fbpx

GET HOME DELIVERY! CLICK HERE »

ADVERTISE
pick up locations
HOME DELIVERY
donate

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

April 18, 2002

Mixed Message to Bush

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

One message from this week’s rally at the Capitol was clear — solidarity with the State of Israel and its people. Much less clear was the message to the Bush administration.
Signs, speakers and more than 100,000 demonstrators touted support for the U.S. war on terrorism. But few expressed support for Secretary of State Colin Powell’s current mission in the Middle East, his meetings with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and the Bush administration’s call for Israel to end its military incursions into the West Bank.

A handful of U.S. senators and non-Jewish political leaders mentioned the Powell mission. American Jewish and Israeli leaders skirted it.

But while the Jewish leadership tried to stick to positive tones, a State Department official said the lasting image of the rally will be the negative response to the Bush administration’s sole representative, who spoke from the administration’s playbook.

Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense who is considered one of Israel’s staunchest advocates in the administration, was drowned out by chants of “Down with Arafat” and at times, booed when he spoke of an eventual Palestinian state and the death of innocent Palestinians.

“The fact that Paul Wolfowitz is booed for talking about the sufferings of innocent Palestinians, in many ways reinforces the deep divide between many people in government — even those sympathetic to Israel — and the pro-Israel community,” said a State Department official.

But the real question is, what impact, if any, the rally will have on administration policy.

The Bush administration is engaged in a delicate balancing act, trying to walk a fine line between supporting Israel’s position that its offensive in the territories is part of the U.S. global war on terrorism, and asking Israel to withdraw its forces and return to political negotiations with the Palestinians.

Within the administration, the response appears mixed. One State Department official said he did not think the Powell team was about to change course because of the rally.
“Given his immersion in this problem,” the official said of Powell, “I am not sure he is worrying about what tens of thousands of people gathering on a spring day are saying.”
Others in the administration, however, said policy may not change, but the numbers that turned out can’t be ignored. “This is not going to change policy because policy is not based on what’s popular,” said a Bush administration official. But he added, “We hear so much from Jewish leaders. To see that many Jews turn out for this will just speak volumes.”

Mixed Message to Bush Read More »

Israel on Their Minds

Leave a Comment / Community /

For Jews in Los Angeles, the Middle East conflict in recent weeks has reached a frightening intensity. But for local Israelis with family residing in Israel, the emotional stakes have become particularly poignant.

An April 16, the Yom HaZikaron (Israel Remembrance Day) ceremony at North Hollywood’s Adat Ari El synagogue drew more than 1,000 people, a majority of them Israeli Americans. Most, such as Mati Sade and Yehezkl Shalom, came to pay their respects to those who have paid the ultimate price for being Jewish.

“Everybody knows somebody who has been touched by the violence,” said Sade, who has lived in Los Angeles for 11 years and is a volunteer for the Israeli Scouts. Twelve teens, representing local Jewish youth groups, such as the scouts, B’nai Akiva, United Synagogue Youth and the National Council of Synagogue Youth, carried flags up to the stage at the beginning of the two-hour memorial, which included poetry readings, songs by L.A. Shir choir and speeches by local dignitaries, such as Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles President John Fishel, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Consul General of Israel Yuval Rotem. Shimon Erem, who will receive the Distinguished Community Service Award from the Council of Israeli Communities, read off the names of 61 people who died in service to Israel and have families in the Los Angeles area.

Many people in attendance have a connection to soldiers currently in the Israel Defense Force (IDF).

Shahar Gabay, a 26-year-old Israeli Scout leader visiting for three months, has a younger brother in the IDF stationed in Jenin, the scene of recent intensive fighting.

“It’s scary,” said Gabay, who said that he has been calling his parents daily for word about his brother.

Maayan Mcabian, who has been in Los Angeles for 16 years, also has a brother in the army.

“I’ve been getting immediate news from www.ynet.co.il,” she said.

The last few weeks have been particularly emotionally taxing for Mcabian, whose immediate family is still living in Israel. She is thankful that the violence in Israel hasn’t touched her world directly, but she still worries about the uncertainty of it all.

Some at the memorial event expressed their feelings about the political situation. A man who would only identify himself as David, a Haifa native in Los Angeles for 13 years, just returned from visiting family in Israel. He said he approves of the Israeli government’s military retaliation for the recent wave of suicide bombings.

“We’re doing the right thing. We’re attacking them. That’s what we should do,” he said.

“We always share news,” said Eli Lavan, a Los Angeles resident of 15 years, on communicating with his parents, brothers and sisters in Israel. The Even Yehuda native does not have much faith in the Palestinians’ willingness to negotiate an earnest peace.

“I’m very pessimistic,” he said, discussing the most recent mission to Israel.

“It’s kind of hopeless, but when you’re far away, it’s worse,” said Michal Shenizer, who still has friends in the central Israel town she grew up in. Shenizer spent a decade living in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz near Gaza, and she said that recently the area had been shelled with missiles.

