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J. Zel Lurie

DELRAY BEACH, Florida–The story appeared in the Jerusalem Post of September 21. It was headed  “Oren urges Jewish leaders to support peace moves.” The story described a meeting Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren  held  in Washington with Israeli and Jewish reporters.
 
Ambassador Oren’s request that American Jewish leaders publicly support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was almost completely ignored.

Some background. Since 1948 American Jewish leaders have listened closely to the Israeli Embassy. The ambassador never had to ask for support. He described Israeli policy and Jewish leaders followed even when Israeli actions were contrary to American policy.

Support for Jewish settlements in the West Bank is a notable example. The United States has opposed every settlement as contrary to international law on occupied territory and a serious obstacle to peace . But American opposition to settlements, for political reasons, was  never forceful, and almost 300,000 Jews have settled in the West Bank.

Which explains why, for the first time, Ambassador Oren’s plea for support was greeted with silence. Even by  Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League. For years he has acted as the self-appointed spokesman for Israeli policies. Now he is occupied in wiggling his opposition to the Islamic center, two blocks from ground zero.

No response from any other Jewish organization except  from Mort Klein, head of the miniscule Zionist Organization of America. According to the Jerusalem Post, Klein said that his and similar organizations would raise their voices loudly if Israel gave up any part of holy Jerusalem. It should be noted that holy Jerusalem was more than tripled in 1967 to include the West bank villages of Beit Hanina, Shuafat, Um Tuba, Issafiye,  Jebel Mukabar and many others.

Which left the field wide open for  J Street, the upstart Washington organization which is less than two years old and has captured scores of Congressmen and Senators for peace.

J Street has grabbed the brass ring and is riding high. It has laid claim to “the new address for Middle East Peace and security.”

J Street has been vigorously supporting the Mideast policies of President Barak Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while larger Jewish organizations have remained quiescent.

 Last week J Street  placed full-page ads in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal  and four Jewish weeklies, including this one, headed “MAKE HISTORY NOW.”

The ad asks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas, with the help of President Barack Obama, to “seize this historic opportunity to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution.”

The ad, which was signed by a number of J Street’s leaders continues:

“I support keeping these talks alive…Stay at the table. Give these talks a chance to succeed.”
 
This column is being written on September 22 for publication on September 29. The moratorium on freezing settlement construction was scheduled to end on September 26. The ad asks that the moratorium be extended.
 
J Street has scheduled a national town hall for September 27. Jeremy Ben Ami, the founder of J Street, has sent an op-ed piece to the Jewish press. J Street will continue its active support for the Israeli and Palestinian  leaders who will continue to negotiate complex issues  until, in the words of Netanyahu, they will make the “historic compromises” that will lead to peace.

Meanwhile, the local (South Florida) branch  of the American Jewish Committee has announced a four-part series of lectures on “Understanding Islam.”

While the planning for this series was far advanced when Ambassador Oren made his plea for support it might be said, with a stretch , that the series was the AJC’s response. One of the reasons for the silence by AJC’s national office  is that so many American Jews class all Moslems as the enemy.

Understanding Islam is the beginning of acceptance of the possibility of peace through a two-state solution. Dr. Leon Weissberg was scheduled to begin the four-part series with a lecture on September 27 on the birth and development of Islam. Dr. Robert Rabil will continue on October 27 on Islam in the United States. He will be followed on November 15 by Dr. Jalal Zabari who will talk on moderate voices and current trends in Islam. Yehudit Barsky will conclude the series on December 13 with a talk on radical Islam and terrorism.

Kudos to the local branch of the AJC. To register call the local AJC office 994 782.

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Lurie is a freelance writer based in Delray Beach, Florida. His articles appear in the Jewish Journal of South Florida.

Bruce S. Ticker

PHILADELPHIA — Editors at Time Magazine may be unfairly accused of anti-Semitism, but they are reckless with their semantics. As experienced journalists, they should understand that misleading language can be dangerous.

The magazine’s Sept. 13 cover headline – “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace” – brought its editors condemnation from supporters of Israel. The Anti-Defamation League slammed the Time article for stressing Israelis’ inclination to make money. 

Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight, a staunch gentile supporter of Israel, called Time “anti-Semitic” because of the headline and its accompanying article inside which contends that Israelis are apathetic toward the peace process with the Arabs.

