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Jewish Journal

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January 15, 2010

U.S. journalist’s deportation from Israel stayed

Leave a Comment / Israel /

Israel has stayed the deportation of a Jewish-American journalist working for a Palestinian news agency.

Jared Malsin, the English-language editor of the Palestinian Ma’an news agency, was detained Tuesday afternoon at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport following a vacation in the Czech Republic. He was interrogated for eight hours and was to be deported Thursday morning.

The Tel Aviv District Court stayed the deportation Wednesday night and during a hearing Thursday requested more information on Malsin.

According to Ma’an, interrogation transcripts obtained by the news service show that Malsin was considered a security risk on the basis of his political beliefs, determined by his news stories that criticize the State of Israel. The transcripts also said, according to Ma’an, that security officials believe Malsin “exploited his Jewishness” to gain entry to Israel.

Ma’an, based in Bethlehem, has several radio stations and a television channel in the West Bank. The news agency also runs a Web site in English, Arabic and Hebrew.

U.S. journalist’s deportation from Israel stayed Read More »

Breaking funding stereotypes to meet today’s challenges

Leave a Comment / Opinion /

The computer chip is nearly synonymous with Intel, the world’s leading computer chip manufacturer. Interestingly, this corporate powerhouse came to rely on Israel for its front-line research. As recounted in “Start-Up Nation,” a book by Saul Singer and Daniel Senor, Israeli engineers had new ideas to build a more powerful chip, but their corporate leadership from abroad was reluctant to forego their old ways. The Israeli engineers prevailed and, as a result, Intel pulled even further ahead in their field.

We in the Jewish community can learn a great deal from Intel’s decision to scrap an old process in order to pursue new ways of doing business. This is true across the organizational board: local federations, private foundations and start-up organizations.

Primarily we should recognize that like Intel’s management team, we often project our preconceptions of how things “should be” on new opportunities that arise. As such, the way we stereotype institutions according to labels—“federation” or “foundation” or “start-up”—often leads us to assume both the form they should take in operations as well as their function in the community.

We assume that federations are consensus-driven communal institutions that move cautiously and deliberately without creativity, while private foundations are independent entities, and sometimes eccentric, that act quickly and by fiat, often placing the whims and fancies of their board members ahead of the needs and desires of the community at-large. We see start-ups as small organizations that meet the narrow interests of their members, but lack both the capacity and the desire to address basic communal problems.

A less insidious but equally problematic stereotyping of Jewish organizations also occurs in terms of function. Many believe start-ups should focus on innovation, private foundations on the research and development of new programs, and federations on sustaining whatever good projects the other two create.

The time has come to end this simplistic, unhealthy and unproductive thinking. We must move at once to an “open source” approach to Jewish communal life, one in which opportunity and competence dictate the flow of human and financial resources.

Not all start-ups are innovative and anti-establishment, not all federations lack inspiration and flexibility, and not all foundations operate solo. There are caring, concerned, competent and creative people in every corner of the Jewish communal world; we need to unleash and nurture their talent regardless of the kind of organization in which they work.

Let’s decide what we want to achieve as a community, how best to attain those goals and how to evaluate our efforts, then turn our attention to who and what are best suited for the task at hand—a process we expect could yield some surprising results that prove the current stereotypes very wrong.

And then we must act.

While the past few years have seen an explosion in the number of workshops, seminars and summits about the Jewish future, many of which have generated good recommendations, even the best ideas are of limited utility or benefit until they are put into practice.

The success of any initiative will depend in large part on the ability of the local federations, foundations, synagogues and other Jewish groups to move beyond their traditional roles and work together to engage and inspire the members of their communities in new and effective ways. The early signs are promising, and other communities are watching and learning from these efforts.

To lead to this new flexibility, we should engage in discussions about contemporary Jewish life and our dreams for the future, conversations that focus on function before form and empower organizational stakeholders to figure out what set of institutions could best meet those goals. These conversations should focus on the desired impact and the actions needed to achieve it, avoiding the political trap of pre-determining which type of institution is best for the task at hand.

