I still celebrate Israel’s existence even while I deplore its racism and oppressive policies toward the Palestinian people, just as I celebrate the existence of the U.S. even as I deplore the genocide of Native Americans and the enslaving of African Americans which accompanied the creation of my homeland here in North America.
–Rabbi Michael Lerner
Yesterday was Israel’s 66th birthday. Rabbi Michael Lerner reflected on the meaning of this day from a Spiritual Progressive Perspective, and his article appeared on the home page of Huffington Post. Please click here to read it and leave some positive comments on that page to offset the “it’s a sin to criticize Israel” folk who often are well-organized and dominate the mass media when anyone expresses the slightest critique of Israeli policies.
Of course, as you know, Lerner is both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine and believes that there is a win-win possibility, which he presented in the Winter 2014 issue of Tikkun (If you haven’t subscribed yet, or haven’t re-subscribed, how about now? Please subscribe even before you read the Huff Post piece!). You won’t read this kind of visionary analysis anywhere else – and it is explored more fully in his book Embracing Israel/Palestine. Lerner predicted long in advance the failure of the Kerry/Obama sponsored negotiations because they failed to present the kind of balanced but visionary win-win that we’ve been advocating in Tikkun.
Why is this piece on Huffington Post? Every once in a while we think it a good idea to take some of the topics we consider in Tikkun and put them out to a few million people who might not yet understand why they should be reading and subscribing to Tikkun. Your encouragement and support in helping us spread the word of Tikkun is greatly appreciated.
It was totally unnecessary and uncalled for to refer to the “‘it’s a sin to criticize Israel’ folk who often are well-organized and dominate the mass media.” That’s a hateful generalization, a false assumption, and the type of broad brush smear that should never be found in an enlightened and tolerant community like Tikkun Daily.
Everyone from time to time says things that, upon further reflection, would be better left unsaid. I urge the Tikkun Administration to rethink the unwarranted assumption they made, and edit the above piece accordingly.
Are you suggesting Jews dominate the media? I am assume that you can back that up. It is ashamed, though, that so much attention is given to this conflict as opposed to the genocide being committed in Syria.
. I struggle with the stay-at-home thing. We’re crrtenuly trying to juggle things so I can (while doing some writing while the kid’s asleep). It will involve me taking care of the house and doing general stay-at-home stuff but I look at friends who look forward to going back to work and at my Masters degree and wonder sometimes if I’m being anti-feminist. I’m pretty sure I’m not. It would probably be anti-feminist to do what’s expected of me rather than what I want to do.
The mold of feminism is pllibae, I think. It’s elastic… just like the waistband of my favorite pants :). I think it allows for not only women of all different walks of life and styles… but for ME, the individual, to go on many different walks and have many different styles. It’s not just that I am entitled to have different roles from the woman to the left of me, but that I am allowed to have different roles from myself ten years ago. You know?
TO AHK.
Michael Lerner likes Mondoweiss so why are you surprised?
Moran once got in a fistfight with digceasrd senator Randy Duke Cunninfham. It was literally a fistfight because the first blow their fists collided, breaking Cunnighams hand and reducing him to tears.