Madame president

 

Most "orthodox" congregations I know about - Sefardi and Ashkenazi - have one thing in common: women are prohibited from being elected president of the congregation.

I'm "old school" and the idea of a woman as rabbi or hazan is foreign to me.

But knowing women who (very) successfully run their own - or their husband's - business makes me wonder why they are banned from running the business affairs of a synagogue.

No one is suggesting the congregation board tell the rabbi about the Law (although boards do that by retaining or releasing religious leadership); the board is to attend to the business of the congregation, and it truly IS a business. If you look at most congregations, it is the Sisterhood that not only gets things organized, but gets them done as well.

So why CAN'T women hold any and all board positions?

Are we going backwards? (And if so, maybe we should go backwards to Deborah and Beruryah.)

The following were comments on "womens' rights" by the first Hakham Bakshi of modern Israel.

First Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Ben Zion Uziel on Women’s Rights
http://tinyurl.com/2vvpmuv

It is instructive reading this not only to take notice of the clear common sense that radiations from Rav Benzion Uziel’s words as for the grace and dignity and learning with which his ideas are expressed, a grace and dignity all too often shabbily absent in today’s tawdry proceedings where shrill voices dominate and hateful language is the order of the day from all sides. The words of Rav Ben Zion Uziel are a cool tonic in an overheated room and it is noteworthy that the ideas they express have long ago become all but barred from public discourse in the Haredi world as something foreign and alien.

Following is an except of Rabbi Ben Zion Uziel’s complete letter which can be found at http://www.edah.org/backend/coldfusion/journal_images/journal1_2.pdf.

“WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND IN INSTITUTIONS OF PUBLIC AND YISHUV LEADERSHIP”
Rabbi Ben Zion Uziel, 1920

Women’s Right to Vote

This issue became a central controversy in Eretz Yisrael, and the whole Land of Israel rocked with the debate. Posters and warnings, pamphlets and newspaper articles appeared anew every morning, absolutely prohibiting women’s participation in the elections. Some based their argument on “Torah Law,” some on the need to preserve the boundaries of modesty and morals, and others on the wish to ensure the peace of the family home. All leaned upon the saying “The new is prohibited by Torah (hadash asur min ha-torah).”

Regarding the first [heading], we find no clear ground to prohibit this, and it is inconceivable that women should be denied this personal right. For in these elections we elevate leaders upon us and empower our representatives to speak in our name, to organize the matters of our yishuv, and to levy taxes on our property. The women, whether directly or indirectly, accept the authority of these representatives and obey their public and national directives and laws. How then can one simultaneously “pull the rope from both ends”: lay upon them the duty to obey those elected by the people, yet deny them the right to vote in the elections?

If anyone should tell us that women should be excluded from the voting public because “their minds are flighty (da`atan qalot)” (Shabbat 33b and Qiddushin 80b) and they know not how to choose who is worthy of leading the people, we reply: Well, then, let us exclude from the electorate also those men who are “of flighty minds” (and such are never lacking). However, reality confronts us clearly with the fact that, both in the past and in our times, women are equal to men in knowledge and wisdom, dealing in commerce and trade and conducting all personal matters in the best possible way. Has it ever been known that a guardian is appointed to conduct the affairs of an adult woman, against her will?

The meaning of our Rabbis’ statement, “da`atan qalot,” is entirely different. Also, the statement “women have no wisdom except with regard to the spindle” (Yoma 66b), is only flowery wording intended to circumvent a question posed by a woman.

But perhaps this should be prohibited because of licentiousness? But what licentiousness can there be in this, that each person goes to the poll and enters his voting slip? If we start considering such activities as licentious, no creature would be able to survive! Women and men would be prohibited from walking in the street, or from entering a shop together; it would be forbidden to negotiate in commerce with a woman, lest this encourage closeness and lead to licentiousness. Such ideas have never been suggested by anyone.

(Editor’s Note: Today they are commonly suggested)

A great innovation was advanced by Rabbi Dr. Ritter, who advocates denying suffrage to women because they are not qahal or edah, and were not counted in the census of the people of Israel nor subsumed into the genealogical account of the families of Israel. (His article is not before me, and I rely on the report by Rabbi Hirschensohn.)

Well, let us assume that they are neither qahal nor edah, and were counted neither in census nor as “family” or anything. But are they not creatures, created in the Divine Image and endowed with intelligence? And do they not have concerns that the representative assembly, or the committee it will choose, will be dealing with? And will they not be called upon to obey these bodies regarding their property as well as the education of their sons and daughters?

