JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Finding religion at Bear Stearns

By Ami Eden · May 30, 2008

Here's an e-mail going around, supposedly from the vice president of Bear Stearns and gabbai of the company's mincha minyan. Still trying to get my head around whether the e-mail is moving or maddening:

Friday, May 30

To the Bear Stearns Minyan, one last time:

After two great years at the Bear, and having been observant for about the same amount of time, I have chosen to exit galus and the world of gashmius (at least temporarily) in order to immerse myself in the ruchnius that I hope to find at Ohr Somayach in eretz Yisroel. I had been planning to go learn at some point, and despite having had a potential opportunity to go over to JPMorgan, the events that took place in mid-March made my decision that much clearer. Not only has Hashem provided me with the ability to go learn but he has blessed me with a "scholarship" care of JPM.

The Bear mincha minyan was really my first regular minyan and it provided me with much inspiration. The whole concept was foreign to me. The idea that a few dozen men at a major financial institution would take time out of their busy schedules and express their gratitude to Hashem, in a conference room within the building no less, was a big motivator for me. Moreover, nobody was talking, rarely were there any cell phone interruptions, and some were even able to achieve serious kavanagh. Thank you to everyone who davened for inspiring me with your tefillah.

While I sympathize with those who lost money and jobs, we know that everything happens for a reason and it will all work out for the best. That being said, the collapse of BSC provided a great deal of mussar to all who wish to see it. There are some employees who gave their heart and soul to the company for many years, and some lost thousands or even millions of dollars (Jimmy literally lost a billion!) – they learned the hard way that money is fleeting. Still there are others who were with the company for only a few months who will receive a nice severance package and have already accepted offers elsewhere at higher salaries. There are those, who because of the extraordinary amount of time that they spent at the office, missed out on many milestones (birthdays, weddings, etc.), and lost it all. And there are those who were just in the right place at the right time. And of course there are stories of everything in between. There are no accidents. Hashem is in charge of the world. Sometimes when we are in certain situations it is difficult to have a clear perspective. In the business world it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day and to lose sight of what really matters This experience has truly served to clarify for me the idea that the only "things" that are timeless are the mitzvahs that we do and the tzedakah that we give in olam hazeh. Bear Stearns will soon be a distant memory but hopefully this lesson will remain with us.

There is a famous story of an extraordinarily wealthy man who wrote two wills. When he passed away his children were instructed to immediately open will #1 and then 30 days later to open will #2. Will #1 indicated that the man's last wish was to be buried in his favorite pair of socks. The chevra kadisha informed the children that this would not be possible. The children pleaded, informing them that their father was a very powerful man who had given a substantial amount of tzedakah throughout his life. They asked, "Do you know who our father is?" Still, the chevra kadisha told the children that it was not halachically permissible. They informed the children that the dead could only be buried in a white kittel. The children sadly buried their father unable to fulfill his final request. After 30 days had passed will #2 was read to the children. "By now children, you have buried me without my socks. I want you to realize that no matter how many millions of dollars you accumulate in your lifetime, you cannot even take your socks with you to the next world."

There was once a man traveling through Europe in the 1800's. He came to the town where the Chofetz Chaim had lived. The traveler stopped in to meet the great Talmid Chuchum. When he arrived at the house, he saw that the Chofetz Chaim lived in a tiny home. He knocked on the door and when he looked inside he saw a nearly empty one-bedroom apartment. The traveler asked the Chofetz Chaim, "aren't you the great Chofetz Chaim? How can you live like this? Where are all of your possessions?" The Chofetz Chaim turned to the traveler and posed the same question. "Where are all of your possessions? All you have with you is a suitcase." The traveler answered, "Well, I am just passing through," to which the Chofetz Chaim responded, "I too am just passing through."

These are old stories but their messages are powerful. It is of course important to make a living and support a family but it is also important to learn Torah b'yom u b'layla, to treat others with respect, to be a Kiddush Hashem and to always act l'shaem shemayim. As I have been inspired by everyone at the minyan, and certainly affected by the events that have transpired at Bear, I hope that you are all inspired by the messages that Hashem sends us on a daily basis and that you continue to strive to achieve a true closeness to the Rabbeinu shel Olam.

