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Roger Cohen: The Israelis are the problem

By Uriel Heilman · November 16, 2009

New York Times columnist Roger Cohen's latest thinking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

I've grown so pessimistic about Israel-Palestine that I find myself agreeing with Israel’s hard-line foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman: “Anyone who says that within the next few years an agreement can be reached ending the conflict simply doesn’t understand the situation and spreads delusions.”

... Obama, who has his Nobel already, should ratchet expectations downward. Stop talking about peace. Banish the word. Start talking about détente. That’s what Lieberman wants; that’s what Hamas says it wants; that’s the end point of Netanyahu’s evasions...

At least until Intifada-traumatized Israeli psychology shifts. I agree with the Israeli author David Grossman when he writes: “We have dozens of atomic bombs, tanks and planes. We confront people possessing none of these arms. And yet, in our minds, we remain victims. This inability to perceive ourselves in relations to others is our principal weakness.”

In Cohen's view, it's the Israeli psychology that needs to shift. Again, no word on what the Palestinians must do to prepare for peace, such as giving up the goal of eliminating Israel entirely, championed by Hamas, or electing a leadership free of corruption and capable of delivering on a peace deal. No word either on the Palestinian rejection of the peace deal Ehud Olmert offered, which would have give Palestinians a state that included part of Jerusalem.

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Conservative movement gives seal of approval to Rubashkin conviction

By Ami Eden · November 13, 2009

The Conservative movement is pulling no punches in response to Sholom Rubashkin's conviction on fraud charges.

The movement's Hekhsher Tzedek Commission, directed by Rabbi Morris J. Allen, issued a statement praising the verdict and essentially siding with the prosecution in the upcoming case regarding immigration-related charges:

The news out of Sioux Falls, SD, yesterday, that Sholom Rubashkin was convicted on 86 out of 91 counts of fraud in the federal investigation into criminal activity within the Agriprocessor’s meat processing facility in Postville, Iowa, delivers both justice and a heavy heart to those of us who champion the cause of ethical kashrut.

The investigation into Agriprocessors has unfolded in slow-motion. First there were allegations of business fraud and worker abuse, then investigations, then negotiations – all with ample opportunity for the Rubashkin family to cooperate and self-correct -- then arrogant disregard for the law, shocking revelations, indictments, a plethora of press attention, the riveting scandal of the federal raid in May of 2008, the largest scale of its kind in US history...and finally the verdict of guilty on the majority of counts of business fraud in yesterday’s trial.

It is important to note that the trial on charges of worker abuse is not even underway. The heartbreaking stories that will emerge in the course of this trial will be as cringe-worthy as they are criminal.

As the founders of Magen Tzedek, we were on the ground in Postville from the virtual start of this tragic drama in the summer of 2006, bearing witness to the terrible worker conditions and business practices at the nation’s largest manufacturer of kosher meat and poultry, trying to steer the Rubashkin family towards taking responsibility and correcting their mistakes, acting in accordance with the biblical injunction – “hokhaich tokhiach et amitecha” – “rebuke your kinsman,” that is, do not stand idly by while one of your brethren commits a grievous wrongdoing.

Although the miscarriage of kashrut at Agriprocessors was not the catalyst for the creation of Magen Tzedek, it provided an urgent context and need for us to develop our initiative, proclaiming publicly our belief that keeping kosher is inextricably linked to leading a life of ethical integrity.

There are tragedies within tragedies in the story of the fall of the house of Rubashkin, the worst of which might be the deaf ear of the Rubashkin family turned towards those who tried to prevent the collapse. We were at the epicenter of those who repeatedly reached out to the family. Yet as the investigation and trial wore on, it became clear that the deafness was a direct result of the Rubashkin family’s flagrant disregard for the law and ethical behavior.

There is neither joy nor a sense of schadenfreude in yesterday’s conviction. Those of us who toil in the field of tikkun olam are downright demoralized by this highly preventable outcome. This story could have ended very differently. Had the Rubashkin family done a sincere teshuva – heeding, for instance, the three-pronged course of action we delivered to them in the summer of 2006 -- they would now be the heroes of the kosher world instead of its villains.

Given the sad outcome of this situation, we rededicate ourselves to the birthing of our Magen Tzedek seal of ethical certification, a process that has been long and arduous but more relevant with each passing day.

After thousands of hours of meetings, deliberations, drafts of our working guidelines and compliance procedures, we are getting closer. The soul and future of kashrut depends on the development of Magen Tzedek as an actual seal on kosher food products, indicating that it has been produced in accordance with high ethical standards for employee wages and benefits, health and safety, animal welfare, corporate transparency and environmental impact. What has emerged in the course of the development of this product is that Magen Tzedek is more than just a new certification for kosher food -- it is a worldwide awareness built upon the belief that we are how and what we eat.

