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Jewish Journal

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September 23, 2009

‘Curb’ — The New Candy Store for Jewish Pride

Leave a Comment / Entertainment, Television /

“You’re not a get together guy. You hate to get together!” Jerry Seinfeld tells former partner Larry David in the third episode of this season’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “I’m being sold something. I don’t know what yet.”

Seinfeld fans will have even more reason to rejoice over the new season of “Curb” — a reunion of the cast of “Seinfeld.”

As “Curb” enters its seventh and potentially final season, David returns to the place that first made him a household name, and he’s bringing Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards with him in a faux “Seinfeld” reunion. The socially inappropriate and still wildly funny David (“Without your health you’re nothing. Some people are nothing even with their health. Like me.”) is still calling other drivers “Schmohocks!” and still scheming in the best tradition of Sgt. Bilko and Jack Benny. Taking on life’s everyday problems in largely improvised and symmetrically plotted episodes, with two disparate ideas converging in each episode to hysterical conclusion, David, who carefully outlines every episode, continues to push the creative envelope, turning every convention on its ear, including Jewish identity.

“Curb” has become the current clubhouse where Jewish comedians meet. The former “master of his domain,” David is the unbridled id of “Seinfeld” and the master of Jewish comedy. From feigning Orthodoxy in order to get his friend Richard Lewis a kidney donation, which harkens back to Seinfeld making out with his rabbi’s-daughter girlfriend during “Schindler’s List,” or a vengeful George mixing lobster into her omelet after a fight, “the formula is the same as ‘Seinfeld,’” David said, “to do awful things that people think about and sympathize with.”

Over the years, the overtly Jewish Larry has contemplated a spouse-authorized 10-year anniversary dalliance with his Orthodox Jewish dry cleaner; feigned Orthodoxy in order to curry favor with someone to get him access to a donor kidney so he does not have to donate his own to pal Richard Lewis; and refused to jump off a stuck ski lift along with his Orthodox seat mate at sundown because she does not want to violate the Sabbath. He also tells Suzie Essman’s Susie Green character, “I’m much more gentile than you” when he gets thrown out of his country club and tries to join a restricted club. A near-death drowning experience causes a spiritual rebirth and results in Larry getting thrown out of synagogue on Yom Kippur for trying to scalp tickets, and when Larry’s best friend/manager Jeff (Jeff Garlin) has a masturbation incident that is respectfully tied to his not wanting to miss the Four Questions at the Passover seder, it is a moment worthy of Philip Roth.

“I’m like every other Jew — there are things I like and things I don’t like and understand about Judaism — I just have the ability to talk about it,” David said. “I don’t think of things to do about Judaism, but if I hear or read a story, I say ‘I have to do something with that.’ The chairlift episode was based on a story I read. And Larry’s almost drowning and spiritual awakening was based on a story I read about something similar happening to Cat Stevens.”

Garlin and Essman play Jeff and Susie Green, Larry’s best friends — and the Jerry and Millie Helper to his twisted Rob Petrie, an alternate universe “Dick Van Dyke Show” that tests all the conventions of sitcoms and comedy.

“I’m very proud of my Jewish heritage,” said Garlin, also the executive producer of the show. “The Four Questions joke comes out of that. We’re not self-loathing in any way. We’re Jewish, and that becomes part of our humor.”

“To say that I use humor to show pride about my religion would be hypocritical, because I’m a nonbeliever and not religious in any way, but I do, however, feel proud to be a part of a long legacy of comedians, many of whom come from Jewish backgrounds,” said Essman, whose four recurring words “f—k you, Larry David” have earned her sitcom icon status.

“New York Jews frequently say things to me about ‘Curb,’ like, ‘I’m sure no one else in the country gets the show but us.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth. The humor in the show is universal, as is most Jewish humor — or all those great Jewish comics wouldn’t have been so popular. Anecdotally, I’ve been told by almost every ethnicity from Africans, Indians, Midwestern WASPs, etc., that they love the show.”

The tradition goes back to the early days of radio and television, where Jewish comedians would offer winks to their Jewish viewers with Yiddishisms and character names. The “Three Stooges” two-reelers were rife with Yiddish words (including “beblach,” which was mentioned a number of times in “You Nutzy Spy” and meant as an expletive, but is actually Yiddish for beans) and sometimes not-so-subtle references, including a huge sign that read: “O’Brien’s Kosher Restaurant.”

