December 5, 2016

LOVING Movie Review

Questioning the motives of Iranian Professor Zibakalam

Leave a Comment / Blogs, Culture, Giving / Karmel Melamed

Last month a video showed Iranian Professor Sadegh Zibakalam avoiding stepping on an Israeli flag painted on the floor of the entrance at the Azad University building located in the Iranian city of Mashhad. In the video he also avoided having to tread on the American flag painted on the university floor. The video has set the internet and social media abuzz with excitement as it is uncommon in Iran today to see anyone behave in a manner which is opposite to that of the regime. For those who are unaware, Zibakalam is additionally a political commentator and a popular pundit among the younger generation of Iranians in the country because of his criticism of the Iranian regime’s different policies.

Likewise in a recent follow up online video interview, Zibakalam gave to Aparat.com, an Iran state-sponsored news website, he speaks out against the Iranian regime’s calls for Israel and America destruction. Again his statements have garnered the attention and even praise of some America Jewish publications and Israeli news sites. With the continuous flow of anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and Holocaust denial garbage spewing from the mouths of Iranian leaders, military officials and so-called scholars in Iran every day, Zibakalam’s words are no doubt surprising and refreshing to non-Iranian audiences– especially Ashkenazi Jews living outside of Iran.

Yet as an Iranian American journalist who is fluent in Farsi and has been closely monitoring news or commentary coming from state-run media outlets in Iran, I am honestly not surprised at Zibakalam’s comments or actions pertaining to Israel. I’ve been following his comments and statements for nearly four years and he’s always criticized the Iranian regime’s calls for Israel and America to be destroyed. While I no doubt applaud Zibakalam’s condemnation of the genocidal chants and slogans made by the Iranian regime’s leaders and its supporters against Israel and America, I still seriously question his motives and have doubts about his authenticity in making such comments. Zibakalam’s statements raise major flags for me as far as being genuine because they seem suspect for a number of reasons. By looking at his recent Farsi language interview with the Aparat.com site, things become much clearer about the real Zibakalam. The following are just some of the major reasons why I question Zibakalam’s motives in speaking out against the calls for Israel and America’s destruction:

No repercussions for his controversial statements

My greatest suspicion about Zibakalam is the fact that he has not yet been arrested, torture, imprisoned or executed for repeatedly criticizing the Iranian regime’s leadership including the Supreme Leader who all call for Israel and America’s annihilation every single day of the year. We all know Iran today is a totalitarian dictatorship where average people are arrested, imprisoned, tortured and even execute for making remarks or statements that are deemed against Islam or a “threat to national security” by the Iranian regime’s authorities. On a regular basis we read about journalists, bloggers, political dissidents, filmmakers and others who have even suggested something that was even slightly opposite in view of the Iranian regime, who were all immediately arrested and imprisoned for years by the regime. So my question is why hasn’t Zibakalam been arrested or imprisoned for an extended period of time yet for speaking out against the slogans calling for Israel and America to be destroyed? In my humble opinion I believe the answer to the question is quite simple… Zibakalam is perhaps an agent of the regime or at the very least a sympathetic aid to their effort. For one thing, in his recent Aparat.com interview, he states that he maintains a close friendship with former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a high level cleric in the Iranian regime. Likewise in the interview, Zibakalam also admits that his daughter has married into a prominent clerical family in Iran. It seems as if the Iranian regime will tolerate statements that are not necessarily in line with their views when it is said by someone who is among them and a loyalist at heart. In his recent Aparat.com web interview he is asked by the Iranian journalist why he hasn’t been arrested for making the statements about Israel and America and he replies; “why should they arrest me? I don’t oppose the regime nor do I organize any groups to oppose the regime”. He even goes a step further in the interview and says; “if they (the regime’s authorities) ask me to stop making statements I would do so immediately. They have asked me in the past not to speak to the VOA or BBC programs on the air and I have not done so since then”. Anyone with half a brain should immediately be suspicious of Zibakalam for not being imprisoned or arrested after making the statements he does because in any normal circumstances he would face dire consequences for his comments in opposing the chants for Israel’s destruction.

He’s a regime release valve for public frustrations

Many Americans political pundits and American Ashkenazi Jews in the media have little to zero understanding of the internal situation in Iran today. Today in Iran, the situation for average individuals is very difficult due to the country’s faltering economy and the lack of individual freedoms in their everyday lives. The Iranian regime’s thugs treat the population worse than livestock and pressure them in hundreds of ways as far as their dress, speech, public expression and even usage of social media or the internet. For these reasons the internal situation in Iran is similar to that of a pressure cooker that is constantly boiling and bubbling in turmoil. The regime’s leadership knows very well that if they maintain this heat and pressure on the Iranian society for an extended period of time, then something will eventually blow and people will pour into the streets or even rise up in a movement to remove the Islamic clerics in power. So for their own survival, every once in a while the Iranian regime’s leaders will allow an individual scholar or “moderate politician” to say something controversial that may be in opposition to the state policy so as to indirectly help release the public’s pressure or ease public tensions. Therefore it is my personal belief that Zibakalam serves as one of the few trusted “release valves” for the Iranian regime today. His statements about not calling for America and Israel’s destruction is most likely an indirect attempt by some in the Iranian regime to help release some public tension and pressure from those who are not pleased with the regime’s constant hardline policies and anti-Western propaganda. Zibakalam’s statements about this Israel issue and other issues pertaining to politics in Iran are most likely for internal consumption and essentially a part of the regime’s efforts to indirectly calm the anger or help release built up tension of many in Iranian society.

He’s a great propaganda tool for the Iranian regime

I’ve said it once and I’ll said it a million times more, the Iranian regime’s leadership are masters of propaganda to benefit their image on the world stage! Many of the Iranian regime’s officials and clerics are indeed not stupid and realize they must counter balance or do damage control for the constant anti-Israel or anti-America statements and actions coming out of their country. The regime’s leadership knows very well that Western media outlets are watching and translating their programming or statements. One of the best ways the Iranian regime accomplishes their public relations damage control is again to have an occasional official or “approved scholar” such as Zibakalam to go out in a certain pre-arranged forum or regime approved media outlet and say something that is “friendly” or not critical of America and Israel. This allows the regime’s officials such as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif to appear on U.S. or European news shows and claim that the Iranian regime supposedly allows freedom of speech since individuals like Zibakalam make public comments condemning the calls for Israel and America’s destruction without repercussions. In essence Zibakalam serves as an excellent propaganda tool for the Iranian regime to try to maintain their false image of a “freedom loving and peaceful” regime.

He’s no friend of Israel

In the past and in his recent interview with the Iranian state-run news website, Zibakalam has always been vehemently critical of Israel and Israeli policies in general. On Iranian state run media forums he has frequently voiced strong support for Palestinian groups and their own moves in fighting Israeli “aggression”. His arguments against the Iranian regime’s calls for Israel and America destruction are not based on any particular support of Israel or America or even based on notion of co-existence with these other nations. In his Aparat.com interview, Zibakalam argues that he opposes the chants for Israel and America’s destruction on a pure logical political stance. He argues; “have the Iranian people voted on and approved a referendum calling on the Iranian government to destroy Israel? Have the Iranian people asked their officials in the parliament to destroy Israel? Have Palestinian groups come forward and said we can’t destroy Israel, please destroy Israel for us? Has the Arab League come forward and said to the Iranian government, we are incompetent so please destroy Israel on our behalf?”. Again from my perspective it looks as if Zibakalam’s statements made about Israel were not out of a genuine support for Israel to exist as a state on its own, but merely based on his own neutral political logic. This does not deserve praise or support in any way since it a neutral stance and not necessarily going against the regime’s official position on Israel.

In the end I believe it is a mistake for American Jewish media pundits or publications to place too much hope in Zibakalam as a supposed new voice of moderation in Iran. Just because he has voiced opposition to the Iranian regime’s calls for Israel and America destruction, this does not make him an overnight saint or a new hope for change among Iran’s academics. Again while I applaud Zibakalam for his statements with regards to the U.S. and Israel, I still have serious doubts about his motives in make such statements and doubt his overall authenticity. If indeed Zibakalam is oppose to the Iranian regime’s calls for Israel and America to be destroyed or opposed to the regime’s anti-Semitic or anti-Israel campaigns, then he should come to a public forum or educational forum in the U.S. or Europe and again condemn the regime’s anti-Israel and anti-America rhetoric. If he is indeed genuine in his beliefs that Israel must not be destroyed by Iran, then he should pen opinion articles published in Jewish or Israeli publications clearly and unequivocally making these statements. If and until Zibakalam takes greater steps to show he is truly genuine in his calls for Israel or America not be destroyed, then perhaps I may give his statements greater credibility. Until then I will remain highly skeptical of him and any similar statements made by others associated the Iranian regime or the regime’s state-run media outlets.

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Do Americans truly want sanctions on Israel?