“It’s been a very emotional time for me,” said Linda Garcini-Shemesh, who comes from a French family living in Israel. “Everything has changed. As a Jew, I fear for my family in Israel and my family in Paris,” she added, referring to the recent wave of anti-Semitism in France. She came that night “to pay tribute to the people who died, and to gather with other Jews to show that we are all united.”

Los Angeles has been filled with events this month. From rallies, to Holocaust memorials, to film festivals and Independence Day parties, Israelis attending have expressed worry about the situation in Israel. At the April 7 pro-Israel rally in Westwood, two Tel Aviv transplants — film composer Shanon Farber and UCLA student Tali Tadmar — expressed their frustration with the current situation.

“You’ve never seen an Israeli man or woman strap a bomb and blow up innocent people,” Farber said. “Yet the media is still very anti-Israel, even after Sept. 11.”

“We find that there’s no partner for the peace process,” Tadmar said.

“It’s very difficult because I have family and friends there,” said Miri Sayah, another rallygoer in her 20s, who is originally from Netanya. “It’s very sad for me to read about the suicide bombings. I’m very worried.”

The fact that recent L.A. rallies such as this one have been attracting an increasingly high number of supporters didn’t surprise Meirav Eilon Shahar, consul for communications and public affairs at the Los Angeles Israeli consulate.

“We’ve been flooded with phone calls, not all from Jewish people, [asking] what they could do to help. In that respect, I was very happy,” Shahar said.

“Within the Jewish community, overall there is always support for Israel, especially for the people of Israel,” Shahar continued. “When you’re talking about the general population, there is much more understanding of what people are going through, about what terrorism is, and how do you deal with terrorism, even if it’s small things like long lines at the airport because we need our bags checked.”

Israel on Their Minds Read More »

Israeli Folk Dancing: The Phenomenon

Leave a Comment / Community /

They are doing Rachel in Rio, Lamdi Oti in London, Dira 26 in Dimona and Biladaich in Boston. Israeli folk dancing is all the rage, and is possible almost any night of the week here in Los Angeles. And if you happen to be traveling out of town, no need to put your hobby on hold, chances are good you can dance there, too. Israeli folk dance aficionados can find a way to entertain themselves almost anywhere in the world.

Thousands of people, young and old, Jews and gentiles, attend Israeli folk dancing sessions regularly. Its popularity seems to stem from a combination of appealing qualities: from the benefits of exercise to the ability to socialize in a low-pressure environment and for many, a way of connecting to their Jewish or Israeli roots. And at only $6 a session, it is cheaper than a movie, a yoga class or a martini at the local hot spot.

Walking into an Israeli folk dance session can seem intimidating at first. Some dancers look like they have been doing it for years. Even at the beginners’ sessions, the onlookers can make anyone feel self-conscious. But one soon realizes that just like everything else in Judaism, we learn by doing. Once you grasp the basic steps, it is easy to follow. And whoever is standing next to you is usually glad to hold your hand and steer you along.

Pop Israeli music fills the large room. The sweet aroma of perspiration and perfume permeates the air. There are 50 or so people, ranging from high schoolers to seniors, following one another in a circle, some holding hands, others alone, all doing the same steps with varying degrees of competence … or confidence. Small groups of people taking a breather gather, drinking coffee, eating orange slices and kibitzing in Hebrew, English and other tongues.

For many Israelis, folk dancing is a place where they can feel at home, meet with friends and hear music in their language. For many Americans, it’s one way to connect to Judaism.

Cheryl from Agoura Hills has been folk dancing for seven years. Her friend brought her once, and she has been coming ever since. "Why do I come? The culture, the language, the kind of people and the exercise combination. I never came here to meet people," she said.

Yet, Cheryl met her husband, Oren, at Israeli folk dancing. Now that they have two small children, they take turns coming to dance. " I come for the dancing, and to keep a bit of the Jewish tradition alive in my own way. It is my contribution," she said.

"This is a place I come to get in touch with my culture," said Roni, a chiropractor originally from Israel, who finds new clients among fellow dancers. "I originally started coming when I was in school — to get away from the pressures. When I was single, I used to come to meet people. Now I come for fun."

There seems to be some discrepancy as to how many Israeli folk dances actually exist, but according to one Web site (www.rokdim.co.il), there are over 4,000 Israeli dances, with more being created all the time. There are choreographers and instructors who attend dance camps and learning sessions year-round, both to teach their dances and to learn dances from other colleagues. Those who lead sessions back in their hometowns, markidim, act as combination instructor-DJ, teaching new dances during lessons and playing the popular old and new songs during open sessions.

David Dassa and Israel Yakovee are the two principal markidim in Los Angeles. Recently, Yakovee spent three weeks teaching Israeli folk dance in Japan. "There is a tremendous curiosity worldwide," Yakovee said. " Israeli dancing’s popularity is the combination of catchy, easy steps and unusual Middle Eastern music."