Sid Caesar (whose writers included Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart and Woody Allen) and Milton Berle crafted sketches for a broad American audience, but often character names would offer a wink to Jewish viewers. In a parody of the Japanese classic “Ugetsu,” Caesar’s Samurai warrior was named “Shtarka Yamagura.” In a World War II-movie parody, the German nemesis was named “Baron Katvasser.” Similarly, Milton Berle’s sketch comedy had him playing an upper-class Brit preparing for a tennis date with a “Lord Hamantash.”

Brooks and Reiner later created the classic “2,000 Year Old Man,” where Brooks’ old man was interviewed by Reiner about pieces of history:

“Paul Revere, did you know him?”

“Yes. Big anti-Semite. Ran around everywhere on his horse yelling: ‘The Yiddish are coming! The Yiddish are coming!’”

“That was ‘The British are coming!’”

“Really? I never knew. I didn’t even go to his funeral. I have to send a note to his wife.”

Alan King created a persona of the upwardly mobile Jew who moved from apartments in the city to homes in the suburbs. He anachronistically joked: “I could just see those gallant pioneers on Queens Boulevard in their covered wagons with their mink coats hanging out the back, yelling, ‘Onward to the suburbs!’”

Robert Klein and David Steinberg were among the first generation of Jewish comedians who did not change their last names to fit into mainstream America. The product of Second City Comedy troupe, Klein’s early stand-up focused squarely on his Jewish upbringing in the Bronx, where his father thought that everyone was Jewish (“Babe Ruth — Jewish, Joe DiMaggio — Jewish, Franklin Roosevelt — Jewish”), and his college years at Alfred University:

“I had to learn and grow. A little thing I encountered there that I really hadn’t encountered before, uh, anti-Semitism. Well, nothing — it was subtle, nothing you could put your finger on. Subtle to be sure: ‘Hey Jewboy! Where you goin’, Jewboy, High Holy Day?’ You know, just what I needed. I wanted to meet the guy next door in the dormitory. He was decorating his room with a swastika mobile. And I remember a brief phone call home to my parents: ‘Get me the f—k outta here!’”

Steinberg, the son of Orthodox Jews and both Second City- and yeshiva-trained, used Jewish identity as a platform for social critique, including of Jews changing their names. He also created sermonettes, where he came out dressed as a Reform rabbi and poked fun at Judaism in general and the Reform movement in particular:

“We’re going to talk about God, who you may remember from last week’s sermon…. God told Moses to approach the burning bush. ‘Take your shoes from off of your feet for the land that you are standing on is holy land.’ Moses approached the bush and burned his feet. God said ‘Aha, third one today!’ We’re not sure what Moses said, but we’re pretty certain that it’s the first mention of ‘Christ!’ in the Bible.”

Steinberg’s success led him to a regular gig on the “Smothers Brothers’ Comedy Hour” on CBS in the 1960s. The Moses sermonette generated more negative mail than any other show in CBS history. Rather than back down from the pressure, Steinberg, encouraged by Tom Smothers, fanned the creative flames. “I went on the ‘Tonight Show’ and talked about the letters. I said some of them came from Baptists, who wrote, ‘Mr. Steinberg, you shouldn’t make fun of the Jewish people; that’s our job,’ and some came from Reform Jews who wanted to know who Moses was.”

Comedians like Richard Lewis followed, whose angst was a product of his parents — he described coming from the only family that had “a menorah with a dimmer.”

“Seinfeld” had a number of Jewish-themed storylines and subplots, including Jerry going to confession to complain about his dentist converting to Judaism so he could tell Jewish jokes: “Does it offend you as a Jew?” asks the priest. “No,” replies Jerry, “it offends me as a comedian.”

In addition to pushing the creative envelope, “Curb” has also offered a haven for other masters of comedy to strut their stuff: Mel Brooks did an arc parodying the success of “The Producers”; Sacha Baron Cohen played an angel in the fifth-season finale. Shelley Berman has a recurring role as Larry’s father, and the late Bea Arthur played his mother. David Steinberg has directed a number of episodes. And semi-regular Richard Lewis said, “I use my Judaism proudly as a comedian on stage, mostly to boast about the food but also to keep my spiritual and biblical notions locked in my safety deposit box.

