be difficult to sell to wary or conservative audiences. The large mass of Beethoven lovers subsidized the idiosyncratic tastes of the minority. The benefits of this system were myriad: advanced ticket sales stabilized orchestra budgets and made planning easier; the programming was diversified and refreshed, and the musicians were consistently challenged; and listeners formed communities, socializing with each other at intermission. At the same time, the orchestras also moved to a year-round season, competed with each other for top players, and adopted union contracts that guaranteed professionalism but have become increasingly cumbersome. In short, orchestras became more like newspapers than Internet start-ups, with huge fixed costs and a distressing dependency on consumer loyalty and on habits that proved fickle. The subscription model failed to keep up with rapidly changing demographic patterns, with the blandishments of the emerging entertainment economy, and with younger audiences—whose heterodox taste included classical music as only a part of their musical interest—unwilling to commit to a block of Thursday-night concerts. During the flush years, including the 1990s, when many orchestras raised more than adequate cash to cover costs, musician contracts became more generous, leaving a legacy of obligations that continues to stress budgets. At some point—no one can agree quite when, with some citing the rapid expansion of the Internet more than a decade ago and others blaming the economic crisis of 2008—the trend away from the subscription model and new financial pressures converged, and a sense of crisis set in. Today orchestras are forced to sell concerts piecemeal, which (according to Deborah Borda, the president and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) costs three and a half times what was required to market subscription concerts. Marketers must now target increasingly diverse and niche-focused audiences, and the repertory shows the results. Orchestras no longer offer just classical and pops nights but have become presenters of all kinds of music, with or without orchestra backup. The Detroit Symphony, for example, uses a taxonomy that includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s/Tiny Tots, Civic & Education, and Special Event. The last of these, special events, has become a catch-all for almost any kind of music. Sift through various season calendars and you find video-game nights, the Texas Tenors, the Indigo Girls, Christmas, Halloween and Fourth of July events, movie evenings, and organ spectaculars, among others. Almost none of this is of any interest to serious listeners, including those with diverse musical tastes who prefer the real thing to the local orchestra’s attempt to imitate jazz, ethnic, or pop forms. In some cases, it has also curtailed the number of nights the orchestra presents classical music, and the repertory presented on those evenings is more limited. Orchestras increasingly rely on the drawing power of star soloists to sell classical repertory, which means more repetition of a handful of overfamiliar concertos, and huge fees to (and unholy bargains with) management agencies that marshal top talent. But the most paradoxical and distressing result is the utterly generic quality of what most American orchestras now offer. By parsing audience taste to smaller fractions, the concert schedule in Oklahoma looks more and more like the concert schedule in Maine. At the League conference, the mantra was all “local, local, local”—that orchestras will survive only by catering in nuanced ways to their local constituents (not to audiences or listeners or music lovers, who are all passé). But a tendency toward groupthink across the field has led to the repetition of the same solutions, few of them successful or in any way particularly local. The original headline of Rothstein’s critique of the League’s last big effort at thinking outside the box is as accurate now as it was then: “Be Smart as a Lemming, Orchestras are Told.” As they scramble to maintain audience share, orchestras lose goodwill among their traditional audience. Today, it is essential in only a very few cities to know what the local orchestra is performing, who is conducting, who is the soloist, and what new pieces have been commissioned. A visitor to a midsize American city will get a better sense of the place by visiting the art museum, strolling downtown, taking a bus, sitting in a park, and suffering the nightly newscast than spending two hours with the local orchestra. This is the real crisis, according to some veteran orchestra leaders. Over the past decade or so, “the idea of an orchestra and its conductor representing something began to dilute,” says Tom Morris, who led the Cleveland Orchestra from 1987 to 2004. To be fair, orchestras may have few options, and much of the battle was lost decades ago. Orchestra leaders bought a lot of snake oil in hopes of democratizing the concert experience, and now they have an audience that views classical music as just one among many entertainment options, and as not very entertaining compared with bubble-gum pop and action movies. They talk about education but have in many places done away with program notes. Marketing material uses a hyperbolic language of emotional engagement to oversell the concert experience, implying that one has only to pull up a rug and surrender to the music. That musical appreciation takes work, and that its greatest rewards are cumulative over a lifetime rather than immediate, is not much discussed. To be fair, much of the battle was lost decades ago. Panic has set in, especially among board members, who are well intentioned but often not very imaginative. This has helped to fuel the labor crisis in the past few years, making some orchestras particularly aggressive about cutting costs at the musicians’ expense. A sideshow argument about whether there is, in fact, anything new about the current crisis—labor leaders accurately cite decades of worry about “crisis” in the orchestra world—still animates the field. The American Federation of Musicians, which represents orchestra members, has not always been very nimble at adapting to new circumstances, but in many cases it is the musicians, speaking through their local union, who are the most consistent advocates for maintaining high standards and a commitment to the core classical repertory. They would argue that the focus on crisis is a diversion, and that orchestra boards simply need to redouble their efforts at fund-raising. But the well is not as deep as it has been. In 2011, Rosen addressed the League meeting with what is now called his “red alert” speech, acknowledging deep financial and structural problems, including a 29 percent decrease in participation in classical music over the past twenty years and a 50 percent decrease in corporate giving over the same period. Most distressing, however, was the onset of donor fatigue: “National and local institutional funders and individual donors are telling us that they question continued investment in orchestras.” The musicians’ belief in the efficacy of renewed fund-raising efforts may not take account of this trend, or the lack of cultural connection that many younger entrepreneurs feel for their local orchestras. Yet the musicians’ faith in the music is not naïve at all. It is, in fact, the bedrock on which the orchestra was founded and on which it will survive. The core repertory of the orchestra from Haydn onward sounds better than it ever has. The “totalitarian” concert experience that Dare criticized is in fact countercultural, obliging listeners to explore humility through attention to unfamiliar ideas, without regard to their own immediate need for gratification. It has never been easier, owing to the Internet and other media, to deepen one’s knowledge and enjoyment of classical music. Except for the cost of a ticket—which is admittedly too expensive for many listeners—there is nothing standing between people’s desire to hear great music and the institutions that specialize in making it. The future of the American orchestra may well look like the Church after Vatican II, a contest between “progressives,” who believe, as Rosen suggests, that “the concert is not what it’s really about,” and traditionalists, who search out the rare High Mass of real music or retreat to their home stereos and isolation. The best hope for the latter is still big-city orchestras that must for now cater to an older, more traditional audience, which includes serious listeners. But even that category—serious listeners—is an uncomfortable one for almost all orchestra leaders. Many in the managerial class, especially those who first trained as musicians, care deeply about the rich, variegated, and complex history of classical music, but can find no practical way to offer that history to like-minded patrons. Instead they work with a caricature of the audience, dividing it into two classes, one made up of younger, adventurous listeners willing to try anything, and the other composed of older, problematic ones, who want only Beethoven’s Fifth night after night. But the serious listener, who is adventurous and critical, open and discriminating, does not fit into either of these categories. Among the most worrisome signs for the orchestra is how little concern there is for listeners who care deeply about the infinite variety of orchestra music—Mozart, Mendelssohn, or Lutosławski—but have little use for syncretic hybrids. As always, there is an economic explanation for the marginalization of the serious listener: interesting repertoire takes more time to rehearse, it is difficult to market, it cannot be repeated with the frequency of more popular fare. And serious listeners are resistant to the basic ideological sleight-of-hand behind so much programming: they do not believe that trivial music is worth the same investment as the core repertory, and so they vote with their feet and stay home. This gets them marked as fickle supporters of the civic institution. The League of American Orchestras has always been a bit of an embarrassment. It offers its members invaluable information, including details about wages and union contracts that let managers drive hard bargains. But when it comes to art, the League thinks at the level of an airline magazine.5 This year’s meeting felt like a Rotarian convention, and it ended with a group-therapy session. Look into the eyes of the person next to you, commanded the moderator, and repeat after me: “I have a dream for America’s orchestras. I am the future of America’s orchestras.” This was followed by a group of professional futurists who recommended innovations such as encouraging orchestra musicians “to tap their inner fashionista” while on stage. A Twitter session was run concurrently, in which participants struggled to express their hopes and dreams in a handful of words (“permanent end to musician-management conflict,” “professional musicians paid more than professional athletes,” “underfunded defense department pleads for funding”). But another, sadder embarrassment came early in the conference, when the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra performed at the opening session. For decades, St. Louis has been in the forefront of musical education, and the results were readily apparent in sectional cohesiveness, confident brass and winds, and the professional caliber of the string tone. Never mind that there are very few African American faces in the orchestra, despite years of outreach, and the city’s nearly 50 percent black population. That failure is shared among most orchestras countrywide, despite their best efforts. More telling for the future was a piece that the group performed, a composition by Ingram Marshall called “Kingdom Come.” The quarter-hour symphonic mood sketch uses recorded sounds from churches in the former Yugoslavia to dramatize the Bosnian conflict. Over an electronic soundtrack of bells and choral sounds, the orchestra performs in a simple post-minimalist style, somewhat akin to the music of Arvo Pärt. The piece checks all the currently fashionable boxes for new classical works: it is harmonically and melodically accessible and socially topical, it mixes media, and it draws on musical cultures outside the concert hall. But it doesn’t work. One admired the young players performing it, but felt embarrassed to watch them subservient to the electronic musical enhancement. What little they could contribute was trivial, a few anguished short phrases that were tossed around like super-charged phonemes, never cohering into meaningful sentences or paragraphs. The challenge was all in staying together with a mediocre recording that would hardly pass muster on YouTube, and it was sad to see live musicians temporally yoked to what was coming out of the speakers. Bad music is inevitable, of course, as long as music is written. The problem with “Kingdom Come” is that it subverts much that is good about the tradition it supposedly continues. The orchestra willingly suppressed virtuosity, spontaneity, and the raw power of its acoustic sound. One can understand how and why adults concoct this sort of thing, why a market has developed for political poster music that offers only a generic sense of sadness at mankind’s sufferings. But why make young people play it? It seems a very ill sign for the future that bad music is so willingly foisted on serious junior musicians who have already made a commitment to the art form. American cultural leaders have always been terrified of their duty to lead taste and to maintain standards. But it is best never to show fear in the presence of children. Philip Kennicott is the Art and Architecture Critic of The Washington Post.

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus was a lot more enlightened than we give him credit. For all the things he said which elicit my criticism, he sure did have some insightful things to say as well when taken in context. Since I’m one of the skeptics who still thinks Jesus was a real person, I often find myself wondering which pronouncements were authentically his and which ones were made up much later. It seems clear to me that unless he had Multiple Personality Disorder, at least some of the things eventually attributed to him were put in his mouth—they’re too contradictory. For example, one minute he’s talking like all people are on equal footing, equally deserving of value and respect, and the next he’s comparing outsiders to dogs or swine. It’s like he couldn’t make up his mind. Or much more likely: Jesus is a composite hero, a patchwork of multiple traditions woven together by multiple communities that had no good way of checking their sources to see if any of them agreed. Which leads me to ask which stories were most likely to be true? Which teachings were authentically his and which ones were spawned by later controversies and then read back into the Jesus story? Scholars of all stripes have developed clever tools of historical and literary investigation in search of “the historical Jesus,” although their resulting portraits of the man contradict one another as badly as the gospels themselves. That’s why when it comes to nailing down the kernel of reality beneath the layers of legend, I always take my own conclusions with a grain of salt. But still I find it fascinating to wonder what the real Jesus was like, and what he said that got him in water hot enough to justify a public execution. Did He Really Say THAT? One statement in particular keeps coming back to me because of how radical it was, and how far-reaching were its implications if only people were to take it seriously. At one point in the gospels, Jesus was criticized for not teaching his disciples to follow the ritual rules about hand washings that had grown up around Judaism during his day. Like today’s “saying grace” before the meal, this repetitive practice had become a standard feature of Jewish life during the Second Temple era, and people took notice of how blatantly Jesus’s followers would just dive right into their meals without having executed the ceremonial preparations. Not only did the religious leaders’ disapproval not persuade Jesus, but he also took this opportunity to publicly speak against the superficiality of the rules they were all expected to follow. If the stories of his life that we’ve inherited contain any truth, it appears that he made a habit of flaunting his disregard for their ceremonies in order to make a point. Taken in his historical context, it’s no wonder Jesus became both a popular hero as well as a reviled troublemaker, the target of persecution by the religious establishment. When confronted with censure for his disciples’ habitual noncompliance, Jesus announced: Nothing outside a person can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him. The commentary within the text of the story itself goes on to interpret that in uttering these words Jesus “declared that all foods were clean.” His own inner circle couldn’t process what he was saying so he had to break it down for them again and explain that when you swallow food it passes through your alimentary canal and then exits your body on the other end. Even for dualists who believe we each have a ghost-in-the-machine (which I don’t), this argument made sense. Purity, if there is such a thing, is a matter of the heart, according to Jesus.If this had been taken seriously —if it had been applied consistently—this could have had far-reaching consequences extending well beyond mundane topics like food and drink. If applied consistently, this pronouncement from Jesus could have had major implications for how we talk about our sexual practices. If a person isn’t made unclean from food entering the body through one orifice and exiting through the other, couldn’t the same thing be said about genitalia entering through one orifice and then exiting right back out again the same way that it came in? Why wasn’t this logic applied to Christian sexuality? Who decided that all foods are clean but not all body parts? It seems to me that even in Jesus’s dualistic understanding of the world, this should have changed the way the church understands sexuality. But then again, since when does a religion evolve according to what makes sense? For example, growing up Southern Baptist I always heard that alcohol was unclean. That didn’t stop my parents from drinking it, but the official church position continues to disparage the substance even to this day. The official church position* condemns the imbibing of wine, the very drink which Jesus was said to have given his disciples as a symbol of his saving work in their lives. Clearly the teaching of Jesus isn’t as normative for the church as they like to pretend it is. But who knows? Perhaps in his young thirties even Jesus hadn’t yet had time to work out all the implications of his own thinking. Right after he makes this groundbreaking declaration about “things going into you” not making you unclean, he goes on to list “sexual immorality” among the signs of uncleanness emanating from the heart. I see an inconsistency there, and who’s to say that in time Jesus might not have changed his mind on what exactly that phrase entails? Jesus himself, we are told, lived as a bachelor, and he said some really restrictive things about sexuality in particular. Perhaps he had not yet had time to work though that aspect of what he had to say. He certainly had begun his preaching ministry in a radical direction already. Who knows where he would have wound up if he had not been arrested and killed for stirring up sedition while still in his thirties? I often wonder what Jesus would have said—would have talked about—were he to have been born today rather than 2,000 years ago. Would he have really identified with a religion like Christianity? Or would he have identified with the more vocal critics of the religion that dominated his culture? It’s all hypothetical thinking, I know. But it’s interesting to consider, isn’t it? I wonder sometimes if, born in a different time and in a different place, Jesus wouldn’t have identified more as a humanist than anything else around. Who knows? I reject both the notions of dualism and “purity” as it’s conceived by the religious. But taken in context, Jesus sure had his moments where he said some surprisingly enlightened things. * As a Baptist I was trained to say that Baptists don’t have “official positions” on just about anything. Southern Baptists revel in the supposed autonomy of their individual churches, and yet they all seem to maintain a near uniform belief system even down to the particulars. Having said that, I’ve noticed that here lately the leaders of my old denomination have begun to dispense with this pretentious charade and have openly disfellowshipped with churches that don’t toe the party line on matters like gay marriage and the ordination of women. Nobody but them was fooled by their façade.

NEW YORK (JTA) — New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss is working on a book about anti-Semitism. “How to Fight Anti-Semitism” will address the “alarming rise of antisemitism in this country and in Europe,” as well as offer solutions, the Jewish writer posted Monday on Twitter. Weiss said the book will be released in September. She is also working on another book, part of the same deal for Crown Publishing, called “The New Seven Dirty Words.” Since starting at The Times last year as Op-Ed staff editor and writer, Weiss has risen to prominence for her commentary on issues such as Israel, the #MeToo movement and cultural appropriation. Her writing often criticizes what she sees as hypocrisies among progressives, which has earned her both praise and vilification.

Documentary film screening and discussion with director Gyula Gazdag, UCLA, Film and Television. Thursday, December 06, 2012 A51 Humanities Building Package Tour (Társasutazás, Hungary, 1984, 75 min, Hungarian with English subtitles) On a Spring day in 1984, a group of Hungarian tourists alight from their motor coach: they look in some ways "typical"-mostly middle aged or older-but their faces lack the placid curiosity of the casual visitor. The tourist site is Auschwitz and the "tourists" are mostly survivors, come to remember, or their children, brought to witness. Just what Auschwitz is today, for them and for others, is the question this probing documentary asks. The past surfaces unexpectedly to become the present when visitors recall incidents of everyday horror as if from a dream; typical of Gazdag's effective approach, irony is built-in, sentimentalism screened out. A German tour guide notes with alarming, unconscious pride the mechanisms and functions of the death camp. Cameras click...and the film cameras roll; Gazdag incorporates this bitter ambiguity into his work. His exploration of the Hungarian experience of Nazism is both thoughtful and open ended. As one former inmate offers, for starters, "The day God died in Auschwitz has implications to this day." is an accomplished and iconoclastic director of film, theater, and television. His numerous feature films include Stand Off (1988), winner of the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Festival; A Hungarian Fairy Tale (1987), winner of Best Feature Film of the Year of the Hungarian Film Critics and screened at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight; Singing on the Treadmill (1974), which was banned in Hungary for ten years and The Whistling Cobblestone (1971), which was banned from foreign exhibition for 12 years. Gazdag has also written and directed eight documentaries, including The Resolution (1972), which was named one of the 100 best documentaries of all time by the International Documentary Association. He has directed, among others, Candide, The Tempest, and Tom Jones for the stage. Gazdag is on the faculty of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, and serves as the Artistic Director of the Sundance Filmmakers Lab and the Creative Advisor at the Binger FilmLab, Amsterdam. -- Select One -- Sponsor(s): Center for European and Eurasian Studies, Center for Jewish Studies

I’m ten, and voraciously reading–bespectacled, and a head shorter than everyone in class, good at maths and utterly oblivious to the fact that I’m different from everyone else (only later will I work out that the string of people asking me “where do you come from” are comparing me to a class that’s 99.99% white and Catholic, and where the next most diverse person is the lone Ashkenazi Jewish kid, who probably isn’t having a great time either). I take to Science Fiction and Fantasy like a fish to water: people fleeing this world for another; the wonders of space and faraway history where magic is real–where a farmboy can rise to become king; where ordinary people can stop evil in its track; and where science is a force for good, and the future has everyone equal without questions of creed and race. There are a few… wrong notes, though. I cannot help but notice that Tolkien’s heroes are basically Europeans; and that the Easterlings–yellow-skinned or swarthy–seem to be mostly fighting on the side of evil. I cannot help but notice that most of the cool things in the future seem to be happening to men; and that, for all the talk about appearances not mattering, most women seem to need to be blonde, and young, and beautiful; the dark-haired, yellow-skinned ones mostly seem to be left by the wayside or to be antagonists. In the midst of this, Andre Norton’s Year of the Unicorn is a breath of fresh air. Gillan is dark-haired and more clever than pretty; and she waltzes through the book on (it seems to me) nothing more than sheer strength of will, and a stubborn refusal to be left behind, or to take anything at face value. When she does get left behind, she fights tooth and claw to find her husband; and make a place for herself in a world that doesn’t want her. I love Gillan; and I reread the book over and over. It’s not, after all, so hard to see why. There’s a lot of books in my reading that feature China, or some representation of the Far East–I read them all like I read invented worlds, because the China they depict is so out of touch with my family stories (I won’t say my family stories are all positive! Vietnam has… a complicated relationship with China)–surely they have to be about some kind of fictional China/Far East that doesn’t exist. They speak of martial arts and inscrutable, passive people awaiting to be saved; of some fount of mystical wisdom that awaits the traveller. I think fake!China must be some kind of faraway land invented by writers, because it cannot possibly be the real thing. I’m in my twenties, and I still love maths, and work to make a living out of it. I discover the American Library in Paris, and discover Le Guin; and it’s like a revelation: SF doesn’t have to be about equations and maths. The SF that speaks to me is about people in the future, about their interactions with technology and with each other; but I’m less interested in whether the technology is feasible. I design feasible technology for a living; and books that strongly focus on this as an element remind me too much of my day job. As I’m checking out all the Le Guin books ever written from the library, I read The Word for World is Forest. Many, many years later, someone tells me that it’s an allegory of the Vietnam War. I blink, because I know all about the Vietnam War; because it’s shaped my entire childhood; and this isn’t the image that I have. My Vietnam War involves pain and heartache and displacement, and massive family upheavals–not this odd (though good) story about colonists savagely exploiting an alien species, and the natives rising up against them. I realise, then, that there are always several sides to a story; and that not all stories are given the same precedence. I start writing. I have a master’s degree in science, and general knowledge of physics and electronics; and yet I still do not feel confident that I can write science fiction. I have this image–propagated through books and discussions on forums–that true science fiction is rigorous scientific extrapolation (whether that science is mathematics or anthropology), and I feel I don’t have the credentials for any of this. It will take me many, many years to understand that this set of expectations is stifling and silencing me; and that I’m my own worst enemy, telling myself not to write because I’m not good enough. That I’m far from being the only one in this position or with this experience–that definitions of “proper SF” can end up being a cage for writers and readers alike, an excuse to dismiss everything that doesn’t seem to conform. I still read books. Most have silent women, or women who use their looks as a weapon. There are no female friendships. There are no mothers, no families. People drink coffee and speak English, and most of them are blond and pale-skinned. When someone who does look or sound familiar appears; when someone seems like they’re going to respect their ancestors and value their families–they’re the aliens. They’re the funny guys with odd customs colonists meet, the ones they try to commerce with or understand or (in the worst cases) subjugate. They’re the invaders that have to be fought back for the sake of civilisation. And I think “what civilisation?” I wonder how people like me fare, in the future. Or in the re-imagined past of fantasy. Probably not well. I publish my first stories. I go to cons. I meet other people, offline and online, and start having my first long discussions about genre. I start thinking about what SFF really is. I meet other POCs, other women; learn about feminism; read a lot of essays. I learn that I am not alone; that others have had those same experiences; that others struggled or are struggling, trying to reconcile their love of SFF with that feeling that those universes have passed them by. And then it hits me: if I want to have a place in those futures, in those reimagined pasts, I’m going to have to be like Gillan. I’m going to have to forge ahead, in the footsteps of those that came before. I will write my own stuff. My universes do not have to be white, or scientific, or sterile and lonely. And, if I don’t write my own experiences, my own cultures–then who is going to write them for me? I wish I could say it goes without a hitch from there on. That I don’t have the odd conversation (“you write wonderful aliens!” in reference to my future diaspora Vietnamese people); the shouts from various corners telling me I don’t write proper SFF. The nagging doubt that perhaps–just perhaps–they’re right, that there’s no place for me at this table. It’s nonsense, of course. It should be. But thirty years of conditioning are hard to break through; and pushing through boundaries sometimes feel like pushing through tar. That’s me and SFF, I guess? I feel kind of embarrassed sharing this, but I think it needs to be said–I’m not writing because of politics, or because I want to preach (well, sometimes I do want to write about specific themes that speak to me. But who doesn’t?). At heart, I’m writing my stories: the stories I wanted to read as a child, the adventures in space where I don’t have to feel excluded; the fantasies where you can be small and dark-haired and Asian and still be a hero. At heart, I’m sharing my side of the story, and the things that matter to me–war and exile and devastation, relationships between mother and child and extended families and how these evolve and change in the future. I love SFF. I want to see it thrive and grow and change; and include more and more people from all walks of life. And some of those changes will be uncomfortable. And some of those new stories by new writers won’t be for me or won’t speak to me, and that’s quite fine, because they will speak to someone else. I hope that things will continue to change. I hope that the taste for this kind of stories grows; that there will be a wider appetite for them as people discover them. I want a future where it’s ok to write the kind of stories I wanted as a child; and where people read them and enjoy them and it becomes a new, significant chunk of the field (and it’s already happening, to some extent, for which I am very grateful). I want the field to reach outwards, step after step after step; until the table is large enough to include all of us on the margins, and we all learn to appreciate and love each other’s experiences and conceptions of the future–for, if SFF isn’t about openness of mind and change, then what is? It will be many years before I am aware of science fiction as a genre and consciously seek it out; but even before that it makes up the bulk of my reading.

