Politics & Society

Israel's Double Standard Illuminated by Opposition to Iran Deal

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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in his vociferous opposition to U.S. negotiations with Iran, has argued with particular force against the easing of international sanctions against Iran. His logic? No sanctions should be lifted until Iran abides completely by those international agreements it has been violating in the pursuit of nuclear advancement. Israel’s problem is that this is a similar argument many Palestinians and peace proponents have been making for years: that Israel should be pressured by the international community to forgo its settlement enterprise, deemed illegal by international law. As Jodi Rudoren reports in The New York Times:
In some ways, Israel’s approach to Iran has echoed arguments long made by its Palestinian adversaries.

art

Jewish vs. Goyish! – Hilarious Video just in time for Hanukkah

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As Hanukkah approaches this week, earlier and more turkey-filled than ever, it’s important to ask that age-old question: What’s really Jewish? Rabbis and poets and the atheist uncles at my family’s Seder table have debated the question for generations. Forget the scholars and drunks, I say. The best answer I’ve ever heard came from a comedian. His name was Lenny Bruce.

Health

Why We Need Palliative Care: An Open Letter to Sarah Palin

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Sarah Palin has done a terrible injustice to humane, caring and coordinated healthcare when she spoke out against palliative care without any factual or medical knowledge. I have written this Open Letter to Mrs. Palin to help educate people and try to undo some of the harm she and others have done.

Environment

A Call for Climate Justice

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People around the world have responded swiftly and generously to the devastation in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Haiyan, the largest storm ever recorded. In the wake of this disaster, it is important for us to go beyond simple relief efforts.

Healing Israel/Palestine

Tom Friedman On Opposition To Iran Deal: It's The Lobby, Stupid

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It’s been clear to me for about ten years that the primary problem the United States faces in crafting Middle East policy is not so much the Arabs or the Israelis. It is the Israel lobby (led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or AIPAC but consisting also of all the major Jewish organizations that include Israel in their portfolio. Writing about the lobby’s influence (from the perspective of someone who had spent 20 years dealing with AIPAC as an aide to a senator and several House members), I initially felt like a voice in the wilderness. Yes, there were always people pointing to the power of the lobby but many of those had no use for Israel to start out with. For them, attacking the lobby is a subset of attacking Israel in general.

Gender and Sexuality

Everyday Life in a Transphobic World: Reflections on Transgender Day of Remembrance

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The annual reading of the names of those murdered in the past year for being transgender is a somber reminder that the US is dangerous place for trans people – particularly trans women and trans people of color. But the once- or twice-a-week murders we memorialize represent a small fraction of verbal and physical violence trans people experience on a daily basis.

General News

Spiritual Travel Agency

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The gold rush is on and here I am, about to add another player to the religious marketplace: a spiritual travel agency. Let me offer a hint of how it might work, specifically in a little experiment I’ll be trying locally in Washington, DC in the next few months. Here’s my pitch.