US_Politics

Zero Tolerance: An Open Letter from Jewish Writers about U.S. Immigration Policy

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Several days ago, Donald Trump was forced by mounting protests to end his policy of separating children from parents accused of illegally crossing the American border. Once separated from their mothers and fathers, these boys and girls were transported to mass detention centers or put in foster care.  More than 100 of the 2,300 children were younger than four years of age. To those of us who doubted that any protest would have an effect on Trump, this change in his strategy comes as excellent news – indeed, it is proof that if enough of us join together in protest, we can force him to back down. And yet, at the same time that the U.S. President signed his Executive Order and eliminated the most inhumane part of his anti-immigration program, he boasted that he would continue his so-called “zero-tolerance” policy with regard to immigration. Furthermore, his new instructions failed to address the plight of the children who were previously taken from their parents and housed in shelters.

Portugal’s Secret Revolution

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Whatever Costa decides, the gerigonça has already proved to the Portuguese public and others that there are responsible alternatives to austerity, and that the political certainties of the past are no longer so certain. Indeed, the coalition has demonstrated that if left-of-center political leaders are willing to give up past quarrels and rivalries, they can work together to bring about meaningful economic, political and social change.

2011

An Antidote to Fundamentalism

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Should we make the error of focusing exclusively on literal interpretations, and should we encourage a narrow-minded approach to the Torah and other holy books, we only end up limiting the vitality and import of such works. And we end up leading more superficial lives.