Jeffrey Goldberg: What is at the root of the Israel-Iran confrontation?

Jeffrey Goldberg: "Ahmadinejad is not just an average spewer of anti-Israel invective, he is the Robert Browning of hate. It is not clear why some people won't give him his due."

What is At the Root of the Israel-Iran Confrontation?

www.theatlantic.com

The Atlantic covers news and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international and life on the official site of The Atlantic Magazine.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/02/what-is-at-the-root-of-the-israel-iran-confrontation/252024/

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Iranian leader vows to cut out 'cancer' of Israel

Pro-Iranian regime apologists in Des Moines apparently see nothing wrong, nothing provocative, and nothing they'd like others to know about, with the following. Is all concern about Iran's belicose Regime "all orchestrated propaganda?"

Iranian leader vows to cut out 'cancer' of Israel

www.smh.com.au

Iranian leader vows to cut out 'cancer' of Israel

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PBS Newshour: How Will Iran's Threats Affect U.S.-Israeli Ties? |

Jewish Current Events via David Makovsky

With regard to a possible Israeli strike on Iran, as a last ditch effort to stop Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon, no decisions (reportedly) have yet been made by Israel's decision-makers, but, as indicated, the window is closing. Here is a brief discussion of the matter, with comments by the Washington Post's David Ignatius and the Washington Institute's David Makovsky. Link leads to both video and transcript.

How Will Iran's Threats Affect U.S.-Israeli Ties? | PBS NewsHour | Feb. 3, 2012

www.pbs.org

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued a warning at a security conference Thursday that time is running out, and dealing with a nuclear Iran would be more complicated and costly than attempting to stop one. Ray Suarez and guests discuss the potential of a unilateral Israeli strike and a U.S. res...

Materials are being posted on http://facebook.com/Jewishcurrentevents.   The jcommunitynews.blogspot.com site is being phased out.  

February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month

    

When God speaks to Moses at the burning bush and gives him the mission as God’s spokesperson to bring B’nai Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Moses protests repeatedly that he is not up to the job. Moses insists that he is “slow of speech”.   In Exodus 4:11 God replies in seeming exasperation:  “Who gives man speech?  Who makes him dumb or deaf, seeing or blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?”   We are, each of us, the work of divine creation, but sometimes people forget.  In the Talmud, Ta’anit 20a-b, we learn the story of Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar who happened upon a man who was extremely ugly. The man said, “Shalom to you, Rabbi!” Rabbi Simeon did not reply. Instead he exclaimed, “Idiot! How ugly that man is! Could it be that all the people of your city are as ugly as you?” The man said, “I do not know, why not go to the Artisan who made me, and tell Him, ‘How ugly that vessel is that You made!’” When Rabbi Simeon realized that he had done wrong, he dismounted from his donkey and fell down at the man’s feet, saying, “…please forgive me!” The Rabbis instituted a blessing for each of us to say when we see someone different to remind us all that difference is inherent in creation:  Blessed is God who made creations different from one another.   We have been working to create a Jewish community that welcomes, supports and celebrates all differences, whether we can see those differences or not.  Jewish Disability Awareness Month is being recognized by events both in our local community and throughout the country.   

FEb. 2 Livestreaming at 6:30 pm Central. Alan Dershowitz addresses the We Are One With Israel program

Feb. 2, 6:30pm Central. Listen live-streaming at http://livestream.com/jewishphilly

 as Alan Dershowitz analyses the misguided 'Divestment from Israel' movement. The 'We Are One With Israel' program is sponsored by U Penn. Hillel and Philadelphia Jewish Federation.

 

We Are One With Israel

www.jewishphilly.org/onewithisrael

 

 

 

Jan. 23: Holocaust survivor, scholar Irving Roth at Drake. Presented by Christians United for Israel

Christians United For Israel presents

 

Irving Roth,

a survivor of the Holocaust and

Director of the Holocaust Resource Center at Temple Judea of Manhasset, New York

 

Monday, January 23, 2012

 

7:30 p.m.

 

Bulldog Theater (Located in the Olmsted Center) at Drake University

 

Feel free to visit and RSVP on the Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/313083518734348/?ref=ts

 

About Irving Roth:

Irving Roth is the Director of the Holocaust Resource Center at Temple Judea of Manhasset, New York. A holocaust survivor, Mr. Roth endeavors to convey the lessons that can be learned from his experience in the death camps of Poland, working to ensure that an atrocity like the Holocaust never happens again. Mr. Roth has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work promoting a more accepting and diverse world. His life’s mission, to make the world a better place, has earned Mr. Roth the Spirit of Anne Frank Award. A dynamic and engaging speaker, Mr. Roth is a sought-after Holocaust educator throughout Europe, Israel and America.

This event is sponsored by Christians United for Israel.