I was filled with an uncomfortable feeling in the face of the Itamar massacre. Everyone is in shock. I feel horrible pain. But I am not shocked. Shock is the result of surprise – and I am not surprised by what happened. I honestly don’t understand why others are surprised. We didn’t read what they did to the bodies of the 35 Gush Etzion martyrs? We didn’t live through years of suicide bombings? Just recently, Israel released the terrorist Samir Kuntar, who smashed the skull of four-year-old Einat Haran on the Nahariya beach years ago. What is the difference between this murderer and the murderer of Hadas Fogel? What has changed? This is how many Arabs act. There is nothing to be surprised about. The shock most severely affected those people who, with all their might, insisted on deceiving themselves. They convinced themselves that we are in a peace process, that all the Arabs want are political rights, sovereignty, self-definition and the like. They wanted so badly to be normal. On the way, they fashioned an enemy for themselves who demanded what they wanted him to demand. Now they are shocked. For a moment they had to face the truth: This enemy is not normal, and his goal is not what their Western minds are trying to force into reality. Logical goals like self-definition and other palatable concepts are not part of the true picture. The slaughter of a sleeping baby is unacceptable as a tool in the struggle for any type of liberation. It comes from a dark place, from a place that simply wants to destroy you. It is behavior with which we are quite familiar – behavior that says to the shocked Israeli, “What are you talking about? I do not want you out of Shechem and Ramallah. I have them, anyway. All the money that you invest there will not make me like you. I simply want you out of this world. Go back to the Ukrainians, the Polish, the Austrians and the Germans. Let them take care of you. I did not slaughter the baby because she is an occupier on my sovereign soil. I slaughtered her because she is a Jew.” The source of the shock is the understanding that there is nobody with whom to make peace – because they do not want to. The Arabs simply cannot stand the fact that we live anywhere in the world – certainly that we live in the Land of Israel. In the past, the leftist elite managed to deal with the shock engendered by terror attacks. Their quintessentially demagogic and confusing slogan, “We will not let the enemies of peace achieve their goal” (and so we will continue with the retreats euphemistically known as the peace process) worked quite well with the public. But now it seems that something is starting to change. The massacre in Itamar shocked Israeli society more than similar attacks in the past because it no longer has anywhere to hide from the conclusions. The Oslo spin no longer works. The Itamar massacre was perpetrated on the backdrop of the collapse of the regimes in Arab lands. Hosni Mubarak’s ouster revealed the fragility of our peace agreement with Egypt. It brought to the surface the fact that the dictators sold us the illusion of peace in the lowest dosage possible to keep us ignoring how their countrymen really felt about Israel. That is what made the Itamar massacre so shocking, brought all of our top statesmen to the funeral, and created the new perspective in the reporting of the tragedy and the live coverage on Army Radio. “And so, since yesterday, I sit here in the corner, frustrated and frightened, internalizing that it is possible that in the end we will not have the peace that we dreamed of,” wrote Guy Maroz in Maariv after the massacre. He even gives a tongue in cheek clue as to the only hope that he can think of: “Since yesterday, I want to hide under the wide Messianic dress of [settler leader Daniella Weiss].” We are at the threshold of a new reality. On one hand, we are still firmly meshed onto the Western, Oslo playing field. We do not attack, but only retaliate. We are completely subordinate to the Western values that always force us to try to prove that we are the most miserable victims on the block. We are still very far from the ability to substantially change direction. On the other hand, though, the entire playing field is crumbling away. We do not expect to win a political victory that will allow us to change the rules of the game in Israel. On the contrary, the game itself is about to change. The only relevant players in the new game will be those of us who have toiled throughout the years for a genuinely Jewish state.Moshe Feiglin About the Author: Moshe Feiglin is the former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. He is the founder of Manhigut Yehudit and Zo Artzeinu and the author of two books: "Where There Are No Men" and "War of Dreams." Feiglin served in the IDF as an officer in Combat Engineering and is a veteran of the Lebanon War. He lives in Ginot Shomron with his family. If you don't see your comment after publishing it, refresh the page. Our comments section is intended for meaningful responses and debates in a civilized manner. We ask that you respect the fact that we are a religious Jewish website and avoid inappropriate language at all cost. If you promote any foreign religions, gods or messiahs, lies about Israel, anti-Semitism, or advocate violence (except against terrorists), your permission to comment may be revoked.

Associated Press Copyright 2000. Monday, February 28, 2000 to release Eichmann memoirs to aid in Holocaust By LAURIE COPANS Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel announced Sunday that it will release the memoirs of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and offer them in defense of an Emory University professor facing a libel suit for accusing a British writer of denying the Holocaust. Israel will give the public access to the 1,300-page, handwritten papers, penned in an Israeli prison and kept under wraps for nearly 40 years, the Justice Ministry said in a statement. In the memoirs, the overseer of the Nazi death machine reportedly says the mass killing of Jews during the Holocaust was the worst crime in human history. Israel had agreed in August to publish the diary after one of Eichmann's sons, Dieter, threatened legal action to claim the book as family property. Only a few scholars have seen it. Israeli officials had originally planned to compile the papers and let a German research institution prepare them for scholarly publication. The publication of the uncensored, untranslated memoirs has been a key demand of Holocaust According to the decision Sunday by Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, the public will be allowed to obtain typed versions of the memoirs and view the original, handwritten notes in the state archive, subject to conditions set by archive officials. "It has been decided that there is importance, as part of the historical commitment of the state of Israel, to let the memoirs be viewed by the public," read the release. The diary was expected to be released in the coming days. A copy will also be given to Emory professor Deborah Lipstadt "in her defense of a suit by a Holocaust denier," read the statement, released after a meeting of top judges, legal officials and historians at Rubinstein's British writer David Irving is suing Lipstadt for libel in Britain for writing in a 1994 book that he denied the Holocaust and distorted the truth of what happened in World War II. Irving says he does not deny that Jews were killed by the Nazis, but challenges the number and manner of Jewish concentration camp deaths. Under British law, a libel claimant only needs to prove that his reputation has been damaged. Truth is not necessarily a defense. Lipstadt and her codefendant, Penguin Books, Israel hopes that publication of the memoirs will reveal proof of the Nazi machine to disprove Irving's case. Irving has in the trial disputed historically accepted witness accounts that hundreds of thousands were gassed to death at wrote the diary while in jail from 1961 to 1962, after Israeli agents captured him in Argentina and brought him to trial in Israel. In what appeared to be a first draft of the diary, 127 pages sent to Germany after Eichmann's execution and released last year include complaints about an unfairly strict upbringing, descriptions of his inability to disobey an order and thoughts on the meaning of Eichmann wrote in the final copy that the killing of the Jews was the worst crime in the history of mankind, Israel radio reported. Scholars who have seen the memoir say that it repeats arguments Eichmann made at his trial, insisting that he was only a midlevel official following