Nachum and I had a brief conversation with our CEO, Alan Schwartz, in the elevator on the way to Mincha yesterday. We invited him to daven with us though we conveyed our feelings that maybe our prayers for the well-being of Bear Stearns had not been received in the way that a lot of people had hoped. He had a meeting to attend but he left us with some great mussar. He said something along the lines of 'don't worry fellas – your prayers are being answered – we just don't know how.' Now I don't know if he has been meeting with a Rabbi over the past few months or if it was just the power of the pintele Yid but I thought it was a great attitude reflecting on what has no doubt been the most tragic part of his career. Hashem sends us messages all the time and from the most unexpected places.

A big hakores hatov to Andy on behalf of the entire minyan for all his hard work and for being our shaliach mitzvah. By the way, if you have noticed that Andy hasn't been around as much lately it is because he has been spending his mornings learning in Yeshiva. Yafeh!

If you find yourself in ir HaKodesh and are in need of someone to send out minyan e-mails (this time for a fee of course), or if you just want to take a yeshiva bucher for a decent meal, please contact me ... Hatzlacha vBracha!

9 Comments | Share This | Religion |

Memo to the next president

By Uriel Heilman · May 30, 2008

In his memo-to-the-next-president column in Friday's New York Times, David Brooks offers candidates Barack Obama and John McCain some advice about how to deal with Iran. Because it's unrealistic to expect that the White House has the power to neutralize the Iranian threat, Brooks writes, all the next president really can do is contain and wait for the radical regime in Tehran to fall:

Your job is to restrain Iran's momentum until the fundamental correlation of forces can shift. For amid all the doleful news, there is a hopeful tide. Opinion is turning slowly against extremism. The über-analyst Dennis Ross says that he has noted it among the Palestinians. Michael Young writes that opinion is shifting against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Peter Bergen, Paul Cruickshank and Lawrence Wright have in their different ways written about the intellectual crisis afflicting Al Qaeda. It may not happen over the next four years, but as Ross has noted, where Islamists rule, they wear out their welcome.

Your job may be to wage rear-guard political battles until the ideological tide can turn. It's not glamorous work, but governing isn't campaigning. You volunteered for this.

Unfortunately, this optimism is misplaced. I'm not sure where Brooks or these analysts see Islamism wearing out its welcome. In Lebanon, Hezbollah's power and political support is growing. Whereas three years ago Gaza was ruled by the Israelis and two years ago by the Palestinian Authority, today it is ruled by an Islamic terrorist group, Hamas, that repeatedly has stymied Israeli and moderate Palestinian efforts to contain it (see: Hamas' breach of Gaza-Egypt border, Israel's inability to neutralize Gaza rocket threat, etc.). In Afghanistan, the Taliban is making a comeback. In Pakistan, the Islamists are gaining ground. And in the Middle East, every day sees Iran's sphere of influence grow. Though Iran's current president may be stumbling at home due to the country's faltering economy, the unelected, fundamentalist Shiite clerics that really control things in Iran still have a stranglehold on the country.

Brooks' analysis is more wishful thinking than "The Reality Situation," as he calls his column. The Iranian regime may well fall on its own, but hoping that it will happen before Iran becomes a nuclear power is a callous gamble. Attacking Iran may not be the answer, but crossing one's fingers and waiting for Islamism to recede, rather than actively confronting radical Islamists who seek to spread their brand of fundamentalism through the force of violence, is just plain foolhardy.

2 Comments | Share This | Islam, Politics |

Hebrew Brouhaha

By Ben Harris · May 29, 2008

With tensions still simmering over an Arabic-language charter school in Brooklyn – a fight that spawned a (heavily Jewish) campaign against it, the resignation of its principal days before the school was due to open amidst charges she sympathizes with terrorists, and at least two lawsuits – news has broken of a Hebrew-language charter school in the same borough of New York City.

