In his Ehud Olmert analysis today, Ha’aretz writer Yossi Verter cites an Israeli government minister as saying the Israeli prime minister’s handwriting in recent days betrays that of a “battered, haunted man.”

But you don’t need to read the prime minister’s notes to see that Olmert appears weighed down by defeat. In video greetings to New York’s Israel 60 celebration Wednesday night at Radio City Music Hall, Olmert looked lost and confused, staring vapidly at the camera and muttering something about a Jewish state for the Jewish people. Looking gaunt and sitting somewhat slumped over, Olmert seemed to be speaking without notes — or deliberation — and the video editing made clear that the prime minister couldn’t even get it all in one take. It was painful to watch.

By contrast, in the video greeting President Bush sent to the Radio City event, he managed — despite a host of problems and historically low poll numbers — to look like he did a decade ago, albeit with more gray hair. He had an impish grin, spoke of the similarities between Israel and America and the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and concluded his little speech with a hearty “Mazal toff!” Audience members burst into applause several times during Bush’s recorded greeting.

Liberal Jewish groups have had a less full throated reaction to the hoopla surrounding Israel’s 60th, tempering their celebrations with reminders of the still unfulfilled promise of Israel’s creation. Rabbis For Human Rights-North America’s celebration, held Thursday at the southwest entrance to Central Park, billed itself as an “alternative” ceremony.

Debbie Friedman was there, guitar in hand, as were about 60 others. Two trees were planted for peace, echoing RHR’s work protecting Palestinian olive trees. And Rabbi Gordon Tucker taught from RHR’s new Talmudic-style commentary on Israel’s Declaration of Independence:

RHR, like its Israeli counterpart, has been criticized for seeming to be more concerned with Palestinian rights than Jewish ones. Thursday’s ceremony cleverly focused on Israel’s founding document, holding the country to the very standards it has established for itself. Though I wonder if I was the only one who felt the singing of Hatikva at the end was something of an afterthought.

Last night, JTA staffers Ben Harris and Uriel Heilman attended different events here in NYC, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Israel’s founding. Having had to turn down an opportunity to attend last night’s big concert at Radio City, I sat down with them both to find out what I missed.

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

A few weeks ago JTA’s Ben Harris filed a story about the uneasiness that some American Jews have with the standard text of the Prayer for the State of Israel, which triggered some back-and-forth in the blogosphere.

Now, Ynet’s Uri Orbach is offering up his own (somewhat amusing) version:

Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it from its own ministers, leaders, advisors, contractors, merchants, celebrities, beggars, journalists, and bureaucrats, and bestow Your light and truth upon its statesmen, rabbis, judges, and intellectuals, and grace them with Your good counsel.

Click here to read the whole thing.

Mark Twain (or whomever really deserves credit) was pretty much on the money when he quipped: “When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it’s always twenty years behind the times.”

But there’s always an exception to the rule.

Today it would be a cool day to be in Cincinnati because the Jewish community there is right on time — and offering up an interesting multi-cultural take on celebrating Israel’s 60th birthday.

Here’s the full press release: (more…)

The cover of this month’s Atlantic Monthly asks, “Is Israel Finished?” But Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote the magazine’s lead article, says he’s proud of the Jewish state and brings his kids there almost every year. Hear his full interview with JTA here.

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

(If, when listening via the audio player on our site, our podcasts sound like recordings of Alvin and the Chipmunks, that means you need to upgrade your Flash player. You can do so by clicking here.)

• Bar Rafaeli, the Israeli model and Leonardo DiCaprio flame, joins fight against Israeli draft dodging.
• Amy Winehouse turns down James Bond.
• Scarlett Johansson is getting married.
• The New Jersey Jewish News takes on Ben Stein for drawing a line between Darwinism and Nazism. On the other side of the coin, Shmuley Boteach cries foul after being compared to Hitler by scientist Richard Dawkins (just the sort of anti-religious academic that Stein is complaining about in his film).
• The London Jewish Chronicle: “Prince Charles was so taken by his involvement in creating a new Polish Jewish community centre, which he opened in Krakow [last week], that he now intends to become involved in another Jewish project in Eastern Europe.”
• 60 bloggers in 60 days blogging about Israel’s 60th birthday (now say that 10 times real fast).

Earlier this week I attended the Righteous Indignation Conference, a three-day forum and workshop which provided a forum for progressive Jewish activists to share best practices, discuss current strategies and build community among each other. The event, which took place at Hebrew College in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, brought together over 100 Jewish activists from around the U.S., representing dozens of social action organizations, from the American Jewish World Service to J Street.

Among the various panel discussions and workshops which took place during the course of the conference, the two sessions which caused the greatest stir were the keynote panel, “Building a Progressive Jewish Movement,” and the Israel panel, “Talking About Israel.”

(more…)

The puppets from Hamas television reflect on Israel’s 60th birthday:

The Rabbinical Council of America has taken heat over a recent deal on conversions that critics describe as a complete capitulation to the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. Well, in the latest conversion-related controversy, the RCA is speaking out against Israeli religious authorities:

Rabbinical Council of America Reacts to Ruling of Israeli Rabbinical Appeals Court regarding Past Conversions by the Israeli Conversion Authority

Leviticus 19:33: “You (plural) shall not oppress the convert in your land.”

Commentary of the Netziv: “The plural form of the verse teaches us that a third party who sees the oppression of a convert and does not protest is also guilty of oppression.”

The Rabbinical Council of America, having taken note of the recent ruling of the Bet Din Elyon (Rabbinic Court of Appeals) of Israel, nullifying certain conversions performed by the State Conversion Authority led by Rabbi Chaim Druckman, has today issued the following statement:

Having reviewed the ruling of the Bet Din Elyon in detail, and being fully mindful of the respect due the rulings of duly constituted rabbinical courts in their respective jurisdictions, the RCA finds it necessary to state for the record that in our view the ruling itself, as well as the language and tone thereof, are entirely beyond the pale of acceptable halachic practice, violate numerous Torah laws regarding converts and their families, create a massive desecration of God’s name, insult outstanding rabbinic leaders and halachic scholars in Israel, and are a reprehensible cause of widespread conflict and animosity within the Jewish people in Israel and beyond. The RCA is appalled that such a ruling has been issued by that court.

We have been assured by Israel’s Chief Rabbi Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, who is also the President of the Rabbinical Courts System of Israel, that in releasing this ruling the court in question directly countermanded his instructions and policies. He has confirmed that the ruling has no legal standing at this time. We commend Rav Amar for his positive role in this matter since its very inception in the Ashdod regional court.

We add our rabbinic voice to those of others who have called for a thorough review and repudiation of the actions of a select few of the Bet Din Elyon, who in this ruling as in other previous instances, have sought to undermine the Conversion Authority.

For this reason, and others, it is more important than ever that the Conversion Authority be strengthened in its important work in bringing about halachicly proper conversions to our faith and to the Jewish people.

Given the very public nature of the challenge posed by the ruling in question, we call on the Chief Rabbis of Israel to reaffirm their support of the Conversion Authority and its leadership in clear and unambiguous terms at the earliest possible time. Until that will happen, each passing day will cause reprehensible anguish to halachic converts, irreparable harm to the fabric of the Jewish people, and a considerable debasement of the good name of Torah, halachah, and tradition.