— Si propiùs stes Te capiet magis — In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin, Before polygamy was made a sin; When man on many multiplied his kind, Ere one to one was cursedly confined; When nature prompted, and no law denied Promiscuous use of concubine and bride; Then Israel’s monarch after Heaven’s own heart, His vigorous warmth did variously impart To wives and slaves; and wide as his command, Scatter’d his Maker’s image through the land. 10 Michal, of royal blood, the crown did wear; A soil ungrateful to the tiller’s care: Not so the rest; for several mothers bore To god-like David several sons before. But since like slaves his bed they did ascend, No true succession could their seed attend. Of all the numerous progeny was none So beautiful, so brave, as Absalom: Whether inspired by some diviner lust, His father got him with a greater gust; 20 Or that his conscious destiny made way, By manly beauty to imperial sway. Early in foreign fields he won renown, With kings and states allied to Israel’s crown: In peace the thoughts of war he could remove, And seem’d as he were only born for love. Whate’er he did, was done with so much ease, In him alone ’twas natural to please: His motions all accompanied with grace; And Paradise was open’d in his face. 30 With secret joy indulgent David view’d His youthful image in his son renew’d: To all his wishes nothing he denied; And made the charming Annabell2 his bride. What faults he had (for who from faults is free?) His father could not, or he would not see. Some warm excesses which the law forbore, Were construed youth that purged by boiling o’er; And Amnon’s murder by a specious name, Was call’d a just revenge for injured fame. 40 Thus praised and loved, the noble youth remain’d, While David undisturb’d in Sion reign’d. But life can never be sincerely blest: Heaven punishes the bad, and proves the best. The Jews, a headstrong, moody, murmuring race, As ever tried the extent and stretch of grace; God’s pamper’d people, whom, debauch’d with ease, No king could govern, nor no god could please; (Gods they had tried of every shape and size, That god-smiths could produce, or priests devise): 50 These Adam-wits,3 too fortunately free, Began to dream they wanted liberty; And when no rule, no precedent was found, Of men by laws less circumscribed and bound; They led their wild desires to woods and caves, And thought that all but savages were slaves. They who, when Saul was dead, without a blow, Made foolish Ishbosheth the crown forego; Who banish’d David did from Hebron bring, And with a general shout proclaim’d him king: 60 Those very Jews, who, at their very best, Their humour more than loyalty express’d, Now wonder’d why so long they had obey’d An idol monarch, which their hands had made; Thought they might ruin him they could create, Or melt him to that golden calf — a state. But these were random bolts: no form’d design, Nor interest made the factious crowd to join: The sober part of Israel, free from stain, Well knew the value of a peaceful reign; 70 And, looking backward with a wise affright, Saw seams of wounds dishonest to the sight: In contemplation of whose ugly scars, They cursed the memory of civil wars. The moderate sort of men thus qualified, Inclined the balance to the better side; And David’s mildness managed it so well, The bad found no occasion to rebel. But when to sin our biass’d nature leans, The careful devil is still at hand with means; 80 And providently pimps for ill desires: The good old cause revived a plot requires. Plots, true or false, are necessary things, To raise up commonwealths, and ruin kings. The inhabitants of old Jerusalem Were Jebusites; the town so call’d from them; And theirs the native right — But when the chosen people grew more strong, The rightful cause at length became the wrong; And every loss the men of Jebus bore, 90 They still were thought God’s enemies the more. Thus worn or weaken’d, well or ill content, Submit they must to David’s government: Impoverish’d and deprived of all command, Their taxes doubled as they lost their land; And, what was harder yet to flesh and blood, Their gods disgraced, and burnt like common wood. This set the heathen priesthood in a flame; For priests of all religions are the same. Of whatsoe’er descent their godhead be, 100 Stock, stone, or other homely pedigree, In his defence his servants are as bold, As if he had been born of beaten gold. The Jewish rabbins, though their enemies, In this conclude them honest men and wise: For ’twas their duty, all the learned think, To espouse his cause by whom they eat and drink. From hence began that Plot, the nation’s curse, Bad in itself, but represented worse; Raised in extremes, and in extremes decried: 110 With oaths affirm’d, with dying vows denied; Not weigh’d nor winnow’d by the multitude; But swallow’d in the mass, unchew’d and crude. Some truth there was, but dash’d and brew’d with lies, To please the fools, and puzzle all the wise. Succeeding times did equal folly call, Believing nothing, or believing all. The Egyptian rites the Jebusites embraced, Where gods were recommended by their taste. Such savoury deities must needs be good, 120 As served at once for worship and for food. By force they could not introduce these gods; For ten to one in former days was odds. So fraud was used, the sacrificer’s trade: Fools are more hard to conquer than persuade. Their busy teachers mingled with the Jews, And raked for converts even the court and stews: Which Hebrew priests the more unkindly took, Because the fleece accompanies the flock, Some thought they God’s anointed meant to slay 130 By guns, invented since full many a day: Our author swears it not; but who can know How far the devil and Jebusites may go? This Plot, which fail’d for want of common sense, Had yet a deep and dangerous consequence: For as, when raging fevers boil the blood, The standing lake soon floats into a flood, And every hostile humour, which before Slept quiet in its channels, bubbles o’er; So several factions from this first ferment, 140 Work up to foam, and threat the government. Some by their friends, more by themselves thought wise, Opposed the power to which they could not rise. Some had in courts been great, and, thrown from thence, Like fiends were harden’d in impenitence. Some, by their monarch’s fatal mercy, grown, From pardon’d rebels, kinsmen to the throne, Were raised in power and public office high; Strong bands, if bands ungrateful men could tie. Of these, the false Achitophel was first; 150 A name to all succeeding ages cursed: For close designs, and crooked counsels fit; Sagacious, bold, and turbulent of wit; Restless, unfix’d in principles and place; In power unpleased, impatient of disgrace: A fiery soul, which, working out its way, Fretted the pigmy body to decay, And o’er-inform’d the tenement of clay. A daring pilot in extremity; Pleased with the danger, when the waves went high, 160 He sought the storms; but for a calm unfit, Would steer too nigh the sands, to boast his wit. Great wits are sure to madness near allied, And thin partitions do their bounds divide; Else why should he, with wealth and honour blest, Refuse his age the needful hours of rest? Punish a body which he could not please; Bankrupt of life, yet prodigal of ease? And all to leave what with his toil he won, To that unfeather’d two-legg’d thing, a son; 170 Got, while his soul did huddled notions try; And born a shapeless lump, like anarchy. In friendship false, implacable in hate; Resolved to ruin, or to rule the state. To compass this, the triple bond4 he broke; The pillars of the public safety shook; And fitted Israel for a foreign yoke: Then seized with fear, yet still affecting fame, Usurp’d a patriot’s all-atoning name. So easy still it proves, in factious times, 180 With public zeal to cancel private crimes! How safe is treason, and how sacred ill, Where none can sin against the people’s will! Where crowds can wink, and no offence be known, Since in another’s guilt they find their own! Yet fame deserved no enemy can grudge; The statesman we abhor, but praise the judge. In Israel’s courts ne’er sat an Abethdin With more discerning eyes, or hands more clean, Unbribed, unsought, the wretched to redress; 190 Swift of despatch, and easy of access. Oh! had he been content to serve the crown, With virtues only proper to the gown; Or had the rankness of the soil been freed From cockle, that oppress’d the noble seed; David for him his tuneful harp had strung, And Heaven had wanted one immortal song. But wild ambition loves to slide, not stand, And fortune’s ice prefers to virtue’s land. Achitophel, grown weary to possess 200 A lawful fame, and lazy happiness, Disdain’d the golden fruit to gather free, And lent the crowd his arm to shake the tree. Now, manifest of crimes contrived long since, He stood at bold defiance with his prince; Held up the buckler of the people’s cause Against the crown, and skulk’d behind the laws. The wish’d occasion of the plot he takes; Some circumstances finds, but more he makes; By buzzing emissaries fills the ears 210 Of listening crowds with jealousies and fears Of arbitrary counsels brought to light, And proves the king himself a Jebusite. Weak arguments! which yet he knew full well Were strong with people easy to rebel. For, govern’d by the moon, the giddy Jews Tread the same track, when she the prime renews; And once in twenty years, their scribes record, By natural instinct they change their lord. Achitophel still wants a chief, and none 220 Was found so fit as warlike Absalom. Not that he wish’d his greatness to create, For politicians neither love nor hate: But, for he knew his title not allow’d, Would keep him still depending on the crowd: That kingly power, thus ebbing out, might be Drawn to the dregs of a democracy. Him he attempts with studied arts to please, And sheds his venom in such words as these: Auspicious prince! at whose nativity 230 Some royal planet ruled the southern sky; Thy longing country’s darling and desire; Their cloudy pillar and their guardian fire: Their second Moses, whose extended wand Divides the seas, and shows the promised land: Whose dawning day, in every distant age, Has exercised the sacred prophet’s rage: The people’s prayer, the glad diviner’s theme, The young men’s vision, and the old men’s dream! Thee, Saviour, thee the nation’s vows confess, 240 And, never satisfied with seeing, bless: Swift, unbespoken pomps thy steps proclaim, And stammering babes are taught to lisp thy name. How long wilt thou the general joy detain, Starve and defraud the people of thy reign! Content ingloriously to pass thy days, Like one of virtue’s fools that feed on praise; Till thy fresh glories, which now shine so bright, Grow stale, and tarnish with our daily sight? Believe me, royal youth, thy fruit must be 250 Or gather’d ripe, or rot upon the tree. Heaven has to all allotted, soon or late, Some lucky revolution of their fate: Whose motions, if we watch and guide with skill, (For human good depends on human will,) Our fortune rolls as from a smooth descent, And from the first impression takes the bent: But if, unseized, she glides away like wind, And leaves repenting folly far behind. Now, now she meets you with a glorious prize, 260 And spreads her locks before her as she flies. Had thus old David, from whose loins you spring, Not dared when fortune called him to be king, At Gath an exile he might still remain, And Heaven’s anointing oil had been in vain. Let his successful youth your hopes engage; But shun the example of declining age: Behold him setting in his western skies, The shadows lengthening as the vapours rise. He is not now, as when on Jordan’s sand 270 The joyful people throng’d to see him land, Covering the beach and blackening all the strand; But, like the prince of angels, from his height Comes tumbling downward with diminish’d light: Betray’d by one poor Plot to public scorn: (Our only blessing since his cursed return:) Those heaps of people which one sheaf did bind, Blown off and scatter’d by a puff of wind. What strength can he to your designs oppose, Naked of friends, and round beset with foes? 280 If Pharaoh’s doubtful succour he should use, A foreign aid would more incense the Jews: Proud Egypt would dissembled friendship bring; Foment the war, but not support the king: Nor would the royal party e’er unite With Pharaoh’s arms to assist the Jebusite; Or if they should, their interest soon would break, And with such odious aid make David weak. All sorts of men, by my successful arts, Abhorring kings, estrange their alter’d hearts 290 From David’s rule: and ’tis their general cry — Religion, commonwealth, and liberty. If you, as champion of the public good, Add to their arms a chief of royal blood, What may not Israel hope, and what applause Might such a general gain by such a cause? Not barren praise alone — that gaudy flower, Fair only to the sight — but solid power: And nobler is a limited command, Given by the love of all your native land, 300 Than a successive title, long and dark, Drawn from the mouldy rolls of Noah’s ark. What cannot praise effect in mighty minds, When flattery soothes, and when ambition blinds? Desire of power, on earth a vicious weed, Yet sprung from high, is of celestial seed: In God ’tis glory; and when men aspire, ’Tis but a spark too much of heavenly fire. The ambitious youth, too covetous of fame, Too full of angels’ metal in his frame, 310 Unwarily was led from virtue’s ways, Made drunk with honour, and debauch’d with praise. Half loath, and half consenting to the ill, For royal blood within him struggled still, He thus replied:— And what pretence have I To take up arms for public liberty? My father governs with unquestion’d right, The faith’s defender, and mankind’s delight; Good, gracious, just, observant of the laws; And Heaven by wonders has espoused his cause. 320 Whom has he wrong’d, in all his peaceful reign? Who sues for justice to his throne in vain? What millions has he pardon’d of his foes, Whom just revenge did to his wrath expose! Mild, easy, humble, studious of our good; Inclined to mercy, and averse from blood. If mildness ill with stubborn Israel suit, His crime is God’s beloved attribute. What could he gain his people to betray, Or change his right for arbitrary sway? 330 Let haughty Pharaoh curse with such a reign His fruitful Nile, and yoke a servile train. If David’s rule Jerusalem displease, The dog-star heats their brains to this disease. Why then should I, encouraging the bad, Turn rebel and run popularly mad? Were he a tyrant, who by lawless might Oppress’d the Jews, and raised the Jebusite, Well might I mourn; but nature’s holy bands Would curb my spirits, and restrain my hands: 340 The people might assert their liberty; But what was right in them were crime in me. His favour leaves me nothing to require, Prevents my wishes, and outruns desire. What more can I expect while David lives? All but his kingly diadem he gives: And that — But here he paused; then, sighing, said — Is justly destined for a worthier head. For when my father from his toils shall rest, And late augment the number of the blest, 350 His lawful issue shall the throne ascend, Or the collateral line, where that shall end. His brother, though oppress’d with vulgar spite, Yet dauntless, and secure of native right, Of every royal virtue stands possess’d; Still dear to all the bravest and the best. His courage foes — his friends his truth proclaim; His loyalty the king — the world his fame. His mercy even the offending crowd will find; For sure he comes of a forgiving kind. 360 Why should I then repine at Heaven’s decree, Which gives me no pretence to royalty? Yet, oh! that fate, propitiously inclined, Had raised my birth, or had debased my mind; To my large soul not all her treasure lent, And then betray’d it to a mean descent! I find, I find my mounting spirits bold, And David’s part disdains my mother’s mould. Why am I scanted by a niggard birth? My soul disclaims the kindred of her earth; 370 And, made for empire, whispers me within, Desire of greatness is a god-like sin. Him staggering so, when hell’s dire agent found, While fainting virtue scarce maintain’d her ground, He pours fresh forces in, and thus replies: The eternal God, supremely good and wise, Imparts not these prodigious gifts in vain; What wonders are reserved to bless your reign! Against your will your arguments have shown, Such virtue’s only given to guide a throne. 380 Not that your father’s mildness I contemn; But manly force becomes the diadem. ’Tis true he grants the people all they crave; And more perhaps than subjects ought to have: For lavish grants suppose a monarch tame, And more his goodness than his wit proclaim. But when should people strive their bonds to break, If not when kings are negligent or weak? Let him give on till he can give no more, The thrifty Sanhedrim shall keep him poor; 390 And every shekel which he can receive, Shall cost a limb of his prerogative. To ply him with new plots shall be my care; Or plunge him deep in some expensive war; Which, when his treasure can no more supply, He must with the remains of kingship buy His faithful friends, our jealousies and fears Call Jebusites, and Pharaoh’s pensioners; Whom when our fury from his aid has torn, He shall be naked left to public scorn. 400 The next successor, whom I fear and hate, My arts have made obnoxious to the state; Turn’d all his virtues to his overthrow, And gain’d our elders to pronounce a foe. His right, for sums of necessary gold, Shall first be pawn’d, and afterwards be sold; Till time shall ever-wanting David draw, To pass your doubtful title into law; If not, the people have a right supreme To make their kings, for kings are made for them. 410 All empire is no more than power in trust, Which, when resumed, can be no longer just. Succession, for the general good design’d, In its own wrong a nation cannot bind: If altering that the people can relieve, Better one suffer than a nation grieve. The Jews well know their power: ere Saul they chose, God was their king, and God they durst depose. Urge now your piety, your filial name, A father’s right, and fear of future fame; 420 The public good, that universal call, To which even Heaven submitted, answers all. Nor let his love enchant your generous mind; ’Tis nature’s trick to propagate her kind. Our fond begetters, who would never die, Love but themselves in their posterity. Or let his kindness by the effects be tried, Or let him lay his vain pretence aside. God said, he loved your father; could he bring A better proof, than to anoint him king? 430 It surely show’d he loved the shepherd well, Who gave so fair a flock as Israel. Would David have you thought his darling son? What means he then to alienate the crown? The name of godly he may blush to bear: Is’t after God’s own heart to cheat his heir? He to his brother gives supreme command, To you a legacy of barren land; Perhaps the old harp, on which he thrums his lays, Or some dull Hebrew ballad in your praise. 440 Then the next heir, a prince severe and wise, Already looks on you with jealous eyes; Sees through the thin disguises of your arts, And marks your progress in the people’s hearts; Though now his mighty soul its grief contains: He meditates revenge who least complains; And like a lion, slumbering in the way, Or sleep dissembling, while he waits his prey, His fearless foes within his distance draws, Constrains his roaring, and contracts his paws; 450 Till at the last his time for fury found, He shoots with sudden vengeance from the ground; The prostrate vulgar passes o’er and spares, But with a lordly rage his hunters tears. Your case no tame expedients will afford: Resolve on death, or conquest by the sword, Which for no less a stake than life you draw; And self-defence is nature’s eldest law. Leave the warm people no considering time: For then rebellion may be thought a crime. 460 Avail yourself of what occasion gives, But try your title while your father lives: And that your arms may have a fair pretence, Proclaim you take them in the king’s defence; Whose sacred life each minute would expose To plots, from seeming friends, and secret foes. And who can sound the depth of David’s soul? Perhaps his fear, his kindness may control. He fears his brother, though he loves his son, For plighted vows too late to be undone. 470 If so, by force he wishes to be gain’d: By women’s lechery to seem constrain’d. Doubt not; but, when he most affects the frown, Commit a pleasing rape upon the crown. Secure his person to secure your cause: They who possess the prince possess the laws. He said, and this advice above the rest, With Absalom’s mild nature suited best; Unblamed of life, ambition set aside, Not stain’d with cruelty, nor puff’d with pride, 480 How happy had he been, if destiny Had higher placed his birth, or not so high! His kingly virtues might have claim’d a throne, And bless’d all other countries but his own. But charming greatness since so few refuse, ’Tis juster to lament him than accuse. Strong were his hopes a rival to remove, With blandishments to gain the public love: To head the faction while their zeal was hot, And popularly prosecute the Plot. 490 To further this, Achitophel unites The malcontents of all the Israelites: Whose differing parties he could wisely join, For several ends to serve the same design. The best — and of the princes some were such — Who thought the power of monarchy too much; Mistaken men, and patriots in their hearts; Not wicked, but seduced by impious arts. By these the springs of property were bent, And wound so high, they crack’d the government. 500 The next for interest sought to embroil the state, To sell their duty at a dearer rate, And make their Jewish markets of the throne; Pretending public good, to serve their own. Others thought kings an useless heavy load, Who cost too much, and did too little good. These were for laying honest David by, On principles of pure good husbandry. With them join’d all the haranguers of the throng, That thought to get preferment by the tongue. 510 Who follow next a double danger bring, Not only hating David, but the king; The Solyimaean rout; well versed of old In godly faction, and in treason bold; Cowering and quaking at a conqueror’s sword, But lofty to a lawful prince restored; Saw with disdain an Ethnic plot begun, And scorn’d by Jebusites to be outdone. Hot Levites headed these; who pull’d before From the ark, which in the Judges’ days they bore, 520 Resumed their cant, and with a zealous cry, Pursued their old beloved theocracy: Where Sanhedrim and priest enslaved the nation, And justified their spoils by inspiration: For who so fit to reign as Aaron’s race, If once dominion they could found in grace? These led the pack; though not of surest scent, Yet deepest mouth’d against the government. A numerous host of dreaming saints succeed, Of the true old enthusiastic breed: 530 ‘Gainst form and order they their power employ, Nothing to build, and all things to destroy. But far more numerous was the herd of such, Who think too little, and who talk too much. These out of mere instinct, they knew not why, Adored their fathers’ God and property; And by the same blind benefit of fate, The Devil and the Jebusite did hate: Born to be saved, even in their own despite, Because they could not help believing right. 540 Such were the tools: but a whole Hydra more Remains of sprouting heads too long to score. Some of their chiefs were princes of the land: In the first rank of these did Zimri stand; A man so various, that he seem’d to be Not one, but all mankind’s epitome: Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong; Was everything by starts, and nothing long; But, in the course of one revolving moon, Was chemist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon: 550 Then all for women, painting, rhyming, drinking, Besides ten thousand freaks that died in thinking. Blest madman, who could every hour employ, With something new to wish, or to enjoy! Railing and praising were his usual themes; And both, to show his judgment, in extremes: So over violent, or over civil, That every man with him was God or Devil. In squandering wealth was his peculiar art: Nothing went unrewarded but desert. 560 Beggar’d by fools, whom still he found too late; He had his jest, and they had his estate. He laugh’d himself from court; then sought relief By forming parties, but could ne’er be chief: For, spite of him the weight of business fell On Absalom and wise Achitophel: Thus, wicked but in will, of means bereft, He left not faction, but of that was left. Titles and names ’twere tedious to rehearse Of lords, below the dignity of verse. 570 Wits, warriors, commonwealth’s-men, were the best: Kind husbands, and mere nobles, all the rest. And therefore, in the name of dulness, be The well-hung Balaam and cold Caleb free: And canting Nadab let oblivion damn, Who made new porridge for the paschal lamb. Let friendship’s holy band some names assure; Some their own worth, and some let scorn secure. Nor shall the rascal rabble here have place, Whom kings no titles gave, and God no grace: 580 Not bull-faced Jonas, who could statutes draw To mean rebellion, and make treason law. But he, though bad, is follow’d by a worse, The wretch who Heaven’s anointed dared to curse; Shimei, whose youth did early promise bring Of zeal to God and hatred to his king, Did wisely from expensive sins refrain, And never broke the Sabbath but for gain; Nor ever was he known an oath to vent, Or curse, unless against the government. 590 Thus heaping wealth by the most ready way Among the Jews, which was to cheat and pray; The city, to reward his pious hate Against his master, chose him magistrate. His hand a vare5 of justice did uphold; His neck was loaded with a chain of gold. During his office treason was no crime; The sons of Belial had a glorious time: For Shimei, though not prodigal of pelf, Yet loved his wicked neighbour as himself. 600 When two or three were gather’d to declaim Against the monarch of Jerusalem, Shimei was always in the midst of them; And if they cursed the king when he was by, Would rather curse than break good company. If any durst his factious friends accuse, He pack’d a jury of dissenting Jews; Whose fellow-feeling in the godly cause Would free the suffering saint from human laws. For laws are only made to punish those 610 Who serve the king, and to protect his foes. If any leisure time he had from power (Because ’tis sin to misemploy an hour), His business was, by writing to persuade, That kings were useless and a clog to trade; And, that his noble style he might refine, No Rechabite more shunn’d the fumes of wind. Chaste were his cellars, and his shrivel board The grossness of a city feast abhorr’d; His cooks with long disuse their trade forgot; 620 Cool was his kitchen, though his brains were hot. Such frugal virtue malice may accuse, But sure ’twas necessary to the Jews; For towns, once burnt, such magistrates require As dare not tempt God’s providence by fire. With spiritual food he fed his servants well, But free from flesh that made the Jews rebel: And Moses’ laws he held in more account, For forty days of fasting in the mount. To speak the rest who better are forgot, 630 Would tire a well-breathed witness of the plot. Yet Corah, thou shalt from oblivion pass; Erect thyself, thou monumental brass, High as the serpent of thy metal made, While nations stand secure beneath thy shade. What though his birth were base, yet comets rise From earthly vapours, ere they shine in skies. Prodigious actions may as well be done By weaver’s issue, as by prince’s son. This arch attestor for the public good 640 By that one deed ennobles all his blood. Who ever ask’d the witness’s high race, Whose oath with martyrdom did Stephen grace? Ours was a Levite, and as times went then, His tribe were God Almighty’s gentlemen. Sunk were his eyes, his voice was harsh and loud, Sure signs he neither choleric was, nor proud. His long chin proved his wit; his saint-like grace A church vermilion, and a Moses’ face. His memory miraculously great, 650 Could plots, exceeding man’s belief, repeat; Which therefore cannot be accounted lies, For human wit could never such devise. Some future truths are mingled in his book; But where the witness fail’d, the prophet spoke. Some things like visionary flights appear; The spirit caught him up the Lord knows where; And gave him his rabbinical degree, Unknown to foreign university. His judgment yet his memory did excel; 660 Which pieced his wondrous evidence so well, And suited to the temper of the times, Then groaning under Jebusitic crimes. Let Israel’s foes suspect his heavenly call, And rashly judge his wit apocryphal; Our laws for such affronts have forfeits made; He takes his life who takes away his trade. Were I myself in witness Corah’s place, The wretch who did me such a dire disgrace, Should whet my memory, though once forgot, 670 To make him an appendix of my plot. His zeal to heaven made him his prince despise, And load his person with indignities. But zeal peculiar privilege affords, Indulging latitude to deeds and words: And Corah might for Agag’s murder call, In terms as coarse as Samuel used to Saul. What others in his evidence did join, The best that could be had for love or coin, In Corah’s own predicament will fall: 680 For witness is a common name to all. Surrounded thus with friends of every sort, Deluded Absalom forsakes the court: Impatient of high hopes, urged with renown, And fired with near possession of a crown. The admiring crowd are dazzled with surprise, And on his goodly person feed their eyes. His joy conceal’d he sets himself to show; On each side bowing popularly low: His looks, his gestures, and his words he frames, 690 And with familiar ease repeats their names. Thus form’d by nature, furnish’d out with arts, He glides unfelt into their secret hearts. Then, with a kind compassionating look, And sighs, bespeaking pity ere he spoke, Few words he said; but easy those and fit, More slow than Hybla-drops, and far more sweet. I mourn, my countrymen, your lost estate; Though far unable to prevent your fate: Behold a banish’d man for your dear cause 700 Exposed a prey to arbitrary laws! Yet oh! that I alone could be undone, Cut off from empire, and no more a son! Now all your liberties a spoil are made; Egypt and Tyrus intercept your trade, And Jebusites your sacred rites invade. My father, whom with reverence yet I name, Charm’d into ease, is careless of his fame; And bribed with petty sums of foreign gold, Is grown in Bathsheba’s embraces old; 710 Exalts his enemies, his friends destroys, And all his power against himself employs. He gives, and let him give, my right away: But why should he his own and yours betray? He, only he, can make the nation bleed, And he alone from my revenge is freed. Take then my tears (with that he wiped his eyes), ’Tis all the aid my present power supplies: No court-informer can these arms accuse; These arms may sons against their fathers use: 720 And ’tis my wish, the next successor’s reign, May make no other Israelite complain. Youth, beauty, graceful action seldom fail; But common interest always will prevail: And pity never ceases to be shown To him who makes the people’s wrongs his own. The crowd, that still believe their kings oppress, With lifted hands their young Messiah bless: Who now begins his progress to ordain With chariots, horsemen, and a numerous train: 730 From east to west his glories he displays, And, like the sun, the promised land surveys. Fame runs before him as the morning-star, And shouts of joy salute him from afar: Each house receives him as a guardian god, And consecrates the place of his abode. But hospitable treats did most commend Wise Issachar, his wealthy western friend. This moving court, that caught the people’s eyes, And seem’d but pomp, did other ends disguise: 740 Achitophel had form’d it, with intent To sound the depths, and fathom where it went, The people’s hearts, distinguish friends from foes, And try their strength, before they came to blows. Yet all was colour’d with a smooth pretence Of specious love, and duty to their prince. Religion, and redress of grievances, Two names that always cheat, and always please, Are often urged; and good king David’s life Endanger’d by a brother and a wife. 750 Thus in a pageant show a plot is made; And peace itself is war in masquerade. O foolish Israel! never warn’d by ill! Still the same bait, and circumvented still! Did ever men forsake their present ease, In midst of health imagine a disease; Take pains contingent mischiefs to foresee, Make heirs for monarchs, and for God decree? What shall we think? Can people give away, Both for themselves and sons, their native sway? 760 Then they are left defenceless to the sword Of each unbounded, arbitrary lord: And laws are vain, by which we right enjoy, If kings unquestion’d can those laws destroy. Yet if the crowd be judge of fit and just, And kings are only officers in trust, Then this resuming covenant was declared When kings were made, or is for ever barr’d. If those who gave the sceptre could not tie, By their own deed, their own posterity, 770 How then could Adam bind his future race? How could his forfeit on mankind take place? Or how could heavenly justice damn us all, Who ne’er consented to our father’s fall? Then kings are slaves to those whom they command, And tenants to their people’s pleasure stand. Add, that the power for property allow’d Is mischievously seated in the crowd; For who can be secure of private right, If sovereign sway may be dissolved by might? 780 Nor is the people’s judgment always true: The most may err as grossly as the few? And faultless kings run down by common cry, For vice, oppression, and for tyranny. What standard is there in a fickle rout, Which, flowing to the mark, runs faster out? Nor only crowds but Sanhedrims may be Infected with this public lunacy, And share the madness of rebellious times, To murder monarchs for imagined crimes. 790 If they may give and take whene’er they please, Not kings alone, the Godhead’s images, But government itself at length must fall To nature’s state, where all have right to all. Yet, grant our lords the people kings can make, What prudent men a settled throne would shake? For whatsoe’er their sufferings were before, That change they covet makes them suffer more. All other errors but disturb a state; But innovation is the blow of fate. 800 If ancient fabrics nod, and threat to fall, To patch their flaws, and buttress up the wall, Thus far ’tis duty: but here fix the mark; For all beyond it is to touch the ark. To change foundations, cast the frame anew, Is work for rebels, who base ends pursue; At once divine and human laws control, And mend the parts by ruin of the whole, The tampering world is subject to this curse, To physic their disease into a worse. 810 Now what relief can righteous David bring? How fatal ’tis to be too good a king! Friends he has few, so high the madness grows; Who dare be such must be the people’s foes. Yet some there were, even in the worst of days; Some let me name, and naming is to praise. In this short file Barzillai first appears; Barzillai, crown’d with honour and with years. Long since, the rising rebels he withstood In regions waste beyond the Jordan’s flood: 820 Unfortunately brave to buoy the state; But sinking underneath his master’s fate: In exile with his godlike prince he mourn’d; For him he suffer’d, and with him return’d. The court he practised, not the courtier’s art: Large was his wealth, but larger was his heart, Which well the noblest objects knew to choose, The fighting warrior, and recording muse. His bed could once a fruitful issue boast; Now more than half a father’s name is lost. 830 His eldest hope, with every grace adorn’d, By me, so Heaven will have it, always mourn’d, And always honour’d, snatch’d in manhood’s prime By unequal fates, and providence’s crime: Yet not before the goal of honour won, All parts fulfill’d of subject and of son: Swift was the race, but short the time to run. O narrow circle, but of power divine, Scanted in space, but perfect in thy line! By sea, by land, thy matchless worth was known, 840 Arms thy delight, and war was all thy own: Thy force infused the fainting Tyrians propp’d; And haughty Pharaoh found his fortune stopp’d. O ancient honour! O unconquer’d hand, Whom foes unpunish’d never could withstand! But Israel was unworthy of his name; Short is the date of all immoderate fame. It looks as Heaven our ruin had design’d, And durst not trust thy fortune and thy mind. Now, free from earth, thy disencumber’d soul 850 Mounts up, and leaves behind the clouds and starry pole: From thence thy kindred legions mayst thou bring, To aid the guardian angel of thy king. Here stop, my muse, here cease thy painful flight: No pinions can pursue immortal height: Tell good Barzillai thou canst sing no more, And tell thy soul she should have fled before: Or fled she with his life, and left this verse To hang on her departed patron’s hearse? Now take thy steepy flight from heaven, and see 860 If thou canst find on earth another he: Another he would be too hard to find; See then whom thou canst see not far behind. Zadoc the priest, whom, shunning power and place, His lowly mind advanced to David’s grace. With him the Sagan of Jerusalem, Of hospitable soul, and noble stem; Him6 of the western dome, whose weighty sense Flows in fit words and heavenly eloquence. The prophets’ sons, by such example led, 870 To learning and to loyalty were bred: For colleges on bounteous kings depend, And never rebel was to arts a friend. To these succeed the pillars of the laws, Who best can plead, and best can judge a cause. Next them a train of loyal peers ascend; Sharp-judging Adriel, the Muses’ friend, Himself a Muse: in Sanhedrim’s debate True to his prince, but not a slave of state: Whom David’s love with honours did adorn, 880 That from his disobedient son were torn. Jotham, of piercing wit, and pregnant thought; Endued by nature, and by learning taught To move assemblies, who but only tried The worse awhile, then chose the better side: Nor chose alone, but turn’d the balance too, — So much the weight of one brave man can do. Hushai, the friend of David in distress; In public storms of manly steadfastness: By foreign treaties he inform’d his youth, 890 And join’d experience to his native truth. His frugal care supplied the wanting throne — Frugal for that, but bounteous of his own: ’Tis easy conduct when exchequers flow; But hard the task to manage well the low; For sovereign power is too depress’d or high, When kings are forced to sell, or crowds to buy. Indulge one labour more, my weary muse, For Amiel: who can Amiel’s praise refuse? Of ancient race by birth, but nobler yet 900 In his own worth, and without title great: The Sanhedrim long time as chief he ruled, Their reason guided, and their passion cool’d: So dexterous was he in the crown’s defence, So form’d to speak a loyal nation’s sense, That, as their band was Israel’s tribes in small, So fit was he to represent them all. Now rasher charioteers the seat ascend, Whose loose careers his steady skill commend: They, like the unequal ruler of the day,7 910 Misguide the seasons, and mistake the way; While he withdrawn, at their mad labours smiles, And safe enjoys the sabbath of his toils. These were the chief, a small but faithful band Of worthies, in the breach who dared to stand, And tempt the united fury of the land: With grief they view’d such powerful engines bent, To batter down the lawful government. A numerous faction, with pretended frights, In Sanhedrims to plume the regal rights; 920 The true successor from the court removed; The plot, by hireling witnesses, improved. These ills they saw, and, as their duty bound, They show’d the King the danger of the wound; That no concessions from the throne would please, But lenitives fomented the disease: That Absalom, ambitious of the crown, Was made the lure to draw the people down: That false Achitophel’s pernicious hate Had turn’d the Plot to ruin church and state: 930 The council violent, the rabble worse: That Shimei taught Jerusalem to curse. With all these loads of injuries oppress’d, And long revolving in his careful breast The event of things, at last his patience tired, Thus, from his royal throne, by Heaven inspired, The god-like David spoke; with awful fear, His train their Maker in their master hear. Thus long have I, by native mercy sway’d, My wrongs dissembled, my revenge delay’d: 940 So willing to forgive the offending age; So much the father did the king assuage. But now so far my clemency they slight, The offenders question my forgiving right: That one was made for many, they contend; But ’tis to rule; for that’s a monarch’s end. They call my tenderness of blood, my fear: Though manly tempers can the longest bear. Yet, since they will divert my native course, ’Tis time to show I am not good by force. 950 Those heap’d affronts that haughty subjects bring, Are burdens for a camel, not a king. Kings are the public pillars of the state, Born to sustain and prop the nation’s weight: If my young Samson will pretend a call To shake the column, let him share the fall: But oh, that yet he would repent and live! How easy ’tis for parents to forgive! With how few tears a pardon might be won From nature, pleading for a darling son! 960 Poor, pitied youth, by my paternal care, Raised up to all the height his frame could bear! Had God ordain’d his fate for empire born, He would have given his soul another turn: Gull’d with a patriot’s name, whose modern sense Is one that would by law supplant his prince; The people’s brave, the politician’s tool; Never was patriot yet, but was a fool. Whence comes it, that religion and the laws Should more be Absalom’s than David’s cause? 970 His old instructor, ere he lost his place, Was never thought endued with so much grace. Good heavens, how faction can a patriot paint! My rebel ever proves my people’s saint. Would they impose an heir upon the throne, Let Sanhedrims be taught to give their own. A king’s at least a part of government; And mine as requisite as their consent: Without my leave a future king to choose, Infers a right the present to depose. 980 True, they petition me to approve their choice: But Esau’s hands suit ill with Jacob’s voice. My pious subjects for my safety pray, Which to secure, they take my power away. From plots and treasons Heaven preserve my years, But save me most from my petitioners! Insatiate as the barren womb or grave, God cannot grant so much as they can crave. What then is left, but with a jealous eye To guard the small remains of royalty? 990 The law shall still direct my peaceful sway, And the same law teach rebels to obey: Votes shall no more establish’d power control, Such votes as make a part exceed the whole. No groundless clamours shall my friends remove, Nor crowds have power to punish ere they prove; For gods and god-like kings their care express, Still to defend their servants in distress. O that my power to saving were confined! Why am I forced, like Heaven, against my mind; 1000 To make examples of another kind? Must I at length the sword of justice draw? Oh, cursed effects of necessary law! How ill my fear they by my mercy scan! Beware the fury of a patient man! Law they require, let law then show her face; They could not be content to look on grace, Her hinder parts, but with a daring eye To tempt the terror of her front and die. By their own arts ’tis righteously decreed, 1010 Those dire artificers of death shall bleed. Against themselves their witnesses will swear, Till, viper-like, their mother-plot they tear; And suck for nutriment that bloody gore, Which was their principle of life before. Their Belial with their Beelzebub will fight: Thus on my foes, my foes shall do me right. Nor doubt the event: for factious crowds engage, In their first onset, all their brutal rage. Then let them take an unresisted course; 1020 Retire, and traverse, and delude their force; But when they stand all breathless, urge the fight, And rise upon them with redoubled might — For lawful power is still superior found; When long driven back, at length it stands the ground. He said: The Almighty, nodding, gave consent; And peals of thunder shook the firmament. Henceforth a series of new time began, The mighty years in long procession ran: Once more the god-like David was restored, 1030 And willing nations knew their lawful lord. 2 ‘Annabel:’ Lady Ann Scott, daughter of Francis, third Earl of Buccleuch. 3 ‘Adam-wits:’ comparing the discontented to Adam and his fall. 4 ‘Triple bond:’ alliance between England, Sweden, and Holland; broken by the second Dutch war through the influence of France and Shaftesbury. 5 ‘Vare:’ i.e., wand, from Spanish vara. 6 ‘Him:’ Dr Dolben, Bishop of Rochester. 7 ‘Ruler of the day:’ Phaeton. Last updated Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 11:54

