Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Politics – October 2014 – In Memory of Shlomo Lahat (1927-2014)



Politics – October 2014 – In Memory of Shlomo Lahat (1927-2014)
Support is sought to facilitate the work of the Middle East Study Group. Information at http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/mestudygroup/informationfordonors.aspx
Israel will not be alone unless it decides to go it alone
~  Lyndon B. Johnson, 1967
You cannot be serious about peace if you continue playing the blaming game.


~Raphael Cohen-Almagor
This past month I was saddened that Shlomo Lahat is no longer with us (1927-2014). If you ask me who is my ideal model for a mayor of a large city, the first name that will come to my head would be, undoubtedly, Shlomo Lahat, the legendary mayor of Tel Aviv who led the city for twenty years.


Lahat transformed my beloved city of Tel Aviv into a vibrant, lively, liberal and cultural city, second to NY in its constant vibe and buzz. May his soul rest in peace.
Among his many projects, Lahat started the building of the promenade that stretches from the old Tel Aviv Harbour all the way to the old harbour of Jaffa, a magnificent project that transformed the city. The Tel Aviv promenade is one of the most beautiful promenades in the world. It is my favourite place in Tel Aviv. I hold many of my meetings in one of its many coffee shops and restaurants.


Lahat was the man behind “city that never stops” slogan, pumping life into the city 24 hours a day. You can go to a restaurant any time of the day, or night. Tel Aviv has four major theatre companies, and many smaller theatres. Tel Aviv hosts the fine Israeli Philharmonic and the Israeli Opera. It matches any other city in the world of its size in the number of discos, night clubs and pubs. I do not know many cities around the world that live all the time without a stop. New York is one. Did I say New York?


Lahat was a man of vision and abilities, a doer. Tel Aviv is fortunate to presently have Huldai as a mayor, a person who follows Lahat’s footsteps and continues the build-up of the city.


His wife Ziva was the Head Librarian of the Tel Aviv University Social Sciences Library during my time as a student there. From time to time Shlomo came for a visit. He was always vibrant, full of zest and life, jumpy, correct and direct.
Reflections on the Last Newsletter
Israeli Population
A Question for YOU
Poll shows fewer Palestinians support Hamas
Most Israelis and Palestinians Support Two-State Solution
Sweden is to recognize the State of Palestine 
British Parliament Overwhelmingly Votes To Recognize 'Palestine'
Question in Logic
Obama-Netanyahu
Israel, US and the Bomb
MESG Program
An Important Appeal
My New Article
New Books
What Is “A Teenager”
PayPal Looks for A New Pal Away from Bay
Monthly Poems
Gems of the Month

Light Side



Reflections on the Last Newsletter
Some of you do not think Israel should apologize for creating the Nakba, thinking that the refugee phenomenon is the result of wars, and that Israel was attacked in 1948. The Arabs carry all the blame.
Others think that although Israel was attacked, and the war was just in terms of jus ad bellum, the conduct of war (jus in bello) was unjust. Israel exploited the war to expand its territory and to push out the Arabs from the designated new state. While many Arabs indeed fled out of fear, others were transferred by Israel outside its designated boundaries.
The conversation, no doubt, will continue.
Israeli Population

Despite the tough odds, Israel's population continues to grow and is now a bit over 9 million. Over a period of 30 years, population-wise Israel ceased to be a small state and became a middle-size state.

 On the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Population and Immigration Authority released a report estimating Israel’s population at 8,904,373.
This marks an increase of 173,811, or 1.99 percent, in the total population, from 8,730,562 citizens registered with the Interior Ministry a year ago.
The number of new immigrants to Israel over the past 12 months was 24,801.

During the year, some 176,230 babies were born, of which 90,646 were boys and 85,584 were girls.

 Am Yisrael Chai.

 Source: Lidar Gravé-Lazi, “Israeli population climbs to 8,904,373 ahead of Jewish New Year”, Jerusalem Post, 09.21.2014

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israeli-population-climbs-to-8904373-ahead-of-Jewish-New-Year-375927
A Question for YOU
How should an army fight against terrorists who mix themselves and hide among the civilian population? 


