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Jewish Journal

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January 30, 2017

Make America just (again)

Leave a Comment / Opinion /

At the height of the escape from Egypt, the Israelites are encamped on the banks of the Reed Sea and the Egyptians are bearing down on them. The Israelites and Moses are crying out to God. In a surprising twist God answers Moses: “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward!” Rabbi Eliezer expands God’s words thus: “The Holy One of Blessing said to Moses: ‘Moses, my children are in trouble! The sea is closing in on them, and the enemy is chasing them, and you are standing and praying?!!’”

There is a time for prayer and a time for action. We are now in a time that demands action.

Donald Trump has made immigration, refugees, and immigrants a target since the beginning of his candidacy. He now seems to be fulfilling his promises to build a wall (which the American taxpayer and not Mexico will end up paying for); deny entry to refugees based on their religious belief; establish a belief and values test for entry; empower local police to act as immigration and deportation agents; renew and expand contracts with private prisons to imprison immigrants without trial or representation for the sole “crime” of being undocumented.

This is all inimical to Jewish tradition and American values.

The great 12th century philosopher and jurist, Moses Maimonides, OBM, taught that the commandment to not return a runaway slave to his master (“You shall not turn over to his master a slave who seeks refuge with you from his master. He shall live with you in any place he may choose among the settlements in your midst, wherever he pleases; you must not ill-treat him.” (Deut. 23:16)) is given to “makes us protect and defend those who seek our protection and not deliver them over to those from whom they have fled. It is not even enough to protect those who seek your protection, for you are under another obligation toward him: you must consider his interest, be beneficent toward him, and not pain his heart by speech.” Maimonides further taught that this law is imposed upon us in regard to all who seek refuge regardless of their relative status in society. (Guide for the Perplexed III:39)

While the history of the United States is spotty at best in regard to welcoming strangers, and giving comfort to the weak—Native Americans were subjected to genocidal treatment; Africans were brought to this country by force as chattel to produce wealth for their masters and die—the ideals of the country give hope for its perfectibility. The preamble of the Constitution sets out as its task the creation of a more perfect Union—that is, the admission that the current Union is not perfect but perfectible. The first way that this more perfect Union might be established is by establishing Justice. Justice might reasonably be defined in line with the Declaration of Independence as: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” When one group is discriminated against systemically, by denying them entry to the country or by denying them the privileges of citizenship once they are in the country, the country is no longer pursuing justice. To quote Martin Luther King “America has defaulted on this promissory note [which guarantees these unalienable rights].” However we must with King “refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.”

In order to walk in the way of righteousness and prove that the bank of justice is not bankrupt, the Jewish community must stand with all right-minded communities to

– Support the creation of “Sanctuary Cities” across the country which will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the involuntary deportation of undocumented residents;

– Urge cities and states to set aside resources which will guarantee access to counsel to insure due process for all those involved in deportation proceedings;

– Support the permanent extension of DACA until such time as a path to citizenship is created;

– Support a broad immigration reform which would allow eleven million undocumented residents of this country a path to becoming US citizens;

– Oppose the creation of a deportation force, or the channeling of extra funds to ICE or the Border Patrol so that they act as a deportation force;

– Support the closing of detention centers where immigrants are held in prison-like conditions despite the fact that they are not charged with any crime;

– Oppose the use of private prisons in general and specifically for incarcerating undocumented immigrants.

We have entered upon dark times, but we cannot despair. We must act justly and then “God will cause your vindication to shine forth like the light, the justice of your case, like the noonday sun.” (Psalms 37:6) This is how we make America great.

Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Cohen is Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the American Jewish University and Rabbi in Residence at Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice.

Make America just (again) Read More »

Waterboarding Washington

Leave a Comment / Marty Kaplan, Opinion /

President Trump feels waterboarding works.

If you knew what he knew, wouldn’t you? He heard Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham say torture works with his own ears. He said it on Twitter, which means it must be true. Defense Secretary James Mattis said he’d do better with a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers, but, hey, if the president feels something, it can’t be wrong. “I happen to feel,” Trump said yet again last week, “that it does work.”

The problem with torture is that people will say anything to make it stop. If you’re afraid you’re going to die, you don’t care what’s true, you just care about surviving. There is abundant evidence of this behavior in Washington, where the fear of political death also makes people say anything.

Consider Team Trump. Only electoral torture — the threat of losing power — can account for the readiness of the White House and the Republican Congress to say anything, to act as though the infotainment freak show posing as our government were perfectly normal, to pretend that having a megalomaniac in charge of our nuclear arsenal isn’t the kind of emergency the 25th Amendment anticipates.

At one end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer give no hint onstage of what they know full well backstage, that the man they serve is a total disaster no longer waiting to happen. A million phantom inaugural attendees; 3 million imaginary illegal voters; the theft of health insurance from more than 20 million people; an animus toward Mexico that will steal billions from working Americans; a Muslim ban that reads right off ISIS’ script — what fresh hell will their boss serve up for them to defend next? A de facto abortion ban? Looser libel laws to make the media, as Steve Bannon barked, “keep its mouth shut”? A sweetheart deal with Putin on sanctions?

At the other end of the avenue, the game faces that Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan wear hide their daily humiliation of humoring a tempestuous toddler; conceal their fear that their party is one golden shower away from disgrace and oblivion; and mask their terror that their country is one dirty bomb away from martial law. The last best hope of the Republican leadership is an impeachment they couldn’t be blamed for invoking, and a Pence presidency that would do the Tea Party proud.

Trump’s behavior checks all the symptoms on the malignant narcissism tick list: sadism, aggressiveness, paranoia, hypomania, grandiosity, lack of impulse control, lack of empathy, you name it. His disorder is hiding in plain sight. Here’s an excerpt from his interview last week with ABC’s David Muir:

“That [CIA] speech was a home run. … I got a standing ovation. In fact, they said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl and they said it was equal. I got a standing ovation. It lasted for a long period of time. … That speech was a total home run. They loved it. … People loved it. They loved it. They gave me a standing ovation for a long period of time. They never even sat down, most of them, during the speech. There was love in the room. You and other networks covered it very inaccurately. … [T]urn on Fox and see how it was covered. And see how people respond to that speech. That speech was a good speech. And you and a couple of other networks tried to downplay that speech. And it was very, very unfortunate that you did. The people of the CIA loved the speech.”

It goes on.

