Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters who were ejected from Thursday night's soccer match against Bosnian side Siroki Brijeg after throwing firecrackers blamed the home supporters for provoking the trouble with anti-Semitic chanting....
Hapoel supporter Eyal Heled gave his account of events to Army Radio on Friday: "Disturbances broke out when fans in the Bosnian supporters' section started shouting 'Sieg Heil' and making Nazi salutes. One of our fans then threw a firecracker into their section and then the Bosnian security forces rushed in and started hitting us indiscriminately."
Wouldn't it have been better if the Tel Aviv fans just started singing Amy Israel Chai or David Melech Yisrael? I guess they didn't belong to USY.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Yes, I'm in my early 40's and yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit it.
I can't wait for Disney's debut of High School Musical 2 tonight.
The Dallas Morning News raves.
Regarding the original "HSM", it's not that the lyrics are super insightful or that the story is compelling - but damn the music is catchy once your little girls have played everything for the hundredth time - on the DVD, on the CD, on the TV. More importantly, the movie's message is important and I love that my kids have found a super-fun way to learn it - "We're all in this together".
Go Wildcats!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The good news is that suicide bombings on Israeli buses have practically come to a halt. Now the question arises over which additional security measures, if any, can be pulled back.
The public transportation security unit, established during the second Intifada in order to prevent suicide terror attacks against Israeli buses, will be shut down due to the sharp decline in such attacks in recent years, Maariv reported on Thursday.
According to the report, a number of days ago commanding officers in the unit were given notice and were apprised of the decision to put an end to their activities as of September 1.
The report said sources in the Transportation Ministry attributed the closedown to the Finance Ministry, which reportedly cited the program's cost as the grounds for its termination. Bus companies such as Egged, as well as Israel Police, expressed their opposition to the shutdown of a unit that has been commended for its excellence in preventing attacks and generating deterrence amongst terror groups.
The public transportation security unit, established during the second Intifada in order to prevent suicide terror attacks against Israeli buses, will be shut down due to the sharp decline in such attacks in recent years, Maariv reported on Thursday.
According to the report, a number of days ago commanding officers in the unit were given notice and were apprised of the decision to put an end to their activities as of September 1.
The report said sources in the Transportation Ministry attributed the closedown to the Finance Ministry, which reportedly cited the program's cost as the grounds for its termination. Bus companies such as Egged, as well as Israel Police, expressed their opposition to the shutdown of a unit that has been commended for its excellence in preventing attacks and generating deterrence amongst terror groups.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The American Jewish Committee sponsored a very strong ad consisting of hundreds of University professors signing off on the statement below by Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University.
Boycott Israeli Universities?
Boycott Ours,Too!
“As a citizen, I am profoundly disturbed by the recent vote by Britain’s new University
and College Union to advance a boycott against Israeli academic institutions. As a
university professor and president, I find this idea utterly antithetical to the fundamental
values of the academy, where we will not hold intellectual exchange hostage to
the political disagreements of the moment. In seeking to quarantine Israeli universities
and scholars, this vote threatens every university committed to fostering scholarly
and cultural exchanges that lead to enlightenment, empathy, and a much-needed
international marketplace of ideas.
“At Columbia, I am proud to say that we embrace Israeli scholars and universities that
the UCU is now all too eager to isolate—as we embrace scholars from many countries
regardless of divergent views on their government’s policies. Therefore, if the
British UCU is intent on pursuing its deeply misguided policy, then it should add
Columbia to its boycott list, for we do not intend to draw distinctions between our
mission and that of the universities you are seeking to punish. Boycott us, then, for
we gladly stand together with our many colleagues in British, American and Israeli
universities against such intellectually shoddy and politically biased attempts to
hijack the central mission of higher education.”
Bollinger's name on the bottom is presented in a very John Hancock-ian way, making his declaration all the more forceful.
