General News

In the Eye of the TIFF

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In the lead up to 2009’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) the Toronto Declaration “No Celebration of Occupation” at first seemed like a local protest about a local decision, one that would get a few people on both sides heated up, and then fade away. But it has grown, and people have joined on both sides, pro and con, and each day in Toronto our local media totals up the scores with the kind of enthusiasm rarely seen around here between hockey seasons. Two days ago, Jane Fonda said she was modifying her position after signing. But yesterday Roger Ebert changed his mind the other way and signed the Declaration. Cameron Bailey, the highly regarded festival coordinator, said the selection of Tel Aviv as the opening choice for the new city-to-city program had nothing to do with the “Brand Israel” program with which Israel is trying to generate images that don’t involve Palestinians in our responses to their name.

Earth-based Religions

The Answer to the Question

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It is the middle of July, and I am carefully layering sheets of pure gold over the statue of Saraswati that will sit in the centre of my altar. It is a finicky task, and while I’m trying focus my concentration, I suddenly notice a question flashing through my mind: what’s a good Jewish boy doing gilding a Hindu goddess for a Pagan altar? I was raised as a Jew, and phonetically memorized enough Hebrew to stumble through a Bar Mitzvah. But I was never part of a Jewish community, and as I never understood Hebrew, the times when my parents dragged me to a synagogue were leaden painful hours, an experience to be dutifully endured rather than anything that opened onto a spiritual path. For twenty years I would assert that I wasn’t Jewish, because I didn’t believe in any of the theology, and it wasn’t until I found myself teaching a World Religions course, doing research on what Jews believe, that I realised how much of the ethical framework which I embraced was Jewish.

Judaism

Big Jewish Mother

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It seems that everywhere I look these days I see more about the BDS, (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement. Today I was sent links to the debate here in Toronto over the about to open TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). The festival, a perennial jewel in TO’s cultural crown, is the centre of a huge row between those who support a boycott over the festival’s choice of Tel Aviv for the first “city-to-city” showcase and those who oppose it. Both are powerful statements; both are well worth reading before deciding. The richness of the internet is a two edged sword: it allows us to find more people who share our views, and it allows us to not have to submit ourselves to the idiocies of anyone who has a different view.

General News

Israel, Palestine, and Millet

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Each week I swing across the web sifting it for material for Tikkunista!, my weekly newsletter. This involves scanning about 20 newspapers, and 40 political magazines/blogs, about half focused on issues in the Middle East. One of my goals in the Tikkun Daily Blog is to highlight some of the most interesting ideas I find, and for me the logical place to start is Mondoweiss. Philip Weiss’ site is “devoted to covering American foreign policy in the Middle East, chiefly from a progressive Jewish perspective,” and I often hear perspectives and gain insights there that I don’t elsewhere. There’s been several clashes over the years between Mondoweiss and Tikkun, (I’m not going there!) but as the Talmud teaches us, “The dispute of scholars increases wisdom.”

Christianity

The Evolution of God

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I’ve been reading a fascinating book, Robert Wright’s The Evolution of God. Wright is the author of Nonzero and The Moral Animal, both of which have received great acclaim. I was led to The Evolution of God through an interview in Salon, which led me to the book’s website. The website serves as a wonderful teaser: Wright has the opening thousand words to each of the book’s twenty chapters, which are divided into four sections, one on the birth and growth of gods, and one on each of the Abrahamic religions. Be warned: by the time I finished the third, I knew I was going to buy the book.

Judaism

Tapestry

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One of the better aspects to living in the global village is how it provides us with a pleasingly wide range of radio stations. A new discovery I’ve made is the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) program Tapestry. Its basic focus is on spirituality, in the widest possible sense, with guests ranging from rabbis and roshis to rock stars and writers. Mary Hynes is the host, and she is adept at not getting in the way, gently helping her guests to share their fascinating explorations of how we can best align with the Mystery, through the wide range of perceptions that they bring of what It might be. You’re probably either familiar with Tapestry, or thinking what a shame it is you can’t pick up CBC.

Culture

My Family Mythology

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(I’ve been away for a month, and it’s great to be back. One place I was was at my annual family meeting, and that seemed a story that belonged here)
In the beginning it all seems the same. As a child, I thought all families were like my family. They all celebrated birthdays. My friends all had parents like mine, and (as this was the 1950s) all the parents I knew were a mother and a father.

Culture

Klezmer Light and Dark

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About fifteen years ago, I tuned in to the revival of klezmer music, once the traditional music of Jews in Eastern Europe. After that culture was destroyed in World War II, the music survived, and cross-pollinated. For me this was an exploration, not a return, and at first I had troubles telling one group from another. But klezmer now is like reggae was in the 70s and 80s, a spice that can be added to a wide range of musical dishes. Reggae may have started as the music of Jamaica, but it became a style used by everyone from the Clash to the Police.

Inter-Culturalism

Raise the Drawbridge: Here Comes the Troll Army!

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Two interesting pieces I gleaned in the past 24 hours: one from ynet on Israel’s establishment of an “internet warfare” squad, whose job it will be to post pro-Israel responses on websites worldwide. The other is a manual of how to debate the pro-Israel side. It’s fascinating- here’s an excerpt:
Here’s what you need to know:
The most effective way to build support for Israel is to talk about “working toward a lasting
peace” that “respects the rights of everyone in the region.” Notice there is no explicit mention
of either Israel or the Palestinians. To the Left, both sides are equally at fault, and because the
Israelis are more powerful, sophisticated and Western, it is they who should compromise first.

Islam

A Meditation on Peace in the Middle East

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(Context: Last week Tikkun Toronto held an evening “Writing Towards Peace”. This piece emerged ….)
=====================================
Way back in 1983, Little Steven sang,
Don’t call yourself religious
Not with that knife in your hand. And there’s only one way out of here I understand
That is: Undefeated, everybody goes home. I think of that song when I think of Israel and Palestine, because it cuts to the heart of the problem: the call to home, and the strange malleable rigidity that “home” means in each of us. The place where we grew up is home.