This is scary. This is not how a president talks. It’s not even how a normal person talks. But it explains how Trump’s courtiers talk. Like the denizens of Wonderland, they fear the Red Queen, who “had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. ‘Off with his head!’ ” The Red Queen, Trump’s doppelganger, is the mother of all narcissists, the waterboarder in chief. So, to save themselves from political execution, Trump’s enablers, like the playing cards who paint the white roses red, confect “alternative facts.” Like Humpty Dumpty, who makes words mean what he chooses, Bannon calls a free press that speaks truth to power “the opposition party.” It’s not. That’s their job.

In his first news conference as president, Trump said that even though waterboarding “does work,” he’ll defer to his defense secretary’s opposition. “He will override. I’m giving him that power.” Here’s some wishful thinking: If Mattis can get Trump to observe the Geneva Convention on torture, maybe he can get him to observe the Paris Agreement on climate change, too.

Or even — I can dream, can’t I? — to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

MARTY KAPLAN holds the Norman Lear chair at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Reach him at martyk@jewishjournal.com.

Waterboarding Washington Read More »

Dems blast Bibi’s U.S. border tweet

Leave a Comment / United States /

Amidst the highly charged US political debate over the construction of a wall on the Mexican border, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a provocative Tweet on Saturday. “President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea.”

The backlash began with a reply on Twitter from the most recent U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro who wrote “PM @netanyahu‘s top aide’s told me a key goal in Trump’s era was keeping bipartisan support for Israel. Now this?” Shapiro also suggested another possibility. “Unless this endorsement is Trump’s demand of Netanyahu for something Netanyahu wants, the quid pro quo.” Shapiro added, “To me, it looks like Trump is already squeezing Netanyahu hard.”

Many Jewish Democrats — who are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel — expressed concern about Netanyahu’s statement. “The completely unnecessary tweet by the Prime Minister on such a divisive issue that has nothing to do with Israel serves no useful purpose and alienates key constituencies from whom we need support,” Alan Solow, former Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Organizations, told Jewish Insider.  “This tweet also damages our ability to build coalitions to fight against the BDS movement,” he added.

Mark Mellman, President of the Mellman Group and a renowned campaign strategist, offered a similar perspective. According to Mellman, “There are only two possible explanations for that Tweet: One is Netanyahu’s pursuing a purposeful strategy designed to alienate as many Democrats and minorities as possible. The other possibility is that he lacks even a rudimentary understanding of America.”

In his tweet, Netanyahu referred to the wall constructed on Israel’s border with Egypt, also mentioned by President Trump in an interview with Fox News last Thursday. The New York Times noted that the wall has successfully reduced the number of African refugees crossing into Israel from 60,000 between 2012-2015 to only about a dozen last year.

“To insert himself in a purely domestic American political issue that affects Israel in no way, shape or form is just a pretty foolish mistake”

Among pro-Israel Democrats, the Prime Minister’s tweet arrived at a challenging time. Ann Lewis, former White House Communications Director in the Clinton Administration, told Jewish Insider, “All weekend, I’ve watched and cheered crowds with self-identified young Jews protest against Donald Trump’s appalling executive order. These are the values of the young people we work with to maintain support for Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East – the country that provides medical care for wounded Syrians, and has just welcomed a number of Syrian refugees. Those are the shared values that keep the relationship strong. The Prime Minister’s tweet doesn’t help.”

“No one should be surprised by Netanyahu’s Tweet praising Trump’s border wall,” Andrew Weinstein, a Florida-based attorney and prominent Democratic donor, told Jewish Insider. “He’s been fawning over Trump since the election, and this is simply the latest episode in their budding political courtship. What is remarkable is Netanyahu impressive gift for needlessly offending Democrats, Mexicans, and a fair number of Israelis in less than 140 characters.”

Weinstein called Netanyahu’s actions a “short-sighted, ill-conceived and ego driven” attempt at cozying up to Trump “with absolutely zero concern for the collateral damage it was certain to cause.” He further cautioned that while Israel will continue to enjoy bipartisan support in Congress, “it seems abundantly clear that Netanyahu’s recent actions are causing harm to Israel’s standing in both America and the international community. That’s truly unfortunate because in these increasingly turbulent times Israel needs all the friends it can get.”

Mellman emphasized that establishing a friendly relationship with a new U.S. President should be encouraged. “But to insert himself (Netanyahu) in a purely domestic American political issue that is highly controversial and highly partisan and affects Israel in no way, shape or form is just a pretty foolish mistake,” he noted.

Speaking at the start of the Likud faction meeting at the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu claimed that his tweet was misinterpreted by the media, according to The Jerusalem Post. “President Trump hailed the fence that was built under my guidance on our border with Egypt. He said that it almost entirely halted illegal infiltrations into Israel. And I said in response that he is right,” he explained, “And in reaction to my comments, he retweeted the things that I said. Analysts made mountains out of that molehill in the media.”

Dems blast Bibi’s U.S. border tweet Read More »

Trump deserves credit for forcing a necessary immigration debate

Leave a Comment / Israel, News, Rosner's Domain /

There is nothing immoral about building a wall. A wall is a tool. Its aim is to separate between neighbors. To stop a ball from flying into your precious garden, to make it tougher for anyone to peep into your house, to prevent a child from walking without care into your swimming pool. Or to stop illegal immigrants from entering a country such as the United States.

There is also nothing immoral about a country wanting to keep tab on the people entering it. A country is defined by its citizenry and by its laws and by its borders. If there are no borders, there are no countries. Would a world with no countries be better than the one we have now? I doubt that. But even if the answer to this question is positive, no one can force a certain country to be the first one to forgo its borders – and test the proposition that a world without countries is a better world.

There is nothing immoral about a country having an immigration policy. In fact, all countries have immigration policies. Some stricter, some more loose. Some emphasize cultural characteristics; some emphasize economic abilities. Moreover: a country can alter its immigration policies – if its citizens, represented by their political leaders, decide that a new era requires a new policy.

Even using harsh language is not always a bad idea. At times, it is necessary to signal that the intentions of a leader are serious. At times, it is necessary for people in other countries to understand that they better look for options other than the country they thought about if they wish to immigrate.

Banning immigration from a certain country or region, banning immigration of people who speak a certain language, have a certain color, believe in a certain God, is what sovereign countries often do explicitly or implicitly. Of course, if a country bans black people, or Jews, or poor people, or Muslims, or citizens of Mexico, from entering it – this country tells us something about itself: that it favors a certain religion, or a certain race, or an economic status. That it has a prejudice against a religion, or a race, or an economic status. In other words: the rules with which a country governs its entry gate reflect on the country no less than they reflect on the people barred (or allowed) from getting in.

The Trump administration seems to want to reduce the number of people from certain backgrounds who enter the US. It also seems to want to make it harder for anyone to enter the US illegally. Both goals could be legitimate. Are possibly wise. Are arguably feasible.

