\”The Jewish Century,\” by Yuri Slezkine. (Princeton University Press, $29.95).
Yuri Slezkine opens this major new book by declaring: \”The modern age is the Jewish age, and the 20th century, in particular, is the Jewish century.\” This assertion may ring bells.
The book is particularly timely, in light of Yasser Arafat\’s death, and new possibilities for hope in the Middle East. Rees writes about individuals, many of whom have not spoken publicly before, and he proves himself a good listener and skillful as a teller of other people\’s stories.
While the Los Angeles mayoral candidates battle over the proposed $11 billion expansion of Los Angeles International Airport, a study completed by the RAND Corp. think- tank on the airport\’s security has gone under the proverbial radar.
In his keynote address at the Orthodox Union West Coast Torah Convention last weekend, Judge Daniel Butler told the crowd of 300 the harrowing tale of the difficult but celebrated life of his son, Mikey.
\”Mikey\’s sign-off line was \’Day by glorious day,\’ said Butler, describing how Mikey spent his truncated life in and out of the hospital, coughing up phlegm in his lungs from cystic fibrosis.
Before he died earlier this year, at age 24, from lung transplant complications, Mikey graduated from Yeshiva University, where he was vice president of the student body. He was also a counselor at Camp HASC (a New York camp for children with special needs), a drummer in a band — and his story inspired hundreds of Orthodox communities across the United States to pray and do good deeds in his merit.
Imagine yourself forgotten, without anyone to protect you. Ruling powers are oppressing you and killing your children. The purported
\”reason\” is economic, but a deep hatred based on mere difference underlies this attempted genocide. Helpless, you cry out. Who, in heaven and on earth, will hear your cries and move to save you? Awaiting relief, what do you do?
Now, imagine that you are privileged — a son or daughter of the ruling class. Your life is comfortable, even luxurious. You witness the sharp contrast between your situation and the suffering of the underclass. They are slated to die, and your cooperation, whether tacit or overt, will help make it happen. What do you do?
Last October, a man called with a complaint. Before I could ask what was the matter, he launched into a tirade about a biased and\n\ninaccurate article. He said he couldn\’t believe a serious newspaper would print such lies. He was so angry, he was this close to canceling his subscription.\n\nI wasn\’t sure which article he was referring to, so I gently asked him to be more specific. He went on to describe a piece I had absolutely no memory of.\n\n\”Are you sure you read this in The Jewish Journal?\”\n\n\”The Journal?\” he said. \”No! This was in The Los Angeles Times.\”\n\n\”The Times?\” I said. \”So why are you calling me?\”\n\n\”Because they won\’t pick up the phone!\”
A few months ago, I scribbled out a Web site, bought a camera, hired a director, raised $42,000 and embarked on a journey across
the United States.
\”I\’m looking for true love,\” I told my father, \”even if she\’s husking corn in Iowa.\”
Any slaughterhouse, whether kosher or nonkosher, is by definition a disconcerting, blood-filled and gruesome place. Torah law, however, is most insistent about not inflicting needless pain on animals and in emphasizing humane treatment of all living creatures.
Progressives of the world, including those in Israel, have a thing about Marwan Barghouti and with good reason: He\’s so cool. He\’s the coolest
Palestinian since Yasser Arafat first turned up in a keffiyeh and Ray Bans.
Journalist Patrick Bishop put it just right recently in England\’s Daily Telegraph, writing Barghouti up as a celebrity revolutionary:
My 90-year-old mother-in-law, who was born in Jerusalem, says that when she was a child no one had heard of red string. It was red ribbon then, and a bit was tied around her wrist after she recuperated from typhus.
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