On average, Dassa and Yakovee host between 150-200 attendees on their big nights here in Los Angeles. While the largest sessions are held in Israel, Los Angeles and New York are the most popular U.S. cities for folk dancing.

Jacob Giron, 21, is a gifted dancer who got started in Israeli folk dancing at age 15 as a punishment by his mother for bad behavior. She was introduced to dancing by a friend of hers, and thought it would be a good way to keep her son off the streets and out of trouble. And it worked. He fell in love with dancing and teaching others to dance. In fact, he is now leading his own Israeli folk dance session at Arthur Murray Studios, as well as teaching at a Jewish senior center and at a temple Sunday school program — even though he is not Jewish.

Israeli folk dancing has changed significantly over the years. And as trends changed and moved in Israel and elsewhere, Israeli folk dancing changed with them. Originally, folk dancing was done in a circle, holding hands, using a series of simple steps that anyone can do.

Israeli folk dancing was born out the Zionist youth groups and early pioneers just before the creation of the nation and continued as Israel won its statehood as a means to create a cultural form that was uniquely Israeli. It combined and incorporated music and steps from Yemen to Poland that reflected the pluralism and diversity that is Israel. The music usually reflected biblical stories or stories about the land of Israel. The classic Israeli dance "Mayim," or water, refers to one of the key foundations to establishing the state, specifically, developing agriculture — a focus of early Zionist pioneers.

Today, in addition to traditional and not-so-traditional circle dances, it also incorporates couples dances and line dances (think The Hustle). The music is modern pop, both Israeli and from around the globe, particularly worldwide trends like Latin music. One of the most popular line dances in Los Angeles these days is choreographed to Shakira’s pop hit, "Whenever, Wherever."

In the early 1960s, Fred Berk brought Israeli folk dancing to America and other dancers brought it to other parts of the Diaspora. As folk music and culture was popular in the 1960s, it had a setting in which to flourish and it did.

David Katz, a longtime Los Angeles instructor noted, "After the ’67 war, there was an outburst of support, which added to its popularity."

According to Dassa, Israeli folk dance popularity seems to have a political ebb and flow. "It is more popular when Americans feel more positively about Israel," he said. "Americans are starting to get back into it, because they feel they want to be connected and supportive."

Some bemoan the fact that Israeli folk dance has lost some of its roots. They have seen it change from a more pure form that connected people to Israel and Judaism to just another form of dancing to new, trendy music. But even those most skeptical about it accept it as part of the reality. It is a reflection of how Israeli society is changing.

"Israelis are into what is trendy and popular. As Latin music like salsa becomes more popular, the dances have simply caught up with the times. While there is value in preserving the old, progress is inevitable," Katz said.

And just as technology plays a greater role in all our lives, Israeli folk dance has been affected by the high-tech revolution: from the way markidim play music selections from computerized play lists to how new Israeli dances are being learned.

One of the most popular Israeli dances worldwide currently is called "Anigma." And truth be known, how this dance can be characterized as an Israeli folk dance is something of an enigma. It is being danced in Israeli folk dance sessions-circles from New Zealand to Holland to Israel and across the United States. The music is Greek. The choreographer, Roberto Hadonis, is a Spaniard who lives in London and is not Jewish. After Hadonis put a video of his new dance on an Israeli folk dance Web site it took off.

"It is the first Web Israeli dance to catch on using the Internet as its means of dissemination. And it is incredibly popular," Katz said. "Before you knew it, it was being done in all over the world." According to Katz, "It is a phenomenon certainly, but it may not be the way of the future."

But what constitutes an Israeli folk dance today is not simply if it has biblical meaning, traditional steps or Hebrew lyrics to the music. " If a dance, like ‘Anigma’ is accepted by the Israeli dance community as part of its repertoire, then it is," Dassa said.

Israeli Folk Dancing: The Phenomenon Read More »

A Man of Honor

Leave a Comment / Community /

To say that Shimon Erem deserves to receive the Distinguished Community Service Award from the Council of Israeli Community (CIC) for his work on behalf of Israel seems, upon meeting him, like an understatement. This man has not just worked for but literally fought for, lobbied on behalf of and financially supported Israel for more than six decades. One would be hard-pressed to find such a devoted American-born Zionist.

The CIC will present the award at this year’s Israeli Festival on Sunday, April 21, in Encino. Also being honored are entertainer Pini Cohen and festival volunteers Alon Kaspi, Yehuda Hagoel and Gadi Efrat.

Erem was born in Lithuania in 1922, the son of a government official. When he was 1, the family left Lithuania and settled in Germany before moving to then-Palestine in 1925, where Erem later served in the Jewish Brigade of the British Army during World War II.

Toward the end of the war, the brigade was stationed in Northern Italy as peacekeepers. It was then that Erem found out about the Shoah — an incident that would mark his destiny.

