A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:
Obama’s Jewish address
President Obama reassured some of his Jewish constituents on Friday by reaffirming his commitment to Israel in front of thousands of attendees at the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial event. “America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable,” he said. “We have been there, and we will continue to be there. Those are the facts.” But not everyone was impressed. “It was an arrogant speech, seemingly oblivious to the criticisms that have swirled around him,” ” title=”http://forward.com/articles/148002/?p=all” target=”_blank”>according to a Jewish Daily Forward report. “The 2012 list of volunteer bundlers does indicate that Obama has not lost the Jewish Democratic elite who made up a significant proportion of his support in 2008.”
Prisoners go free
Israel followed through on its promise dating back to the Shalit deal that it would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the swap. On Sunday night, that ” title=”http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1218/The-man-Israel-didn-t-release-from-prison-Marwan-Barghouti” target=”_blank”>deliver peace, too. One of the man’s cousins, Fakhri Barghouti, is free now and speaking out about his mistreatment and the conflict. “I left prison but the occupation is still here. I have more freedom than in prison, but it’s still the same occupation,” ” title=”http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70564.html” target=”_blank”>compared notorious Nazi Joseph Goebbels to the Democrat Party because of the “lies and deceit” he sees. West could face consequences next year as he vies for re-election in a Jewish area. He’s invoked Nazi comparisons in the past, too. “I don’t care for Goebbels analogies much myself. Besides their vulnerability to criticism for being excessive and offensive, they’re so ancient and played out,” ” title=”http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501713_162-57344664/palestinian-textbooks-debate-reaches-us-campaign/” target=”_blank”>reports indicate that no violence against Israel is mentioned anywhere in their textbooks. They did find that peace is not a central theme to the lessons, though. “While there’s plenty of hard feelings on both sides – and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, remains largely captive to its extremist rhetoric — the reality on the West Bank is far more nuanced and, generally, more positive than what passes for debate in the U.S. presidential contest,” ” title=”http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/were-remarks-of-gop-debaters-regarding/” target=”_blank”>said John Lake at BlogCritics. “In these days of nuclear proliferation, the war in Israel/Palestine must be seriously considered, and actions to end this hostility should be forthcoming and soon.”
Celebrating Christmas
What’s a Jew to do on December 25? “It’s a quick jump from appreciating a Christmas display to arguing with your child about sitting on Santa’s lap. But if we want our children to be firm in their own Jewish identity, we need to be firm with its boundaries,” ” title=”http://moms.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/16/9496237-being-a-jewish-mom-at-christmas-isnt-so-bad?preview=true” target=”_blank”>argued Jordana Horn at MSN. “Part of what is so amazing about living in America is living alongside of traditions and cultures other than our own.” There’s a delicate balance, and one that many struggle to find.
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