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. This poignant, optimistic comment was written by a young Jewish women who spent two years hiding in an attic unable to enjoy the world of nature she describes. It is good to be reminded of the things we take for granted: nature, beauty. Even if we are not sure of God, nature is always there to show us the cycle of life and death and life that is enacted every year. Some days that is enough.

Jacques Derrida, 74, originator of the diabolically difficult school of philosophy known as deconstructionism, died Oct. 9, the office of French President Jacques Chirac announced. French media reports said that the cause was pancreatic cancer and that he died at a Paris hospital. Mr. Derrida (pronounced "deh-ree-DAH") inspired and infuriated a generation of intellectuals and students with his argument that the meaning of a collection of words is not fixed and unchanging, an argument he most famously capsulized as "there is nothing outside the text." Jacques Derrida, shown in 1981, contended that language was inevitably ambiguous. An immensely influential thinker, Mr. Derrida's seminal idea permeated college campuses during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. "Deconstruction" has become one of the few terms that, like "existential" a generation or two earlier, has escaped from dense philosophical and literary papers to pepper modern culture, from movie reviews to government policy pronouncements. "With him, France has given the world one of its greatest contemporary philosophers, one of the major figures of intellectual life of our time," Chirac said in a statement. The lack of fixed meaning in a text did not keep Mr. Derrida from publishing hundreds of books. The fact that there is no single meaning does not mean there is no meaning, he said, and it doesn't excuse writers, thinkers and speakers from trying to be as clear as possible about what they think they mean. For 17 years, from 1962 to 1979, he refused to be photographed for publication, in an effort to keep his face -- square, with a strong nose, thick eyebrows, dark skin and bushy white hair -- from becoming part of the investigation for meaning in his work. He also rejected the characterization of him as a dandy for his snappy dress, even as he said he liked the description. Deconstruction, which he introduced in the 1960s, both electrified and polarized those with the intellectual muscle to unwind its implications. The language he and others used in discussing it was deliberately dense, complex and, some said, circular. He bristled when confronted with the difficulty of his work. "Why don't you ask a physicist or mathematician about difficulty?" he told a New York Times reporter in 1998, "a little frostily," she said. He continued: "Deconstruction requires work. If deconstruction is so obscure, why are the audiences in my lectures in the thousands? They feel they understand enough to understand more." Language, he said, is inadequate to provide a clear and unambiguous view of reality. In other words, the fixed meaning of an essay, a book, a personal letter, a scientific treatise or a recipe dissolves when hidden ambiguities and contradictions are revealed. These contradictions, inevitable in every piece of writing, he said, reveal deep fissures in the foundation of the Western world's civilizations, cultures and creations. Supporters said this insight into the layered meanings and incompleteness of language subverts reason and rationality, stripping centuries of assumptions from words and allowing fresh ideas to emerge. Critics called it nihilism (the denial of the meaning of existence, or denial of the existence of any basis for knowledge and truth), a charge he vehemently denied. His work, to be sure, has attracted greater enthusiasm from literary critics and language professors than from formally trained philosophers or scientists. Some Cambridge University faculty members, objecting to their school's plan to award Mr. Derrida an honorary degree in 1992, derided his work for "denying the distinctions between fact and fiction, observation and imagination, evidence and prejudice." He also was drawn into debates about a friend, Yale professor Paul DeMan, who wrote anti-Semitic articles in Nazi-occupied Belgium, and about an intellectual forebear, Martin Heidegger, whose amoral attitude led him to embrace Nazism. In his own life, he was part of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, in favor of freedom of expression in pre-1989 Czechoslovakia and for the rights of Algerian immigrants in France. He told several interviewers that he really wanted to be a soccer player but didn't have the athletic talent. Mr. Derrida was born in El Biar, Algeria, the middle child in a Jewish family whose father was a salesman. At age 12, he was dismissed from school as the Vichy government's anti-Semitic laws emerged. He was a good enough student later to be admitted to Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, where he earned an advanced degree in philosophy in 1956. He taught philosophy at the University of Paris at the Sorbonne and at the Ecole des Hautes Etude en Sciences Sociales. He also taught at Johns Hopkins University, Yale University and the University of California at Irvine. Survivors include his wife, Marguerite Aucouturier, a psychoanalyst; and two sons, Pierre and Jean.

Since breaking onto the scene as the sad-sack sidekick in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Kathryn Hahn has been making a name for herself as the stock “best friend” character. “I found a really happy niche for myself off in character world as the one with the wig and glasses basically,” Hahn told us by phone. In the past year, however, Hahn has had her own ugly-duckling transformation with a major arc on Amazon’s hit show Transparent and her upcoming turn in the new Showtime series Happyish. Created by This American Life contributor Shalom Auslander, Happyish follows Thom Payne (Steve Coogan), a 44-year-old ad exec who is facing his obsolescence in the age of the Internet. Hahn stars as Coogan’s wife, Lee, who struggles with her own pursuit of happiness. In episode two, she curses Carol Brady and unapologetically asks that no one, especially her nagging Jewish mother, intrude on her life (or as she puts it, “fucks with her bubble”). Ahead of Sunday’s premiere of Happyish, Hahn spoke with us about breaking out of the best-friend role, the surprise success of Transparent, and how getting older has helped her career. You’ve played the sidekick many times over your career, but now your roles are becoming more prominent. What do you think brought about that shift? Certainly when I was in my twenties, and in my thirties even, I didn’t feel—it’s probably an issue of self-esteem—I certainly didn’t feel like I could in any way compete with the beautiful faces [of Hollywood]. I was so grateful to just even be able to call myself a working actor at that point—like, I had been working at a hair salon before then—it was all fantastic but it certainly didn’t feel like I could bring my whole self to the table. It’s so weird, having kids, like, just gives you a big case of the fuck-its. . . . You just don’t think in the present [when you’re younger]. And now it just feels, like, I’m 41, I just want to spend my time doing work that asks more of me. Do you feel like you’re breaking free of that character mold now? Yeah, kind of, I am. And it doesn’t mean that I’m not so excited to go back and do big, awesome, dumb, studio comedy, but I think also, culturally, we seem to be asking for more. The quality is getting higher and higher, especially on television, and I feel like I’m just starting out, weirdly enough, in a place that is accepting of individuals and people with character. . . . You see the two big male comedy stars in a movie now and it seems a little tired. Do you relate to Lee more than your other roles? Yeah, I do. In the pilot, in the original draft I had read—which is no longer in there—there’s a flashback where she’s trying to nurse on an airplane and the baby can’t stop crying, and passengers are looking and she has just like a freak out. I was like, “god, yes.” It’s everything I’ve always ever wanted to do in real life and I have not been able to—and that was my way into Lee. Philip Seymour Hoffman originally played the part of Thom in Happyish; did you film the pilot with him? Yeah, we redid the whole thing. . . . It was as awful as you can imagine and time was on our side because it was a year later that we shot the second pilot and it was enough time to kind of let it go completely and still feel as turned on by the writing and the material and see it fresh and new again. I couldn’t have done it right away; we needed this amount of time. In Transparent you play a female rabbi, and in Happyish you’re kind of running away from your Jewish heritage. But you yourself are not Jewish, how have those characters been to play? I think in my first movie role I played Michelle Rubin in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I should have known it was in my future. . . . It was interesting even working on Transparent and Afternoon Delight, too, being in **Jill [Soloway]’**s world, I was able to sit down with this amazing rabbi, Susan Goldberg, and she was a huge inspiration and help. I think women rabbis are just rad. Have you started filming season two of Transparent? No. I think they start in May or June. Are you at all surprised about the reception of the show and how well it’s done? Yes, because Jill makes it seem like we’re literally just putting on a show at a bar. Like, it just feels so small and the work is so deep and intimate—it just felt so tiny and incredibly special. Did Jill have you pegged for the role since the beginning? I think so. She told me I was going to play the rabbi and I was, like, “Yes!” Just so excited. It’s really amazing to be able to be this behind your work. It’s a really new and great feeling for me. This interview has been condensed and edited.

Take a look (listen) at the first two episodes of the 57Weeks pOdcast! Available at 57Weeks.com or Spotify now (more platforms soon). Episode #3 will be released in the next few days. It features a brief analysis of the verse most often taken out of context–“The truth will set you free.” Also a short response to the question, “Is the Bible real?” Take a look at the new podcast, 57 weeks. The basic Latke recipe includes simple ingredients: potatoes, onions, eggs, matzo meal or all-purpose flour, salt and oil. Traditionally, Germans eat their pancakes with applesauce. - 3 medium potatoes. grated - 1 medium onion, chopped - 3 large eggs - 9 tablespoons matzo meal (substitute a dozen salt free saltine crackers, rolled in plastic bag until the consistency of course corn meal) - ¼ teaspoon salt (optional) - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - vegetable oil - To prepare the Lathes: Place small batches of grated potatoes in the center of a dish towel, gather up the sides of the towel, and wring excess liquid from the potatoes. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining potatoes. Add onion, eggs, matzo meal (crushed crackers), ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to the potatoes, mix well, and set aside. - Heat ¼ inch of oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the potato mixture by the ¼ cupful to the hot oil, lightly flatten pancakes with a spatula, and cook latkes until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook until heated through and golden brown, about 5 more minutes. Serve warm. Culinary Tradition: Europe — eastern; associated with celebration of Jewish Hanukkah. My Rating (out of 5 stars): COMMENT: Many Americans associate potato pancakes with Hanukkah. They originated in the eastern European countries of Germany Austria, Russia and Poland as a peasant food. Potatoes were cheap, plentiful and easy to store, making them a staple and necessitating inventive potato recipes. Still, it was the European Jews who gave potato pancakes their now-famous Yiddish name–latkes–and repurposed them as a holiday food.

The relief was overwhelming. When the exit poll on Thursday evening correctly predicted a large majority for Boris Johnson’s Conservative party, British Jews allowed themselves to breathe again. Overcome by the sense of deliverance from a great evil, some wept. Immediately before the election, both Labour and Conservative party hierarchies had been seized by the belief that Britain was heading for a hung parliament and a coalition led by Labour’s hard-left leader Jeremy Corbyn. Many British Jews were gripped by a deep sense of dread and panic. In the event, Labour was pulverised and the Conservatives won by a majority of 80 MPs, the biggest since Margaret Thatcher’s third victory in 1987. The stakes in this election were enormous, not just for Britain but for the world. Labour is led by the most far-left leadership in its history, supporting terrorists abroad and incubating virulent antisemitism at home. If elected it would have wrecked Britain’s economy, attacked the State of Israel and posed a mortal threat to the security of Britain, its Jewish community and the west. It was defeated by a seismic shift which may just have redrawn the British political landscape for ever. What happened was something most people had believed was unthinkable. As I observed on my own blog in September, however, a tectonic shift was under way in the Labour heartlands. The white working class, those blue-collar workers who had been tribal Labour supporters for generations, voted en masse for the Conservatives for the first time ever. Boris Johnson effectively smashed the “red wall”, the swathes of hitherto rock-solid Labour-held seats in the north of England and the Midlands which all turned blue overnight. Astoundingly, economically shattered communities with very high levels of poverty and unemployment, even former mining towns whose inhabitants had voted Labour virtually from the time the party was invented, all voted on Thursday for an Eton-educated, plummy-voiced toff in preference to the leader of the Labour party. Why? Because the British working-class is deeply, passionately patriotic and attached to democracy. They are the very best of Britain. Time and again they have saved the country in its wars against tyranny by putting their lives on the line to defend what it stands for: their historic culture, institutions and values. That’s why in the 2016 referendum they voted en masse for Brexit. And that’s why they felt so betrayed by the Labour party, which had been instrumental in stopping Brexit in parliament and trying to reverse the referendum result without admitting what it was doing. That’s because it was trying to straddle its two constituencies: working-class Brexiteers and the liberal metropolitan intelligentsia who control the party. These liberal universalists all voted to remain in the EU. And they haven’t stopped denigrating those who voted Brexit as half-witted, racist xenophobes. It’s hard to exaggerate the anger by the Brexit-voting working-class at what they saw as an anti-democratic coup by Remainer Labour MPs who were determined to stop Brexit and spit in the eye of democracy. These working-class voters also believe in hard work, responsibility and their own human dignity. They feel patronised and demeaned by welfare dependency, and have absolutely no time for the metropolitan liberals’ social agenda. They are repelled by identity politics and victim culture, and are deeply worried by Muslim immigration and behaviour. Having watched with dismay the emergence of effectively segregated Muslim areas within their towns, they have been enraged by the way the allegation of “Islamophobia” has all but silenced concerns about outrages such as the Muslim rape and grooming gangs that have abused thousands of white girls, or the attempt to Islamise a number of schools. So in this election, just as when they voted for Brexit in 2016, the working-class has risen up in revolt against the liberal universalists who control both their party and British culture. They also despised Jeremy Corbyn. They perceived that he posed a security threat to the country through his backing for the IRA and Hamas, they didn’t believe his ludicrous promises of unlimited welfare spending, and they viewed his supporters as nasty, thuggish and antisemitic. The antisemitism issue had got through to them. This was thanks to the dramatic warning by the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, that the poison of Jew-hatred was being spread from the top of the party, and also to the constant revelations of the eye-watering antisemitism by party members Despite Corbyn’s decisive defeat, however, many British Jews feel that a fateful line has now been crossed which has destroyed forever the sense of security they once felt. For the fact remains that millions voted for Corbyn’s party despite – or even more appallingly, because of – its attitude towards the Jews. This concern by the Jewish community isn’t just over the antisemitism of so many Labour supporters. It’s not just over their thuggery towards Jewish protesters, or the very real fear that the Jews will now be blamed and victimised over Labour’s defeat. It’s also because so many others didn’t care enough about the antisemitism to change their vote. For them, the Jews were just so much collateral damage in the necessary march to a Labour victory. Moderate Labour candidates who expressed their horror at Corbyn’s extremism were nevertheless working to put him into 10 Downing Street. The Guardian wrote in its editorial: “The pain and hurt within the Jewish community, and the damage to Labour, are undeniable and shaming. Yet Labour remains indispensable to progressive politics.” Among shallow, tunnel-visioned Corbyn supporters, the Chief Rabbi’s plea not to vote for Corbyn merely served to identify British Jews with the Conservatives and therefore with right-wing capitalism. But the northern working-class was having none of that. For them, the antisemitism scandal confirmed their view that the Jews were the potential victims of bad forces within the Muslim world just like them, and were also the victims of those trying to silence such concerns by claims of “Islamophobia”. In fact, these decent working people would doubtless be baffled to learn that most British Jews are on the other side of that particular issue. Its leaders grotesquely equate antisemitism with Islamophobia, and hardly breathe a word about Muslim antisemitism. And most British Jews voted Remain. For although the Jewish community has mostly voted Conservative since the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, it also mostly subscribes to liberal universalist principles that seek to erase national borders because it believes that affinity to the nation-state creates nationalism and antisemitism. Such British Jews thus deny the facts staring them in the face and which have caused them so much fear and grief: that liberal universalists are now the principal incubators of antisemitism. The seismic shift at this election may herald a realignment of British politics along the lines envisaged by the thinking known as “Blue Labour”. This embodies the insight that working-class communities have always been innately small-c conservatives deeply attached to traditional values. Consequently, Blue Labour stresses personal responsibility and attachments to family, community and nation. And of course, these are at root Jewish values – the very ones that have been under assault from liberal universalists for decades. Corbyn has been defeated. That danger has now passed. But the antisemitism remains; and the culture war over the soul of Britain and the west goes on. Copyright Jewish News Syndicate.

Israel began Sunday its third coronavirus lockdown, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced optimism that a “world record” vaccination drive will restore a degree of normality within weeks. After a sharp resurgence of detected infections, Netanyahu’s government announced three days ago that it would re-impose the strict measures that had previously helped limit transmission. The lockdown, which began at 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Sunday, forces most people to stay within 1,000 metres (yards) of their home. There are a range of exceptions, including grocery shopping, seeking medical care, attending legal proceedings or exercising. A key difference in Israel’s third lockdown compared to previous versions relates to schools, with students able to attend classes. Instead of near total closures, Israel is keeping schools open but subject to limitations, with most children combining days in class with learning from home. The alleys of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda open-air market, normally relatively dormant on a Sunday, were full of shoppers making last-minute food purchases before the lockdown kicked in. A vendor in the market’s Neeman spice store shrugged when asked whether they would be allowed to operate during the lockdown. “As far as we’re concerned, we’re open,” he said. “Nobody told us what’s happening yet.” Israel meanwhile ploughed ahead with its vaccination campaign, which as of Sunday morning had reached 280,000 people who got their first shot of the required two. “National pride: Israel is the world’s champion in vaccinating!” Netanyahu tweeted Sunday, showing a chart indicating the Jewish state had the hightest vaccinations per capita. Speaking late Saturday, Netanyahu said Israel was hoping to vaccinate a quarter of its population, or roughly 2.25 million people, against coronavirus within a month. He said he had spoken with the heads of the companies making vaccines who had voiced confidence that the requisite number of doses could be provided. Israel’s vaccination targets are of “such a magnitude (they amount to) a world record” pace, the prime minister said. Netanyahu was the first Israeli to receive a COVID-19 jab on December 19, ahead of the launch last week of a nationwide innoculation programme. According to Arnon Afek, director general of Sheba hospital near Tel Aviv, the campaign could not only expedite Israel’s exit from the pandemic, but also save lives. “We believe that we can be the first country in the world to reach herd immunity,” said Afek, also the former director general of Israel’s health ministry. “But even after we manage to vaccinate all the people over 60, from where come the majority of severe and deadly cases, we will see a great relief regarding our health care system,” he told reporters. Israel has confirmed more than 400,00 cases of the novel coronavirus, including more than 3,200 deaths. Netanyahu has political incentives to push an accelerated vaccination campaign. The fraught coalition government that he formed in May with his former election rival and current defence minister, Benny Gantz, collapsed last week, triggering elections in March—Israel’s fourth vote in two years. Netanyahu’s election campaign could be hindered by the start of a more intensified phase of his long-awaited corruption trial and the departure of his staunch ally US President Donald Trump from the White House. Political analysts have said that Netanyahu is hoping a rapid vaccination drive will put Israel’s pandemic-wracked economy on a path to recovery before election day.