"One day I was in an Austrian city called Klagenfurd," he recalled. "It was on a lake, a beautiful place. There were a group of us [from the brigade] there with our Star of David on our sleeves, and suddenly, people approached us and said, ‘We were slave workers in Poland and we are having a party tonight — would you come?’ And we said sure."

At the party, they were approached by a blonde who told them about the gas chambers and death camps; she herself had been saved because she looked gentile. Erem immediately left, and then made a trip to Germany to see the camps for himself. "I said, after that, it is time to start our war."

Erem spent many years as a clandestine Nazi hunter. His undercover work eventually made him a key activist in Israel’s War of Independence, during which he smuggled both arms and refugees into the country. He has continued to fight for Israel in various capacities ever since.

Several people who know him mentioned an incident that they say characterizes this sweet but sharp man.

"I remember he stood up at this one meeting we were attending and said, ‘The first thought I have when I wake up is: How can I help Israel today?’" recalled Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, president of the CIC’s steering committee. "It just made such an impression on all of us."

Since moving to the United States in 1970 with his second wife, Danielle, Erem has spent much of his time acting as a bridge between the Israeli community and what one might call the Los Angeles Jewish establishment. In the 1980s, he was head of the Shalom chapter of B’nai B’rith, a primarily Israeli group. He went on to become president of the West Coast Region of B’nai B’rith. Currently, he serves on the national board of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and he is actively involved with the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational organization addressing the security requirements of the U.S. and Israel and the cooperative-strategic relationship between the two countries.

During the last 10 years, he extended his work to create understanding between American Jews and the U.S. Christian community. Erem said when he first became involved in AIPAC, he was disturbed by the fact that, while the organization was very effective in certain respects in Washington, D.C., he kept hearing from members of Congress that their constituents did not understand why Israel requires American funding.

So Erem became an unofficial ambassador of Israel to the Christian community. His experiences with pastors led him to a rather disconcerting observation: that it is often easier to draw support for Israel from Christians than from Jews. Erem said one of his primary concerns is that the Israeli community has not yet found its place within the Jewish establishment.

"Leaders in the Israeli community need to become leaders in the Jewish community," he said. If Israelis do not become involved, they will not be able to fulfill the obligation of broadening activities as far as Israel is concerned."

Similarly, Erem would like to see more support from the greater Los Angeles community for Israeli events and activities like the Israeli Festival. He said he is particularly disappointed in the lay leadership of Jewish organizations, who send staffers to support the festival or to rallies like the one held April 7 in front of the Federal Building but who do not show up themselves.

"I remember that in every demonstration against the British administration in Palestine, you would see [David] Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, the heads of the Haganah," he said. "I haven’t seen at any demonstration here that kind of leadership from the Jewish community. I know their heart is in the right place and they care, but still I want to see them there."

To see 100 lay leaders of The Jewish Federation and the Valley Alliance show up at the Israeli Festival — that, for a man like Erem, would be reward enough.

A Man of Honor Read More »

Some Talk, Lots of Action

Leave a Comment / Community /

The Council of Israeli Community (CIC), an organization primarily known for planning the annual Israeli Independence Day Festival in Los Angeles, is moving in new directions in the wake of the current Middle East crisis.

According to Vice President Haim Linder, the CIC (originally called the Council of Israeli Organizations) came together in 1996 as one arm of a nonprofit umbrella organization called the Promoting Israel Education and Culture Fund. The group adopted its current title and mission statement on Sept. 10, 2001.

“We got together at Valley Beth Shalom. At noon we went home, knowing we had a new organization, and then we all know what happened the next day,” Linder said.

Working with agencies like The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the CIC has gained a reputation for being able to quickly pull together the manpower and materials for pro-Israel rallies. The organization’s latest activities include a writer’s bureau, which sends e-mail and letters to members with information to help them respond to various media outlets’ coverage of Israel; a speaker’s bureau, and guest lecturers such as Dan Bahat, an archeology professor at Bar-Ilan University and Journal Editor-in-Chief Rob Eshman.

The group strives to make positive connections with people in the media who support Israel, including radio talk show hosts Larry Elder, Sean Hannity and Al Rantell (all of radio station KABC), and to promote Israeli cultural events, such as the Israeli Film Festival (currently taking place through April 25) and the Israel Independence Day Block Party that was held April 17 at UCLA.

In addition to its lobbying efforts, the CIC provides contacts and other support for Israeli immigrants, many of whom need help adjusting to American Jewish life. Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, a physician at Tarzana Medical Center and president of the CIC’s steering committee, says, for example, that Jews in the United States, who move from one city to another, customarily seek out a synagogue in their new area in order to connect with the Jewish community, an act that would never occur to a secular Israeli.

Handelsman said the group not only wants to help immigrant Israelis connect, but is also actively seeking donors among Israelis who have made a success of their lives in Los Angeles.