In conclusion: having found not the slightest grounds for this prohibition, I find that no one has the slightest right to oppose or to deny the wishes of part of the public on this matter. Regarding a similar situation, it has been said: “Even if ninety-nine request imposed distribution, and only one demands outright competition, that one should be followed, for his demand is legally right”(Mishnah Pe’ah 4:1). Over and above this, it has been stated: “Women were allowed to lay hands [on their sacrifice] for the sake of giving them a feeling of gratification” (Hagigah 16b), even though such an act appeared to the public as prohibited; how much more so in our case, where there is no aspect of prohibition at all, and where preventing their participation will be for them insulting and deceitful. Most certainly, in this case we should grant them their right.

Logic dictates that in no serious assembly or worthy discus- sion is there licentiousness. Daily, men meet and negotiate with women in commercial transactions, and yet all is peace and quiet. Even those inclined to sexual licentiousness will not contemplate the forbidden while seriously transacting business. Our rabbis did not say “Do not engage in much conversation with a woman” (Avot 1:5) except as regards idle, needless chatter; for that sort of conversation leads to sin, but not so debate over important, communal issues. Meeting in the same enclosed area for the sake of public service—which is tantamount to service of the Divine—does not habituate people to sin or cause levity; for all Jews, men and women alike, are holy, and not suspected of violating conventions of modesty or morality.

(Editor’s note: such an approach would certainly stem the mad tide of paranoia when it comes to constantly suspecting women of immodesty)

Finally, I have seen a newly contrived basis for not giving women the right to participate in elections (even to vote)—namely, out of consideration for the prohibition of flattery, lest a woman insincerely cast her vote for the individual or party that her husband favors. Sefer Malki Ba-Qodesh wrote correctly that such is not flattery but the upright nurturing of love. To which I would add: Would that this would be the case, that every woman would esteem her husband to the extent of suppressing her will on account of his. One might even voice this reason in favor of giving [women] the right to vote, so that a wife might thereby show love and esteem to her husband, and peace thereby abound in the house of Israel.

Conclusions:

1) A woman has an absolute right of participation in elections so that she be bound by the collective obligation to obey the elected officials who govern the nation.

2) A woman may also be elected to public office by the consent and ordinance of the community.

September 11, 2007

"Editor's notes" were included in the original article and are not the bloggers.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

Speak Hebrew

 

Goyim!

I'm always amazed as Jews who use the term "goy" in a derogatory manner.

Don't they read the Torah? Don't they understand simple Hebrew?

G-d promises Avram in Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:2/'בראשית י"ב ב ) that "I will make (of) you a great nation, a "goy gadol" (גוי גדול).

The term always is used in the Torah to mean "nation"; it is inclusive to us and to non-Jews as well. Yes, Rahel, we, too, are "goyim."

There IS a term for non-Jews, and no, it's not "ger" - that word, like many in Hebrew, has been applied to too many related instances (e.g., ger as a temporary resident; ger as a non-Jewish resident, and, followed by "tzdek" as a convert to Judaism). The word is nok-re (נוכרי) which my Megiddo translates as "foreigner, alien."

A follower of Jesus is a nokri, but specifically a notz-re (נוצרי).

When I hear a Jew mutter - or scream - "GOY" at someone who offended the Jew, I know the Jew isn't thinking about the Torah or even Hebrew.

OK, I know the meaning of words can change over time, but for a Jew who is shomer Shabat, knows a smattering of Hebrew sufficient to follow along with the Shaliach Tzbur (hazen/cantor) - assuming the professional Jew speaks clearly as should be demanded by the congregation (after all, the hazen is the congregation's "representative" before HaShem for at least the duration of the service) - then that Jew will read or hear the term used several times a year as it was used when we received the Torah.

That perfectly good word - nokri/nokreah - also pops up in the Torah. Not as often as "goy" or "ger," but it's there none-the-less. It's not something like "transistor" that was transliterated into difficult to decipher Hebrew characters (trust me, I have too much experience with foreign words being transliterated - versus translated - into Hebrew; boggles the mind).

Quick quiz: What is the very first commandment (mitzvah) in the Torah? I'll give you a hint: it is NOT one of The Big 10.

I love English, my native language. It has served me well as a journalist, marketing practitioner, PR flack, and technical writer. I grew up with books and even now sit in front of a black tv, preferring the printed word to some of the tube's insulting fare.

I had to work to learn Hebrew, and I'm still far from being ready to write a paper in that language, but I enjoy what I know and I try to use it correctly.

There are enough ambiguous words in Hebrew without adding more ambiguity by making a specific word - goy = nation - into something it isn't (a singular derogatory).

