This 4th, I’m thinking about “Operation Enduring Freedom” and wondering in particular when the real Independence Day will arrive for Iraq. Here are some trenchant thoughts on the subject by Kelly Dougherty, former Army National Guard Sergeant (and current Executive Director of Iraq Veterans Against the War):
Occupation and Independence cannot co-exist. Until our troops [...]
Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category
Occupation and Independance Cannot Coexist
Posted in Independence Day, Iraq, Peace, Politics, War on July 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
How to Observe Memorial Day
Posted in Iraq, Memorial Day, Peace, War on May 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Rabban Shim’on ben Gamli’el said, “On three things the world stands: on justice, on truth, and on peace.” Rav Muna said, “These three are one thing: Where justice is done, truth is done and peace is made. Every place there is justice, there is peace.” — Talmud, Derekh Eretz [...]
There ARE Jews Against the War
Posted in American Judaism, Current Events, Iraq, Peace, War on March 25, 2008 | 1 Comment »
As Aryeh Cohen’s comment to my post below points out, my pronouncement of the demise of Jews Against the War was greatly exaggerated. My apologies at the good folks at JAW – and thank you to their Executive Director Sarah Newman for sending me these pix of their recent demonstration in the Pico-Robertson area [...]
Where is the Outrage?
Posted in Current Events, Iraq, Peace, War on March 24, 2008 | 2 Comments »
One who is able to protest against a wrong that is being done in his family, his city, his nation or the world and doesn’t do so is held accountable for that wrong. (Talmud, Tractate Shabbat)
As we are currently marking an Iraq War “double-milestone” of five years and 4,000 American military [...]
Visionary Quote of the Week
Posted in Current Events, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Peace, Politics, Politics/Middle East on June 19, 2007 | 1 Comment »
“We’re laying the foundations for someone else to succeed in the future, and I think that’s fine.”
- Condoleeza Rice on the Bush administration’s Mideast policy (quoted in Newsweek)
Memorial Day 2007
Posted in Current Events, Human Rights, Iraq, Memorial Day, Politics, Politics/Middle East, Religion, Terrorism on May 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
“A single man was created to teach you that one who destroys a single soul, it is as if he has destroyed an entire world…” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5)
As we appropriately remember America’s war dead this Memorial Day (see my earlier post), here’s a plea that we honor the memory of all who have fallen as a result [...]
Four Years in Iraq: “Love Always and Forever”
Posted in Iraq, Peace on March 19, 2007 | 6 Comments »
On this fourth anniversary of our miltary invasion of Iraq, I’m tempted to write a post filled with political analysis and no small measure of bitterness and anger. I will resist this urge and offer you this instead: one soldier’s posthumous letter to his family.
It comes from an article in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune about Capt. [...]
Be It Resolved…
Posted in Iran, Iraq, Peace, Politics/Middle East, Religion/Politics, Terrorism on March 14, 2007 | 4 Comments »
I’m writing this post from Phoenix, AZ, where I’ve been attending the annual convention of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. I’m thrilled to report that the RRA overwhelmingly passed the following resolution on Iraq and Iran at our Business Meeting today (submitted by myself and incoming RRA President Rabbi Toba Spitzer.)
I am immensely proud of my [...]
Naming the Nameless
Posted in Iraq, Judaism, Politics/Middle East, Prayer, Religion, Religion/Politics on January 30, 2007 | 1 Comment »
However one feels about the policies that have made such a mess of the Iraq war, it is politically and morally unacceptable to be so distanced from those in harm’s way and their families.
–Tom Brokaw (Washington Post, 11/26/2006)
There’s been hardly any media interest in the unrelieved agony of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in [...]
No Sacrifice At All…
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Environmentalism, Health Care, Iraq, Judaism, Religion, Religion/Politics, Torah Commentary, Tzedakah on March 23, 2007 | 2 Comments »
The book of Vayikra/Leviticus, which we begin reading this week, is almost exclusively devoted to details of the sacrificial rituals of ancient Israel. Many commentators have pointed out that there is, in fact, no one Hebrew word for “sacrifice” per se. The Torah presents many different words (e.g. olah, zevach, minchah) for various types of [...]
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