Leave a Comment / Israel, Israel, News, Rosner's Domain, United States / Shmuel Rosner

” target=”_blank”>not a huge fan of Shibley Telhami’s annual survey on American attitudes on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In my view, it raises heavy suspicion of being ideologically driven. Reading last year’s survey I warned my readers to “” target=”_blank”>summary of answers. The questions tell you how the spin is developed and marketed.” I’d urge you to do the same this year (questions ” target=”_blank”>high favorability numbers of Israel in America, this could seem surprising – maybe a sign that Israel does not have as much support as we thought.

So, is that really surprising?

No, it is not.

Let me explain by first reminding you that when Donald Trump was still running for President he promised to be evenhanded in mediating talks between Israel and Palestine, but also vowed to be more supportive of Israel than most of his predecessors. That is to say that in Trump’s eyes – as in most Americans’ eyes – these are not contradictory declarations.

In handling negotiations, a mediator has to be fair – that’s almost obvious, and any other suggestion runs contrary to the basic sense of fairness that most Americans share. So how, then, will the fair mediator come around to supporting Israel? There’s a simple answer to this question: a fair mediator would look at the facts impartially and conclude that Israel has the better argument and that the Palestinians have the lesser argument. A fair mediator, facing such conclusions, would have no choice but to support Israel. Not because he deceitfully leans towards Israel – but rather because he is objective.

The numbers in this poll are useful when we compare questions from previous years to questions from this year. These are often bad questions, but still the fact of a developing trend remains.

Here is an example. The bad, clearly leading question: “One of the issues of tension between the United States and Israel has been its construction of Israeli settlements in the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. These settlements are considered illegal by most of the international community and have been opposed by every U.S. administration, both Republican and Democratic. The Israeli government has continued to build settlements arguing that they have the right to do so, or that these are not obstacles to peace. How do you believe the U.S. should react to new settlements?”

Why the question is lousy: because it leads the interviewee to an almost unavoidable conclusion. If these settlements are illegal, if both Democratic and Republican administrations have opposed them – what would you expect an American to say? 24% say “do nothing.” A minority. 28% say “limit US opposition to words.” 33% say “Impose some economic sanctions” and 13% want even “more serious action.”

Here – you got the headline that this poll was supposed to provide: almost half of Americans want economic sanctions or worse imposed on Israel because of the settlements. I think this is nonsense, but maybe I’m biased too. Moreover, some things cannot be ignored even if you agree with me that the way this question is framed is ridiculous. The most important of these is that the trend is against Israel. In 2014 60% of Americans were for “do nothing” or “use words” and 38% were for sanctions or worth. In 2015 the number of those wanting sanctions increased, and in 2016 it increased once more.

Where does the increase come from? The answer is right there in the poll. There is barely a change in the way Republicans answer this question from 2014 to today, but there is a sharp change in the way Democrats and Independents answer this question from 2014. Among Democrats the “do nothing, use talk” camp decreased 14% in two years, and the “impose sanctions” camp increased by 11%. Among Independents it’s 13% decrease and 12% increase.

As much as I dislike the question – I cannot ignore the trend.

There is a simple way with which American pollsters examine the view of Americans toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They have been doing this for many years, so we have a track record of public opinion. They have been doing this by asking a simple question – whom do you sympathize with, or whom do you support more, Israel or the Palestinians. It must be simple, as most Americans barely know to locate Israel on a map, let alone explain the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

When the simple question is asked, Israel’s position is hardly as grim as it could seem from the new poll. You can ” target=”_blank”>growing political and generational gap concerning Israel-Palestine in America, and this is hardly good news for Israel. The Trump era threatens to make these gaps – like all other gaps – even more pronounced.

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Why planting more trees in Israel is a bad idea right now

Leave a Comment / Opinion / Jewish Journal

Over the past few weeks, more than 1,700 brush fires across Israel have destroyed homes, vehicles and countless irreplaceable personal possessions. As a nation, we have also suffered severe damage to more than 32,000 acres of precious natural resources – woodlands, grasslands and protected parklands, as well as the planted forests and the flora and ground-dwelling fauna that once thrived there.

As the smoke clears, organizations and individuals from across the country and around the world are spearheading campaigns to help hundreds of Israeli families reconstruct their homes, restock their shelves and rebuild their lives. At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the people of Israel would replant the forests that were burned.

“In the place of every tree that was blackened, another 10 green trees will bloom,” he declared.