Some are wondering where Yale's president was when the sign-up sheet came around. Then again, I don't think I see Harvard or NYU either.
UPDATE: Add NYU and 41 others....
Boycott Israeli Universities?
Boycott Ours,Too!
“As a citizen, I am profoundly disturbed by the recent vote by Britain’s new University
and College Union to advance a boycott against Israeli academic institutions. As a
university professor and president, I find this idea utterly antithetical to the fundamental
values of the academy, where we will not hold intellectual exchange hostage to
the political disagreements of the moment. In seeking to quarantine Israeli universities
and scholars, this vote threatens every university committed to fostering scholarly
and cultural exchanges that lead to enlightenment, empathy, and a much-needed
international marketplace of ideas.
“At Columbia, I am proud to say that we embrace Israeli scholars and universities that
the UCU is now all too eager to isolate—as we embrace scholars from many countries
regardless of divergent views on their government’s policies. Therefore, if the
British UCU is intent on pursuing its deeply misguided policy, then it should add
Columbia to its boycott list, for we do not intend to draw distinctions between our
mission and that of the universities you are seeking to punish. Boycott us, then, for
we gladly stand together with our many colleagues in British, American and Israeli
universities against such intellectually shoddy and politically biased attempts to
hijack the central mission of higher education.”
Bollinger's name on the bottom is presented in a very John Hancock-ian way, making his declaration all the more forceful.
Some are wondering where Yale's president was when the sign-up sheet came around. Then again, I don't think I see Harvard or NYU either.
UPDATE: Add NYU and 41 others....
Patience, my liberal friends, patience.....
Der Spiegel, which not too long ago ran this cover story....
(Power and Lies: George W. Bush and the Lost War in Iraq)
....sings a slightly different tune today. Here's some excerpts....
Truth be told, the Americans have restored order to many parts of the county.
The US military is more successful in Iraq than the world wants to believe.
The Americans run into acquaintances in the crowd. After being stationed in the city for 10 months, they have become a familiar sight. Bearded men greet the soldiers with hugs and kisses, and passersby hand them cold cans of lemonade. "Thank you, Mister," "Hello, Mister," "How are you, Mister?" they say. They talk about paint for schools and soccer jerseys, and they invite the Americans over for lunch. The Iraqis pose for photos with them, making "V's" for "victory" with their fingers.
It may not matter in the end whether they greeted us as liberators 4 years ago, as long as they believe in what we have been trying to do 20 years from now.
Der Spiegel, which not too long ago ran this cover story....
(Power and Lies: George W. Bush and the Lost War in Iraq)
....sings a slightly different tune today. Here's some excerpts....
Truth be told, the Americans have restored order to many parts of the county.
The US military is more successful in Iraq than the world wants to believe.
The Americans run into acquaintances in the crowd. After being stationed in the city for 10 months, they have become a familiar sight. Bearded men greet the soldiers with hugs and kisses, and passersby hand them cold cans of lemonade. "Thank you, Mister," "Hello, Mister," "How are you, Mister?" they say. They talk about paint for schools and soccer jerseys, and they invite the Americans over for lunch. The Iraqis pose for photos with them, making "V's" for "victory" with their fingers.
It may not matter in the end whether they greeted us as liberators 4 years ago, as long as they believe in what we have been trying to do 20 years from now.
Via Gothamist, check out this 1950's Circle Line tour around NY with period radio commercials playing on the audio track.
Monday, August 13, 2007
In response to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's opinion piece "So You Want to Be Rich?" regarding the evils of working for an investment bank, I sent him the following e-mail:
Rabbi Boteach,
My wife and I are big fans of your show, "Shalom in the Home" and we own several of your books regarding family life.
Having just read your article "So You Want to Be Rich" in the Jerusalem Post, I wanted to respond as someone who has worked in and around Investment Banking for almost 20 years, most of the time alongside the multi-millionaire bankers you feel so strongly about.
