Women of the Hebrew Bible, Part 4: Miriam
Miriam (c) 2010 Sheila Orysiek
By Sheila Orysiek
Sheila Orysiek
SAN DIEGO–Miriam, a prophet in Israel, led the dancing and singing after safely crossing through the parted sea. As a girl she had watched what happened to the basket containing her baby brother, and had the courage to speak to the Princess of Egypt suggesting that she find a nurse (Jochebed) for the infant. She was part of the team, with her brothers, Moses and Aaron, who led the people in their trials and triumphs through the desert of Sinai.
One of a series of seven women of the Hebrew Bible illustrating the moment in their lives when they were at pivotal point, contributed significantly to subsequent events and/or set a precedent in the history of our people.
The original is pen and ink on paper, measuring 16 by 20.
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Orysiek is an artist and freelance writer based in San Diego
Recent attacks underscore security concerns for the West Bank
‘Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them volley’d and thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred.’ – from The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
By Bruce S. Ticker
Bruce S. Ticker
PHILADELPHIA–Gaza rockets from the south of them, a Sinai rocket from the southeast of them and an OK Corral-style shootout from the north of them.
These days, Israel’s multiple conflicts resemble the aforementioned passage in The Charge of the Light Brigade. Where is Errol Flynn when we need him?
Israel endured a two-front war at this time four years ago, and in recent months it has contended with attacks on four fronts, by my count – the blockade incident on the high seas, Gaza, southern Lebanon and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty three decades ago, yet Egypt cannot control terrorists operating on its lands.
Meanwhile, President Obama and others pine for the day when Israel hands over the West Bank to the Palestinians so they can, supposedly, live happily ever after. Many in the pro-Israel camp believe that the Arabs will never be happy until all of Israel is, well, no longer Israel.
Foes of a Palestinian state have said that Israel does not need another front. The most worrisome concern over a Palestinian state is Israel’s security. The border between Israel and the West Bank is much longer than its other borders, and Israel proper is directly vulnerable to attack.
Israeli leaders have said that Ben Gurion International Airport is within range of the West Bank. Security must be directly addressed before Israel considers further negotiations about the West Bank. It has not been adequately addressed.
Some protective measures have been taken. Construction of a security barrier along the border has eliminated terrorist attacks that were rampant up to five years ago. A strong Palestinian security force has been built. The West Bank has been much calmer. Still, none of these developments, even combined, guarantee that Israel will be safe from attack if a Palestinian state is established.
Events of recent weeks underscore security concerns. Israel withdrew all troops and settlers from the Sinai Peninsula three decades ago; all troops from Lebanon in 2000; and all troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. After Yasser Arafat rejected a peace plan in 2000, the Palestinians started a war that led to fierce fighting in Gaza and the West Bank and terrorist attacks in Israel proper. The Gaza evacuation was followed by thousands of rocket attacks into Sderot and other sections of southern Israel.
My educated guess in 2005 was that the Gaza evacuation would produce some aggression, but Israel could manage it. I was wrong.
Beyond rocket attacks, Israel fought a two-front war against terrorists in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006, and again in Hamas-controlled Gaza in December 2009. More worrisome is the build-up of weapons in Gaza and Lebanon to be used for future assaults against Israel.
Last month, Gaza terrorists broke a long lull firing rockets that struck the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon and Sapir College near the border, The New York Times reported.
Then Monday, Aug. 2: A barrage of missiles fired from the Sinai Peninsula struck both the resort city Eilat in Israel and neighboring Aqaba in Jordan, where a taxi driver was killed. Egypt subsequently admitted that they were fired from Sinai, ostensibly under Egyptian control.
The following day, Lebanese soldiers – possibly influenced by Hezbollah – fired at Israeli soldiers tending a fence within Israel territory. United Nations peacekeepers declared that the Lebanese were entirely at fault.
It should be no surprise if someone – perhaps Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – was conspiring to provoke Israel to engage in yet another war.
With all this on Israel’s plate, Israeli leaders are still willing to enter negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Fortunately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised security concerns.
What might that entail? Possibly Israel can evacuate the more isolated settlements while maintaining a strong military presence. However, that military presence would be trimmed somewhat because the troops would not need to worry about protecting the settlements.
Maybe that will not be necessary, but I for one do not want to be wrong again.
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Ticker is Philadelphia bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via bticker@comcast.net
Notwithstanding reports, Harvard continues to invest with Israel
CHICO, California (Press Release) — Scholars for Peace in the Middle East was made aware of the Globes report of August 15, 2010 which indicated that the Harvard Management Company had sold it’s Israel holdings, which immediately made its way to a number of anti-Israel organizations and websites.
SPME, in concert with members of its Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions Task Force; Executive Director who represents SPME on the AICE BDS Task Force and various SPME Board members, immediately began a due diligence process to contact Harvard Management Company and others experts to find out what exactly was happening.
These inquiries, combined with the inquiries of perhaps many others seeing this report, resulted in a public statement by HMC which reads as follows.
The Management Company’s most recent SEC filing details changes in holdings, as is routine, but no change in policy. The University has not divested from Israel. Israel was moved from the MSCI, our benchmark in emerging markets, to the EAFE index in May due to its successful growth. Our emerging markets holdings were rebalanced accordingly. We have holdings in developed markets, including Israel, through outside managers in commingled accounts and indexes, which are not reported in the filing in question.