“I believe in separation of temple and stage.” 

As Larry David would say: “That’s pretty good — pretty, pretty good!”

Eddy Friedfeld is a film and entertainment journalist and teaches the history of comedy in America at Yale and NYU.

‘Curb’ — The New Candy Store for Jewish Pride Read More »

Heralded Choice to Lead S.F. Federation Makes Quick Exit

Leave a Comment / United States /

Those looking for signs of change in the Jewish community’s largest charitable network had hailed the hiring of Daniel Sokatch to run the Jewish federation in San Francisco. But after serving a little more than a year, Sokatch is departing to become the CEO of the New Israel Fund (NIF).

Few are begrudging Sokatch’s decision. Before taking the federation job, Sokatch was seen as the prototype of a new generation of left-wing Jewish professionals, credited with helping build the Los Angeles-based Progressive Jewish Alliance. The job at the New Israel Fund, which gives out tens of millions of dollars per year to progressive causes in Israel, would seem tailor-made for him.

The question is whether to view Sokatch’s decision to take the NIF job strictly as someone accepting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or also as someone fleeing a bad match.

“Everybody knows that the federated system is in a period in which it is engaged in varying degrees of introspection and re-evaluation,” Sokatch said last week, shortly after his latest move was announced. “In some places it is more explicit than in others, but declining membership and fundraising are indicative of more than economic troubles. We need to rethink the functions behind some of our traditional community organizations.”

Sokatch came to the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties with a broad vision of what San Francisco ultimately could look like, and much of it involved some radical change. He and his staff had rolled out parts of their plan, and some were readily accepted by the community’s elders.

For instance, Sokatch was able to push forward the Catalyst Initiative, which called for using millions of dollars from the federation’s endowment to provide relief during the economic crisis. It also was to address what he called a “deeper demographic crisis” by funding a new service-learning initiative and projects with synagogues to reach out to a new generation.

Yet he encountered resistance on Israel. Sokatch believes in creating a broad tent to discuss and address Israel-related issues that would include more liberal viewpoints than the federation system typically embraces.

Sokatch found himself in the middle of a melee over San Francisco’s Jewish film festival when its organizers decided to screen a film about Rachel Corrie, the pro-Palestinian activist who was killed when she lay down in front of an Israeli bulldozer about to raze Palestinian homes, and invite Corrie’s mother to speak at the event without presenting other viewpoints.

Although it was not Sokatch’s doing, and he publicly criticized the decision to invite only Corrie’s mother to speak (a pro-Israel speaker was added later), the backlash fell squarely on his shoulders.

More recently, Sokatch irked some leaders of the San Francisco community when he agreed to speak at the annual conference of J Street, a year-and-a-half-old organization that has lobbied for U.S pressure on Israel (and the Palestinians) and criticized Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Sokatch insists that he was not nudged out of the federation and that he left the job only because NIF is, and always has been, his dream job. But the fact that San Francisco, which has been known as a federation willing to make radical moves, did not fully embrace him has some very concerned.

Among them is Barry Shrage, the chief executive at the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, who is widely regarded as the federation system’s most successful maverick.

Shrage brought some radical ideas when he assumed the helm of the Boston federation 22 years ago. He wanted the federation to fund synagogues directly to help them become better purveyors of Jewish education and to give money to causes in Israel outside of the auspices of the United Jewish Appeal and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

He pushed through those changes.

The system, Shrage said, is certainly hurt by Sokatch’s departure, as he brought a certain magnetism that many federation leaders lack. But Shrage believes that Sokatch may have left a little too soon.

“In any job, you have to be willing to spend some time going through the tough stuff before you can change things,” Shrage said, noting that it took him two years to really affect change in Boston.

Shrage said he had sleepless nights wondering if he would have a job the next morning.

“I had great lay leaders willing to stand by me,” he said. “I know [Sokatch] had that in San Francisco.”

