Submitted Stories by Lisa Hostein RSS Feed Stories Submitted by Lisa Hostein
Remembering Kristallnacht
As ceremonies around the world prepare to mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, JTA’s archival reports from the time provide a chilling reminder of the terror that served as a prelude to the Holocaust. Read more »
Continuing fallout from Pa. GOP letter
The fallout continues over the Pa. GOP letter that suggested that a vote for Barack Obama could lead to another Holocaust. After JTA’s initial reports on the letter and the public apology issued by one of the Jewish signatories, former state supreme court justice Sandra Schultz Newman, the mainstream media has latched on to the issue, including Slate, the Philadelphia Inquirer and local television and radio. Less public are the reverberations hitting the local Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, whose campaign chairman, I. Michael Coslov, was one of the three Jewish signatories. For legal reasons, because of its non-profit status as a 501c3 as well as shalom bayit, to keep peace in the community, the federation has always taken pains to avoid endorsing political candidates. The current federation president, Leonard Barrack, told JTA earlier this week that the federation by-laws make clear that only the CEO and president are prohibited from endorsing political candidates. Coslov is widely assumed to become the next federation president, though federation officials caution that the nominating process has not even begun. But some in the community, including federation trustees, are not happy. One of those trustees, Lynn Zeitlin, a prominent Philadelphia attorney, wrote to the federation: I want to know when the Jewish Federation will denounce and demand a retraction of the email that was signed by the campaign chair of Federation, albeit as a private citizen, which email was condemned by the ADL and many others. I understand that Justice Newman has issued an apology. I would like to know if Federation is demanding that its campaign chair also issue an apology or resign his position. The federations’s chief marketing officer, Alex Stroker, wrote back that the federation was working on “next steps to remedy any and all negative perceptions this may have caused,” Zeitlin said. She has also written to Coslov directly, seeking an apology. Stroker told JTA that the federation has received only a few calls and e-mails, but he acknowledged that “people are not happy” and that there’s a lot of discussion going on about the situation. He did not know what the next steps would be. Coslov himself has not issued an apology but has distanced himself from the letter, saying he never read the full text and that he’s not “that extreme.” Both Barrack and Stroker emphasized that Coslov signed the letter as a private citizen. “You can’t tell private citizens what to do,” Stroker said. The whole flap speaks to the overall tenor of the campaign this year and how vigorously Jews in Pennsylvania are being courted. One involved member of the local Jewish community, Robert Fox, called for a halt to all the infighting, with a Dayeinu: Dayeinu. Regardless of whether you are solid for Barack, McCain and able, Biden your time, or pining for Palin. Dayeinu. The rhetoric within the Jewish community is too hot, too shrill and quite frankly unbecoming of us all. As Jews, we ALL value that America was founded on the bedrock principle of religious pluralism, a principle that protects our rights as a religious minority to worship freely. We ALL value tikun olam, the need and obligation to help others less fortunate. And, we ALL value the unique democracy America offers. It is our obligation as a Jewish community to use these democratic values wisely, to exercise our free speech carefully without rancor, accusation and innuendos. We as a Jewish community may sing in different ways, but we must begin again ALL singing from the same song book. Find the ties that bind rather than divide us. The harmony will be beautiful. I bet he and many others can’t wait until next Tuesday. Read more »
Kristallnacht unearthed
My mother-in-law is one of the thousands of German-born Jews who still can recall with horror Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, the pogrom 70 years ago that marked the beginning of the end. The memory of watching her Jewish school burn as a 9-year-old child is seared into her brain. Her story and others’ have been told time and time again. But there hasn’t been much physical evidence of that fateful day – until an Israeli researcher stumbled on a garbage dump. The New York Times gives a full report. Read more »
In final days, campaigns step up bid for Pa. Jewish vote
The Obama and McCain campaigns in the stretch run are intensifying their efforts to win over Jewish voters in Pennsylvania, a possible swing state where Jewish votes are seen as crucial to victory. Read more »
Holocaust hype enters the elections
Just days after an email to 75,000 Pennsylvania Jews suggested that a vote for Barack Obama could cause another Holocaust, at least two of the signatories to the letter are distancing themselves from it. This after the political operative who apparently wrote the letter was fired. The letter, paid for by the state Republican Party, caused a huge uproar, with e-mails flying back and forth. Both I. Michael Coslov, the campaign chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and Sandra Schultz Newman, a former state supreme court justice, are distancing themselves from the letter, saying they hadn’t actually read its contents before signing on. Coslov said he doesn’t think Obama is “right for the Jewish people, but I don’t think he’s going to cause another Holocaust.” Newman issued an apology to those who had e-mailed her objecting to the letter. “I regret that I did not carefully review the final draft before it was released with my signature,” she wrote. “Some of the language was inappropriate and intemporate. I apologize to anyone who was offended by this misguided e-mail.” But another Republican salvo continued the theme over the weekend. The Republican Jewish Coalition mobilized volunteers to distribute leaflets in heavily Jewish neighborhoods in suburban Philadelphia. The glossy leaflets also referenced the Holocaust indirectly. Featuring a photo of Obama speaking in Germany, the sheet said: “Concerned about Obama? You should be. History has shown that a naive and weak foreign policy has resulted in tragic outcomes for the Jewish people.” Read more »
Money, hate and Jewish values
Fears of an anti-Semitic backlash from the global financial crisis continue to simmer, though evidence beyond the usual anti-Semitic hatemongers is scant. JTA reported on the domestic fears a few weeks ago and now the ADL has issued a news release citing some worrying examples in the international press. I often wonder whether giving publicity to these fringe voices does more harm than good. While Jew-spotting can have its sinister side, it can also be a source of pride when it comes to noting Nobel laureates, as a Ha’aretz columnist points out in his recent piece. And leave it to Shmuley Boteach to argue that the financial crisis should prompt Jews to re-evaluate our priorities – and our mark on the world in Up against a Wall (Street): The financial crisis and Jewish values. Read more »
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