At the end of the day, what makes the Jewish people special is the content of our message and the values on which it is grounded.

By focusing on the impact new types of computation could have on the personal computer, Intel’s Israeli engineers were able to overcome the inertia of large organizations and their proven business practices. By focusing on the impact we would like the Jewish people to achieve internally and externally, we also may be able to overcome the stereotypes that bind our organizational world and find new ways to function together, working toward common goals.

Sanford R. Cardin is president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation and Schusterman Foundation-Israel. Ariel Beery and Aharon Horwitz are co-founders and directors of the Jerusalem-based PresenTense Group.

Breaking funding stereotypes to meet today’s challenges Read More »

Budapest book fair to recognize Israel

Leave a Comment / Books, United States, Worldwide /

Israel will be the guest of honor at the 17th International Festival of Books in Budapest.

The four-day annual book fair, the biggest literary event in the country, opens April 22 and is being organized by the Association of Hungarian Book Publishers and Distributors.

Renowned Israeli author Amos Oz will be a featured participant and receive the prestigious Budapest Grand Prize. The trade fair will coincide with the publication in Hungarian translation of Oz’s 2007 book “The Rhymes of Life and Death.” 

Hungary was the guest of honor at the 2009 Jerusalem Book Fair in recognition of two decades of cordial diplomatic relations between the two countries that resumed following a prolonged absence ending in the collapse of communist rule in Hungary in 1989.

The Budapest book fair will feature some 300 literary and commercial programs. For the first time, it also will include an international antiquarian book fair.

Budapest book fair to recognize Israel Read More »

Israeli missing in Haiti contacts family

Leave a Comment / Haiti, United States, Worldwide /

An Israeli missing following the earthquake in Haiti is alive and in good condition.

Sharona Elsaieh, the daughter of the late Israeli peace activist Abie Nathan, contacted her family in Israel on Friday, the Jerusalem Post reported. It was the first sign of life from Elsaieh since a massive earthquake shook the Carribean nation on Tuesday, leaving untold thousands dead. Elsaieh, who had been living in Jamaica for several years, was the last known Israeli missing since the quake.

Israeli missing in Haiti contacts family Read More »

Seattle Jewish Federation shooter gets life sentence

Leave a Comment / United States /

The man who shot up the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building in July 2006 was sentenced to life in prison.

One woman died and five were wounded when Naveed Haq attacked the Jewish agency.

In an address to the court during his sentencing Thursday, Haq apologized for the shooting rampage “from the depth of my being,” according to the Seattle Times.

Speaking before a courtroom filled with survivors of the attack and their families, along with the family of the slain victim, Pamela Waechter, Haq blamed the shootings on his poorly treated mental illness, according to reports.

A jury last month found Haq, 34, of Pasco, Wash., guilty on all eight counts against him.

Following nearly two months of testimony, the jury agreed with the prosecution that Haq knew full well what he was doing when he wounded six women, killing one, at the federation building nearly 3 1/2 years ago.

Haq suffers from a mental disorder, and his defense claimed that he could not understand his actions.

A previous jury had deadlocked on the case, precipitating a second trial.

Seattle Jewish Federation shooter gets life sentence Read More »

More on Rav Samet’s Yeshivah in Lod and the Creativity of Talmud Study –by Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Leave a Comment / News /

There are several Torah scholars who derive creative philosophical, psychological, and quite modern thoughts from the Tanach and Midrash.  Among these authors is most notably Aviva Zorenberg, and I think she herself would argue, the Midrash itself.  There are also those commentaries that take the same approach to Agaditah, the narrative sections of the Talmud.  These thinkers include Immanual Levinas, as well as, I would say, the Mahara”l, and many others.  To read these authors is to see all of the great ideas even of the world reflected in our texts and moreover to see ourselves in them. 

