Funny, Not Funny, And Funny

1. You're never too old to learn something new. And when it comes to relationships, it's always valuable to learn new lessons about communication. I've been married for over twenty years and I'm still learning important new lessons about how better communication can enhance a marriage. For example, the other day I learned that when you put giant millipedes in a cookie box, it's a good idea to make sure that your spouse knows that you have done that.

2. The New York Times printed an appalling antisemitic article by a Jew who is adored by the haters of Israel, the idiotic Peter Beinart, who is perhaps best known for his advocating the dismantling of the State of Israel and his blithe disregard for the catastrophic loss of life that would ensue. Now, Beinart is writing about how Jewish organizations are threatening freedom worldwide out of a desire to promote "Jewish supremacy." The usual Jewish enemies of the Jewish People have, of course, enthusiastically welcomed Beinart's latest article. An important response to Beinart was published by Prof. Jarrod Tanney. Here is another excellent comment posted by Michael Leon on Facebook:

I would submit that if you can’t see the problem with writing in the New York Times that American Jewish organizations are a “threat to freedom” in the context of accusing them of articulating a philosophy of “Jewish supremacy,” (again, imagine this language being directed at any other minority group in American society) then, respectfully, I think you’ve really lost your way and you’re letting your personal political resentments get in the way of your better judgment. 

People can disagree about Israel, about the work of American Jewish organizations, and about politics. There has to be some line drawn in the language we use to describe one another, and the language directed at the constituent organizations of minority groups. To call American Jewish organizations a “threat to freedom” is just a bridge too far and should cause some self-reflection, and same self-reflection many of you would quickly call on others to exercise. It is not justifiable to hurl these kinds of accusations against American Jews over Israel unless you believe that Jews bear collective responsibility for one another. 

As far as whether Peter’s piece is antisemitic or not, I would direct people here to the JDA, which provides, in pertinent part: 

“It is ‘classic antisemitism’ to suggest that ‘Jews are linked to the forces of evil[.]” “Antisemitism can be . . . indirect . . . or coded.” 

“[G]rossing exaggerating [Israel]’s actual influence can be a coded way of racializing and stigmatizing Jews.” 

Examples related to Israel and Palestine that are on the face of it, antisemitic: “Assuming that non-Israeli Jews, simply because they are Jews, are necessarily more loyal to Israel than to their own countries.” 

To accuse American Jewish organizations of being a “threat to freedom,” and to accuse them of favoring “Jewish supremacy” in their fight against antisemitism, on the pages of the most widely read American newspaper in the world, offends each of these sections of the JDA, as does blaming American Jewish organizations and Israel itself for the failures of countries like Saudi Arabia to liberalize, an utterly twisted and sour view of the Abraham Accords.

3. Here's a funny but unfortunate result of the combination of teaching about the prohibition of tzaar baalei chaim, shorthand terminology, and automatic Google translations: