And
(See 1 and 1a below.)
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Pictures taken by our oldest son-in-law when they visited Savannah and Tybee in November.For those who live here these are familiar scenes, for those who have not been to Savannah, shame on you.
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Trump apparently understands the impact of the bully pulpit and how to use it to help resolve some of America's employment issues. I guess that is why so many "deplorables" chose him over Hillary. (See 2 below.)
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Being Jewish I am sensitive to a rise in anti-Semitism and unjustified criticism of Israel.
I am also fed up when I experience stupidity on the part of Jews who seem more interesting in cowering than standing up and defending their rights. (See 3, 3a and 3b below.)
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Facts are fact but not to Liberals who have a way of torturing facts to suit their theories. These are the same hystericals who want us to believe everything they say about global warming is the greatest threat to mankind.
I challenge Obama to put that claim to the thousands of refugees his feckless policies have helped cause in Syria. (See 4 below.)
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Dick
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1)Rabbi Pruzansky's Blog
The views expressed here are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of family, friends, shul, organizations or any other affiliations.
The Mirror
The reaction to the Trump victory has been over-the-top, provoking raucous and even violent demonstrations by those whose commitment to democracy tolerates only one legitimate electoral outcome – the one they prefer. They shout epithets at the man whom they despise because he used epithets, and act violently to protest the man they fear will bring violence to American streets. They are trying to destroy America to thwart the man they believe will destroy America. One wonders how they have so much time off from work, until the realization dawns that violent protest is their paid profession.
Certainly there are more restrained opponents of the president-in-waiting, who fear the consequences of aspects of his character and his unformed policy prescriptions. That, indeed, is true of every opponent of every new president. But those ideological opponents are not taking to the streets, not denouncing Trump at every turn, and not demanding – demanding! – that the rest of society join them in their disgust, issue proclamations against him, and oppose all his policies and appointments. They will not be satisfied until Trump adopts their view of every issue and nominates for his cabinet people they approve. Of course that will not happen. The unrestrained antagonists can be ignored, save for the violence, but the Jews among them who think calling someone racist, bigot, sexist, etc. has any potency anymore should take a look in the mirror.
The Baal Shem Tov said that righteous people who have no evil within them do not see evil in others. For everyone else, the evil we see in others is essentially what we do not want to see in ourselves. It is as if when we are looking at others, especially critically, we are standing in front of a mirror really looking at ourselves. What bothers us about others should really bother us about ourselves and induce us to change, learn, grow, and improve. And at first, it is worthwhile to recognize what is right before our eyes.
President-elect Trump has elicited strong, even hysterical reactions, for both his real and imagined flaws. One would think that with the elections over it would be prudent for even his opponents to reconcile with the new reality. That so many cannot is a comment more on them than on him. Those who take to the streets to scream, yell, wave signs, break windows, shout vulgarities and cause mayhem are worse than immature; they have become a caricature of everything they are protesting. They may be looking at Trump but they are seeing the worst in themselves.
It is hard to deny that over the last few decades America has become a decadent, even vulgar, society. The lewd and the crude are standard entertainment offerings, with many critics even deprecating family entertainment (notwithstanding that it usually produces higher revenue) as saccharine and old-fashioned. Trump has been rightly criticized for his occasional vulgar speech, although certainly that should not define his personality any more than any other single attribute defines a person. He does push the ends of the envelope when he is not altogether shredding the envelope. But he is actually quite representative of the society that he will soon lead. The crude language that he uses on occasion is quite typical of American culture. It is ironic that many protesting his crudity revel in it when the practitioners are rap singers, entertainers, and cable television offerings. Their words are the same as his words, except that his are used more sparingly and often whimsically.
Whatever offensive things he has said are actually tame compared to the lyrics of rap, the ranting of bad comedians, and what the tawdry culture celebrates. We should remember that New Yorkers first got to know Donald Trump as a real estate developer, but much of the rest of the country became familiar with him as an entertainer. This is the culture. What so many of his critics loathe in Trump is, perhaps, what they should loathe about American society but they don’t. They are just looking in the mirror and don’t like what they see.
On the flip side, Hillary Clinton represented another coarse aspect of modern life that many of her supporters generally and studiously ignored: the high-flying and sweet rhetoric offered the public contrasted with the crass materialism, insider deals, rank dishonesty and insatiable greed that was the private Clinton world. That she traded access for money, lots of it, is undeniable. Sadly, the American culture has long rewarded the something-for-nothing mentality, from the top of society to the bottom. She was an especially heavy-handed and oleaginous practitioner of it, but also is not atypical of the society. Consider that Harry Truman – also a vulgarian by the way but one of the most honest men ever to serve as president – said that the only way one can make money in politics is by being a crook. We should look in the mirror and ask ourselves why that was tolerable to so many.
Add to that one other lamentable aspect of the culture: the incessant assertions that Clinton was entitled to the presidency because she was a woman and it was “about time.” Nothing has made American life more vacuous than the identity politics played by the Democrats. Who you are and what you are is not as important as to which group you belong, as if choosing a president is all about checking off the right boxes on the diversity application. Such an approach is demeaning to the individual’s status as a unique creature of G-d, but it nonetheless prevails in much of the mass media and the general society. Unfortunately, that will get worse before it gets better, and it cannot get better until each person looks in the mirror and sees a human being and not part of a class.
Finally, the shrillness of Trump’s critics has become especially strident with the demands – demands! – that Trump apologize for this uttered word or not appoint that guy, that rabbis denounce this speech or that act, that everyone kowtow to the social media mob. It is actually amusing that some of the people who did not vote for Trump are now demanding – demanding! – that he fire this guy, change this policy, or else. Or else… what?
I don’t know Steve Bannon from Steve Madden (although I am partial to anyone named Steven) but the customary accusations from the left have descended on him full force (big league, as the president-elect would say). The vehemence of the accusations against him that he is a Jew-hater are in inverse proportion to the evidence of that charge, which evidence is actually quite skimpy and disreputable. Why Trump should heed his opponents and dismiss a loyal aide is a mystery, mitigated only by the realization that he will justifiably ignore them. The louder they get, the less people hear them.
What is no mystery, and quite-off-putting, is the frequency at which charges of “anti-Semitism” (as people inexplicably call Jew-hatred) are leveled against anyone with whom many liberal Jews disagree or who make an off-handed crack. It is the stock in trade of organizations such as the ADL, long just an irritant – an expensive irritant, at that – without any power or influence in the Jewish or non-Jewish world. Its only weapon is that accusation, and so it lies in wait and sits in judgment of every utterance made by anyone. (I have been attacked several times by the ADL over the years – I frankly don’t remember for what – as has Jerry Seinfeld, among numerous others.)
Granted that this is what they do for a living, but when Jewish organizations cheapen the use of this slur by sheer frequency and inappropriate use, it is like the boy who cried wolf. When it really happens – and real Jew hatred occurs, such as in the Crown Heights riots 25 years ago when the ADL was out-to-lunch, no one will pay attention. Would that the ADL was more exercised by the nomination of Keith Ellison as head of the Democratic National Committee! Now there’s a guy with some rough things to say about Jews and Israel, but criticizing a Democrat hits too close to home. They would be better off taking on “Black Lives Matter,” elements of which are permeated with Jew hatred.
In a most bizarre twist, an array of “Jewish” organizations is calling on Trump to denounce “anti-Semitism” (again) and announce his support for a Palestinian state. In other words, eviscerating the State of Israel is now a sign of philo-Semitism? Jews who love Jews are supposed to favor expelling Jews and renouncing Israeli sovereignty over the biblical heartland of Israel? We do live in strange times. Perhaps it is worth mentioning a cartoon that has made the rounds in the last week, with the caption: “The difference between Donald Trump and most leftist American Jews is that Trump has Jewish grandchildren.” If only these groups would realize that intermarriage is the most serious crisis facing them today, and compared to that, politics is beanbag.
As it is, few outside the leftist media echo chamber pay attention even today to their “demands.” Fortunately, the Social Justice Warriors who have arrogated to themselves the right to adjudicate everyone’s morality (except their own), speech, conduct and ideas are now, post-Trump victory, on the decline. They can yell and scream “racist!” “bigot!” “sexist!” and they will, and they will demand apologies, retractions, clarifications and penance from their targets in order to stay relevant, and the cowardly will accommodate them, but their moment has passed. They will be ignored because they should be ignored. They have committed the grave, modern offense of becoming boring, predictable, and tiresome. The tyranny of those who monitor every word or phrase for swift offense, and keep a dossier on the offenders, is over. Long live freedom!