Achieving Magen Tzedek is our ascent to Sinai, fraught with challenge and yet possessed of a promise. Like the Law that Moses receives at the summit of the mountain, Magen Tzedek will give Jews and all people of conscience a road map towards leading lives of ethical integrity through the portal of keeping kosher.

The Hekhsher Tzedek Commission
Rabbi Morris J. Allen, Project Director

 

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Bringing the story of Jewish life back to life

By Anath Hartmann · November 11, 2009

Those who remember Israel’s Beit Hatfutsot as a dark, musty, 1970’s-style building with few daily visitors to its exhibits may soon have a very different perception of the institution.

The 31-year-old the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, located on the campus of Tel Aviv University, is in the midst of some detailed redesign-planning and fundraising efforts—and on its way to becoming the Museum of the Jewish People.

The museum, once considered cutting edge in how it drew museum goers into its interactions, had fallen itno its disuse. Features that wowed visitors in the 1970s -- tracking the origins of a Jewish surname on the museum's database, for instance -- were no  longer relevant in the 21st century.

Museum board members and staff held an open forum Tuesday at Washington, D.C.’s Sixth and I Historic Synagogue to show digital mock-ups of the proposed $24-million renovations, discuss plans for new exhibit content and do a bit of much-needed fundraising.  

“Beit Hatfutsot, which started out as being a museum of the Diaspora, must become and is becoming a bridge between those who live in Eretz Yisrael and those who do not live in Eretz Yisrael,” said Alfred Moses, honorary president of the American Jewish Committee and the host of the forum.  

Beit Hatfutsot is a public, not-for-profit organization, the brainchild of former World Jewish Congress President Nahum Goldmann. Saved from financial ruin by project initiator and former Russian oil tycoon Leonid Nevzlin, who has donated several large sums over the past few years to keep the organization afloat, the museum still requires approximately $18 million for the massive renovation. The edifice will be gutted. Walls will be demolished, windows will be installed and three new floors’ worth of exhibits will be curated.

In its new incarnation, the museum’s aim will shift, as well. It will go from “a living testament to the Jewish dispersion following the Holocaust,” according to the Beit Hatfutsot Web site, to “the ongoing story of the Jewish people,” said Orit Shaham Gover, chief curator of the Beit Hatfutsot permanent exhibit.

That permanent exhibit, which includes the museum’s well-known, small-scale models of historic synagogues from around the world, will remain in the museum. It will be moved to another, nearby building for viewing during the renovation and then returned before the grand reopening.  

“The Museum of the Jewish People should be a touchstone institution,” Nevzlin said at the forum. It will “help create the Jewish future we have hoped for.”

The new exhibits will include a family gallery, media theaters and interactive displays. Some of the latter will include three-dimensional holiday and special-occasion set-ups, such as a table laid with replica items for a Sabbath dinner and one a Jewish wedding scene, complete with ceremonial canopy and figures holding it up and standing beneath it.

“Our museum will not have an end chapter,” Shaham Gover said. “It’s an ongoing venture and each one of us plays an ongoing role in that venture by walking in and out of the museum.”

Moses spoke of "two epic struggles," Israel's survival as a state and a shrinking world Jewish community. "The number of intermarriages is growing," he said and Jewish continuity is "very much in question."

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Manischewitz seeks the next Kosher food star

By Rachel Tepper · November 9, 2009

Step aside, Top Chef!  Bravo no longer has a monopoly on celebrity-studded gastro-competitions.

Manischewitz, the kosher food giant of gefilte fish fame, is hedging into pop culture territory with the launch of their 4th Annual Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off.

The challenge invites home cooks to prepare a kosher meal using, of course, Manischewitz all-natural Broth.  Would-be kitchen stars from across the country are asked to complete an original, kosher recipe in less than an hour.

Acclaimed television chef Jacques Pépin will serve as celebrity guest judge.  According to an article on Forward.com, Pépin’s involvement was a no-brainer for Manischewitz.

“We really were looking to align with a well-known chef who cooked with broth, and who we felt represented diversity in recipes,” Manischewitz spokeswoman Stacey Bender told The Forward. “Jacques uses broth in his recipes, and he enjoyed using the Manischewitz broth, so we invited him to be a part of our contest where he will judge and demo some of his recipes.”

Alrighty then.  Seems that ‘broth’ is the tie that binds.  I can dig it.

