Submitted Comments RSS Feed Comments by Murray Aronson
Posted in: Ukrainian oligarchs' sex and tallis video
Well it's stupid and not classy. So it's tasteless. If the makers and sub- ject were not Jews, then I'm sure because of the talleitim we'd hear cries of anti-Semitism. The video is a far cry from the lachrymose concept of Judaism. While not my thing, the video wasn't dull. A bi gezunt!
Posted in: Cat fight at Auschwitz
I agree with Carole Clarke that the cat can take care of itself. I'm assuming that the cat takes care of any resident mice and rats, otherwise I hope someone (Jewish, Polish, otherwise) puts out food and water for the puss.
Posted in: Hold the praise for Pius XII
It is to be hoped that Pius XII did more to save Jewish lives than is commonly believed. However, there is one thing he could have done, but for whatever reason, and according to the agenda of the Vatican and the Catholic Church possibly good and necessary, but did not. On the morning of October 16, 1943, the Germans then in occupation of Rome, did a raid primarily in the old Ghetto, rounding up whatever Jews they could lay their hands on. I believe some 1000 Jews were gathered up in one of the Ghetto piazzas before being brought to one of the Roman train stations, and then deported East where most of them were murdered. These Jews were largely the Pope's Jews, some of them may have been born papal subjects. (Rome was taken by the new Kingdom of Italy only in 1870.) Pius XII could have practically seen the ongoing raid and deportation from his window. The Ghetto is walking distance from the Vatican. Why didn't the Pope go immediately to the Ghetto and try to prevent these innocent people being taken from the Holy and Eternal City of Rome? Earlier that year, in July 1943, there was an Allied bombing raid in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. As soon as Pius XII was informed of the attack, he ordered his limousine to take to San Lorenzo and he was there within minutes to comfort and aid his people. There is a well-known photograph of Pius XII in the midst of his flock of the San Lorenzo district. He was after all the Bishop of Rome. If Pius XII could have gone to San Lorenzo in July, he could have gone to the Ghetto in October. The Ghetto may be a little closer to the Vatican. Whatever else Pope Pius XII did or didn't do regarding the Nazis, the Jews and their fate, this inaction on October 16, 1943 is just unforgivable.
Posted in: Organ harvesting and the Holocaust
This all looks bad, but even without permission, is harvesting organs comparable to the actions of the Holocaust? At least these various organs went to sustain or improve life. Did the parties responsible for this ever realize how it would look? Like it or not, perception counts in the struggle for hearts and minds.
Posted in: Nobels, politics and parochialism
But at the time the Locarno Pact seemed that it might contribute to European peace. No one then expected Hitler to come to power. So in retrospect and hindsight Austen Chamberlain did do what Nobel's will asked for. A goodly number of the Peace laureates were men and women of courage and idealism who worked to make the World a better place. To name a few: Bertha von Suttner; Fridtjof Nansen; Jane Addams; Aristide Briand and Gustav Stresemann (who died much too prematurely); Carl von Ossietzky (a brave German); John Boyd Orr; Ralph Bunche; Linus Pauling; and the recently deceased Norman Borlaug. Cordell Hull probably deserved his prize. Barack Obama is in good company. Mazel Tov Mr. President! As for Herta Mueller, I never heard of her. But then there are a lot of writers that I've never heard of. But so what. I wish the English literary critic Martin Seymour-Smith were still alive and writing. He would have known about Herta Mueller and most likely would have read some works by her. Relatively foreign literature is translated and published in the United States. And we all know the star names. Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Cynthia Ozick are fine writers and maybe their Nobel will eventually come their way. But it doesn't, they're in good company.
Posted in: Breaking the fast, Sephardi style
This is being pedantic, but describing Italian Jews as Sephardic is ridiculous. There are some Sephardim in Italy, however, the largest community in Italy, that of Rome, is sui generis Italian. Just remember Sephardi means Spanish. There are other Jewish ethnicities beside the two major ones, Ashkenazi and Sephardi. The Italki being one of them.
Posted in: German parties pledge support to Jewish community
When I visited West Germany for afew days in 1971, some Jews in Cologne (Orthodox observant and of German background, not Eastern European) told me that as a matter of course the majority of the then much Jewish community do not vote for any of the Christian parties, eg the Christian Democrats, the Bavarian affiliate Christian Social Union. I have no idea if that reluctance still exists.
Posted in: Brandeis, Frankfurter on new stamps
I believe Benjamin Cardozo was a Columbia Law School graduate. I hope I'm not being too obvious, but there haven't been as yet any Muslim justices on the US Supreme Court. Until recently the Muslim population in the United States has been rather small.
Posted in: Pope will visit Rome synagogue
I think it would be appropriate for the Pope to visit the Main Synagogue during Sukkot. That holiday called the Time of our Rejoicing was to be open to Gentiles. During Sukkot in Temple times sacrifices were offered on behalf of the World's Seventy Nations. Sukkot is supposed to have universalist connotations. I hope Chief Rabbi di Segni invites the Pope to share a meal in the sukkah. L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu everyone. May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life.
RSS Feed Breaking News
Updated 02/09/12 @ 05:54PM EST
- A poll showed that nearly half of likely voters believed the United States should use military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
- Rabbi Gunther Plaut, a major figure in Reform Judaism, died in Toronto.
- The application for a proposed Hebrew-language charter school was accepted by the District of Columbia Public Charter School board.
- A truck driving calves from Eilat to the Golan Heights was hijacked into the West Bank.
- U.S. Rep. Howard Berman introduced legislation that would allow eligible Israeli nationals to receive non-immigrant investor visas in the United States.
- Poll: Half of U.S. voters back strike on nuclear Iran
- Reform leader Rabbi Gunther Plaut dies
- D.C. Hebrew-language charter school accepted for review
- Op-Ed: Kick the reaction addiction on campus
- Berman moves to grant investor visas to Israelis
- Holy cow! Calves hijacked into Palestinian territory
- Report: Israeli journalist also works for prime minister
- Larry Greenfield tapped to lead JINSA
Posted in: Mormon leader: Hawaii is Jewish
08/31/11 11:48 PM
Hawaii is Jewish after all these words are similar: Kahuna meaning priest is like kohain. Heiau meaning temple is like heychal. And the clincher is Auwe (pronounced Ow vay) meaning something like Oy vay! There's got to be a connection.