The Uri Caine Ensemble: Gustav Mahler in Toblach: I Went Out This Morning Over The Countryside Many would concede that fusing classical music with jazz is like mixing oil and water, they just don’t coalesce all that well. In theory these two diametrical art forms just don’t share a common denominator or equalizer – end of story! Well, not entirely so, according to jazz pianist/composer Uri Caine who achieved critical success with his 1997 release titled, Primal Light while receiving the “Toblacher Komponierhauschen” award for the best Mahler CD of 1997. Here, Caine along with the creme de la creme of New York’s “downtown” jazz scene pursue Mahler once again on the 2 CD set Gustav Mahler in Toblach which was recorded live at the 1998 Gustav Mahler festival in Italy. Here, “The Uri Caine Ensemble” meld Mahler with straight-ahead jazz, free jazz and traditional Jewish motifs. It is reported that Caine had immersed himself with Mahler’s music for over a year in order to score the music for a documentary on this late, great classical composer. Caine’s approach is certainly worthy and demands serious consideration yet a minor drawback here is the utilization of DJ Olive’s turntables and live electronics. The venerable DJ is fully capable and is a - much in demand session musician; however, this writer struggles to find the musical value of these intermittent backwashes of electronics and scratches within the context of a classical-Jewish traditional-jazz approach. However, these occurrences are spotty and should not detract from the overall significance of Caine’s ambitious arrangements and of course, the crafty sure-handed performances of the fine ensemble. Many of the bright spots on these 2 CDs emanate from the sparkling and thoroughly convicted soloing of trumpeter Ralph Alessi, alto saxophonist David Binney and virtuoso jazz violinist Mark Feldman. Other than the always spectacular Caine, Binney, Alessi, Feldman along with a pumped up rhythm section featuring the estimable bassist Mike Formanek and young dynamo drummer Jim Black - generate tons of excitement which is evident throughout. On Caine’s “Symphony no. 5, Funeral March”, Caine and Feldman coalesce as an avant-garde, neo-classical duo as trumpeter Ralph Alessi proclaims the choruses in stately fashion, followed by a dash of free-style jazz that segues into “I Often Think They Have Merely Gone Out! (from songs of the death of children). Here, alto saxophonist David Binney performs penetratingly bright choruses capped off by Alessi’s fluent yet somewhat majestic trumpet lines as the rhythm section pushes forth with verve and gusto amid tender, sonorous and melodic choruses. Caine closes out with a swinging and harmonically rich piano solo. Many of these pieces intersect which emits a sense of continuity and swift development. “The Little Drummer Boy” features the somewhat solemn vocals of Aaron Bensoussan as this piece is something of a heterogeneous stylization of Jewish traditionalism, modern jazz and classical, featuring an explosive alto sax solo by David Binney. Caine’s personalized vision continues with the piece titled, “Symphony no. 5 Adagio” which is a loosely based classical interpretation that gradually evolves into a series of modern jazz motifs, as several distinct conversations come to fruition along with Caine’s skillful hybrid classical/jazz piano solo. Disc 2 features a twenty-six minute piece titled, “The Farewell (from the white song of the earth). On this opus, we are treated to more of Aaron Bensoussan’s near operatic quality vocals, melodic soloing from Alessi, fluctuating rhythms, contrasting dialogue, classical quotes, somber passages and the intermittent backwash of electronics which seem slightly out of place, yet others may find it to their liking! Throughout, Caine and co. successfully merge disparate elements in meticulous yet thoroughly convincing fashion. There’s a lot going on under the hood, so to speak and if you’re not familiar with Mahler’s work, it shouldn’t matter as the ensemble maintain enough interest and melodrama to keep the listener satisfied! Recommended....* * * * Uri Caine; Piano, Keyboards, Adaptations and Arrangements: Ralph Alessi; Trumpet: Aaron Bensoussan; Vocals, Oud: David Binney; Alto Saxophone: Jim Black; Drums: Mark Feldman; Violin: Michael Formanek; Acoustic Bass: DJ Olive; Turntables, Live Electronics. Distribution in North America by the

Curated news, notes and observations most weekdays from LA Observed. Eddie Sotelo's "El Piolín por la Mañana" was dropped without explanation by Univision Radio. Affiliates were notified Monday afternoon that the popular Piolin would be replaced by music until further notice. Ratings for the show, produced at KSCA (101.9) in Glendale, had been dropping, but it's unknown if that's the reason. Sotelo has not posted to Twitter in two days. KPCC, LAT, Billboard, OC Weekly, Radio Ink "It served as the Mexican Pacifica Radio...For chrissakes, El Piolíon, more than any one person, is responsible for the nationwide immigrant marches of 2006, the largest protests in American history," writes Gustavo Arellano. Voters in the Valley's 6th City Council district finish choosing today between Cindy Montañez and Nury Martinez to fill the opening created when Rep. Tony Cardenas went to Congress. LAT, LA Observed on KCRW Former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa still receives the services of an LAPD officer and car, and will for six months — as Jim Hahn did before him. New York and Chicago also provide some protection for ex-mayors. When asked about it by CBS 2's David Goldstein, Villaraigosa said: "Beautiful thing is I don’t have to answer to you anymore." CBS LA * Added: LA Times police reporter Joel Rubin tweets: "FWIW: I looked into plan to give ex-mayor #Villaraigosa #LAPD security detail. Solid sources told me there were legit threats against him." The former director of communications for San Diego's soon-to-be-ex Mayor Bob Filner filed a sexual harassment suit against him and the city, and detailed his alleged violations at a press conference with Gloria Allred. LAT, KPCC The Miracle Mile Residential Association opposes exemptions from work hours ordinances sought by METRO for the construction of the Purple Line subway extension. Men who grew up with sisters tend to be conservative in their views of gender throughout their lives, and more likely to vote Republican when they’re young than their male peers, says research at Loyola Marymount and Stanford. Study Fox News continues to be near the top in cable television in terms of the number of viewers it attracts, but it is near the top in another category, too: the median age of its audience is among the oldest in television. NYT Scientology's Freedom Magazine is looking for experienced investigative reporters. "Freedom, published by the Church of Scientology since 1968, covers human rights, social betterment issues and does investigative reporting in the public interest. Current assignments are based in Los Angeles." Journalism Jobs Video footage from a reality television program shows that a Los Angeles County sheriff's detective, Anthony Shapiro, lied in court testimony and in arrest reports involving two car theft cases, the district attorney's office said. LAT The U.S. Department of Education is investigating USC over its handling of alleged sexual assault and rape cases after students filed a complaint with the federal government, officials said Monday. LAT, DN Mark Covert, the track coach at Antelope Valley College, will stop his streak of running at least a mile a day for 45 years. DN A Jewish group convinced Van Wagner Communications to remove a suggestive billboard on South La Cienega Boulevard showing a mostly naked woman that was an advertisement for XO energy drink. Jewish Journal Archbishop Jose Gomez on immigration reform. Which Way, LA? Famous Sriracha 'Rooster Sauce' finally makes the move to new Irwindale factory. DN The California Homemade Food Act, which created a new category of food production called “cottage food operation,” has been in effect since January and, according to health officials, few places have seized on it with the excitement of Los Angeles County. ZevWeb Cheapflights.com lists Long Beach Airport as the most affordable in the United States. Long Beach Business Journal

By Rachel Eisenberg I’ve always been fascinated with Cuba. Partly because of the forbidden fruit element, partly because it is a time capsule from the 50’s, but mostly it is because people just like me could lead such different lives and only live 90 miles from America. When I saw that the JDC was offering a trip to Cuba, focused on engaging the country’s Jewish community, I jumped at the chance. Let’s start with a little bit of background. Cuba has been under Fidel Castro’s reign since 1959, which means that at this point the majority of the Cuban population has never known any other government. Picture a city with palm trees, European influences, and 1950’s Fords everywhere – that’s Havana. While I knew getting to Cuba meant mojitos, cigars, street art and seeing a Communist society in action, I had not fully processed what that meant for daily life. People live on ration cards; that means that the government determines what food the people are allotted each month. Each person gets one pound of chicken per month. I can go through one pound of chicken in two days. Or when you go to the store to pick up toothpaste, it doesn’t take them 10 minutes of debating whitening vs. tartar control – they buy the only brand of toothpaste that is carried, there’s only one. It sounds small, but having the people we spoke to complain that the soap itches their skin and they had no other options, was really eye opening. It made me wonder what would happen if we brought the average Cuban to Target? Even with the restrictions on everything from food to medication to basic toiletries, the Cuban people are happy, content, warm and giving. Our group had the pleasure of interacting closely with a group of young people in the Jewish community and in many ways they are just like us. They are in college and are young professionals. They are getting married and determining how they want to incorporate Judaism into their adult lives. But unlike a typical American Jewish Community,they are the leaders of the community. These young people led Shabbat services. They went door to door to invite people to rejoin the Jewish community. (Cubans were not granted freedom of religion by the government until 1992 and even then, most did not embrace the change for many years.) These young people are the ones keeping the Jewish community alive and thriving. In America, it is so often our parents’ generation who are the driving force behind keeping Judaism alive; in Cuba, it’s the exact opposite. These young people are bringing their parents to the synagogue! I was endlessly impressed by these young people. Their passion and drive is incredible. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in everyday American life, and was such a privilege to be able to see this parallel society first hand. This post in no way does this community and the general Cuban society justice. Go see it yourself. JDC Entwine’s trip provides such intimate experiences that traveling as a tourist would never cover. As an avid traveler who has spent the last few years seeing as much of this world as possible, I could not recommend this trip more whole heartedly. In Boston Thursday night? Join JDC Entwine for Una Noche: Inside Jewish Cuba, an in-depth look at the history and needs of this incredible Jewish community. RSVP: http://jdcentwine.org/events/unanocheboston This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here.

Love Your Enemies Marks of a Healthy Church 9 (Transcription of audio file started at 00:45 and stopped at 48:07. Headings added by Christian Library.) Reading of Matthew 5:43-48. A couple of weeks ago we began to look at charity, or love, as one of the marks of a healthy church. We looked at loving one another and loving within the church. We looked at ten love challenges which, hard though they may have sounded verbally, I am sure you found even harder practically. Well, if that was hard, I am going to ask you to do something even harder today. God is going to ask us to do something even harder today. The hardest challenge of all. And that is to love our enemies. If you think about it, there are many organizations, clubs and institutions in which people love one another. It might be a political organization; it might be a sports club; it might be a gathering of people for hobbies; it might be a company or a business. You can find many human gatherings where there is tremendous goodwill and good practice towards one another. And that is really what Jesus is saying here. He is saying, “Yes, I want you to love one another, for sure. I want you to be like everyone else at least. But I want you to go even further.” You will notice he says, for example: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Matthew 5:46-47, KJV. He is saying that if we only love one another, we are really just like the world. We are really no different to even (as we will see) the worst in the world, here described as the publicans. So He is saying, “I am asking you and I am challenging you to be different to the world and to show forth the greatest distinctive of all in the Christian Church, which is to love your enemies.” Let’s just briefly look at what leads up to this. This is the sixth contrast that Jesus gives us in Matthew 5. He is contrasting the false righteousness of the Pharisees with the true righteousness of God. It all begins in verse 20: I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20, KJV. Then He gives six examples of the Pharisees false righteousness and how God’s righteousness far exceeds it. So this is the sixth of these contrasts. He is contrasting the Pharisees’ love with God’s love. It is quite similar to the fifth contrast, but the fifth contrast is being stated negatively. He is saying, “Here is what not to do when you are provoked. Here is what not to do when you are attacked.” You see that, for example, in Matthew 5:38-42: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil…” So it is stated more negatively. Here we are being told what to do positively when an enemy attacks us, offends us or provokes us. So the positive is stated side by side to the negative. He goes really from passive non-retaliation to active love. And that is the love I would like to look at today. I want to do it in four phases. First of all, I want to look at the Old Testament’s teaching on love for our enemies. Secondly, I want to look at the Pharisees’ teaching about love for our enemies. Thirdly, I want to look at God’s love for His enemies. Fourthly, we look at what this means for our love for our enemies. The Old Testament Teaching on Loving Your Enemies Let’s look first of all at what the Old Testament teaches about loving our enemies. We are doing that because this whole chapter is really saying to the Pharisees, “The Old Testament taught this, but you are teaching this. This is God’s truth, and here are your lies.” So what was the truth from the Old Testament that they were corrupting, perverting and denying? Well, the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:18 says, “Love your neighbour as yourself." But "neighbour" there includes those who offend or hurt us. For example, it says, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). He is imagining a situation: There is a person here who has been hurt, who has been offended, who has been harmed, and who has been tempted to be vengeful and to bear a grudge. And he is saying, “Do not do that, and instead, love that person who has made you feel and think like that.” In other words, here in Leviticus 19 we are being told to love our enemies. That is Old Testament teaching. Deuteronomy and Exodus In Deuteronomy 22, Israel is instructed what to do when one of their neighbour’s cattle or livestock goes missing. When they find that sheep or that cow, they are to care for it. If it has been harmed to help it get better. And if the neighbour’s cattle cannot be found, they are to go and help their neighbour look for it. So that is all within Israel. However, in Exodus 23:4-5, these same actions that Israel was to perform to Israel are also to be performed to their enemies. If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help him. Exodus 23:4-5, KJV. So he is saying, “Whatever you do Israelite to Israelite, you have also to do Israelite to enemy – somebody who hates you and who seeks to harm you.” Even if we go to the book of Job. Now, although Job is near the middle of the Old Testament, it is believed to be one of the earliest (if not the earliest) books of the Bible in terms of the setting of when it took place. It is believed to have taken place before the moral law of God was given in Exodus 20. And yet even Job – before the Ten Commandments and before the other books of the Bible – had some consciousness that loving enemies was part of God’s moral requirements. For example, he says in Job 31: This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above. He is saying, “I am going to describe here, as punishable by a judge, an offense unto God.” What is it? If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul. Job 31:28-30, KJV. Here we have a very primitive believer with very limited knowledge, and yet he knows that God requires love for his enemies! When we go to the book of Psalms, we find there the psalmist praising and celebrating love for enemies. We sang based on Psalm 7: When wronged without cause I have kindness returned; But if I my neighbor maltreated and spurned, My soul let the enemy seize for his prey, My life and mine honor in dust let him lay. The Psalter, United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912, Number 13. We see this Psalm 35 as well. And of course, David practiced this, didn’t he? When he had the opportunity to kill Saul, who was his sworn enemy out to kill him, he refused, and he even grieved that he had hurt the cloth of his garment. So we see this in the Psalms as well. We also see this in Proverbs as set out as the way of wisdom and the way of wise living. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. Proverbs 24:29, KJV. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. Proverbs 25:21, KJV. So it is really throughout the whole Old Testament. Love your enemies! Let me just put one qualification to this. This is not an argument for pacifism. Many have taken this kind of teaching and applied it in this sense that we must never go to war or even defend ourselves from others who are attacking us nationally. It has also been used to excuse criminal behaviour. This is not speaking about national policy or civil or criminal law; this is speaking about personal relationships and our everyday life and interactions with one another. That distinction helps us also to understand some of the Psalms which do call down curses on enemies. They are often called the imprecatory Psalms, or the cursing Psalms. There are a number of them, and they perplex Christians. How can we sing Psalms which seem to call down curses on God’s enemies when here in Matthew we are told to love enemies? Well, it is because these Psalms are speaking of the enemies of God, not the enemies of ourselves. Think, for example, of Psalm 139. The psalmist there says: Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:19-24, KJV. “Do not I hate them…” Does the Bible really say that in a Psalm? What is the psalmist saying here? He is saying there is a distinction to be made between God’s enemies and my enemies. “As far as my enemies are concerned, I love them. As far as God enemies are concerned, I as king, as the representative of God, must be opposed to them.” And he is speaking of people who are utterly, totally, 110% dedicated to the extermination of God and His kingdom and His cause. He is saying of these people, “I hate them with a perfect hatred.” That is possible! There can be a holy hatred, a perfect hatred. But the psalmist is also conscious how difficult a distinction this is to make. How easily we can persuade ourselves that we are hating enemies with a holy hatred when it is really an unholy hatred. We persuade ourselves it is just to hate such a person, but we hate them because of what they have done against us and not what they have done against God. And that is why the Psalmist immediately goes from this to, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me.” He is so aware of how hard it is to identify God’s enemies and distinguish them from his own and to treat them accurately and biblically. But on this personal level in everyday relationships, with those who are opposed to us and hate us, the Old Testament speaks with a clear voice: Love your enemies. The Pharisees’ Teaching on Loving Your Enemies What did the Pharisees teach? And really, that is what Jesus is speaking about here. He says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy” (Matthew 5:43). He is quoting the Pharisees here. He is saying, “You have heard these Pharisees say, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.'” The Pharisees Changed the Old Testament’s Teaching Now, the Pharisees did three wrong things with the Old Testament’s teaching. First of all, they removed some words. The Old Testament teaching was, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” and they just excised that and rubbed that out. Then, they redefined neighbour. As we have seen, the Old Testament defines neighbour not just as an Israelite, but as an enemy. We are to love neighbours who are both Israelites and Gentiles, those who are part of us and those who are outside of us and even opposed to us. So they redefined the term. And then they added something to the commandment, which was “Hate your enemy.” They removed words, they redefined words and they added words. Why? Why did they do this? Why did they change God’s law so awfully and so terribly, so that it has almost become the opposite of what it was initially intended to teach? Well, for the same reason that people try to change God’s law today: Because it is too hard! It is too difficult! It is too unreasonable! It sets the bar too high! Love your neighbour as yourself? I mean, I can love my neighbour, but love him as I love myself? That is impossible! Defining neighbour as not just the people I am comfortable with and am related to and who are around me, but to include enemies? That is going too far! Hate enemies…I can do that! It is the same spirit that motivates the changing, the redefining, and the adding to of God’s law up to the present day. The Pharisees did it because they could not do it themselves. They could not reach that standard. They could not keep that law. And therefore instead of accepting the conviction and the condemnation and the humiliation of never being able to get to that standard, they lowered the bar so low that they could very easily step over it, pat themselves on the back and feel good about themselves. This is what motivates most people’s adjustment, redefining, removal and addition of God’s moral standards. Nobody likes to feel bad about themselves. I was speaking to a young mother not so long ago. She told me that she stopped her children going to a certain church because they would come back feeling bad about themselves, and it was clear it was basically because the Word of God was being taught and preached. So what do we do? Well, if we can’t change it, then we find someone else who has changed it. And again, it makes us feel so good. They also made themselves popular. Certainly a good way to popularity is to lower God’s standards, change God’s standards or redefine God’s standards. You will get lots of people flocking to hear those who are adept this. But Jesus is saying, “Although you have heard this and although this is now the official teaching of the Jewish church, you know what you have actually done? You have just become like everyone else. You are no different to anyone else in the world.” What Do You Do More Than Others? He says to them, “If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:46). The publicans were tax collectors – but no ordinary IRS tax collectors, bad though they may sometimes seem to people. No, these were Jews who were working for the Romans, who had betrayed their nation and were working for the occupying force. And the way it happened was the Roman governor basically said to one tax collector, “From this region I want so many shekels,” and that tax collector was responsible for getting that money any which way. So what he would then do is he would employ lots of other tax collectors and say, “From you I want this, and from you I want this, and from you I want this.” And when it was all added up, it was far more than the Roman governor asked for, because the top tax collector was pocketing his little bit as well, and then everyone underneath did the same. So they were very greedy, extortionate, covetous people that were despised and hated. Not just for betraying their nation and working for the occupying force, but for the way they were fleecing their own people. And here Jesus says: You know these guys out there? These publicans that you hate and that you despise? You are just like them. You are no different. Because the publicans love one another. You hate them, but they love one another. You see them as they get together for their annual meetings or for their society meetings, whatever they had. They are committed to one another! They look after one another. They go to one another’s weddings and funerals and circumcisions. The publicans do the same. You salute one another; well, they do the same when they pass one another. You are doing nothing different! You are doing nothing extraordinary. You are doing nothing unique. There is nothing that is distinguishing you from those who you say have no morals. “What do you more than others?” (verse 47): that is the question that this whole passage challenges us with. What makes us different from the Republican Party when they are together, or the Democratic Party? Or the basketball or the football team? Or the school, or the business, or the hobbyists? Is there anything different? In fact, maybe we could put it like this: What do you do more than Al Qaeda? The terrorists have a brotherhood. The terrorists support and encourage one another, defend one another, look out for one another, care for one another, and laugh with one another. Even animals look after one another. But Jesus’ great challenge is: What do you more than they? What makes you better than the animals? What makes you better than Al Qaeda? What makes you better than football supporters? What do you more than they? So Jesus here is taking on the Pharisees’ teaching and He is exposing it for what it really is. It was just secularism, just humanism, just immorality. God’s Love for His Enemies And then He turns to God’s love for His enemies. He says, “The Old Testament taught that, the Pharisees have perverted it, now let’s just have a look at what God actually does.” Not just what He says we should do, but what does He do Himself? God’s love for His enemies.” Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you…” (Matthew 5:43-44a). These are remarkable words! These were the elite of the day that Jesus was taking on. It is like somebody walking into Harvard University and saying, “Well, I know all these titled professors and all these qualified men teach this, but here is the real truth! Here is how it really is.” If somebody went in to say that, they are basically saying, “All these guys are wrong and I am right. They have lesser authority than me.” And this is what Jesus is saying! It is remarkable really. “But I say”…who are you? That is really what this was meant to provoke as a question. Who is this? Because Jesus here is saying, “Not just my authority is above the Pharisees, but I have authority! I am speaking with the authority of God.” So He turns to His Father’s love for His Father’s enemies as the model for our love: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45, KJV. He is saying, “Look at your so-called heavenly Father’s love and see: Do you meet this? Do you reach this?” What kind of love is this? An Unreasonable Love First of all, it is an unreasonable love. It is a love without human reason. We get that really from the word used for love here, which is a Greek word "agape." It is one of four Greek words used for love in the Bible. There is the word "philia," which is a kind of brotherly love. It is the kind of love that a friend has to a friend. Then there is "storge" love, which is familial love. It is higher then brotherly love. It is the love of parents to children. Then you have "eros" love, which is romantic love. The love of a husband to a wife, or a wife to a husband. And then you have "agape" love, which is the word used here, which is really without definition apart from what we see God doing in terms of "agape" love in the Bible. It is as if the Bible writers took a word that was really empty at that point or unused and filled it with new meaning and gave it a new use. I think the commentator James Montgomery Boice puts it best: “It is a love for no reason at all.” Think of "philia" love, the love of a friend to a friend – there is a reason for that. Think of family love, the love of parents to children. Again, there is a reason for that. Think of "eros" love – there is a reason for it. A man is attracted to a woman and a woman is attracted to a man. But "agape" love? Boice says, “No, it is a love for no reason at all,” or a love even when there are ample reasons not to love! He says there is hardly a verse in the New Testament that speaks of God’s love without also speaking in the context of the cross (Foundations of the Christian Faith, 1986). That is the ultimate example of agape love! It is the love that asks “What can I give?” rather than “What can I get in return?” No matter how much evil is repaid, agape keeps asking “How can I do good?” He is saying: Love your enemies unreasonably – when there is no reason to love. More than that, when there is plenty reason not to love. It is unreasonable. A Widespread Love There is also widespread love, as illustrated here: “…your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). This is further explained for us in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus says: But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Luke 6:35, KJV. Now, this is not saying God loves everyone equally. He doesn’t. The Bible makes very clear that there is a special saving love that is reserved entirely and perfectly for His own elect people. That is a saving love. But what this is teaching is there is another kind of love, another expression of God’s love which goes beyond His people. It goes to the ends of the earth. It goes to find the evil and the unthankful and the unjust and the wicked. And it is expressed in the blessings of providence and creation. Common grace. It is a widespread love. He loves regardless of the return. An Assuring Love There is also an assuring love. Notice it says, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:45). He is saying: Love your enemies, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven, who also loves His enemies. When you read that initially, it makes it sound as if: “If I can manage somehow or other to work up love for my enemies, then I will become a child of God. God will then love me!” But we know that is not true. Other verses in the Bible tell us we love Him because He first loved us. Other verses tell us that there is no love in our hearts by nature. We are at enmity with God. We cannot work ourselves up into love. We cannot buy God’s love for us. This does not mean you can become loved by loving your enemies. No, it is saying you can prove you are loved. You can demonstrate that you have received agape love by displaying agape love. And in this sense this can be very assuring. I am sure many Christians here can look back on pre-conversion days and people they really hated and who hated them and they could never have envisaged in the least loving them. And then they are converted, they come to Christ, and they experience agape love, and agape love, unreasonable love, begins to grow and develop in their hearts, and they can hardly help themselves begin to love the people they hated. That is incredibly assuring and comforting, because it is saying that something has happened to me. This is not natural. This is not reasonable. This is not normal. So this can be a tremendously encouraging experience of proving that we are the children of God. And also, of course, very challenging if we are not showing this agape love and if we know nothing of this to any degree. So this is God’s love for His enemies. Our Love for Our Enemies That brings us to the fourth phase of this argument: Our love for our enemies. Because God’s love for His enemies is to be the example and the model for our love for our enemies. What Is an Enemy? Everyone has enemies. There is no one in the world that does not have at least one person as an enemy. What is an enemy? The enemy is defined for us here in four ways. First of all, he curses you: He wishes evil upon you; he speaks evil about you; he insults you or spreads lies about you. He hates you: He strongly dislikes you; he displays prejudice and bias against you. He despitefully uses you: He abuses you and hurts you and your reputation. He persecutes you: He harasses you; he mistreats you; he troubles you; he is out to undermine you, your property, your friends, your reputation, maybe your business, maybe your place in the church. If everyone has enemies, Christians have even more. Christians have more than their fair share of enemies, because being a Christian has a price, it exacts a cost, and it impacts others, and they do not like it. So here is an enemy. In every single mind, even the youngest child at school or even in kindergarten. You are seeing someone who does this to you – who curses you, who hates you, who despitefully uses you, who persecutes you to one degree or another. It is easy enough to find people in the public square like this. Some of us find our own president to be hateful towards Christians in general, to be persecuting a true Christian morality and to be harassing and mistreating. It is the saddest situation to be in. But we see it even in the media, in education and in the courts. We see this pressure and this movement to cultivate and spread and deepen opposition and hatred to Christians as a group. And therefore we also feel this personally in a way. We feel it maybe from abortionists. We feel it maybe from Islamic terrorists. But I think it is much better to get closer to home. Yes, these are enemies too, and yes, they are to be loved, but that is in a way easier than the enemy on your doorstep. The enemy in your own home. The enemy in your own church. The enemy in your community. The neighbour across the fence. The colleague in the next cubicle or at the next desk. That is where this challenge really challenges us. And we are told here what to do. The enemy is defined in four ways, and our response is defined in four ways. It says first of all that we are to love them. We are to love the person who does not like us, who strongly dislikes us, or who hates us. We have to "agape" them. In other words, we have to love them in a way that looks nothing like anything else you can find in the world. Who is he or she? Think of them and think of how you can love them in a way that those observing will say, “That is ridiculous! That is unreasonable! That is illogical. That is utter folly.” That is the kind of love that we are being asked to show to our enemies – to those we feel have offended us, or hurt us, or damaged us, or even who are out to destroy us. It says: Love your enemies, not anyone else’s. It says: Love him and love her. Then he says to bless those who curse you. You might say love is the banner and then there are three explanations of this love underneath: Bless, do good, and pray. And love really involves our will. It is a decision. It is not a feeling. It is not, “Well, I have to wait until I feel this gush of good will towards this person.” No, it is an act of the will to do good. It is a decision to do good to the person who is doing bad or who is doing evil to us. Love is an act of the will. But here blessing involves our words and our mouths. We are to return kind words for their harsh words. John Stott has said: If they call down disaster and catastrophe upon our heads, expressing in words their wish for our downfall, we must retaliate by calling down heaven’s blessings upon them, declaring in words that we wish them nothing but good. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 2014. Then he says to do good. So there is this act of the will to love, then there is the expressing of it in words of blessing, and then here there is doing good. There is this practical outworking of this. Doing good: To their bodies, their souls, their families, their possessions, their businesses, their reputations. Returning good actions for bad. Try and think of that person drowning in Lake Michigan. You are walking along the pier and you see this person drowning on a stormy day. Would you jump? We can all think of a beautiful little girl or a beautiful little boy, and we would be in it in a second. That is reasonable; that is normal; that os human. But what about when it is him or her? “Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). So we have gone from the will, to the mouth, to the actions, and now the soul. Spiritual prayer. Praying for their conversion. Praying for their enmity to be turned to friendship. Praying that they become a brother and sister in Christ in deed and in reality. Doing good by evangelizing them, by bringing the gospel to them and by showing the gospel by our daily actions. Dietrich Bonhoeffer has said, “Through the medium of prayer we go to our enemy, stand by his side, and plead for him to God.” And I believe that if we pray for our enemies, we will begin to love them as well. It is not just that love produces prayer, prayer produces love. They curse; we bless. They hate; we love. They despitefully use us; we do good to them. They persecute us; we pray for them. How do you respond to that? I am pretty sure I know how I respond, so I will tell you (and I am pretty sure I am like most of you): “That is impossible! That is illogical! It is impractical! Can you think of what would happen if I did that? I would just be taken advantage of again and again. You are basically asking us to be perfect!” Exactly! Because notice that that is how this ends: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). God is asking, God is demanding, perfection. Perfection! Not one millimetre of the lowering of the bar. He has raised it higher than it has ever been, and He has said, “Jump! Reach! Meet! Do!” Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect. We say, “Wow! I will never get to heaven. I will never make it! I will never meet that standard, if that is the standard.” Again: Exactly! Jesus said that: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The whole purpose of this sermon of Christ is to bring people to say, “That is impossible, and I am doomed! I am not going to heaven then!” So the right response to this is first of all, “Amen!” The perfect standard. Do not lower it a bit to make it more doable. No, say, “That is perfection, and I love it and I agree with it. I do not want to move it. I do not want to change it or adjust it in any way. I agree with this law of God.” Secondly, I am convicted by it. I am humbled; I am broken; I am smashed to pieces by it! I can hardly get off the ground of this commandment, never mind reach the heights of it. This should reduce us to tears. He is saying, “Unless you do this, you are going to hell.” Nothing less! Agree with the standard. Be convicted by the standard. But thirdly, believe in the Standard Keeper. There is One, and there is only One, in the whole of human history and in the whole universe who has ever leapt this high and made the standard, who has ever done this perfectly, day after day after day of His life, who has loved with agape love: And that is Jesus Christ. As Romans 5 tells us, while we were yet enemies, Christ died for us. He “agape-ed.” You look at the cross, and you say, “Who are you dying for? For your friends?” “No, for my enemies! For the very ones who did this to me, and the very ones who would do this to me had they been alive here and present today.” In other words, all of us! It is meant to evoke from us, “That is irrational, foolish, mad, lunacy!” Until we realize it is my only hope! His righteousness exceeded the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, and He offers it to me. He did it so that all my failures can be covered. He did it in order to present it perfectly to God that He has done it. I have to go heaven with Matthew 5:43-48 and say, “Done!” We do! I am going to heaven, as every believer is, with Matthew 5:43-48, and I am going to say, “Done!” By Jesus. Not by me, but by Him! He is my only hope. He is your only hope. And when you receive this agape love of His, agape love will begin to grow. You will desire to do this. You know you will never do it perfectly, but you desire and determine to, because you want to show the same love you have experienced to others. David P. Murray This audio was transcribed by Ineke van der Linden