Last year’s cook-off drew over 10,000 submissions (that’s a lot of matzoh balls!), with the top honor going to Amy Siegel for her “Marvelous Mediterranean Falafel Sliders.” 

This year’s winner will receive a free trip to New York, $25,000-worth of new kitchen appliances, a $5,000 check and a gift card for groceries.

Yowsas.  Where do I sign up?  I have a feeling my ‘Luscious Latkes with Nutmeg and Naches’ might just take the kosher for Passover cake.

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Tom Friedman goes W on Arab-Israel conflict

By Uriel Heilman · November 9, 2009

Thomas Friedman advocates for George W. Bush's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Do nothing.

He writes in his New York Times column on Sunday:

Let’s just get out of the picture. Let all these leaders stand in front of their own people and tell them the truth: “My fellow citizens: Nothing is happening; nothing is going to happen. It’s just you and me and the problem we own.”

Indeed, it’s time for us to dust off James Baker’s line: “When you’re serious, give us a call: 202-456-1414. Ask for Barack. Otherwise, stay out of our lives. We have our own country to fix.”

The fact is, the only time America has been able to advance peace — post-Yom Kippur War, Camp David, post-Lebanon war, Madrid and Oslo — has been when the parties felt enough pain for different reasons that they invited our diplomacy, and we had statesmen — Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, George Shultz, James Baker and Bill Clinton — savvy enough to seize those moments.

Today, the Arabs, Israel and the Palestinians are clearly not feeling enough pain to do anything hard for peace with each other — a mood best summed up by a phrase making the rounds at the State Department: The Palestinian leadership “wants a deal with Israel without any negotiations” and Israel’s leadership “wants negotiations with the Palestinians without any deal.”

Full column here.

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Video of Israeli naval raid (IDF)

By Ami Eden · November 5, 2009

The Israeli military releases video of its raid on a ship it says was carrying some 300 tons of arms and ammunition from Iran for Hezbollah:

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Rally in Rutgers, Hip hop in day school, Heckling Olmert in San Fran

By Gil Shefler · November 2, 2009

From around the American Jewish world:

• In the Phoenix area, a rabbi held a conversion ceremony welcoming crypto Jews back into Jewish fold. (Jewish News of Greater Phoenix)
• At a speaking gig in San Francisco, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was heckled 22 times. Olmert tells audiences he's used to people shouting at him, saying it's "part of the political game." (J)
• The Jews have a new King: Amanda Pazornick of J writes about Israeli basketball player Omri Casspi's debut for the Sacramento Kings against Memphis on Monday. (J)
• In Florida, Palm Beach celebrates the opening of new JCC. (Florida Jewish Journal)
• Students at Pittsburgh's Hillel Academy are studying hip hop. (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle)
• Concordia Lutheran Ministries has purchased a B'nai B'rith-sponsored retirement community in the Steel City that was B'nai B'rtih's first foray into the senior housing market. (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle)
• Actress Helen Hunt is the keynote speaker at St. Louis' 31st annual Jewish book festival, which will include comedian Susie Essman and actress Alicia Silverstone. (St. Louis Jewish Light)
• The Chicago Jewish News takes a look at Jill Weinberg's efforts to support the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. (Chicago Jewish News)
• In New Jersey, Rutgers students rally to protest an anti-Semitic and anti-gay group. (New Jersey Jewish News)

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‘New Jews’ claiming, constructing their identities (CNN)

By Ami Eden · November 2, 2009

From CNN:

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai about 3,300 years ago, he couldn't have seen these Jews coming.

A blogger writes about how one of Judaism's holiest days ended, for her, in a strip club, while elsewhere a guy strolls into a tattoo parlor requesting a Star of David. Two women exchange wedding vows in a Jewish ceremony, and hipsters toss back bottles of HE'BREW, The Chosen Beer. A full-time software developer prepares to lead a group in Jewish prayer, as a PhD candidate in Jewish thought pens a letter criticizing Israel's policies.

Meet the "New Jews," as some call them: pockets of post-baby boomers -- or more accurately Generation X and Millennial (Gen Y) Jews -- who are making one of the world's oldest known monotheistic faiths and its culture work for them and others in a time when, more than ever, affiliation is a choice. ...

For Atlanta, Georgia, punk-rock musician Patrick A, or Aleph (the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet), this means he can seamlessly blend who he's been with his newly embraced religious observance.

"When I'm on stage screaming, hitting my face with a microphone and pouring beer on my head, at least I'm singing about the Torah," said the 26-year-old founder of PunkTorah, an outreach effort to inspire Jewish spirituality. ...

Read the full story.

