July 25, 2019

Handbook Update: Democratic Camp Doesn’t Impact Blocs

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

Yesterday, when a new party was born, I promised a quick update when new numbers come out (yesterday’s more detailed post is here). So – three polls came out last night. They give the new Democratic Camp, the party that includes Meretz, Democratic Israel and MK Stav Shafir from Labor, 10, 9 and 12 seats.

What does it mean? As usual, our tendency is to watch the blocs, not the parties. And for you to see that the new party does not much matter – at least not for now – we created a graph that includes the averages of the blocs in the last 20, 10, 5 and 3 polls. The missing part (if you want the understand why there are no 120 seats in this graph) is the party in between the blocs: Israel Beitenu.

The important factor here is simple. The blocs did not change in the last two months. They also did not change yesterday, as the column of the last three polls prove. As I explained earlier this week in the New York Times, no bloc can currently form a coalition.

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Rosner’s Torah Talk: Parshat Pinchas with Rabbi Mark Kaiserman

Leave a Comment / Israel, News, Rosner's Domain, Rosner's Video, Videos / Shmuel Rosner

Rabbi Mark Kaiserman is the rabbi at The Reform Temple of Forest Hills in Queens, New York. He grew up in Brooklyn and attended the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. Previously working at synagogues in Dallas, Texas, Livingston, New Jersey, and Fountain Valley, California, he has written a number of original Purim shpiels based on Broadway shows. He currently serves on the CCAR Ethics Committee. An amateur film buff, he has also recently visited all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and all 50 US States.

This week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1) – begins with Pinchas being rewarded for his problematic act of killing the Israelite and his Midianite paramour in the previous portion. A census is then conducted and God tells Moses how to divide the land between the tribes and people of Israel. The five daughters of Tzelafchad ask Moses to grant them the land of their father, who died with no sons, and God accepts their claim and adds it to the Torah’s laws of inheritance. Moses names Joshua as his successor, and the Parasha ends with a detailed list of daily offerings and of offerings brought on different holidays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2WX0__oshc&t=125s

Previous Talks on Pinchas

Rabbi Roberto Arbib

Rabbi Shmuel Goldin

Rabbi Annie Tucker

Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt

Rabbi Alexander Davis

Rabbi Michael Wolk

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CNN Photo Editor Resigns Over Anti-Semitic Tweets

Leave a Comment / Online, United States / Aaron Bandler

CNN photo editor Mohammed Elshamy has resigned from his position at CNN due to a series of anti-Semitic tweets from 2011, according to a spokesperson from the network.

The tweets, which started to gain attention on Twitter on July 25, involved Elshamy writing on March 23, 2011, “More than 4 jewish pigs killed in #Jerusalem today by the Palestinian bomb explode,” a likely reference to the March 23, 2011 bombing at a Jerusalem bus stop that killed two people and injured 39 others.

Other tweets from Elshamy that emerged in 2011 included several instances of him tweeting favorably of Hamas and that “Israel is the main enemy for the people of Egypt and shall always remain despite rulers who lick Jewish legs.” CNN hired Elshamy in January.

CNN Digital Worldwide & Great Big Story Communications Vice President Matt Dornic said in a statement to the Journal, “The network has accepted the resignation of a photo editor, who joined CNN earlier this year, after anti-Semitic statements he’d made in 2011 came to light. CNN is committed to maintaining a workplace in which every employee feels safe, secure and free from discrimination regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.”

Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Abraham Cooper told the Journal in a phone interview that he didn’t think CNN’s statement on Elshamy was good enough.

“They owe the Jewish community and the victims of terrorism an apology,” Cooper said.

UPDATE: Elshamy issued a statement on July 26 apologizing for his past tweets.

“I want to unequivocally express my apology to everyone, especially those in the Jewish community, who were offended by my tweets,” Elshamy said. “I want to apologize to my family, friends, and mentors who I am ashamed I have let down in this way.”

Elshamy added that he was 16 years old at the time of the tweets were written, and he no longer holds those views.

“I would like to thank everyone at CNN, especially my manager, for the opportunity they have me,” Elshamy said. “It is with great regret that I have presented my resignation.”

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Bon Jovi Performs in Tel Aviv Despite BDS Pressure

Leave a Comment / Israel, Online / Aaron Bandler

World-renowned rock band Bon Jovi performed in front of a crowd of around 50,000 people in Tel Aviv on July 25 despite pressure from the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement not to perform in Israel.

