Did you ever see “Christmas Time for the Jews,” that Saturday Night Live short by Robert Smigel? It’s a three minute claymation skit of Jews who seem to have their way on Christmas because all the gentiles are home drinking eggnog with their families. It’s very funny, complete with references to Seinfeld, the Daily show and Fiddler on the Roof played by non Jews. Catch it on Hulu.com and you’ll appreciate this piece all the more.
Like most Jews I view Christmas as a day off, and I look forward to it. Like the song says it’s a time I can do just about anything I want. I can go to the movies, eat at restaurants and walk the malls relatively free of people. Or, if I want, I can choose to stay home, watch videos, order pizza and vegetate on the couch for the day.
In the past few years I have been hearing about a program that sponsors Jews who want to work for Christians in vital jobs that cannot be abandoned even on Christmas day. Each year as the attack on Christmas from the left grows larger I continue to look at this option as a possible means for me to satisfy two desires. One, to show my support for Christians celebrating Christmas as a Jew who is appalled at the Left’s attack and the Jewish role in that campaign, and two, it appears to me that such a selfless mitzvah probably will not go unnoticed in this world or the next.
I googled “Jews who work for Christians on Christmas.” I got all kinds of hits, from white supremacists accusing Jews of killing Christ, to Jews being warned not to celebrate Christmas. In the middle of all this was an article from last year in Boulder Colorado that caught my eye, a group of Jews working for Christians on Christmas. Perfect! I wrote the author and asked him to give me more information. Maybe he could help me find the same group here in L.A., where I live. Not thirty seconds after I sent the query, it came back undeliverable.
Dead end.
I wrote to the Jewish Journal here in Los Angeles. Rob Eshman, their editor wrote me back and put me in touch with a guy who then put me in touch with Temple Israel in Hollywood.
Temple Israel sends Jews, like me who want to do something constructive on Christmas, to the United Methodist Church on Hollywood and Highland. They sponsor a Christmas dinner for the homeless. It’s a noble and worthwhile way to spend Christmas as a Jew.
And, that’s ok, but I was looking for something different. I wanted to work for someone, so I could physically feel myself doing a mitzvah for a complete stranger—a one on one exchange of goodness for happiness. I work for him or her and they go home to have Christmas with their family. The thought of that was very appealing.
So, I kept looking.
I called the Jewish federation, the Valley Alliance, and the Jewish Community Center thinking maybe they might know something.
Nothing.
I was running out of options here.
I had to accept the possibility that there was no group, at least not any more. Luckily, I had an ace in the hole. I work as an onsite home owners association manager at a local condominium project in Marina Del Rey. We have guards at our gates 24/7, and, Christmas is no exception.
Bingo! A vital job that cannot be abandoned, not even on Christmas. The only difference, it wasn’t anonymous. Going somewhere to relieve someone who is a total stranger was more in line with my thinking. But, they were no where to be found and this was a pretty cool second best.
Since Christmas falls on Friday this year, our post commander Michele would be faithfully sitting at her post on Christmas morning and would not be excused until 3:00 in the afternoon.
When I asked if she had to work that day, in complete resignation she said, “yes, I do.”
I thought about it awhile. I didn’t want it to appear self serving since everyone knows me there and would undoubtedly ask why I was running the gates that morning, (which I never do) and deliver the praise of such an act.
Decision making time.
This is it, I do it here, or I don’t do it.
I approached Michele with the idea, and of course, as a new grandmother she was ecstatic. I told her to clear it with her company and since I spoke for the homeowners association on such matters everything else would be in place for me to work for her.
While sitting in the guard shack that day, I kept thinking I could be home right now, watching some old Seinfeld, and have “the daily show reruns, running through my head” (straight from the Saturday night Live skit), But then there was Michele, spending the day with her family and that beautiful grand daughter of hers.
It never hurts to practice a little plain goodness in your life. “The day we control the town” was for me this year, a day of real thanksgiving and brotherhood. Because of me, one Christian woman enjoyed a memorable day with her family, was eternally grateful for that opportunity and gave me a sense of self worth that I don’t often enough get to experience in my life. I’m not sure why, but somehow, by the end of Christmas day I felt a little more connected to my own Jewishness. It was good to give something back. It was a good day.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Are We Too Late?
The United States continues to stall for time in stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Consequently, Iran appears to be exploiting American weakness to have the resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies in the region. President Obama, coming off a disastrous policy decision on the Afghanistan problem, is following up with the same hesitant, restrained, indecisive pattern of ineffectiveness which has now put the west on the defensive against a growing Jihadi tide. And, this situation has our allies in the region, especially Israel, very worried because Obama at present is not risking the existence of the United States. He is using Tel Aviv as its minor’s canary to see how far he can stretch out the Iranian push to obtain nuclear weapons.
On December 19th Debka File reported that the Obama administration forced Israel to abandon any plans of direct action against Iran until the president has the opportunity to play out his hand at a diplomatic and peaceful solution. After all of Obama’s earlier tough talk at the United Nations last October in reality he is taking a much softer approach.
Our enemies are laughing at us
I would like to blame this on Obama’s Left wing agenda but the previous administration did the same thing. Like the Bush administration before him, he sends the wrong messages hoping the madman of Tehran will take them in the spirit in which they are given, as friends and colleagues on the world stage.
Wasn’t that what Chamberlain was hoping for at Munich in 1938?
Achmadinijad sensing American restraint on the issue demanded in Copenhagen last week “everything is possible, but not in a climate where they threaten us…those days are over.” Consequently, Obama is trying to appease Achmadinijad, telling him that America wants to make nice, even at the expense of the Israelis.
The president is hoping for another year to resolve the issue. But, Debka’s military sources say that it will be too late by then, Iran will have the bomb sometime in 2010. Israel will lose its strategic edge, and who knows what will happen after that. Does anyone really think that the Obama administration does not realize this is doomsday for Israel if they continue on this present course?
Like pulling an unloaded gun on a bad guy Obama made tough statements that America’s patience is running thin and that “tougher sanctions are imminent.” But, then, the administration acquiesced further this week with three measures all designed to appease. The first was a temporary shelving of a prior congressional approval to penalize American companies doing business with Iran. But last week John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, announced that he “needs more time to consider the bill.” The second, the government announced a six month delay in deployment of the bunker buster bomb specifically designed for the Iranian strike, even though it is ready now. And third, Israeli journalists briefed by Obama administration officials have produced articles from those briefings that implore the Israeli electorate to get used to the idea of living with a nuclearized Iran.
Iran’s answer to the Obama acquiescence: the test firing of a new missile which can penetrate both Israeli and American defenses.
The time for talk is long over.
This kind of dialogue might have been constructive back in 2003 when Iran announced its re-initiation of its nuclear program. Once Iran had threatened Israel, and other American allies in the region, a plan for slowing them down should have been envisioned. Now, they have missiles which can hit Tel Aviv, advanced weaponry that nobody is really sure if it can be defended against, and an extra six years to build its defenses and strike capabilities in the event of an attack.
If Obama had the beitzim, he would have counted the last administration’s talks with the Iranian government as a failed negotiation and made direct plans either with or without Israel’s help to stop Iran from turning the world in a dangerous direction. But, sadly, he doesn’t, and therefore cannot do what is right. The West better get real serious about the Iranian situation soon. Time is running out fast.
The question for the Netanyahu government is simple but essential. Does it continue to rely on a weakened United States, led by an untested administration, one that cannot seem to recognize real evil in the world, and holds to the firm belief that it is possible to negotiate with it? Can it allow this kind of diplomatic brinkmanship to decide whether Israel lives or dies? Can Israel realistically put its survival in the hands of anyone else other than itself?
For Israel there is no choice, it would have been easier earlier but it has to remove the threat now at whatever cost. Not to will increase the possibility of a diminished Israel, in a region with enemies already bent on its destruction and the constant fear that at anytime, the worst enemy of the Jews since Adolph Hitler has got his finger on the button and is just waiting for an excuse. And, as we have seen previously, to Achmadinijad and his supporters, that excuse is the very existence of the Jewish state.
On December 19th Debka File reported that the Obama administration forced Israel to abandon any plans of direct action against Iran until the president has the opportunity to play out his hand at a diplomatic and peaceful solution. After all of Obama’s earlier tough talk at the United Nations last October in reality he is taking a much softer approach.
Our enemies are laughing at us
I would like to blame this on Obama’s Left wing agenda but the previous administration did the same thing. Like the Bush administration before him, he sends the wrong messages hoping the madman of Tehran will take them in the spirit in which they are given, as friends and colleagues on the world stage.
Wasn’t that what Chamberlain was hoping for at Munich in 1938?
Achmadinijad sensing American restraint on the issue demanded in Copenhagen last week “everything is possible, but not in a climate where they threaten us…those days are over.” Consequently, Obama is trying to appease Achmadinijad, telling him that America wants to make nice, even at the expense of the Israelis.
The president is hoping for another year to resolve the issue. But, Debka’s military sources say that it will be too late by then, Iran will have the bomb sometime in 2010. Israel will lose its strategic edge, and who knows what will happen after that. Does anyone really think that the Obama administration does not realize this is doomsday for Israel if they continue on this present course?
Like pulling an unloaded gun on a bad guy Obama made tough statements that America’s patience is running thin and that “tougher sanctions are imminent.” But, then, the administration acquiesced further this week with three measures all designed to appease. The first was a temporary shelving of a prior congressional approval to penalize American companies doing business with Iran. But last week John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, announced that he “needs more time to consider the bill.” The second, the government announced a six month delay in deployment of the bunker buster bomb specifically designed for the Iranian strike, even though it is ready now. And third, Israeli journalists briefed by Obama administration officials have produced articles from those briefings that implore the Israeli electorate to get used to the idea of living with a nuclearized Iran.
Iran’s answer to the Obama acquiescence: the test firing of a new missile which can penetrate both Israeli and American defenses.
The time for talk is long over.
This kind of dialogue might have been constructive back in 2003 when Iran announced its re-initiation of its nuclear program. Once Iran had threatened Israel, and other American allies in the region, a plan for slowing them down should have been envisioned. Now, they have missiles which can hit Tel Aviv, advanced weaponry that nobody is really sure if it can be defended against, and an extra six years to build its defenses and strike capabilities in the event of an attack.
If Obama had the beitzim, he would have counted the last administration’s talks with the Iranian government as a failed negotiation and made direct plans either with or without Israel’s help to stop Iran from turning the world in a dangerous direction. But, sadly, he doesn’t, and therefore cannot do what is right. The West better get real serious about the Iranian situation soon. Time is running out fast.
The question for the Netanyahu government is simple but essential. Does it continue to rely on a weakened United States, led by an untested administration, one that cannot seem to recognize real evil in the world, and holds to the firm belief that it is possible to negotiate with it? Can it allow this kind of diplomatic brinkmanship to decide whether Israel lives or dies? Can Israel realistically put its survival in the hands of anyone else other than itself?
For Israel there is no choice, it would have been easier earlier but it has to remove the threat now at whatever cost. Not to will increase the possibility of a diminished Israel, in a region with enemies already bent on its destruction and the constant fear that at anytime, the worst enemy of the Jews since Adolph Hitler has got his finger on the button and is just waiting for an excuse. And, as we have seen previously, to Achmadinijad and his supporters, that excuse is the very existence of the Jewish state.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
A Call to Educate: Confronting Anti-Israel Bias on College Campuses
On November 14th I attended a talk by Jehuda Reinharz, the president of Brandeis University in Boston, at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. The subject was on the disturbing growth of Anti-Zionism on campuses and the relentless pursuit of defining the State of Israel as “evil” while recognizing that the Palestinian people deserve to have a home where Israel now stands. As someone who has experienced this phenomenon first hand as an older student returning to the university after many years, I jumped at the chance to hear what he had to say. I was not disappointed.
Because the university is where the best, the brightest, and the most influential reside, Dr. Reinharz pointed out that certain “Arab governments have figured out that the university is a good place to propagate their views.” These can cover a wide range of interests not the least of which is the demonization of Israel and advocating its demise. Convince a clip talking, bow tied, Ivy league prof, to condemn Israel and people will listen. A perusal through published theses, dissertations and journal articles show a preponderance of anti-Israel bias. Some of these papers are so malicious that it is hard to find the scholarly points that the writers are supposed to argue. Still, they are passed on by thesis committees and are published as books; end up in newspaper articles, in historical documentaries and of course, text books that grade school students learn from.
“Often to be progressively liberal today means to be anti-Zionist.” One of the great contributors to Israel’s demonization on campuses is the growth of the Left. The political Left wing, unbelievably potent in most history, English and political science departments, views the State of Israel as a tool of American imperialism, a colonial outpost of European Jews which have no right to be there. They basically hold that 1948 was a great mistake. Allowing the Jews to create a homeland in Palestine never should have happened. They defend a moral equivalency between terrorism against innocent Jews and what Israel does to defend against it. They support a two state solution, not as an end to the conflict, but as a punishment for Israel because of perceived crimes as an occupying power. This perception of Israel runs very deep in the academic community. Speakers on campuses supporting terror against Jews are allowed under the guise of free speech, and actions against Jewish students and offensive anti-Semitic slogans during anti Israel demonstrations are not discouraged.
The advocacy of the Left has no place on the university campus. Dr. Reinharz was clear on this point, “universities should not be in a position of supporting advocacy groups.” As Jews we are particularly sensitive to this matter because the “advocacy” promoted here is the destruction of Israel, and the Jewish return to a non sovereign status in world affairs.
So, what do we do about it? Professor Reinharz had several good suggestions.
The careful administration of endowments is very important. Funding in small amounts and getting to know the faculty Dr. Reinharz insists is key in understanding how your money is spent. “You cannot demand what to teach with the money you are giving them, but you can minimize the risk of it going to anti-Israel causes.” Talk to department heads, ask them how they will they teach classes associated with your endowment. Read the catalogue to get a feel for the classes and what is taught in them. While sitting there listening to him I thought of a couple more on my own. Before you endow read the schedule of classes for that particular semester. Research the department heads and the professors teaching the classes. Reading their curriculum vitae is an excellent way of determining how a particular professor leans politically and whether that leaning affects what he or she teaches.
The professor also called for the establishment of Israel Study Centers. Study centers are interdisciplinary programs run by the university to further study on a wide range of subjects. Study centers dedicated to Israeli culture, sociology, history, politics etc., can be great educating bases for compiling scholarly arguments among the world’s academics about the problems in the Middle East.
Birthright, a program that completely subsidizes young Jews to Israel, provides an excellent source of education by providing first person looks into what is happening on the ground. Of the many programs that are available to send young Jews to Israe, Birthright ranks at the top of the list in popularity. For a two week trip, air fare, and accommodations including meals are all paid for in full. Spending cash is up to the individual. While those two weeks don’t provide a lifetime of education on the Arab Israeli conflict they at least give young people some time on the land itself. They become connected, and form lifelong attachments with the State of Israel. Even the most erudite professor would have a hard time disseminating misinformation to someone with this experience. Birthright Israel is an important step in turning this problem around. It would be wise to expand on this program to be able to send more young people to Israel than is now possible.
The problem of anti-Zionism on college campuses is one that is not going away, it’s getting worse. Even with Jewish involvement, it provides a springboard for an anti-Semitism that has not been seen in the world since the Nazism of the 1930s. One has only to experience an on campus demonstration against Israel’s existence to understand its virulent nature. Dr. Reinharz provided some excellent ways to begin to reverse the tide. It’s time the Jewish community concerned with Israel’s survival get involved and channel their power to produce some balance in the university. Anti-Zionism nurtured by the Left and Palestinians bent on destroying Israel have had a head start but they haven’t won. Let’s get to work.