JDC Taps Former Columbia Law Dean as CEO The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee tapped a former Columbia Law School dean who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve as its CEO. David Schizer, 47, will take the helm of the international Jewish aid group on Jan. 1, pending his approval by the JDC board next week. He will succeed Alan Gill, who has served since January 2013. A native of Brooklyn, Schizer was the youngest dean in the history of Columbia Law School, according to the JDC. In his 10 years at Columbia, he oversaw a $150 million annual budget and completed a $353 million capital campaign. Schizer serves on the board of Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y, a Jewish cultural institution, and the Ramaz School, a large modern Orthodox day school. He is also president of America’s Voices in Israel and co-director of Columbia’s Center for Israeli Legal Studies. Schizer also has served on the board of Columbia-Barnard Hillel and as senior adviser to the Tikvah Fund. “Although I am part of an incredibly fortunate generation of American Jews, I am named for a grandfather who fled pogroms and political upheaval in Ukraine,” Schizer said in a news release issued by the JDC. “Every Jewish family has a history of poverty, religious persecution, or violence – the only difference is how long ago it was. So for me personally, it is profoundly meaningful to be appointed CEO of an extraordinary organization that has been a lifeline to Jews in their hour of need, and that renews Jewish life throughout the world, including in places where my own family once lived,” he said. Schizer holds undergraduate, graduate and law degrees from Yale University. He clerked for Ginsburg and Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Hinduism infiltrated Africa around the 19th century with the colonization of African countries by the British. The religion was introduced by Indians who migrated as casual laborers from British India, some of who chose to remain in Africa. Did Hinduism begin in Africa? Hinduism took root in Africa from the late 19th century onwards through the spread of the British Empire, which colonized huge swaths of land throughout Asia and Africa, including almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. … The Swaminarayan faith has a sizable following in Africa. How did Hinduism start in South Africa? Colonial era, indentured labourers Large numbers of Hindus (as well as people of other religions) began arriving into South Africa in the 19th century colonial era, mostly as indentured labor and some on their own as “free” immigrants. … About 25% of Hindus returned to India, once their first contract was over. How was Hinduism started? Origins of Hinduism Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan. … Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their language and culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the region. What was the first religion in Africa? The Story of Africa| BBC World Service. Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was still alive (he died in 632). Thus both religions have been on the continent of Africa for over 1,300 years. Are Japanese Hindu? Hinduism is practiced mainly by the Indian migrants, although there are others. As of 2016, there are 30,048 Indians in Japan. Most of them are Hindus. Hindu gods are still revered by many Japanese particularly in Shingon Buddhism. Was China a Hindu country? Although Hinduism is not one of the five official state recognized religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Catholic Christianity, Protestant Christianity, and Islam), and although China is officially a secular state, the practice of Hinduism is allowed in China, albeit on a limited scale. Why are South Africans Indian? They were transported as indentured labourers to work on the sugarcane plantations of Natal Colony, and, in total, approximately 200,000 Indians arrived as indentured labourers over a period of 5 decades, later also as indentured coal miners and railway workers. Which is the oldest Hindu temple in South Africa? The Mariamman Temple was built in 1905 and is the oldest Hindu temple in Pretoria, South Africa, located in the suburb of Marabastad. Where did Indian originate from? The Indian population originated from three separate waves of migration from Africa, Iran and Central Asia over a period of 50,000 years, scientists have found using genetic evidence from people alive in the subcontinent today. Who is the oldest Hindu god? Shiva has pre-Vedic tribal roots, and the figure of Shiva as we know him today is an amalgamation of various older non-Vedic and Vedic deities, including the Rigvedic storm god Rudra who may also have non-Vedic origins, into a single major deity. Is Hinduism older than Judaism? The term “Hinduism” is most likely less than 500 years old, much younger than Judaism, but sanatana dharma is not only timeless, its also inclusive of Judaism and all other religions, including those which have now vanished, those which still exist and those which are yet to come. Hinduism is older. What religion is older than Hinduism? Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago per various scholars. Arguably the world’s first monotheistic faith, it’s one of the oldest religions still in existence. What is the oldest religion? The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्मः, lit. Who is God in African traditional religion? Generally speaking, African religions hold that there is one creator God, the maker of a dynamic universe. Myths of various African peoples relate that, after setting the world in motion, the Supreme Being withdrew, and he remains remote from the concerns of human life. What religion was in Ethiopia before Christianity? Judaism was practiced in Ethiopia long before Christianity arrived and the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible contains numerous Jewish Aramaic words.

Warrior Video Above: USS Zumwalt Commander Capt. Carlson Describes Riding the Stealthy Ship in Stormy Seas By Robert Farley,The National Interest In April 2014, retired Air Force lieutenant general David Deptula and Michael Makovsky of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal arguing that the United States should turn over a dozen surplus B-52 heavy bombers to Israel. Deptula and Makovsky said that the eight-engine B-52s should come with a consignment of America’s special Massive Ordnance Penetrators—gigantic bombs tailored for smashing buried facilities. Specifically, nuclear facilities. “B-52s for Israel,” as we’ve dubbed it, is a silly little proposal with approximately zero chance of actually being implemented. And it’s possible Deptula and Makovsky don’t even mean for anyone to take its details seriously. Their bomber idea could be part of a media game of sorts, one that certain political constituencies are playing in order to broadly influence policy, rather than comprise policy. But just for fun, let’s consider “B-52s for Israel” as a sober proposal. Bombers versus Iran: MOP is a precision-guided gravity bomb. So a B-52 cannot deploy it from standoff range. The bomber has to get close to the target. The B-52 is slow. This is why you don’t normally fly the giant warplane through contested air space. In 1972, the North Vietnamese shot down a staggering 16 B-52s in 11 days during Operation Linebacker II. The Iranian air force flies hundreds of MiG-29s, F-7s, F-4s and F-5s and a couple squadrons of U.S.-made F-14s, pictured, that might still wield a version of the long-range Phoenix missile. Any of these jets could intercept Israeli B-52s. Iran also has a relatively sophisticated integrated air defense system with large numbers of surface-to-air missiles. They, too, could prove devastating to attacking bombers. If you’re the sort of country that can carry out a massive defense-suppression campaign in advance to destroy air bases and surface-to-air missiles along the bombers’ route, then you can manage this problem. Or you can just send a radar-evading B-2. But that’s America we’re referring to. Israel is no slouch when it comes to executing complex air raids against heavily-armed foes. But the Jewish state lacks the capacity for an expansive defense-suppression campaign, the likes of which might ensure the B-52s’ survival as they lumbered in to drop their MOPs. Recommended for You In the recent past, Israel has sent speedy F-15s and F-16s on small, lightning-quick raids through largely intact air defenses in order to destroy Iraqi and Syrian nuclear facilities. The strategic wisdom of such raids is debatable; their military effectiveness is not. Far from improving Tel Aviv’s ability hold at risk Tehran’s nuclear program, “B-52s for Israel” actually makes a successful pinpoint raid more difficult and expensive by requiring the Israeli air force to destroy essentially all of Iran’s defenses before the bombers can deliver their decisive ordnance. This is to say nothing, of course, of the problems the Israelis would face in developing sufficient expertise to fix and fly the 1960s-vintage B-52s. The bombers cost a lot to maintain compared to F-15s and F-16s. The Israelis retired their last large, multi-engine bombers—B-17s—in 1958. Since then, Tel Aviv has built its air power around small fighter-bombers. Essentially, Deptula and Makovsky are asking the Israelis to use B-52s in circumstances more dangerous than the U.S. Air Force itself has been willing to use them since at least 1991, and probably since 1972. It would be dumb for Washington to offer B-52s. But it’s unlikely the Israelis would be dumb enough to actually accept them. What about the politics? Giving bombers to Israel would save the U.S. the time and trouble of destroying the Iranian nuke program itself, presumably leading to more credible deterrence, right? In fact, it’s doubtful exporting the B-52 would actually save the United States any trouble. It’s tough to imagine any aircraft more symbolic of American empire than the B-52. The huge warplanes have flown for the U.S. Air Force since 1952—and never for any other country. The B-52 is more quintessentially American than the F-15, also flown by Saudi Arabia, and the F-16, which Egypt, Jordan and soon Iraq also operate. If B-52s struck Iran, who could pretend that Israel alone was responsible? Transferring the B-52s wouldn’t actually insulate the United States from any political or military blow-back. “B-52s for Israel” might even put U.S. security at risk. Working through the logic—or lack thereof—behind the proposal, it’s easier to grant that Deptula and Makovsky are making a political rather than a tactical point. However, one of the reasons for creating an independent air force is to develop a cadre of experienced, professional air power experts. These experts are supposed to do two things. First, they manage military air power in the most efficient and effective way possible. Second, they provide expert advice to civilian policymakers and to the public with respect to how the military can utilize air power to accomplish national objectives. This second role means that both active-duty and retired U.S. Air Force officers have a responsibility not to spout nonsense about air power in public forums. The patina of professional expertise could lead civilian policymakers and the public at large to take this nonsense seriously. If the Air Force cannot either sufficiently educate its officers such that they appreciate the consequences of the tactical and operational advice they are providing to civilians—or at least inculcate a sense of responsibility with respect to their professional obligations as managers of air power violence—then maybe we’re better off without an air force. Robert Farley, a frequent contributor to TNI, is a Visiting Professor at the United States Army War College. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. This piece was first published by WarIsBoring in 2014 (here) and is being republished due to reader's interest.

Interested in taking control of your personal healthcare and curious about your genetics? Wanting to learn about how your Jewish background may affect your children? Come out to Industria Pizzeria for a fun and interactive discussion about the modern-day genetic testing options that exist for you. You’ll get to hear from medical professionals in the field and get answers to the questions you’ve been wondering about! The event is FREE and drinks and finger food will be provided. Event hosted by The Jewish Federation of Ottawa's EG Grant and LifeLabs Genetics. Thursday, February 22 from 6:00-8:00pm 225 Marché Way #107 Ottawa, ON K1S 5J3 Sponsor: The Jewish Federation of Ottawa's EG Grant and LifeLabs Genetics

The Shulhan Aruch writes that the Shabbat before Pesach is called by a special name – "Shabbat Ha’gadol." The reason for this name is because this Shabbat commemorates the miracle that occurred for Beneh Yisrael on the Shabbat before they left Egypt. G-d commanded them to prepare a sheep for the Pesach sacrifice four days before the sacrifice was to be slaughtered – meaning, four days before the 14th of Nissan, the afternoon before the Exodus. Beneh Yisrael left Egypt on Thursday morning, which means that the Pesach sacrifice was offered on Wednesday, and thus they needed to prepare it four days earlier, on Shabbat, the 10th of Nissan. The Egyptians, who worshipped cattle, asked Beneh Yisrael what they were doing with the sheep, and Beneh Yisrael explained that they were preparing the animals to be sacrificed to G-d. Although they spoke openly about sacrificing the animal which the Egyptians worshipped, the Egyptians were powerless to do anything, either because of some kind of illness, or out of fear. This was a remarkable miracle, and since it occurred on the Shabbat before Yesiat Misrayim, we commemorate it on the Shabbat before Pesach, calling that Shabbat "Shabbat Ha’gadol" – "the great Shabbat." Additionally, the Aruch Ha’shulhan (Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein of Nevarduk, 1829-1908) writes that on this day, the firstborn Egyptians, who had heard Moshe’s warning of the impending plague, took up arms against the other Egyptians who endangered their lives by continuing to refuse to allow Beneh Yisrael to leave. This is the meaning of the verse in Tehillim, "Le’makeh Misrayim Bi’bchorehem" – "To He who smote Egypt with its firstborn," meaning, G-d struck the Egyptians by instigating the nation’s firstborn to wage a fierce battle against them. This, too, is celebrated on Shabbat Ha’gadol. The question, however, arises as to why the miracles of that Shabbat are celebrated specifically on the Shabbat before Pesach, and not on the calendar date of those events – the 10th of Nissan. Whenever we observe a special day to celebrate a miracle, we do so on the calendar date on which the miracle occurred. Why are the miracles of the 10th of Nissan celebrated not on that date, but rather on the Shabbat before Pesach? While it is true that the 10th of Nissan that year fell on Shabbat, why should we not celebrate the calendar date, as we do whenever we celebrate miraculous events? One answer is that the 10th of Nissan is the date when the prophetess Miriam, Moshe Rabbenu’s sister, passed away, and it would thus be inappropriate to make this day a day of celebration. Another answer is that it was on the 10th of Nissan when the Jordan River split and Beneh Yisrael crossed into the Land of Israel. If this date were made into a special day of celebration, people would not know whether it celebrates the miracles of the 10th of Nissan in Egypt before the Exodus, or the miracle of the splitting of the Jordan River. Therefore, it was decided to celebrate on the Shabbat before Pesach, instead of the 10th of Nissan. A much different answer is given by the Aruch Ha’shulhan, who noted that the observances of Shabbat and Pesach are strongly linked to one another, as they express the two most fundamental tenets of Jewish faith – creation and providence. Shabbat commemorates the world’s creation in six days, and thus expresses the belief that the world was created by a single Divine Being, and did not come into existence on its own. Pesach, the celebration of the miracles of Yesiat Misrayim, expresses the belief in Hashagah (providence), the notion that G-d not only created the world, but continues to govern every aspect of the world. He knew exactly where the Egyptian firstborn were, who should be killed and who should be spared, showing us that He oversees everything that happens in the universe. Together, then, Shabbat and Pesach teach us the most basic principles of Judaism – that there is a Creator, and that the Creator is intimately involved in all aspects of our lives and all aspects of the world at every moment. For this reason, the Aruch Ha’shulhan suggests, we celebrate the miracles of the 10th of Nissan specifically on Shabbat – in order to underscore the integral connection between Shabbat and Pesach, between the belief in creation and the belief in providence. Both beliefs are equally crucial tents of the Jewish faith, and cannot be separated from one another, and this is why specifically Shabbat was singled out as the time to celebrate the miracles that preceded Yesiat Misrayim. Incidentally, it should be noted that after Yesiat Misrayim, G-d did not wait until Matan Torah at Mount Sinai to present the command of Shabbat. Already when Beneh Yisrael encamped in Marah, after the splitting of the sea, the people were told about Shabbat observance. The fundamental belief represented by Shabbat is integrally linked to the fundamental belief expressed by the Exodus, and so immediately after the miracles of the Exodus, G-d commanded the people to observe Shabbat. Although there are no actual Halachot relevant to Shabbat Ha’gadol, the Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) writes that it is proper on this Shabbat to wish each other "Shabbat Ha’gadol Shalom," instead of the usual "Shabbat Shalom." Since the Shulhan Aruch mentioned that this Shabbat is called "Shabbat Ha’gadol," this should be the "title" given to this Shabbat when we greet one another. Additionally, it is customary for the Rabbi in every community to deliver a special lecture on Shabbat Ha’gadol to prepare the congregants for the holiday. The lecture should combine both practical Halachot relevant to the observance of Pesach, as well as words of Mussar (religious admonition) and inspiration to prepare the people mentally and emotionally for the great Yom Tov of Pesach.