But Sokatch’s departure, Shrage says, points to a wider problem facing the federation system: It needs to do a better job of attracting the best young candidates for professional leadership positions; it needs to attract more graduates of Jewish professional training programs such as the Wexner Heritage Program.

It is paramount that the system start to recruit these people effectively, Shrage said. As a positive sign, he pointed to the decision by the federation system’s North American body to recruit an outsider and an outside-the-box leader in Jerry Silverman, who took over Sept.1.

“I still believe that federations have the opportunity to raise enormous money and, if they take the opportunity to use it intelligently, it can do great things for the Jewish people,” Shrage said. “But if we maintain the status quo, we are going to waste an opportunity.”

Heralded Choice to Lead S.F. Federation Makes Quick Exit Read More »

Migdal Ohr: The Meaning of Love

Leave a Comment / Israel /

On a hilltop high above the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, Lior Salomon stands in the central courtyard of Migdal Ohr’s sprawling campus and points to the industrial city of Migdal Ha’Emek far below. “Everything you see there now — all the buildings and factories — is new. It was just forests and raw land when the young Rabbi Grossman arrived in 1968,” he says, shading his light blue eyes from the blazing summer sun.

The dusty town of 27,000 inhabitants that is today home to three industrial parks and several prosperous companies was originally an absorption center for all new immigrants to Israel. In the 1950s, those who could not afford to leave were stuck permanently in the makeshift tent town. Slim job opportunities and widespread poverty sent the already struggling population into a deep downward spiral. Violence and drug abuse escalated. When Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman arrived from an Orthodox community in Jerusalem, he found a forsaken city with high crime and little hope.

According to Salomon, a native Australian and the new director of international relations for Migdal Ohr, Grossman chose the most afflicted area of Israel he could find in order to thank God for the miracles he had performed during the Six-Day War. His first order of business in the dilapidated town was to find the synagogue. He soon realized that no synagogue existed and the young people, rather than studying the Torah like they did in his hometown, were in the discotheques drinking and doing drugs instead. Undeterred, he walked right into the clubs and started making friends. This bold move explains why he was nicknamed “the disco rabbi.”

“Everyone thought someone had died when he walked in,” Salomon recounts with a wide smile. Soon Grossman started visiting the parents of those same youths in prison and realized that in order to make a real change, he would have to start educating the children at a younger age. In 1972, he officially established Migdal Ohr, “tower of light,” and opened the first school with just 18 students.

Since then, over 15,000 children have graduated from Migdal Ohr and one of them — a 12-year-old boy who had dropped out of school and was spending his days in the discotheque — went on to become a member of the Knesset. Today, 700 new students a year are accepted into various programs and over 6,500 youths ranging from 3 months to 18 years old attend day care or school on the 60-acre campus. The largest youth village in Israel, the vast majority of the children here are victims of poverty, neglect, abuse and abandonment. Over 3,000 of them — many of whom are either orphans or come from broken homes — live in the dormitories full time.

On the day I arrive, summer vacation is in full swing and most of the older students are on field trips to other parts of Israel. A large renovation project in an adjacent building is creating new classrooms. The construction spreads a fine layer of dust into the humid air. Only the sound of a jackhammer pierces the languid silence.

“It’s a lot noisier around here when all of the children are on campus,” says Salomon as we enter the cool shade of a boy’s dormitory. Three elderly women are folding clean blankets and clothes and piling them neatly onto organized shelves that line the walls. “They’re on field trips to experience new places, but someone still has to clean their clothes,” Salomon explains.

Looking at the massive washing machines, dryers, industrial kitchens and huge dining halls, it’s not difficult to imagine the high-pitched screams and scuffling shoes that thousands of children usually make here.

In addition to the day care centers, schools, health care clinic, recreational areas, synagogue, dining halls, dormitories and family apartments on this campus, the Migdal Ohr organization runs youth centers throughout Israel that provide children in need with a place to go after school and serves them hot meals. They also facilitate soup kitchens that serve 15,000 meals a day, rehabilitation programs in prisons throughout the country and run vocational training programs for adults.

Aside from its sheer size, Migdal Ohr is unique in its far-reaching scope. Upon graduation, the organization provides help for those who wish to enter the army, get married (a new bridal salon on campus provides donated dresses) or enroll in university. Of the 800 full-time staff members, 70 percent of them are alumni. 