Still, there is a debate – and as usual, it is confused, and noisy, and chaotic. In fact, no less chaotic than Trump himself.

What’s the debate all about?

In truth, the debate is about (or ought to be about) two important things and one unimportant (but potentially important) thing:

1. Important: Is the policy advocated by the Trump administration wise? Is it wise to limit the number of immigrants? And is it wise to limit the number of immigrants from Yemen or Iraq?

2. Important: Does the policy – the way it is devised, and even more so the way it is sold and advertised – reflect the values America stands for?

3. Not so important: Was the Trump administration efficient and savvy in implementing the new policy in the way it did?

Obviously, the debate about the third question is the easiest debate, and the most common. That is, because we all tend to argue about the things we see before our eyes. For example, a family that already seems to have its license to enter the US when it is stopped at the airport. For example, a court having to deal with a blunder at airports.

And, of course, for a certain family, or a certain person, the question of efficiency can make a huge difference. But for the nation the question of a policy’s initial efficiency is not the most important. We witnessed this with the initial blunder of the Obamacare website, and we witness it again today, with Trump’s initial immigration policy blunder. There is a tendency to confuse a debate about a policy with a debate about competence.

But these two debates are different. That is why you hardly ever see people who argue that Obamacare is great, only the Obama administration was not the right administration to implement it – and that is why you will hardly ever see people arguing that the Trump policy is great, only that the Trump administration is not the right administration to implement it. Generally speaking, the people who become angry with the implementation of a plan, with the competence, or lack thereof, of the administration, are the same people who oppose the policy to begin with. Only it is more convenient for many of them to talk about competence than to talk about their real motives – to oppose the policy itself.

So leaving competence aside (it is pretty clear that competence was not quite there when the president implemented his hastily crafted plan) we are still left with the two important questions: is the Trump policy on immigration wise? does the Trump policy on immigration reflect the values of America?

Is it wise?

In some ways, it certainly is. Walls work. Making immigration more difficult stops people from coming in. In some ways, questions remain: why Yemen and not Pakistan? Why Iraq and not Saudi Arabia? In some ways, it depends on one’s goals: Is it Trump’s goal to prevent excellent Muslim engineers from coming to work in the US? This is a question of weighing priorities. One could say: This is not economically wise (because the people of the US want good engineers to come to the country). One could also say: This is culturally wise (because the people of the US want to preserve a certain cultural coherence – and a large Muslim community disrupts such coherence).

Does it reflect America’s values?

In some ways, it certainly does. America voted for Donald Trump knowing full well what he intends to do. If the values of America are the values of Americans – and if Americans voted for the exact policy Trump is currently implementing – then the policy reflects what are currently the values of the American people.

In some ways, questions remain: Does current-day America believe in profiling groups rather than looking at specific persons? Does it judge people by their religious beliefs and life circumstances rather than their behavior? Does it speak in such a dismissive way about other people, who were not lucky enough to be born American citizens? Half of America doesn’t seem to want to do these things, and their values are also American values.

In some ways, it depends not strictly on values but rather on one’s evaluation of risks: All Americans want to save American lives, and all Americans feel for the refugees from war-torn Syria, but not all Americans agree about the level of risk America would be taking, or ought to be taking, in letting refugees from Syria enter the country. The values – keeping America safe and helping refuges – are shared. The risk assessment makes the difference.

So what is the bottom line of all of these points?

A. That immigration policy is complicated. In fact, it is one of the most complicated acts of any government. Crafting an immigration policy is a balancing act for any society. The debate about immigration can be harsh, but at bottom it is a healthy debate, because it helps clarify for the people of any country what is the cultural environment they prefer as they envision the future of their country. With all the many problems that rightly alarm the critics of Trump, the new president deserves some credit for refusing to let the current status quo (and more than an ounce of intellectual and bureaucratic laziness) shape America’s cultural future.

B. That hollow slogans cannot capture the complexity of this matter – neither Trump’s slogans, nor his critics’. Trump, by being blunt and contrarian, makes it hard to agree with his policies which seem to be lacking in thoughtfulness and compassion and respect for people whose only sin is to want to join the American bandwagon. His harshest critics, by failing to differentiate between what is reasonable (having a secure border) and what is questionable (talking derogatively about Muslims), also make it hard for Americans to trust their judgment.

Trump deserves credit for forcing a necessary immigration debate Read More »

Daily Kickoff: Dems blast Bibi’s border tweet | Kushner: All things ‘run through me’ | RJC, ZOA pan Trump’s Holocaust statement | Spotted at Alfalfa

Leave a Comment / Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff /

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VIEW OF JERUSALEM: Dems Blast Bibi’s U.S. Border Tweet — by Aaron Magid and Jacob Kornbluh: Amidst the highly charged US political debate over the construction of a wall on the Mexican border, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a provocative tweet on Saturday. “President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea.” The backlash began with a reply on Twitter from the most recent U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro who wrote “PM @netanyahu‘s top aide told me a key goal in Trump’s era was keeping bipartisan support for Israel. Now this?” Shapiro also suggested another possibility. “Unless this endorsement is Trump’s demand of Netanyahu for something Netanyahu wants, the quid pro quo.” Shapiro added, “To me, it looks like Trump is already squeezing Netanyahu hard.”

“The completely unnecessary tweet by the Prime Minister on such a divisive issue that has nothing to do with Israel serves no useful purpose and alienates key constituencies from whom we need support,” Alan Solow, former Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Organizations, told Jewish Insider. “This tweet also damages our ability to build coalitions to fight against the BDS movement,” he added… Ann Lewis, former White House Communications Director in the Clinton Administration, emailed Jewish Insider, “All weekend, I’ve watched and cheered crowds with self-identified young Jews protest against Donald Trump’s appalling executive order. These are the values of the young people we work with to maintain support for Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East – the country that provides medical care for wounded Syrians, and has just welcomed a number of Syrian refugees. Those are the shared values that keep the relationship strong. The Prime Minister’s tweet doesn’t help.”