Both the Forward and the Jewish Week have stories about the new school, backed my mega-philanthropist Michael Steinhardt and pushed by his daughter, Sara Berman, who is submitting an application for the school next week.

If adopted, it would become the second Hebrew-language charter school in the country. Ben Gamla in Hollywood, Fla. was the first, opening its doors this past fall. Like the Brooklyn Arabic school, and another Arabic school in Minnesota, Ben Gamla has had its troubles. Critics – including some Jews – have charged that it's little more than a front for religious instruction and blurs the line between church and state.

But at least one commentator thinks the new school is protected under the Constitution. Check out Thomas Carroll's take in today's New York Post.

0 Comments | Share This | Education |

The end of Olmert?

By Uriel Heilman · May 29, 2008

The heat is rising on Ehud Olmert to resign. Since U.S. Jewish businessman Morris Talansky testified Tuesday in an Israeli court that he handed over some $150,00 to Olmert over the course of 13 years, and not all of it was accounted for, Defense Minister Ehud Barak joined the chorus of voices calling for Olmert's head and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said the Kadima party, of which she and Olmert are members, should prepare for new elections.

On Thursday, the Israeli dailies Ha'aretz and the Jerusalem Post led with editorials calling on the prime minister to step down. Ma'ariv columnist Ben Caspit, who describes the public outcry for Olmert's head as a "lynching," writes that the governmental purge should extend beyond Olmert to an entire generation of "leaders" who have lost their way. A self-described furious Yigal Sarna writes in Ynet that Talansky's testimony on Olmert prompts

the same sense of nausea when lifting an old sewage lid and discovering a world filled with insects and rats and everything that is hidden from view right under our feet – we guess that it exists, but it's not the same as seeing it with our own eyes.

So who would lead Israel after Olmert's gone? In a profile Thursday, The New York Post calls Kadima's Livni "Mrs. Clean" and pronounces her "likely the next prime minister," but Israeli polls show her only narrowly edging out the Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu. Livni does have one big advantage over Bibi and the other major-party PM hopeful, Labor's Barak: In a country disgusted with its failed leaders, Livni is the only one of the three who has not yet been prime minister. The New York Times ran this profile of Livni a year ago.

Of course, none of this means Olmert's actually on his way out. He has promised to step down if indicted, but that hasn't happened so far, and Olmert has survived other major corruption probes before – and calls for his resignation by Livni and Barak. Never a dull moment in Israel, though plenty of dispiriting ones of late.

1 Comment | Share This | Israel, Politics |

Exclusive: Y-Love and Kosha Dillz, “Just Knowledge”

By Daniel Sieradski · May 29, 2008

Courtesy of Modular Moods Records, The Telegraph is pleased to present the new collaboration between Jewish hip-hop artists Y-Love and Kosha Dillz.

Y-Love, who is currently touring internationally, jumping from Jewish conferences to secular hip-hop events, released his debut album This is Babylon earlier this year to rave reviews from mainstream hip-hop publications like XXL, XLR8R and URB, several of which described his music as "revolutionary."

Kosha Dillz, the latest addition to the Modular family, is an Israeli-American emcee who has been cited by URB as "a universal voice" and "a rarely seen culture clash in music." Dillz has performed with the likes of Matisyahu, Pharcyde and Jurassic 5, and will see his first Modular recording, a collaboration with rapper C Rayz Walz, released later this summer.

You can listen to Y-Love and Kosha Dillz's collaboration below.

[audio:/images/archive/y-love__koshadillz-justknowledge.mp3] Audio sound funny? Upgrade your Flash player.

To download the file, right-click on this link and select "Save file as..."

To subscribe to JTA's Behind the News podcast, click here.