Karl Vick, the writer, indeed succeeds in reaching this conclusion. Who can blame the Israelis?

Hostilities resulted from the offer of a Palestinian state in 2000 and withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

Personally, I long ago ceased understanding what Israel gets out of negotiating a pact with Arabs over Israel’s territories.

Vick and his editors made three mistakes. First, a Time spokesman boasted that the article is a scoop. Oh yeah? A Newsweek article reached the same conclusion last January.

The article carelessly states: “They’re otherwise engaged; they’re making money; they’re enjoying the rays of late summer.”

No doubt that claim is factually true for many Israelis, but the phrase “they’re making money” is delicate wording when applied to Jews, who have been stereotyped as greedy throughout the ages.

The most gaping blunder is the headline, which presumes that Israel is apathetic to peace.

“Peace” is not what Israelis need from Arabs in the territories. They already have a relative level of peace within Israel proper. Terrorist bombings from the West Bank ended after the security barrier started going up. Rocket attacks from Gaza and southern Lebanon dwindled after recent military confrontations with Hamas and Hezbollah.

Time would have been more factual, if tedious, had they composed this headline: “Why Many Israelis Don’t Care About Reaching Terms.”

The word “peace” is tossed around too casually in the context of this conflict, and Time is far from alone in committing this offense. “Peace” has evolved as shorthand for a process that is too convoluted to be reduced to a single five-letter word. It allows for a catchy phrase, but Time editors may disdain letting the facts get in the way of a good headline.

The only objective that seems plausible is the handover of land – namely, Gaza and the West Bank – so the Arabs can form their own society. That’s fine, but a treaty will not ensure “peace” and “peace” need not be achieved through a treaty. Even if it agrees to a near-perfect deal, Israel must still worry about Iran’s nuclear designs and the ongoing arms build-up in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

The same obstacles persist – security needs, excessive Arab demands, settler resistance, Hamas’ control of Gaza and right-wing pressures within the Israeli government.

Hawkish advocates for Israel will insist that the West Bank is not peaceful, but what do the settlers expect when they choose to live amid a hostile population? “Peace” can only be accomplished there by removing the settlers, even unilaterally; expelling the Arabs; or negotiating a pact that is fully enforced. Israelis who live in Israel proper care about West Bank “peace” when their sons and daughters in uniform are assigned to protect the settlements.

For the record, it would be valuable if an accord is reached, but it is still a feat that most Israelis can live without…in peace. Violence can erupt at any time, as was the case with riots in east Jerusalem and the murder of four settlers in recent weeks. Even if a “peace” treaty is ever implemented.

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Ticker is Philadelphia bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World

By Norman Manson

Norman Manson

SAN DIEGO — This is a fascinating, suspenseful novel, replete with violence, intrigue and romance, but is flawed in several significant ways.

Morton A. Klein

NEW YORK –Under relentless pressure by the Obama administration, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed, last November, to a one-sided one-time, 10-month Jewish construction freeze on the six percent of the West Bank where Jews live.  Since the Oslo accords were signed in 1993, Israel hasn’t built a single new settlement and has only built within the settlement borders as of 1993.  On November 30, 2009, Netanyahu pleaded with Israelis to accept this unilateral and extraordinary concession by promising, “This is a one-time decision and it is temporary.”  Now that the 10 month freeze period has ended, Netanyahu has done the right thing by ending the freeze and he has urged Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas “to continue the good and sincere talks that we have just started.”

It was hoped that the unprecedented Israeli construction freeze was to have motivated the Palestinians to implement their yet unrealized pro-peace actions.  Tragically, no positive actions were taken by the Palestinians during this ten-month period.

They haven’t arrested anti-Israel terrorists, outlawed terrorist groups or ended the incitement to hatred and murder against Jews in their PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps. They have even refused direct negotiations until now.

The PA still glorifies terrorists and violence. Last month, Abbas told Arab journalists in Jordan that, “If you [the Arab states] want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor.” In July, he honored Muhammad Daoud Oudeh, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics where Palestinian terrorists murdered eleven Israeli athletes. Abbas called him ‘a wonderful brother, companion, tough and stubborn, relentless fighter.’

The PA has obscenely and publicly celebrated the 1978 coastal road massacre carried out by Palestinian terrorists led by Dalal Mughrabi, in which 37 Israelis, including a dozen children, were murdered. The PA has also named two youth summer camps in Mughrabi’s honor.  Abbas has named literally scores of streets, schools, computer centers, sports teams and other institutions after terrorists who have murdered Israelis.

