JVoices: your jewish wake up call

Crossposted on Jewesses with Attitude

A few years ago, I read Devil in the White City, Erik Larson’s non-fiction account of the history of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, complete with architecture, politics, and a murder mystery. Good stuff. But I didn’t realize that the Chicago World’s Fair was also the site, 115 years ago this week, of the first Jewish Women’s Congress, which was part of the Fair’s World Parliament of Religions.

Led by Hannah Greenebaum Solomon, who organized the event when the male organizers of the proposed Jewish Congress planned no meaningful part for women, the Women’s event drew so many women that they had to elbow each other and step on one another’s toes just to get through the hall to hear the speakers. Ultimately, the delegates at the Women’s Congress decided to form the National Council of Jewish Women, NCJW, which remains in existence today as an advocacy organization.

These days, membership in a Jewish women’s organization seems sort of standard – between Hadassah, Jewish Women International and NCJW (a brief and incomplete list, I’m sure) you’ve got thousands of American women involved. Not too shabby.

I want to take this moment to highlight NCJW’s current focus on women’s health and reproductive rights. Their 2-prong approach to the issue advocates for safe and legal abortions as well as “Plan A,” a campaign for contraceptive access. Now, I don’t want to name names, but some people in this election season are not just anti-choice, but they are also pro-abstinence only education, which is the first strike against reproductive rights.

NCJW is also fighting for equal rights for same-sex couples, a just and humane immigration policy, universal health care for children, and a livable minimum wage. I’m so proud to have a strong Jewish female voice speaking out in Washington and across the country on issues that matter not just to the Jewish community, but to the entire nation.

To find out more about the first Jewish Women’s Congress, visit This Week in History.

To find out more about NCJW’s advocacy work, visit their website.

h/t Rabbi Yonah at Jewlicious

So wait, Joe, break this down for me. You are actually still using the experience line when it comes to Obama? But not only that, in your eyes, Palin is a leader, and Obama is what exactly?! Ah yes, what were your words — “Eloquent,” but not experienced?!

Are you wearing your tefillin too tight?
Cutting off too much good blood flow or something?

Seriously?! Who wrote your talking points?

Palin is the leader we’ve been waiting for, after she’s been governor for as long as I’ve been getting my MFA in Creative Writing, and ran the big campaign, calling for Alaska to secede: “Alaska First, Alaska Always!?!”

Yeah, you’re totally right Lieberman! Palin is the leader we’ve been so desperately needing! I’m so glad to see that you’re no longer timid about your intimate relations with the Christian Right!

Bonafide lovers, that’s what you are. Ahh, your “ticket for change.” I’m just…swooning.

Wait, yup, there’s the “upchuck” desire again.

I don’t doubt y’all have been following the mass, unlawful preemptive raids by police happening in St. Paul and Minneapolis to squelch dissent at the Republican National Convention. Early today Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were unlawfully arrested. More info below, including numbers to call to demand their release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.democracynow.org

September 1, 2008

Contact:
Dennis Moynihan
Mike Burke

ST. PAUL, MN—Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfuly detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.

Ramsey County Sherrif Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.

Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman’s office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0).

Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this action by Twin Cities law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of the press and the First Amenmdent rights of these journalists.

During the demonstration in which they were arrested law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. Several dozen others were also arrested during this action.

Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States. She has received journalism’s top honors for her reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar is a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists from the nation’s leading independent news outlet.

Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.

Video of Amy Goodman’s Arrest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

Julia Glassman blogs as The Girl Detective at Modern Mitzvot. Jay Michaelson responds below.

I’ve attended an Orthodox service exactly once in my life, and I’ll never do it again.

It was Yom Kippur during my year in France, when I was working as an au pair for a Parisian Jewish family. They’d wanted someone a little more Jewish - someone who spoke Hebrew, someone who wasn’t secular - but I turned up the charm during our phone interview and they deemed me worthy to fold their laundry and make dinner for their kids. During my first few weeks there, they busily schooled me on the particulars of Orthodox life, reminding me to use the flowered plates and the fridge in the hallway for meat, gently chiding me when I absentmindedly flipped switches on Shabbat. They kept inviting me to go to service with them, and I kept demurring - after all, I was in Europe! I had to see the Louvre and Notre Dame! I had to visit my college pal in Scotland! I didn’t have time for synagogues.