4 Comments | Share This | Music, Podcast |

The News Shticker: NY Mets celebrate Israel, Dunkin’ Donuts yanks keffiyeh spot

By Daniel Sieradski · May 29, 2008

• The NY Mets will celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary tonight with a pre-game show featuring Israeli music and dancing plus glatt kosher diggs. I hope the hot dogs aren't from Agriprocessors...
• Renowned British artist Stephen Wiltshire has a completed an aerial drawing of Jerusalem. More here.
• Dunkin' Donuts pulled a television ad from the airwaves that featured Rachel Ray sporting a rather fashionable keffiyeh after the company received complaints from right-wing activists. No word yet as to whether John McCain will pull his daughter, who has also been seen wearing a keffiyeh, from public view as well.
• Hydrox, the kosher alternative to the formerly trayfe Oreo cookies, has been resurrected from the dead (via MJL).
• Scientific American takes a look at the evolutionary basis for religiosity.
• Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton dodged a citizen's arrest for alleged war crimes last night after a speaking gig in England.
• Information Week reports that "the Internet has recently experienced the largest increase in online hate activity in 10 years."
• Harvard professor Niall Ferguson asks in the UK's Times Online whether Henry Kissinger is as vilified as he is because he is Jewish.
• The British University and College Union will once again vote on divestment from Israel.
• Finally, we inadvertently had the wrong link in yesterday's Daily Briefing email for yesterday's News Shticker. So for those who missed it, here it is.

0 Comments | Share This | Shticker |

Not the usual doctor you find at the Kotel

By Ami Eden · May 28, 2008

Now visiting the Western Wall as part of Migdal Ohr's NBA Legends Goodwill Tour to Israel, from the University of Massachusetts, at 6'6, number 6, Dr. J, Julius Errrrrrrrrrrrrrving...

0 Comments | Share This | Israel, Sports |

Did the OU push Sholom Rubashkin out?

By Ben Harris · May 28, 2008

That's what the Jewish Star is claiming:

It is at the insistence of the Orthodox Union that Sholom Rubashkin is to be replaced as chief executive officer of Agriprocessors, the kosher meatpacking giant his father, Aaron Rubashkin, founded, The Jewish Starhas learned.

"We have said that if there were criminal culpability that we would withdraw our supervision," said Rabbinic Administrator Rabbi Menachem Genack in an interview Tuesday. "The OU spoke to the company to say that we would suggest –– for lots of reasons –– that they should look for professional management."

It's not entirely clear from the quote whether Genack himself is taking credit for ousting Sholom, or whether that's the Jewish Star's assertion. But the real question is whether Sholom Rubashkin is still "having a great time."

0 Comments | Share This | Agriprocessors, Kashrut, Religion |

Human rights lows in Geneva - Part II

By Uriel Heilman · May 28, 2008

Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, now a candidate for the post of U.N. high commissioner for human rights in Geneva, is defending his record as president of the U.N. Human Rights Council during 2006-'07.

In a May 19 post, The Telegraph reported that U.N. Watch said de Alba "oversaw the massive erosion of what was already a problematic institution" and "oversaw the singling out of Israel as a permanent agenda item at the Human Rights Council."

De Alba defended himself in an email to JTA, blaming the council's record on its members:

While fully respecting the views of all stakeholders with regards to the way in which I conducted the Presidency of the Human Rights Council, I would like to make the following precisions: the decisions adopted by the Council throughout its first year of work (and indeed during its existence) are the result of collective decisions, and therefore the responsibility of all its Members.

The Human Rights Council has been able to address urgent situations through the holding of Special Sessions, not only with regards to the situation on the Middle East, but also on Darfur, Myanmar, and, currently the concerns raised by the World food crisis.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, says this is "grossly misleading." He counts four special sessions on Israel, one on Darfur, one on Myanmar and one on food (for those keeping count). Since the creation of the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2006, Neuer counts 19 condemnatory resolutions on Israel, four on Myanmar and one on North Korea.

That's none for Sudan, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other places where rape victims are punished with lashes (Saudi Arabia), honor killings are unofficially sanctioned (Jordan) and citizens can be killed by their government simply for being born black (Sudan).

You can read de Alba's full response to JTA here:

Mr. Heilman,

I thank you for your e-mail of 19 May, which I respond with pleasure since I agree with you on the importance of running both sides of the argument. Such balance is particularly relevant to the issues that you raise, given the scarce and sometimes incomplete information that is disseminated about the Human Rights Council, specially by some quarters.

