International

Netanyahu’s annexation gamble

A reason often given for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s current pursuit of the annexation (“Israeli sovereignty”) of parts of the West Bank is to fix Israel’s Eastern border that would incorporate most or all of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank yet take up a relatively small part of the area currently under Palestinian control as potential Palestinian state. The time is now, so the argument goes, while Donald Trump, “the great friend of Israel,” is still in power. It is difficult to justify these effort on their merits, which seem minimal. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Middle East, USA

Thomas Sowell, Bolsheviks, and BLM rhetoric

Thomas Sowell is one of the greatest intellectuals in the world today. Back in 1999, he wrote a remarkable book, The Quest for Cosmic Justice. He relates in his book about the time in 1919 when The Bolsheviks created the secret police known as the Cheka.  The similarities between the rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Cheka are astounding. Sowell cited records from that era, which ought to sound familiar to us—a century later: (Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Vindication for Kaepernick, awakening for White America

In defense of Colin Kaepernick, I made the supreme sacrifice four years ago: A one-time high school chum de-friended me on Facebook. He could not believe how liberal I had become – all because I insisted that football players like Kaepernick had a constitutional right to kneel during a pre-game playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Now Kaepernick – and by extension myself – has been vindicated. Taking a knee is such a fad that even police chiefs are doing it. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Sports & Competitions, USA

Former SD Padres, JNF boost Israeli baseball

Two former Jewish players for the San Diego Padres are helping Israel build baseball as a popular sport among that nation’s Jewish, Arab, and Bedouin youth, while also preparing Israel’s national baseball team to compete in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, USA

Redeeming a Holocaust Survivor’s reputation

Retired California theater producer and drama professor George Kovach is the stepson the late Cecelia ”Cilka” Klein who was the subject of a recent Holocaust sex and romance novel by an Australian novelist named Heather Morris, who wrote an earlier sex and romance novel set during the Holocaust titled The Tattooist of Auschwitz. In Morris’ sequel to her bestselling first novel, titled Cilka’s Journey, she focused on Cecelia Klein, and Kovach found the portrayal of his Jewish stepmother highly objectionable.  [Dan Bloom]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History

How students can respond to anti-Israel sentiment

The bulk of the [StandWithUs] presentation addressed the basic scenario of students being harassed or excluded from events because they are seen to be pro-Israel. Issues ranged from college professors openly advocating against Israel, to students being kept from marching with or supporting groups like Black Lives Matter because of their beliefs. [Marcia Berneger]

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Marcia Berneger, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

ADL, NAACP, want corporations to pause FB advertising

The Anti-Defamation League, joined by such non-profit organizations as the NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Free Press, and Common Sense, has announced a “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign to encourage advertisers to “pause” their purchases on Facebook during the month of July. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Alternative Middle East peace plan needs Arab backing

The question is, what might deter Netanyahu at this juncture from moving ahead with annexation? The only way the Palestinians can freeze Netanyahu today is if they immediately announce that they are willing to negotiate a peace accord, and send that message unambiguously to the US. It is equally important that the Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and joined by Jordan and Egypt (who are already at peace with Israel), offer to recognize Israel conditionally upon entering immediately into good-faith negotiations with the goal of reaching a two-state solution, which can satisfy much of what all the stakeholders are seeking. [Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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Alon Ben-Meir, International, Middle East, USA

The Hush sounds of Zina Schiff’s violin

My sister, concert violinist Zina Schiff, has championed many contemporary Jewish composers, including Australian-based David Hush (1956-). She has performed his works on two CDs: King David’s Lyre and the all-Hush recording, Nesia, released by LMA Recordings. On this disc, Zina performs six pieces for solo violin: Lachash (Incantation), Kinah (Elegy), Nesia (Journey), Sinfonia, Lullaby and Melody. She also plays Contrapuntus, a duo for violin and viola, with violist, Victoria Voronyansky. The recording concludes with Hush’s Prelude and Fugue and Sonata for cello, featuring Mirjam Ingofsson, cello and Ursula Ingofsson-Fassbind, piano. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

‘Unorthodox’ draws critical response from Chabad women

The Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, about a woman who leaves her husband, casts off the ways of the Satmar Hasidim, and seeks to rebuild her life in the secular world, drew Zoomcast rebuttals on Monday night from a first cousin of the author upon whose 2012 memoir the series was based, as well as from educators and rebbetzins of the Lubavitcher Hasidim, better known as Chabadniks, here in San Diego County. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Morocco struggles with development plans

I have long been and remain a believer in Morocco’s existing frameworks for the people’s development. There is, after all, a lot to like. Municipalities are to create development plans made from the participation of all communities and groups. Environmental management is understood to integrate the local people. Agricultural programs seek to achieve the value-chain with communities of small landholders. Morocco is committed to the goals of decentralization, renewable energy, liberation of women and youth from social and economic hindrances, and well-established southern unity. Multicultural preservation is a non-equivocal national choice. [Yossef Ben- Meir]

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Business & Finance, International, Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir

Another Jewish perspective on ‘Black Lives Matter’

Even as our nation is convulsing from the unprecedented and converging crises of COVID-19 and the (mostly peaceful) street protests manifested under the canopy of ‘Black Lives Matter,’ some in our Jewish community have expressed concerns and indignation: there are scattered elements of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism expressed by BLM. The May 30 riotous disturbances that occurred in the Fairfax section of Los Angeles, including the defacing of a synagogue with Nazi symbols, have sharpened these Jewish sentiments and denunciations. [Ben Kamin]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA