Is something on everyone's mind?

I was going to post something about Arafat (despite my promise), but then I clicked on jrants.com and noticed the following list of entries in the Jewish blogsphere:

11/04 12:14 PM News for Members of the Tribe: IS ARAFAT DEAD?
11/04 12:10 PM An Unsealed Room: Is He Or Isn't He Dead?
11/04 12:07 PM Somewhere on A1A...: Arafat Dead
11/04 12:04 PM Heimishtown: Is Arafat Dead?
11/04 12:02 PM My Blog About Me: dead or alive?
11/04 12:01 PM Friends of Micronesia: Arafat Dead?

Followed quickly by
11/04 12:29 PM Jack's Shack: Is Arafat Dead?
and
11/04 1:29 PM An Unsealed Room: Die Another Day
and
11/04 2:34 PM JewView: Is He or Isn't He? No one seems to know for sure...

I think that just about sums it up....

How to lose friends and alienate people: the model

Today's most pathetic non-event is former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak's declaration that he's returning to political life, as he's been threatening to do for ages.
Personally, I always thought Barak was unfairly blamed by his colleagues and by the country for the collapse of the peace process; by making such a generous offer to Arafat, he did exactly what he should have done in order to end the conflict, and it wasn't his fault that Arafat threw it back in his face.
Still, there is no question that Barak was a failed politician, who alienated almost everyone who came into contact with him, plus the entire electorate. At root, it's a personality defect; this man/robot has no emotions, something he himself admitted. As a result, he can't understand or deal with people, and people can't understand or deal with him.
The greatest proof of this is his decision to return although he has become such a figure of fun and derision in the press, in his party and in popular culture. If he can't read between those lines, he really shouldn't be leading the country.

A Jewess in Albert Square

FYI, female Brits (is there a single reader of this blog who answers to this profile? I actually don't think so): my interview with Tracy-Ann Oberman, who plays Chrissie Watts in Eastenders, appears in today's Jerusalem Post -- minus a couple of juicy paragraphs about the show's recent troubles....

At least we're popular in one place on campus

According to the New York Times , Jewish Studies programmes are enjoying unprecedented success in American universities -- amongst non-Jews (although it doesn't give very precise figures). Some are motivated, says the article, by curiosity about other cultures, and particularly by the successful Jewish immigration experience. Others are Christians wanting to find out more about the Judaic roots of their religion; yet others are curious because they've come across anti-Semitism.

Jewish votes -- as expected

Bush, who won 19% of the Jewish vote in 2000, won between 22-25% of it this time, according to various estimates. Although he certainly made inroads in Orthodox circles, not much movement overall.
The questions now are not, why did that happen and were the Jews ingrates (a suggestion I take strong exception to -- politics has nothing to do with gratitude), but will Bush and the Republicans sit up and take notice? Will their support for Israel change now that they realize that, contrary to conventional wisdom, there aren't many votes in it?

Pansy-ass, tea-sipping opinions really weren't welcome

We won't know the results for Ohio as a whole for quite a while, but the results for Clark County -- which last time voted, narrowly, for Gore -- are in. Bush: 34,444, or 50.96% of the vote; Kerry, 32,824 or 48.56% of the vote.
1620 votes between them; how many letters did the Guardian send, again?

Not so simple

I've already received two emails which are clearly going around Jewish circles venerating Theo Van Gogh, the filmmaker who was shot today in Holland by a Dutch-Moroccan man, just months after one of his films, which criticised repression of women under Islam, was screened. (This was not, by the way, a documentary, as some people might have thought; it was a rather artsy piece which included women with verses from the Koran written on their bodies wearing completely see-through chadors.) In any case, I hope people realize that Theo Van Gogh was not simply a man fighting against Muslim extremism and for women's rights; his cause was free speech, and under that rubric, he was apparently also known for his anti-Jewish and anti-Christian remarks. Whilst this does not in any way diminish the despicable and dangerous nature of the crime, in terms of the man himself -- Caveat emptor.

