Since there was so much discussion in my synagogue this shabbat (including Rabbi Tendler's sermon) regarding Prof.Noah Feldman, the Harvard lawyer,who married a Korean and had their picture removed from a PR piece,I thought I would add two thought to my last blog.
It turns out that in addition to being on the team that wrote the Iraqi constitution,he was the lawyer for the city of Tenafly in their unsuccessful bid to prevent the installation of an eruv.Certainly a noteworthy effort to prevent Orthodox religious practices.
My own take on him, is that here is a brilliant man,who has reached great heights in law,and the world of public policy.He is widely acclaimed,and surely his friends are telling him how brilliant his article in the NYT was.Yet, the one area he deeply desires acceptance from ,the orthodox community of his upbringing, shuns him as a traitor.Thus he strikes out at them.
I assume that his education at Maimonides,would have taught him that our traditions will not bend either to the NYT,or the Jewish Week.
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It is amazing how similar Liberals are in both the US and Israel.They live in a world of fanatsy.The realities of enemies that seek to destroy our way of life can be handled by soft talk, a drive for concessions on our part. diplomacy and more talk.
Haim Ramon,Deputy PM and close friend of Olmert,proposes an immediate 70% withdrawal from Judea-Samaria.He is in effect acting o n as a shill for Olmert,as Olmert acted for Sharon.
Leaving aside whether this is the right thing to do in the long run, by what parameter does Abbas deserve to be rewarded? Has he disarmed any group? Has he reformed the PA? Has the PA renounced the right of return? Does Abbas really control Fatah? and won't these rifles etc ,eventually be used against the IDF?
Why rush to give away territory, when you have not taken care of the 10,000 Gaza reidents?
Trusting Abbas is dangerous,and he has no track record of success.
Why endanger 240,000 settlers at this (or any ) point?
Item;
The Knesset passed the first reading of a bill restricing JNF lands to Jews.Liberal Jewish groups both religious and political are screaming "Apartheid".I know that when I was a kid in the 1940's ,riding on the NY subway with a blue and white JNF box going from car to car,I never collected for an Arab settlement.These left-wingers should be ashamed of themselves.
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I know full well that AIPAC and the organized pro-Israel community in the US follow the lead of Israel in most issues.
I believe that the upcoming proposed sale of 20 billion dollars in arms to the Saudis must be fought, even with the increased Israeli aid package.
The Saudis are not "moderates" a"-they have not helped us in Iraq nor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.They are the source of funding for Islamic anti-West fundamentalism.
The fact that Olmert told the Cabinet that he understand the need for the US to support the Saudis,shows his weakness as a leader, who has no backbone,
The similarity to May 1986 is uncanny. President Reagan wanted to sell 345 million dollars of sidewinder and harpoon missiles to the Saudis.Very dangerous weapons at that juncture in time.The Israeli govt.,kept quiet,and AIPAC backed off from fighting the sale.
Led by Sen Alan Cranston (D-Calif) and a very small group of activists,of which I was a proud part of, successfully defeated the sale.In my autobiography p-133 I describe the whole battle, including being called into the White House to meet President Reagan.He asked our small group to release the Senators who had pledged to us their opposition.We refused, and the sale was dropped.
The Congress must stand up,and activists must organize!