If a person offends by lack of tarbut (culture) there are words to describe that person. Depending on your command of Hebrew, a person who eats/behaves like a pig could be called a "ha-zeer-ron" which, funny enough, means "piggish" or "pig-like."

A Jew who behaves like a non-believer is an "epikuros." Hardly Hebrew, but a borrowed word with sting. Behaving like a nokri need not necessarily be offensive; some behave very nicely and appropriately.

Of course there always is oy-yev - enemy. We have more than enough of them - both within our ranks and without.

In English there is a difference between a shovel and a spade. If you need a spade, a shovel probably won't do the job. Same with Hebrew. If you mean goy, as in "goy gadol" (great nation), then goy is the word you want. But if you mean someone who is not Jewish or someone who behaves badly or someone who hates us (and is our enemy), we have words for them.

Call me a "goy" when I accidently cut you off in line and I'm liable to take out my wallet and bore you with pictures of the folks in my "nation."

Let's see - here's the wife when we first met, here's my #1 son at the brit, here he is at 10 months, here he is ....

"Jerk" or "te-pesh" or even "timbel" might be OK, but "goy" really is not the word you want for me.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

Comments welcome in Hebrew and English only; all others are deleted.

ADL and Jewish defense

 

The Anti-Defamation League, ADL, is a great organization for talking about anti-Jewish organizations.

It talks, and writes, about groups such as the Insani Yardim Vakfi (Humanitarian Relief Fund in Turkish, or IHH), an Istanbul-based Islamic charity with links to Hamas, one of the key organizers of the "Freedom Flotilla," a convoy of ships en route to Gaza that were intercepted by the Israeli Navy on May 31, 2010.

It puts the IHH into the same category as The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a secessionist group in Sri Lanka that seeks to create an independent Tamil state in the island’s north and east. The LTTE, which pioneered the use of suicide bombings, has conducted deadly terrorist attacks in a conflict that has taken the lives of nearly 70,000 people.

The ADL reports that American Muslim ideologues living abroad are using their online pulpits to reach and influence audiences in the U.S. with ideologies of extreme intolerance and violence. Through English-language propaganda distributed on a variety of online platforms, these ideologues have not only encouraged attacks in the U.S., but also recruited followers to join terrorist groups overseas.

All of the above is linked from http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/default.htm.

Unlike the JDL - Jewish Defense League http://www.jdl.org/ - the ADL rarely DOES anything other than talk and publish.

What's interesting is that on the ADL's International Terrorist Symbols Database page (http://www.adl.org/terrorism/symbols/default.asp) visitors find the JDL's symbol listed as a terrorist group . . . right along with Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The JDL symbol is shown on the ADL's page as the symbol for the "Kahane Movement" named for the late American Zionist rabbi Meir Kahane who, unlike many of his peers, felt the best way to deal with terrorists was to give them measure for measure.

Rabbi Kahane understood that the only way to deal with an enemy - any enemy - is to deal with it on the enemy's terms; in ways the enemy understands.

Europeans and Euro-Americans fail to understand this.

It's not just a Moslem "thing." It is a mind set shared by others. The French should have learned the lesson when they were chased out of Vietnam; certainly the American should have learned the lesson from the French, but they, too, had to learn "the hard way."

Apparently fighting the Japanese during World War II was insufficient to teach the lesson that not everyone makes war according to European rules of "civilized" warfare.

It was a lesson Americans apparently forgot; had the revolutionaries fought the British according to the European rules, the Several States still would be a British colony.

That's not to say that all Brits are like-minded; there was a fellow named Ord Wingate. Wingate was a British officer who, unlike most Brits of his time, was pro-Israel and who, again unlike most of his fellow Brits, understood the Arab mentality. There's a little Wikipedia piece on him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orde_Wingate#Palestine_and_the_Special_Night_Squads .

My father-in-law, A"H, was Moroccan. He moved to Israel and lived in a small, albeit very historic, town - Bet Shean - and regularly dealt with the area Arab population. He understood the Arab mentality and both he and the Arabs with whom he dealt had a mutual respect.

Most of his neighbors were from North Africa and shared his mentality, and for the most part Bet Shean, although on the border with Jordan, rarely had to deal with terrorists. Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the other hand, heavily populated with Europeans, seemed often to be terrorist targets.

Years ago, here in the States, we had some "junior terrorists" - middle school boys who apparently learned anti-Jewish acts from their parents - who thought we would be easy targets for their words and deeds. They were not Arabs.

Then, as now, my initial instinct was to contact not the ADL but the JDL, especially after the local sheriff's department did nothing. To its credit, the local police department - with encouragement from my mostly-veterans-of-WW2 neighbors - DID something and the boys - and their parents - got the message to cease and desist.