The shape of things to come? More campus news

This is what happened to a group of students at San Francisco State University at a 'Turn Out the Vote' event. And they weren't even Jewish. Depressing.

From: Frontpagemag.com

Good luck, America!

Who would have believed that the American elections would turn out to be so riveting? Just a few short months ago, George Bush was a shoo-in and the elections were just one big yawn.
In any case, all of us here in the mother country, and in a couple of other places too, I suspect, will be watching the results with bated breath. And now, courtesy of Ha'aretz,

here is the most up-to-date, sophisticated, calculated and precise assessment of the outcome of today's election in America, straight from the table of Military Intelligence commander Maj. Gen. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash: The Republican party incumbent, George W. Bush, is expected to win - or lose - to the Democratic Party challenger, John Kerry. Or it will be a dead heat.

Ho ho ho. Who said Israel's most serious newspaper doesn't have a sense of humor?

Dead against it

The NYT writes about the Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy's battle against eulogies by laity, which are becoming increasingly secular, irreverant and untraditional.

In August, Jaye Zimet, a lesbian author from Brooklyn, died without warning at 43. She had always led an unconventional life. (For years, she colored her hair purple.) About 300 friends and relatives, including children, gathered in a Brooklyn funeral home for a traditional Jewish service. There, Ms. Zimet's friend Tory Klose stood to say a few words.
"Jaye grew comfortable with her sexuality," Ms. Klose said, "and showed many of us that life in the fresh air was vastly preferable to that in the closet."
Ms. Klose, executive director of copy editing at Viking Books, then described a shopping trip led by Ms. Zimet to a store called "Toys in Babeland."
Stephanie A. Schwartz, a journal editor and Ms. Zimet's partner, was stunned but also amused at the mention of sex paraphernalia. "We were all laughing," she recalled. "Laughing a lot. And I remember thinking: Should we be laughing?"
Mark Goldberg, the Orthodox rabbi who presided over the service, found Ms. Klose's eulogy unusual, to say the least.
"Everyone has a very special soul," said Rabbi Goldberg, "and that's what I shared with them. Did I smile when I said that this was a first for me? Yes."
The rabbi added, "I've never heard any words like that, whether eulogy or not."

According to the article, it's becoming increasingly common for Christian clergy to ban eulogies by laity.
In England, the (Orthodox) United Synagogue, which conducts 90% of the Jewish burials, also does not allow eulogies by anyone other than a rabbi, also because they are scared of what people will say. This is one of the things I find most upsetting about the British Jewish community. This summer, for example, I went to the funeral of a wonderful, brave young woman, who died prematurely at 36. The rabbi, who was clearly a kind and well-meaning man, knew the family but hadn't had much to do with the deceased in recent years, and gave a calm, quiet, unemotional eulogy. He called the woman who had died by her Hebrew name (which she didn't use), barely mentioned the boyfriend who had supported her through thick and thin, and basically gave a lengthy dvar torah instead of saying anything realistic about who she had been.
Perhaps because of my years in Israel -- where funerals are loud, emotional and expressive affairs -- I was simply shocked at a funeral which was so impersonal, and left feeling something was terribly wrong. The tragedy is, because of the rabbi-only rule, it is quite common in Jewish funerals in the UK for the speaker to be totally unfamiliar with the deceased, and certainly not to know them very well.
This is a total tragedy, for the deceased, who deserves to have something personal said about them at their own funeral; for the mourners, who I think often have a need to express their emotions, and talk about the person they lost at the service; and for the crowd of friends, who also want to say goodbye in a more meaningful way.
Yes, those giving the eulogy must remember to keep a sense of decorum and appropriateness -- and there are rules which can be put in place to ensure that proceedings remain dignified. But banning friends and family from talking at a funeral altogether is not the answer.