“We provide the children here with everything they need, including access to a recording studio, social workers and therapists, hairdressers, dentists, clothing and food, so although the Israeli government gives us between 65 and 70 percent of our $25 million annual budget, the rest comes from private donors,” Salomon explains as we continue our tour. “It’s a constant struggle for us to raise the money we need.”

A group of 2-year-old girls in the day care center are in the middle of an early afternoon meal. Spaghetti sauce covers their faces and hands, but their clothes and the facilities are clean and tidy. Three middle-aged women wearing long skirts and hair coverings quietly ensure that each girl has eaten enough. It’s hard to believe that these precious children who wave to us with bright eyes and sweet smiles were ever the victims of abuse or neglect.

In a nearby building, groups of boys play basketball outside and finish art projects inside classrooms in summer workshops. Most of them are wearing kippahs and tzitzit, but Salomon insists that while all of the children are Jewish and Grossman is Charedi, religion is not forced upon any of them.

Several days later in the Sheraton City Tower hotel just outside of Tel Aviv,  Grossman himself slowly ambles into the lobby followed by an entourage of male groupies. After scads of people rise from various seats around the circular room to shake his hand in greeting, I am finally able to introduce myself.

He smiles and asks if I can wait until after the Mincha prayers for our interview. Before I have a chance to answer, he has been pulled away to another group fervently awaiting his attention. He begins to count the men nearby to see if there are enough for a minyan. After coming up one man short, he agrees to proceed with the interview while his assistant continues the search.

The spitting image of the photographs I saw of him in the administration building at Migdal Ohr except for a change in the color of his beard from black to white, Grossman is instantly recognizable. A long white beard framed with curly payot covers most of his face, and he is wearing the traditional Chasidic dress despite the insufferable heat (a black fur hat, ebony frock and long pants). Yet, despite having the outward appearance of the extremely Orthodox, he is adamant about acceptance. “Orthodox is not in my language,” he says quietly with a strong Yiddish accent. “Every Jew has religion inside. Some of them just didn’t grow up like this.”

For Grossman, labels that occupy many, such as Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Conservative and Reform, are meaningless compared to faith. He believes that every Jew is born with the capability to believe in a higher power — whether they are Russian, Ethiopian, Moroccan or Israeli.

“The secret to my success in this endeavor is love and caring,” he explains carefully after I ask how he unifies such a diverse population of children. “That,” he continues slowly, “is a language that every child speaks.”

Throughout his 37 years as the head of Migdal Ohr, Grossman has received much public recognition. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize, and this year he was named International Humanitarian of the Year by the Caring Institute. “I am going to receive an award alongside Colin Powell in Los Angeles this October,” he interjects proudly, with a beaming smile, before recounting another example of God’s countless miracles. After just a few minutes in his presence, it is obvious that Grossman is fond of storytelling.

In 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, he believes that faith kept 700 Israeli paratroopers safe. Amid the chaos of the sudden outbreak of war, that particular group of soldiers was kept waiting in a hot hangar for 12 days instead of the intended eight hours. Grossman got a phone call from a desperate father in the middle of the night and decided to invite them all to Migdal Ohr for a meal, a hot shower and a change of clothes.

“I spent $70,000 buying them missing equipment too, but that’s another story,” he says, waving a hand through the air to dismiss that minor detail. A big party was organized for them on the campus, with music and food, before they were deployed. As they prepared to leave, Grossman said a blessing with all of them together and asked them to believe that they would all return safely, to have faith in God’s power. “I told them that not a single one would be killed,” he says. In the end, his prediction came true, and all 700 of those paratroopers returned home from Lebanon alive.

“I see God every minute,” Grossman continues before I have a chance to ask another question. Then he stretches out his hand to greet another admirer who has come to say hello. As our interview draws to a close, his assistant informs him that the minyan is complete. Now they can pray. He gives me a knowing smile. For Grossman, God has just performed another small miracle in the hotel lobby.

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Migdal Ohr: The Meaning of Love Read More »

Obama Calls for Final Middle East Status Talks Soon

Leave a Comment / Israel /

President Barack Obama met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. At the meeting, Obama called for “final status” talks on the creation of a Palestinian state, adding that these talks “must begin soon.”