All of these continuing and horrifying anti-peace, pro-terror actions by the Palestinian Authority makes it clear that even major Israeli concessions like the freeze, giving up all of Gaza and half of the West Bank won’t cause the Palestinians to change their belligerent actions.

Until this incitement ends, all talk of peace is a farce. As the distinguished British historian Paul Johnson has written in his History of the Jews, ‘one of the principle lessons of Jewish history has been that repeated verbal slanders are sooner or later followed by violent physical deeds.

And look at the history of concessions since Oslo began in 1993.  Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, but this did not lead Hizballah to become peaceful and moderate. On the contrary, Israel was subjected to new assaults and waged a war in 2006 which cost the lives of over 100 Israeli servicemen. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, only to face an exponential increase in rocket assaults and the violent seizure of the territory by Hamas.

When Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat huge concessions in 2000 it resulted in a terrible terrorist campaign by the PA which claimed almost 2,000 Israeli lives and over 10,000 wounded and maimed.

Unilateral concessions don’t work.  Clearly, the Palestinians simply want to continue these unilateral concessions.  Why else would they consider to now refuse to negotiate when negotiations will only lead to more Israeli land concessions to them – but will require Palestinian concessions and a final written peace agreement ending all Palestinian claims.

We must understand that peace can only occur when the Palestinians realize they will receive no more concessions and no more international support, which includes the $1.3 billion the US now provides to the PA, until they change their schools, media, and political speeches from supporting violence and the Jewish state’s destruction to supporting peace and the right of Jews to live in their sovereign ancient homeland.

Had Israel decided to continue the freeze, a message would be sent that, by applying pressure, Israel can be made to increase and expand any concession it has already made.  Ending the freeze makes it clear to the Palestinians that time is not on their side and they must finally act to promote a real peace.

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Klein is national president of the Zionist Organization of America

The community is also invited to join us prior to the Rock’n Shabbat Service at Shabbat dinner.  Each month the kosher dinner is a different theme. The next Rock’n Shabbat is Friday, October 8 with the dinner for October, catered by Sima Ross,  themed “Go Healthy- Go Organic –Go Green.”  Reservations and payment are required for dinner only.  Adults are $18; Children ages 2 through 12 are $6; and children 2 and under are free.   Please RSVP by October 4.

Congregation Beth Am is located in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego at 5050 Del Mar Heights Road. To make reservations please call Debra at 858-481-8454 or debra@betham.com.

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Preceding provided by Congregation Beth Am

David Amos

SAN DIEGO–Most of us know about Stephen Hawking. He is no less than the greatest mind in physics living today, and has done as much as Albert Einstein in expanding our understanding of the complexities of the universe and theoretical physics. He is 68 years old, and since the age of 21, has suffered from a degenerative motor-neuron disease. 

In spite of his severe handicaps and almost total paralysis, he raised three children in his two marriages, and has written several best selling books on the subjects of time, and the size and nature of the cosmos.

On September 13, Parade Magazine ran an interview with Hawking, asking him interesting questions about space exploration, his abilities to explain deep scientific concepts to the general public, and his personal life.

I have always been intrigued by his genius, and the reading of this article connected me with some of his insights and how they relate to music and the arts. At first, it may appear to be far-fetched, but, read on.

Question: You’ve been called the most brilliant mind of our time. Whom do you consider the most brilliant people of our time, and why?

He answered, “I can’t think of anyone at the present time I would call particularly brilliant. But maybe looking back later on, we will be able to see who the great minds of this age were”.

This immediately brought to mind what I have been preaching for a long time: Many people have told me and sincerely believe that there are no great composers today, and that the classical masterpieces we all cherish were composed 100 or more years in the past. I have argued to the contrary; we have living composers among us with the musical talent and genius of past masters such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and so many others, and it is our duty to listen to newer music, separate the ordinary and mediocre from the great, nurture it, promote it, perform and record it, and make it available for future generations.

To insinuate that there is no worthwhile music being composed today which will be the masterpieces for future generations to enjoy, is a complete fallacy. As in all disciplines, it is sometimes difficult to see talent when it is looking at us straight in the eye. It takes a wide understanding of the subject at hand, an open mind, a good historical perspective, and most difficult of all, imagination.