“Andrew Weinstein called Netanyahu’s actions a “short-sighted, ill-conceived and ego driven” attempt at cozying up to Trump “with absolutely zero concern for the collateral damage it was certain to cause.”… Mark Mellman emphasized that establishing a friendly relationship with a new U.S. President should be encouraged. “But to insert himself (Netanyahu) in a purely domestic American political issue that is highly controversial and highly partisan and affects Israel in no way, shape or form is just a pretty foolish mistake,” he noted.” [JewishInsider] 

Trump: Decision on Jerusalem Embassy ‘In Not Too Distant Future’ — by Jacob Kornbluh: “I’m looking at it. We are studying it very, very long and hard,” Trump said in an interview with CBN News’ The Brody File, broadcast on Sunday. “It’s a very big, big decision, but we are studying the issue right now.” Measuring his words, Trump seemed to indicate where his heart is on the issue. “I’ve always liked the concept of doing it, I will tell you that,” he said. “I will have a decision in the not too distant future.” Asked what the chances are that the embassy will be moved to Jerusalem, the President said, “There is certainly a chance of it, absolutely.” Adding, “We are doing very detailed studies on that, and we will come out very soon. I hate to do that because that’s not usually me – studies – usually I do what’s right. But this has two sides to it, it’s not easy, and I will make a decision over the not too distant future.” [JewishInsider] 

“Netanyahu backs U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem though signals no urgency” by Jeffrey Heller: “In an interview with Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, Marc Zell, head of the Republicans Overseas Israel branch, said new U.S. President Donald Trump was “proceeding cautiously because of concerns raised by Israeli officials”… Netanyahu addressed the matter in general terms in public remarks to his cabinet on Sunday… “I want to take the opportunity to make it unequivocally clear that our position has always been, and remains so now and at all times, that the U.S. embassy should be here, in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said…” [Reuters]

President-in-law: “Trump’s First Week: Misfires, Crossed Wires, and a Satisfied Smile” by Charlie Savage, Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman: “Mr. Kushner has emerged as the most important figure in Mr. Trump’s White House besides the president. He has told several people that all things on nearly every topic “run through me,” according to two people with direct knowledge.” [NYTimes] 

DRIVING THE CONVERSATION: “Trump’s statement marking Holocaust remembrance leaves out mention of Jews” by Abby Phillip: “In a series of tweets, Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, noted the omissions. “White House statement on Holocaust Memorial Day, misses that it was six million Jews who perished, not just ‘innocent ­people,’” Greenblatt tweeted.” [WashPost]

“WH: No mention of Jews on Holocaust Remembrance Day because others were killed too” by Jake Tapper: “Despite what the media reports, we are an incredibly inclusive group and we took into account all of those who suffered,” administration spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNN on Saturday.” [CNN] • Reince Priebus Defends Trump Statement On The Holocaust [HuffPost; NYT] 

“RJC, ZOA Criticize Trump’s Holocaust Statement” by Jacob Kornbluh: “RJC spokesman Fred Brown said, “The lack of a direct statement about the suffering of the Jewish people during the Holocaust was an unfortunate omission… We hope, going forward, he conveys those feelings when speaking about the Holocaust.” ZOA President Mort Klein, who recently boasted about being the only major Jewish organization with direct access to the White House, criticized the White House for doubling down on the ‘painful’ statement. “As a child of holocaust survivors, I and ZOA are compelled to express our chagrin and deep pain at President Trump, in his Holocaust Remembrance Day Message, omitting any mention of anti-Semitism and the six million Jews who were targeted and murdered by the German Nazi regime and others,” said Klein. “ZOA hopes that president Trump will direct his staff and COS Reince Priebus to immediately rectify this painful omission.” [JewishInsider] • Maggie Haberman: “Both of these groups are heavily funded by Adelson – and wouldn’t give statement without his knowledge.”[Twitter] 

— “Ron Lauder, World Jewish Congress President, was the only Jewish leader to defend Trump, accusing the ADL of playing politics… “It does no honor to the millions of Jews murdered in the Holocaust to play politics with their memory,” Lauder said in a statement. “Any fair reading of the White House statement on International Holocaust Memorial Day will see it appropriately commemorates the suffering and the heroism that mark that dark chapter in modern history.” A spokesperson for Lauder did not respond to an inquiry from Jewish Insider whether Lauder stands by his statement following the White House’s admission.” [JewishInsider] 

Yair Rosenberg: “What I think happened w/ Trump Holocaust statement: omitted Jews by accident, incapable of admitting error so doubled down. Same as Star of David tweet.”[Twitter] 

Rep. Jerry Nadler: “From left to right, full Jewish Community condemnation of Donald Trump for Holocaust statement failure.” [Twitter] 

Ambassador Ron Dermer in speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Friday: “If this noble universal vision is not firmly rooted in an appreciation that the Holocaust is first and foremost a Jewish story, it can become not only dangerous but even immoral.” [Facebook] 

“The White House Holocaust Horror” by John Podhoretz: “The Hope Hicks statement does not arrive without precedent. It is, rather, the culmination of something—the culmination of decades of ill feeling that seems to center on the idea that the Jews have somehow made unfair “use” of the Holocaust and it should not “belong” to them. Someone in that nascent White House thought it was time to reflect that view through the omission of the specifically Jewish quality of the Holocaust.” [CommentaryMag] 

“Trump’s Refugee Ban Dishonors the Memory of the Jewish Holocaust Victims He Failed to Acknowledge” by Matt Nosanchuk: “As [President Obama’s] Jewish liaison, I kept an eye on the American Jewish community’s collective calendar of annual milestones – mostly holidays, anniversaries and commemorations… In drafting statements on Holocaust remembrance, I always and deliberately included a specific reference to the fact that the Holocaust is above all else a tragedy that befell the Jewish people. It is an event that carries profound significance for all of humanity, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity or religion and had many other victims as well. But conscionable remembrance acknowledges the Jewish victims.” [Haaretz] 

Where is Trump’s JLOTUS? We know this White House has more than a minyan in the West Wing but, without a designated Jewish liaison, the odds of these mistakes continuing are high.

TRUMP TUMULT: “Inside the confusion of the Trump executive order and travel ban” by Evan Perez and Pamela Brown: “Friday night, DHS arrived at the legal interpretation that the executive order restrictions applying to seven countries… did not apply to people who with lawful permanent residence, generally referred to as green card holders. The White House overruled that guidance overnight, according to officials familiar with the rollout. That order came from the President’s inner circle, led by Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon.” [CNN] • How Trump’s Rush to Enact an Immigration Ban Unleashed Global Chaos [NYTimes]

“A Clarifying Moment in American History” by Eliot A. Cohen: “To friends still thinking of serving as political appointees in this administration, beware: When you sell your soul to the Devil, he prefers to collect his purchase on the installment plan. Trump’s disregard for either Secretary of Defense Mattis or Secretary-designate Tillerson in his disastrous policy salvos this week, in favor of his White House advisers, tells you all you need to know about who is really in charge. To be associated with these people is going to be, for all but the strongest characters, an exercise in moral self-destruction.”[TheAtlantic] 

