tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58372114977196189442024-02-22T07:15:24.980-08:00Cultural Infidel: Unorthodox musings from both sides of the AtlanticCultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-69565718171187418842012-08-01T09:38:00.000-07:002012-08-01T09:38:17.341-07:00Ok, a little self-promotion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm a little late in posting this, but I am thrilled that I was chosen as one of the 'The Jewish Week's' 36 under 36 this year. The award is given to New York Jews under 36 who are creating new ways to be engaged in Jewish life. Click <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CFQQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejewishweek.com%2Fspecial_sections%2F36_under_36%2Fsymi_rom_rymer_bringing_jews_and_muslims_together&ei=01oZUJmDCMPn0QGsjID4Ag&usg=AFQjCNHT7kVGnJV6wmDxzEBw8jHm6v1vzw&sig2=Es88a6UusRNZdZPaA56QiA">here</a> to read the article. </div>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-9537032389974766902011-02-27T10:04:00.000-08:002011-02-27T10:11:54.020-08:00The Multiculturalism Debate Drags on in Germany<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKOT02oHPoedKE3ReIlZ5U4TDrfB0gHLVSp6oNXvVITG6QstXzok-cjxEkB1SskLiZ9rxYp-tUq-Vyxqi2z5ZE2NLggDQwLPafg8kJyUyzxFKiXDrPGqAYY5JZ_gvzO6VUBp-v6hZYL4/s1600/Muslim_Girls_Germany_25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I know I've been away for a while, but I've been blogging <a href="http://momentmagazine.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/anti-semitic-autocomplete/">here</a>. So come check me out!<br /><br />As you may know, there is a debate raging in Germany over multiculturalism and assimilation of the Muslim minority in Germany.<span style=""> </span>At the core of the debate over these amorphous terms is the question of the role and presence of Muslims within German society.<span style=""> </span>In an effort to dig deeper into the nature of the debate, <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,747239,00.html">Der Spiegel</a> recently published an interview with two journalists, one German and one Turkish-German (and Muslim) who have both been vocal in their views on these issues. Interestingly, like the Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirisi Ali before her, it is the Turkish-German journalist, Necla Kelek<i> </i>who takes the far-right position in this discussion.<span style=""> </span>She argues that Islam is inherently political and that Muslims, whether in Germany or in Egypt, are therefore incapable of placing the importance of a strong civil society and Western-style democracy above their religious beliefs. Patrick Bahners, the features editor for the center-right German paper, <i>Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, </i>on the other hand, takes the more reasoned approach, arguing that not all Muslims view the world through this narrow religious-political lens and that those who do are still in the minority, even if their pernicious ideas have captured the imagination of the West through violent means.<br /><br />In many ways, the debate between Bahners and Kelek is disappointing. Primarily because Kelek is quick to attack Bahners, to accuse him of not personally knowing any Muslims and therefore call into question his ability to speak with any authority on the issue. Kelek argues that she is more qualified to speak on the issue, and that her perspective is the true one, in large part because she grew up in the community and she knows the people she is speaking about—and condemning—personally.<span style=""> </span>While that background certainly does have its importance, those are not the only ingredients needed to make a reasoned argument, as Bahners points out.<span style=""> </span><span style=""></span>But the sniping back and forth is only part of the reason this kind of debate is frustrating. The larger reason is because while it may help to delineate the views involved, it does not move the discussion forward.<span style=""> </span>There is no attempt on the part of the interviewer, or by either of the participants, to try and find some common ground.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The national discussion over the death of multiculturalism has implications not only in Germany, but throughout Europe.<span style=""> </span>The supposed clash between East and West, Islam and Christianity are not simply abstract notions.<span style=""> </span>The consequences of this line of thinking have real impact from London to Berlin.<span style=""> </span>Not all Muslims see Islam and politics as inherently linked, but the majority, if not all, do feel the sting of the vitriol directed at them by the leaders of the countries they now see as their home.<span style=""> </span>They do feel the weight of discrimination in their daily lives as they seek housing or better employment or good education for their children. <span style=""> </span>Similarly, not all Germans view Muslims with suspicion, but the longer the debate drags out with no resolution and little visible determination to work on a solution for all involved parties, the more each side becomes reduced to stereotypes and nothing changes.<span style=""> </span>The next debate I would like to see in Der Spiegel is one that talks to people who are working on a solution, not just giving voice to the problem.</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-60717193016018487562010-09-30T12:01:00.000-07:002010-09-30T12:04:46.584-07:00Boxing Gym<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15197068" frameborder="0" height="227" width="400"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15197068">Trailer for Frederick Wiseman's BOXING GYM</a> </p><br />Lord’s Gym, Austin, Texas: <p>Thwack.</p> <p>Sssssss.</p> <p>Clang, clang, clang.</p> <p>Slapslapslapslap.</p> <p>In a small, white shingled building hidden behind a Goodwill store, posters of famous fights and fighters frozen in position overlap on the walls. Worn boxing rings and masking tape-encased punching bags reign supreme.</p> <p>In this atmosphere of muscles and sweat, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Wiseman">Frederick Wiseman</a>’s new film, <em>Boxing Gym</em> unfolds. Wiseman–the Jewish octogenarian filmmaker whose most recent film La Danse took us into the rarified world of professional ballet, now turns his eye to the equally athletic, if more violent, world of boxing.</p> <p><em><a href="http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/2010/nyff-special-event-frederick-wiseman%E2%80%99s-boxing-gym">Boxing Gym</a></em> (now playing as part of the New York Film Festival), like many of Wiseman’s films, focuses on the minutiae of every day life. Rarely leaving the confines of Lord’s, everyone and no one is at the center of the story. Like the gym itself, the film is universal. Men and women, young and old, wealthy and poor, Americans and immigrants, white, black, and Hispanic–all are welcome and all are captured on camera. With no hero or even narrative arc to follow, the audience is nonetheless quickly drawn into Lord’s hypnotic world. Nothing matters beyond the rhythmic pounding of leather against leather, the grunts of the athletes, and the ever-present beeping of the Everlast timer.</p> <p>But this movie is not just about boxing. It also is about the deeper communal ties that form within the walls of the boxing gym. Under the watchful eye of the owner Richard Lord, the gym is at once a therapists’ couch, a daycare center, and a refuge as well as a place to train. Mothers leave their babies ringside while they spar, older men philosophize by the free weights, and economic woes are discussed and dismissed.</p> <p>Although titled Boxing Gym, don’t let that fool you. This film isn’t just about boxing. It is also about desire, focus a hunger to push oneself to the limit. And it is also about championing community. In a country torn apart by social and political strife, it’s almost ironic that all it takes is a boxing gym to bring people together peacefully. But as Wiseman vividly demonstrates, Lord’s is no ordinary gym. </p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-89097475043643404472010-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:002010-09-16T10:17:58.876-07:00Non!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/2008/07/11/france_islam_deny_3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 544px;" src="http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/2008/07/11/france_islam_deny_3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday, the French Senate approved the ban on burqas and niqabs (Islamic face coverings) anywhere in public. Today, an Open Society blog post neatly summed up the situation:<br /><br />"As if the French government hadn't <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11301307">done enough </a>to damage its reputation with respect to its protection of religious and ethnic minorities in recent weeks, the French senate yesterday approved a ban on wearing Islamic face veils (niqabs or burqas) anywhere in public. Once ratified, the law will come into effect after a period of six months during which time the French Constitutional Council will study the new law to make sure that it does not violate any aspects of the state's constitution."<br /><br />As a friend said to me recently, the French sure know how to get the best publicity...Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-19753824082380515872010-09-13T18:25:00.000-07:002010-09-16T10:09:48.978-07:00Outdoor Politics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmNdgelFkSukFpBCmTjh1FrNPx3H3NYQ2DiDbHay9AmHyLEESzqj5g42uihH9uVjYITK5GU0sjIfa-1GXFyqme9zXySYWzBzkQ7FsSBbeKll9KyxYnYojfG6TzlQSV334SDki2utdyyJF/s1600/23645984542_ORIG.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmNdgelFkSukFpBCmTjh1FrNPx3H3NYQ2DiDbHay9AmHyLEESzqj5g42uihH9uVjYITK5GU0sjIfa-1GXFyqme9zXySYWzBzkQ7FsSBbeKll9KyxYnYojfG6TzlQSV334SDki2utdyyJF/s320/23645984542_ORIG.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516574765868157842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGZgZOQNc-oU0mmyhPvicVkykugYLgonAzto2LmsJNT_uxMr22oPqHB1Zaf8AU5cgffWraPVWpXhqHjeQUAMbIg-0dViylOuJXgxF2x6BuFtYkCgD_n5PbMd8-drzKywUUL3yK265hr0l/s1600/23645984521_ORIG.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGZgZOQNc-oU0mmyhPvicVkykugYLgonAzto2LmsJNT_uxMr22oPqHB1Zaf8AU5cgffWraPVWpXhqHjeQUAMbIg-0dViylOuJXgxF2x6BuFtYkCgD_n5PbMd8-drzKywUUL3yK265hr0l/s320/23645984521_ORIG.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516574531946255346" border="0" /></a>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-48677989418513782682010-09-01T20:50:00.000-07:002010-09-01T20:54:26.588-07:00A Film Unfinished<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Khut0kKn-c8?