According to the Jerusalem Post, lead singer Jon Bon Jovi received more than 5,000 letters from BDS activists urging the band to cancel the show but Bon Jovi reportedly told Bluestone Entertainment concert promoter Guy Beser, “I chose Israel and I’m coming, no one will cancel my show.” Beser also told the Post that the singer enjoyed performing in Israel in 2015 and had been yearning to come back.

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan similarly told the Post regarding BDS, “We don’t get into politics. Rock ‘n’ roll goes everywhere and helps people forget about the world and have a good time. It doesn’t divide, and that’s what we’re talking about – unification, not dividing.”

Comedian Benji Lovitt wrote in the Times of Israel that the Bon Jovi concert “exceeded my expectations,” praising the band’s setlist and Jon Bon Jovi’s chemistry with the crowd.

“Jon may have struggled to hit the same high notes he sang 30 years ago, but I can’t imagine that anyone cared,” Lovitt wrote. “He gave us his all and when the night ended, the final show on this leg of the tour, he looked totally exhausted yet utterly fulfilled. The band members high-fived each other and hugged, bringing their travels to a close. And the word ‘LEGEND’ on the back of Jon’s jacket said it all.”

Lovitt also noted that Jon Bon Jovi reminded “the crowd that he dedicated ‘We Don’t Run’ to the people of Israel in 2015.”

Earlier in the month, the metal band Disturbed performed in Tel Aviv, where lead singer David Draiman sang the Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah.” Draiman said in a May 30 interview with Disturbed fan page on Facebok that BDS is “based on hatred of a culture and of a people in a society that has been demonized unjustifiably since the beginning of time.”

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Tlaib Says House Voted for Anti-BDS Bill Without Understanding Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Leave a Comment / Online, United States / Aaron Bandler

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) told reporters on July 24 that the House of Representatives voted for the anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) resolution on July 23 despite not having a firm grasp of the nuances of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Jewish Insider reports.

Tlaib, who came out in favor of a one-state solution in August, said that she has talked to some in the House who “don’t know what you’re talking about” when it comes to a two-state solution. She added that she “had a colleague ask me what the blockade in [the Gaza Strip] means… another person actually signed onto the anti-BDS bill not understanding [it], but because they saw so many colleagues on there, they said it must be important.”

She went on to say that people need to fight against the Israeli government’s “racist policies,” saying those who are denied entry through the Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv is the equivalent of “segregation. People say to me they go through Tel Aviv, through Ben-Gurion Airport, and they hardly see Palestinians there and I think that’s very intentional.”

The House overwhelmingly voted in favor of the anti-BDS resolution by a vote of 398 in favor, 17 against and 5 abstentions. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced a resolution on July 16 supporting the right to boycott that she said serves as the basis for supporting BDS.

Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Abraham Cooper told the Journal in a phone interview that by supporting BDS, Tlaib is “signaling that she wants to build her campaign on something that is anti-Semitic” since BDS singles out and demonizes the Jewish State of Israel.

“The overwhelming majority of Democrats and Republicans voted against BDS,” Cooper said. “Maybe it’s not their lack of knowledge, maybe it’s her own personal prejudices that blinds her to the real possibility for a new Middle East.”

The Progressive Zionists of California said in a statement to the Journal, “We are glad to see the House vote reaffirm the need for a two-state solution. While Tlaib may be comfortable advocating for a one state solution that will likely result in the deaths of millions of Israelis and Palestinians, and potentially leave half of the world’s Jewish population stateless; we believe that two states for two peoples is the only just solution. It guarantees Palestinian self-determination and insists that Israel’s security not be compromised. Any iteration of the one-state solution will lead to civil war—something no serious or responsible progressive should support.”

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Jamie Foxx Moved By Shalva Band Eurovision Performance

Leave a Comment / Entertainment / Jewish Journal Staff

After discovering Shalva Band’s Eurovision Semifinals performance of “A Million Dreams” singer and actor Jamie Foxx shared the video on Facebook July 23.

He shared the video with his nine million followers because the band, which is composed of singers and musicians with special needs, struck a chord.

“This is so beautiful and close to my heart,” Foxx wrote. “As many of you know, my sister is the face of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. What an inspiring group of talented young men and women!”