While the sentiment is beautiful, ecology – the “facts in the ground,” if you will – dictates that the impulsive “plant, baby, plant” ideology commonly promoted by the Israeli government and the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael would only add insult to injury at this critical juncture. Put simply, replanting the forests would do irreversible damage to Israel’s already weakened ecosystem.

Having swapped countless trees for thousands of acres of scorched earth, the affected areas are in a very fragile ecological state. Disrupting it further by initiating tree-planting campaigns would be counterproductive at best. The reason, as explained to me in detail by our top ecologists at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, is twofold.

First, the destructive nature of the tree-planting process itself could do untold damage to the fragile soil. While most people who “donate trees” to Israel maintain the romanticized notion that small teams plant the trees by hand, the reality is that the process has “evolved” to become an industrial-style undertaking. Because so many of the trees and other plants that had been protecting the soil are now gone, the threats of severe soil erosion and runoff due to wind and rain are very serious. Tree-planting staff and vehicles entering the sensitive areas would erode the soil further, leading to unnecessary long-term damage.

Second, forests are capable of rejuvenating naturally, so planting additional trees would be redundant and harmful, with seedlings and saplings competing for nutrients and room to grow. As such, the rehabilitation process must rely on the natural renewal capabilities of the affected region based on the natural seed bank found in the ground itself, not on initiated tree planting.

Knowing all this, you can understand why ecologists from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel are urging the public to allow nature to run its course. It’s clear to us that the only way forward is patience, careful planning and consultation with experts in the field.

Make no mistake: Being patient doesn’t mean sitting idle. We need to simultaneously launch a full-scale ecological survey to see how the affected areas are reacting naturally, and begin the development of “buffer zones” between human living areas and the previously wooded areas.

In the aftermath of forest fires, highly adaptive and “opportunistic” plants like pine trees begin to overwhelm the affected areas. Our biggest challenge is effectively diluting these young seedlings so they won’t develop and create a dense carpet of green cover. If we mobilize teams quickly, we can prevent this and create a less dense and more patchy and diverse vegetation cover. If we allow the pine trees to grow – or support campaigns to plant even more pine trees in the devastated areas – we will do great damage to the natural balance and set the stage for yet another wildfire, due to the species’ repeatedly proven high flammability.

The final stage of the healing process is education. In addition to promoting the information stated above, we must also make the Israeli public understand that the slow and natural regrowth of our Mediterranean shrubland and grassland is not a failure – it is what’s best for the land that we love. Though many well-intentioned Zionists might prefer the image of trees standing tall in a majestic Israeli forest, the truth is that the shrubland ecosystem is a high-value area for biodiversity and must be protected. In addition, Israel sorely needs more open spaces to mitigate its cycle of wildfires.

We can no longer afford to act first and ask questions later. We cannot blindly do whatever feels right without consulting the experts. We must find options that will enrich our biodiversity.

As winter sets in, it may be difficult to see that patience and planning is, in fact, the way forward. But when all the affected areas are green and lush this spring, we will all be happy that we stood our ground.

Jay Shofet is the director of partnerships and development at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the oldest and largest environmental nonprofit organization in Israel. He previously served as the executive director of the Jerusalem-based Green Environment Fund.

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Poll: Donald Trump will be ‘pro-Israel president,’ most Israelis believe

Leave a Comment / Election 2016, Israel / Jewish Journal

Some 83 percent of Israelis believe that President-elect Donald Trump will be a “pro-Israel president,” according to a new poll.

The poll commissioned by the Ruderman Family Foundation also found that 49 percent of Israelis thought that the status of Jews in America would remain the same in the wake of the U.S. election, while 32 percent thought their status would be stronger and 19 percent weaker.

Five hundred Israelis responded to questions about the recent U.S. presidential election and its aftermath for Israel and the Jewish community.

The poll found that 32 percent of Israelis were either slightly concerned or concerned by the increase in anti-Semitic incidents reported in the United States since the election, with 16 percent very concerned and 20 percent not concerned at all.

Some 48 percent of respondents thought there was no chance that efforts by Trump would lead to a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians, with 45 percent saying there was a possible chance. At the same time, 49 percent said there was a possible chance that Trump would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, with 26 percent giving a high chance and 22 percent no chance.

On the Iran nuclear deal, 42 percent said there was no chance that Trump would scrap the deal, with 43 percent saying there was a possible chance. Only 2 percent said there was no doubt that Trump would scrap the deal.

“Our poll of Israelis regarding the new U.S. administration and its impending impact on Israel and American Jewry shows that Israelis are optimistic that President-elect Trump will be a friend of Israel while at the same time they are concerned about the growing incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States and its impact on the American Jewish community,” Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, said in a statement issued Monday.

