Interesting press briefing by the indefatigable Geroge Mitchell: Instead of emphatically stating that Hamas has no role to play in the peace process (is he did in his last press briefing), Mitchell explained that while he does not expect Hamas … Continue reading → . Read More »
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For the full interview, where Marc also gives his take on the Islamic center and Ground Zero controversy, click here.. Read More »
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Over at the Jerusalem Post, Aziz Abu Sarah writes about his heart-opening experience of being treated for cancer by Jewish and Arab doctors in Israel. There many reasons to be pessimistic and at times to despair about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. … Continue reading → . Read More »
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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.. Read More »
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Well, you got to give the BDS folks credit for creativity – even if they added artists who might not have agreed to be put on their team (for example, Santana’s publicist told me personally that he did not cancel but postponed his concert and that the move was not due to political considerations.) They . Read More »
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Ok, this comes across staged to me. But if not, it’s a rather incredible moment caught on film. Straight out of a Victor Hugo novel.. Read More »
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Jay Smooth’s excellent advice ought to be heeded by those of us who partake in the Israel/Palestine discourse. Read More »
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The Reut Institute published a report charging that while the BDS Movement promotes liberal values, in practice it advances the delegitimization of Israel. Read More »
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* This blog entry is dedicated to my dear friend Mikel – a kindred soul on a journey of self-examination and discovery. “We are threatened with suffering from three directions,” writes Freud in Civilization and Its Discontents, “from our own body, which is doomed to decay and dissolution and which cannot even do without pain . Read More »
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Lyrics give you a sense how stupid and distorted the thinking around this conflict has become. Having said that, the music is admittingly catchy.. Read More »
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Went to see “Homeless in Homeland” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, a one-woman play written and performed by Saria Idana. The play recounts the experience of a Jewish-American woman on a Birthright trip to Israel and a BirthWrong journey to the West Bank. At the core of the play is the poet’s perennial search for . Read More »
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As some of you know my brother is a rapper by the name of Sneakas. He is also part of a Jewish and Muslim Hip Hop duo named Mazzi and Sneakas. A few days ago they released their outstanding video for the song “Fuck You”, directed by the legendary Va$htie Kola. The song & vid . Read More »
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Psychologist speak of a fascinating phenomenon known as Inattentional Blindness – when our attention to something specific literally blinds us to something obvious others can easily see. In short: out of mind, out of sight. A somewhat comical example of this (here) is a British commercial aimed at raising awareness about cyclists’ safety. Read More »
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Israeli academic Dan Ariely speaks about how his injury, burnt over 70% of his body in an accident during his army service, led him to the study of irrationality. Here he is explaining what Behavioral Economics is all about: . Read More »
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My latest from The Daily Beast. When Elvis Costello this week canceled two upcoming shows in Israel, Twitter lit up with praise and condemnation. And surprise. Just two weeks earlier, the singer-songwriter had said he was against a cultural boycott: “The people who call for a boycott of Israel own the narrow view that performing . Read More »
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The campaign for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel has gotten itself another big fish. Singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, scheduled to play two concerts in Israel this summer, announced he would be canceling his shows. In a sincere yet nebulous letter posted on his website, the british musician stated that while he is . Read More »
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Facinating Foreign Policy article by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Jonathan Renshon on how our minds are naturally biased towards hawkish thinking. When we constructed a list of the biases uncovered in 40 years of psychological research, we were startled by what we found: All the biases in our list favor hawks. Read More »
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“The United States has thus far sought to play the role of mediator. We have avoided public comment on the key issues. We have always recognized and continue to recognize that only the voluntary agreement of those parties most directly involved in the conflict can provide an enduring solution. But it’s become evident to me . Read More »
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This has to be the weirdest music tribute to Israel I have ever seen and heard. It is so bad that it is irresistibly delicious – a feast for the eyes and ears. The group is made up of three singers from Peru and Ecuador, as well as an Argentinean musician. The artist have never . Read More »
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What do you get when you fuse Hebrew devotional poetry, Indian-Muslim Qawali singers and a little bit of funk? Awesome new vid by my dear friend Shye Ben-Tzur. . Read More »
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* This is the first article I ever published (2002) – anywhere. It is my homage to an early mentor. When I was notified that Amir Jahanbani, a former professor of mine and beloved friend who taught at The New School for twenty-seven years, had passed away, I was deeply saddened. The New . Read More »
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I was born of a Hebrew mother and raised as an Egyptian prince. When I learned of my humble origins I could not turn a blind eye towards the injustice of my people. At first I ran away, married a non-Hebrew, and lived the pastoral life in Midian. But the cry of my people, . Read More »
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Goshen, 26 Yar, 1350 BCE RAMSES II: “ALL NEWBORN HEBREW BOYS MUST DIE” After enslaving the Hebrew tribes living in Egypt, Ramses II has decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys will put to death. According to a statement issued by the Egyptian Royal House . Read More »
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On passover I usually play the role of the Rabbi in my family. This year our passover seder will have more non-Jews than Jews. This presents a number of unique challenges. There is the barrier of language – some of the texts that we read are in Hebrew and Aramaic. There is food – . Read More »
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An oldie that I just discovered was also published online. A Jewish visitor to Barcelona could be forgiven for feeling a little ill at ease in the Catalan capital. After all, the graffiti culture in Barcelona readily uses the symbol of the swastika, the city is home to one of Europe’s most infamous neo-Nazi . Read More »