They too should look in the mirror. Those who attack others for “intolerance” and insist on verbal reparations are among the most intolerant and bigoted people walking the earth today. If only they had the self-awareness to look at their targets and see the hatred in their own hearts for anyone with whom they disagree. They should follow the Baal Shem Tov and realize they are looking in the mirror.
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2) Carrier Reaches Deal With Trump to Keep About 1,000 US Jobs
United Technologies Corp has reached a deal with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence to keep close to 1,000 jobs at its Carrier Corp air conditioner plant in Indianapolis, roughly halving the number of U.S. jobs it planned to move to Mexico.
The deal, announced by Carrier on Twitter late on Tuesday, is a victory for Trump, who campaigned hard on keeping jobs in the United States and specifically criticized Carrier for shipping jobs overseas, messages which appealed to blue-collar workers in the Midwest.
Company officials, Trump and Pence, who is the governor of Indiana, will announce some of the deal's terms on Thursday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Indiana state officials were involved in the talks, but it was unclear what, if any, inducements the state may have made to encourage Carrier to keep the jobs in the United States.
Carrier's parent, United Technologies, has a strong incentive to keep good relations with Trump and his incoming administration, given that a portion of its estimated $57 billion revenue this year will come through U.S. military contracts at its Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems units.
Carrier announced plans in February to close an air conditioner factory in Indianapolis with the loss of 1,400 jobs. It said a further 700 jobs would be cut from another plant in Huntington, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis.
The company planned to move the jobs to Monterrey, Mexico, starting in 2017. Local union leaders said Carrier told them it would pay Mexican workers $3 an hour compared with more than $20 for their U.S. counterparts.
The announcement prompted attacks from Trump during his campaign, and he vowed to impose hefty taxes on imported Carrier products if it did not reverse the move.
He predicted in February the company would call him to say "Mr. President, Carrier has decided to stay in Indiana," and promised the chances of the plant staying open was "100 percent."
As recently as 10 days ago, Carrier insisted it had no plans to reverse course, but then acknowledged on the Thanksgiving Day holiday on Nov. 24 that it was in talks with the Trump transition team.
Trump has promised to keep U.S. jobs from moving overseas by renegotiating or withdrawing from trade agreements and imposing tariffs on foreign-made goods.
But it is not clear he can reverse broader trends that have led to the loss of more than 5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs since 2000.
Democratic Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly praised the announcement by Carrier to keep jobs in the state, but said "there are at least two other companies currently planning to move Hoosier (Indiana) jobs out of the country. We need to change our laws to encourage companies to grow here at home."
Carrier is just one of many U.S. manufacturers moving jobs to Mexico. However, videos of a company official delivering the news to the Indianapolis plant's stunned workforce, posted on YouTube, provided a vivid look at the pain and anger such decisions cause.
Earlier this month, Ford Motor Co made a decision to keep production of a Lincoln sport utility vehicle in Kentucky, which Trump claimed as a victory for keeping the plant in the United States, even though Ford never had plans to move the entire factory to Mexico.
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3)
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Video: The UN Blames Israel…for Saving the World |
3a) Does said threefold rise in German antisemitism signal a 'new era'?
Top European rabbi warns of "new era of antisemitism" amid said rise in German incidents.
A top European rabbi has warned that the world has entered a new era of antisemitism, in response to a report released Tuesday about rising antisemitism in Germany.
The UK Times reported that antisemitism in Germany has risen threefold in one year, citing data published by the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. According to the report, the German Justice Ministry revealed that there had been 2,083 cases of attacks on Jews, Jewish property and hate speech against Jews last year, in contrast with 691 in 2014.
"There is a rejection of mainstream politics and we need to be aware of the waves of antisemitism sweeping across Europe," said Conference of European Rabbis President Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt. "As a society we must take measures to reject antisemitism and ensure that it does not become a new norm.”
The CER, which comprises more than 700 Jewish religious leaders across Europe, is bracing for a tougher battle over efforts to ban elements of Jewish religious practice.
Having already spent the past 10 years fending off attacks against shechita (kosher slaughter) and brit mila (circumcision), the CER’s stated aim is to maintain and defend the religious rights of Jews in Euro
“The CER’s mission to protect the freedoms of the Jews here,” Goldschmidt stated, noting that the body of rabbis is reaching out to both Jews and non-Jews, and building coalitions across the board in its work to counter potential restrictions on Jewish life.
