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Jewish Journal

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October 20, 2013

Reawakening Through the Power of Music

Leave a Comment / Blogs, Is Featured?, Lead Story, Mobile, Mobile-Homepage, News, Worldwide /

About a year ago, I stumbled upon a clip from a documentary film called ““>Dr. Oliver Sacks, also got involved with the project.  They all worked together to investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives.

The clip was about a man Henry, who has been in the nursing home for about 10 years, and as Dr. Sacks said, he is inert, maybe depressed, unresponsive and almost unalive, and can’t remember his daughter who frequently visits him.  When given an iPod containing his favorite music, Henry immediately lights up.  His face exudes expression, his eyes open wide, he starts to sing, and rock in his wheelchair and is animated by the music.  When the music was removed from his ears, the affects were lasting.  Henry continued to beam, as he talked about his past, and began singing songs by his favorite musician, Cab Calloway.  The music helped Henry to remember who he is and reawaken him.

Please click { Reawakening Through the Power of Music Read More »

Grow a disability awareness antenna!

Leave a Comment / Blogs /

October is Disability Awareness Month, with a focus on the societal and workforce contributions of people with disabilities.  It was first designated in 1945 by Congress as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week” and then the word “physically” was removed in 1962 to allow for the inclusion of all Americans with disabilities. In 1988, the week was extended to a month and changed its name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.”

As President Obama said in his recent proclamation; “Every day, Americans with disabilities enrich our communities and businesses. They are leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators, each with unique talents to contribute and points of view to express. “

Unfortunately, too often these type of “awareness” months end up being more of an echo chamber than a microphone, as the people who are most impacted by the particular disease or condition talk to each other, usually complaining that no one outside of that inner circle is paying any attention. And the people “outside” may see a poster, read a post or even cry at a moving video, but it doesn’t result in any long-lasting change.

So I’d like to propose that this year, people who haven’t yet been impacted by disability in one way or another take a pledge to grow an “invisible disability antenna” that will be permanently tuned in to the needs of people with different disabilities:

1) Alert the building manager or security guard when an elevator stops working, especially if there’s only one in a building, and ask that it be fixed right away so everyone can continue to access the building. And please, never park in a disabled space, even for a quick dash into Starbucks. Especially if it's a quick dash into Starbucks.

2) If you see a child or adult making odd noises, flapping their hands or spinning in circles, don’t assume the person is misbehaving-this could be a person with autism trying their best to regulate their sensory system. Be kind.

3) When a blind person is walking down the street with their white-tipped cane or service dog, don’t walk as far away as possible and assume the person won’t sense your presence. A warm “hello” and “on your right” would be more appreciated.

4) If a colleague, friend or family member is hearing-impaired, make sure they can see your mouth when you talk, and don’t swivel your head so far away they won’t be able to get the optimal sound level

5) When talking to someone with an intellectual or cognitive impairment, give him or her a chance to respond, even if takes a few more seconds. Slow down , use simple words, and follow their lead.

With your antenna always up and alert to the people around you who have disabilities, you may find yourself experiencing a whole new “buzz” from the incredible diversity and strengths from each and every person you meet.

Grow a disability awareness antenna! Read More »

October 20, 2013

Leave a Comment / Israel, Must Reads /

The US

Headline: Senior officer, NCIS agent are among those arrested in Navy bribery scandal

To Read: RAND’S Linda Robinson sees partnerships with local forces in hostile countries as the future of US counter terrorism-

Most significant, after years of focusing on unilateral drone strikes and raids, U.S. Special Operations forces have regained a critical skill set of working with local populations, as they did in Vietnam, where they raised thousands of civil defenders in the central highlands. This is a highly transferable tool; many troubled countries have vast rural areas where terrorists find ready sanctuary, and lending a helping hand to those who find the courage to fend off attackers is one of the most productive uses of our Special Operations forces. It relieves the United States of the burden of doing so or intervening abruptly in a crisis.

The partnering approach may not be easy, and it does take years to produce results, but it is the most sustainable security solution around. The United States still needs to develop credible means of measuring the effectiveness of this approach, but don’t be surprised if it becomes the future of America’s fight against terrorism.

Quote: “Considering that this work is not yet finished, in our view it is so far premature to talk about any specifics”, the Russian government refers to John Kerry’s US hopes to ship Syrian chemical arms as premature.

Number: 50, the number of Senators who refuse to ratify a treaty which they feel might harm Israel.

 

Israel

Headline: Hamas PM calls for intifada, praises terror attacks

To Read: According to David Weinberg, the late Yitzhak Rabin was actually quite skeptical about the Oslo peace process-

Like the majority of Israelis, then and now, Rabin was willing to take risks and give the peace process a chance. But he remained suspicious of his Palestinian partners, skeptical about the outcome, wary of a full-fledged Palestinian state, and insistent on maintaining defensible borders for Israel.

In fact, Rabin may have been close to calling-off the Oslo process, according his daughter Dalia. Three years ago, she told Yediot Aharonot (October 1, 2010) that “many people who were close to father told me that on the eve of the murder he considered stopping the Oslo process because of the terror that was running rampant in the streets, and because he felt that Yasser Arafat was not delivering on his promises.”  

