A Waiting Game

By akinman June 1, 2011

I think I missed this memo. After my morning tweets and status updates, I came across an article from the New York Times on my Twitter account about Holocaust survivors who are seeking insurance claims. Peaking my interest, I took a stab at learning what this was about. The article was about an 87-year-old, female…

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Palestinians Rejecting Holocaust History: Part II – The Holocaust as the Basis of Israel?

By greback May 10, 2011

The famed Exodus is stopped trying to bring European refugees to the British Mandate for Palestine: the Holocaust did not justify the establishment of the State of Israel, but it made the founding much more dramatic. The Holocaust is not itself the justification of the State of Israel, rather the vindication of the argument that…

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The Reading List: Another A-List Intermarriage

By Ben Sales December 23, 2010

This time it’s between Lauren Bush, Dubya’s niece, and MOT David Lauren, son of designer Ralph. Lauren Lauren anyone? [From Under the Fig Tree] Breaking story from Fox News: Elie Wiesel won the Holocaust! [Mediaite] It turns out American Jews aren’t an endangered species. [Forward] Stuck for plans on Christmas Eve? Here’s what the rabbis suggest….

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The Reading List: Gazan students to Visit Holocaust Museum

By Ben Sales December 21, 2010

It will be one of their stops on a tour of the U.S. This really proves the “Muslims hate Jews” hypothesis. [JTA/JJ] Six Haredi yeshivot in Israel may have stolen tens of millions of shekels from the government. [Ha’aretz] Is Israel a hi-tech paradise? Not for students. [YNet] Watch out for pick-up artists, even if…

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The Reading List: Why Do Pro-Palestinian Students Oppose Dialogue?

By Ben Sales December 17, 2010

According to Philip Weiss, pro-Palestinian students at Brooklyn College don’t want dialogue with the pro-Israel group. Here’s a telling quote from a student there: “We hold an anti-normalization stance on dialogue,” said Eeman Abuasi, 21, a co-founder of the Palestinian Club who grew up in Brooklyn, east Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah….

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What Hits the NYTimes Homepage

By ckessler November 15, 2010

In my endless effort to procrastinate on Sunday afternoon–with the rain not helping, with my to-do list getting longer–I end up in a familar place: The New York Times homepage. Now, I could sing an ode or shout a rant to the Gray Lady, depending on the day, but I won’t go into that here. What…

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Anti-Semitism and the Gospel of Glenn

By bspringer November 11, 2010

Uproar abounds (again) as Glenn Beck says something sensational and reckless. Everybody and their bubbe are condemning Beck today, with the appropriate amount of moral indignation and outrage. Could it be true?! Is Glenn Beck an … (whispers) anti-Semite? Let’s be clear. Glenn Beck is not a journalist. Glenn Beck is not a professor or…

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The Succot “How-Not-To”

By bzalcman September 21, 2010

I found myself feeling immersed in the Holocaust this morning. That’s not as morbid as it sounds- let me explain. The program for which I work is sending a delegation of their students to Poland immediately after Succot. Being as we live in Israel and Israel is a Jewish state, the entire country has vacation…

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The Reading List: Do Israelis need peace? Do they want it?

By Ben Sales September 7, 2010

Direct talks haven’t failed yet and the two sides have even set out a schedule for negotiations, so as our cautious optimism continues to grow, here’s some insight into the importance of peace for Israelis, and some discouraging thoughts on whether they actually care about a final settlement: Hebrew U. Professor Gadi Taub says that…

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The Reading List: 80’s music video parody hits Israel and more…

By Ben Sales August 13, 2010

Thought the barrage of flotilla-themed YouTube videos was over two months ago? Think again. The latest critique of Israel’s lackluster public relations operation comes in the form of “Internet Killed Israeli PR,” a parody of the catchy “Video Killed the Radio Stars” from our beloved 1980s, that focuses on the spin battle following the flotilla raid. We…

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Children are Good for the Jews

By eweiss August 11, 2010

There is a wonderful story about a village whose residents wanted to present their feudal lord with a gift: a full barrel of whiskey.  There would be a grand celebration on the lord’s birthday, when the mayor of the town would present the gift accompanied by choir and song. To spread the cost of the whiskey,…

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Hungarians and the Holocaust

By David A.M. Wilensky June 18, 2010

Crossposted to Jewschool You kill 10 people, you go to Texas, they hit you with a brick, that’s what they do. 20 people, you go to a hospital, they look through a small window at you forever. And over that, we can’t deal with it, you know? Someone’s killed 100,000 people, we’re almost going, “Well…

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Evaluating exceptionalism: unfounded and counterproductive

By Harpo Jaeger May 17, 2010

Let me first thank Evan Krasner for responding to my critique of his original post.  I appreciate his choice to continue the conversation beyond a simple point-counterpoint, and I’ve learned a lot already. Evan clarifies something regarding the debate at his school that I actually didn’t understand, which I’m grateful for. The debate’s original format…

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The Global Citizen: What Makes It Jewish Social Justice?

By feabdelhak May 7, 2010

The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism, and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS. Within Avodah, AJWS, and other realms at…

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No, we cannot be done with Jewish exceptionalism.

By ekrasner April 20, 2010

This post comes in response to Harpo Jaeger’s critique of my Holocaust Remembrance Day post from last week. Harpo accuses me of promoting Jewish exceptionalism. While my post dealt with the importance of remembering the Holocaust and not with Jewish achievement, I believe that Jews should be proud of their exceptionalism and there is no…

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