Firstly, I don't believe that anyone, regardless of their profession, can easily avoid the rarefied air of the wealthy that you describe if they are successful in their field. There are plenty of doctors and lawyers who spend the majority of their time in the exclusive boardrooms and country clubs of America, far away from family and "friends". The question becomes, "why do they all work so hard"? Is it merely for the accumulation of wealth and comfort? Could it be a fear of failure? What of those who never had a large or well-off family to support them, knowing that everyone relies on them, and them alone?
I am a Conservative Jew living in a large sunbelt city. If it were not for working a 55-60 hour a week job in Investment Banking, I'm not sure that I could afford a Jewish dayschool education for my two girls, membership in my shul, keeping a kosher kitchen, maintenance of an appropriate level of tzedakah, etc.
Please also do some research on the tzedakah given by some of the Investment Bankers you criticize. Millions have been donated to hospitals, universities, etc. to assist the doctors and lawyers who I think it fair to say, we both admire. In one of my recent positions, I helped to process the paperwork for many extremely generous donations to charitable organizations which in turn are chaired and managed by Wall Street's rich and famous.
We all do our part to the best of our abilities. With any luck, we remember where we came from and try help others to have the future they desire.
I realize that in your position as an opinion-maker that a strong viewpoint garners more attention, but please don't paint everyone in my industry with the same broad brush. Some of us are just trying to do what we feel is best for ourselves, our family, and our community.
Rabbi Boteach,
My wife and I are big fans of your show, "Shalom in the Home" and we own several of your books regarding family life.
Having just read your article "So You Want to Be Rich" in the Jerusalem Post, I wanted to respond as someone who has worked in and around Investment Banking for almost 20 years, most of the time alongside the multi-millionaire bankers you feel so strongly about.
Firstly, I don't believe that anyone, regardless of their profession, can easily avoid the rarefied air of the wealthy that you describe if they are successful in their field. There are plenty of doctors and lawyers who spend the majority of their time in the exclusive boardrooms and country clubs of America, far away from family and "friends". The question becomes, "why do they all work so hard"? Is it merely for the accumulation of wealth and comfort? Could it be a fear of failure? What of those who never had a large or well-off family to support them, knowing that everyone relies on them, and them alone?
I am a Conservative Jew living in a large sunbelt city. If it were not for working a 55-60 hour a week job in Investment Banking, I'm not sure that I could afford a Jewish dayschool education for my two girls, membership in my shul, keeping a kosher kitchen, maintenance of an appropriate level of tzedakah, etc.
Please also do some research on the tzedakah given by some of the Investment Bankers you criticize. Millions have been donated to hospitals, universities, etc. to assist the doctors and lawyers who I think it fair to say, we both admire. In one of my recent positions, I helped to process the paperwork for many extremely generous donations to charitable organizations which in turn are chaired and managed by Wall Street's rich and famous.
We all do our part to the best of our abilities. With any luck, we remember where we came from and try help others to have the future they desire.
I realize that in your position as an opinion-maker that a strong viewpoint garners more attention, but please don't paint everyone in my industry with the same broad brush. Some of us are just trying to do what we feel is best for ourselves, our family, and our community.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
It's hard to imagine in today's world that America will ever take part in another "just" war. The kind of fight where you actually root for the American soldier to vanquish the enemy, with no doubts in your mind as to right or wrong.
Ruibcon3 has a video preview of About Face, the story of newly arrived Jewish immigrants who returned to continental Europe to fight against the Nazis in WWII. Would anyone question these soldier's duty to do what they had done?
Perhaps this question is easier to answer with the hindsight of 60 years of peace in most of Europe.
Ruibcon3 has a video preview of About Face, the story of newly arrived Jewish immigrants who returned to continental Europe to fight against the Nazis in WWII. Would anyone question these soldier's duty to do what they had done?
Perhaps this question is easier to answer with the hindsight of 60 years of peace in most of Europe.
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