Terrorists are well aware of the sensitivities of western armies and the reluctance to harm civilians. They exploit this sensitivity and hide among innocent civilians. Questions rise about the conduct of a just war. A balance needs to be struck between conflicting considerations: the safety of soldiers who are fighting in populated areas which they do not know, the safety of innocent civilians, and the elimination of terrorists.


I welcome thoughts and reflections on this intricate problem.

Poll shows fewer Palestinians support Hamas
One month after Operation Protective Edge, fewer Palestinians are satisfied with the achievements of the campaign and fewer want an intifada.

There was a drop in support for Hamas and its leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh. More Palestinians held a favorable view of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research conducted the poll.

Nonetheless, Hamas and Haniyeh are still more popular than Fatah and Abbas, and a majority of Palestinians remain in favor of rocket attacks against Israel “if the siege and the blockade are not ended.”

The poll also shows greater Palestinian dissatisfaction with the performance of the PA “reconciliation government” backed by Hamas and Fatah.

In a poll taken immediately after the Gaza operation, 79 percent of respondents said that Hamas emerged victorious.

In this most recent survey, which surveyed 1,200 Palestinians throughout Gaza and the West Bank, 69% said that Hamas won. In Gaza, 58% believe that Hamas was the winner.

When it comes to satisfaction with the war’s achievements, 49% said they were satisfied, a 10-point drop compared to one month ago.

According to the latest poll, 50% of respondents are dissatisfied.

In Gaza, that figure rises to 59%.

If the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza is not lifted, 80% of Palestinians said they support more rocket attacks on Israel. In Gaza, support for such attacks is 72%.

More Palestinians favor disarming terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Last month, 57% opposed such a move. In this latest poll, that figure drops to 50%. In Gaza, 42% oppose stripping the organizations of their arms.

As for which Palestinian leader is the preferred choice to rule in the West Bank and Gaza, Haniyeh easily defeats Abbas, 55% to 38%. Last month, the gap was even wider, with the Hamas leader getting 61% support compared to just 32% for Abbas.

Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Fatah-Tanzim leader, would stand more of a chance in an election against Haniyeh.

If a vote were held now, Barghouti would defeat Haniyeh, 48% to 46%. A month ago, Barghouti received 45% support, while Haniyeh received 49%.

If elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council, 39% of respondents said they would back Hamas, while 36% said Fatah. Five percent would back other parties, and 21% are undecided.

Last month, Hamas’s advantage over Fatah was bigger – 46% to 31%. Before the Gaza war, Fatah enjoyed 40% support, while 32% backed Hamas.

 Source: “Poll shows fewer Palestinians support Hamas, new intifada against Israel”, The Jerusalem Post, 10.01.2014 http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Poll-shows-less-Palestinians-support-Hamas-new-intifada-against-Israel-376585


Most Israelis and Palestinians Support Two-State Solution
A new poll conducted by the Geneva Initiative in mid-September 2014 showed that a majority of Israelis (58%), including a majority of Likud voters (53%) believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu should initiate a peace plan that would lead to a two-state solution. A majority (56%) support negotiations with Palestinian President Abu Mazen on a permanent status agreement.
Most Israelis (and especially younger ones - 85%) also believe that the diplomatic freeze in the negotiations is bad for Israel, and that the absence of a peace agreement will result in another violent conflict.


A Palestinian public opinion poll conducted in the last week of September showed that most Palestinians (53%) support a two-state solution.
Sweden is to recognize the State of Palestine 


Sweden is to recognize the state of Palestine, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has said, the first long-term EU member country to do so. "The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution," he said during his inaugural address in parliament. It should be "negotiated in accordance with international law", he said. Sweden last month voted out the centre-right Alliance coalition of Fredrik Reinfeldt after eight years.

British Parliament Overwhelmingly Votes To Recognize 'Palestine'
On October 13, 2014, British lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a state, a move that will not alter government policy, but carries symbolic value as Palestinians pursue international recognition. The final motion, which passed by 274 votes to 12 stated: “That this House believes that the Government should recognize the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution.”