“We need to get the word out. Each time we organize a showing [rally] at the Federal Building, it costs $3,000 to $4,000 for the advertising, to get security and so on,” he said. “We have found over many years other Jewish groups ask, ‘How come Israelis don’t contribute money? How come they don’t come to events?’

“The answer is simple: they don’t know [about the need or event]. So there is a massive amount that needs to be done for education and for Israelis to learn from other groups how to become a group,” he said

The one area the organization stays away from is partisan politics. Linder points out that the CIC is unusual as a Zionist organization in that it espouses no particular bent regarding how Israel should handle the current crisis.

“We have only one thing in mind and that is supporting Israel with no strings attached,” Linder said. “We have only one country, and we can’t afford to shortchange it. We have to put our agendas aside and pull together.”

In addition to chapters of B’nai B’rith and Hadassah, about 400 families belong to the CIC. Membership costs $20 a year. The council maintains offices in Tarzana that include a meeting room available for use by the community.

For more information, call (818) 342-7241. The CIC e-mail
address is info@cicisrael.com. The CIC
writer’s bureau e-mail address is jointhewriters@cicisrael.com .

Some Talk, Lots of Action Read More »

Paredes Found

Leave a Comment / Community /

Without much fear of contradiction, Mark Paredes observes, "I think I’m the only biracial Mormon representing the state of Israel abroad."

Paredes, a personable bachelor in his early 30s, appointed earlier this year as press attaché at the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, has other claims to distinction.

He speaks seven languages fluently (English, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, French and Portuguese), served as a U.S. foreign service officer in Mexico and Tel Aviv, and studied at Brigham Young University, University of Texas and the Moscow University of Steel and Alloys.

Paredes was born in Bay City, Mich. (otherwise famed as Madonna’s birthplace), the son of a white mother and a black father, though he was raised by a Chilean stepfather. He joined the Mormon Church at age 11, later served as a missionary in southern Italy, and, in line with his religious upbringing, has never had an alcoholic drink, never smoked a cigarette and doesn’t swear.

However, it wasn’t necessarily the latter virtues that convinced Consul General Yuval Rotem to hire Paredes as spokesman and liaison to the African American and Christian communities.

"When I first came to Los Angeles in September 1999, I realized that to promote Israel’s interest in as diversified an area as this city and the southwestern region of the United States, I had to reach out beyond the Jewish community," Rotem says.

The need to add to his staff people with a natural feel for non-Jewish communities struck Rotem when he visited Utah, where the Mormon Church is a key influence, during an initial trip to the states within his jurisdiction.

His first non-Jewish hire was Dr. Lauren Foster, whose roots are in the Mormon Church. Foster was selected as Rotem’s liaison to Utah, on top of her job as the consulate’s director for academic affairs.

Next, Rotem turned his attention to Los Angeles’ Latino community, the largest in the United States, which is playing an increasingly crucial role in California and national politics. He appointed as his community affairs specialist Naomi Rodriguez, a young woman savvy in the ways of Latino culture and politics. One of the fruits of her labor was last month’s yacht cruise, which brought together 100 Latino leaders, and an equal number of their Jewish counterparts, for a casual evening of Jewish and Mexican cuisine, Israeli and Latino music and transethnic networking.

One of the participants was Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who observed, "It’s funny how it took a foreign diplomat to put this together."

Rodriguez is leaving to work for Mayor James Hahn, but Rotem has been so impressed by the effectiveness of her work, that he is already interviewing for her successor.

Paredes got a quick start on his job when he arranged for the consular staff to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the AME Church, the city’s premier black church.

Police Chief Bernard Parks and other top African American officials participated in the event. "We received a terrific welcome, it was unbelievable," Rotem says.

Paredes, who worked in the economic section of the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv between 1994 to 1996, after taking an intensive six-month Hebrew course, may be the only person who can compare the working styles of American and Israeli diplomacy from the inside.

"In the U.S. foreign service, the rules are very clearly defined," he says. "The Israeli service is less hierarchical, more open and has more flexibility."

This flexibility is clearly part of Rotem’s modus operandi. Since his regular budget does not provide for the special community liaisons, he pays their salaries through some judicious local fundraising.

He says his unorthodox initiative has been warmly endorsed by his boss, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and, following his example, the Israeli consulates in Houston and Miami are considering the employment of Latino liaisons. Rotem notes: "I think it reflects Israel’s growing sense of maturity that there is room for non-Jews to represent us."

Paredes Found Read More »

Achrei Mot and Kedoshim

Leave a Comment / Kids & Teens /

Two parshot are read on this Shabbat: Achrei Mot and Kedoshim. The second portion begins with God telling the Israelites: Kedoshim — You shall be holy, for I am holy. What does this mean? It means acting with love and respect to ourselves, to other people and to the world. This week, we remember the Earth when we celebrate Earth Day on April 22. Go to Balboa Park on April 21 for the Whole Earth Fest (after you’ve visited the Israeli Independence Day Festival) and check out all the booths, crafts and activities.

Achrei Mot and Kedoshim Read More »

Your Letters

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor /

Two Wars

Amos Oz’s assertion (“Two Wars; One Just One,” April 12) that “killers make no distinction,” misses the point. Killers often make clear distinctions. Think serial killers, mafia hit men, Nazis and Islamic terrorists hunting Jews and Americans. Oz’s other assertion that by mortgaging the “territories” for peace, Israel would close off one front and therefore be able to focus on the other, is untrue and dangerous. What if Israel cedes with the West Bank and settlements, but terrorists, aided and abetted by the Palestinian governing authority, continue to launch murderous attacks? Israel would have to take back the land. Sound familiar? It is happening right now. Chief Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat was given a chance to govern a nascent Palestinian state, but he threw down the olive branch and fired his pistol. I ask Oz to consider what the state of affairs would be if terrorist Arafat and his goons had spent the last decade building a democratic Palestinian government and vital economy, instead of attempting to destroy Israel. There is only one solution to terror, and that solution is to crush its progenitors.

Noel Anenberg, Encino

Front Cover

The cover of the Jewish Journal from April 12 pictures a young woman holding a sign that reads, “There is no excuse for suicide bombing.” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer announced this week that from now on we will refer to them as “homicide bombers.” It seems so obvious. After all, we all know that “suicide” is, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary: 1) the act or an instance of intentionally killing oneself and 2) the destruction or ruin of one’s own interests. It is the act of a depressed person choosing to end his life. “Homicide” is defined as the killing of a person by another. Homicide bombers are people who intentionally attach bombs to their bodies and then go to the most crowded area that they can to kill as many people as they can. They do so gladly, and their people dance in the streets to celebrate the bombers’ victory. Let’s call these mass murderers what they are.

Yocheved Rosenthal, Los Angeles

Appeal to Clergy

In an article by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (“An Appeal to the Clergy of All Faiths,” April 5), he stated, “We have the same tears and the same fears. The caskets may be draped with different symbols, but the broken hearts of the widow and the forlornness of the orphan are the same.” How dare he say that they are the same. How in the world is dying in a Passover seder the same as blowing yourself up to kill as many people as you possibly can? These terrorist families are not mourning. They are dancing in the streets and are very proud of what their children, cousins, brothers and now sisters are doing. These families are getting up to $25,000 for each of these terrorists. They are making them into heroes. They train them in childhood to do this most horrendous act. That is not the same tears as sitting shiva.

Helayne Amrani, Tarzana

Help From the U.S.

Not being Jewish, I have few ties to Los Angeles’ Jewish activist community, so I’m searching for ways to show my support. I have nothing but admiration and compassion for the people of Israel and feel like they are doing the job that the rest of the world, including the United States seemingly, are hesitating to undertake.

Mike Coulter, West Hollywood

p

It is hypocritical of George Bush to demand that Israel cease its efforts to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure on the West Bank. After Sept. 11, after declaring war on terrorism, after the military campaign in Afghanistan, after stating that he would never negotiate with terrorists, Bush now demands that Israel negotiate with Palestinian terrorists and refuses her the right to protect her citizens from terror.

Everyone should write at least one letter to the White House and one to their local newspaper stating that we support Israel’s campaign against terrorism, and that Israel’s fight against terrorism is America’s fight, too.

Deborah Koken, Costa Mesa

Solidarity Rally

My wife and I were among the thousands at the Federal Building on Sunday, April 7. It was wonderful! It didn’t matter whether we were Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, agnostic, atheist; we were all there just as Jews. Though there were heterosexual Jews; gay and lesbian Jews; Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews; white, black, brown and Asian Jews; old and young Jews; it didn’t matter, because we were there because we were all Jews — Jews who were there to let the world know that a threat to Israel is a threat to us all, no matter who we are as individuals. There was an unbelievable connection between us and everyone felt it.

It is indeed unfortunate that it takes the horrors of a threat to Israel’s existence to cause us to bond — but it did. Perhaps there’s a message there for all of us. Perhaps not. Whatever it is, let’s keep it going.

Stu Bernstein, Santa Monica

p

Last week, I attended the Israel rally at the Federal Building in Westwood. It was an incredible event with people stopping traffic, waving signs and cheering wildly in Hebrew and English. It was exhilarating to see such an outpouring of support for Israel.

But, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the event was the demographics of the participants. The crowd was overwhelmingly Israeli and Sephardic (mostly Iranian), young and old. However, surprisingly, there was a noticeable lack of Ashkenazi Jews. This seemed to be representative of a trend that I personally have witnessed at other Israel events — a small Ashkenazi contingent relative to other Jewish communities.

Los Angeles certainly has a diverse Jewish population, but Ashkenazi Jews still constitute the majority. They are some of the most successful and assimilated Jews in this city and across the United States. Why were there so few at the rally? Where are the Ashkenazi supporters of Israel? Where are the many Jewish celebrities and public citizens, an almost exclusively Ashkenazi club here in Los Angeles, and why have they not articulated any public support for Israel?

