30
Apr
AJC Executive Director David Harris blogs for the Jerusalem Post. From his latest entry:
In the first, Mordechai Eliyahu, a former chief rabbi, chose the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day to reveal the “true” reason why so many perished in the Shoah – because of their embrace of Reform Judaism. This is so stunningly obtuse, so [...]
27
Apr
When dialoguing with other ethnic groups – in this instance Latino-Americans – we need to keep one important thing in mind. We are not going to agree with each other on every issue. Church-state separation, for example, is a very high priority for us, less so for the Latino community, where support for school vouchers [...]
26
Apr
The enormity of this event lies in its pettiness.
A few weeks ago, Rabbi Micky Boyden, a well-liked Reform rabbi in the town of Hod Hasharon, a quiet Tel Aviv suburb, was invited to recite a prayer at the local commemoration of Israel’s war dead on Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. Rabbi Boyden, who lost his [...]
26
Apr
As the Passover holiday receded on the Jewish calendar, public attention turned to Yom Hashoah and Holocaust commemoration. Unfortunately, however, we experienced a renewal of internal Jewish tensions and polarization. Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu articulated the theological lesson that those who suffered through the Holocaust did so as punishment for the sins of Reform [...]
25
Apr
Listen: [audio:BaymeEllenson042507.mp3]
Steve Bayme sits down with Rabbi David Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union College, to discuss the tenets of Reform Judaism, tikkun olam (”repairing the world”), the role of Israel in American Judaism, and the former Sephardi chief rabbi’s recent indictment of Reform Judaism.
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24
Apr
To the dismay of many in the Western world, Lebanon was Terror Central in the 1970s and 1980s. The lack of a central government during the Lebanese civil war made Lebanon a very attractive place for terrorist organizations to operate. Terrorists from across the globe set up training camps and a place to meet [...]
20
Apr
With the first round of the French presidential elections approaching on Sunday, we in France are watching, for the first time, the emergence of a new generation of political leaders in their 50’s, two of whom are running for the first time in a presidential race.
This is the most keenly contested presidential election in France [...]
19
Apr
As Israel celebrates its 59th anniversary, David Harris, AJC’s executive director, discusses what Israel means to him.
Listen: [audio:WhatIsraelMeans041907.mp3]
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17
Apr
As the evening shadows fall upon Jerusalem, and Yom HaShoah (the memorial day for the Holocaust, according to the Hebrew date of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943/5703) is ushered in, the official ceremony at Yad Vashem is never free of an internal built-in tension. It is an official, orchestrated act of the State of [...]
13
Apr
On Hitler’s Birthday, April 20, a group of neo-Nazis will either march through Cincinnati or prepare a lawsuit if their demonstration is not permitted. City leaders should not fall into the trap of trying to draw a line between what seems like competing interests – protecting free speech and articulating a strong community response against [...]