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Brooklyn mother who lost 7 children in house fire plans to build family center on site

Leave a Comment / United States / Jewish Journal

The Brooklyn mother who lost seven of her children in a house fire said in her first public remarks on the March 2015 tragedy that she wants to build a center for families on the site of her razed home.

“What consoles me most is working on the positive — not lamenting on the negative,” Gayle Sassoon told the New York Post in her first interview since the fire in the Midwood neighborhood.

Sassoon and one daughter, Siporah, 16, escaped by jumping out a window on the second floor.

Sassoon ran into the fire to try to save her children, leading to third degree burns on 45 percent of her body, including her face, which is covered with an elastic medical mask.

The family center she envisions, which has already been designed by an architect, has seven pillars to represent the children that would each bear one of their names and a “magnificent atrium for Siporah,” she told the Post.

In 10 days on GoFundMe, the project has garnered $111,000 in pledges out of a $1 million goal.

Sassoon thanked the public for helping her start to recover from the tragedy.

“I’m just so appreciative for what the world did. The people all held up my family when we were about to crumble,” she told the Post. “I’m so grateful the world got to know who my kids were, even if it was in an unfortunate light.”

Her children killed in the fire, ranging in age from 5 to 16, are buried in Israel, where her husband, Gabriel, lives. Gabriel Sassoon was out of town at a religious conference when the fire consumed the family’s home.

An investigation determined the cause of the fire was a hot plate left on for Shabbat.

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‘Alt-right’ leader Richard Spencer: ‘Heil Trump’ at supremacist event was fun, exuberance

Leave a Comment / United States / Jewish Journal

Richard Spencer, the founder of a right supremacist think tank, said an event in which he shouted “Heil Trump” as participants raised their arms was not threatening but fun.

“I understand why people were offended, but they have to understand the context in which it happened. The context of fun and exuberance,” Spencer told left-wing Israeli daily Haaretz in an interview.

Speakers at the November daylong conference of the National Policy Institute quoted Nazi propaganda and said the media protects Jewish interests. Spencer is considered the founder of the “alt-right,” a far-right movement whose followers traffic variously in white nationalism, anti-immigration sentiment, anti-Semitism and a disdain for “political correctness.”

Spencer told Haaretz in the interview published over the weekend that Jews and minorities have a place in his vision of America as a white country.

All citizens should have the same rights and protections. American citizenship is not up for debate. I’m talking about identity,” he said.

“Donald Trump would be the first step for identity politics for white people in the United States,” he added. “His election was not about conservatism. It was not about the religious right, and it has not been about capitalism or the constitution. Donald Trump is a nationalist, and that is something brand new and it is something to be excited about, because I feel like the tide is turning in the United States.”

Spencer said it is the president-elect’s “business” who has a role in a Trump White House, including the roles of his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner and Jewish billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

He told Haaretz he hoped the U.S. government would stop providing aid to Israel. “Israel is an incredibly wealthy and successful nation-state, it has booming industries. It’s rather odd for the United States to be giving financial aid to a First World country,” he said. He also said that the U.S. should not take sides in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, though it would be “wonderful, obviously,” if the U.S. could broker a deal.

When asked about Israel declaring its capital in Jerusalem, Spencer said: “Wherever Israel wants to declare its capital, I would respect that.”

He reiterated to Haaretz that member of the alt-right “are not neo-Nazis” and that he would not collaborate on events with neo-Nazis. “I don’t know any neo-Nazis that want to work with me, to be honest,” he said.

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A letter to Keith Ellison: How Jews will love you

Leave a Comment / David Suissa, Opinion / David Suissa

Dear Mr. Ellison,

I share many of the concerns expressed by your critics who are opposed to your candidacy to head the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Among other things, your past associations with some nasty anti-Semitic forces, such as the Nation of Islam, and your vote against special Iron Dome funding for Israel, were a major turnoff.

Even the liberal-leaning head of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, came out against you last week after the release of a 2010 audio clip, in which you go on about how a tiny country like Israel can have such an inordinate influence on American foreign policy. Greenblatt called your words “deeply disturbing and disqualifying.”

So, when I put on my pro-Israel hat, my view is that the Democrats can do better. After all, we want Israel to be a bipartisan issue in Congress, so why pick someone with a controversial record on that very issue? Why not have someone who might help us heal the growing rift between the two parties on the hot potato subject of Israel?