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Khut0kKn-c8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" >In an East German archive, three reels of silent film lay untouched and forgotten amid the chaos of World War II and its Communist aftermath.<span style=""> </span>40 years later, on an American airbase, a British film historian came across these reels simply titled, "Das Ghetto." The deceptively simple name, however, belied the power of its contents.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" >As we quickly learn in <a href="http://www.afilmunfinished.com/"><u>A Film Unfinished</u></a>, the recently released documentary about the making of “The Ghetto” by Israeli filmmaker Yael Hersonsky, “The Ghetto” refers to the Warsaw ghetto and the three reels of film are the missing companions to a fourth reel--discovered in the early 1960s. Until recently, that single reel was used by historians and Holocaust museums as an accurate account of the Jewish ghetto experience.<span style=""> </span>(One might wonder why this was accepted as truth when it is doubtful that Jews would have access to camera, never mind the freedom to openly film their lives, but that is the subject for another post).<span style=""> </span>Together, these four short films were the raw footage—shot in May of 1942--for a planned Nazi propaganda movie.<span style=""> </span>The film was never completed and it is unlikely we will ever learn how the Nazis intended to use the material.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" >Hersonsky’s documentary is the first to examine the film in its entirety and to present a more accurate picture of its filming of the movie as well as of life in the Warsaw ghetto.<span style=""> </span>The 63 minute work serves as the backbone of her film into which she intersperses three key organizing elements: poignant commentary from survivors of the ghetto watching the film for the first time, a reenactment of an interview between Willi Weis, one of the cameramen of the Nazi film, and an unnamed interrogator, and excerpts from diaries by Adam </span><span style=";font-family:";" >Cherniakov</span><span style=";font-family:";" >--head of the Warsaw ghetto Jewish Council--and Emanuel Ringleblum--the ghetto's unofficial historian--about the making of the movie.</span><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" >Hersonsky’s self-defined objective was to recontextualize the Nazi film before the last of the survivors die and leave future scholars unable to separate fact from fiction.<span style=""> </span>Her painstaking process of peeling back the layers of misconceptions that surround the film and its subjects is thorough and crucial.<span style=""> </span>But what makes this film more than just an educational aide, is how it challenges its audience to examine its own preconceptions of ghetto survival.<span style=""> </span>Now that we know the circumstances of the making “Das Ghetto,” it would be easy to paint all of the scenes as clearly staged.<span style=""> </span>But the film, perhaps unconsciously, also forces its audience to accept some hard truths about life in the ghetto--namely that for many imprisoned there, they lived as best they could.<span style=""> </span>One scene depicts, for example, a group of young, attractive men and women smiling as they sunbathe in a patch of dirt.<span style=""> </span>Without context, it would be easy to assume that this was staged, but in fact scenes like this did occur, even outside of the range of Nazi cameras.<span style=""> </span>As one of the survivors commented as she watched, people were still concerned about how they looked even in the midst of all of the chaos and brutality around them.<span style=""> </span>It was a way to maintain their humanity, their sense of self.<span style=""> </span>Another scene showed a well-dressed woman ignoring beggar children on the street. Although we might chalk this, too, up to Nazi propaganda, another survivor simply offered the explanation that without this act of self-preservation, one could not survive.<span style=""> </span>Later, as this same survivor cried as she watched two corpses lie untended on the sidewalk while saying that she was so happy that she could cry as she watched the frame.<span style=""> </span>Her crying made her human, she said, something that she could not succumb to while living in the ghetto. </span><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" >When we view the Holocaust today, it is easy to see its victims in broad strokes of black and white.<span style=""> </span>The primary goal of <u>A Film Unfinished</u> was to properly contextualize the subjects of the Nazi footage and to further demonstrate the chilling reach of the Nazi propaganda machine.<span style=""> </span>But this film also succeeds in the far more difficult task.<span style=""> </span>It offers its audience a glimpse of the shades of gray that hover, often ignored, just beneath the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="Body1"><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-85417471837115973642010-08-13T17:46:00.000-07:002010-08-14T06:13:46.682-07:00A Polish Education<embed name="embeddedPlayer_10271705" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/2_26_20959_21121_1/widgets/10shell.swf?revision=20959_21121" id="embeddedPlayer_10271705" flashvars="embedReferer=&embedPageUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2F10271705&widgetRevision=20677_21220&legacyPlayerRevision=20573_21118&config_settings_language=default&config_settings_skin=silver&companionSize=300x60&companionType=adi&preroll=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fpfadx%2Fbbccom.live.site.news%2Fnews_europe_content%3Bslot%3Dcompanion%3Bsz%3D512x288%3Bsectn%3Dnews%3Bctype%3Dcontent%3Bnews%3Deurope%3Badsense_middle%3Dadsense_middle%3Badsense_mpu%3Dadsense_mpu%3Breferrer%3Dnonbbc%3Breferrer_domain%3D%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10055%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10083%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10126%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10139%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10153%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10170%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10189%3Brsi%3DJ08781_10191%3Bheadline%3Dcaringforpoland%2527sjewishgraves%3Btile%3D3&config=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fplayer%2Femp%2Fconfig%2Fdefault.xml%3F2_26_20959_21121_1_20100621093512&domId=emp-10271705-5481&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fplaylists.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2F10271705%2B%2Fplaylist.sxml&size=Full&holdingImage=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbcimg.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F48026000%2Fjpg%2F_48026789_jex_716990_de34-1.jpg&config_settings_autoPlay=true&config_settings_showPopoutButton=false&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType=eav1&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition=US&fmtjDocURI=%2Fnews%2F10271705&companionId=bbccom_companion_10271705&config_settings_showShareButton=true&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true" quality="high" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="false" height="415" width="480"></embed> <div style="font-size: 0.9em;"><br /><a href="http://vodpod.com/watch/4029538-bbc-news-poland-asks-prisoners-to-care-for-jewish-cemeteries">BBC News - Poland asks prisoners to care for Jewish cemeteries</a><br />- Watch more <a href="http://vodpod.com/">Videos</a> at Vodpod.</div><br /><br />Across Poland, a new form of Jewish remembrance is taking place. Inmates from 10 different prisons are contributing their manpower to a country-wide <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/news/convicts-help-rescue-neglected-jewish-cemeteries-in-poland-1.3733">effort</a> to clean and maintain abandoned Jewish cemeteries. Participation in the project—which is sponsored by the prison service and the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland—is, however, about more than coming up with creative ways to keep prisoners occupied. Beyond the actual labor, the men are also introduced to Jewish culture and religious traditions. <p>For many of prisoners who came of age under communism, talking about anything Jewish was taboo. But through this program, and with the aid of Poland’s chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich, that is beginning to change. Before the prisoners set foot in the cemeteries Rabbi Schudrich visits each of the prisons and talks to inmates about everything from Jewish marriage laws to how to put on tefillin. By educating the men, the project leaders hope to break through the anti-Semitic outlook that remains present in Polish society and change the way the inmates were taught to view Jews.</p> <p>So far, the response has been positive. One of the men involved in the project, Artur Blinski, says “the scheme has broadened his outlook towards his country’s past. ‘Until now I wasn’t that interested. This program has changed my attitude towards Jewish culture and I’ve started to get interested in it. I had no idea about this culture and the more I learn the more interesting it becomes.</p> <p>That it has taken so many decades for Poles to be able to confront not only their own attitudes towards Jews as well as the importance and influence of pre-war Jewish life in Poland is distressing. However, this effort–as well as <a href="http://momentmagazine.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/do-you-want-to-friend-heino/">others</a> aimed at opening up the discussion and breaking societal taboos–is heartening. It takes strength and courage to challenge the status quo. In a recent <a href="http://momentmagazine.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/germany-and-poland-revisited/">blog</a> post, I pointed out important steps taken within Poland to confront its past. I hope this latest project represents not the end of such forward movement, but rather just the beginning.</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-28686659836031432152010-08-13T17:36:00.000-07:002010-08-13T17:41:41.876-07:00When We Talk About The Middle East<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/maps/images/maps/israel_map.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 370px;" src="http://www.merriam-webster.com/maps/images/maps/israel_map.