You've got mail -- the sequel

A Muslim man has attempted to divorce his wife - by email. Clerics are busy deciding whether that's ok -- or whether he has to phone her as well, to confirm the message is from him.

A Moslem 'Righteous Gentile' commemorated at the US Holocaust Museum

Every 'Righteous Gentile' deserves our remembrance. Read this story of the Turkish diplomat who saved 42 Jews in the Greek island of Rhodes during WW2. It cost his wife and his mother their lives. His son - now a UN official in Geneva - commemorates his father in a ceremony at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. May the memory of Selahattin Ulkumen be for a blessing.

Letting your sheitel down

My source in Bet Shemesh tells me that reporters from Ha'aretz, Hadassah Magazine, and some other unidentified papers were spotted tonight at the monthly women's-only disco in the area (although my source says it 'wasn't exactly a disco... the dj /dance teacher started with a warm up - sort of like aerobics, then she taught different dances and moves and there was more hip-hop than disco music'). Apparently, the Ha'aretz photographer had such a great time she put down her camera and started to dance.
Prepare for lots of pontificating all over the show about religious women being influenced by the secular world, what it means for the future of Orthodoxy etc. etc. etc. Can't wait!

Jewish education gets another boost

Less than a month after Boston Jewish day schools were awarded $45m. from anonymous donors, JTA reports (in its 'breaking news') on another seven-figure grant for Jewish day schools. This time, the UJA-Federation of New York is donating $1.8m. towards a 'Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals,' "a joint project of the Reform movement’s Hebrew Union-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Conservative movement’s JTS. Forty Hebrew school principals at Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist congregational and communal schools in the New York area will be selected for a two-year program at the institute."
Clearly, years of advocacy to get Jewish education higher on the communal agenda are finally paying off. What is interesting in this case is that the grant will also help principals of congregational schools -- ie. part-time, supplementary schools, aka 'Sunday School'; one of the criticisms of the Boston grant was that such schools were left out. My source in the Jewish education sector, however, tells me that anecdotal evidence suggests that such schools are becoming more popular (perhaps due to the rising cost of Jewish day school education?) -- and perhaps even succeeding in retaining larger numbers of post-Bar Mizvah kids.
By complete coincidence, I'm going to start teaching Sunday School -- Kittah Daled -- next week, something I've wanted to do ever since I got back to the Diaspora. So -- reports from the ground soon!

What would we do without Israel's intelligence services?

General Aaron Zeevi Farkash, the head of Israel's military intelligence, provides an expert analysis of Arafat's health:
"According to our intelligence assessment, Arafat's chances of recovery range between full recovery and death. All options are open."
In other words: We don't have a clue. D'oh.

(Via Israellycool)

Money makes Arafat's world go round

Like Harry, I'm officially sick of Arafat stories, and so unless he kicks the bucket, I promise hope not to post any more -- after this one.
The London Times has a rather realistic report on Arafat's attempts, even as he thought he was dying, to hold onto his $1b. 'treasure chest.' In the process, the report reveals some juicy details about the last few days in his compound.
For example, if you can believe it, the Times claims that some of Arafat's aides urged him to get treated in Israel.
“'We told him in Tel Aviv he’d get better treatment than anywhere else,' said Ahmad Tibi, a confidant. 'But he said he’d rather die than be hospitalised in Israel.'"
Funny, that was almost what happened.
Arafat's personal doctor, who is a Jordanian, tried to get him treated in Jordan -- but the Hashemites refused, apparently because the "royal court feared reprisals from the local Palestinian population if he died while under its protection."
Then they asked Egypt -- which, surprise surprise, also refused. And that's how, in case you were wondering, he ended up with the French. As the Times says, so much for Arab solidarity.
Regarding the money, the Times says that just before he got onto the helicopter,

Ahmed Qureia, the prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, his predecessor, told the 75-year-old Arafat that they needed funds to keep the Palestinian territories running in his absence. Instead of producing his chequebook, however, Arafat, in light blue pyjamas and a woollen cap, replied: “I’m still alive, thank God, so don’t worry.”

