I know there are those who wonder why, with all of the various injustices going on in the world, do I seem to dwell on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians? It’s a fair and important question. For me it boils down to this: I’ve come to believe that too many of us in the Jewish community [...]
Archive for the ‘Nonviolence’ Category
I Can’t Dance Any More
Posted in Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Movies, Nonviolence, Palestine, Politics on June 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »
People You Should Know About: Ezra Nawi
Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Peace, People You Should Know About on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re looking for the definition of an Israeli hero, here’s my nomination: human rights activist Ezra Nawi. Well-known in the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement, Nawi is a true original. This is how he was described by journalist Neve Gordon in a recent Guardian article:
Nawi is not a typical rights activist. A [...]
In Search of Perspective in Bil’in
Posted in Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Politics/Middle East, War on May 27, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Recently read a piece on Ynet describing the experience of IDF soldiers stationed in Bil’in – a Palestinian village which has been the site of a weekly demonstration for the past four years. I was particularly intruiged by the description of one soldier, who described the detail as “more terrifying for [...]
Is BDS anti-Semitism?
Posted in Anti-Semitism, Global Activism, Human Rights, Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Politics, Zionism on April 1, 2009 | 16 Comments »
For many Jews, no three letters seem to conjure up rage and fury as effectively as “BDS.” Still, I have a strong suspicion that we’ll be hearing them bandied about increasingly in the coming months.
Since the Gaza war, the movement for global Boycott/ Divestment/ Sanctions against Israel seems to have gained new momentum. Among its [...]
A Peace Veteran Bears Witness
Posted in Gaza, Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Peace, War on March 6, 2009 | 3 Comments »
This past Wednesday, JRC’s Peace Dialogue sponored a visit by longtime peace activist and nonviolence practitioner Kathy Kelly, who traveled to Gaza during the recent war.
If you’ve never heard of Kathy Kelly, you should read her bio because she’s someone you need to know about. This recent article will give some idea of the territory she covered in her presentation.
As she’s has been walking the [...]
Israel and Gaza: A View from Rumi
Posted in Gaza, Israel, Nonviolence, Palestine, Peace, Poetry, Politics, Politics/Middle East, Religion, War on January 8, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Here’s the most beautiful response to this huge ugly mess I’ve yet to encounter: images of tragedy in Gaza and Sderot set against a poem by the great Persian poet Rumi.
Here’s the text:
Move beyond any attachment to
names.
Every war and every conflict between
human beings
has happened because of some
disagreement about names.
It’s such an [...]
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 [...]
Dialogue in Qom
Posted in Interfaith, Iran, Iran Trip 2008, Islam, Judaism, Nonviolence, Peace, Religion on December 2, 2008 | 2 Comments »
We’re in Esfahan now (unquestionably one of the most stunning cities I’ve ever visited) but I want to tell you first about our day yesterday, which we spent at Mofid University in the city of Qom.
Qom is considered a holy city for Shia Islam and is the largest center for Shia scholarship in the world. In addition [...]