Few though have used these methods to delve into the halachic sections of the Talmud.  I think this is because when we approach a halachic section of Talmud our aim usually is not to see ourselves reflected in the sugyah, but more as a scientist; objective, linier, and above all logical.  The approach in the yeshiva in Lod is unique in that in addition of course to the classical study of the rishonim and achronim (earlier and latter commentaries) the Talmud is analyzed with an eye to the psychological, the philosophical, the human and the personal.  In this way one can sense an added level of relevancy in these halchaic sections. 

For instance, in the process of studying the halachic sections of Baba Kammah regarding the required compensation for injury that one who damages another must pay, the much deeper questions of what it means to damage another human was dealt with in depth.  Though I came to the yeshiva only toward the end of their study of this section of Talmud, the first day I attended was actually a field trip related to the sugyah, the halachik section of the Talmud they were learning. 

The yeshiva visited a residential facility for individuals with disabilities to interact with them and to understand from their point of view what it is like to not posses all the physical abilities of the average person.  This was then related back to a central question underlying the halchic sections of this chapter in Baba Kamah.  If one person damages another physically, say by cutting off their hand, they must compensate them monetarily.  Is this truly compensation for lost use or have they inflicted upon another person something that in truth can not be compensated?  Have they taken from them part of their humanness, part of what it means for them to be themselves?  What does it mean then to halachically compensate another for physical damage we have inflicted upon them.

Though in many yeshivot such questions would be seen as beside the point, the object usually being to invent new ideas in a removed intellectual manor,  rather than to be ourselves present to what the Talmud says, I think Talmud studied in this way opens a door to the Talmud and Jewish law changing the way we see ourselves in the world; not just fulfilling the commandment to study torah.  Ironically, as in psychotherapy, Rabbi Samet pointed out, to uncover one’s own discomfort, one’s own personal feelings and the baggage they bring to the Sugyah, enables one actually to be more objective in the end.

More on Rav Samet’s Yeshivah in Lod and the Creativity of Talmud Study –by Rabbi Hyim Shafner Read More »

Picks and Clicks for January 16-22, 2010

Leave a Comment / Picks and Clicks, What's Happening /

SAT | JANUARY 16

(SYMPOSIUM)
The 2010 Scopus Award Gala honoring Frank O. Gehry, with Harvard Law School professor Alan M. Dershowitz as the keynote speaker, is part of the American Friends of the Hebrew University weekend symposium. The dinner is followed on Sunday by Alef 2010, the annual leadership education forum, featuring panel discussions with leading experts in higher education, government and public affairs, and an address by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times film critic. Sat.-Sun. $1,000 and up (Scopus Award Gala), $125 (Alef 2010). Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 843-3100. ” title=”jcafela.com”>jcafela.com.

TUE | JANUARY 19

(CONCERT)
The quirky, innovative trio Habanot Nechama perform in a concert organized by the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles and Golden Land Concerts. The Israeli folk group, made up of three female vocalists, went platinum in Israel with its debut album. 21 and over. Tue. 8 p.m. $10 (tickets sold at the door only). Little Temple, 4519 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 660-4540. ” title=”cjhsla.org”>cjhsla.org.

(POLITICS)
Participants from the first J Street conference in October share their experiences in “The J Street Conference: What Happened in Washington, D.C.?” Panel includes Rabbi Steven Jacobs, a founding leader of J Street; Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council; Elissa Barrett, executive director of Progressive Jewish Alliance; and Michael Several, a Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center congregant. Tue. 7:30 p.m. Free. PJTC, 1434 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena. (626) 798-1161. ” border = 0 vspace = ‘8’ hspace = ‘8’ align = ‘left’>(COMMUNITY)
Matisyahu headlines a communitywide fundraising gala celebrating Jewish togetherness, “A Night of Unity,” organized by Cheston Mizel and Rabbi Yonah Bookstein of JConnectLA and Jewlicious Festivals. Journal columnist David Suissa is being honored with the Jewish Unity Award and the evening features casino gaming, a silent auction, comedy, dinner and drinks. Black-tie optional. Wed. 6:30 p.m. $180 and up. El Rey Theater, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. ” title=”laartshow.com”>laartshow.com. 