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Forgiving Ronan Tynan

By Gil Shefler · October 30, 2009

Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, a fixture at New York Yankees games, stole the show from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at the ADL's Annual Meeting Thursday when he apologized for making an anti-Jewish comment. At the dinner, Tynan received a standing ovation after delivering a dramatic rendition of "God Bless America" -- which he regularly sings at Yankee Stadium during the sevent inning, until he was temporarily banned by the team.

Tynan was invited by ADL national president Abraham Foxman, who said he accepted Tynan's public apology for the joke as sincere.

"We need to give a message to people that they can be forgiven if they own up to their bigotry," Foxman said. "Otherwise, it's counterproductive to our fight against racism."

Who connected Tynan with the ADL? Meet Abraham Cohen, 37, from Teaneck, N.J. Cohen spoke exclusively to the JTA about how the shiduch came into being.

"When I heard what happened, I called Jeff Sulivan, who's a mutual friend of mine and Ronan Tynan's, and I said 'what happened? This isn't the guy! It isn't him!' Then Ronan called me and said 'Abe, I may have said something but I didn't mean it.' Then it was in Sports Illustrated and other meida. It got worse and worse. I called Jeff again and I was livid. At this point Ronan was starting to lose business. I said, hey, I live in Teaneck, New Jersey," where Foxman also lives, "and the ADL is someone who stands up for you."

"It was a lesson well learnt," Tynan, who was standing nearby, added. He said he hopes to sing at Yankee Stadium again in the future.

As he departed, the soft-spoken Irish singer said "lehitraot," the Hebrew equivalent of see you later.

UPDATE: Click here and scroll down to read Sullivan's defense of Tynan.

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Ask The Expert: Why does kosher meat cost so much?

By The Expert · October 30, 2009

Question: Why is kosher meat more expensive than non-kosher meat? Is it all a scam or is there actually justification for the prices?

-- James, Montreal

Answer: I feel your pain, James. Kosher meat is not cheap. So what accounts for the hefty price tag on your steak?

I spoke with Alan Kaufman, owner of the Kosher Marketplace on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Alan explained that there are a number of factors that drive the price of kosher meat higher than its non-kosher counterparts.

The first thing Alan mentioned is supervision. Kosher meat is supervised from the time the animal is slaughtered until it is packaged and sold. Kosher slaughterhouses must employ shochtim -- those trained in the laws of shechita, ritual slaughter -- as well as supervisors who can be consulted on unusual or contentious circumstances.

Jewish law also requires that kosher meat be soaked in water for half an hour, salted, and then washed thoroughly three times. In non-kosher meat plants where these extra steps aren't taken, much more meat can be processed and shipped out. The more meat a company sells, the lower it can afford to set its prices. Because the nature of kosher processing requires more inefficient time for soaking and salting, kosher plants produce less meat and cannot set their prices as low as their non-kosher competitors.

Finally, Alan reminded me that kosher meat isn't so easy to come by. To be kosher, an animal must be healthy, and must have no broken bones, no diseases, and no scarred or punctured organs. Downer cattle, or cows that are unable to stand on their own, are never used.

Alan estimated that only 20 percent of the cows in any given slaughterhouse pass the inspection that is required for them to be kosher. I've seen other estimates from 30 percent to 40 percent. Either way, it's much lower than at facilities where every cow that comes in gets slaughtered and sold. Screening the kosher from the treif also takes time and money.

So there are some reasons why the consumer is charged top dollar for your kosher hamburger. Ensuring that something is done in a kosher way is a pricey endeavor, and this means that the base price for kosher meat is going to be higher than non-kosher meat.

Does it mean that the meat is cleaner or better quality? It might, but as we learned from the Postville scandal last year, kosher meat can still be produced under very problematic circumstances.

Still, a major advantage of eating kosher meat in this day and age is the ability to easily trace its whereabouts and origins. As we learn more about the dangers of contemporary meat distribution, including a real risk of E. coli contamination, it becomes increasingly important to know where our food comes from and what's in it. E. coli is a bacteria found in the feces of both humans and animals. In America, kosher slaughterhouses do not deal with the hindquarters of cows -- they're usually sold to non-kosher plants, which decreases but does not completely eliminate -- the likelihood of kosher meat coming in contact with cow feces and thus E. coli.

And if the price of kosher meat is hitting you harder than usual, might I suggest making a nice spinach lasagna? Or perhaps a vegetable tart?

"Ask The Expert?" appears each Friday on JTA's The Telegraph blog, courtesy of MyJewishLearning.com. Do you have a burning question about Judaism and Jewish life? Ask away!

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