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I think Thomas Friedman can read my mind. Just as I sat down to write this blog post, I came across a new <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Steal%20this%20movie&st=cse" mce_href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Steal%20this%20movie&st=cse">op-ed</a> of his that addressed my very topic. (Hat tip to Mr. Friedman) <p>In his op-ed, Friedman takes on recent efforts by Western political leaders and entertainment personalities to delegitimize Israel. He argues that Israel is a complex and multi-faceted country that deserves to be seen and understood in all of its nuance rather than as a symbol of unfettered cruelty. Furthermore, he gives his readers a glimpse into the Israeli psyche and shows just how it fits into the context of the greater Middle East. But more importantly, he demonstrates that simplistic views, such as the ones put forth by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jul/27/david-cameron-gaza-prison-camp" mce_href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jul/27/david-cameron-gaza-prison-camp">Britain's Prime Minister</a> or Oliver Stone, serve not to ameliorate the situation, but rather simply prolong the anguish for all involved.</p> <p>Friedman's views may not be particularly novel, but his words rang especially true for me in the wake of a rather emotional conversation I had with a new Brazilian acquaintance, Peter (not his real name). We were both participants in a journalism training course in Prague and were relaxing at a bar with friends at the end of an intense week. Suddenly, one of the people in our group mentioned that Peter’s last name is also common Brazilian Jewish name. Teasingly, I turned to him and suggested that he might actually be Jewish. His immediate reply of: “no, I don’t want to be Jewish,” didn’t bother me until he added that the reason he didn’t want to be Jewish because of Israel. He felt that Jews were selfish in their dealings with Palestinians and in their refusal to give more land to the Palestinian state. Blindsided, I didn’t quite know what to say. I had expected a simple answer of “I don’t want to keep Kosher” or even, “I’m Catholic, why would I want to convert?” My immediate response—although unsaid—was to reply defensively and demand to know what was so bad about Israel. Another part of me wanted to give him a crash course in Jewish politics and explain the huge rifts within the American Jewish community over that very topic. A third part of me felt grateful.</p> <p>Grateful because I have always felt secure about my place as a Jew in the American mainstream. While I've certainly gotten into heated discussions with people--primarily other Jews--about Israel or other Jewish topics, I've always felt supported by a larger network of voices. I've never felt alone. But during that quick conversation, I caught a glimpse of what it might be like for Jews from smaller communities elsewhere in the world for whom expressing their religion or their pro-Israeli views is a never-ending exercise in self-defense. A whiff of realization of what it might feel like to always be conscious of one's minority status. American Jews are lucky. Our community is strong and organized and not afraid—for better or worse--to speak out. We don’t feel the need to hide our kippot in public or our synagogues behind innocuous facades. We have a vast network to which we can turn to learn how to respond to anti-Israeli sentiment. While we might not all agree on what anti-Israeli sentiment sounds like, we all, especially today, can find a group from whom to draw confidence in our position as American Jews. Can the same be said for South American or European Jews? Based on anecdotal evidence, I’m skeptical.</p> <p>Peter and I chose to end the conversation when we realized that a slightly tipsy discussion at a bar about the Middle East was not the best place to talk about such a sensitive topic. Plus, I, and perhaps he too, felt that a potential friendship was more important than an emotionally fueled argument with an outcome that could have left us both uncomfortable in each other's presence.</p> <p>Thomas Friedman separates criticism of Israel into two categories: constructive and destructive. To him, constructive criticism is to acknowledge Israel and to view its actions within the larger context of the Middle East while looking for a real solution. Destructive criticism is to maintain the status quo and to single out Israel's destructive behavior while ignoring all others. While I think Peter’s views of Jews and Israelis falls into the destructive category, I wasn’t willing to take him on. Perhaps next time, I won’t have to. I’ll simply hand over Friedman’s op-ed and calmly ask if he wants to be part of the problem or part of the solution.</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-34735714873406501402010-06-25T12:40:00.001-07:002010-06-25T12:48:48.502-07:00The Helen Thomas Travel Plan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://aejmc.org/topics/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/helen_thomas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 319px;" src="http://aejmc.org/topics/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/helen_thomas.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>When Helen Thomas declared that Jews have no place in Israel and should go home to Germany and Poland, she unleashed a current of outrage within the American Jewish community. How dare she suggest, they wondered, that Jews should return to the countries of ‘the Final Solution.' <br /><br />From her comments, it was unclear if she meant that Jews should have been killed in the Holocaust or that they should simply go back to what she viewed as their ancestral homelands--never mind that Israeli Jews are from all over the world, including Israel itself. However, the reaction within the community to the suggestion of Germany and Poland demonstrates that for many American Jews, it amounts to the same thing. But, in fact, it is not. While her proposition is at best preposterous and at worst despicable, let us examine for a moment what exactly today's Israeli Jews would discover waiting for them in Germany and Poland if they left Israel.<br /><br />Read the full piece <a href="http://www.jewcy.com/post/helen_thomas_travel_plan">here</a>.Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-1499946328256122592010-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:002010-06-03T08:38:13.396-07:00News Link Round-Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/6/1/1275386364530/Gaza-flotilla-lead-ship-M-006.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 460px; height: 276px;" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/6/1/1275386364530/Gaza-flotilla-lead-ship-M-006.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Like everyone, I've been overwhelmed by articles about the flotilla incident. Here are some of the more insightful ones I've come across: from the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2vuabt7">Deutsche Welle</a> and <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2255572/">Slate</a><b>.<br /><br /></b>Other news, other wars. More than 60 years since the end of WWII and still its legacy remains.<br /><br />A video of a massacre of German civilians in Czechoslovakia is <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,698060,00.html#ref=nlint">released</a> for the first time. <br /><br />A WWII era bomb exploded in <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,698245,00.html#ref=nlint">Germany</a>. <b><br /><br /></b>Finally, a twist on Muslim-Jewish relations in Europe. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30Mayor-t.html?ref=magazine">NYTimes</a> magazine section this past Sunday had a great article about Job Cohen, Amsterdam's Jewish mayor and perhaps next Dutch prime minister. <b><br /><br /></b>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-59502859704072739012010-05-22T08:29:00.000-07:002010-05-22T08:34:35.090-07:00The French Railroad on Trial<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/08/jews280806_228x227.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 227px;" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/08/jews280806_228x227.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/content/960375/425822.html">Reuters</a> reported this week that 100 French and American plaintiffs are suing SNCF, the French national railroad company, for their role in transporting French Jews to concentration camps during the Holocaust. The group, made up of Holocaust survivors and their descendants, insist that it’s not about the money, but rather about exposing the crimes in which the rail company participated. “‘It is about money but not in the way they mean,’” said William Wajnryb, whose father died at Auschwitz. “When people make accusations about money, they should look at the SNCF first of all,” he said. “The core of this story is that the SNCF got money for deporting Jews.’”<br /><br />I certainly understand the motivation that is driving these plaintiffs to sue the SNCF. The trauma of the Holocaust coupled with the French government’s decades-long refusal to acknowledge its role in contributing to that trauma is enough to want to fight for whatever compensation might be available. That is logical. Just because it is logical however, doesn’t make it right. Had this case been brought to court 40 or 50 years ago, when the money would have made a tangible difference, I would be more sympathetic. But today, with most of the survivors gone and many of their children successful, they don’t need the money to help them survive.<br /><br />If the money is meant to serve a purely symbolic purpose, then I look forward to reading that each of the plaintiffs is receiving a one dollar bill (or one euro coin) from the SNCF in recognition of their past. But in the absence of such a proposal, there are many other ways to draw attention to the SNCF’s crimes that could have a greater impact.<br /><br />If the group insists on some sort of significant monetary compensation, they should use their winnings to set up a foundation to help victims of current genocides or donate it to other non-profit organizations that advocate for increased Holocaust education. Another alternative is for the SNCF to publicly acknowledge their guilt, something it has already begun to do. In ‘The SNCF under the German Occupation,’ a self-commissioned study, it was revealed that during the war SNCF workers were, “quite willing to protest vigorously to the Germans about excessive demands in other areas, [they were] ready to pack thousands of Jews and others off to Eastern Europe in plainly inhuman conditions without any apparent qualms.” Reuters does not say how or if the report has been made public, but it is an important step forward.<br /><br />Alain Lipietz, a spokesman for the plaintiffs, suggested that this trial serves a wider purpose by demonstrating that crimes such as those committed by the SNCF will never be forgotten until justice is served. But justice will not be served if its rewards help only a handful of people. Roughly 76,000 French Jews were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust with the help of the SNCF. No amount of money or admission of guilt can bring them back. So instead of making this trial about reparations for the past, it should be about working towards a future where such gestures will no longer be needed. Only then will it be worth it.Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-26091637738847437922010-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:002010-05-04T19:48:30.197-07:00Fabulous, Feel-Good, and Fatwa-Free<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gCGiRf29lAg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gCGiRf29lAg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /></p><p>When a Muslim and a Jew walk into a bar, it’s a joke. When a Muslim discovers he was born Jewish, it’s a movie. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424003/">The Infidel</a>, shown as part of the <a href="http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/">2010 Tribeca Film Festival</a>, is the story of Mahmud Nasir (Omid Djalili), a middle-aged Muslim man from London’s East End, who discovers after his mother’s death that he was adopted as a baby. Not only was he adopted, but his birth parents were Jews. Jews who named him Solomon (Solly) Shimshillewitz, or as his new friend Leonard Goldberg (Richard Schiff) suggests: Jewy-Jew-JewJewawtiz.</p> <p>While Nasir is trying to cope with his new identity, he also must deal with the impending marriage of his son to the stepdaughter of one of Egypt’s most radical imams, Arshad El Masri (Yigal Naor). The movie takes off when Nasir discovers that his alleged birth father is dying in a nursing home, but can’t see him until Nasir learns what it means to be Jewish. (For the Rabbi is guarding the door, this means Nasir must know how to say the names of the five books of the Torah in Yiddish or recite the Shema). Desperate, he turns to his caustic neighbor Goldberg who instead, teaches him the truly important aspects of Judaism: how to say “oy” with the right inflection and knowing how to dance the Kazatsky (certainly a critical skill in my family!).<span id="more-3449"></span></p> <p>If you’re looking for a light-hearted send-up of Jewish and Muslim stereotypes, this may be the movie for you. The writer (David Baddiel) was not afraid to openly mock both sides with often pointed humor. And watching on-screen chemistry between Djalili and Schiff is definitely worth the price of admission. Beneath the laughs however, the film did try to address some larger issues–religious conflict, death of a parent, loss of identity–which is where it fell flat.</p> <p>To take on these topics with a comedic touch, as Baddiel did, is admirable but he didn’t trust his writing skills to take his set-up to the next level. For example, towards the end of the movie we see Nasir sitting down with the Torah and the Koran on the table in front of him. Both books are leather-bound with ornate decorations on the covers. He opens each book to the first page and begins to read. Suddenly, he realizes how fundamentally similar these two books are, despite his pre-conceptions and he begins to reconcile his seemingly disparate identities. But instead of letting the message sink in both for the character and for the audience, the camera quickly shows him grabbing a cup that reads, “#1 Mutt.” Sure it’s funny. But it was defensive humor, almost as if Baddiel was afraid that one serious moment would detract from the overall humorous tone of the movie.</p> <p>Similarly, in making this a film about a man torn between religious identity: Judaism vs. Islam, moderate vs. radical Islam, Baddiel primed us for a deeper conflict that never happened. Comedy gives us permission to explore even the most contentious of situations and has the confidence that audiences will follow. I wanted him to take advantage of this loop-hole and go deeper–to take on the simmering tensions that right now are only accessible through humor. Instead, he came up short–offering only watered-down hostility instead of full-blown craziness.</p> <p>During the Q and A, Baddiel and Josh Appignanesi (the director) mentioned they had been a little nervous about the film’s reception by Britain’s Jewish and Muslim communities. They were pleased to report however, that after its release no one was burning them in effigy or calling them anti-Semites. Which, considering the topic, is no easy feat. Despite its flaws, the success of the movie proves that Jews and Muslims can agree on at least one thing. Can a comedy about AIPAC and JStreet be far behind?</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-58835953041460694652010-04-25T09:38:00.000-07:002010-05-01T20:13:54.801-07:00News Link Round-Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/8/3911/z3911908X.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 595px; height: 397px;" src="http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/8/3911/z3911908X.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here are some interesting links from this week's news:<br /><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Hassen Chalghoumi</strong> is France's ideal imam. He's Republican (in the French sense), he's pro-burqa ban, and reaches out France's Jewish community. He's also disliked by those he represents. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,690303,00.html#ref=nlint">http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,690303,00.html#ref=nlint</a><br /><br />In the wake of Poland's recent tragedy, Ruth Ellen Gruber sees sparks of change in Polish-Jewish relations. <a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/04/20/1011664/reaction-to-tragedy-showcases-changes-in-polish-jewish-relations">http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/04/20/1011664/reaction-to-tragedy-showcases-changes-in-polish-jewish-relations</a><br /><br />The French government stated that a bill to ban the burqa from all public spaces will be introduced in May. But whether or not the law will pass and be implemented remains unknown. <a href="http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2010/04/21/01002-20100421ARTFIG00252-le-port-de-la-burqa-sera-totalement-interdit-.php">http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2010/04/21/01002-20100421ARTFIG00252-le-port-de-la-burqa-sera-totalement-interdit-.php</a>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-36441014342090784792010-04-22T07:01:00.000-07:002010-04-25T09:55:43.927-07:00An Oddessy That Didn't Have to Be<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ipswichtours.com/EastAnglia/slides/Train%20Station,%20Ipswich.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 489px; height: 367px;" src="http://www.ipswichtours.com/EastAnglia/slides/Train%20Station,%20Ipswich.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Lviv_train_station_inside.jpg"><br /></a><br />Throughout this whole ash cloud "crisis," I kept having the same thought. For all those European travellers stranded throughout Europe, "why didn't they just take the train home?" As strange as it may seem to Americans who only know Amtrak, taking the trains in Europe is actually enjoyable. Fun even. The train cars are comfortable and offer a modicum of privacy with their thick faux leather seats and glassed-in six-seat compartments. On a trip in Germany, I saw one couple get so comfortable on a train, that they pulled down the seats to make a bed, spooned, and read poetry to each other for the duration of the trip. Now, I bet you haven't seen that on a plane.<br /><br />Even for the un-romantically inclined, there are considerable perks: the food is better, the scenery more attractive--and best of all--there is no cost for carry on luggage.<br /><br />Well, it seems as though I am not the only one puzzled by the lack of train activity. This morning in my inbox, I got a post from <a href="http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/">Hidden Europe</a>, a magazine devoted to under-the-radar Europe, that addressed that very question. Here is what they said:<br /><br />Dear fellow travelers<br /><br />Well, that was certainly an interesting week for travelers around Europe. Lots of angst for stranded souls. Rich fodder for the British tabloids as brave holidaymakers returned to English ports recounting tales of journeys from hell. Heavens, we never knew that France was really that bad.<br /><br />Academics interested in travel behaviour, crisis management and collective decision-taking will no doubt be writing serious treatises about how a cloud of ash afflicted European travel. The truth of course is that Europe was not paralysed in quite the way that the media portrayed, and while many travelers suffered real distress and were mightily out of pocket, there was also a good deal of theatre about the whole affair.<br /><br />That CNN journalist who paid 800 dollars to travel by taxi from Warsaw to Berlin when his booked flight was cancelled probably had no idea that few sane Europeans traveling to Berlin from Poland think of flying. There are on average only 78 available seats each day on the Warsaw to Berlin air route. Compare that with the more than 50 passenger trains which every day cross the Polish border into Germany - each train certainly capable of carrying dozens or even hundreds of passengers. Trundling by slow train through Polish villages would have made a fine news story. Western Poland is at its springtime best at the moment with heaps of blossom and soft April sunshine dancing on birch forests and water meadows. But no, CNN wouldn't have it that way. Instead it was a desperate tale of an irate journo haggling with a bemused Polish taxi driver who really did not want to drive 600 kilometres to Berlin. Not at any price. And he certainly did not want to be paid in dollars.<br /><br />There were rumours of a flotilla of small vessels being despatched from Britain to rescue stranded patriots from foreign lands. A revival of Dunkirk spirit. Yet all the while those stranded travellers could have hopped on a train and been home within a day or two. When the prospects for air travel were at their bleakest, it was still possible to book a train ticket from Germany to Britain for 59 EUR. Eurostar never entirely sold out and we noted seats still available for 96 EUR on trains from both Brussels and Paris to London even just a few hours prior to departure.<br /><br />Yesterday evening, we watched a small fleet of express coaches leave Berlin, taking passengers back to London. True, few of those travellers would have paid the bargain fare of 44 EUR, for that had long since sold out. The regular fare is 93 EUR for the overnight journey from Berlin to London.<br /><br />We do wonder whether, amid all the magnificent theatre of doughty travelers struggling against all odds to get home, the seeds of something rather significant may have been sown. For international journeys between countries on the continent, air travel already has only a tiny market share. As we have reported repeatedly in hidden europe, Europe has a splendid network of railways, often complemented by good bus and ferry connections. For those short hops between European cities, the plane is more a luxury than a necessity. Now might be the moment for travelers to rediscover the joys of slow travel. You can read our manifesto for slow travel online at "<a href="http://www.slowtraveleurope.eu/slow-travel-manifesto" target="_blank">http://www.slowtraveleurope.