Quote:  “[I will oppose] any attempt to harm the Supreme Court and the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni vowing to fight a string of legislation proposals aimed at reducing the power of the Supreme court.

Number: 24, the number of young Diaspora Jews who are participating in the Israeli government’s fellows program.

 

The Middle East

Headline: Date set for Geneva peace talks on Syria

To Read: The former UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Israel tries to explain the Saudis' dramatic move last week at the UN-

From a Saudi perspective, the message the West and above all the Americans have sent through their handling of the chemical weapons crisis is that it is has lost the will to get tough (a message which they think will not have been lost on the Iranians); that it lacks consistency (not all that long ago Western spokesmen would say that Assad was toast, and now even Kerry is praising his government for its cooperation with the OPCW inspectors); that it is not concerned about the strategic consequences of the conflict and the risk of refugee flows and other pressures destabilizing Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq; and that it lacks morality. Surely, they would argue, the signal conveyed to Assad is that it is acceptable to shoot protesters, but not to use sarin against them. They remain to be convinced that the West will put in a serious effort to achieve a result at the Geneva II conference now scheduled for late November.

They worry too — inevitably, and ironically like Israel — that Western limpness on the Syrian agenda prefigures a willingness to accept a less than satisfactory deal with Iran, cutting Tehran too much slack in the regional strategic equation.

Quote: “The state of Qatar agrees with the reasons outlined by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to turn down a non-permanent seat on the United National Security council”, the government of Qatar supporting Saudi Arabia’s UN decision.

Number: 30, at least 30 people were killed in a suicide bombing in the outskirts of the Syrian city of Hama.

 

The Jewish World

Headline: Family of first Arab to get Yad Vashem recognition rejects award

To Read: Rabbi Zev Faber writes about the tension between the Torah and the Halakha and about a 12the century debate on the matter between two of Judaism’s greatest commentators-

Is the Torah the source for halacha? The traditional answer would be yes and no. On one hand the Torah is the central document of Judaism, the center from which all else radiates. On the other hand, Rabbinic Judaism has a strong focus on the Oral Law, which often contains details and practices very much at odds with the plain meaning of the Torah legislation. How is a traditional Jew meant to navigate this tension? There is no one answer to this question, which has been debated by rabbinic authorities for millennia. One particular instantiation of this debate is especially telling, both because of the sharp distinction between the two positions and the acrimony of the critique: the debate between Rashbam and Ibn Ezra. 

Quote: “Here's someone with a lot of money. And they're buying a lot of legitimacy”, Tammy Nyden, an expert on Spinoza, sharing her impressions of this curious conference thrown by a rich Jewish Jeweler who claims to have found the answer to everything.   

Number: 100, one hundred years ago Europe’s last major blood label trial- the Beilis trial, took place.

October 20, 2013 Read More »

Swedish Jew Says No to Assimilation, Immigration– and is Seeking Religious Asylum

Leave a Comment / Israel, Worldwide /

Annika Hernroth-Rothstein is a political advisor, writer, and activist in support of Israel. She is from Sweden, and is working to promote “a strong traditional Jewish community” in her native country. In September 2012 she organized the first public pro-Israel demonstration in Sweden in seven years – an event that drew 1500 people. A couple of months ago she wrote an article for Mosaic, on how to survive as a Jew in Sweden (Mosaic ran an important series of articles on the fate of European Jewry). But perhaps survival is proving to be a non-option. With circumcision under attack, Kosher food under attack, and a general sense of insecurity on the rise, the traditional Jew is gradually being outlawed in Sweden.

Last week, Hernroth sent a letter to my JPPI colleague Dov Maimon, our point man on Jewish European affairs. Maimon just recently wrote an important – and disturbing – report on the fate of contemporary European Jewry for JPPI’s annual assessment. “The campaigns to restrict Jewish rites we are observing today”, he wrote, “seem to be part of a wider cultural mega-trend that is not disconnected from the political, economic, and demographic European identity crisis. It is worthwhile considering whether current approaches and strategies utilized by Jewish communities – of winning short-term votes and attaining back-door agreements, but not always engaging with wider developments in public opinion – can protect Jewish practices over the long-term”. The Jerusalem Post was convinced- by Dov's paper, among others – that it is time for Israel to get ready “to absorb thousands of European Jews”. 

Maimon shared Hernroth’s letter with some colleagues, and with her permission I’m now sharing parts of it with our readers. “In my community”, she wrote, “the traditional Jewish community of Stockholm, we discuss the possibility and consequences of Aliyah all the time. The main factor that holds people back is, honestly, the long term cost of relocation from a developed country. At this point, not only is the process almost laughed at for its bureaucracy, but one is also concerned about the downgrade in living – and working conditions”.