The ADL has some value as an organization that publicizes anti-Jewish incidents and organizations, but to lump the Jewish Defense League into the same category as Hamas is beyond my understanding.

It's a shame we need the JDL, but we do. It's a shame the JDL has to do what it does, but it must. Turning the other cheek is not a "Jewish thing" and it's time the Europeans and Euro-Americans realized that shaking a political finger and saying "Bad Terrorist, don't do that again" only encourages more outrageous acts against not only Jews and Israel, but all people who are not "one of them."

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

It's curious

 

I'm reading a book my #1 son gifted me for Father's Day. It's titled "Walking the Bible"; the author is Bruce Feiler, a Jewish guy who wanted to trace our history from Abraham.

It's a fascinating read.

But one thing disturbs me.

Not just in Mr. Feiler's work but in other Jewish writers' efforts as well.

He frequently makes reference to "Jesus Christ."

There is some historical evidence that a personality named the Hebrew equivalent of "Jesus" existed, but my problem is "... Christ."

Christ is Greek for messiah, and as every Jew - and Moslem - knows, Jesus hardly proved to be the messiah. The whole idea of a messiah who would save us from punishment in the hereafter is foreign to the earliest Jewish messianic concept.

Why isn't Jesus called "Jesus THE Christ" - it would seem that his family name (a novelty introduced by Napoleon Bonaparte) is "Christ."

I'm no authority on the addenda to the Bible added by Jesus' followers, so I won't offer with any certainty that Jesus ever claimed to be more than just another Jew.

I DO know that another Jew, Paul - nee' Saul - promoted Jesus into a deity; Saul became the world's greatest PR person.

Quick, totally unrelated and irrelevant question: If Saul/Paul can create a worldwide religion around a man, why can't modern Israel create some decent PR in the face of Islamic attacks? We're consistently too little, too late.

Mr. Feiler of course is hardly the only Jew to fall into the trap of laziness or herd mentality that automatically appends "christ" to Jesus. Far too many Jewish scriveners do it without thinking - both about what it means religiously and what it means in so far as Paul's followers have done to Jews over the centuries.

I suppose I could say I'm on a "crusade" to make Jewish authors aware of this literary faux pas, but "crusade" is another word that needs to be banished from a Jewish writer's vocabulary except as reference to one more historical event that cost Jewish lives.

I might find "Jesus the Christian's Christ" less offensive coming from a Jewish writer. (I don't object to one of Jesus' followers writing "Jesus Christ" albeit even for them grammatically it should be "Jesus THE christ.")

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com
COMMENTS ARE WELCOME but MUST be in Hebrew or English

A picture's worth . . .

 

Sometimes a picture - or in this case, four panels - tells the story better than even my prose.

COMMENTS always are welcome but must be in English or עברית.

Insurance at Work:File a claim; Get cancelled

 

The following from Advisen FPN, according to A.M. Best Company, Inc.,

Amendments Clear Passage of Louisiana Tainted Drywall Bill

The Louisiana House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill aimed at protecting homeowners affected by a rash of defective drywall after the inclusion of amendments that made the legislation palatable to insurers.

The bill would still bar insurers from canceling or not renewing a policy for a homeowner who filed a claim based on the presence of the tainted drywall, much of it manufactured in China. However, under the changes adopted by the House in a 95-0 vote, S.B. 595 would no longer bar insurers from increasing the premiums on those policies. Companies would also be permitted to end a policy if factors other than the drywall are also present, said Greg LaCost, assistant vice president of state government affairs for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

"If you have Chinese drywall and you also have holes in your roof and the foundation is collapsing, you can nonrenew or cancel for that," he said.

The amendments cut the fine for a violation to $15,000 and specified that the bill will only apply to residential properties. Insurers are also pleased by a provision that would sunset the legislation on July 1, 2013.

"The amendments are good," LaCost said. He described the Senate-passed version of the bill as "undoable." The House version must be adopted in the Senate or the two must be reconciled in conference.

Attempts to reach the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Julie Quinn, R-Metairie, for comment were unsuccessful.

Last year, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said the state's insurers will not be able to cancel policies related to tainted drywall manufactured overseas if the policyholder has been with the insurer for more than three years. He also said companies will also not be allowed to raise premiums for customers who report the drywall, which is said to emit elevated levels of sulfur and strontium. Property owners have found the drywall causes metal corrosion in copper pipe, heating and air conditioning units, electrical wiring and health effects (BestWire, April 29, 2010).

The state's last resort insurer, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., now provides what Donelon has called a "bare bones" policy to meet the requirements of lenders when a homeowner needs to vacate a house. LaCost called this an example of the industry handling the problem without new laws.

