Michael Poppers http://www.jta.org/user/profile/16010 en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 With respect to Dan Klein's "pattern": one would have to examine what each incumbent did that could influence Jewish voters. George W. Bush is an exception because he was exceptionally friendly to the State of Israel. Of how many Presidents (much less incumbent Presidents) could one state that? In my limited memory as a voter, of only Reagan could one make such a statement, and Mondale was more amenable to many Jews in 1984 than Carter was in 1980 (heck, even my strongly-Dem. mother didn't vote for Carter -- anyone, even Anderson, was a better choice for her than Carter).... 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 In 1977, the Six Day War was a stronger memory than it is now. Then, the armistice lines were "indefensible" against jets and tanks coming from Arab neighbors; now, the issue is more about PA- and Hamas-sponsored rockets and terrorists. We may again be seeing this type of news another thirty years from now. If we do, I'll bet a can of Coke that there is a Palestinian state in de facto existence, and its name is Jordan.... 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I read in today's NYT that Bielat's campaign will soon field a "Frank dances around the issues" advertisement -- see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/us/politics/21ad.html for details. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 @Susan: Interesting comment, especially considering that the original song (by Lenny Solomon -- see http://wejew.com/media/2392/Lenny_Solomon_Unity_Ani_Yehudi/ ) explicitly makes the point that we're _not_ this label or that label.... 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Mr. Sternlight appears to believe that sentence length is based solely on the code violations of which the defendant was convicted. The US legal system relies on human beings rather than robots not only because it predates robots but also because the given judge weighs other considerations besides which particular codes were violated. On a related subject, this case is not the first in which the public prosecutor obtained a conviction based on violation of codes seemingly minor in comparison to alleged crimes and then sought to have a judge "throw the book" at the defendant -- as one famous example, consider Al Capone. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 To Joe Schwartz et al.: I know his sister well and have met his brother (who per se is quite accomplished in various fields, including various aspects of mathematics and Jewish learning). The entire family is quite bright, but more importantly, they've utilized their respective talents for the betterment of the Jewish community and people. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 "Many software programs also enable the posting of family trees online, which allows relatives to share and edit each other’s information. For privacy reasons, users can restrict access to the trees; some sites limit what information can be viewed." Just to mention one online site: Geni, http://www.geni.com . 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 What does Z Street wish to accomplish that isn't already being accomplished by ZOA and like-minded organizations? Thanks. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Jeff Cohn has literally invested body&soul;into the MakeAShidduch Foundation over the last few years. If you can afford to invest a few bucks and/or your time to help make a shidduch, see http://www.makeashidduch.org/ . Thanks! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 The site seems rigorously untested: when I search for any term, I get an error. For example, if I search for "rabbi", URL http://www.koogle.co.il/English/חיפוש/rabbi comes up with a "The page cannot be found" error (perhaps because part of the URL is in Hebrew?). Tzarich avodah y'seirah :). 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Gam zu l'tovah. Hopefully he will have more influence in his new position. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Ari H., military censorship by any state of credentialed media personnel is standard operating procedure -- especially in a time of war when the element of surprise could mean the difference between operational success and failure as well as the lives of soldiers and citizens -- regardless of whether those personnel are citizens of that state. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It should be noted that in the Orthodox communities outside Israel, "simple wooden caskets" _are_ the norm (in Israel, even less of an obstacle to "returning to the earth," e.g. a talis, may be used) and that the total cost in the US is in the same ballpark as the quoted $1K for cremation. Enriching funeral directors by spending undue amounts on pomp and fancy caskets is no honor to the deceased, while, by contrast, following in the legacy of the deceased, increasing one's connection with God, and many other activities which involve more commitment and action than monetary cost would, IMHO, be a proper honor. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Hold on a minute, Bibi baby -- I've got to get this Saudi spittle off my shoes.... 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 SoS Clinton may feel latitude in dismissing Memorandums of Understanding such as those between US Presidents Clinton and GWBush and the Gov't of Israel, but for her to quote from a "Road Map" (http://www.un.org/media/main/roadmap122002.html) while ignoring what it says (e.g. Phase I steps from the PA which have yet to occur) and stating what it does not say (e.g. what she and others call "illegal settlements" are in no manner considered "illegal") is, to the say the least, hypocritical. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 In diplospeak, one might call President Obama's speech and the response of the Gov't of Israel a "frank exchange of views." 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 To Ari H: President Obama's speech repeatedly was historically inaccurate, and the litany of inaccuracies (from the Muslim population of the US and its community's accomplishments to what the reasons were and are for Arab displacement and refugees) was entirely one-sided and, essentially, a repetition of the "narrative" of the sworn enemies of the Jewish people and of Israel. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 To paabrhm: A terrorist deliberately plans to attack his victims. Based on the facts as laid out in this JTA report, the killer didn't plan to kill or wound those he killed and wounded (and we're ignoring the possibility of his being mentally impaired). If the killer in this story had been an Arab: I can't speak for JTA, but if I was writing the headline, he would be referred to as a "gunman." P.S. For a working definition of "terrorism," see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism . 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 No need to speculate about its programming -- check it out for yourself: http://www.jewishlifetv.com/index_programs.php . 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 "At least five Kassam rockets were fired at southern Israel in apparent response to an Israeli air attack in central Gaza" sounds like "cycle of violence" language. Very disappointing to see JTA fall into this trap. Let's be clear: if terrorists weren't firing rockets at Israeli civilians, the IDF would not be responding, but even if the IDF didn't respond, terrorists would still be firing rockets! To put this another way: the article's "Kassams hit Israel after Gaza attack" title could be misinterpreted (and is per se disappointing, when the facts better support a title of "Terrorists fire Kassams at Israel after Israeli response"), but it's better than an attempt to interpret terrorist actions as "an apparent response" to IDF actions. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Please let the WTA and the ITF know how you feel. URLs: for WTA contact, http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/thewtatour/contact/ ; for ITF contact, http://www.itftennis.com/womens/contact.asp . Thank you. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00