Lawmakers who backed the motion said it would increase pressure on Israeli and Palestinian authorities to revive the stalled peace process: “Its purpose is very simple, based upon the belief that the recognition of a state of Palestine, alongside a state of Israel will add to the pressure for a negotiated two-state solution and may bring that prospect a little closer to fruition,” said Jack Straw, who served as foreign minister between 2001 and 2006.
Only 286 of 650 lawmakers voted, with many outside the government choosing to abstain. The ballot is non-binding and will not force Britain to change its foreign policy.

I hope the writing on the wall is clear for the decision-makers in Jerusalem. Better to be in the driver's seat than in a carriage behind horses you cannot control.

 Question in Logic

 (1) Prime Minister Netanyahu supports a two-state solution.
(2) Prime Minister Netanyahu does not support recognition of Palestine.
Explain why.

 The answer might be that Mr Netanyahu does not wish the Palestinians to make independent steps, without Israel’s permission. But then, does he provide them with any positive assurance that such permission will be granted in the foreseeable future?
Obama-Netanyahu


Another sad meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The differences of opinions and worldviews are evident. Reading the “clarifications” from both offices after the meeting prompted me to open this Newsletter by the Lyndon B. Johnson quote. The two leaders prefer to speak with others than to meet themselves. Netanyahu, who is likely to outlast Obama, cannot wait to see another person, preferably from the right Republican Party in the Oval Office. These meetings do not do either of them much good. I presume Netanyahu was relieved to know that Obama had no intention to have him for lunch. Obama would not meet a single moment with Netanyahu beyond what is absolutely required. On the other hand, Israelis should be all concerned observing the low depth of the relationship between DC and Jerusalem. Truly disconcerting.
  I am reading Marvin Kalb, The Road to War (Washington DC.: Brookings Inst. Press, 2013). As always, Kalb is lucid and interesting, astute and insightful, basing much of the information on personal exchanges between leaders. Observing the tensions between the two leaders, Kalb thinks that maybe the complex American-Israeli relationship has now become so close that it resembles a family quarrel more than a diplomatic split. I hope he is right.
Israel, US and the Bomb


According to Kalb, President Kennedy pressured Ben-Gurion to agree to American inspection of the Dimona nuclear plant. In a letter from May 18, 1963, Kennedy demanded access to Dimona. Ben-Gurion was not quick to react. A month later, Ben-Gurion resigned “in part because of Kennedy’s pressure”, argues Kalb.  After Ben-Gurion’s retirement from office, Kennedy sent a warning to Eshkol (July 5, 1963), firmly saying that “this government’s commitment to and support for Israel could be seriously jeopardized” unless it was given immediate access to Dimona. Kalb believes that “Were it not for Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, U.S.-Israeli relations would have likely ruptured over this issue”.
Kennedy’s successor Johnson had other issues and resolving the nuclear disagreement did not feature among his priorities. On November 26, 1969, President Nixon and Prime Minister Meir reached a secret agreement that exists to this day, that Israel would keep its nuclear capabilities hidden behind code words, maintaining opacity and nuclear ambiguity. The United States, in turn, would not pressure Israel to sign the non-Proliferation Agreement.


