What the Evangelicals Give the Jews
Jewish tradition has more in common with modern Christian values than it has with the liberal attitudes espoused by many Jews today, argues Michael Medved in Commentary Magazine.
In which areas, exactly, can committed Jews identify irreconcilable differences with serious Christians when it comes to most significant questions of morals, ethics, and righteous behavior? Does anyone suppose that our Baptist neighbors cherish the centrality of the family less passionately than we do, or display a weaker commitment to acts of compassion for the poor, or express a more feeble determination to repair a broken world in the tradition of tikkun olam? Anyone who honestly believes that born-again believers neglect their obligation to “love your neighbor as yourself” hasn’t visited their churches and schools and service organizations to witness the prodigious acts of loving kindness that sometimes put our communal efforts to shame.
Chris Christie’s Islam Problem
Writing in Algemeiner, Daniel Pipes and Steven Emerson take issue with the New Jersey governor and possible running mate for Mitt Romney, over claims he supports for Islamists over American interests.
In short, Christie has hugged a terrorist organization member, abridged free-speech rights, scorned concern over Islamization, and opposed law enforcement counterterrorism efforts. Whenever an issue touching on Islam arises, Christie takes the Islamist side against those –the DHS, state senators, the NYPD, even the ACLU – who worry about lawful Islamism eroding the fabric of American life.
A seemingly perennial election season and policy-flexible politicians should not distract Israelis from the real issues facing the country, says the Jerusalem Post in its editorial.
And when the superfluous electioneering din dies down, we’ll be left with all that weighed heavy upon us previously – the threat of a nuclear Iran, Palestinian pressures, the perfidy of the Arab Spring, our frayed socioeconomic fabric, the real estate bubble, the cashed-strapped educational framework, health system, police force, public transport networks, etc. None of this will go away.
British Jews must speak out against Ken Livingstone
The former mayor and current Labour candidate’s skill in managing London cannot overshadow his cavalier and often offensive attitude toward Britain’s Jewish population, writes D.D. Guttenplan in Haaretz.
Whether Livingstone has truly made the transit from anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism, or has simply calculated that any perceived deference to Jewish opinion would count against him among London’s far more numerous Muslim voters, I can’t say. But neither can I ignore my own sense that he seems seem willing to dismiss and diminish Jewish concerns in a way that doesn’t seem true for other minority groups.
Writing in Foreign Policy, Aaron David Miller take a look at five of the most unconstructive moves in Middle East diplomacy.
Dumb Idea No. 1: Palestinian statehood at the U.N. The most woolly-headed and inconsequential idea goes to the Palestinians for pretending (they actually may not really believe it themselves) that action at the United Nations might help their cause for statehood. Having tried this idea once last September with predictable results—a big, fat nothingburger—the PLO may be gearing up again for another run.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.