Ben Sales

JFNA, JCPA partner in national anti-BDS campaign

By Ben Sales October 26, 2010

The Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs are teaming up to launch a national campaign against efforts advocating boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel, according to an article by the JTA: The JFNA and the rest of the Jewish federation system have agreed to invest $6 million over the…

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The Reading List: Party like it’s… 1914?

By Ben Sales October 26, 2010

Some things never change… According to the New York Times archive, frats have been hosting loud and obnoxious parties since before World War I. [EV Grieve] Are you scared of gentile baby-sitters? Fear not! Your troubles are over. [Heeb] Here’s an entertaining list of American Jewish communities–with comments and reflections–where one man has spent Shabbat. Find…

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The Reading List: Michigan State Goes Kosher

By Ben Sales October 25, 2010

There’s a large Middle Eastern population in Michigan, but there’s never been a kosher Middle Eastern restaurant &#8212 until now. Woody’s Oasis, an eatery near Michigan State University, is getting the hekhsher, according to an email from Kosher Michigan. In other campus news, the Israeli team wins the debate over whether Israel is a “rogue…

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The Reading List: The beginning of the end for Netanyahu’s government?

By Ben Sales October 22, 2010

The coalition can’t hold, says Reven Rivlin and other Israeli political figures. The new question: how long until the next elections? [+972] Meanwhile, as that coalition refuses to renew the settlement freeze, Jewish building accelerates in the West Bank. [NYT] And on the peacenik side, Roger Cohen lists ten keys to the peace process that…

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Does Max Blumenthal know who he’s talking to?

By Ben Sales October 21, 2010

Anyone who wants to make an intelligent contribution to the discourse on the proposed Israeli loyalty oath should know that drunk 18-year old Americans are not a representative sample of Israeli or Jewish society. Jenny Merkin knows that. I’m pretty sure Brandon Springer knows that too. I’m not sure that Max Blumenthal knows that. In…

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The Reading List: Gilad Shalit for Marwan Barghouti?

By Ben Sales October 21, 2010

The rumors may be true: The iconic Israeli and Palestinian prisoners may be exchanged for each other. [Forward- JJ Goldberg] Bill Clinton wants Shalit free — and so does the American Task Force on Palestine. [JTA] Back in America, Jews love immigrants, right? Not so fast. [JW] Apparently Harvard is back to rejecting Jews… kind…

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The Reading List: Pigskin, but No Pigs

By Ben Sales October 20, 2010

Every Jewish high school that I’ve heard of has a basketball team, but only a few have football teams. Friday night lights? Think again. [JTA] Here’s a novel approach to fighting illegal prostitution: what would happen if the women were sold in a storefront? A mall in Tel Aviv tries it out. [JPost] As Israel…

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The Reading List: German Jews OK With Hitler pics

By Ben Sales October 19, 2010

The headline says it all: “Council of Jews welcomes Hitler exhibition” [Deutsche Welle] Speaking of anti-Semites, the Riverdale bombers are going to prison. [CNN] Speaking of New York Jews, here’s what GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino taught us about the ultra-Orthodox and elections. [Yeshiva World News] What’s driving the Palestinian economy? The kippah industry. [BBC] Should the…

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The Reading List: The Jewish Standard tries again

By Ben Sales October 18, 2010

After the exposing of the Orthodox rabbi who asked the New Jersey Jewish Standard not to print any more same-sex wedding announcements, the paper is trying again to take the pulse of community religious leaders on the issue. [North Jersey] Meanwhile, biased fearmongering reigns at Boston University. [Jewish Exponent] Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef says that goyim…

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The Reading List: ADL double whammy

By Ben Sales October 15, 2010

Our fear-mongering friends at the Anti-Defamation League gave us two unfortunate treats yesterday. First, they gave an award and a platform to Rupert Murdoch, the man who is trying to transform the world of honest journalism into a world of demagoguery, pandering, sensationalism, fluff and–sometimes–lies. [ADL] Then they came out with a list of the…

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A bad comparison

By Ben Sales October 14, 2010

As I said in the post I wrote about a half-hour ago, I support the right of American Jews to critique and comment on events in Israel. I do not, however, support exaggerated, disrespectful and trivializing statements like this one, which appeared in a recent column by Julie Weiner in the Jewish Week: With the…

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When the Middle Line Falls

By Ben Sales October 14, 2010

I plan to move to Israel sometime during the next two years because I’m tired of doing what I’m about to do: criticize Israeli policy while sitting in America. I support the right of every Jew to critique and analyze the actions of the Jewish state–regardless of where they live, but I feel the need…

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The Reading List: That hard, hard kosher salami

By Ben Sales October 14, 2010

This has been all over the internet during the past twelve or so hours, but here’s the priceless quote from Haredi Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who ended his support of New York Republican nut case/candidate for governor Carl Paladino after Paladino apologized for his homophobic remarks: “I was in the middle of eating a kosher pastrami…

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The Reading List: Wise words on the Jewish Standard controversy

By Ben Sales October 13, 2010

It seems the debate over same-sex wedding announcements in the Jewish press will go on, but Gary Rosenblatt offers some wise final words on the Jewish Standard issue in his weekly column. [JW] Some cool Jewish philanthropy: a wealthy Jeiwsh Chilean is donating money to help the rescued miners. [JTA] Thought the “rabba” controversy was…

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The Reading List: Jewish political fun!

By Ben Sales October 12, 2010

As Republicans prepare to paint the town red on Election Day in a few weeks, Jewblogs gear up to cover the Hebrew side of the races. JTA’s political blog, Capital J, introduces a feature called “Political Points,” with relevant Jewish tidbits about the elections. [JTA Capital J] While Tablet has an amusing rundown of the…

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