Tuesday, July 28 2009

1. Academic Freedom - Ever since my personal experience at St. Thomas University in March 2009 when a group of self-proclaimed anarchists hijacked a public lecture by Dr. Yossi Olmert, the topic of academic freedom has been of great interest to me. I will readily admit that I am not an academic and that I do not necessarily understand the way that things are done in that world. However, I get very tired very quickly when people try to hide behind the fig leaf of "academic freedom" in order to explain away some very egregious behavior when it comes to criticism of Israel, the likes of which would not be tolerated with respect to other subjects. With that background, I refer you to A Misreading of Academic Freedom.

2. Leonard Cohen and Ramallah - I almost automatically disagree with whatever Rick Salutin, a columnist with the Globe & Mail, puts to paper. I have had email exchanges with him that have been frank but polite (in both directions), but we just see things completely differently. His piece in Friday's Globe & Mail - Mr. Cohen doesn't do Ramallah - caught my eye. I do not agree with much of what is in the piece - especially the outrageous suggestion that the banning by Israel of references to the "nakba", the Palestinian adjective of the calamity or the catastrophe for the results of the 1948 War of Independence is the Israeli/Palestinian equivalent of holocaust denial. However, in a couple of spots he does almost seem to try to approach some middle ground. I guess that in certain ways the piece confuses me - what are your thoughts?

3. Jordan and the Palestinians - In their rush to condemn Israel over the "occupation" of the West Bank, a lot of people forget some very basic facts. Such as, for example, Jordanannexed the West Bank after the 1948 War of Independence. Or that in September 1970, Hashemite King Hussein moved to quash the militancy of Palestinians living in Jordan, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people - mostly Palestinian (giving rise to the Black September terrorist group). Now comes this story - would Israel get away with anything like this?

4. Muslim Scholars - Muslim Scholars Must Decry Violent Teachings - I'm not holding my breath.

5. Dershowitz and Philips - Professor Alan Dershowitz and journalist Melanie Phillips are each ardent supporters of Israel. Recently they clashed over the question of President Obama's attitude toward Israel, and, in particular, Israel's settlement policy. Here, in some depth, is Alan Dershowitz vs. Melanie Phillips. In addition, here are some other important items on US-Israel relations - U.S. wants 'comprehensive' Mideast peace deal, The Rosett Report » Apologizing for the Wrong Thing, Madame Secretary, and Wrong, Mr. President — Jewish Settlements Expedited Peace Talks.

6. Anti-Semitism - I am not a big fan of a Jewish person who loosely plays the anti-Semitism card - too many people have fought against and/or been negatively affected by that terrible prejudice for someone to jump on for a free ride. So based on what I know about the situation with the rabbis who were arrested last week in New Jersey - this article - US rabbis' arrest motivated by anti-Semitism in FBI - does not impress me at all. Especially when you read Solomon Dwek: The Rabbi's Son at the Center of the Corruption Probe. Here is a good column from the Jerusalem Post - When Righteous Stumble - which reminds us that none of us have the right to be smug and that none of us is infallible.

7. Operation Cast Lead (again!) - The UN commissioned Goldstone Report on Israel's actions in Operation Cast Lead will be released in another month or so, likely to the usual screams of condemnation from the usual quarters - Proactive Israel prepares for Goldstone report. It is good to see that Israel recognizes the need for a proactive approach to what will, almost certainly, not be a complimentary report. With that in mind, this opinion piece - Our troops come first - is very important.

8. Film Festivals, Videographers and so on - Saturday evening I posted a piece about the disgraceful Rachel Corrie film being shown at a Jewish film festival in San Francisco. Add to that disgraceful film this YouTube sensation - Spawn of Sid. Personally, give me Sderot Children to Feature in First-Ever International Feature Film any time.

9. Jewish Cemeteries - I have long been involved with the Cemetery Committee and the Chevra Kaddisha at my synagogue. This story therefore caught my eye - Offering TLC for Jewish Cemeteries.

10. "Gates-Gate" - Some further and hopefully final thoughts about the "Chaos in Cambridge", or the "Hullabaloo at Harvard" - VDH's Private Papers::What Was That 'Stupidly' All About?, and History and Race: The Gates Affair.

11. On the Topic of Peace Partners - More stuff, straight from the horse's mouth - PMW Bulletins - is anyone listening about how Arafat deceived the West?

12. I Guess that Beauty Comes from Within - From within the burka I guess - Saudi beauty queen wins without showing her face. This is going out on a limb, but I could probably win a beauty contest if I did not have to show my face.

13. Gee, At Camp Kadimah, All We Did Was Sing and Dance - More peace partners in training - Gaza campers stage 'Schalit abduction' at ceremony.

14. Was This In The Stimulus Bill? - After all the items I have posted lately about the real mentality of the so-called Fatah peace partners, this seems very much out of step - U.S. announces $200 million in aid to Palestinians.

15. A Light Note - A Great McDonalds ad featuring Larry Bird and Michael Jordan - nothing but net!