3b) “Hate Spaces”: American Colleges and Their Jewish Students
Hatred of pro-Israel Jews on campuses is the subject of the new film, "Hate Spaces."
Photo Credit: screen capture from "Hate Spaces"
Of course the name is a play on the current ridiculous yet widespread notion that American college students need "safe spaces" - sometimes equipped with crayons or puppies or soft pillows - from any ideas that might make them even a teensy bit uncomfortable.
This film is a must-see. "Hate Spaces" is so chock-full of important facts, details and examples that it could easily provide the basis for a full semester course, yet it has been masterfully edited down to a mere 110 minutes long.
Another reason why this film is so useful is that it interweaves current examples and interviews with a historic progression of the problem on American campuses.
Writer, producer and director Avi Goldwasser discussed the film with the JewishPress.com on Monday evening. He explained that he and his colleagues at Americans for Peace and Tolerance have "been observing the increased hostility toward Jewish students on campus for the past decade." Goldwasser and his colleague Charles Jacobs produced the 2004 film "Columbia Unbecoming," which they thought "would be a wake up call for the Jewish community and the people of New York," Goldwasser continued.
Although the 2004 film was shocking in terms of how blatant was the animus towards Israel, it did not bring the hoped-for change. Even sadder is that things have only gotten much worse since then.
"Most people do not realize how the hostility is being institutionalized, made fashionable by a combination of forces including radical faculty, radical student organizations, and an enabling university administration. While many anti-Jewish incidents and the BDS campaign are reported by the media, few are willing to connect the dots and report on the underlying ideology and extremist organizations that are inciting the hostility."
And connect the dots is exactly what "Hate Spaces" does. Awareness slowly dawns on the viewer as what appeared to be merely a series of ugly campus incidents is woven together. That weave reveals the comprehensive pathology undergirding the movement which is ultimately seeking to completely delegitimize Jewish identification with American Jews and the Jewish State, and which gets a pass from most university administrators.
A quote in the film from the Facebook page of Marissa Rubin, a Temple University student, pretty much sums it up: "I am tired of anti-Semitism being a completely normal occurrence, and people standing idly by because, as long as they are only going after Jews, nobody cares."
"Hate Spaces" very effectively breaks down the issue of gross indifference towards American Jews on campus into manageable segments, such as "Tenured Hatred," "Intersectionality," "Privileged Hatred," and "Failed Leadership." There is plenty of blame to be apportioned and Goldwasser and his colleagues make strong cases for each portion.
The film also plumbs the progressive elitist drive which is married to the more raw Jew-hatred that melds to marginalize Jews on campuses. It uncovers the funding sources, the historical backgrounds and the interconnectedness of the villains.
Perhaps most pointed is the film's criticism of the faculty and college administrators who, to be charitable, are manipulated by the dark forces in ways similar - although a billion dollars of donations does thicken the plot - to the impressionable students. The weak-kneed prog-elites are exposed as seeking acceptance and accolades for their progressive values which are completely inverted when it comes to the Jewish minority and the tiny Jewish State.
Many of those who have been diligently slogging away against the world of campus anti-Semitism are used to great effect in "Hate Spaces." There are informed and enlightening snippets of interviews with such luminaries as the journalists and authors Melanie Phillips and Caroline Glick, along with Cornell University professor and founding blogger at Legal Insurrection William Jacobson, the Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens, Alan Dershowitz, the Brandeis Center's Kenneth Marcus, ZOA's Sue Tuchman, Jonathan Schanzer, Richard Landes and the ubiquitous Chloé Simone Valdary. Strong, important, concise points are made by each of them.
When he spoke to the Jewish Press, Goldwasser echoed a leitmotif of the film, one pressed especially byMelanie Phillips on camera. Truth has been distorted or even abandoned on college campuses, where "ideology and narrative trump truth." For that reason Goldwasser is hoping that the film will "energize the public to demand that our leaders in the community and on campus live up to their stated values. What is happening on campus is contrary to American values, to values of decency."
And every reader of this review will have the chance to be energized. You need to see the film, then you need to act. For those in the New York area, the premiere will take place this Wednesday, Nov. 30, at Symphonyspace.
About the Author: Lori Lowenthal Marcus is a contributor to the JewishPress.com. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools.
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