The top writers of homeowners multiperil in Louisiana in 2009, based on direct premiums written, were State Farm Group, with a 28.0% market share; Allstate Insurance Group, with 14.1%; Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., with 6.4%; Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos., with 6.2%; and Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., with 5.7%, according to BestLink, which provides online access to A.M. Best's Global Insurance & Banking Database.

(By Sean P. Carr, Washington Correspondent: sean.carr@ambest.com)

(c) 2010 A.M. Best Company, Inc

Thoughts for Parashat Korah

Angel for Shabbat

Divine Justice, Human Responsibility: Thoughts for Parashat Korah, June 12, 2010

By Rabbi Marc D. Angel

The Talmud posits an important principle: the Heavenly court deals with us by the exact same standards that we use to deal with others (Sotah 8b). If we are kind and compassionate, we can expect to be judged by God with kindness and compassion. If we are cruel and unfairly critical of others, we can expect the Heavenly court to deal with us with the same qualities we have shown to others.

"Midah keNeged Midah"--being judged measure for measure--can be applied to this week's Torah portion. Korah and a group of rebels sought to undermine the leadership of Moses, and to put themselves in power at the top of Israel's hierarchy. As punishment for their arrogance and demagoguery, the rebels were miraculously swallowed by the earth. Instead of being at the top of the people, they were lowered to the deepest depths below the people.

The lesson is: we ultimately are responsible for our own judgment by God. The standards we use to judge others are the same standards that will be used by the Heavenly court to judge us.

Sometimes, people think they can advance themselves politically or economically by engaging in immoral behavior. They may seem to "prosper" in this world. But, in fact, they are condemning themselves to stand before God with blood and ill-gotten gains on their hands. They do not understand that their immorality will come back to haunt them.

During the past week, we have seen and heard abuse, malice and violence perpetrated against the State of Israel and against the Jewish People. Various world "leaders" and media figures have maligned Israel in the grossest, most malicious ways. Other world "leaders" and media figures have remained silent, or tepid in their support of Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism. Demagogues have fomented anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred; the UN has played its traditional role as the world's foremost agency for promoting anti-Semitism; delegates of Asian nations have voted to condemn Israel. Few, if any, even ask to hear Israel's side of the story. They aren't interested in hearing Israel's side: they are interested in harming the Jewish State in every possible way. The active and vocal anti-Israel, anti-Semitic forces are a curse on the world and a curse on themselves. Those who stand by quietly are accomplices in the crime.

We cannot expect miracles these days, such as the one that occurred to the rebels against Moses. The earth will not likely open up and swallow the villains of our generation.

We can remind the world, though, that there is a God, that there is ultimate justice, that evil does not and cannot prevail. We can remind the world that those who demonstrate injustice, cruelty, and moral depravity in their attacks on Israel--they will be judged by the Heavenly court with these very same standards. People who are infected with hatred and treachery, live ugly and distorted lives. They destroy the "image of God" within themselves, and cause suffering to all humanity. And they will ultimately stand in judgment before God, and be judged as they have judged others.

Although we fully believe in the ultimate justice of the Heavenly court, this doesn't solve our problems here on earth. Even if all the evil people will face a horrible fate when they stand before the Divine court, in the meanwhile they are doing a lot of damage to us here and now.

What is our response to this wave of hatred, hypocrisy, and violence against Israel and the Jewish People? Here are some suggestions.

First, we need to pray, to turn to the Almighty for strength and guidance, to draw on our spiritual resources. We need to come together as a community in our synagogues.

We also need to be alert to the dangers, to be articulate spokespeople for the House of Israel, to let our elected officials know that we want loud and clear support of Israel, and loud and clear condemnation of those who threaten the very existence of Israel.

We need to let Israel know that we genuinely care, and that our fate is inextricably bound with the destiny of Israel. We need to travel to Israel, to invest in Israeli companies, to buy Israel bonds, to contribute to UJA and to educational institutions in Israel, to human services agencies in Israel. We need to buy Israeli products. We need to support those agencies that fight on behalf of Israel and on behalf of the Jewish People.

The world is filled with many hateful and cruel voices. It is filled with many who prefer to stay "neutral". Let the Almighty deal with these people according to the standards by which they themselves act.

We need to do our best to demand justice and righteousness, to promote love and harmony among humanity, to fight against the forces of evil that threaten to undermine human civilization.

We need to remind ourselves that the Heavenly court will deal with us by the same standards with which we deal with others. Let those standards be the standards of honesty and goodness, fairness and compassion, integrity and strength of character. May God who brings peace in the heavenly spheres bring peace to us, to all Israel, and to all good people everywhere.