Except I did kind of want to go. I was still working through what it meant to be a Jew, and even though I leaned toward atheism, I knew it was essential to at least familiarize myself with Judaism. I was descended from Hasidim, after all. So when they asked me if I wanted to attend the Yom Kippur service with them, I agreed.

I’d known about the separation of the sexes in Orthodox life, but I’d always imagined it as two equal groups side by side. When I arrived at the synagogue, I was stunned to find the central men’s section, the opaque curtain, the folding chairs haphazardly strewn around the periphery of the room. I couldn’t believe it when the service started and the women around me contented themselves with staring at the fabric and silently mouthing along with the prayers. The service lasted four hours, and during that time I could only guess at what the actual activities looked like. The message I got was clear: women had no place in holiness. Scripture might state that women are merely not required to participate in worship, but in reality, what I experience is that, women are often actively - and aggressively - barred from it.

Two months after I got home from Paris, I went on a Birthright trip and faced the same message when I visited the Kotel. For those of you who have never been, let me give you a woman’s-eye view. When you pass through the metal detectors at the back of the plaza, the temple mount is partially obscured by tourists, soldiers, fences, and Israeli flags; if you’re merely following your guide like I was, it actually takes a second or two to realize what exactly you’re looking at. The wall looks shockingly normal - it’s not a thousand feet high or glowing with divine light. Much like the Mona Lisa, though, the size quickly becomes part of the experience: see how little significance has to do with grandeur? The wall is a wall, but it’s not just a wall, and you realize that that’s part of what makes it sublime. It’s only when you approach it that you begin to notice the gender divide: black hats and coats taking up the vast majority of the space, with a small knot of scarves and shawls off to the right. Is it just a coincidence? One of the crowd’s normal shifts and permutations? No, you realize - each area is fenced off. And soldiers are guarding the entrances. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Fischbach is Professor of History, Randolph-Macon College and the author of Jewish Property Claims Against Arab Countries (Columbia University Press (August 2008).

Michael Fischbach‘s review of his own book is disturbing. Not so much because it has bias, or lacks factual data. It is disturbing because it brings to light another situation concerning the Jews from Arab lands which he does not touch upon. And that question is racism. He might have felt that the subject was not relevant to the book’s intent, however, since this matter has been nothing but “HUGE”  this year (just have a look at the related posts), it is primordial to bring to light how “why have the Arab Jews waited until 2002** to press for recognition, when they are not even seeking compensation”.

Mr. Fischbach however, is absolutely on the money when he intimates that the exiled Jews from North Africa are nothing but pawns on the  Israeli, dominantly Ashkenazi, chessboard as they position themselves against the Palestinians for “peace negotiations”. Fearing claims against the “right to return” to their land, and recovery for properties lost, it was essential to put something into play which would counterbalance such claims. Read the rest of this entry »

In case y’all haven’t heard yet, The Shondes started their fall tour this month.

What do the critics say?

“The Red Sea is a visceral work… Eli Oberman’s [violin] lends substantial melancholy to their quiet-loud dynamics. While being a radical, Judaic-bent, genderqueer, post-punk quartet sets The Shondes apart, being a political band whose music is as strong as its message is a rare treat.” - Jessica Hopper, Chicago Tribune

“Louisa Rachel Solomon’s vocals are strong, nimble and graceful …complex song structures intertwined with direct, inquisitive lyrics…an album rich in saw-tooth guitars, pummeling rhythms and an undeniably anthemic spirit…The Shondes are a twisted carnival film noir come true.” - Matt Kiser, CMJ (Jan 07, 2008)

“This is a band that rocks as if they just don’t give a fuck but has crafted their art in a manner that shows they clearly do.” - Earfarm

“Riot grrrl radicalism wed to classically structured songs, distortion pedals, clashing vocals, and powerful lyrics.” - The Village Voice

“Ready for an indie break out….radical politics, inspired riffs, textured hamonies and pure sex appeal” - Curve Magazine