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Latest from France 24: The Israeli government and its citizens are sick and tired of the way their country is negatively represented around the globe. In order to reverse this trend, which according to many Israelis is a consequence of exposure to wrong or bias information, the government launched a new initiative whose aim is . Read More »
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Brought to you by Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy. Gives new meaning to “Land of Milk and Honey” h/t to Richard Silverstein. . Read More »
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My Latest From Haaretz. The New Zionist Realism: Should Israel Care About What the Goyim Think? “First, let me tell you one thing: It’s not important what the world says about Israel. It’s not important what they say about us anywhere else. The only thing that’s important is that we can live here on . Read More »
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While this blog is Israel/Palestine/Jewish centric, every once in a while I will post reflection on other concerns. This is one of those times (although I do mention the Mishnah). This week, as a homework assignment, I was asked to find an image that best represents an intersection of the sacred and the profane. . Read More »
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Can reading literature help counteract the problem of dehumanization? My latest from Common Ground. A basic fact of conflict is that people’s perceptions of each other matter. Viewing someone as subhuman or demonic, for example, reduces people’s inhibitions towards using violence against them. Read More »
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From France 24’s The Observers: Last month, on the controversial Palestinian children’s program, “The Pioneers of Tomorrow”, a cartoon was aired (on the Hamas owned Al-Aqsa TV) ostensibly aimed at teaching kids Islamic values. The cartoon features a conversation between a Palestinian boy and a young Israeli Jewish settler. Read More »
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A recent op-ed in Haaretz Karni Eldad, settler daughter of MK Arie Eldad, argues that those who are resisting the settlement freeze in the West Bank are akin to African Americans struggling against racial segregation during the Jim Crow era. She writes: Once upon a time there was a black woman; her name . Read More »
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*Haaretz published a shortened version of my interview with Labor MK Yuli Tamir. Below is the full interview. Read More »
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Jews and Muslims of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your hate. Check out the debut video from Mazzi & Sneakas. The name of the song is “Most Hated”, featuring legendary rapper MC Serch (of 3rd Bass). . Read More »
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In an interesting article in Haaretz, rapper Sagol 59 states that true Hip-Hop has yet to be born in Israel. Sagol argues that this is a consequence of the structural makeup of Israeli society and culture. Read More »
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The Place Where We Are Right by Yehuda Amichai From the place where we are right Flowers will never grow In the spring. The place where we are right Is hard and trampled Like a yard. But doubts and loves Dig up the world Like a mole, a plow. And a whisper will be heard in the place Where the ruined House once stood. . Read More »
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Palestinian man stabs two Israelis (man and woman) in the settlement town of Kiryat Arba. Israeli solider shoots the attacker. Husbands of the stabbed woman arrives on the scene, becomes enraged, and proceeds to repeatedly run-over the gunned-down assailant. Israeli man is charged with attempted murder. Palestinian in critical condition. Read More »
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Excerpts from a 92nd St Y “debate” between Alan Dershowitz and Jeremy Ben-Ami. Unfortunately, try as they might, they seem to pretty much agree about everything. From what is presented in this vid, this was not much of a debate. . Read More »
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A few days ago I watched the film ‘My Sister’s Keeper’, which explored a family struggling with the suffering and eventual death of one of its members due to cancer. As I was in the habit of doing, I ate some popcorn during the movie. Read More »
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As someone of you may know, I am married to a non-Jew. So every now and again, I get asked about the question/problem of intermarriage. Recently, a friend wrote to me that he is concerned about bringing home his non-Jewish girlfriend for the holidays. Read More »
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While this blog deals primarily with issues relating to the Arab-Israeli conflict, every once in a while I feel compelled and inspired to post something different. This is such an occasion. Please take time to read and repost this powerful and important article by Terence Cantarella. Read More »
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The Jerusalem Post has just published a fascinating in-depth interview with Aziz Abu Sarah, Palestinian writer and peace activist. In it, Abu Sarah speaks candidly about the painful journey he has undergone from a boy consumed by hatred and revenge to a man guided by empathy, compassion and justice. Read More »
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As anyone who has been involved in peace-making efforts between Israelis and Palestinians knows, there comes a moment where you are compelled to say “fuck it.” This is the moment when you say to yourself: “Let’s be honest, this peace-process is an exercise in futility. These people deserve each other. Read More »
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Over at Al Jazeera, I report on J Street’s first national conference. They came in droves. Over 1,500 people mobilised in Washington last week to support J Street – the nascent Jewish-American lobbying organisation that defines itself as “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace”. Read More »
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In Haaretz, my fruitful exchange/debate with Palestinian writer Aziz Abu Sarah on whether the Palestinians should accept Israel as a Jewish state. Should the Palestinians Accept Israel as a Jewish Read More »
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My latest from Al Jazeera. As last week’s trilateral meeting in New York showed, forces outside the control of the offices of Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Read More »
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International Peace Institute recently published a poll with encouraging results. The poll reveals major changes in attitudes since 2000, when Palestinians rejected compromises proposed at the Camp Read More »
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Over at Harry’s Place, a good article about the wrongful treatment of messianic Jews in Israel. The article also quotes and references what I have written on the subject for Jewcy. It seems that Read More »
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Over at Al Jazeera, MJ Rosenberg, Steve Clemons and I weigh-in on a report (below) that exposes the negative (and often racist) views that many Israelis have of Obama. We were asked to specifically Read More »
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