***Please share the Angel for Shabbat column with family and friends. Please visit our website for many articles of interest, and to view the Institute's Scroll of Honor http://www.jewishideas.org/scrollofhonor

*** The Angel for Shabbat column is presented as a service of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. Please visit our website jewishideas.org for a wide array of articles of special interest to those who wish to foster an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism.

Israeli PR

 

It's an amazing thing.

Israel is a country with some great PR flacks. Beyond those "in-country," it has thousands of practitioners available to tell its story to the world.

Yet it insists on living in the past, when it was little David to the Arab's Goliath.

Its military successes - thank G-d for them - have turned the tables and the world now sees poor Hamas and Aza as David and Israel as the - not just Goliath but the "nazi" Goliath, the apartheid Goliath.

The most recent blunder was the "Flotilla incident."

Israel has every right to defend itself.

Hamas has a well-known record of importing, or trying to import, weapons into Aza.

The ships bound for Aza carried people who advertized the fact that they wanted confrontation with the IDF.

The stage was set for an incident.

There is an old and very valid expression: The best defense is a good offense. In military terms, a "pre-emptive strike."

Israel has done several successful pre-emptive strikes and several that - while their tactical objectives may have been met - their strategic benefits were lost due to "public opinion."

The Flotilla Incident was one of the latter (unless you look at Fox.Com where the pro-Israel lobby sounds off).

Israel's "Ministry of Public Diplomacy & Diaspora" sent out a blurb the other day that fell woefully short and, to my mind at least, embarrassed Israel. For much of the two-page effort the flack was talking about the so called West Bank, forgetting that the issue was Aza.

No mention was made of Egypt's blockade of Aza.

Back to "best defense." Israel knew and the flotilla organizers knew that there would be a confrontation.

Israel knows - or should know - that the world's press generally is anti-Israel.

What could Israel have done to turn defense into offense - and we're talking "PR offense" in this case?

Load a helicopter with "news" photographers from the major Israel bashers: BBC and CNN. Add a Fox film crew for "the other side." Have "reporters" aboard the IDF intercept vessel so they can't deny that Israel ordered the flotilla to halt or head to an Israeli port. Move the press chopper near, but not over, the ship before the IDF team arrives over the boat and starts its exercise. Make sure there's a good camera angle for the media.

Hamas manages the press much better than Israel. It took a court action to force the world to realize that a Hamas "dead child" film was faked, a court action NOT prompted by Israel or Israelis who sat on their collective hands and accepted the canard.

Times have changed.

Israel no longer has the world's sympathies. Hamas, the PLO, and other organizations intent on wiping Israel off the face of the earth (as a prelude to a world-wide attack on all non-Moslems?) now have the world's misplaced sympathy.

Israel builds a fence to keep out terrorists, the world chastises Israel, not the terrorists. The US builds a wall and stations armed Guardsmen along its border with Mexico to keep out non-violent peons looking for work here (OK, to be fair, to also prevent some on-the-ground drug trafficking) and the world yawns.

The world has a double standard. Israel must know this, but it apparently doesn't care about its image; certainly not enough to engage PR people who know how to manage PR.

This battle for survival is as much about image as it is about guns and bullets. Israel currently is losing, and losing badly.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

A Test of Leadership

 

As some readers may know, I am an Enterprise Risk Management practitioner; I manage (or help others manage) risks to their organizations.

One of the risks organizations face is managers unable to cope with the conditions during, and immediately following, a disaster event. When the world seems to be crumbing around them, what do they do.

R. Angel's column for Shabat Shelah Lekha (שלח-לך) shows us the difference between the "normal operations" leadership of Moses and Aaron and the crisis management skills of Caleb and Joshua.

Moses and Aaron were wise enough to accept the temporary leadership of Caleb and Joshua. Hopefully other normal operations leaders unable to come to grips with a crisis will as agreeably hand over the reins, even to their juniors.

Angel for Shabbat

A Test of Leadership: Thoughts on Parashat Shelah Lekha, June 5, 2010

 

By Rabbi Marc D. Angel

When ten of the spies reported that the Promised Land was inhabited by undefeatable giants and fortified cities, the people of Israel immediately lost heart. Panic swept the community. They cried all night. They complained that they would rather have died in Egypt. They even thought of appointing a new leader to take them back to servitude in Egypt. To them, that seemed preferable to entering Canaan only to be murdered by the powerful Canaanite nations.