“Success depends on all sides acting with a sense of urgency,” Obama said. It was his strongest insertion of himself yet into the Middle East peace process. (For updates and analysis, visit jewishjournal.com.)

— From wire reports.

Obama Calls for Final Middle East Status Talks Soon Read More »

Ahmadinejad: Military Will ‘Cut Off’ Hands of Enemies

Leave a Comment / United States, Worldwide /

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his army would “cut off” the hands of those who attack his country.

The Iranian president made the threat in an address to the nation Tuesday shortly before leaving for New York and the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

“No power will ever dare to think of launching aggression against Iran. Today, Iran is experienced and powerful,” he said, according to the official Iranian news agency. “Our armed forces are ready to confront the forces of darkness. If anybody wants to shoot a bullet at us from anywhere, we will cut off his hands.”

The remarks come following Ahmadinejad’s statement last Friday that the Holocaust was “a lie.”

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates that Israel had not taken any option off the table when it comes to Iran’s nuclear program, including a military strike on the reactor.

Also Monday, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told Army Radio that he would not rule out a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Israel has the right to defend itself,” Ashkenazi said, “and all options are on the table.”

Ahmadinejad: Military Will ‘Cut Off’ Hands of Enemies Read More »

Saudi Envoy: No Peace Without Israeli Concessions

Leave a Comment / United States, Worldwide /

Saudi Arabia’s U.S. ambassador said his country would not engage in peace talks without major Israeli concessions.

Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, responding to a letter to King Abdullah from U.S. lawmakers, said his government was not interested in “temporary confidence-building measures or gestures,” and that talks would take place only when certain conditions are met.

“Essentially, it centers on Israel ending its occupation of the territories taken in 1967, including Jerusalem, establishing an independent Palestinian state, and providing for a just settlement for Palestinian refugees,” Al-Jubeir wrote. “In exchange, Israel shall receive full recognition, a formal end to the conflict, peace, security and normal relations with all Arab countries.”

Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and Ed Royce (R-Orange) had organized a letter in July to Abdullah urging him to “assert a strong leadership role … with a dramatic gesture” toward Israel like those made by Egypt and Jordan, which resulted in diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. At least 100 U.S. Congressmen signed on to the letter.

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Rosh Hashanah Rain Sets Record

Leave a Comment / Israel /

Rosh Hashanah storms set a September rain record in Israel.

Some 2.8 inches fell in the Golan Heights Sunday, and about 1.5 inches fell on Israel’s North, according to the Israel Water Authority. The rain continued on Monday in several areas of the country, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The amount of rain that fell Sunday is equal to the average total amount for September and October, according to reports. Israel typically sees little rain in September; the heavy rains begin in mid-October.

The rain comes after five years of severe drought. Forecasters, who have predicted a 25 percent increase in rainfall over last year, are concerned about what effect this year’s El Nino in the Pacific Ocean will have on rainfall in Israel. They say it could bring much rain to the region or cause an even more severe drought.

Rosh Hashanah Rain Sets Record Read More »

Israel Dismantles Dozens of West Bank Roadblocks

Leave a Comment / Israel /

The Israeli army began dismantling 100 roadblocks in the West Bank.

The dirt mound obstacles that block the entrances to Palestinian villages throughout the West Bank were set up during the Second Intifada to make it impossible for Palestinians to travel directly from village to village. They are found as well on some main roads in the West Bank used by both Palestinians and Israelis.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the roadblocks’ removal to improve the quality of life for Palestinians in the West Bank, according to an Israeli army spokesman.

Their removal should be complete in time for Sunday’s Muslim Id al-Fitr holiday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

“The decision is a continuation of the government policy to improve the economic situation in the region while maintaining the operational flexibility of the Israel Defense Force and security forces,” the IDF spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the army imposed a general closure on the West Bank from Thursday night until Sunday night, the end of Rosh Hashanah. Crossings into Israel will be opened for humanitarian or medical reasons.