<wbr>eu/slow-travel-manifesto</a>".<br /><br />Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries<br />(editors, hidden europe)Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-19185299474623444652010-04-17T13:28:00.000-07:002011-02-05T12:35:02.446-08:00Halal for All<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rechargenews.com/multimedia/archive/00031/casino_31455a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 444px; height: 274px;" src="http://www.rechargenews.com/multimedia/archive/00031/casino_31455a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In a year that has seen contentious debates over French national identity and religion--much of it swirling around the French-Muslim community--it's nice to finally read some positive developments in French-Muslim relations.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5469090,00.html?maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-txt-nl"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Deutsche</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Welle</span></a> reports today that the French food industry is finally reaching out the previously unexplored French Muslim market. (Only took them 50 years or so). According to the article, French supermarkets including Casino, France's second-largest supermarket chain, will start carrying halal food and perhaps even the newest product on the market, Night Orient, a non-alcoholic sparkling wine.<br /><br />Previously, "mainstream brands didn't want to be associates with halal because it was considered low-brow and because French Muslims had little money and unenviable social positions," suggests Antoine <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bonnel</span>, the founder of an annual halal trade show in Paris. "So the global image was a cheap image." <p>While it's debatable whether their social position has changed much, the visibility of this community certainly has grown in recent years as has its buying power. As Abbas <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bendali</span>, the head of Solis, a market research firm that specializes in ethnic niches points out, "Five and a half billion euros are going to be spent on these kinds of products this year in France. There are five million potential customers. This is a real consumer segment."</p><p>So the next time I'm in Paris and I get a craving for mock ham or halal pate, I'll head for the nearest Casino or <a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franprix"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Franprix</span></a>. The non-alcoholic wine though is another story.<br /></p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-47750395292690072162010-04-12T18:17:00.001-07:002010-04-12T20:28:49.129-07:00Xenophobia on the Rise in Hungary<img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 470px; height: 330px;" src="http://www.romanialibera.com/articole/images/212af2b32f_Magyar%20Garda%202.jpg" alt="" border="0" /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >The results from Hungary's elections are in. And according to the <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5460724,00.html?maca=en-newsletter_en_bulletin-2097-txt-nl"><span style="color:blue;">Deutsche Welle</span></a>, the outlook for minority groups does not look good. In the first round, the round that determines who will lead the government, the conservative party, Fidesz, won 53% of the vote. But even more concerning is the success of Jobbik, a far-right anti-Semitic, anti-Roma party that won 17% of the vote. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >According to Nora Szoeke, an Eastern European political consultant, the outcome is not surprising. "In Hungary the extreme right is more embedded within the society," she said. "It's not just an extreme fringe group that supports Jobbik … it's any voter who has been disappointed by the government and politics up to now." <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >The article offers good insight into the reasons behind the right’s success—they essentially chalk it up to Hungary’s growing disenchantment with the Social Democratic coalition and accompanying corruption and mismanagement--but what I want to know more. How are the election results being interpreted by the Hungarian Jewish and Roma communities? What has the response been? Are they concerned? Taking it in stride? Are they speaking out? Are other groups speaking out on their behalf? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the midst of all the clear-eyed analysis it’s important to remember how these political movements affect the people on the ground. 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Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-5816383132130494092010-04-06T16:46:00.000-07:002010-04-06T16:49:32.633-07:00The Seder: Not Just for Jews Anymore<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://momentmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/let-us-break-bread-together.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 579px;" src="http://momentmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/let-us-break-bread-together.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Did you know that the three pieces of matzo used during Seder represent the holy trinity? Or that a leg of lamb on the Seder place could replace the shank bone? Sound absurd? Perhaps, but not if you’re celebrating Passover as a Christian. <p>Yes, that’s right. Passover is no longer just the domain of Jews, but also of Christians who are– according to <a href="http://web.mac.com/rabbirami/Rabbi_Rami/Home.html">Rabbi Rami Shapiro</a>, a comparative religions professor at Middle State Tennessee University and co-author of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Let-Break-Bread-Together-Christians/dp/B00378L4HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270093143&sr=1-1">Let Us Break Bread Together: A Passover Haggadah for Christians”</a>–seeking a closer connection to Jesus as a man and as a Jew. “The practice of Seders is a growing phenomenon. Christians are really interested in the Seder meal and [churches] are trying to give their members a sense of what it was like during the life of Jesus.”<span id="more-3364"></span></p> <p>Leafing through Rabbi Shapiro’s Haggadah, there is no mistake as to the intended audience. From the title, “Let us Break Bread Together” (a reference to the New Testament) to the replacement of Adonai (Lord our G-d) with Abba (Father) to better reflect Jesus’ relationship with God, you know you won’t be seeing this version on your Seder table anytime soon.</p> <p>While the idea of Christians celebrating Passover no doubt makes some within the Jewish community uncomfortable, there is also another way to look at it. During the Seder, we hear and accept questions from four children: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child, and the child who does not know how to ask. Through their questions, each of these individuals is seeking a place for themselves within an established ritual. So too, are Christian communities who see in Judaism, and especially in Passover, an opportunity to connect with the roots of their own religious practices and faith.</p> <p>By teaching them the Jewish framework for the celebration in which they want to take part, we are not only offering them an opportunity to feel closer to their religious figures, but also to better understand Jews and contemporary Judaism—something that can only be a positive step forward.</p> <p>Then again, if more and more Christians do start celebrating Passover and realize just how delicious matzo and gefilte fish truly are, they might want to start celebrating other Jewish holidays as well. Like Sukkot–to see their Sunday school version of the tabernacle come to life–or Chanukah with all the presents, the candles and the latkes. But then we’d have to tell them that Santa Claus doesn’t really exist and try to convince them that a menorah really is just as much fun as a Christmas tree.</p> <p>On second thought, I think we’re safe.</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-81598222932372209512010-04-01T16:34:00.000-07:002010-04-01T16:47:02.507-07:00The Imam Search<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lstcccme.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/577.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 440px;" src="http://lstcccme.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/577.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">There are two interesting pieces that recently came out about the struggles faced by Muslim communities in the US and Germany.<span style=""> </span>The first, published in the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/31/AR2010033103944.html?hpid=artslot">Washington Post</a>, tells the story of a young American-Muslim imam who is searching to find a place for himself within the Muslim community.<span style=""> </span>Unlike Christian and Jewish communities who have an established employment network set up for newly minted Rabbis, Priests, Ministers, etc., according to Adeel Zeb, the story’s protagonist, there is no such network for young imams.<span style=""> </span>In fact, many American-Muslim families hope their sons will grow up to be lawyers or doctors rather than men of the cloth.<span style=""> </span>Moreover, the generational divide is a significant obstacle.<span style=""> </span>Imams not only need to be learned, but must also look the part: older (Zeb is 28) and sport a “gray beard.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, German Muslims are facing similar problems.<span style=""> </span>At a recent <a href="http://www.aicgs.org/eventlist/view.aspx?ID=306&top_parent=156">event</a> that addressed the question: “What Role Do Religion and Culture Play in Integration? A Transatlantic Comparison of Muslim Integration in Germany and the U.S.” hosted by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) in Berlin, the discussion quickly turned to the lack of German-born imams.<span style=""> </span>As Zeb noted in the Post article, “most American mosques are led by imams from overseas who aren't fluent in English. They know how to lead prayers but don't necessarily have the professional credentials or communication skills to become community leaders.” If Germans read this article, I’m sure they could relate.<span style=""> </span>The lack of locally born imams is concerning to a country that still struggles with how to integrate its Muslim population.