Iran now demands an end to Israel’s nuclear program in exchange for Iran abandoning its own program.
Kalb raises a very important and timely issue. He writes that late in the Bill Clinton administration, the United States and Israel considered drafting a mutual defence treaty between the two countries even though Israel had always maintained that it did not want a written treaty that might limit its freedom of action. The issue was raised by Ehud Barak during the 2000 Camp David Summit. Clinton was willing to consider it, despite the incurred high costs for the United States, but the treaty was dependent on reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Once the summit collapsed, so did the idea of a mutual American-Israeli defence treaty. Kalb thinks it is now time for both Israel and the United States to sign such a treaty.
A number of US ambassadors told Kalb they considered Israel to be America’s no. 1 ally, supplanting the United Kingdom which for decades had enjoyed the unparalleled rank of “special relationship” with the United States. Israelis will be reassured knowing that in the event that they were attacked, the United States will act upon the “special relationship” and commit its troops to assist Israel.
MESG Program
I have completed the MESG program for this year. Out first event was held last week. Further information at http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/middle-east-study-group.aspx
15 October 2014
While the World Was at War: The Birth of the Middle East
Staff house, conference room 2
4-8 pm
This symposium proposes to address the implications of World War One by looking at the events that occurred and resulted whilst the world was at war. The event will provide alternative perspectives on three areas of focus: The formation of Turkey, an examination of the way in which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s magnanimous 1934 speech has had a significant impact on relations between Australia, New Zealand and Turkey in the commemoration of the Gallipoli campaign, and conflict and peace in Palestine and Syria. The event promises to present important shifts in the global map that have resonated into contemporary international relations. It shall highlight the key events and factors that have led to the basis of modern day Middle East.
Professor James Connelly, MESG
Death Rattle of an Empire; Birth Pangs of a Republic
Dr Jenny Macleod, Department of History
“Those heroes that shed their blood … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country”: friends and enemies, and the commemoration of the Gallipoli campaign’
Professor John Friend, MESG
Conflict and Peace in Palestine and Syria
22 October 2014, 16:15, WI-SR294
Professor Lester L. Grabbe, MESG
KING DAVID AND EL CID: Two ‘APIRU in myth and history
One of the main problems we have with extracting history from the biblical text is that many personages and events are attested in no other source. This applies to the seminal period of the Israelite monarchy’s beginnings, with the reigns of David and Solomon. Not only are there no other written sources, but the archaeology is currently disputed. Without other reliable sources we are thrown back on trying to evaluate the biblical account, with all its problematic features. I propose here to use the story of the medieval Spanish hero known as El Cid to illuminate the historical process involved in appraising the biblical account.
Lester L. Grabbe is Emeritus Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull.  As the academic title indicates, his main interest is in the history of ancient Israel and the Jews of the Second Temple period.  He founded and convenes the European Seminar on Methodology in Israel’s History, and publishes the proceedings in the sub-series European Seminar in Historical Methodology (T & T Clark International).  9 volumes are available and 2 more are in the process of editing.  In addition, he has authored a dozen volumes, as well editing or co-editing a total of 16 volumes.  He is series editor of the T & T Clark International monograph series, Library of Second Temple Studies.  Before retirement, he established and taught for several years a module, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, and another module, Religious Sectarianism in History and the Modern World.
19 November 2014, 16:15, WI-SR294
Dr Bhumitra Chakma, MESG
South Asia's Nuclear Security
South Asia has two sets of nuclear danger. First, the possibility of deterrence failure between India and Pakistan is conceived to be high. Second, the region is a probable source of nuclear terrorism. My talk based on a forthcoming book seeks to explain these two sets of nuclear danger in South Asia. In particular it evaluates the robustness of the Indo-Pakistani mutual deterrence by analysing the strength and weaknesses of the competing arguments regarding the issue. It also analyses the causes and consequences of nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan, the nature of deterrence structure in the region and the challenges of confidence building and arms control between the two countries in order to assess the robustness of South Asia’s nuclear deterrence. Furthermore, it assesses the safety and security of the nuclear assets and nuclear infrastructure of India and Pakistan. Finally, my talk attempts to extrapolates the future of South Asia’s nuclear security and what needs to be done to strengthen it.
Bhumitra Chakma is Senior Lecturer in Security Studies in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull. He is also the founding director the Department's South Asia Project. Chakma’s research interests include: politics of nuclear weapons, ethnicity and nationalism, South Asian strategic politics. He has published three books on South Asia’s nuclear weapons: Strategic Dynamics and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation in South Asia (Bern and New York: Peter Lang, 2004); Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons (London and New York: Routledge, 2009; paperback edition, 2010); (ed.) The Politics of Nuclear Weapons in South Asia (London: Ashgate Publishing House, 2011).
27 November 2014, 17:00, Wilberforce LR8
Lord David Trimble
The First MESG Annual Lecture:
Peace Negotiations and Mediation: what lessons can we learn from Northern Ireland?


William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC (born 15 October 1944), is a British politician who was the First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002, and the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1995 to 2005. He was also the Member of Parliament for Upper Bann from 1990 to 2005 and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann from 1998 to 2007. In 2006, he was made a life peer in the House of Lords and a year later left the UUP to join the Conservative Party. Lord Trimble was instrumental in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, and (along with John Hume) won the Nobel Peace Prize that year for his efforts.
17 December 2014, 16:15, WI-SR294
Dr Sameera Khalfey, MESG
From Pivot Area to Pivot Actions: ‘Islam’, Extremism and Critical Geopolitics
The relationship between ‘Islam’ and the ‘West’ has evolved from relations based on a geographic pivot “area” to “actions”; “actions” that ‘Western’ states pivot towards. Whilst interactions of the past were dominated by power politics and the monopolisation of trade routes, the scale of interaction has shifted. The (d)evolution towards extremism and terrorism has altered the utilisation of geopolitics. However, geopolitics in its critical form retains the ability to deconstruct the dynamics of interactions in conjunction with globalisation. Taking into consideration the “lost-soul” syndrome that inhabits the extremist, geopolitics addresses the social, historical and seemingly confused geographical elements of the action. This paper will explore the disjointed relationship the extremist has with his own nation / state, highlighting his allegiance to an alternative geographic space or nation in relation to historical ties. This leads to questions over the temporal element of associations with spaces. It simultaneously raises questions over non-geographic nations such as the Ummah, the Universal Church or the Jewish identity and asks if geopolitics has evolved to the extent that geography need not represent a specific space or place.
Dr Sameera Khalfey is currently working as a researcher within the international development sector. She also continues to pursue her research in conflict theory, the relationship between ‘Islam’ and the ‘West’ (inclusive of the interplay between ideology and religion) and extremism. Latest publication - The Duality of Syria: Civil War and The War on Terror.
18 February 2015, 16:15, WI-SR294
Sir Richard Dalton
Understanding Iranian Aspirations


Sir Richard Dalton was a British diplomat from 1970 to 2006, serving mainly in the Middle East.  He was Consul General in Jerusalem from 1993-1997, and Ambassador in Libya from 1999-2002.  From 2002-2006 he was Ambassador in Tehran where he played a role in European negotiations with Iran.


He is an Associate Fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, working primarily on Libya, Iran and the Gulf.
18 March 2015, 16:15, WI-SR294
Professor Derek J. Penslar
Theodor Herzl on Three Continents: Africa, Asia and South America
Theodor Herzl was the founder of political Zionism, but he was also the father of Territorialism, a now-forgotten movement that sought to obtain a secure territory for Jews in any part of the world.  This talk will explore Herzl's attitudes towards territory and how it was to be obtained, settled and developed.  This approach will throw new light on Herzl's relationship with European colonialism as well as the Jewish milieu in which the Zionist movement crystalized at the fin de siecle.
Derek Penslar is the Stanley Lewis Professor of Israel Studies at Oxford and the Samuel Zacks Professor of Jewish History at the University of Toronto.  He is a comparative historian with interests in the relationship between modern Israel and diaspora Jewish societies, global nationalist movements, European colonialism, and post-colonial states.  Penslar is author or editor of ten books, including Israel in History: The Jewish State in Comparative Perspective (2011), The Origins of the State of Israel: A Documentary History (with Eran Kaplan, 2011), and Jews and the Military: A History (2013).  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the American Academy for Jewish Research. 


15 April 2015, 16:15, WI-SR294
Professor Clive Jones
The Yemen Factor


Clive Jones holds a Chair in Regional Security (Middle East) at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. He was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society in 2011, and is currently the Chairman of the European Association of Israel Studies (EAIS). Between 2007 and 2010 he was co-editor of the journal Civil Wars and is currently an editorial board member of the SSCI ranked journals Mediterranean Politics and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 
Clive’s research interests lie in three related areas: International Relations (particularly with regard to foreign and defence policy decision-making), Middle East studies (with a clear emphasis upon Israel and Gulf Security) and security studies (with emphasis upon low intensity conflict and the political and operational use of intelligence as it relates to the Middle East). His book Britain and the Yemen Civil War 1962-1965 (2004/2010) as well as recent articles in peer reviewed journals such as The Middle East Journal, Middle Eastern Studies, International Affairs and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism have explored many of these themes. In 2010, his work on British covert involvement in the Yemen civil War during the 1960s was the subject of a BBC documentary


6 May 2015, 16:15, WI-SR294

Dr Amanda Cahill-Ripley

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Conflict and Peace in the Arab World – An Analysis Of The Role Of Socio-Economic Rights In Conflict, Transition And Peacebuilding


Dr. Amanda Cahill-Ripley is a Lecturer at Lancaster University Law School, UK and Visiting Lecturer in Human Rights Law at the University of Bergen Law Faculty in Norway. Research interests include international human rights, in particular, economic, social and cultural rights; human rights and development; human rights, conflict and transitional justice; the rights of women; human rights, civil liberties and public law in UK and Ireland and methods of human rights research. Geographical areas of interest include Israel/Palestine and the Middle East and Northern Ireland.


