In my final post from my visit to Iran this past fall, I wrote the following:
We’d be foolish to deny that there are troubling human rights issues that Iran would do well to address. But at the end of the day, the solutions to these problems are certainly not ours to impose.
I felt that passionately then [...]
Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category
Iran for Iranians
Posted in Current Events, Iran, Politics, Politics/Middle East on June 18, 2009 | 4 Comments »
The Power of the Word
Posted in Iran, Islam, Israel, Palestine, Peace, Politics, Politics/Middle East, Religion on June 5, 2009 | 4 Comments »
I’m going to step back from my regularly scheduled cynicism and simply savor the profound and deeply inspiring message that Obama offered the world today. Yes, he is a politician, and yes, every word was carefully calibrated with political implications, but my God, what a tremendous blessing to have an American President who would end [...]
Six Months and Counting
Posted in Iran, Israel, Peace, War on May 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »
It’s no longer speculation to imagine an Israeli military attack on Iran. Following his visit to Washington, Netanyahu has made his ultimate intentions perfectly clear:
These are not regular times. The danger is hurtling toward us. The real danger in underestimating the threat. My job is first and foremost to ensure the future of the state [...]
On Clowns and Illegal Hothouses
Posted in Current Events, Human Rights, Iran, Israel, Politics on April 24, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I know I promised to pontificate on this week’s UN World Conference on Racism in Geneva, but I don’t know that I have anything to add that hasn’t already been said about this particular circus. (And I mean this literally – see above.) For what it’s worth, I found Cecilie Surasky’s dispatches for Muzzlewatch to be [...]
The Plight of Roxana Saberi
Posted in Current Events, Human Rights, Iran, Politics on April 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Several people have asked me, now that Iranian-American Roxana Saberi has been sentenced to eight years in Iranian prison, if I have reconsidered my opinions about Iran and the importance of American-Iranian diplomacy. If anything, this current crisis has only deepened my convictions on both counts.
As I’ve written here before, I certainly don’t harbor any [...]
Rabbis in Shushan
Posted in Iran, Iran Trip 2008, Purim on March 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s one in honor of Purim: a formal pic of the rabbis from our delegation to Iran last fall. (That’s HUC Rabbinical student Saran Bassin on the left and the mighty Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb on the right).
“And the city of Shushan rang with joyous cries…” Happy Purim one and all!
The Jews of Iran: Beyond the Rhetoric
Posted in Iran, Iran Trip 2008, Israel, Politics, Religion on February 23, 2009 | 4 Comments »
I was pleased to read two particularly intelligent Iran-related op-eds in the NY Times today: one by columnist Roger Cohen on the Iranian Jewish community and another by Iranian journalist Ali Reza Eshraghi on the importance of engaging diplomatically with Ahmadinejad.
From Cohen’s piece:
Perhaps I have a bias toward facts over words, but I say the [...]
Home From Iran, Final Thoughts
Posted in Human Rights, Interfaith, Iran, Iran Trip 2008, Islam, Nonviolence, Peace, Religion on December 9, 2008 | 5 Comments »
During our final night in Iran, I was interviewed at length by two reporters from a Tehran newspaper. I mentioned to them that during my High Holiday sermon to my congregation, I noted that Americans (and especially American Jews) chronically misunderstand Iran. I told the reporters that ironically enough, I learned on this trip that I really hadn’t understood Iran nearly as [...]
Pickup at Hafez’s Tomb
Posted in Interfaith, Iran, Iran Trip 2008, Nonviolence, Peace, Poetry, Politics, Religion on December 6, 2008 | 4 Comments »
We’ve spent the last two days in Shiraz – and among other things our experience in this beautiful city gave us a still deeper into to Persia’s soul.
We’ve been told that while Esfahan is generally considered to represent Iran’s historical spirit, Shiraz reflects Iran’s cultural spirit. Indeed, while Iran is an Islamic Republic, Islam is not the [...]
Farewell to Esfahan
Posted in Interfaith, Iran, Iran Trip 2008, Islam, Nonviolence, Peace, Religion on December 3, 2008 | 2 Comments »
We’ve spent the last two days in Esfahan and we’re leaving for Shiraz early tomrrow morning. There is much to say about our stay in this gorgeous historic city – most of our time has been spent touring exquite 17th century mosques, hiking about massive, majestic Imam Square which stretches out for more than 80,000 [...]