(BUSINESS)
The Jewish Free Loan Association is launching the Green Loan Fund, which offers interest-free loans for environmental upgrades to homes and small businesses. Ed Begley Jr., actor and activist, and H. David Nahai, senior adviser to the Clinton Climate Initiative, are the featured speakers. Wed. 6:30 p.m. (reception), 7 p.m. (program). $150. Private home in Brentwood. (323) 761-8830, ext. 111. ” title=”smmoa.org”>smmoa.org.

Picks and Clicks for January 16-22, 2010 Read More »

Letters to the Editor: Airport Security, Mensches, Kaplan, Hitler

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor, Opinion /

Airport Security

Having flown out of Ben-Gurion Airport many times in my life, I have seen the basic difference in security between it and other airports (“LAX TLV,” Jan. 8). And it has nothing to do with money or technology. All other airports’ security measures are meant to keep weapons off of planes, while Ben-Gurion attempts to keep terrorists off of planes. That is why Ben-Gurion is successful.

Michael Stein
Sherman Oaks

Mensches

I have just finished reading this week’s edition of The Jewish Journal (“The Mensch List,” Jan. 8). I enjoy reading The Journal each week, and I must say mazel tov on this most wonderful issue featuring all of the selfless individuals and the good works they do. It must be a monumental task to find the few who will be featured yearly out of all of the deserving in a city as large as Los Angeles. 

I am wondering how it is decided that someone, or an organization, is picked to be featured in the mensch issue. I have not noticed anything in previous issues asking for people to write in and recommend people or organizations who they think might be appropriately included in this issue about mensches. I might have missed it, but I do not remember seeing anything about it.

Boni Gellis
via e-mail

Editor’s note: We do ask for candidates. Send them any time to {encode=”editor@jewishjournal.com” title=”editor@jewishjournal.com”}.

I am honored to have been included in this year’s article on mensches. To be included along with so many other amazing human beings, who do such extraordinary things in our community, is indeed humbling. I was especially proud to see that Alisa Malki was one of the other mensches. When Alisa was in high school in Redlands, she served as president of her USY [United Synagogue Youth] chapter, and I had the privilege of traveling with her on Far West on Wheels during the summer of 2005. She stood out as a special young lady then (a real mensch) and has continued to be a source of pride to the Jewish community of Redlands and beyond.

Merrill Alpert
via e-mail

Consistent Kaplan

What a guy that Marty Kaplan is. Ends the year on a negative note, starts the year on a negative note. Look out for the rest of the year!

Melissa Cohen
via e-mail

I have a good idea for The Journal. Dump Marty Kaplan (who goes on ad nauseum about former conservative politicians who are out of office and not running for anything) and hire a real journalist who can write about and expose the corruption and bad policies of what is going on right now with the politicians who are currently in power and running the country!

John Gable
via e-mail

How Hitler Was Defeated

It is dismaying to read of the hallucinatory fawning by rabbis and others over a fictional and violent movie, including even Eli Roth’s father (“My Son Killed Adolf Hitler,” Dec. 11).

The true story, the real and heart-wrenching epic of sadness, sacrifice, toughness and heroism, took place when the USSR gave 20 million lives in the fight against fascism in World War II.

This is not to diminish the contributions of the other Allied forces — my father, a Jewish kid from Hoboken, was shot down in his B-17 over France and joined the anti-Nazi underground there — but it was the Red Army that saved the world from Hitler.