“US Jews see ‘tragic irony’ in refugee ban on Holocaust Remembrance Day” by Eric Cortellessa: “It’s impossible to ignore whether intentional or not, the tragic irony in executing the kind of order that kept Jews out of America like those who perished on the St. Louis and countless others, on the day when we remember the unspeakable tragedy that befell European Jewry and the Jewish people,” [ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt] told The Times of Israel on Saturday…. He said the ADL is preparing a course of action to combat this policy of the Trump administration and will be rolling out its plan this week. “We’ll be clarifying that in the coming days.” [ToI] 

“President Trump’s First Defeat” by Blake Hounshell: “A Twitter account methodically posting the names of Jews refused asylum in the United States and later killed in the Holocaust was retweeted thousands of times on Friday, blending into people’s timelines with news about the immigration crackdown, adding to the sense of outrage among Trump’s critics.” [Politico] 

“US suspends immigration program helping non-Muslim Iranians” by George Jahn and Alicia A. Caldwell: “Under a 27-year-old program originally approved by Congress to help Jews in the former Soviet Union, Austria had been serving until recently as a conduit for Iranian Jews, Christians and Baha’i, who were at risk in their home country and eligible to resettle in the United States… But the United States suspended the so-called “Iranian Lautenberg Program” in recent days, according to Austrian officials, who in turn stopped Iranians from reaching their territory… The episode isn’t directly linked to an executive order Trump signed Friday that orders strict new screening for refugees to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the United States.” [AP] 

“Synagogue where Trump’s grandchild goes to preschool condemns travel ban” by Betsy Klein: “Adas Israel Congregation, the Conservative synagogue in Washington’s Cleveland Park neighborhood where Trump and Kushner send one of their three young children to preschool, issued a statement Sunday evening condemning the President’s controversial executive order.” [CNN]

Tally of Jewish organizations speaking out against Trump Holocaust statement: ADL, AJC, Anne Frank Center, NJDC, J Street, Bend the Arc, RJC, ZOA.

Defended Trump’s Holocaust statement: WJC’s Ron Lauder.

Not Commenting on Trump’s Holocaust statement: Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel.

Group speaking out against refugee ban: ADL, AJC, JCPA, HIAS, the Rabbinical Assembly, B’nai B’rith International, RCA and OU (reaffirmed 12-10-2015 statement), NJDC, J Street, Bend the Arc.

Group praising Trump’s Executive Order: ZOA

“Trump’s internal White House strategy group adds staff” by Annie Karni:“Dina Powell, a former Goldman Sachs partner who quit her job to serve as a top adviser to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, is expected to join a newly formed internal White House brain trust that will offer advice on top administration priorities… Along with Powell… the group is also expected to include Julia Hahn, the former Breitbart immigration writer who was hired by the White House as a special assistant to the president… Other staffers expected to join the group include special assistant to the president Reed Cordish.” [Politico] 

“The Kushners break bread with Team Trump” by Kaileen Gaul: “Members of team Trump poured into the Kushner residence to celebrate Shabbat Friday evening… Department of Commerce pick Wilbur Ross and his wife Hilary Geary Ross were in attendance. Former president of Goldman Sachs and top economic policy adviser Gary Cohn, Department of the Treasury pick Steve Mnuchin and his partner Louise Linton were all sighted heading into the Kushner home… Rabbi Levi Shemtov was also present Friday afternoon.” [DailyMail] • Daily Mail misidentifies photo caption as Dina Habib Powell and Richard Powell when it’s Reed and Maggie Cordish [Twitter]

“Social media users knock Ivanka Trump over date night photo during protests” by Brooke Seipel: “Social media users are blasting Ivanka Trump for posting a photo of herself going to an Alfalfa Club dinner Saturday amid protests at airports around the country over President Trump’s immigration ban.” [TheHill]

SPOTTED at the 104th Alfalfa Club Dinner at the Capitol Hilton on Saturday evening: James Baker, Wayne Berman, Leon Black, Michael Bloomberg, Emma Bloomberg, Sen. Cory Booker, Jim Breyer, Justice Stephen Breyer, Eli Broad, Tina Brown, Norman Brownstein, Warren Buffett, Jeb Bush, Gary Cohn, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Ken Feinberg, Howard Friedman, Judge Karen Friedman, Bill Gates, Bob Gates, Dan Gilbert, Alan Greenspan, Eric Greitens, Patricia Harris, Walter Isaacson, Henry Kissinger, Nancy Kissinger, Henry Kravis, Marie-Josée Kravis, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Hadassah Lieberman, Joe Lieberman, Peyton Manning, Steven Mnuchin, Tom Nides, David Petraeus, Dina Powell, David Rubenstein, Chuck Schumer, Stephen Schwarzman, Stephen Wynn.

“Trump gives National Security Council seat to ex-Breitbart chief Steve Bannon” by Alan Yuhas: “The president named Bannon to the council in a reorganization of the NSC. He also said his son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief-of-staff Reince Priebus would have seats in the meetings.” [Guardian] • Top Cruz Aide Victoria Coates Tapped for Senior Role on Trump National Security Team [FreeBeacon]

“Bannon Is Given Security Role Usually Held for Generals” by Glenn Thrush and Maggie Haberman: “In terms of real influence, Mr. Bannon looms above almost everyone except the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Trumpian pecking order, according to interviews with two dozen Trump insiders and current and former national security officials. The move involving Mr. Bannon, as well as the boost in status to the White House homeland security adviser, Thomas P. Bossert, and Mr. Trump’s relationships with cabinet appointees like Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, have essentially layered over Mr. Flynn.” [NYTimes]

“Trump tasks son-in-law Kushner, a diplomatic novice, with managing Mexico dispute” by The Associated Press: “Kushner, who already wields enormous power in the White House, is expected to work through the dispute with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray. The two men, who know each other from the financial circles, also worked together to arrange Trump’s surprise visit to Mexico during the presidential campaign.” [ChicagoTribune] 

“Trump’s Little Mexican War” by WSJ editorial board: “Mr. Trump said as a candidate that he’d treat America’s friends better than Mr. Obama did, but his first move has been to treat Mexico like Mr. Obama treated Israel. “ [WSJ]

IRAN DEAL: “Trump, Saudi king back ‘rigorously’ enforcing Iran nuclear deal” by AFP: “Trump and King Salman “agreed on the importance of rigorously enforcing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and of addressing Iran’s destabilizing regional activities,” the White House said.” [Yahoo] 