She then moves on to discuss the state of Swedish Jewry and what she calls “the horrific situation not only in my country but in Europe as a whole”:

In Sweden, kosher slaughter is outlawed. This, in a country that has one of the most liberal hunting laws in the world (where private slaughter is permitted during hunting) and that also permits halal slaughter. Brit milah is under attack. I personally am (today, actually) handling the 2nd bill in 6 months demanding the outlawing of all circumcision that is not deemed medically necessary and acute. Anti-Semitic attacks are constant. Most not being filed and processed. I have done the research and seen the statistics. It's frightening. The people around me cannot walk the streets being visibly Jewish. The men cannot don kippot until within the synagogue; we are heavily guarded as we enter. At Rosh Hashanah 7 policemen guarded us as we walked to the stream for tashlich, a 5 minute walk in the most well off neighborhood in Stockholm. We are living in a silent terror, and accepting it with bowed heads. However, I cannot accept it any longer.

So I have decided to seek asylum in my own country. I realize how strange it must sound, but in a reality lacking logic it makes perfect sense.

I have read and re-read the terms and basis for seeking asylum in my country, as well as in the European Union. The law states that a person should be granted asylum in Sweden if he or she “has reason to believe that she will be persecuted due to religion, ethnicity, political views and/or sexual orientation and gender.” My plan for action is to seek asylum on the basis of religious persecution. As Jews, we meet these demands.

In another letter I received from Hernroth-Rothstein late last week, she writes that “I do realize the absurdity of what I am writing, what I am asking”. Still, she says, “the situation is beyond absurdity, beyond op-eds and strongly worded letters. This situation calls for action, reaction, and a statement from Swedish Jewry that it refuses to choose between fear and assimilation”.

The JPost, quoting from the survey of European Jewry conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, has the numbers from all over Europe. “In Hungary, 91% of respondents said anti-Semitism has increased in the past five years. That figure was 88% in France, 87% in Belgium and 80% in Sweden. In Germany, Italy and Britain, some 60% identified a growth in anti- Semitism, compared to 39% in Latvia”. This doesn't mean that these Jews will soon immigrate to Israel. “In order to avoid friction with their environment, Jews take various steps – the more practicing Jews relocate in self-segregated neighborhoods, the more idealistic ones make Aliyah, and the most ambitious ones quit Europe for more promising horizons”, wrote Maimon in his recent paper. I guess Hernroth-Rothstein is the exception: she's going all out against her own government, knowing that the chances for success are low, but feeling that fleeing without a fight just isn't the right thing to do.

Swedish Jew Says No to Assimilation, Immigration– and is Seeking Religious Asylum Read More »

Israel Journal – Part I

Leave a Comment / Blogs, Judaism, Mobile Sections, News /

I have just returned from two weeks of meetings in Washington, D.C., Israel and the West Bank.

Immediately before embarking for Israel, I attended the national conference of J Street in Washington, D.C.  J Street is a pro-Israel pro-peace political and educational organization that has for the last five years been a consistent and strong advocate for a two-states for two people’s resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is the fasting growing political action committee in Washington and though many Jews are supporters, it is has garnered the support of Americans who understand the critical importance of a peace resolution of the conflict.

Leading Israeli and American government officials spoke to the nearly 3000 delegates (which included 900 college and university students), along with Palestinian leadership about the challenges and opportunities for a two-state solution. Included among the speakers were Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. John Lewis, US Chief Negotiator Martin Indyk, Israeli Chief Negotiator Tzipi Livni, Likud MK Tzachbi Hanegbi, Israeli Labor opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich, members of the Knesset from the Avodah, Meretz, Likud, Yesh Atid, Shas, and Tenua parties, Israeli human rights activists, and journalists.

Then my wife and I took off for Israel to lead a mission of members of my synagogue community to meet with Israelis on the left and right, settlers, human rights activists, journalists, and members of the Knesset, as well as with Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah and Palestinian business and community leaders in Rawabi. We did not nor would we meet with anyone from Hamas.

Our purpose was to gain deeper understanding of the current attitudes of Israelis and Palestinians towards each other, and to express our American Jewish support for a two-states for two peoples resolution of the conflict.

In the next two or three weeks I will post blog entries on many of the themes that J Street and our mission addressed including:

·       Israeli and Palestinian hopes and fears

·       West Bank Settlements, militant and not-so-militant settlers, and the consequences of Israeli west-bank development

·       The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) Movement and American Jews

·       Palestinian business development in the West Bank and its role in securing a future peace agreement

·       Political asylum seekers in Israel from Sudan and Eretria

·       “Solidarity Sheik Jarrah” and Sara Beninga’s activism in East Jerusalem

·       The struggle for Judaism in the Jewish State

·       The problem in defining a “Jewish State”

·       “Women of the Wall,” the ultra-orthodox and the Sharansky Compromise

All of these issues are complex. The challenge is to make sense of the ideologies, truths and strong emotions on all sides.

One overriding truth is that Israel, the Palestinians and the peoples and nations of the Middle East are inextricably intertwined with each other and that Israel’s destiny as a Jewish democratic state depends on how it resolves the conflict with the Palestinians. 

I do not claim to have answers. What I will attempt to do is shine a light on some of these issues we confronted.

More to come!

Israel Journal – Part I Read More »