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L.A. Rabbis Join Fast for Gaza

Leave a Comment / Community /

The three Los Angeles rabbis were on a sunrise-to-sunset fast, even though Yom Kippur was still 11 days away. And so were rabbis and some congregants in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

By fasting on the third Thursday of every month, the small, scattered groups are trying to shake the conscience of the American Jewish community about what they see as the inhuman blockade by Israel of Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“The blockade is an act of collective punishment, denying the entire population of Gaza with necessary food, medicine, fuel and other basic necessities. How can we (rabbis, Jews, human beings) be silent?”

Thus declares a statement from the recently founded Jewish Fast for Gaza, or, in Hebrew, Ta’anit Tzedek (Fast for Justice).

“In biblical times, religious leaders called for a public fast in times of crises, such as war or drought. What we are facing now is an intense moral crisis,” said Rabbi Brian Walt of West Tisbury, Mass., a Jewish Fast organizer.

With his co-founder, Rabbi Brant Rosen of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill., Walt issued a call in late June for a national minyan of rabbis to go public in their opposition to the Gaza blockade.

Among the first to respond were three Los Angeles Reform rabbis, Leonard Beerman of Leo Baeck Temple, Haim Beliak of Beth Shalom of Whittier, and Steven B. Jacobs of Temple Kol Tikvah, Woodland Hills.

All three are veteran activists in civil rights, peace and numerous liberal causes, and are used to being the voices of a small minority within the Jewish community.

The most recent Jewish Fast for Gaza fell on Sept. 15, and the three rabbis had issued a community appeal to join a one-hour vigil at the Workmen’s Circle building.

When a reporter arrived at the appointed hour, only the three rabbis and two Workmen’s Circle officials were on hand. The hosts blamed the lack of attendance on the late invitation and the priority of their rabbinical colleagues in preparing for the following day’s Rosh Hashanah services.

Another reason, Beliak proposed, is that most rabbis are well to the left of their shul members, but “are afraid of tangling with their congregations,” he said.

Be that as it may, according to Rosen, 71 American rabbis and a sprinkling from other countries, and 600-700 other supporters, including 36 Christian and seven Muslim members of the clergy, are supporters of Jewish Fast for Gaza and of its main platform planks: immediate lifting of the Gaza blockade and humanitarian aid to its 1.5 million residents; negotiations without pre-conditions with all relevant Palestinian parties, including Hamas; and that all nations should work toward a just settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The lack of public support at this stage does not discourage the three L.A. rabbis, who are used to making lonely stands for hot-button issues that later may draw wide public support.

One rabbi recalled participating in a silent vigil to protest the Vietnam War in 1966, which drew six participants. At the next meeting, 12 showed up, until eventually the anti-war protests coalesced into a national movement.

Jacobs emphasized that his group in no way condones Hamas-directed missiles launched against Sderot and other civilian targets, but that the “collective punishment” inflicted on Gaza residents went beyond human decency and violated Jewish ethical tradition.

Such leading Israeli writers as Amos Oz and A.B. Yehoshua, who initially supported the Gaza retaliation, have now reversed their stands, Beerman said, but in general, he added, “I don’t look to Israel for moral leadership.”

The day of the September fast coincided with the release of the United Nations-commissioned Goldstone Report on last winter’s three-week fighting in Gaza. It accused both Israel and Hamas of numerous war crimes and human rights violations, but saved its strongest denunciations for the Israeli army.

Rosen described the report as “devastating,” adding, “the response by Israel and American Jewish organizations has been to attack the messenger. I find that profoundly sad, and I am ashamed as a Jew.”

That sadness also pervaded the remarks of the three L.A. rabbis as they traced the perceived moral decline of Israel in recent years.

Beliak, who served as a volunteer in Israel’s 1967 war and lived there for five years, said, “The old Israel doesn’t exist any more,” and he blamed American Jews for their failure to live up to the concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and the biblical injunction of “Justice, justice shalt thou pursue.”

Reform congregations, traditionally known for social activism, still conduct social justice projects, but generally shy away from dealing with controversial issues, Beerman said.

Jacobs concluded on a slight note of hope. “What we are doing here, now, can lead to a raised consciousness among American Jews,” he said. “Not all is lost.”

The next fast day is scheduled for Oct. 15. For information, visit L.A. Rabbis Join Fast for Gaza Read More »