<span style=""> </span>Moreover, those who do work in Germany often lack language skills, knowledge of the country in which they, and their congregation, live, and are uneducated about the cultural touchstones of their adopted countries. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>While Zeb no doubt faces real frustrations, it seems as though, based on these two examples, it is the American-Muslim community that comes out ahead.<span style=""> </span>In the US, at least, there is an opportunity for him to receive the type of training that for German-Muslims is still an abstraction.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Post article ends on a wistful note offering thoughts about what professions Zeb might enter into, none of them being the one of his choice: imam.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps I have one additional suggestion for him.<span style=""> </span>Learn German and move to Germany.<span style=""> </span>I hear they’re hiring.<span style=""> </span></p><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> 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In early fall, there’s the German-American parade with grown men wearing too-tight leder-hosen and sidewalk venders selling copious amounts of bratwurst and pretzels. In the heat of the summer, there is the Puerto Rican day parade. Subway cars fill with enthusiastic teenagers dressed in as many variations of the PR flag as possible—tank tops, bandanas, shorts—until they spill into the streets to demonstrate their pride. In the early spring, it’s the turn of the Irish with their bagpipes, shamrock-colored wigs, and Kiss-me-I’m-Irish pins (do those ever work?). <p>This year, stuck once again in the midst of tipsy, ebullient parade crowds on my way to work, I started to think about the Jews. As in, where is our parade? There is, of course, the Israel parade, an annual event launched in 1964 described by its official website as “a major vehicle for Zionist expression [that] enables our communities to come together in a non-partisan, apolitical show of unity and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel.” Festive as that is, however, it’s not really about celebrating the American Jewish community, which has its own unique identity and history.<span id="more-3294"></span></p> <p>So, I started to wonder: if we did launch a Jewish-American parade, what would it look like? Would teenagers stick matzo stickers on their cheeks? Would the shtetl nostalgia come out in force with marching bands playing songs from Fiddler on the Roof and women dancing horas dressed in schmattas and headscarves? Or we maybe would go the more intellectual route with a reading of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Lazarus">Emma Lazarus</a>’ poem, “The New Colossus.” Perhaps the Jewish contribution to the New York garment industry could be represented by<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Gunn"> Tim Gunn</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Siriano">Christian Siriano</a> (they could be made honorary Jews for the occasion…right)?</p> <p>Even if the parade did devolve into little more than stereotypes of the American-Jewish immigrant experience—and really, what parade doesn’t involve some type of over-generalization—there is no reason that we, too, can’t celebrate our place in American society in style with loud music and tacky clothes. Then again, maybe since bagels are now sold in Dunkin’ Donuts and Oprah gives out ‘Chutzpah awards,’ we don’t need a parade to make our presence felt. Maybe next year I should just crash the Chinese New Year parade. I do love Chinese food. And really, what’s more Jewish-American than that?</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-25086814644019621692010-03-18T08:31:00.000-07:002010-04-24T08:48:15.418-07:00Links of Interest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lemonde.fr/image/2010/03/06/300x383_1491363_0_0eef_ill-1315551-e944-672239.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 383px;" src="http://www.lemonde.fr/image/2010/03/06/300x383_1491363_0_0eef_ill-1315551-e944-672239.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here are some links I've been meaning to post, but have been to lazy to get to!<br /><br />A feminist Muslim group in France, Ni Putes ni Soumises (Neither Promiscuous nor Submissive) protests against the burka in Paris: <b>http://tinyurl.com/yzfjd9x<br /><br /><br /></b>A discussion of why reform Judaism hasn't caught on in France: <b>http://tinyurl.com/yky23uz<br /><br /><br /></b>Anti-Islam sentiment is gaining political ground in Europe: <b>http://tinyurl.com/ygr7s8k<br /><br /><br /></b>Fatih Akin, German-Turkish director of Edge of Heaven and In July, comments on the national identity debate in France: <b>http://tinyurl.com/ykum4bj</b>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-63987780990115226942010-03-08T07:47:00.000-08:002010-03-08T07:51:16.261-08:00How Do You Teach Human Rights?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://momentmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/4520826d-175f-4561-8757-2742f63212441.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://momentmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/4520826d-175f-4561-8757-2742f63212441.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />On International Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27) this year, a <a href="http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/Focus-Report-Discover-the-Past-for-the-Future.pdf">report</a> from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) was released outlining the current Holocaust education curriculum in EU secondary schools. The report advocates linking the study of that era with more contemporary instances of human rights crimes As the authors of the report ask, “Is education about the history of the Holocaust an end in itself? How can knowledge about the past be used for mastering the present? Is there a natural link between Holocaust education and human rights education? How can young people be encouraged to reflect self-critically on their role in society?” <p>The FRA report brings to light deficiencies in the classroom that may have led to the recent embrace of right-wing ideology. (Exhibit A: Switzerland and the <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2010/03/01/aux-pays-bas-la-droite-radicale-et-xenophobe-profite-de-la-crise-politique_1312799_3214.html#ens_id=1291420">Netherlands</a>). It is not enough, the authors’ believe, to teach about the Holocaust and to assume that broader lessons of acceptance and tolerance will be learned. Maybe I’m cynical, but I don’t think greater concentration on making the lessons of the Holocaust relevant for today’s students, through a hazily-defined “human rights education,” is the best way forward either.<span id="more-3111"></span></p> <p>First of all, I am uneasy with using the Holocaust as a pedagogical morality tool. While it is important for every generation to understand its country’s role during that period, it is equally important for them to understand the historical framework which allowed it to occur. Racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism come in all forms and from various sources. To paraphrase a French-Jewish journalist, anti-Semitism is not only about hearing the jackboots marching down the street or Nazi flags flying.</p> <p>Secondly, yes. Human rights is an important issue. It is the cornerstone of many European countries’ constitutions. And yet, those rights are diminished time and again. When politicians liken the Koran to Mein Kampf (as <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,681831,00.html#ref=nlint">Geert Wilders</a>, the leader of the Dutch ‘Party for Freedom’ did) with no political repercussions and when the construction of religious buildings is made illegal, citizens’ rights are being violated. Recommending greater human rights education as a way to combat these trends is a sound abstract idea. But this report offers few suggestions on how to translate that lofty goal into a concrete reality.</p> <p>Insisting that all graduating students should know about Universal Declaration of Human Rights–as one member of an FRA focus group suggested—is not enough. Human rights education should include weaving information into the school day about the various religious and ethnic groups that live in Europe. Accompanying lessons on the Holocaust should be discussions of contemporary Jewish life in the Netherlands. Discussions about the headscarf or the minaret controversy (if this is even broached in the classroom) should involve a larger discussion about Muslim traditions. The report acknowledges that the past needs to be linked to the present to have a real effect. But instead of relying primarily on pedagogically successful visits to concentration camp or museums of tolerance to make a difference, it should also be linked to issues in their students’, and their own, backyards.</p> <p>Otherwise, it will be one more thing to forget after graduation and will result in little change at the polls.</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-29044465387029753172010-03-01T08:03:00.000-08:002010-03-01T08:57:07.921-08:00Innocence Lost<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-63178-galleryV9-ygbx.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 600px;" src="http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-63178-galleryV9-ygbx.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Berlin-Eight-Conquered-City/dp/0805075402"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Woman in Berlin</span></a> is a harrowing, sparse account of a woman's experience <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">surviving</span> in Soviet-occupied Berlin at the end of World War II. Its themes of rape, despair and abandonment were taboo once the war was over and the women in the book silenced. The author of <span style="font-style: italic;">A Woman in Berlin</span> published her account anonymously in the 1950s to widespread condemnation in Germany and in 2003, it was republished--still anonymously.<br /><br />Today, the subject is more easily broached, but because of the passage of time, many of those who could have spoken out have died. One woman, Gabriella <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Koepp</span>, however, has come forward and recently published a book under her own name entitled, <a href="http://www.herbig.net/gesamtverzeichnis/sachbuch/zeitgeschichte/einzelansicht/browse/3/product/zeitgeschichte/warum-war-ich-bloss-ein-maedchen.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Why Did I Have to Be a Girl</span>?</a> In it, she details her escape, as a 15 year-old, from her German hometown in Pomerania (now Poland). Due to a railroad miscalculation, she ended up heading south into Soviet-held territory rather than north towards safety. Once there, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Koepp</span> was raped repeatedly by Soviet soldiers over a 14-day period and now, at 80, she still has not gotten over the trauma.