The Torah reports the reactions of two sets of leaders to the discontent of the Israelites. "Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel." Some commentators understand this to mean that Moses and Aaron bowed themselves in prayer. Yet, the text might better be explained: Moses and Aaron were simply overwhelmed by the peoples' dissatisfaction. They could not find the words with which to address the people; they fell down in despair. The situation had deteriorated so badly--it all seemed hopeless. The response of Moses and Aaron was--falling down on their faces!

The Torah then reports on the reaction of Joshua and Caleb. They tore their clothing in grief, demonstrating their emotional repudiation of the Israelites' state of panic. Then they spoke to the people in strong words: the Promised Land is exceedingly good. God has the power to give us the land. Don't rebel against God. "Do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not." The people were ready to stone Joshua and Caleb to death; they did not want to hear these words from them. But Joshua and Caleb had risked standing before the angry mob, endangering their lives by trying to lead the people in a constructive direction.

How does the Torah evaluate the reactions of these two pairs of leaders-- Moses and Aaron on the one hand, and Joshua and Caleb on the other?

Toward the end of his life, Moses recounts the episode of the spies and the rebelliousness of the Israelite nation at that time. God condemned the people to remain in the wilderness for 40 years, until all the men of that generation (aged 20 and above) died out. The faithless complainers would not enter the land--this event would need to be postponed until a new generation arose. Moses notes: "Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, You also shall not go in there [to the Promised Land]" (Devarim 1:37).

Moses himself believed that he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land due to the peoples' panic and faithlessness. This, then, is the key to understanding why God prevented Moses and Aaron from leading the people into their new land. In the face of massive crisis, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces! They no longer had the ability to lead; they could not find the right words or actions to meet the extraordinary challenge of the moment. Because the people had gotten out of control, and because Moses and Aaron did not know how to cope with the discontent--God determined that Moses and Aaron were no longer the right leaders for Israel, and were not the ones who would bring the people into the Promised Land.

Joshua and Caleb, by contrast, tore their garments in mourning and then stood before the angry crowd--offering words of encouragement, faithfulness, and confidence. They risked their lives in the hope of stopping the panic, and redirecting the people to a better vision for the future. In the eyes of God, Joshua and Caleb had proven themselves worthy to become the new leaders of Israel and to bring the coming generation into the Promised Land. While Moses and Aaron were falling on their faces, Joshua and Caleb were standing tall before the nation and offering powerful words of encouragement and faith.

We all face moments of great crisis during the course of a lifetime. These can be crises of a private or public nature. The tendency of many is to become exasperated, to "fall on their faces", to become confused and overwhelmed. Yet, we need to remind ourselves not to collapse under pressure. In times of stress and duress, we need to find the appropriate words and actions that will direct us and others to a better future. If we can keep our idealistic vision clearly in focus, we can overcome temporary setbacks and losses of confidence. If we are to enter the "promised lands" of the future, we will need all the faith, strength and confidence that we can muster.

The Angel for Shabbat column is presented as a service of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. You are encouraged to share the Angel for Shabbat column with family and friends. Please visit http://www.jewishideas.org for many items of interest to all who wish to foster an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism.

Comments are welcome but must be in Hebrew or English

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

News Alert: Background On Flotilla Incident

 

Two sides to every coin
(Or "What you won't hear on the tv news)

 

QUICK QUESTION: Why would Israel want to blockade Aza's ports? Why would it try to force Aza-bound ships to dock in Ashdod to unload cargo to be forwarded to Aza via truck?

QUICK ANSWER: To make certain the "innocent" cargo is indeed humanitarian and not missles and guns and bullets and other material that can be used to kill Israelis - Jews, Moslems, and others.

How dare those Israelis refuse to allow weapons into the hands of people who would murder them !

 

(Added 2 June 2010) While the flotilla's side is on every tv, Fox News managed to show the Israeli point of view at http://tinyurl.com/33entqm.

 

From Jewish Federations of North America

 

As many of you may be aware, a major confrontation took place off Israel's coast earlier today (Monday, May 31, 2010). We wanted to bring you the most up-to-date information from JFNA's Israel office, for your background. We have summarized the major points below. This is followed by additional facts and links to other important materials on this incident.

• Early this morning (May 31), Israel Defense Forces naval forces intercepted six ships attempting to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

• The intercept took place after numerous warnings from Israel and the Israel Navy that were issued prior to the action. The Israel Navy requested the ships to redirect toward Ashdod , where they would be able to unload their cargo which would then be transferred to Gaza over land after undergoing security inspections. The IDF stressed that the passengers could then return to their point of departure on the same vessels.

• During the interception of the ships, the demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF naval personnel with live gunfire as well as light weaponry including knives, crowbars and clubs. The demonstrators had clearly prepared weapons in advance for this specific purpose.