Because the university is where the best, the brightest, and the most influential reside, Dr. Reinharz pointed out that certain “Arab governments have figured out that the university is a good place to propagate their views.” These can cover a wide range of interests not the least of which is the demonization of Israel and advocating its demise. Convince a clip talking, bow tied, Ivy league prof, to condemn Israel and people will listen. A perusal through published theses, dissertations and journal articles show a preponderance of anti-Israel bias. Some of these papers are so malicious that it is hard to find the scholarly points that the writers are supposed to argue. Still, they are passed on by thesis committees and are published as books; end up in newspaper articles, in historical documentaries and of course, text books that grade school students learn from.
“Often to be progressively liberal today means to be anti-Zionist.” One of the great contributors to Israel’s demonization on campuses is the growth of the Left. The political Left wing, unbelievably potent in most history, English and political science departments, views the State of Israel as a tool of American imperialism, a colonial outpost of European Jews which have no right to be there. They basically hold that 1948 was a great mistake. Allowing the Jews to create a homeland in Palestine never should have happened. They defend a moral equivalency between terrorism against innocent Jews and what Israel does to defend against it. They support a two state solution, not as an end to the conflict, but as a punishment for Israel because of perceived crimes as an occupying power. This perception of Israel runs very deep in the academic community. Speakers on campuses supporting terror against Jews are allowed under the guise of free speech, and actions against Jewish students and offensive anti-Semitic slogans during anti Israel demonstrations are not discouraged.
The advocacy of the Left has no place on the university campus. Dr. Reinharz was clear on this point, “universities should not be in a position of supporting advocacy groups.” As Jews we are particularly sensitive to this matter because the “advocacy” promoted here is the destruction of Israel, and the Jewish return to a non sovereign status in world affairs.
So, what do we do about it? Professor Reinharz had several good suggestions.
The careful administration of endowments is very important. Funding in small amounts and getting to know the faculty Dr. Reinharz insists is key in understanding how your money is spent. “You cannot demand what to teach with the money you are giving them, but you can minimize the risk of it going to anti-Israel causes.” Talk to department heads, ask them how they will they teach classes associated with your endowment. Read the catalogue to get a feel for the classes and what is taught in them. While sitting there listening to him I thought of a couple more on my own. Before you endow read the schedule of classes for that particular semester. Research the department heads and the professors teaching the classes. Reading their curriculum vitae is an excellent way of determining how a particular professor leans politically and whether that leaning affects what he or she teaches.
The professor also called for the establishment of Israel Study Centers. Study centers are interdisciplinary programs run by the university to further study on a wide range of subjects. Study centers dedicated to Israeli culture, sociology, history, politics etc., can be great educating bases for compiling scholarly arguments among the world’s academics about the problems in the Middle East.
Birthright, a program that completely subsidizes young Jews to Israel, provides an excellent source of education by providing first person looks into what is happening on the ground. Of the many programs that are available to send young Jews to Israe, Birthright ranks at the top of the list in popularity. For a two week trip, air fare, and accommodations including meals are all paid for in full. Spending cash is up to the individual. While those two weeks don’t provide a lifetime of education on the Arab Israeli conflict they at least give young people some time on the land itself. They become connected, and form lifelong attachments with the State of Israel. Even the most erudite professor would have a hard time disseminating misinformation to someone with this experience. Birthright Israel is an important step in turning this problem around. It would be wise to expand on this program to be able to send more young people to Israel than is now possible.
The problem of anti-Zionism on college campuses is one that is not going away, it’s getting worse. Even with Jewish involvement, it provides a springboard for an anti-Semitism that has not been seen in the world since the Nazism of the 1930s. One has only to experience an on campus demonstration against Israel’s existence to understand its virulent nature. Dr. Reinharz provided some excellent ways to begin to reverse the tide. It’s time the Jewish community concerned with Israel’s survival get involved and channel their power to produce some balance in the university. Anti-Zionism nurtured by the Left and Palestinians bent on destroying Israel have had a head start but they haven’t won. Let’s get to work.
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