Unfortunately, no one else actually knows where the money is. Says one of his aides: "In case of the sudden death of the president there is a strong possibility we’ll be unable to locate the accounts.... We need to make an arrangement with him. So far we’ve achieved nothing.”
Neither has Suha. Here's what 'a source close to the leader' has to say about the Palestinian First Lady:

“Somebody must have told her he was dying,” sniffed [the source]. “She never bothered to come when he was sick before... She wanted to know the details of the bank accounts; she wants to make sure that the financial future of Zahwa, their daughter, is safe,” said the source, adding that Arafat had refused to divulge any details of the accounts.

With Ha'aretz reporting that he's lost some of his mental capacities, I just hope he remembers them.

Shabbos, the congregation stayed home -- to surf the I'net

Leah's post on her Shabbat Meal, and her mention of Abraham's guests, generated an interesting comment by reader 'Elizabeth':

So interesting you mentioned the 3 who came to visit Abraham...we tuned in last night to our favorite teacher of spiritual things...now on live via internet on Friday evening (Shabbat) and Saturday when they have services. This was the main part of his sermon. So many things we learned that are so new to us! This is only the 2nd time they had live hookup to their services. And there were 2/3rds more people via internet than were in attendance on site! Hasn't the internet opened up the world though? We had one of our couple friends in to listen as well, since their computer won't allow that much usage I guess.

Broadcasting religious services online is not entirely new; there have been entire virtual chapels. What is interesting is the ratio of people in the synagogue to people watching online. I wonder whether the rabbis will start / have started adjusting their services in any way to cater to those who are, after all, the bulk of their audience -- those at home?

BBC reporter admits: When Arafat left for Paris, 'I started to cry'

This piece, which left me gob-smacked, is just about all you have to know about the BBC's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so I'm going to quote a big chunk of it. Writes reporter Barbara Plett:

To be honest, the coverage of Yasser Arafat's illness and departure from Palestine was a real grind. I churned out one report after the other, without any sense of drama.
Foreign journalists seemed much more excited about Mr Arafat's fate than anyone in Ramallah.
We hovered around the gate to his compound, swarming around the Palestinian officials who drove by, poking our microphones through their dark, half-open windows.
But where were the people, I wondered, the mass demonstrations of solidarity, the frantic expressions of concern?
Was this another story we Western journalists were getting wrong, bombarding the world with news of what we think is an historic event, while the locals get on with their lives?
Yet when the helicopter carrying the frail old man rose above his ruined compound, I started to cry... without warning........

Her identification with Arafat, she explains, stems probably from 'the siege.'

I remember well when the Israelis re-conquered the West Bank more than two years ago, how they drove their tanks and bulldozers into Mr Arafat's headquarters, trapping him in a few rooms, and throwing a military curtain around Ramallah.
I remember how Palestinians admired his refusal to flee under fire. They told me: "Our leader is sharing our pain, we are all under the same siege."
And so was I.
Maybe that gives me some connection to the man whose presidential compound became a prison.
I know what it is like to stare at the same four walls and find them staring back; to watch tanks swing their turrets outside my window; to scan rooftops for snipers during brief hours of freedom between curfews.
I could understand why Palestinians responded to Mr Arafat then the way they did.

Ultimately, she concludes:

Throughout his years of revolution, peace, and uprising, the Palestinian leader has been an enduring national symbol.
But as he boarded the helicopter with faltering steps, he also stood for something else: for a people exhausted by war, bereft of hope, abandoned by their brothers, and fearful of the future.
Perhaps that is why so few Palestinians saw him off. In him, still, they see themselves.