“Trump’s New Senior Middle East Adviser: Hawkish on Iran, Friendly to Egypt” by Amir Tibon: “The Trump administration has appointed former U.S. Army Col. Derek Harvey as its senior director for Middle East policies on the National Security Council. Haaretz has learned that Harvey… was one of the officials who earlier this week instructed the U.S. State Department to issue a statement saying it was reexamining the outgoing administration’s decision to transfer $221 million to the Palestinian Authority during President Barack Obama’s last hours in office… A government source described Harvey as “the new Rob Malley,” referring to the former Obama administration official who was in charge of Middle East affairs at the outgoing NSC… It is not yet clear who will be the NSC’s official dealing directly with issues relating to Israel and the Palestinians.” [Haaretz] 

KAFE KNESSET — The right wing Post-Trump legislation blitz continues — by Tal Shalev: The bill, which retroactively legalizes hundreds of Jewish settlement houses built on disputed lands, was originally submitted as a means to pressure the government to find a solution for the Amona outpost evacuation. Netanyahu didn’t want it, and tried to convince Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennet that it would cause international pressure. But he eventually succumbed to right-wing demands and allowed its first reading to pass in early December. Since then, the legislative process has been stalled for weeks, but last week Bennet put it back on the agenda citing the “historic opportunity” of the potentially settler-friendly Trump administration. Netanyahu followed suit and announced that he directed to have the final vote on the bill this week. He did so despite telling Likud ministers last week that the appropriation bill was one of the main factors that lead to UN Security Council Resolution 2334.

While the opposition is very vocal about the illegal outpost bill, Jerusalem has reacted with complete silence to the White House omitting any Jewish reference in their International Holocaust Memorial Day statement. No Israeli politician — from right or left — reacted to the statement or the doubling down. Earlier today, Kafe Knesset asked Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman about it during the Israel Beitenu weekly faction meeting. “The new administration is very friendly, it’s probably a mistake or misunderstanding. Of course the Holocaust is a Jewish issue. I hope that next year they will know to mention the Jews” Read today’s entire Kafe Knesset [JewishInsider]

** Good Monday Morning! Enjoying the Daily Kickoff? Please share us with your friends & tell them to sign up at [JI]. Have a tip, scoop, or op-ed? We’d love to hear from you. Anything from hard news and punditry to the lighter stuff, including event coverage, job transitions, or even special birthdays, is much appreciated. Email Editor@JewishInsider.com **

“One Certainty of Trump’s Wall: Big Money” Danielle Ivory and Julie Creswell: “Companies that specialize in surveillance technology or even “virtual” barriers could also benefit. Elbit Systems of America, whose parent company is based in Israel, won a contract in 2014 with Customs and Border Protection to build a set of towers with radar and cameras covering 170 to 200 miles along the Arizona border. When the radar detects movement, cameras zoom in and send images to command centers…” [NYTimes] • Israel’s Magal Pushes for Mexico Wall Deal as Trump Buoys Shares [Bloomberg]

“Starbucks CEO Schultz plans to hire 10,000 refugees after Trump ban” by Devika Krishna Kumar: “Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz said on Sunday that the company planned to hire 10,000 refugees over five years in 75 countries… The hiring efforts announced on Sunday would start in the United States by initially focusing on individuals who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters and support personnel in the various countries where the military has asked for such support, Schultz said.”[Reuters]

“Warm Welcome for Syrians in a Country About to Ban Them” by Jodi Kantor: “On Friday afternoon, a group of suburban synagogue members clustered at O’Hare International Airport, waiting to greet one of the last Syrian refugee families to be accepted in the United States… Their synagogue, Am Shalom (“People of Peace”) in Glencoe, Ill., displays a statue depicting members’ families who perished at the Nazis’ hands… A hundred synagogue members had contributed in some way to helping resettle the Syrians… Some of the synagogue members had signed on instinctually, so the Syrians would be helped the way their own parents or grandparents had been aided when they arrived in the United States. Others had joined as a way of countering Mr. Trump… “The Statue of Liberty has always been our symbol of welcome,” Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein, the group’s leader, said at the airport. “It feels like Trump turned off the light,” he said.” [NYTimes] 

DESSERT: “Kosher Food Goes Up in Smoke” by Jill Krasny: “With chef Derick Polkoski at the helm, Main House is just one of several places putting a kosher stamp on Texas barbecue—in New York and beyond. Notable kosher barbecue outposts have cropped up everywhere from Kansas City (Mendel’s) to the heart of Texas itself: JoeBob’s BBQ in Austin. And annual contests are being held in Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, Dallas, Memphis, and San Antonio. These outlets aren’t just putting a new spin on barbecue; they’re changing the way kosher diners think about dinner. In striking ways, kosher restrictions have pushed these barbecue restaurants to get more creative. Dairy is off-limits, which means no buttered biscuits or mac and cheese. However, Polkoski, for instance, has found tasty workarounds: making a stock from smoked chicken or turkey bones to flavor dishes, topping mashed potatoes with burgundy-glazed caramelized onions, lining a pan with chicken schmaltz for cornbread, or using brisket fat to saute onions.” [TabletMag]

BIRTHDAYS: Theatrical producer and director, winner of 21 Tony Awards, more than other person, Harold Prince turns 89… Teacher and national community leader, holder of a Ph.D. in modern Jewish history from New York University, Judith Friedman Rosen turns 65… Assistant Professor in the electrical engineering department at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Guy Gilboa turns 46… Republican member of the US House of Representatives from eastern Long Island, NY since 2015, Lee Zeldinturns 37… Senior director for Middle East Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Joshua M. Kram… Congressional correspondent for CBS Radio News since 2-2015, following a nine year (2006-2015) similar assignment for ABC News Radio, Steven Portnoy… Eli Langer… Politico Illinois Playbook author Natasha Korecki (h/t Playbook)… Russell Robinson… Jared Isenstein… Alexa Smith… Al Sokolow… Gisele Rogers… Heather Graf… Max Delahanty…

Gratuity not included. We love receiving news tips but we also gladly accept tax deductible tips. 100% of your donation will go directly towards improving Jewish Insider. Thanks! [PayPal]

Daily Kickoff: Dems blast Bibi’s border tweet | Kushner: All things ‘run through me’ | RJC, ZOA pan Trump’s Holocaust statement | Spotted at Alfalfa Read More »

Emma Lazarus has to be turning in her grave

Leave a Comment / Blogs /

“Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, / I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

From the Great Colossus Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty

 We are fast becoming a nation I don’t recognize. President Trump’s Friday Executive Order on immigration is an attack on the founding principles of our country while not doing what Trump says it is meant to do – keep us safer.

Since 9/11, no refugees from the targeted countries in this order have been involved in fatal terrorist attacks in the United States.