Professor Alan Dershowitz issued the following statement through the Harvard University Law School.
Statement of Professor Alan Dershowitz regarding Harvard’s Sale of Israeli Stocks
I have been advised by Harvard that the decision of The Harvard’s Management Company to sell stocks in Israeli companies reflected the good news that Israel is no longer considered an “emerging” economy, but has been promoted to the status of a “developed” economy.
As a result of this promotion, the Harvard Management Company could no longer hold Israeli stocks in its “emerging” nation’s portfolio. I am told that Harvard continues to hold Israeli stocks in its “developed” nation’s portfolio. The end result may well be that Harvard will have greater rather than lesser holdings of Israeli stocks.
No one should misinterpret this purely economic decision as support for any form of divestment against Israel. Indeed, Harvard has publicly committed itself not to divest from Israel and not to participate in any campaign of boycotting the Jewish nation.
SPME is pleased to learn that false statements about Harvard’s supposed ‘divestment’ are nothing more than another example of the misinformation which has too frequently clouded this issue. It is especially ironic that this misinformation has stolen public attention from the real story here, which is the recent technology-driven success of the State of Israel.
SPME continues to monitor this situation as it develops and will report to its Network the results of its findings.
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Preceding provided by Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, whose executive director, Prof. Samuel Edelman, is based in Chico.
Beth Am to host Labor Day picnic
Clown at Beth Am's Labor Day picnic last year
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Congregation Beth Am, a Conservative synagogue located off the 5 and 56 freeways in Carmel Valley, hosts its Annual Labor Day Picnic for current, new & prospective memberson Monday, September 6, from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Ashley Falls Park (on the corner of Del Mar Heights Road and Ashley Falls Drive).
Join the Rabbis, staff and lay leadership will be on hand for a day also featuring a Kosher BBQ, Sports with Coach Bucky, Astro Jumps, a Bubble Show, Magic and entertainment for all ages!
There is no charge for this event. For more information please call Debra at 858 481-8454 or debra@betham.com.
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Preceding provided by Congregation Beth Am
Jazz bassist Avishai Cohen heads for a San Diego performance
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– The San Diego Jewish Music Series kicks off it’s 2010-2011 season with a one-night only concert with jazz bassist Avishai Cohen and his band, Monday, October 25th at 7:00pm. The Music Series is part of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus.
Israeli Bassist/Composer/Band Leader Avishai Cohen is a musician who has been called a jazz visionary of global proportions by Downbeat, and declared one of the 100 Most Influential Bass Players of the 20th Century by Bass Player magazine. Cohen is not only renowned around the world as a genius double bassist and profound composer, but also as a visionary bandleader following in the footsteps of Mingus, Dave Holland, Jaco Pastorius, Ray Brown, Charlie Haden, Stanley Clarke, and even Sting.
In fact, every move Avishai Cohen makes routinely causes waves of critical praise. Finding inspiration in musicians ranging from Bach to Stevie Wonder, Avishai can transform a tired Israeli school tune back into poetic gold. He sings in Hebrew, English, Spanish and Ladino.
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Preceding provided by the San Diego Centre for Jewish Culture
Former Israeli artists now living in California to exhibit at LFJCC
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – “From Desert to Desert: Southern California Artists from Israel” will be the subject of an exhibtion from Sept. 15 to Nov. 19 at the Gotthelf Art Gallery, part of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus. Proceeds from the art for sale will benefit the artists and the Gotthelf Art Gallery.
A free opening night reception will be held on Wednesday, September 15th at 7:30 p.m. Included with the receptionwill be a panel: “The Business of Art:” Is art a viable investment and how is it valued? How is it effectively bought and sold, and what role does it play in a person’s overall wealth? The panel will be composed of a private wealth advisor, an art appraiser and an art dealer.
The show is guest curated by Sara Cannon, Director of the Museum Education and Tours Program at the Municipal Art Gallery and Hollyhock House.
Moshe Elimelech, Sharon Ben-Tal, Rhea Carmi, Malka Nedivi, Gali Rotstein, Lidia Shaddow and Guri Stark are examples of the strong and vital part that American Israeli artists play in the contemporary West Coast art scene.
Their interests and artwork are diverse and respond to the myriad of issues of contemporary art and life at home and globally. In this exhibition of painting and sculpture, issues and interpretations of the beauty of the land and the environment are addressed along with aspects of memory, personal identity, heritage, family and abstract expressions of time and change. Together these works add their unique visual voices to life and art in Southern California.
Guri Stark resides in San Diego; all of the other artists currently live in Los Angeles.
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Preceding provided by the Gotthelf Gallery at the Lawrence Family JCC
Women of the Hebrew Bible, Part 3: Bithiya
Bithiya (c) 2010, Sheila Orysiek
By Sheila Orysiek
Sheila Orysiek
SAN DIEGO–This Egyptian princess going down to the Nile to bathe saw an infant in a basket. She realized it was most probably the desperate effort of an Israelite woman to save her little son. Her humanity triumphed over the Pharaoh’s edict to slaughter all male infants among the Israelites. She adopted him as her own. This child grew up to become Moses.
One of a series of seven women of the Hebrew Bible illustrating the moment in their lives when they were at pivotal point, contributed significantly to subsequent events and/or set a precedent in the history of our people.
The original is pen and ink on paper, measuring 16 by 20.
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Orysiek is an artist and freelance writer based in San Diego
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