<br /><br />Because of the brutality of the Nazi era, it can be difficult to accept Germans both as perpetrators and victims during the Nazi era. Stories like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Koepp's</span> are essential because by inverting traditional narratives, they remind us how complex and messy historical truths truly are. For the full story, click <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,680354,00.html">here</a>.Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-80969007893706965032010-02-28T09:40:00.000-08:002010-02-28T09:49:45.043-08:00Changing Face in Poland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/02/25/world/25iht-poland-span/25iht-poland-articleLarge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 354px;" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/02/25/world/25iht-poland-span/25iht-poland-articleLarge.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;"> Adam Lach for The New York Times</span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> 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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">There’s an interesting piece in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/world/europe/28poland.html?pagewanted=1">New York Times</a> this week about a former Polish neo-Nazi who discovered his Jewish roots as an adult and now has become ultra-Orthodox.<span style=""> </span>As he acknowledges in the article, “he was drawn to extremes.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The piece brings up more questions than it answers.<span style=""> </span>First of all, there is no discussion about how Pawel (or Pinchas), this article’s protagonist, has been received by the Orthodox community.<span style=""> </span>How do they feel about having a former neo-Nazi in their midst?<span style=""> </span>Have they seen this kind of conversion before?<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>And does Pawel feel like he has been accepted by this community that he used to hate?<span style=""> </span>Moreover, the article talks about his now being the subject of anti-Semitism taunts.<span style=""> </span>How does he respond?<span style=""> </span>Is he involved with any type of outreach to try and affect how Jews are seen in Poland?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Second of all, there was little discussion of why he became a skinhead in the first place.<span style=""> </span>The journalist writes that Pawel used neo-Nazism to break out of the Socialist mold.<span style=""> </span>But I would have liked to know more about what drove him in that direction when he could have chosen less violent and hateful ways to rebel.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lastly, I was struck by the quotes from the Chief Rabbi in Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich.<span style=""> </span>At one point he says, ““Before 1989 there was a feeling that it was not safe to say, ‘I am a Jew.’<span style=""> </span>But two decades later, there is a growing feeling that Jews are a missing limb in Poland. The level of anti-Semitism remains unacceptable, but the image of the murderous Pole seared in the consciousness of many Jews after the war doesn’t correspond to the Poland of 2010.”<span style=""> </span>It is interesting that the Chief Rabbi is so optimistic in his assessment of Jewish life in Poland when Piotr Brozek, a 22 year old non-Jewish Pole responsible for <a href="http://multi-culturalmusings.blogspot.com/2009/11/do-you-want-to-friend-heino.html">Henio’s</a> Facebook page, still is quite pessimistic.<span style=""> </span>In my conversation with him, he told me that it is only people of his generation who want to change the anti-Semitic mindset that exists in Poland.<span style=""> </span>The older generations, he believes, are unwilling or unable to break out of that mold. <span style=""> </span>So who is right?<span style=""> </span>And why do Jews and non-Jews hold such disparate views?<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While Pawel’s story is certainly engrossing, it is also frustrating.<span style=""> </span>It focuses on the sensational, at the expense of the quotidian.<span style=""> </span>Where are the stories about ordinary Polish Jews? Who are they?<span style=""> </span>Where are they?<span style=""> </span>Between articles like this one and ones about young Poles attending Yiddish festivals and listening to Israeli hip-hop (neither of which makes them Jewish), we learn nothing about the typical life of a contemporary Polish Jew.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This kind of information is equally, if perhaps not more important, than the sensational stories.<span style=""> </span>Why?<span style=""> </span>Because there is still a great deal of suspicion and fear within the larger Jewish community towards Poland, as Rabbi Schudrich points out.<span style=""> </span>Few American Jews, for instance, experience Poland outside of its death camps.<span style=""> </span>There is very little understanding or acknowledgement that Jewish life is once again growing there.<span style=""> </span>Articles like this one do little to change the narrative arc.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>I would like to see more pieces about Jewish youth movements or about a Bat/Bar Mitzvah class--something that would offer a fuller, more nuanced, picture ofJewish rhythms of Poland.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-70626251744785275352010-02-25T08:08:00.000-08:002010-02-25T08:15:09.010-08:00Breaking the Silence<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EDZmRqx4cpQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EDZmRqx4cpQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></p><p>Three thin little black books have been creating a firestorm of controversy in Israel recently. No, they have nothing to do sex scandals. Rather, they are publications from <a href="http://www.shovrimshtika.org/index_e.asp">Breaking the Silence</a> (BTS), an Israeli human rights group founded by four former Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers. Their objective is to collect and publish testimony from soldiers who served in the Palestinian Territories between 2001 and 2004. So far, they have recorded the experiences of 700 soldiers, documenting many harsh, even brutal actions taken by the IDF in the Palestinian Territories.</p> <p>On the eve of her first US tour, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dana Golan, the 27 year-old Executive Director of Breaking the Silence. Below is an excerpt from our discussion.<span id="more-3088"></span></p> <p><strong>Symi Rom-Rymer:</strong> How did Breaking the Silence get started?<br /><strong>Dana Golan:</strong> There were always organizations talking about [Israeli] refusal [of military service] and other issues around that but no one was talking about what was going on in the Territories. Breaking the Silence was founded in 2004 by a group of guys who were very upset by what they saw while serving in Hebron. They talked amongst themselves about the situation in the army, about the orders that they get, the rules of engagement, and what it meant to do what they were doing. They felt that soldiers could only cope by taking out their feelings on the Palestinians because the tension and the pressure was so great. And their commanders gave them freedom to do what they wanted. When these guys got out, they just wanted to scream out what they felt. So they took their photos from their own albums and wrote about the experiences that they had. The reaction was so strong. People showed up and said, “this is exactly what I have in my own album.”</p> <p>We’ve put a lot of effort into taking people to Hebron and to South Mount Hebron to show them what it’s like. And we give lectures to people of all ages. We try to talk to people before they join the army and say to them, “Listen, this is a complicated situation. But we do want you to be aware of the moral dilemmas before you confront them yourself.”</p> <p><strong>SRR:</strong> Who funds your work? Do you ever refuse donations?<br /><strong>DG:</strong> I am quite proud of all the funding sources that we have. In the US, we’re funded by The <a href="http://www.nif.org/">New Israel Fund</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=Moriah+fund&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a">The Moriah Fund</a>. We get some money from European countries like the Spanish, Dutch, and British governments. We also get private donors all the time. These countries give money to human rights organizations and human rights is a matter worth working for. I’m very proud to be a part of that. Since I know that they don’t influence what the soldiers say , the work that we’re doing or what’s important for us, I have no problem with any of this funding.</p> <p>We don’t say yes to everyone. We reject money from donors from whom we can’t know the source of the money or what it means if they support us. We do not get money from Palestinian, Muslim, or Arab sources.</p> <p><strong>SRR:</strong> Why did you come out with a book of testimonies that just focuses on female soldiers?<br /><strong>DG:</strong> Girls are part of the occupation as well. They are standing at checkpoints and are sent on weapon searches and body searches. We thought it was important to collect women’s testimonies as well. We wanted to explore what the occupation does to girls and what happens when you have five girls and 400 guys. One of the common threads through all of the testimonies is how the girls are trying to be one of the guys at the age of 18 or 19. They care so much about the social factor around them and sometimes girls are even more aggressive and violent, to prove how tough they are. The result is often increased violence towards the Palestinians. We’re trying to break the silence about all aspects of the reality in the Territories. This is just one of them.</p> <p><strong>SRR:</strong> What was your experience in the army?<br /><strong>DG:</strong> I will tell you about my most significant night while in the army. As a member of the Education Corps, I went from base to base talking to soldiers but was never in combat. I often felt like an outsider and kept asking to be a part of things. One night, before a weapons search, I asked them to let me join them. They agreed, but did not tell me why. I realized why only later. They just told me to be there at 2AM. I was the only one without a weapon.</p> <p>Hebron is divided between the sections controlled by the Israeli military and those controlled by the Palestinians. This was the first time that I went into the Palestinian-controlled part of Hebron. We were in the jeep and I was looking out of the window and saw that the streets were empty. I didn’t know where we were going and I got a bit hysterical and thought to myself, ‘what the hell are you doing? You’re in a jeep and people can shoot at you and you don’t even have a weapon to protect yourself!’