Trump’s Order bars entry into the United States of all Syrian refugees, targets Muslim-majority countries (except those countries where it seems that Trump has business interests – e.g. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and The United Arab Emirates) and threatens the integrity of families who want nothing more than to be together in America, work, pay taxes, and become citizens.

Thankfully, US District Judge Ann Donnelly yesterday blocked a part of Trump’s executive order brought by the ACLU on behalf of two detained Iraqi immigrants at New York’s JFK airport as unconstitutional saying: “The petitioners have a strong likelihood of success in establishing that the removal of the petitioner and other similarly situated violates their due process and equal protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution.”

I want to know this – Where is the Republican party leadership in Congress on this issue? Why have they overwhelmingly lined up behind Trump — or a stayed  quiet?

Other than (to date) Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA), Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), Representative Justin Amash (R-MI), and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), no Republican has broken ranks and called Trump out to condemn this executive order. The five Republicans above will go down in history as having done the right thing – and I commend them all!

I am also waiting for Democrats in the House and Senate to speak out.

Attacking foreigners is easy. Bullies do it because foreigners are weak and vulnerable. They have no one representing their interests. They are alone and often traumatized. The may not speak the language or understand the laws and culture of the country in which they find themselves.

Of all the commandments in the Hebrew Bible, the mitzvah of welcoming the stranger is among the most important. The word ger (stranger or alien) appears 92 times in the Tanakh.

Why? Because we Jews understand what it means to be strangers from Egypt to Spain to medieval Europe to Germany to the USSR and to many Middle Eastern countries.

We Jews know the heart of the stranger.

We Jews know what it’s like to be hunted and persecuted.

We Jews know what it’s like to be targeted because of our religion and background.

We Jews know what fear means and what it feels like to be hated.

Jewish tradition is as clear about our obligations to strangers as it is about any other ethical demand:

“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt…”  (Exodus 22:21-22)

“You shall love the stranger, for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10: 19)

“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him/her as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am Adonai your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

“Thus says God: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the stranger, …” (Jeremiah 22:3)

“Adonai enacts justice for the orphan and widow, and loves the stranger, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love the stranger because you were a stranger in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)

“Don’t oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; don’t plan evil against each other!” (Zechariah 7:10)

“God watches over strangers…” (Psalm 146:9)

“You have brought your judgment days near and have come to your years of punishment [because] father and mother are treated with contempt, and the stranger is exploited within you.” (Ezekiel 22:4, 7)

“’I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against … those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the stranger. They do not fear Me,’ says Adonai.” (Malachi 3:5)

The American Reform movement is now organizing on the local, state and national level in support of vulnerable communities targeted by the Trump Administration and the Republican majority Congress.

Below is a letter sent this past week explaining what we as individuals and as members of synagogues can do to get engaged and become activists :

“The Reform Jewish movement of America is organizing to fight the mistreatment of vulnerable parts of the population. Reform congregations and communities across California are coming together as part of Reform CA, a project of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, to mobilize vocal support for positive state and local policies that advance our Jewish values—and vocal opposition to policies that target the vulnerable populations in our communities.

This rapid response system begins today.

We are asking you to get your Reform congregation or community to contact your U.S. Representatives, urging them to publicly oppose any executive order that threatens the rights of refugees and immigrants, including cutting off federal funding from sanctuary cities.

If you have not already done so, we urge your congregation or community to sign a Brit Olam (google “Brit Olam”), a covenant to act together to defend vulnerable communities against attack:  people of color, the LGBTQ community, those with tenuous access to healthcare and reproductive choice, immigrants and refugees, Muslims and other religious minorities, and other victims of bigotry.”

 See “Reform Movement Denounces President Trump’s Executive Order Barring Entry from Several Muslim-Majority Countries” http://www.rac.org/reform-movement-denounces-president-trumps-executive-order-barring-entry-several-muslim-majority

 

Emma Lazarus has to be turning in her grave Read More »

Jewish presence felt at LAX protest on Trump refugee order

Leave a Comment / Los Angeles, News, United States /

Shortly before Shabbat fell on Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that effectively slammed the door on refugees seeking entry to the United States – at least for now.

Shock and anger had been building in the Jewish community since a draft order was released days beforehand. On Saturday, those sentiments exploded onto Rabbi Susan Goldberg’s cellphone in concerned messages from her congregants at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

“When Shabbat ended last night, my phone was blowing up – emails, photos,” she said Jan. 29 as a crowd milled past her at the arrivals gate at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). “For Jews, there’s a clear line that’s been crossed. People felt kind of not okay. But now, it’s different.”

Thousands gathered at LAX, where a number of travellers had been detained because of the order. Police cut off traffic through much of the airport and largely gave protesters the run of Tom Bradley International Terminal.Many protesters were Jews from congregations across the city, and even on signs held aloft by non-Jews, a certain Jewish influence could be detected in references to 1930’s Germany and proclamations of “Never again.”

“There are a lot of Jews here – a lot,” Goldberg said, her husband translating from sign language, since she’d lost her voice. Her three children joined the pair at the Jan. 29 protest.

As weary travellers emerged to boisterously chanting crowds, Adam and Noah Reich held a sign reading, “Two Jewish brothers standing with our Muslim brothers.” While they spoke with a reporter, a short woman with olive skin, a total stranger, walked up and hugged both of them. That type of thing had been going on all afternoon.“Maybe like, a dozen so far,” Noah said. “We’ve been here for a couple hours and people just come up to us.”

“The collective power of everyone here is saying, ‘You’re not alone, we’re all here for you,’” Adam said. “And I think that’s a powerful thing.”

Emerging from the crowd, Jesse Gabriel, an attorney and executive board member at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, put his hand on Noah’s shoulder.

twit3“Kol ha’kavod,” he told the pair, using a Hebrew expression for “Well done!”

Gabriel was one of dozens of attorneys swarming the terminal, many with signs reading “lawyer” and announcing their foreign language proficiencies, hoping to be of help to stranded travellers or those recently released by immigration and customs officers.“When you have individuals whose rights need to be protected, that’s when lawyers need to step in,” Gabriel said. In fact, there was little work for the attorneys at the terminal, since those detained were stranded elsewhere, in the bowels of LAX, incommunicado. The crowds were chanting, “Let them in!” but lawyers were struggling even to make contact with those stranded.