Regarding your first question, my name has been put forward by the Mexican Government to the Secretary General for his consideration to the post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We do not see this as a candidature in the traditional sense, and we fully respect the prerrogative of the Secretary General to designate the High Commissioner, a designation which should be confirmed by the UN General Assembly. Regarding the process of selection, I believe it is not appropriate for anyone other than the Office of the Secretary General to provide any information or comment on its development.

As for your second question, while fully respecting the views of all stakeholders with regards to the way in which I conducted the Presidency of the Human Rights Council, I would like to make the following precisions: the decisions adopted by the Council throughout its first year of work (and indeed during its existence) are the result of collective decisions, and therefore the responsibility of all its Members. With respect to the particular issues that you mention, related to the institution building process of the Council, my responsibility as President was to reach an agreement to reform and improve the entire human rights mechanisms, meeting the consensus of all Members of the Human Rights Council. This necessitated intense dialogue and cooperation among Members and Observers of the Council, as well as NGOs and National Human Rights Institutions, all of which participated actively in order to bridge divergences of views which could have put the human rights system at risk.

Thus, the final result reflects a collective work, and, the fact that it was reached by consensus has been acknowledged as a major achievement in the human rights field. I think there is a misunderstanding with regards to the position of certain countries, as none requested to vote on the package before its adoption. A request to take action on the package, presented a day after its approval, was rejected by the Council with a vote of 46 against and one in favour.

I am aware that the Institution Building package is not a perfect one, but you should be aware that in the process of institution building, the possibility of voting issue by issue would have seriously damaged the already existing mechanisms of human rights protection, and certainly it would have limited the capacity of the Council to implement its mandate of universally protecting and promoting human rights.

I would finally like to point out that the current work of the Council is in fact largely based on the institutional agreements reached on June 18, 2007, and the developments so far have been quite positive. All Members of the Human Rights Council, without exception, have been engaged with a high level of responsibility in implementing those agreements. One of the major reforms has been the creation of the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism (UPR), under which all Member States of the UN, including those cited in your e-mail, will be reviewed, on an equal footing, with regards to the fulfillment of their human rights obligations.

Let me also highlight that the Human Rights Council has been able to address urgent situations through the holding of Special Sessions, not only with regards to the situation on the Middle East, but also on Darfur, Myanmar, and, currently the concerns raised by the World food crisis.

I hope you find these elements useful, and I remain available should you have any further questions or comments.

Sincerely, Luis Alfonso de Alba

0 Comments | Share This | Israel, U.N. |

The News Shticker: Indiana Jones a Nazi?!

By Daniel Sieradski · May 28, 2008

• 23/6, the news and humor site, "collected the most racist, and/or uninformed comments about Barack Obama and put them in a quiz," asking you to identify "Who said it, the rural white, or the old Jew?"
• Following his denial of entry last week, Israel has officially barred Norman Finkelstein from entering the country for 10 years.
• Video has surfaced of last month's violent attack on two Palestinian teenagers perpetrated by a gang of Israeli youth.
• The Knesset is contemplating an Internet censorship bill that will empower the Israeli government to block access to websites it deems inappropriate. Some fear that will include foreign news sites that portray the country unflatteringly.
• Self-described "good Jewish boy" Michael Sophocles has been fired from The Apprentice.
• The Jewish Journal's God Blog has an interesting piece on the Jews' tolerance for alcohol, or lack thereof.
• Indiana Jones' character based on a Nazi? Who knew?!
• Faith Off, a new game show on the UK's Islam Channel, seeks to "promote good relations and mutual respect between Britain's religious communities" by pitting them against each other in a trivia challenge.
• "A new national study of more than 948 Americans revealed that a man wearing a kufi, headwear typically worn by Muslim men, is viewed significantly different than the same man wearing a Jewish yarmulke and no headwear."
• And finally, via Jewschool, even the LOLcats are anti-Israel these days... Awww... It's too cute to be offensive! See also: The ever uproarious Cats that look like Hitler.

1 Comment | Share This | Shticker |