Dr Cahill-Ripley is currently researching the role of economic and social rights within transitional justice and peacebuilding. See Cahill-Ripley. A, ‘Foregrounding Socio-Economic Rights in Transitional Justice: Realising Justice for Violations of Economic and Social Rights’, Netherlands Quarterly Human Rights, 32:2, June 2014, pp.183-213. Dr Cahill-Ripley has published on economic and social rights in Israel/Palestine and is the author of a monograph, The Human Right to Water and its Application in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, published by Routledge: Oxford 2011 (paperback: 2013).  
An Important Appeal
My good friend, Professor Sam Lehman-Wilzig, has forwarded me the following important message. Please help if you can. Poverty in Israel is a real, painful problem. I am sorry to say that the Israeli government does not address it to the best of its abilities. Thus it is up to good people like Sam to step forward. Please join in. You are doing a great Mitzvah.
Shalom friends:
I don't usually do this, but as I personally know the founder and director of this Israeli food charity, and also the extremely worthy and efficient work they do, I thought you might like to know about their work and perhaps donate. Please do NOT feel obligated because I am sending this to you -- I won't know if you do anything about it or if you do, how much you are giving.
I would just add that many people are surprised that Israel has a "food for the poor" issue. Unfortunately it does, despite a relatively broad social welfare safety net. No one is "starving" in Israel; but the latest data show that hundreds of thousands (over 10% of the population) are under-nourished for all sorts of economic reasons. What makes Leket Israel so "efficient" is that it does not "buy" food for the poor but rather has set up a huge logistical system to collect food from large institutions that occasionally have surplus that would otherwise be destroyed (e.g. wedding halls; the army; etc). That's how Leket manages to leverage its funds to the "unbelievable" (but very real) numbers you can see below.
Gmar khatima tova,
Sam
Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig
ISRAEL


Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank and leading food rescue network, actively works to alleviate nutritional insecurity through its many food rescue and redistribution projects, rescuing food from destruction for  1,000 of Israel’s food producers, wholesalers  and retailers.  They provide food and nutritional support to over 140,000 people weekly with an annual distribution of 21 million pounds of produce and perishable goods, close to 1,000,000 hot meals collected each year and 1.5 million volunteer prepared sandwiches for underprivileged school children.  Leket receives the support of 50,000 volunteers a year and is working hard to improve the food handling and professional standards of its 180 nonprofit partner agencies.  
   
As you can imagine this hasn’t been the easiest summer in Israel, and I am particularly proud of the way in which Leket Israel rose to the occasion to help those who suffered the most.  In response to the conflict, Leket invested a lot of effort in trying to assess real needs in the south and helping those at greatest risk.  They were able to rescue tens of tons of food from 2 major IDF supply bases in the region (including 400,000 bread rolls) and raised over $250,000 to purchase food from food suppliers in the south, whose businesses had come to a standstill, for redistribution to non-profit agencies working with the needy.

On top of this, there was a major fire at Leket's main logistics center in Raanana several weeks ago.  Thankfully no one was hurt andLeket is insured.  They are now working from temporary storage and refrigeration space and, despite the challenges, are back to 100% output. 

As an organization, Leket Israel is beyond professional, and truly maximizes its potential, with each dollar providing more than 10 pounds of fresh produce to needy families in Israel.  As Yom KIppur quickly approaches, I kindly ask that you take this opportunityto support Leket Israel in its efforts to meet the most basic needs of Israel's poor while preventing the waste of healthy nutritious food.