But let’s assume, for now, that you will win. What happens then? Can you become an ally in the fight against anti-Semitism? Can you bridge the gaps between the two parties on Israel?

If the past is any guide, the politics will intrude. My comrades on the right will use your victory as further evidence that the Democrats are moving away from their support of Israel, while my friends on the left will get defensive and accuse the right of trying to make Israel a partisan issue. We’ve seen that movie before.

The movie we don’t often see is when the Jewish community puts politics aside for the sake of unity and the common good.

This is where you come in. You can help change the dynamics. You have huge credibility with the people we most need to reach — the multicultural new generation that has been unfairly poisoned on Israel. You can tell them what’s in your heart and what’s in your mind, such as what you said last month:

“I support Israel. And I have long supported a two-state solution and a democratic and secure state for the Jewish people, with a democratic and viable Palestinian state side-by-side in peace and dignity.”

You can also tell them that you are opposed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, which only aims to delegitimize the Jewish state.

But if you want to really endear yourself to the whole community, there’s something else you can do, something more proactive.

In that 2010 audio clip, you seemed to express a grudging admiration and respect for what the Jews and Israel have accomplished. It’s as if you were saying: “Yes, the Jews are powerful, the Jews are successful, the Jews have accomplished a lot, but instead of complaining about it, why don’t we learn from them?”

Am I right in noticing that?

Because if I am, this could be a compelling new trope that would be good for everyone. Some of my Jewish friends may be uncomfortable with that trope, because anything that smacks of stereotypes brings back dark memories. But the way I see it, I’d rather people learn from the Jews and engage with them rather than hate them or boycott them.

It’s the same principle with regard to Israel. You can tell your followers that demonizing and boycotting Israel won’t bring peace, and that the best way to oppose Israel’s policies is to do what the Jews in America have done so well — engage, engage, engage. Work with the system. Get creative, not destructive.

You can also remind your followers of the Jewish people’s indigenous connection to the land of Israel, and that Arab citizens of Israel have more rights and freedoms in the Jewish state than in any Arab country in the Middle East. And if you’re up to it, you can invite the Palestinian leadership to put a peace offer on the table, so we can see how serious they are about making a deal.

Fight anti-Semitism, fight BDS, encourage your followers to engage rather than boycott Israel, and many (if not all) Jews will love you.

David Suissa is president of TRIBE Media Corp./Jewish Journal and can be reached at davids@jewishjournal.com.

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The museum where you can be part of history: York County, PA’s Indian Steps

Leave a Comment / Blogs / Tamar Alexia Fleishman

There’s a gorgeous place along the Susquehanna River in southern Pennsylvania that helps discover what Native American life was like going back 10,000 years. A hundred years ago — in the same era when Teddy Roosevelt was heralding the conservation of antiquities and natural treasures — lawyer and bon vivant John Edward Vandersloot made his own mark on history. Having spent years hunting and fishing in the area, as well as finding native artifacts, Vandersloot built a cabin that became the base of what is now Indian Steps Museum.

Don’t think of this cabin as being a Lincoln Logs structure where you would have gone camping! The architecture is artistic and ornate, with sensuous sculptured columns, carved cornerstones and exquisite stained glass. Inside is housed the treasures discovered onsite, thoughtfully displayed. A winding staircase ends up at a cupola that overlooks the Susquehanna.

The outside grounds are special! A grove of trees opens out onto a stunning river vista. There are hills to climb, picnic tables and an adjacent nature trail. The museum’s “season” runs from mid-spring through Fall. There are loads of events during this period, celebrating Native American culture, nature and music with pow wows, dream catcher making classes, birdwatching, campfires, creek studies, full moon celebrations and live bands.

However, probably the most unique aspect of Indian Steps Museum is their archaeology program where you can help excavate both pre-historic and historic sections. To participate, you have to join the Conservation Society of York County. You’ll receive intense training to help save the precious finds.

You can rent the grounds for your special events, like family reunions and weddings.

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LOVING Movie Review

Questioning the motives of Iranian Professor Zibakalam

Do Americans truly want sanctions on Israel?

Why planting more trees in Israel is a bad idea right now

Poll: Donald Trump will be ‘pro-Israel president,’ most Israelis believe

Brooklyn mother who lost 7 children in house fire plans to build family center on site

‘Alt-right’ leader Richard Spencer: ‘Heil Trump’ at supremacist event was fun, exuberance

A letter to Keith Ellison: How Jews will love you

The museum where you can be part of history: York County, PA’s Indian Steps

Jewish Journal