Eric Brill
Rancho Palos Verdes

Jewish Revenge

I have to totally disagree with Rabbi Sela of Sinai Temple (Letters, Dec. 25). He thinks good revenge would be “capturing Hitler alive and making him attend the bris of every Jewish child born to survivors. Make him go to the weddings, the High Holiday services, every opening of every new synagogue….” Heck, why not have this despot join in the catered parties from Greenblatt’s deli too? No, the best revenge for Hitler would have been to capture him alive and make him attend every single funeral of the millions who perished because of him. That is the proper revenge.

John Gable
via e-mail

Carter Should Retract

Jimmy Carter wants forgiveness from the Jewish people (“Jimmy Carter … I don’t accept his bogus apology!” Jan. 5, Iranian American Jews blog). If he is serious, he must recant and correct. Saying he is sorry for any damage he “may” have caused is not enough. See link below to review list of defamations Carter has been repeating decade after decade. After he has issued “corrections” (if he is clueless he can read “History Upside Down: The Roots of Palestinian Fascism and the Myth of Israeli Aggression” by David Meir-Levi) he needs to support those who tell the truth so they may continue their work after he is gone.

Here is my suggestion; you most likely have others: Carter should invite Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch [PMW] to the Carter Center to make his presentation, which can be called “What the Palestinians tell one another versus what they tell the West.” Carter Center will then make a significant donation to PMW so that PMW can hire an army of people to travel the United States and the rest of the West so all can learn the real reason for the intractable Israel/Palestinian [conflict] — radical Islamic ideology. If Carter objects to a program of the type outlined above, he will neither deserve the forgiveness he seeks nor will he receive it. 

Shirley Lewis
Los Angeles

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1655

Pray for Shalit

We have a Tehillim campaign on the go and wondered whether you could post this letter to your publication or Web site to help attract more Jewish women for this.

We need 1000 Jewish women to join an international Tehillim group to recite Tehillim each Shabbos for Am Yisrael and the peaceful release of Gilad Shalit. It is our prayer that in Shamayim they will recognize the unity and efforts of these 1000 Jewish women and cancel the idea of releasing 1000 Terrorists. We currently need another 912 women to meet our target of 1000. Help us increase goodness in place of its opposite.

Join right now, right here by adding your name to our Tehillim list. You can send your name via the blog post listed below. You can recite just one Tehillim or as many as you can manage.

Read more at: http://leivesther.blogspot.com, or sign up via http://whatoccupationaltherapyis.weebly.com/tehillim-group.html

The Tehillim is recited every Shabbos during daylight hours to accommodate the different time zones. We will continue each Shabbos until we reach 1000 women and then depending on the need /matzav.

We also ask each woman attending to donate U.S. $1 or more via the donate button on the blog. The money collected will go, G-d willing, to purchase a pair of tefillin for a baal teshuvah in need. In this way we are increasing in a mitzvah performed specifically by men as it is our prayer that Gilad Shalit return home safely to fulfill Torah and mitzvot.

Thank you for your kindness,
Shoshanah Shear
via e-mail

Rabbi Weil Comment

I was present at Beth Jacob [Congregation] when Rabbi [Steven] Weil exclaimed, “You call yourself a tzadik? You’re a liar!” (“Orthodox Union Champions Focus on Business Ethics,” Jan. 8). This remark climaxed a crescendo in his sermon, exhorting every individual to conduct business affairs with the same standards as ritual observance. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, directed at the Spinka Rebbe or at any one person.

The Jewish Journal should clearly retract Roberto Loiederman’s misrepresentation.

Jay Braun
Los Angeles

THE JEWISH JOURNAL welcomes letters from all readers. Letters should be no more than 200 words and must include a valid name, address and phone number. Letters sent via e-mail must not contain attachments. We reserve the right to edit all letters. Mail: The Jewish Journal, Letters, 3580 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1510, Los Angeles, CA 90010; e-mail: {encode=”letters@jewishjournal.com” title=”letters@jewishjournal.com”}; or fax: (213) 368-1684.

Letters to the Editor: Airport Security, Mensches, Kaplan, Hitler Read More »