If Israel is to survive its most perilous crisis, she will need the vocal support of every single member of the Jewish community.

Jonathan Greenblatt, Santa Monica

p

The Jewish leadership and the Jewish people in America have failed to mobilize in a significant way in support of Israel.

During this weekend, the pro-Palestinian groups in the United States mobilized students, old people, young people, Arabs, left-leaning groups and even some Jews for the most effective weekend demonstration against Israel.

Where is the Jewish leadership? Where are the young Jewish people? Why is it that the pro-Israel Christians are not mobilized by the Jewish leadership? Why are the Jews not as effective as the Muslims and anti-Israel groups in attracting network television?

Is the Jewish leadership in America up to the task? Do the Jews need new and effective leadership?

To my Jewish brothers, sisters and Christian friends, now is the time to mobilize thousands of people to go to the main streets of America and stand for the right of Israel to defend herself from terrorism and stand for the right of Jews to live in peace in their homeland. The safety of Israel is on the line.

Moshe Cirt, Fullerton

Conflict in Israel

We should not be attempting to force Israel to negotiate with the head of a terrorist organization, which through words and deeds is pressing for the destruction of Israel. As we search for, fight and kill terrorists in Afghanistan, and assist other countries, such as the Philippines, in doing the same, how can the United States possibly chide Israel for doing exactly what we’re doing? It’s not right, especially when it looks as though we’re asking Israelis, again, to sacrifice their safety for our geopolitical agenda.

The United States should be urging the Palestinian Arabs to recruit real leaders for Israel to talk to who do not have blood on their hands. Peace is possible, when all parties are sincere in their intentions.

Scott A. Hayman, Northridge

p

I went to Israel to spend Passover with my family despite their plea not to go there. I was asked by many Israelis to describe to the outside world what their lives have been like the past few months.

Despite the tragedy of daily suicide bombings, we celebrated the seder. After reading the haggadah and enjoying a festive dinner, we turned on the television and saw the massacre in Netanya. Celebration turned to sorrow. Entire families were decimated. The scene was a nightmarish sight of total destruction.

Saturday night, my nephews would go over to the safest restaurants. If there were more than four people, they would not go in because the suicide bombers strike Saturday night in crowded restaurants where they can kill many Israelis.

It feels like being in New York on Sept. 11 — everyday. Walking in the street anywhere in Israel is dangerous, a Palestinian might pull out a gun and shoot around. Fear is pervasive and the Israeli people suffer from psychological problems. The government has provided a 24-hour hotline for psychological counseling.

Unemployment is on the rise, the economy is in shambles and tourism is completely dead.

Lilly Gottlieb, Los Angeles

What to Do?

How about an article called “What to Do About Ariel Sharon?” (“What to Do About Arafat?” April 5) Thanks to Sharon, Yasser Arafat is an international hero and Israel is increasingly isolated and despised by the rest of the world. If anybody is leading to the destruction of Israel, it is Mr. Sabra and Shatila himself.

Jonathan Aurthur, Santa Monica

Your Letters Read More »

Young Man on Campus

Leave a Comment / Womans Voice, Worldwide /

Last week I worried in this space that our college students were ill-equipped to defend American Jewry’s pro-Israel position. I asked for a volunteer to explain what’s going on. Luckily, Donald Cohen-Cutler, a UC Davis freshman and an international relations major, stepped up to the plate.

I say "luckily" because events on campus are even worse than I had suspected. Of course, I remember the beginnings of the Jewish-Muslim rift on campus during the first intifada. But I don’t remember blatant insults to Jewish ritual and history. That’s what’s happening now (see story, page 10).

Holocaust Remembrance Day at both UC Berkeley and UC Davis was sabotaged by the anti-Israel rhetoric of the Students for Justice in Palestine; 75 were arrested at Berkeley. Prayers for the Jewish dead were interrupted with shouts and jeers equating the martyrs of the Shoah over 50 years ago to Palestinian bombers. At Davis, the Sacramento Bee reported that among 300 protesters were those who called Jews "Nazis" and referred to Israel as a "racist state."

"It infuriates me to hear these insults," Cohen-Cutler told me. "I couldn’t do nothing."

He could take action. In the hours before the Yom HaShoah protest, Cohen-Cutler gathered 65 students, including many non-Jews, for a candlelighting protest.

Their presence helped restore dignity to the Jewish calendar, whose commemoration of the Holocaust is intended to ensure against future racist wars.

"This is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Millions of people died because of the way they believed. Racist rhetoric from either side is what causes hate," Cohen-Cutler told the Bee.

Since the protest, he and his friend Jesse Friedman of Thousand Oaks have been organizing a new national campus group — Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue — that he characterizes as a "Jewish humanitarian group."