I just finished my exams for this semester! Yay! It also means I’ve completed all the undergrad requirements to get into Honours, so assuming I don’t fail any of my Arts subjects this semester, I’m going to spend next year conducting some Serious Political Research (as opposed to the frivolity of these past three years…). But talking about Serious Political Research, I just wanted to share my final research paper for the pre-Honours unit I did this semester, Power (yes, that’s the name of the unit. Talk about short and sweet). It examines the Bersih 3.0 rally held in Kuala Lumpur on April 28 this year, and how it managed to garner the extent of local and international support it did. I really wanted to post it here because I don’t think there’s enough rigorous academic analysis of Bersih 3.0 out there yet, so hopefully my essay can help shed some light on what happened that day, and why. Thanks to my parents for their support while I was writing this; especially Dad for taking out a one-month subscription to Malaysia Kini, just for my assignment. Bersih 3.0: Online Resistance and Malaysia’s Digital Hidden Transcript “When the great lord passes the wise peasant bows deeply and silently farts” – Ethiopian proverb (Scott 1990: preface) The Bersih 3.0 rally was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 28 April 2012. Its primary aims, amongst others, were to call for the Malaysian government to clean the electoral roll, provide free and fair access to the media, and stop corruption (Bersih 2012a). As the third rally in six years organised by Bersih, otherwise known as the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, it was significant for being the largest street demonstration in Malaysia in a decade and garnering extensive local and global support, with ten other states in Malaysia and Malaysians in cities around the world organizing simultaneous rallies (Hazri 2012). This essay will examine the Bersih 3.0 rally and explore the reasons for its widespread local and international support in light of mainstream media censorship. Using James Scott’s theory of peasant resistance as a base, this essay will employ the concept of a ‘digital hidden transcript’ as well as a typology of communication functions of social movements to provide a framework for exploring how the Internet helped create a digital hidden transcript that facilitated local and global support for the Bersih 3.0 rally. After outlining the three foundational concepts, the key puzzle with regards to support for Bersih 3.0 in light of the lack of coverage by mainstream media and government bans will be presented. It will subsequently be demonstrated that the Internet facilitated a digital hidden transcript for Bersih supporters to disseminate information, interact, connect with other movements and global supporters, and express themselves creatively. It will be concluded that the Internet has helped create a new ‘hidden transcript’ that facilitates citizen resistance towards repressive governments. 2. Foundational Concepts: Theory of Peasant Resistance, a Digital Hidden Transcript and Social Movement Communication Functions James Scott’s theory of peasant resistance revolves around the notion that subordinates create and defend ‘hidden transcripts’, or social spaces in which dissent to the official transcript of power relations can be voiced (James 1990: xi). The social production of hegemonic appearances in the official transcript results from elites exerting their influence to create the appearance of naturalized power, as well as subordinates disguising their resistance in order to protect themselves and minimize the consequences of possible failure (James 1990: 87-96). In applying Scott’s notion of the ‘hidden transcript’ to the recent Bersih 3.0 rally in Malaysia, I will draw upon two other concepts: 1. The ‘digital hidden transcript’: A concept put forward by Mark Liew in his examination of blogging as an instrument of student resistance in Singapore. Adopting Scott’s idea of the ‘hidden transcript’, Liew demonstrated how a digital version in the form of student-written blog satires facilitated online discussions that enabled the student community to address conflicting views on controversial issues without the intervention of teachers or parents (Liew 2010: 311). This ‘digital hidden transcript’ re-enacted the conflict underlying classroom relations, while simultaneously illuminating an illicit realm of digital interactions in which students expressed their own interests and identities (Liew 2010: 308). Liew’s reinvention of Scott’s concept has been echoed by Ashley Esarey and Xiao Qiang, who, in an examination of the Chinese blogosphere and its significance as a ‘hidden transcript’, proposed that the freer political expression afforded in blogs had several important effects, such as allowing citizens to gradually develop strategies for challenging regime positions without being subjected to harsh forms of state repression (Esarey and Xiao 2008: 770-771). 2. A typology of communication functions of social movements: Laura Stein’s typology highlights the functions most salient to social movement communication, and identifies the features within web-based communications that contribute to each (Table 1). This typology will provide a structure for outlining how the Internet facilitated a digital hidden transcript for Bersih supporters to disseminate information, interact, connect with other movements and global supporters, and express themselves creatively. Table 1. Typology of communication functions of social movements and associated web-based communication attributes (Stein 2011: 150-152) Case study: Bersih 3.0 3. The Puzzle: Support for Bersih 3.0 versus Media Portrayal, Government Bans and Censorship A key puzzle is how Bersih 3.0 managed to obtain the widespread support it did, given that there was significantly less print media coverage of the event compared to previous Bersih rallies, and that the coalition had been temporarily banned last year by Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein as a security threat (Centre for Independent Journalism 2012). Additionally, prior to its recent demonstration, media stories had portrayed Bersih negatively, linking it to Christian, Jewish and communist conspiracies, and even Islamic extremists (McDonald 2012). Since independence, a vital source of power for ruling coalition Barisan Nasional has been the restriction of media freedoms through licensing regulations and the ownership and control of Malaysia’s print and broadcast media (Pepinsky 2012: 9). Nevertheless, in the past fifteen years, technological change, especially via the Internet, has enabled both professional journalists and ordinary citizens to report and access fresh perspectives on Malaysian politics with unprecedented freedom, aided serendipitously by the regime’s effort to establish wide Internet usage among Malaysians (Pepinsky 2012: 9). Using Stein’s typology of communication functions for social movements and their associated web-based communication attributes, the following sections in this essay will explore how the Internet helped create a digital hidden transcript that facilitated local and global support for the Bersih 3.0 rally. 4a. The Internet as a Tool for Disseminating Information and Mobilizing Protesters The Internet enabled Bersih to disseminate information regarding previous rallies and its overall campaign, and mobilize protesters for the upcoming Bersih 3.0 rally. The Internet, being relatively free of centralized gatekeepers, allows for the direct and uncompromised information dissemination by social movement organizations (SMOs) (Stein 2011: 151). Some Bersih 3.0 participants were inspired by online articles and video footage of the previous Bersih rallies to take part in the campaign this time around. The rapid speed at and the extent to which photos and videos from Bersih 2.0 spread across the Internet caught the attention of a Malaysian, Kuok Yeow, who participated in the protest this year (Yeow 2012). Yeow, who reported her experience for online alternative news portal The Malaysian Insider, mentioned two particular Youtube videos that had mobilized her to join Bersih 3.0. One of the videos Yeow mentions, ‘Truth that cannot be covered – Bersih 2.0 09/07/2011’by Youtube user ahfusim, juxtaposes statements from various Malaysian government officials regarding the handling of last year’s Bersih 2.0 campaign with graphic footage from the day of the protest itself, and has so far garnered over a million views (Ahfusim 2012). The Internet also played an important role in enabling Bersih to create its own website and establish itself on various social media and networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube (Photo 1). Bersih used these various sites to promote the upcoming Bersih 3.0 rally, explain Bersih’s agenda and, in the case of Bersih’s Youtube channel, highlight footage from previous rallies as well as appeals for support from Bersih leaders (Bersih428 2012). The promotion of the Bersih 3.0 rally via various social media and networking sites further underlined the Internet’s importance in aiding Bersih’s coordination of real-world events. Campaign materials were also circulated online, such as a ‘Street Rally Guide for Beginners’ purportedly published by human rights organization Suaram (Photo 2), which potentially provided further encouragement for first-time protesters to attend the rally. Photo 1. Bersih’s official website, displaying its various links to social media and networking sites – Facebook (left), Youtube (centre), and Twitter (right) (Bersih 2012b) Photo 2. Excerpt from ‘Street Rally Guide for Beginners’ (original source unknown) (Calderon 2012a) 4b. The Internet as a Tool for Stimulating Interaction and Dialogue The Internet provided a useful way for citizens to discuss the rally and shape the discourse surrounding it by contrasting online eyewitness accounts with mainstream media reports. Alternative media can serve as relatively independent sites of interaction and dialogue, with online participatory forums providing opportunities for dialogue and discussion, as well as facilitating the creation of discursive networks that offer alternative perspectives (Stein 2011: 152). James Scott extended upon this view by highlighting how social spaces of relative autonomy discipline and produce patterns of resistance via mutual communication within the public of the ‘hidden transcript’ (Scott 1990: 119). One interesting example with regards to the Bersih 3.0 rally was Marina Mahathir, daughter of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir, who runs her own blog and posted her account of her own experience at the rally, voiced her anger and disappointment at the use of razor wire and tear gas by police against protesters (Mahathir 2012a). Her article was further disseminated via social media and networks, in particular Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook (Mahathir 2012a). As an example of shaping discourse and stimulating dialogue around Bersih, Mahathir engaged in a discussion with her readers in the comments section of her blog entry, in which she underlined doubts regarding the procedures followed by the police (Photo 3), and subtly criticized the ruling party UMNO for its corruption (Photo 4). Additionally, Mahathir wrote another blog entry, entitled ‘Testimonies to Truth’, that provided web links to eyewitness accounts of Bersih 3.0, for blog readers to contrast with accounts from the mainstream media (Mahathir 2012b). Mahathir’s online postings and discussions are arguably significant on various levels. Firstly, her debate with blog readers was unusually candid in terms of discussing her experience at the rally and criticising UMNO, given her affiliations with the ruling party. Such dialogue would likely have been banned or censored in traditional Malaysian media, though her support for the movement has undoubtedly provided Bersih with a certain measure of legitimacy and publicity. Secondly, Mahathir helped shape the discourse and stimulate dialogue around Bersih 3.0 by engaging in frank discussions with her blog readers and referring them towards other online eyewitness accounts. Photo 3. Mahathir’s response to a reader’s questions about police procedure at Bersih 3.0 (Mahathir 2012a). Photo 4. Mahathir shedding light on UMNO corruption (Mahathir 2012a). 4c. The Internet as a Tool for Promoting Lateral Linkages The Internet was also used to form lateral linkages with other movements and the overseas Malaysian community. By uniting communities of interest across national and transnational space, the Internet can be used to communicate laterally and build networks among social movement supporters (Stein 2011: 152). In particular, the ability to connect one organization’s site to another through hyperlinks is a strategic choice that recognises the presence of other actors and establishes an interconnected sphere of online sites (Stein 2011: 152). It can also help refer supporters to sites of news and research, or national or international social movements affiliated with the cause (Stein 2011: 152). One example of online cross-organization unity is the association of the Stop Lynas movement with Bersih 3.0. At Bersih 3.0 protests in Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere, supporters of the ‘Save Malaysia Stop Lynas’ (SMSL) campaign were present, wearing green shirts or masks (Photo 5). The SMSL group is part of an environmentalist coalition aimed at stopping Australian miner Lynas Corporation from operating a rare earth plant in Kuantan, Malaysia, due to concern regarding the plant’s health and safety aspects (Kong 2012). SMSL showed strong support for Bersih 3.0 through its official website, with SMSL stating, in a lengthy blog post dedicated to Bersih 3.0, ‘Bersih 3.0 should NOT be compromised. It is precisely because of our lack of transparency and the dirty politics which has brought about the Lynas toxic project.’ (SMSL 2012). Additionally, SMSL provided hyperlinks to the various facebook pages of Bersih 3.0 campaigns taking place around the country and the world (SMSL 2012). Global Bersih, as the international movement of ‘solidarity rallies’ to support Bersih calls itself (Global Bersih 2012a), demonstrated the ability of the Internet, especially social media and networking platforms, to connect transnational Malaysian communities and further increased international publicity for Bersih 3.0 (Global Bersih 2012b). Photo 5. A Bersih 3.0 protester wearing a mask supporting both Bersih 3.0 and the Stop Lynas movement (Hamid 2012) 4d. The Internet as a Tool for “Creative Expression” In discussing the everyday resistance strategies of peasants, James Scott highlighted how a partly sanitized, ambiguous and coded version of the hidden transcript was invariably present in the public discourse of subordinate groups (Scott 1990: 19). Scott identified, amongst others, rumours, gossip, jokes, songs and euphemisms as examples of the folk culture of subordinate groups that fell under this form of political discourse (Scott 1990: 19). The Internet arguably provides new mediums for modern ‘folk culture’ to be transmitted and to reach a greater extent of the population than previously envisaged by Scott, such as satirical videos and political cartoons. With regards to Bersih, footage of Prime Minister Najib Razak mocking the previous Bersih 2.0 protest was incorporated into ‘Najib Techno Remix’, a Youtube video which intersperses Najib chanting ‘Long live UMNO’ with a clip from the film 300, where King Leonidas yells ‘This is Sparta!’ (MyNameIsRayChong 2011). The video’s apparent implicit message, of Najib as dictatorial leader of the preeminent Malay political party, potentially taps into fears of ethnic minorities that UMNO remains unable to divorce itself from its narrow pro-Malay agenda to develop a more inclusive, merit-based economic and political system (O’Shanassy 2011). Additionally, an Australian news report that the Prime Minister’s wife Rosmah Mansor allegedly spent AU$100,000 at a Sydney boutique in January 2012 was rapidly circulated online through alternative news portals (Malaysiakini 2012). While Najib denied the spending allegations (The Star 2012), it fuelled speculation regarding government corruption and helped increase support for Bersih 3.0. This is exemplified by the political cartoon below, posted on Global Bersih 3.0’s facebook page, which juxtaposes Najib’s reaction to Bersih 3.0 protestors during his recent visit to London with his wife buying luxury goods from Harrods (Photo 6). Photo 6. Political cartoon parodying Najib’s reaction to Bersih 3.0 in London (Global Bersih 3.0 2012) To conclude, the Internet facilitated a ‘digital hidden transcript’ for Bersih 3.0 organizers and supporters to counter the lack of coverage and negative portrayal of Bersih by mainstream Malaysian media in light of government censorship. Firstly, it enabled the direct and uncompromised dissemination of information in the form of online articles and video footage of previous Bersih rallies, as well as campaign materials. Bersih was also able to exploit social media and networking platforms to appeal for support and coordinate the rally. Secondly, blogs acted as social spaces of relative autonomy that provided opportunities for dialogue and debate, as exemplified by Marina Mahathir’s discussion with blog readers, which provided a degree of candidness and insight lacking in mainstream Malaysian media. By referring her readers to other online eyewitness accounts to contrast with reports from mainstream media, Mahathir also helped shape a web-based discourse of ‘truth’ around Bersih 3.0. Thirdly, the Internet was used to promote lateral linkages with other movements with similar grievances, in particular the Stop Lynas environmentalist movement, as well as a global network of Malaysians who staged solidarity rallies abroad. Lastly, the Internet’s potential to embrace new mediums enabled Malaysians to caricature the ruling regime and tap into controversial issues regarding ethnic politics and government corruption through satirical videos, rumours and political cartoons. While, as Thomas Pepinsky suggests, meaningful political liberalization in Malaysia will not take place absent fundamental changes to Malaysia’s ethnic and class cleavages (Pepinsky 2012: 2-3), it is hoped that this case study demonstrates the potential of technology to assist citizens in present and future efforts to counter the official transcript of power relations. Ahfusim 2011, ‘Truth that Cannot Be Covered – Bersih 2.0 09/07/2011’, Youtube, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCetbFLceFI Bersih 2012a, ‘About Bersih 2.0’, Bersih, accessed 24 May 2012, from http://bersih.org/?page_id=352 Bersih 2012b, ‘Bersih’, Bersih, accessed 24 May 2012, from http://bersih.org/ Bersih428 2012, ‘Uploaded Videos’, Youtube, accessed 24 May 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/user/bersih428/videos?sort=da&view=0 Calderon, J 2012a, ‘Malaysia: ‘Street Rally Guide For Beginners’ Published Before Bersih Protest’, Transcending Culture Shock, published 25 April 2012, accessed 25 May 2012, from http://justincalderon.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/malaysia-street-rally-guide-for-beginners-published-before-bersih-protest-pics/ Centre for Independent Journalism 2012, ‘CIJ alarmed at Bersih 3.0’s near-blackout by print media’, Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia, published 26 April, accessed 24 May 2012, from http://cijmalaysia.org/2012/04/26/cij-alarmed-at-bersih-3-0s-near-blackout-by-print-media/ Esarey, A and Xiao, Q 2008, ‘Political Expression in the Chinese Blogosphere: Below the Radar’, Asian Survey, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 752-772. Global Bersih 2012a, ‘Frequently Asked Questions’, Global Bersih, accessed 25 May 2012, from http://www.globalbersih.org/press-centre/faq-frequently-asked-questions/ Global Bersih 2012b, ‘Coverage’, Global Bersih, accessed 25 May 2012, from http://www.globalbersih.org/category/coverage/ Global Bersih 3.0 2012, ‘Wall Photos’, Facebook, published 22 May, accessed 24 May 2012,fromhttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=359745657417871&set=a.328205510571886.77454.327509923974778&type=1&theater Hamid, F 2012, ‘Stop Lynas joins Bersih 3.0 Rally’, Demotix: News by You, published 28 April, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://www.demotix.com/news/1179132/stop-lynas-joins-bersih-30-rally Hazri, H 2012, ‘Will Malaysia Protests Bring Election Reform?’, The Asia Foundation, published 2 May, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/2012/05/02/will-malaysia-protests-bring-election-reform/ Kong, L 2012, ‘Group files suit to stop opening of rare earth plant in Kuantan’, The Straits Times, published 18 February, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://ezproxy.library.usyd.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/922044599?accountid=14757 Liew, WM 2010, ‘Digital Hidden Transcripts: Exploring Student Resistance in Blogs’, Computers and Composition, vol. 27, pp. 304-314. Mahathir, M 2012a, ‘My Bersih 3.0 Experience: Behind the Barbed-Wire Barricades’, Rantings by MM, published 29 April, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/my-bersih-30-experience-behind-barbed.html Mahathir, M 2012b, ‘Testimonies to Truth, Rantings by MM, published 3 May, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/testimonies-to-truth.html Malaysiakini 2012, ‘Rosmah’s ‘shopping spree’ hits Aussie paper’, Malaysiakini, published 21 January, accessed 24 May 2012, from http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/187248 McDonald, H 2012, ‘Najib’s Malaysia still stuck in the murk’, The Sydney Morning Herald, published 5 May, accessed 29 May 2012, from http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/najibs-malaysia-still-stuck-in-the-murk-20120504-1y3z9.html#ixzz1w4jV8lbT MyNameIsRayChong 2011, ‘This is SATU MALAYSIA!!! (Najib Techno Remix) (ft. Ng Yen Yen)’, Youtube, accessed 23 May 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_jdEgrhZGY&feature=related O’Shanassy, M 2011, ‘Malaysia in 2011: The More Things Stay the Same, the More Thigns Change?’, Asian Survey, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 165-175. Pepinsky, TB 2012, ‘Tak Nak Mereform: New Media and Malaysian Politics in Historical Perspective’ (draft version: 10 March 2012), Thomas B. Pepinsky: Papers, accessed 26 May 2012, from https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/tp253/docs/tak_nak.pdf Scott, J 1990, Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts, Yale University Press, New Haven. SMSL 2012, ‘Malaysians call again: BERSIH’, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas!, published 25 April, accessed 23 May 2012, from http://savemalaysia-stoplynas.blogspot.com.au/2012_04_01_archive.html Stein, L 2011, ‘Social Movement Web Use in Theory and Practice: A Content Analysis’, in M Christensen, A Jansson and C Christensen (eds.), Online Territories: Globalization, Mediated Practice and Social Space, Peter Lang, New York, pp. 147-170. The Star 2012, ‘Najib rubbishes claims of RM323,000 shopping spree’, The Star Online, published 3 February, accessed 24 May 2012, from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/3/nation/10665392&sec=nation Yeow, K 2012, ‘Why I Joined Bersih 3.0’, The Malaysian Insider, published 3 May, accessed 22 May 2012, from http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/why-i-joined-bersih-3.0/

(WHAS11) -- The water may have been a little chilly but the dogs didn't seem to mind Sunday afternoon. It was a doggie take over at the Jewish Community Center swimming pool! Dozens of dogs and their owners gathered to celebrate the end of summer pool closing by taking a dip. The event allows "man's best friend" to take a swim before they drain the pool for the winter. A portion of the money raised at the event will be donated to the Kentucky Humane Society and Louisville Metro Animal Services.