• According to reports from sea, on board the flotilla that was seeking to break the maritime closure on the Gaza Strip, IDF forces apprehended two violent activists holding pistols. These militants apparently grabbed the pistols from IDF forces and opened fire on the soldiers.

• The activists were carrying 10,000 tons of reported aid to Gaza. Israel provides 15,000 tons of aid weekly to Gaza.

• As a result of this life-threatening activity, naval forces employed riot dispersal means, including, when they determined that their lives were in immediate danger, live fire. According to initial reports, these events resulted in a reported nine deaths among the demonstrators and numerous injured.

• A number of Israeli naval personnel were injured, some from gunfire and others from knives and crowbars. Two of the soldiers are seriously wounded and the remainder sustained light injuries.

• All of the injured, Israelis and foreigners, are currently being evacuated by a fleet of IDF helicopters to hospitals in Israel.

• Reports from IDF forces on the scene are that some of the participants onboard the ships had planned a lynch-mob attack, using lethal force on the boarding forces.

• The events are still unfolding. Israeli Naval commander, Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom is overseeing the activities.

• In the coming hours, the ships will be directed to the Ashdod port, while IDF naval forces will perform security checks in order to identify the people on board the ships and their equipment.

• The IDF naval operation was carried out under orders from the political leadership to halt the flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip and breaching the naval blockade.

Other important facts:

• The provocateurs were organized by an Islamist organization that has links to fundamentalist jihadi groups.

• The extremists brought small children on board knowing that they intended to violate international maritime law.

• The activists were carrying 10,000 tons of what they said was aid. Israel transfers about 15,000 tons of supplies and humanitarian aid every week to the people of Gaza.

• "We fully intend to go to Gaza regardless of any intimidation or threats of violence against us, they are going to have to forcefully stop us," said one of the flotilla’s organizers.

• Using the Arabic term ‘intifada,’ Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said "We call on all Arabs and Muslims to rise up in front of Zionist embassies across the whole world.

• Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said this week: "If the ships reach Gaza it is a victory; if they are intercepted, it will be a victory too.

• Israel left Gaza in hopes of peace in 2005 and in return received more than 10,000 rockets and terrorist attacks.

• Israel has said that it will deliver any humanitarian aid to Gaza, as it does daily.

• No country would allow illegal entry of any vessel into their waters without a security check.

• Earlier this week, Noam Shalit, father of Hamas-held Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, approached the flotilla's organizers asking them to take supplies to Gilad. He was refused .

Here are additional resources for further background on this issue:

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon's press conference on the flotilla incident:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137785

Israel Goes on High Alert in the Wake of Flotilla Incident:
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=28979

IDF Met with Pre-Planned Violence When Boarding Ship:
http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/05/3101.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU12KW-XyZE&playnext_from=TL&videos=KoyKrtEKHmY&feature=sub
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s Statement: Activists Had Weapons:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3896588,00.html

Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement about the humanitarian situation in Gaza:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wlWcNXzstI

MFA legal expert Sarah Weiss Maudi explains why the flotilla was not allowed to dock at Gaza:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2W457Ot6qw&feature=channel

Legal Backgrounder on maritime law and other related issues, from MFA:
http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=221580

A fascinating Al-Jazeera report on the flotilla before they left that offers insight into who was on board. One says: "We are now waiting for one of two good things -- either to achieve martyrdom or to reach Gaza:"
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2489.htm

Video of a "peace activist" stabbing an Israeli soldier as he boards the boat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buzOWKxN2co

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Expresses Full Backing for the IDF:

Prime Minister Netanyahu today spoke by telephone with the relevant security ministers and officials, and was updated on the action and subsequent developments. In his discussions with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, Minister Moshe Yaalon, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi and ISA Director Yuval Diskin, the Prime Minister issued security, diplomatic and information directives, reiterated his full backing for the IDF and inquired about the well-being of the wounded.

The National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau (NSCCTB) has released the following statement:

"In response to the events surrounding the protest flotilla, there are growing protests by the government and public in Turkey. At this stage, relatively quiet demonstrations are taking place around the Israeli Consulate General in Istanbul and the Israeli Embassy in Ankara. This delicate state of affairs is liable to deteriorate into violent outbreaks against Israelis in Turkey.

The NSCCTB's recommendations are as follows:

• Israelis due to leave for Turkey should – at this stage – refrain from travelling until the situation becomes clear.

• Israelis currently in Turkey should remain in their places of residence, avoid city centers and sites in which demonstrations are being held, and monitor developments out of concern that the situation could worsen.