We could be talking about architecture, sculpture, ballet, opera, symphony, chamber music, science, medicine, business, economy, or even political concepts. But, believe me, talent and quality are everywhere, and today, probably more than in other times. All we need is to break the veil of preconceptions we may have. Optimism is essential, but, I repeat, imagination and vision are the key elements that many well meaning people with the power to change history, unfortunately, do not have.

Hawking was also asked, What is your typical Sunday morning like? And he answered, “Very lazy. I listen to classical music and read the newspaper”.

Bingo! I have always insisted, many times in classes, in radio, in lectures, and in this column, that classical music is not only music of dead composers to be heard and enjoyed by the old and affluent. Classical music is for everyone, and it does wonders in clearing the mind, setting healthy, logical perspectives, and providing quality peace of mind. And, oh, yes, it is beautiful to listen to and it generates positive emotions. But, unless we are exposed to classical music at home and early in life, the introduction to classical music’s great rewards are more difficult to embrace.

One should, and can not escape the importance and power of quality, in every aspect of our lives.

And finally, Hawking was asked, as a continuation to the last question: Do you have a favorite classical composer? To which he answered, “I was drawn to Wagner—whose name is nearly impossible for my speech synthesizer to pronounce— when I was first diagnosed with ALS. His music expressed my mood at the time. Wagner manages to convey emotion with music better than anyone, before or since”.

My response: Well, nobody is perfect! But, there is a lot to be said about when in certain powerfully emotional phases of our lives, we are exposed to music which penetrates our souls in just the right way, the music becomes a very personal part of us forever. Search your past, and you may find strong musical memories, popular or classical, which carried you through rough patches.

The virulent anti-Semitism of Wagner prevents me from embracing him and his music with no reservations, but his genius is beyond any logical argument. But, there are so many other composers, living, recently living, and the revered past masters, who have given us a priceless treasury of music that make our lives far more meaningful.

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Amos is conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra and has guest conducted professional orchestras throughout the world.

Rabbi Ben Kamin

SAN DIEGO — It’s not hard to agree that the settlement movement in Israel—a hybrid of indigenous religious zealots and immigrant fundamentalists from places like Chicago, Toronto, and Johannesburg—is something of a complication for the peace process.  This is true even though the overwhelming majority of Israelis—people making car payments, trying to keep their jobs, and maintain their health benefits—are neither settlers, would-be settlers, or even particularly observant Jews. 

The Palestinian obsession with the settlements is peculiar and out-of-touch with a) the far more urgent issue of salvaging their own state (deserved) from a smoldering splinter of terror groups and ostensibly more “moderate” factions that remain in bloody stalemate among each other (primarily Hamas v. Fatah) and b) the more cogent realization that to ask Israel to stop building communities when you haven’t even offered to stop destroying communities is absurd and disingenuous.

The Palestinians, with their funny caveats, and the Obama imposers, with their tongue-clucking demands that Israel “take risks for peace” (as if every single day since Israel was created in 1948 has not been a risk) don’t seem to grasp the bigger picture: Israel is about life and growth and science and creativity.

Over 80% of the nation consists of secularists who watch cable news, shop in trendy malls, love to linger in fashionable coffee shops, drive late-model cars across a national freeway system, and like to travel to Turkey, India, Hong Kong, and North America.  They want college, not conflagration.

Indeed, the vast majority of Israelis support a two-state solution, advocate for a secure peace with the Palestinians, and would love to see their children and grandchildren not be committed to another generation of terrorism and bloodshed.   To subvert that possible audience when you are, like the Palestinians, truly running out of options, and when your own Arab family of nations has just let you wither in the sand for six decades, is unfortunate at best, reckless at worst.

Israel has already demonstrated in Sinai and elsewhere that it will even employ its own army to remove settlers and their homes from territories previously acquired after Arab incursions on the chance that this heartbreaking action (for the deployed soldiers and the citizens involved)  might bring peace.  Israel has returned land five times its own size; the Arab side has so far not returned a single inch in this ongoing discussion. 

Israel is expected to divide its capital with a fledging national entity that is divided between two bases, one completely violent and the other famously corrupt.

Get past the settlements, Palestinians.  Israel—your only hope for statehood—has already demonstrated its ability to negotiate even the most painful scenarios.  Why not demonstrate some courage in return?

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Rabbi Kamin is based in San Diego