Of-course, it's only Plett and the other foreign journalists who were so 'excited about his fate' who 'see themselves' in Arafat. The Palestinians see a weak man who has let them down, betrayed them and who is responsible for much of their misery.
If you wonder why there were no Palestinian demonstrations of solidarity, refer to Occam's Razor -- the simplest solution is probably the best solution. They're just not that into him any more. Of-course, Plett already knows that -- she jumps such intellectual summersaults in her piece that I find it hard to believe that she is not trying to convince herself above all. But then, why should she let the facts get in the way of a good story?

(Via Imshin -- thanks.)

European pacifism

Earlier this week, I wrote about a toy manufacturer from Ohio, who seemed to have forgotten what the second world war was fought over.
Apparently, he's not the only one. The Queen of England is about to make a state visit to Germany -- and Bild, Germany's best-selling newspaper, has just launched a campaign to get her to apologize for British wartime bombing. According to the London Times,

The Queen’s visit, which begins on Tuesday... is rapidly becoming entangled with emotional questions about German victimhood: Germany, it seems, wants its wartime suffering to be acknowledged....
The question “Will the Queen apologise?” was plastered over the front page of Bild, which has a readership of more than nine million. A photograph of British aircraft dropping bombs and a rather grim-looking Queen drove home the message. So far no German editorials or politicians have called for an outright apology. Bild’s tactic, a newspaper insider says, is “to generate a big readership response so that it can present itself as the voice of an aggrieved nation just before the Queen arrives”.

The real grievance, apparently, is that Germans are sick and tired of what they see as Britain's 'morbid fascination with the war,' which they think is stopping the Brits appreciating modern Germany.
Unfortunately, the Germans have their own reasons for wanting to erase memory of the Second World War. And it seems to me that their paranoia ('everyone thinks we're nazis'), their own obsession with the war, and perhaps watching too much Fawlty Towers is completely distorting their view of Britain. I don't think people here have an unrealistic, war-centered view of Germany at all.
That being said, if they did, would they be unjustified? Do Germans realize what the Second World War did to this country -- millions of deaths, hundreds of thousands of families evacuated and seperated, a capital city bombed and devestated, a country bankrupted, rationing that ended after Russia's! Things like that have a habit of lingering in national memory.
There's simply one word for asking the Queen to 'apologize' for bombing Germany, as a pretext or anything else, and that's 'chutzpah.' Germany brought its 'wartime suffering' entirely on itself. They were aggressors, who wanted to take away our freedom. Not only were the allies justified in bombing German cities, they had every imperative -- military and moral -- to do so. To ask the Queen to apologise for fighting evil, and to imply that the two sides were in any way equally responsible for the atrocities of the War or in any way equally aggrieved is to show that they have never internalized their own culpability.
More importantly, and more relevant to today, is that the attitude shows just how far European (and specifically German) pacifism has spread -- even to history. No violence, no fighting is acceptable in today's politically correct European climate, even in face of a terrible enemy, even in self-defense. Which, again, does not bode well at a time when our freedoms are under renewed threat.

Is he getting shaky?

Mark Steyn, one of the most entertaining writers around (whether you agree with him or not), says that if Bush goes, he goes:

Having failed to read correctly the mood of my own backyard, I could hardly continue to pass myself off as a plausible interpreter of the great geopolitical forces at play. Obviously that doesn’t bother a lot of chaps in this line of work — Sir Simon Jenkins, Robert ‘Mister Robert’ Fisk, etc., — and no doubt I could breeze through the next four years doing ketchup riffs on Teresa Heinz Kerry, but I feel a period of sober reflection far from the scene would be appropriate. My faith in the persuasive powers of journalism would be shattered; maybe it would be time to try something else — organising coups in Africa, like the alleged Sir Mark Thatcher is alleged to have allegedly done; maybe abseiling down the walls of the Presidential palace and garroting the guards personally.

Please people, save Mark Steyn! Vote Bush*!!!!!

*Disclaimer: THIS IS A JOKE. Would never try to interfere in an American election, etc. etc. etc.