“Our understanding is that there are a number of people with legal travel documents who are being detained in customs and borders patrol, in custody,” said immigration attorney Michael Hagerty. Hagerty was serving as ad hoc media liaison to a group of attorneys at the airport (as announced by a cardboard sign reading “media liaison”). Among his charges were representatives from legal aid clinic Public Counsel and the local American Civil Liberties Union. But information about those trapped – even a basic head count – proved difficult to come by.

twit4“We don’t know who they are, we don’t know exactly what their legal status is on an individual basis, but in all likelihood they are legal permanent residents, they are refugees with legal refugee travel documents, people with student visas,” Hagerty said.As he spoke, wayfarers cut through surging crowds, pushing carts and lugging suitcases. For those just arriving, it must have presented an overwhelming scene: shouts of “USA!” from flamboyantly dressed protesters, their signs decorated with everything from the Statue of Liberty to Trump with a Hitler mustache, and outside, drums banging out an incessant beat.Marchers mobbed the sidewalk on both the upper and lower levels, along with the international terminal itself. The crowd lined the curb, waving signs at passing cars, and some took to the upper levels of facing parking garages to look down over the scene.

Yet some travellers decided to join the protest, including Zoe Lister Jones, a filmmaker who had just stepped off the plane from screening her new comedy “Band Aid” at the Sundance Film Festival.

“I’ve been witnessing the injustices occurring from Park City and I came straight from the arrivals terminal to protest,” she said. “As a Jew, I think it’s part of our bloodline to stand up to injustice and resist fascism.”

Many Jewish protesters made their religious identity abundantly clear for passersby.

Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels of Beth Shir Shalom, stood alone on the sidewalk outside the terminal, having been unable to locate his congregants in the chaos, wearing a yarmulke and prayer shawl.

“I wanted people to know that the Jewish people feel a chill up our spine because this is happening,” he said.

Senior writer Danielle Berrin contributed to this report.

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“My Hero Brother”: Special Needs Adults and their Siblings Scale New Heights

Leave a Comment / Blogs, Uncategorized /

herobrother

The Yiddish word, chutzpah, doesn’t translate so neatly into English, although the dictionary definition of “shameless audacity” is a good try. And it was that singular word, chutzpah, that keep repeating in my mind as I watched the new Israeli documentary, “My Hero Brother” that chronicles the adventures of 11 pairs of young adults with Down syndrome who together with their non-disabled young adult siblings, traveled from Israel to India for a trekking expedition in the Himalayas.

It all started when Enosh Cassel, a Tel Aviv University film school graduate and film producer, took his brother, Hannan, who has Down syndrome, to Nepal on a three-week trek in the Himalayas which he documented on film. Israel’s Channel 2 featured a news item about the trip, which generated many positive responses, including some from other adult brothers and sisters who also had siblings with special needs.

This inspired Enosh, together with his friend Itamar Peleg, (a guide and organizer of challenging tours around the world), to create the project “My Hero Brother” with the goal of taking a larger group of brothers and sisters of young adults with Down syndrome on a similar trek.  Noted Israeli filmmaker Yonaton Nir joined the duo, with the goal of sharing this exceptional journey as a documentary. And this is where the word “chutzpah” comes to mind. Just traveling overseas with 11 young adults with special needs, some with special health needs, would be challenging in and of itself, let alone an arduous wilderness trek of many days that included schlepping along kosher food, as some of the participants were observant. Yet, somehow, they all make it, even if the siblings with Down syndrome needed to ride on a horse in order to get to the summit.

As the documentary unfolds, viewers get to know the sibling pairs, all of whom have different types of relationships. There’s Irena, who says, “At the age of 22, I became the mother of a nineteen-year-old with Down syndrome.” She became the legal guardian of her brother, Amar, after their mother died four years earlier after a long struggle with cancer. In contrast, there’s Inbal, the sister of Ilan, who also has Down syndrome. She says that she never felt all that close to him; from the moment Ilan was born, her parents focused all of their attention on her brother and she felt pushed aside. Now that their parents are aging, Inbal wants to get closer to Ilan, and with the realization she will someday have the sole responsibility of taking care of him, she softens her attitude both toward Ilan and her parents.

And then there’s Harel, brother to Golan, Harel is a stereotypical Israeli former soldier, who spent his military service in the Israeli Defense Forces as an officer in the Golani Brigade specializing in counter-terrorism. Harel is shown pushing Golan to keep moving, even when Golan is exhausted and feeling homesick. After numerous conversations with some of the other non-disabled siblings, mostly with the sisters, he gradually shows a kinder side. In reflecting on his decision to take Golan on the trek Harel says, “Like most things in their lives, it’s something we chose for him. Sometimes, I ask myself who gave us the right to make this choice?”

This film is tender, funny, and most of all filled with heart and of course, chutzpah. It’s showing at many film festivals, in Hebrew with English subtitles. As part of Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion month events in February, “My Hero Brother” will be shown on Thursday, Feb. 9th at Sinai Temple at 8 pm, sponsored by Mati Center/IAC. Tickets are $20 and are available at http://www.maticenter.com/events/me-hero-brorher/

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ZOA joins those criticizing Trump’s Holocaust remembrance statement

Leave a Comment / United States /

The Zionist Organization of America expressed its “chagrin and deep pain” that a statement by the Trump administration marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day did not mention the Jewish victims of the Nazis.

In a news release Sunday evening, Morton A. Klein, national president of the ZOA, praised President Donald Trump as a “great friend and supporter” of Israel and the Jewish people. Nevertheless, he wrote, “especially as a child of Holocaust survivors, I and ZOA are compelled to express our chagrin and deep pain at President Trump, in his Holocaust Remembrance Day Message, omitting any mention of anti-Semitism and the six million Jews who were targeted and murdered by the German Nazi regime and others.”

In his first statement about the Holocaust as president, Trump on Friday spoke of “the victims, survivors, [and] heroes of the Holocaust,” but did not mention the Jews or anti-Semitism, which had been customary in statements by his predecessors Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

The Anti-Defamation League’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, criticized the statement on Friday, saying the omission was “Puzzling and troubling.”

Last year, the ZOA was one of the groups critical of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who delivered a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that similarly failed to mention Jews.

Responding to criticism from the ADL and others, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Sunday morning that “there was no harm or ill-will or offense intended” by leaving Jews and anti-Semitism out of the statement, adding that the White House “certainly will never forget the Jewish people that suffered in World War II.”

The ZOA has been perhaps the most vocal supporter among Jewish groups of the Trump administration in its early days, issuing statements praising Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman; his stated intention to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Friday’s executive order barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days and suspending the admission of all refugees for 120 days.

Recounting his own history as the son of Holocaust survivors, Klein quoted a blistering criticism of the White House by John Podhoretz, a former Reagan White House aide, who wrote in Commentary Saturday that to universalize the Holocaust “is to scrub the Holocaust of its meaning.”

Added Klein: “ZOA hopes that president Trump will direct his staff and COS Reince Priebus to immediately rectify this painful omission.”

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