The purpose of Christians United For Israel (CUFI) is to provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to Biblical issues. Visit http://cufi.org for more information.

 

Contact:  Emily Lofgren

President, Christians United for Israel

Drake University

563-260-4601        eelofgren@gmail.com

 

Information distributed by the JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines.   jcrc@dmjfed.org

 

Study: Young Jews are highly supportive of Israel

Jewish Students Strongly for Israel

December 20, 2011  From: the Israel Project “Closeness” to Israel similar to national community, affected by Jewish engagement Nearly half have traveled to Israel, high number compared to national Many information sources, key to address media, community, and campus organizations    Click here for PDF of Word Clouds from Survey Click here for Interview Schedule from Survey Washington, Dec. 20 - Young Jews on university campuses across the country are highly supportive of Israel, a new study shows. The data, representing 400 Jewish undergraduate students, clearly shows a high level of connection with Israel, belying the supposed generational erosion of support in the American Jewish community. The survey was sponsored jointly by The Israel Project and the American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. Mitchell Bard, Executive Director of the nonprofit American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and co-funder of the research, further explains, “Contrary to the claims of some outspoken critics, young Jews do not feel alienated from Israel. Our survey found that Jews have very positive feelings toward Israel, see it as the spiritual center of the Jewish people; believe that caring about Israel is an important part of being Jewish, think American and Israeli Jews share a common destiny and agree American Jews should support the policies of the government and express any criticism privately.” The question of closeness to Israel in this student survey intentionally mirrored the AJC’s annual survey of the national Jewish community, and found that the numbers for the two groups were almost identical. Among Jewish students, 66 percent say they feel close to Israel, compared to 68 percent of national Jews. In examining the elements that impact Jewish students’ connection to Israel, it is clear that Jewish lifestyle engagement has a huge affect on these measurements. Students are much more prone to feel close to Israel if they have attended day school (77 percent ‘close’), attended summer camp (78 percent), had a Bar/Bat Mitzvah (73 percent), or been involved with youth groups (78 percent). Another factor in closeness to Israel is campus involvement. Among those involved in a Jewish campus organization (a little over half of Jewish students), 78 percent feel close to Israel. But, among those not involved, the number drops to only 52 percent. In looking at the various organizations on campus, it is clear that Hillel has a dominant position in connecting with these young Jews; 48 percent of Jewish students say that they are involved with Hillel. The next organization on the list is in the single digits. Jewish students use overwhelmingly positive language when asked for one word to describe Israel. Click here to see a word cloud of all the open-ended answers given on the survey. Among the Jewish students, fully 47 percent of have been to Israel; 16 percent of have attended Birthright, and 13 percent have been on a teen tour. Having this many young Jews visit Israel before finishing college is a significant amount, as the AJC found that only 44 percent of the national Jewish community has been to Israel. Of those Jewish students who have not been to Israel, three-fourths (73 percent) express a desire to visit. Having been to Israel is also a factor that shows a strong correlation to support for Israel, and an ability and willingness to speak to others on the issue. Critically, the survey shows that 70 percent of Jewish students consider themselves well-enough informed on Israel to speak to non-Jews about the issue. But, only 44 percent say that they actually talk about Israel with non-Jews either a lot (7 percent) or some (37 percent). Said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project which co-funded the research, “It is critical to get young Jews comfortable enough speaking about Israel that they can do so with their non-Jewish peers.” Looking at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the political context of whom the United States SHOULD support, Jewish students again reaffirm their position with 84 percent saying Israel. And, on a 0-to-100 scale, 89 percent of the Jewish students give Israel a ‘warm’ rating. The top reasons Jewish students say the U.S. should support Israel are shared values (43 percent) and being the most important ally in the Middle East (37 percent). Also notable are the partnership in the fight against terrorism (27 percent) and efforts for peace (23 percent). Less important reasons include religious justifications, and technological or economic achievements. Among the Jewish students, mainstream media continues to play a significant role in shaping views of the Middle East. But unlike non-Jewish populations we have surveyed, “family and friends” and “your own religious beliefs” are also significant shapers of opinion. This finding highlights the significance of the community in developing the next generations connection to, and information regarding, Israel. Said Mizrahi, “It is clear that we must continue to act as an educational resource for the mainstream media to ensure accurate and fair coverage of Israel. However, there is also a clear role that the community as a whole must play in educating our youth, and TIP is looking forward to working with organizations active in this field to strengthen communications targeted at our future community leaders.” The survey (Interview Schedule; Word Clouds) was conducted online by Public Opinion Strategies from October 28-November 20, 2011. Interviews of 400 self-identified Jewish were collected. The margin of error is +4.9%.   Source: http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=ewJXKcOUJlIaG&b=7712197&ct=11556455&notoc=1#.Tw3Ze4GwUZV