Shalva, the Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, provides quality care for individuals with disabilities, empowering their families and promoting social tolerance. The organization became known all around the world following the 2019 Eurovision competition in Tel Aviv.

“Shalva Band is having a huge impact and prompting real societal change,” says Avi Samuels, Chairman of Shalva said in a statement. “At Shalva we always talk about seeing abilities and discerning potential. Every time I watch them perform on stage in front of communities, business groups, or even kids, I see them conveying the paramount message that people with disabilities are actually people with very special abilities.”

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God-Talk with My Toddler

Leave a Comment / Blogs / Marion Haberman

As is typical for an East Coast summer afternoon, last week me and my two little boys were stuck inside waiting for a thunderstorm to pass so we could go out on our stroller walk. As we were looking out the window tracing rain drops, my two and a half year old son turned to me and out of the blue asked, “Mommy, who makes it rain?”

I thought for a moment about explaining how clouds and water cycles and atmospheric pressure swirl around us everyday but he used the word “who” in his question so I defaulted to a quick one word answer, “God.” Surprisingly, that was the end of the discussion, or so I thought.

The rain soon cleared and we started off on our usual path around the neighborhood but my mind was totally preoccupied with this BIG little word I just used – God. Had I said the wrong thing? Was it too soon (or maybe too late?) to talk about God to a two year old? I hadn’t heard the word used with any real meaning at his Jewish preschool and I hadn’t found myself bringing it up on my own.

We say Shabbat prayers together as a family and sing lots of Jewish songs but somehow (I’m guessing because they’re mostly in Hebrew so a lot of the language and meaning just brushes by) we haven’t really talked about God before.

I was raised with a strong belief in a higher power. I remember having lots of discussions in day school about God’s role in the Torah and in our everyday world. When I experienced a pregnancy loss five years ago I turned to Harold Kushner’s “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” and came to a totally new understanding of a concept of God I could appreciate in a broken world. So I’m feeling pretty good about God these days, but teaching my kid about God…that seems exceptionally monumental a task.

I decided for the moment I would treat the word God the way I do all new things around my toddler, I’d test the water, see how it went and reassess as time went by. I decided I didn’t have to decide right then and there what our family God policy was going to be and how we would all believe in Him right now. A few moments later as we made our way home on our walk my son pipes up from what I thought was a nap in his stroller to ask me “Is God Moana’s Mommy?” to which I simply answered: “Yup.”

Marion Haberman is a writer and content creator for her YouTube/MyJewishMommyLife channel and Instagram @MyJewishMommyLife page where she shares her experience living a meaning-FULL Jewish family life. Haberman is currently writing a book on Judaism and pregnancy titled ‘Expecting Jewish!’ to be released Winter ’19. She is also a professional social media consultant and web and television writer for Discovery Channel, NOAA and NatGeo and has an MBA from Georgetown University.

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The Lord is a Loaded Gun – A poem for parsha Pinchas

A Moment in Time: Kindred Spirits

Leave a Comment / Blogs / Rabbi Zach Shapiro

Dear all,

When Ron and I were in Israel this week, we met lots of people with whom we shared a common bond. That’s to be expected, right?!

But in Italy on the way home, I ran into this kindred spirit. We shared no cultural, religious, or geographic commonalities. But there was something about her that allowed us to connect!

We’ve all had experiences like this: when a certain something bridges time and space, creating an immediate bond. Sometimes the connection is apparent. And sometimes it takes exploring beyond our usual comfort zones.

Our lives are filled with opportunities to seek out kindred spirits. We won’t find them every day. But I promise you – they are there in living color, at EVERY given moment in time! We just need to open our eyes and our hearts!

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Handbook Update: Democratic Camp Doesn’t Impact Blocs

Rosner’s Torah Talk: Parshat Pinchas with Rabbi Mark Kaiserman

CNN Photo Editor Resigns Over Anti-Semitic Tweets

Bon Jovi Performs in Tel Aviv Despite BDS Pressure

Tlaib Says House Voted for Anti-BDS Bill Without Understanding Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Jamie Foxx Moved By Shalva Band Eurovision Performance

God-Talk with My Toddler

The Lord is a Loaded Gun – A poem for parsha Pinchas

A Moment in Time: Kindred Spirits

Israel’s Cabinet Approves Medical Cannabis Exports

Jewish Journal