Donations are tax deductible in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Israel. Please visit this link to donate. 
Checks can be mailed to:
USA: P.O. Box 2090  Teaneck, NJ 07666-1490
Israel: P.O. Box 2297 Raanana 4365006
My New Article
“Avoiding the Destruction of the Third Temple: Separating State and Religion”, in Yossi Goldstein (ed.), Religion Nationalism: The Struggle for Modern Jewish Identity, An Interdisciplinary Annual (Ariel: Ariel University, 2014), pp. 170-189.
Abstract
Values can come into conflict: promoting individual freedom may entail intolerance towards illiberal groups, while promoting tolerance of illiberal groups may entail accepting restrictions on the freedom of individuals. What should be done in such cases?
            In Israel at present, some religious practices are offensive to the sensibilities of women and involve coercion. Coercion conflicts with the liberal elements of democracy that vouchsafes the rights of individuals. One of these is the right to follow one’s conscience and to practice one's beliefs as one sees fit, as long as this practice does not entail harm to others. This paper argues for separation between state and religion, deeming it necessary to avoid coercion and allowing people to pursue their conceptions of the good as long as they do not harm others. Israel today gives precedence to Judaism over liberalism. I submit that the reverse should be the case.


As always, I’d be happy to email the article to interested parties.
New Books
Nathan Hall, Hate Crime (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013).


This is the second edition of a sociological analysis of hate crime across cultures. Building on the success of the first edition, this accessible, cross-disciplinary text also includes a wider range of international issues, and addresses new and emerging areas of concern within the field.


Hall attempts to find answers to some basic questions relating to hate speech and hate crime: What is the problem? How to define hate speech and hate crime? When it is occurring? Where is it occurring? How much of it is there? How does the problem manifest itself in different societies? Who is involved or affected? Why it occurring? What should we do about it?


The main deficiency of this book lies in lack of comparative analysis. For instance, in 2012, the US nation’s law enforcement agencies reported that there were 7,164 victims of hate crimes. How this number compare to other societies? How many victims of hate crime are there in each and every year? What are the mechanisms that translate hate speech to hate crimes in different societies? Is hate speech legislation beneficial in reducing hate crimes? What lessons should we draw from the USA in fighting hate speech and hate crime? How these lessons compare to lessons drawn from countries that have far more stringent anti-hate speech legislation?
The book will be of interest to undergraduate students, criminologists, sociologists, and policy-makers working within the area of hate crime and related fields of crime, social justice, race, and diversity. It will also be of value to others who may hold a more general interest in what is undoubtedly an increasingly important area of contemporary and global social challenge.

      1. Table of Contents

1. Defining and Conceptualising Hate Crime, 2. The emergence of hate crime as a contemporary socio-legal problem, 3. The International Geography of Hate, 4. Victims and Victimisation, 5. Prejudice and Hatred, 6. Offenders and Offending, 7. Law and Law Enforcement, 8. Challenging Hate and Hate Crime, 9. Questioning the Hate Crime Paradigm, 10. Critical Issues in Hate Crime
I thank Routledge for a copy of this useful book.
What Is “A Teenager”
For some time I have been suspecting that the term “teenager” has changed its meaning and now it stretches well into one’s thirties. The following poll confirmed my suspicions.

      1. Ages 25-29: Have you started a full-time job in your field?

Yikes, close to 75 per cent of 25 to 29 year olds have not yet started their careers.

      2. Ages 25-33: Are you currently saving for a home?

Save, Gen Y, save. Baby boomers need you to buy their homes.

      2. Ages 25-33: Are your parents helping you with a downpayment?

One-quarter of 30 to 33 year olds are looking for downpayment help. Nope, no affordability problems in our housing market.

      2. Ages 15-33: Will you have a better or worse life than your parents?

Most Gen Yers are cool with their prospects. Cancel the revolution.

      2. Ages 25-29 and 30-33: Are you saving for retirement?

      3. Yep, quite a lot of you do.

      5. Gen Y: How many think you'll never be able to retire?

Many do. This is the result of waking up at noon and seeking work on the Internet, together with millions of other people.


PayPal Looks for A New Pal Away from Bay


After 12 years together, eBay and PayPal will go their separate ways next year. Ever since eBay acquired PayPal for $1.3 billion in 2002, the two companies have been deeply intertwined, serving as the twin pillars of the eBay tech behemoth. The highly lucrative PayPal, which after the split will be a publicly traded company, will now have to make its way alone. Why did eBay and PayPal split? Is it a good idea? And what does the decision mean for you?