</p> <p>We got out of the jeep and ran until we reached the first house. We opened the door and a man in his pajamas opened the door and the soldiers automatically pushed him aside. The mother, grandmother, and two kids were standing in the corner of the room and they just stood there. Silently. No one looked at them or talked to them. The mom was looking at me. It was the first time I saw how the Israeli army searched for weapons. While they were making a huge mess searching for weapons, I naively asked the commander if we were going to help them later to clean up. As we walked from one room to the other, I saw that they had pictures of Jerusalem and I thought, ‘wow. They have the same photos as we do!’ At some point, the soldiers were laughing because they found some porn films The father was so embarrassed.</p> <p>I remember looking at this small kid in the corner and thinking, ‘what would I think of those people who entered my parents’ place in the middle of the night and acting like that with my dad?’ I felt like I was part of the bad guys. I felt ashamed because I came to their place just because I was curious to see what it’s like to be an occupier. I didn’t need to be there. At some point, the commander told me he wanted me to search for weapons on the women’s bodies. I was not trained for that, I had no idea that the only reason he let me come was because they needed a girl to do a female search. At first I thought he was joking and then I thought, ‘what the f— am I going to do?’</p> <p>I did not force the women to get naked, like I was supposed to. I was doing it with another girl and I had heard stories about girls at checkpoints that do body cavity searches. I remember saying, “I don’t care if she has a bomb inside her. I’m not going to put my hands inside her body.” We searched the first woman. I remember the smell and felt so ashamed that I had to touch her. So I was very gentle and searched very gingerly. Then we searched the grandmother. Then we went out and the commander didn’t even ask us anything. That was the strangest thing. He didn’t train me, didn’t tell me what to do and then he didn’t even ask us about it afterwards.</p> <p>That night really shook me up. It was the first time I was in a situation where I got my hands dirty. I told myself: This is what it looks like. This is why a kid can hate you for the rest of your life. And you would hate him as well if it were the reverse. It was the first time that I realized how complex it was. There is no other way to search for weapons, but I don’t want to have the right to enter people’s homes at 3am and to do it as if it’s my home. I don’t want that. This is not something I want my kids to experience. I don’t want anyone to be able to do that to me and I don’t want to do it to others. The commanders tell you not to tell. You feel as if everything is part of this larger plan that you might not understand until the end, but that’s ok. You’re just supposed to be a soldier. There’s a reason they send you to the army at 18. You’ll just do whatever you’ve been told.</p> <p><strong>SRR:</strong> What are some of the most common criticisms and/or misconceptions about BTS?<br /><strong>DG:</strong> First of all, it is difficult for people to hear that Israeli society is not ok. Through our work, we are suggesting that we should doubt and question the occupation of the Territories. People find that very difficult. People’s tendency is to think that everything has a justification of security. We want to be secure. The Israeli tendency is not ask questions and not to doubt the situation itself. I was raised to ask questions. It’s very difficult for people to accept these kinds of questions.</p> <p>One of the most common criticisms is that we only publish testimonies anonymously. People accuse us of publishing lies. They say, ’if people want to say something, they should just say it.’ But no one will do that. No one will go to his commander and speak out. Soldiers in Israel do not speak out against the army. Not because they are afraid that someone will come and investigate them but because they are afraid of their friends. If Israeli society wants the soldiers to speak, they need to give them that freedom and show that they are willing to listen We know that some people who testified suffered a high social price for talking. But for us, there is no other way.</p> <p>People accuse us of speaking badly about the army–of airing dirty laundry. They tell us that we should just talk to the army and try to solve the problems. But we do not believe that we should educate the army. We believe that people should ask and doubt and take a moral stand.</p> <p><strong>SRR:</strong> Why have you come to speak to American Jews?<br /><strong>DG:</strong> The Jewish community in America has a very big influence on what goes on in Israel. When I was a soldier, I was wearing a uniform made in the US and I was carrying an American M16 gun. So I believe it is important to show our reality to the people who support Israel morally and financially. It’s easy to hide it from them. It’s as important for me to talk to them about it as it is to speak to Israelis. In a way, I feel that the Jewish community in the United States has the same obligation to hear me because the things that the IDF are doing are being done in their name as well. And I want them to take a stand as well. I put them on the same level as Israelis. You send me there. Listen to me.</p> <p>I want them to listen, I want them to think. I want them to doubt, to criticize. I want them to ask questions all the time. If there is something we have learned, it’s that we have to take a stand. We cannot afford not to do that.</p>Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837211497719618944.post-4608950317528992282010-02-09T20:45:00.000-08:002010-02-09T20:50:34.933-08:00O'Reilly Plays the Jew Card<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2004/04/news/041011/jstewart2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2004/04/news/041011/jstewart2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps the winter weather is making people a little crazy or perhaps liberals, fed up with current political narrative, are just itching to remove the gloves.<span style=""> </span>Whatever the reason, a willingness to venture onto Republican turf has been on the rise these past few weeks.<span style=""> </span>First, there was President Obama who, in a riveting piece of political theater, took on the House Republicans during their annual retreat in Baltimore.<span style=""> </span>Then, just a few days ago, Jon Stewart appeared on Fox as a guest of Bill O’Reilly.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">(Can someone explain to me why he is so popular?<span style=""> </span>Political views aside, he comes across as so condescending and self-righteous—why do viewers find that appealing?<span style=""> </span>Or is he just that way when non-Republicans are on his show?<span style=""> </span>If someone could let me know without my having to watch more of him, that would be much appreciated).<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, as I was watching O’Reilly “vet” Stewart on his opinions about Iran and its quest for nuclear weapons, he suddenly brought up the fact that Stewart is Jewish.<span style=""> </span>I thought: “is he seriously going to ask Stewart why he doesn’t, as a Jew, support Israel’s hawkish approach to Iran?”<span style=""> </span>He didn’t.<span style=""> </span>Instead, he said:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">O’Reilly: “You’re a Jewish guy, right?”
<br />Stewart: “What?”
<br />…..
<br />O’Reilly: “I believe Ahmadinejad wants to drive you and all the other Jewish people into the sea.”
<br />Stewart: “So?<span style=""> </span>I cannot control that.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Stewart then went on to explain his position on Iran and nuclear weapons, deftly ignoring O’Reilly’s ham-fisted attempt to conflate the Iranian government’s concrete threat against Israel with a more abstract threat against global Jewry.<span style=""> </span>(To see the whole exchange, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA6rSGLF4Yk">here</a>.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal">O’Reilly’s comment bothered me on several levels. <span style=""> </span>First of all, once he realized Stewart wasn’t rising to his bait, he decided to up the ante by focusing on Stewart’s religion.<span style=""> </span>Just because Stewart is Jewish doesn’t mean he only see issues like Iran from a particular perspective.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>Furthermore, by emphasizing Iran’s direct threat to “the Jewish people” and linking that to Stewart personally, O’Reilly implied that he should analyze the situation primarily through an emotional framework.<span style=""> </span>Secondly, by emphasizing Stewart’s religion, O’Reilly suggested that Stewart, and other American Jews, is somehow apart from the rest of Americans.<span style=""> </span>There are many reasons why the US does not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons.<span style=""> </span>These concerns are shared across religious, ethnic, and political lines.<span style=""> </span>Should Iran get the bomb, it could have deadly consequences not just for Israel, not just for Jews, but also for Americans and other Western countries.<span style=""> </span>In other words, whole swaths of the world would be at greater risk if this were to happen.<span style=""> </span>Why, then, should Stewart be asked only react as a Jew?<span style=""> </span>Is he not also in danger as an American?<span style=""> </span>As a Western male?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Based on his show and what he has said in interviews, Stewart’s religion does not seem to influence his political views.<span style=""> </span>But even if being Jewish was the main way he defined himself politically, that is for him to bring up. <span style=""> </span>O’Reilly use of Stewart’s religion as a tool to goad him into siding with him, implies that Stewart’s concern for Jews should override his views about what is in America’s best interests. <span style=""> </span>Although this particular exchange was done somewhat tongue-in-cheek, O’Reilly’s comments reflect a larger, troubling phenomenon in which complex worldviews are unacceptable and only simplistic narratives can prevail—in this case, within a Jewish context.<span style=""> </span>Once again I’m reminded why I dislike Fox News.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> Cultural Infidelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916845101815108780noreply@blogger.com0