"I’m a liberal supporter of Israel," Cohen-Cutler told me. "But the largest majority of my fellow students are standing silent."

What does a liberal supporter of Israel believe?

Cohen-Cutler was born in 1983, and his politics are shaped by the regrettable shadow of Israel’s incursion into Lebanon and the indictment of then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. To the Hillel activist and Calabasas High School grad, liberal politics today must face the limitations of Ariel Sharon’s military policies, while insisting on Israel’s right to defend itself.

"My group looks at the whole picture. I’m with Israel, but I’m not with the occupation. There is no justice in suicide bombings. At the same time, Israel can’t succeed by stomping on Arab buildings."

Cohen-Cutler explained that Jewish liberal students today are caught in the middle. A popular organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, is blatant in its anti-Israel stance. It includes many Jews.

The opposition takes the form of Campus Republicans or local groups like Aggies for Israel, or, more vehemently, Students for Justice in Israel, which Cohen-Cutler characterizes as too one-sided. To him, neither the left nor right are acceptable.

"We have to stand up without becoming extremists," he told me. "Jews are told to pursue justice, not just for ourselves but for all humanity. We want to help people see that the Jewish community is not full of evil oppressors but with people who fight the evil oppression."

As for his fellow students, they need educating. Justice, Justice will organize rallies and protest bias in the media coverage.

"We need to let the world know that Israel is still under attack and needs to defend herself," he said. "This campus is not apathetic, it just doesn’t know where to go."

Here’s a young man with an answer.

Young Man on Campus Read More »

‘We Knew We Had to Come’

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

It was 90 minutes into the community’s largest public mobilization in 15 years, and Jews from around the country continued to stream toward the U.S. Capitol, clamoring to get into the pro-Israel rally.

Within the Jewish family out on the Capitol lawn — organizers put the number at more than 100,000 — emotions ran high. Criticized by both Israeli officials and the Jewish grass-roots for a perceived lack of visibility, the Jewish communal leadership received an overwhelming response to a rally organized only a week earlier.

It drew Jews of all ages, seemingly from all political and religious stripes, with impressive delegations arriving from the East Coast, Midwest and South.

Some 150 Jews from Toronto even made the sojourn south.

"When I grow up and have kids and tell them about the intifada," said Daniella English, 19, of Toronto, "I can tell them I did everything I could to support Israel. I went to Washington."

There had been talk beforehand about what sort of unified message the rally should send Washington and Jerusalem: support for Israel itself or support for the government of Israel.

But even without the relentless heat — which several demonstrators succumbed to — temperatures were elevated. Indeed, after 19 months of the intifada, a spate of suicide bombings, an Israeli military incursion into the West Bank and the killing of at least 450 Jews, the gathering in Washington seemed almost cathartic for some.

"When I read about the rally, I told my wife, ‘I gotta go; it’ll be good for my soul,’" said Alan Geller of Elmwood Park, N.J.

"And she said, ‘Al, you’re 71. You’re too old.’ But 10 minutes later — she always does this — she says, ‘Al, you’re right. Go.’"

The sentiment was echoed across the Capitol lawn.

"We’ve felt frustrated and helpless in trying to show our support for Israel," said Debby Weinstein of Memphis, Tenn. "We knew we had to come here to take a stand, and to say we’re so proud of the support President Bush and his administration are showing for Israel, and for standing up to the rest of the world."

The thousands of placards on display ran the gamut.

They expressed solidarity with Israel — "Wherever We Are, We Stand With Israel" and "Self-defense Is Not Murder" — to denunciations of Yasser Arafat — "Terrorist Bastard" and "Arafat: How Much More Blood Do You Hunger For?" — and of suicide bombers — "Murderers Not Martyrs" and "Palestinians Danced on 9-11."

Some equated the Israeli and American wars on terrorism and urged Washington to support Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Finish the Job" and "Destroy Arab Terrorism," the posters read.

Many rally participants were in no mood for talk of a "cease-fire" or a "return to negotiations."

Many in the crowd roared their approval when Christian radio commentator Janet Parshall boomed, "We will never give up the Golan; we will never divide Jerusalem. And we will call Yasser Arafat what Yasser Arafat is — a terrorist!" Many in the crowd then booed when Paul Wolfowitz, the U.S. deputy defense secretary, referred to "innocent Palestinian victims" and the "future Palestinian state." A lone placard, stating "We Have Faith in Coexistence," up near the front caused an altercation.

An Israeli at the rally said he was sure the messages of solidarity would be well-received back in the Holy Land. "I’m pretty sure the citizens of Israel will appreciate this; it’s coming from the heart," said Jacob, who lives in New York and asked that his last name not be used. He said he "had to" attend this rally after missing a smaller one in the city two weeks ago. "With the terrorism that Israel is facing every day, the least Jews can do over here is to give up one day to show their support," he said.

‘We Knew We Had to Come’ Read More »