Monthly Poems



One of my all-time favourites is “Midnight Train to Georgia”. Gladys Knight is, in one word, superb. See http://www.metrolyrics.com/midnight-train-to-georgia-lyrics-gladys-knight-and-the-pips.html#startvideo


L.A. proved too much for the man
(Too much for the man he couldn't make it)
So he's leavin' the life
He's come to know, ooh
(He said he's goin')
He said he's goin' back to find
(Goin' back to find)
Ooh, what's left of his world
The world he left behind not so long ago
Oh, he's leavin'
(Leavin')
On that midnight train to Georgia, yeah
(Leavin' on that midnight train)
Said, he's goin' back
(Goin' back to find)
To a simpler place in time
(When he takes that ride)
Oh yes, he is
(Guess who's gonna be right by his side)
And I'll be with him
(I know you will)
On that midnight train to Georgia
(Leavin' on that midnight train to Georgia, ooh ooh)
I'd rather live in his world
(Live in his world)
Than live without him in mine
(My world is his, his and hers alone)
He kept dreamin'
(Dreamin')
Ooh, that someday, he'd be a star
(A superstar but he didn't get far)
But he sure found out the hard way
That dreams don't always come true, oh no
(Dreams don't always come true, aha, no, aha)
So he pawned all his hopes
And he even sold his old car
Bought a one way ticket back
To the life he once knew
Oh, yes, he did, he said he would
Oh, he's leavin'
(Leavin')
On that midnight train to Georgia, mmm yeah
(Leavin' on that midnight train)
Said, he's goin' back to find
(Goin' back to find)
Ooh, a simpler place in time
(When he takes that ride)
Oh, yeah
(Guess who's gonna be right by his side)
And I'm gonna be with him
(I know you will)
On that midnight train to Georgia
(Leavin' on that midnight train to Georgia, ooh ooh)
I'd rather live in his world
(Live in his world)
Than live without him in mine
(My world is his, his and hers alone)
Ooh, he's leavin'
(Leavin')
On the midnight train to Georgia, yeah
(Leavin' on that midnight train)
Ooh, y'all, said he's goin' back to find
(Goin' back to find)
Ooh, a simpler place in time
(Whenever he takes that ride)
Ooh, y'all
(Guess who's gonna be right by his side)
And I got be with him
(I know you will)
On that midnight train to Georgia
(Leavin' on that midnight train to Georgia, ooh, ooh)
Oh, hey, I'd rather live in his world
(Live in his world)
Than live without him in mine
(Her world is his, his and hers alone)
For love, gonna board
The midnight train and go
For love, gonna board
Gonna board the midnight train and go
For love, gonna board
Uh huh, the midnight train and go
My world
(For love)
His world
(Gonna board)
Our world
(The midnight train and go)
Mine and his alone
My world
(For love)
His world
(Gonna board)
Our world
(The midnight train and go)
Mine and his alone
I've got to go
(For love)
I've got to go
(Gonna board)
I've got to go
(The midnight train and go)
Hey, I've got to go
(For love)
I've got to go
(Gonna board)
(The midnight train and go)
My world
(For love)
His world
(Gonna board)
My man
(The midnight train and go)
His girl
I've got to go
(For love)
I've got to go
(Gonna board)
(The midnight train and go)
Oh, I've got to go
My world
(For love)
His world
(Gonna board)
Songwriter
JAMES D. WEATHERLY

Gem of the Month 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing Rachmaninoff Second.


Divine.
Gem of the Month 2
Battle of Ideas at the London Barbican http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/
Battle-of-Ideas-logo
A wonderful celebration of freedom of expression, with hundreds of participants of all ages, all come to immerse themselves in most important as well as trivial, fun questions. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the exchange in one of London’s bastions of culture.

Light Side

Groucho Marx Quotes
Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.
Next time I see you, remind me not to talk to you.
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.
She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon.
I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.
If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again.
Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?
I'm leaving because the weather is too good. I hate London when it's not raining.
Room service? Send up a larger room.
In Hollywood, brides keep the bouquets and throw away the groom.




Peace and love.


Yours as ever,
Rafi


My last communications are available on http://almagor.blogspot.com/
Earlier posts at my home page: http://hcc.haifa.ac.il/~rca/

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