Over at Conversational Reading, Scott Esposito has out an “interesting books of 2011” list, which reminded me that my “forthcoming” page still lists 2010 releases. So: My notes: Tahar Ben Jelloun, although primarily known in international spheres as a novelist, is also a poet, and just won the 2010 Argana International Poetry Award, granted by Morocco’s House of Poetry. And, of course, this isn’t really an “Arabic” book—Ben Jelloun is a Moroccan who writes in French—but the book is probably worth picking up despite Ben Jelloun’s Francophone handicap. Penguin Press promotional text: Award-winning, internationally bestselling author Tahar Ben Jelloun’s new novel is the story of an immigrant named Mohammed who has spent forty years in France and is about to retire. Taking stock of his life- his devotion to Islam and to his assimilated children-he decides to return to Morocco, where he spends his life’s savings building the biggest house in the village and waits for his children and grandchildren to come be with him. A heartbreaking novel about parents and children, A Palace in the Old Village captures the sometimes stark contrasts between old- and new-world values, and an immigrant’s abiding pursuit of home. >>The Essential Naguib Mahfouz, edited by Denys Johnson-Davies My notes: Another addition to the AUC Press’s “essential” series, which also includes The Essential Yusuf Idris and The Essential Tawfiq al-Hakim. All of them have been compiled by pioneer translator Denys Johnson-Davies, and the two I’ve read to date (Idris and al-Hakim) are worth having. AUC Press promotional text: Naguib Mahfouz, the first and only writer of Arabic to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, wrote prolifically from the 1930s until shortly before his death in 2006, in a variety of genres: novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, a regular weekly newspaper column, and in later life his intensely brief and evocative Dreams. His Cairo Trilogy achieved the status of a world classic, and the Swedish Academy of Letters in awarding him the 1988 Nobel Prize for literature noted that Mahfouz “through works rich in nuance—now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous—has formed an Arabic narrative art that applies to all mankind.” >>Heart of the Night, Naguib Mahfouz, trans. Aida Bamia My notes: In 2011, AUC Press will finish translating its 34th and 35th Naguib Mahfouz novel, so that all of Mahfouz’s works can be in English before his centenary. Promotional copy from AUC Press: A classic Mahfouz story exploring themes of marriage across class lines, spirituality, and the harsh realities of a precarious life. Jaafar Ibrahim Sayyed al-Rawi, the main character in this most recently translated Mahfouz novel, is guided by his motto, “let life be filled with holy madness to the last breath.” He narrates his life story to a friend during one long night in a café in old Cairo. Through a series of bad decisions, he has lost everything: his family, his position in society, and his fortune. A man driven by his passions, he married a beautiful Bedouin nomad for love, and as a consequence pays a punishingly high price. From a life of comfort with a promising future guaranteed by his wealthy grandfather, he descends to the spartan life of a pauper, after being disinherited. Jaafar faces his tribulations with surprising stoicism and hope, sustained by his strong convictions, his spirituality, his sense of mission, and his deep desire to bring social justice to his people. >>The Tobacco Keeper, by Ali Bader Promotional copy from Bloomsbury-Qatar: Conceived as a murder mystery, a political reportage, a personal odyssey of a man who refuses to succumb to the need to define himself and his Baghdad in terms of one identity. First published in Arabic in 2008, “The Tobacco Keeper” relates the investigation of the life of a celebrated Jewish Iraqi musician who was expelled to Israel in the 1950s. Having returned to Iraq, via Iran, the musician is thrown out as an Israeli spy. Returning for the third time under a forged passport, he is murdered in mysterious circumstances. Arriving in Baghdad’s Green Zone during the US-led occupation, a journalist writing a story about the musician’s life discovers an underworld of fake identities, mafias and militias. Even among the journalists, there is a secret world of identity games, fake names and ulterior motives. This is a novel written as investigative journalism, including apparently authentic sources, meticulously researched in Baghdad, Teheran, Istanbul and Damascus. About the author: Ali Bader (born 1964) is an Iraqi novelist, essayist, poet, and scriptwriter. >>Love in the Rain, by Naguib Mahfouz, trans. Nancy Roberts. Set in Cairo in the aftermath of the Six-Day War of 1967, Love in the Rain introduces us to an assortment of characters who, each in his or her own way, experience the effects of this calamitous event. The war and its casualties, as well as people’s foibles and the tragedies they create for themselves, raise existential questions that cannot easily be answered. In a frank, sensitive treatment of everything from patriotism to prostitution, homosexuality and lesbianism, Love in the Rain presents a struggle between “old” and “new” in the realm of moral values that leaves the future in doubt. Through the dilemmas and heartbreaks faced by his protagonists, Mahfouz exposes the hypocrisy of those who condemn any breach of sexual morality while turning a blind eye to violence, corruption, and oppression, double standards as applied to men’s and women’s sexuality, and the folly of an exclusive focus on sexual morals without reference to other aspects of human character. >>In the Presence of Absence, Mahmoud Darwish, trans. Sinan Antoon My notes: Clearly a must-have. Promotional copy by Archipelago Books: By one of the most transcendent poets of his generation—an intimate look at what it truly means to be away from home. This self-eulogy is a masterfully written poetic narrative that recalls the Palestine of the Darwish’s youth as a metaphor for love, exile, and the injustice and pain of our contemporary moment. More: Read an excerpt. Free. >>As Though She Were Sleeping, Elias Khoury, trans. Humphrey Davies Promotional blurb from Quercus: Beirut in the 1930s: a young woman has the gift of seeing the past in her dreams, and she can also predict the future. Over the course of three nights, Milia recalls her love affair with Mansour, between Beirut and Nazareth, and dreams of episodes in the lives of her family: of a grandmother who regains her virginity after the birth of her son; of the bizarre death of an uncle, who accidentally hangs himself by a church-bell rope; of her relationship with her mother. Dreams are a way to escape all forms of oppression, whether from family, religion or politics; Milia’s visions are of a kind of Garden of Eden, of frangipani trees and orange blossom, and yet she foretells the political and social transformations to come: Jewish immigration to Palestine, the influence of foreign Christian missions and the Westernization of morality. As Though She Were Sleeping is a reminder of what life once was in the Middle East; Elias Khoury has again crafted a compelling and many-layered narrative of great sensuality. >>The Animists, by Ibrahim al-Koni, trans. Elliott Colla AUC Press blurb: In a remote Saharan valley, a mysterious caravan approaches from the south. In its train, it brings gold and slaves but also marvelous, dangerous things—ancient pagan heresies and a scorching, unceasing southern wind. And more. For the first time in desert memory, a caravan has come to settle permanently, to build a city of walls and roofs in a land where men have always lived freely as nomads. Renowned as Ibrahim al-Koni’s masterpiece, The Animists is an epic story of the many winds sweeping north and south across the Sahara—of the struggles between devils and humankind, worldly traders and Sufi ascetics, monotheists and animists, nomads and city dwellers, life and death. Al-Koni’s depiction of the Saharan crossroads is at its richest in this novel—nowhere else is his portrayal of humanity’s spiritual and existential battles so complex and compelling, nowhere else are his unique storytelling skills so evidently displayed. >>Azazel, by Youssef Ziedan, trans. Jonathan Wright. Promotional copy from Dar el Shorouk (English-language publisher Atlantic Books still is mum on the subject): Set in fifth century Upper Egypt, Alexandria and northern Syria, Azazel unfolds during a critical point in Christian history. Focusing on the period following the Roman Empire’s adoption of the ‘new’ religion, the novel highlights the subsequent internal doctrinal conflicts rising amongst the fathers of the Church on the one hand, and between the ‘new’ believers and receding paganism on the other. Some other time in 2011…we think…. >>Brooklyn Heights by Miral al-Tahawy, trans. ? My notes: I’m currently reading it (along with too many other books). A must-have. Promotional text from Dar Merit: Brooklyn Heights tells the story of the New York’s Arab immigrants and those who live among them through the eyes of the female narrator. By contrasting her experiences in her chosen home, America, and her homeland Egypt, she reveals the problematic relationship between East and West. It is a story of fundamentalism and tolerance, loss and hope in love. Simple yet full of rich detail, the novel evokes the atmosphere of America over the last decade. >>Vertigo by Ahmed Mourad, trans. ? Promotional text from Bloomsbury-Qatar: A photographer in a classy nightclub in Cairo witnesses his friend murdered during a fight between rival young businessmen. A tense thriller that reveals contemporary Egypt and Cairo’s seedy nightlife. This novel has been a bestseller in Egypt and reprinted eight times since its release in 2007. About the author: Born in 1978, Ahmed Mourad is a photographer, graphic designer and a novelist. Since completing his film studies he has won several awards for his short films. >>Utopia by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, trans. ? Promotional text from Bloomsbury-Qatar: It’s Egypt in 2023. The rich are living decadent lives in guarded compounds while the poor are outside in a dog-eat-dog world. A young man and a young girl venture outside the gated communities to see what Egypt is really like. This novel has been a bestseller in Egypt and reprinted three times since its release in 2008. About the author: Ahmed Khaled Tawfik was born in 1962 and is probably the Arab world’s bestselling author of science fiction and horror. He has written more than 200 books. >>Nessyane.com by Ahlam Mostaghanmi, trans. ? Promotional copy from Bloomsbury-Qatar: Ahlam Mostaghanemi’s newest title is a literary examination of male abuse of women in the Arab world. She advises Arab women on how they should/could forget Arab men who exploit them. About the author: Ahlam Mostaghanmi is probably the best-selling female author in the Arabic-reading world. This is not meant to be an exclusive list; if you see something I’ve left off, please let me know. Tags: forthcoming 2011

December 14, 2012 by Lydia Syson Tucked into a corner of King’s Cross Station, just beside the sign for Platform 9-and-3/4, there’s a newish bookshop called Watermark which is well worth seeking out. Thanks to Laura, its fantastically enthusiastic children’s bookseller, that’s where just over half my writing group kicked off this year’s Christmas celebrations last night. Jennifer Gray, Amanda Swift, Becky Jones and I signed four great piles of books – check out Atticus Claw, Guinea Pigs On Line (Book Two hits the shelves in a matter of weeks) and the Bumper Book of London – before heading off along London’s only boulevard to meet the others, including ‘Brit-Grit’ author Keren David, whose fast-moving Another Life has just been an Independent on Sunday Book of the Year 2012 and brings to a conclusion the edge-of-the-seat adventures of Ty that began in When I Was Joe. Sharing ideas, ups and downs and plenty of coffee with other children’s writers in our regular meetings has made a huge difference to my writing life – A World Between Us might have struggled to see the light of day without the support of my ‘group’. Committed booksellers make a world of difference at the other end of the writing process. This week I’ve also been signing copies at Review in Peckham and Village Books in Dulwich. Thank you! I’ve touched a little here on my family history over the past few months, but if you want to know more and find out how I carried out the research for A World Between Us, there are features this month in three magazines: New Books, Writers’ Forum and Jewish Socialist. Read about some of the rebels, romantics and wordsmiths in my family tree here. And if you’re interested in finding out more about this quarterly magazine – ‘a forum for radical ideas and opinions on issues directly affecting the Jewish community in Britain and elsewhere and on questions vital to minorities and socialists everywhere’ – just email me with your name and address and I’ll pass it on. You’ll soon receive a free ‘taster’ copy of the latest issue and details of how to subscribe at just £10 a year – so that makes five copies for the price of four.

Latest update: July 9th, 2012 Thousands of young frum men and women in their late teens and early 20s will soon be returning from a year (or two or three) in Israeli yeshivas and seminaries, full of youthful exuberance and idealism. Many who had planned on going to college have changed their minds (often to the dismay of their parents) insisting that secular studies or employment are not for them. They want to be full time learners or the wife of one. The girls in particular see themselves as neshei chayil – they will work and be the main breadwinner of the family and “hold the (domestic) fort” so their husband can immerse himself in Torah. After all, that is the goal they have been encouraged towards by their morot; there is no greater calling than doing what it takes to enable their future husband to lose himself in Torah, free of any mundane concerns, interruptions or worries. While this is a very noble lifestyle to strive for – the fact is very few of these very earnest future wives truly know what this lifestyle entails; nor are most cut out for the hard work and sacrifices that come with the territory. These sincere but naïve young ladies have what I call the Rebbetzin Akiva Syndrome, named after Rochel, the wife of Rabbi Akiva, a girl brought up in the lap of luxury. She gave it all up in order to marry Akiva (her father had disinherited her) and encouraged him to devote himself to learning, even if it meant she would have a very reduced standard of living and be alone most of the time, which in fact was the case for years. She gladly sacrificed physical comfort and even emotional support (being on her own) for the sake of Torah. Those teachers and principals who have influenced these impressionable kids to go on thatvery dignified, but difficult, derech may genuinely feel that they are putting them on the path of true Torah happiness. But I can’t help wonder if the discussions on the spiritual beauty of these lifestyle were balanced with an honest reality check, so that these over-enthusiastic girls could take a step back and do a cheshbon hanefesh – an internal assessment – and thus be better equipped to make an informed choice. While many girls daydream of emulating Rebbetzin Akiva and are determined they will be just like her, most, not surprisingly, are not made of the same stuff and eventually find themselves in a living nightmare: The day to day actuality of juggling several occupations that are full time by themselves. Caring for children, working, dealing with myriad household chores and crises, and facing endless, unavoidable expenses and debt can become overwhelming, demoralizing and lead to serious shalom bayis issues. What sounds so romantic and glorious on paper rarely translates that way into reality. When I was a teenager, a kallah I bumped into, told me with pride and radiant eyes that after her chassanah – a lovely affair that her financially comfortable parents made for her – she was going to live in Eretz Yisrael and work while her husband learned. I wished her well but I had a feeling that this pampered girl with her weekly manicures, pedicures and designer outfits didn’t know what she was getting into. About four years later I bumped into her again. This time her eyes were dull with weariness and her face was haggard. She was still an eishes chayil – working full time and being for all intents and purposes a single mother (she had two pre-schoolers and was expecting) while her husband spent his days and evenings in the bais medrash. While I had no doubt that her parents helped financially, she had several younger brothers and sisters who also wanted a learning lifestyle. At some point, her parents had to divert some of their support to their other children. In reality, as this kallah found out, it is very challenging to be a superwoman – to run from home to job and back; to deal with the needs and demands of several young children; to run a household – and not burn out or be awash with resentment and even anger at what can seem as a one sided effort. Years ago someone told me of a lecture she went to at which a rav admonished the women to allow their learning husbands to go to night seder and evening shiur without insisting he help give the kids a bath and put them to bed. The anger in the room was very palpable, I was told. These girls should be told that there is another, likewise honorable option in terms of a husband – men who are leaning towards a college education or working in a trade. Unfortunately, many of these erlich individuals are made to feel that they “sold out” and let their rabbeim/teachers down. Because of this disparaging view of “earners” many post-seminary girls in the parsha turn their noses up when redd a shidduch with one of them. Several years ago I wrote of a bachur, a “black hat” type of boy who had graduated from a specialized university program and at a young age had an excellent parnassah. He was very frustrated because he was constantly being turned down for shidduchim because he wasn’t “a learning boy”, even though he was machmir on learning with a chavrusah in the evenings and in his spare time. I called him “Avi.” Avi eventually married and now has a baby. His wife has the luxury of being a stay-at-home mother and seeing her child reach each milestone. She has her own car and cleaning help if she wants it. The baby is being raised in a calm, comfortable home by parents who are not harried, worn out or distressed due to physical exhaustion and a mountain of bills. Avi gives generously to the local kollel, yeshivot and to chesed organizations, indirectly supporting the husbands of the women who rejected him, so that they can learn. Seminaries should paint a realistic view of life as the wife of a learner – both the benefits and the challenges from all the angles – spiritual, emotional and socio-economical. The girls need to be able to assess what the “facts on the ground” are in terms of their parents’ ability to support; their own ability to be self-reliant and independent and their “comfort level” in terms of needing to have “things.” The community also needs to adjust their negative attitude towards earners. Without Zevulin, Yissachar will falter. Young people should be able to make informed choices, without shame or guilt – or regret. Cheryl Kupfer can be reached at email@example.comCheryl Kupfer About the Author: If you don't see your comment after publishing it, refresh the page. Our comments section is intended for meaningful responses and debates in a civilized manner. We ask that you respect the fact that we are a religious Jewish website and avoid inappropriate language at all cost. If you promote any foreign religions, gods or messiahs, lies about Israel, anti-Semitism, or advocate violence (except against terrorists), your permission to comment may be revoked.

Jerome Horwitz Elementary School (from The Adventures of Captain Underpants literary series) was named in honor of Curly's real name. Following Curly's career-ending stroke in 1946, Larry Fine of the Three Stooges insisted that each member of the comedy team give fifty dollars of their weekly salary to support Curly. Curly was an avid dog lover and often brought stray dogs home with him. Curly is interred at Home of Peace Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California (Western Jewish Institute section, row 5, grave 1). Curly stood 5'5" tall - a full inch taller than fellow stooges Moe and Larry. Curly was delivered by Dr. Duffy, the brother of Moe Howard's six-grade school teacher. Curly was the fifth and youngest of the Horwitz sons, weighing eight and a half pounds at birth. On May 6, 1946, Curly suffered a stroke during the filming of his 97th Three Stooges comedy, HalftWits' Holiday. In 1928, Curly landed a job as a comedy musical conductor for the Orville Knapp Band. This was his first stage experience. Curly died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood, California. Curly's second and final child, Janie, was born to his fourth and final wife, Valerie Newman. Curly's first child, Marilyn, was born to his second wife, Elaine Ackerman. Curly's first wife is still a mystery to this day. Since he was envious of Moe's happy marriage life and wanted to get away from his mother. He married in his late teens and because of that his mother broke up the marriage after only five months. As a child Curly had an accident with his pistol. He was playing in his yard and accidentally shot his foot. He was so scared to do surgery that he never got it fixed. Later he developed a limp which he played off on the show with his famous exaggerated walk. On Curly's gravestone there is a Hebrew inscription. It has his full Hebrew name, which reads "Yehudah Lev son of Shelomo Natan the Levite". When Curly was a child, he was nicknamed "Babe" by his brother, Moe Howard. Curly was an accomplished ballroom dancer. After Shemp left to become solo and Curly took his place Moe said to his manager Ted Healy that he would make a great stooge and to become a stooge Ted Healy said he would have to shave off his full head of hair and his mustache. Curly was an extreme dog lover. He would have dogs all over his house and would often bring strays home. That's where his dog acting and barks came from. Curly: I had beautiful wavy hair and a waxed mustache. When I went to see Ted Healy about a job as one of the Stooges, he said, "What can you do?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "I know what you can do. You can shave off your hair to start with." Then later on I had to shave off my poor mustache. I had to shave it off right down to the skin. Curly Howard: Sure it hurts, especially if Moe lands a little low when he slaps me. If it's on the cheek, it's all right. But if he gets me on the jaw then I'm apt to have a headache for hours. Curly: Rrrowf! Rrrowf! (angry). Curly: La-la-la, la-la-la..., (Curly humming).

In the news.yahoo.com this afternoon,is an article in the Christian Science Monitor of how Roland Burris, who is Obama's point man for killing innocents, put an amendment into the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to turn military hospitals into abortionists. It is evil as it is the cause of Planned Parenthood killing machinery and Burris is in their pocket. It is a bad idea for many reasons: 1) when the focus of military hospitals changes from saving lives to killing, the Military will be defeated and the US destroyed. 2) When the "full faith and credit" of the US government via the Defense Budget is turned against the innocents in the womb, then the nation would be morally equivalent to that Herod of the Bible who ordered the killing of all Jewish babies under the age of two trying to kill/annihilate JESUS. 3) Planned Parenthood serves no good purpose. It is an evil as evil as jihad because it is jihad against America. 4) Women in the military have no place there in the first place but some women felt discriminated against by not being allowed to be sent into combat zones. If the Burris amendment is accepted then they will be effectively neutered because the Military will use that killing apparatus against them, and against their unborn children. Women will be reduced to androgynous forms and not real women. Real women have babies. 5) In any endeavour when the goal becomes a divided one split into for instance instead of winning wars the military becomes the budget source/tool for Planned Parenthood, then they lose. When Planned Parenthood becomes the nations' boss then it is all over but finding other nations that will take the prolifers to emigrate. The prolifers will win because the proaborts will all die out. They won't live forever and their evil will die with them. But that takes a few generations and in the meantime the focus/purpose/goal of the military would have been perverted to total evil of killing innocents in the womb as the goals. Remember that the Roman Empire ended soon after the Herod evil reign of terror.And remember that there is no nation yet that has the power to defy The Almighty GOD. And also remember that the Senate is only half the equation. No bill becomes law from one house of Congress. The full/entire Congress has to vote on every bill and there has to be enough votes to defeat it to prevent the long term bureaucrats in the Senate from dominating Congress. Do not be deceived by the purpose of Burris. He was hand-picked by Obama because he is proabort and willing to kill innocents even black babies in the womb for his $$$ and label as a member of Congress and puppet of Obama. Vote Burris out and vote NO to the Burris Amendment on the National Defense Authorization act when it is debated soon, and then voted on. It is evil. Gloria Poole,RN,; 2: 59 PM; 21-July-2010; at my home in Missouri

I've been drowning somewhere in outer space over the last few days. Everything is upside down, there is no gravity, no solid ground, nothing to hold on to. My mind is a million miles of solitude and silence. I try to speak but there is no air. I choke on my thoughts. Out there in the distance, I can see Earth. I see thousands of years pass by in the snap of my fingers. My life began yesterday and will end tomorrow. I want to experience all of the lives. I want to see every sunset, in every country. I want to kiss the mouths of a million different lovers, have ten thousand marriages, raise a billion different children, never have children, never marry. I want to experience hundreds of different careers and try on endless personalities. I want to call the snow-capped peaks of Alaska home, the urban parks of Mexico City, the beaches of Bali, the cafes of Seoul, the alleys of Rio de Janeiro, the valleys of Tanzania. I want to be black, and white, and caramel. I want to be a petty street criminal, a Jewish businessman, a small-town Christian teenager, a Persian grandmother, a little boy who dreams of growing up to be a fireman. I want to be everything, forever. I can't. I can't. I can't and I don't want to choose, and I have to choose, and I'm stuck in the waiting room trying to choose just one life but I'm not a one life kind of person and I don't know if I can force myself to be. I choke on my thoughts. I am lost in space. I was born yesterday, and tomorrow I will be dead.