Archive for June, 2010

The downward spiral of making dissent the enemy


Click to zoom. Panel translations from right to left: Big guy: A Real Israeli doesn’t dodge IDF conscription! Skinny guy: I’m a deputy battalion commander in the paratroops. A Real Israeli doesn’t sit in cafés on Ibn Gavirol [a Tel-Aviv boulevard]!  A Real Israeli doesn’t order Pixies tickets! A Real Israeli is a fan of Beitar [...]


“Now tell me how you’re really feeling…”


Warning, this video is explicit (and hat tip to Farrah). Mazzi and Sneakas are a self-professed political rap duo who I just stumbled across. I only had time to what two of their videos, but I dig the message: look at all the racist crap we deal each other, Jews and Arabs. Below is their [...]


“Economic terrorism” my ass


Courtesy of Ori Nir of Peace Now, this from the mayor of the largest settlement, calling the campaign of the Palestinian Authority against buying products produced in Israel settlements “economic terrorism.” What a hoot. The chutzpah here is incredible, equating the non-purchase of goods produced on disputed land (certifiably stolen land, in most cases) with [...]


VIDEO: Jeremy Ben-Ami & Jeffrey Goldberg


I’m so proud of my J Street NYC team who conceived, produced and livestreamed this event — over 400 people attended. It was illuminating, it was jovial, it was tense, it raised our profile. Mazel tov to my gang. My livetweets are posted below (it’s reverse chronological order, sorry). So proud of my @jstreetnyc team [...]


More movement to recognize the Armenian genocide


Marx Arax, Armenian American journalist, watches Jewish communal leaders “come out” in support of recognizing the Armenian genocide. Turns out, 20 years ago he wrote a piece about the Jewish community’s covering for Turkey as a political quid pro quo for being Israel’s ally. And got fired. Jewish leaders have recently “recognized” the Armenian genocide [...]


Everything stops for World Cup


By Jonathan Zapiro, South Africa. From the Bereaved Parent’s Circle exhibition “Cartooning in Conflict,” the calendar version of which hangs next to me in my office.


Try this: debate Israel-Palestine with “Taboo” rules


The board game Taboo is one of my favorites. The objective: get your teammates to guess the word at the top of each card but without relying on the related words listed at the bottom. Related game, try this: “Israel-Palestine edition” Taboo for political debates. Prohibited words: anti-Israel pro-Israel anti-Semitism pro-Palestinian support Israel (alone as a [...]


“In Gaza, no one is dying. But no one is living.”


I wanted to share this quick excerpt from the NY Times article about the likelihood Israel’s blockade of Gaza will come down soon. What I found notable was the reality check regarding the humanitarian crisis. Israel has managed to keep Gaza teetering on the edge of crisis, with just enough sustenance to not be technical [...]


Jews now believe the Armenian genocide happened


Eli Lake at the Washington Times chronicles the slow decline in Turkish-Israel relations since Turkey’s recognition of Israel in 1949 (the first Muslim nation to do so). From collegially taking out anti-Turkish but unrelated terrorist groups in Lebanon during the 1982 invasion, to lending cover for Turkey’s evasion of genocide charges in the U.S. Congress, [...]


Audio: Peter Beinart debates AIPAC hack on NPR


Peter Beinart is still on his (incredibly polite but) hard-hitting crusade against the Jewish establishment. First on the NY Review of Books, then bloggingheads.tv, now NPR with Brooke Gladstone. In this 12-minute clip, he politely brushes aside the “self-perpetuating victimization” of Steven Rosen, a 23-year AIPAC senior staffer, and the category of being anti-Israel for [...]