Give ‘em some love y’all!!! Check out a full list of all their upcoming shows after the jump, coming to a city/town in the U.S. near you! Read the rest of this entry »

Labor Day. For many, a three-day weekend. For some, a reminder of the importance of the labor movement, and the benefits that this movement won for its members, their families and the communities they live in, and indeed the U.S. as a whole. It’s not for nothing that the book is entitled “From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend: A Short, Illustrated History of Labor in the United States.” Or the posters, mug, t-shirts and bumper stickers …

This brings us to Stuart Appelbaum’s Labor Day 2008 Op-Ed piece, online at the JTA here. It will, we hope, also appear in a number of Jewish community newpapers in the next two weeks. Stuart is the president of the Jewish Labor Committee {disclosure: where I work} and the 100,000-member Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union/UFCW. His article, “Jews, justice and the workplace,” begins simply:

In August 2006, a worker at a Rite Aid Distribution Center in Lancaster, Calif., was fired. Her name was Debbie Fontaine.

Her offense? Taking part in a campaign to organize a union. It’s an incident that may not make many of us think about our responsibilities as Jews, but this Labor Day it should.

And that brings us to this. The Jewish Labor Committee has joined in a multi-organizational effort to secure support for the Employee Free Choice Act. And you’re invited to join us! EFCA is critical Federal legislation that would help protect the rights of workers in the U.S. to organize and form unions. The law would give more workers a way to form unions and negotiate for better wages, health care and working conditions. The EFCA, when passed, would amend the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, by requiring employees to recognize a union when a majority of workers sign cards authorizing union representation [so-called card-check]. When passed, EFCA would also strengthen penalties for companies that coerce or intimidate their employees and establish binding arbitration mechanisms when employers and workers are unable to agree on a first contract.

National organizations supporting this proposed legislation range from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs to Americans for Democratic Action. Locally, the Progressive Jewish Alliance in California and Jews United for Justice in Washington DC have also been active in support of EFCA.

You’re invited to sign the Jewish Labor Committee’s petition in support of EFCA {and to get others to do so as well}. It will be presented to the new President and Congress. Just click here and fill in the form. You can find some additional information here.

Let me end with the last ‘graph of the aforementioned Op-Ed:

The Torah teaches Jews to pursue justice: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof.” To some that means challenging the horrors of Darfur. For others it may be a call to fight for human rights in Burma. But the experience of Debbie Fontaine reminds us that some battles for justice are as close as the nearest workplace.

Lesbian rights pioneer and feminist activist Del Martin passed away yesterday. She was 87.

Martin wed her partner of over 50 years, Phyllis Lyon, last month after same-sex marriages were legalized in California. They were the first same-sex couple married in San Francisco.

Martin and Lyon founded the Daughters of Bilitis, an early lesbian activist group, and Martin was the first out lesbian to serve on the board of the National Organization for Women.

Our condolences go out to her widow, Phyllis Lyon, and her daughter.

You can read more here, here and here.

There needs to be a new discussion in this country about what constitutes readiness for political leadership. Ever since Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his vice presidential candidate, the GOP has loaded television stations across the nation with both Democrats’ and Republicans’ quotes about how Obama is not ready to lead the country…

But in reality, how substantiated is this claim?

First of all, there is a huge difference between leadership and office. Leaders not only know how to tap into the relationship between power and ideas, they can use this knowledge to greatly influence civil society. On the other hand, an office is simply a puppet station designed to keep society running in case great leaders come around. As all of us should realize, Washington is full of great officials, yet short on great leaders.

In my opinion, all this whining about Senator Obama’s youth and short term in national politics really says more about the whiners than it does about Obama. They’re just pissed that he’s been able to achieve in a few years what took other Washington politicians decades to accomplish: clench the Democratic nomination to the Presidency.

Look at McCain, for example. With all those years of service, with that great reputation of being a war hero, with all of that bipartisan work and long years of inter-party bridge-building, this so-called “maverick” had to wait until he was over seventy years old before taking the GOP nomination. Now the Republicans want to use his experience as proof that McCain will be a better president. But this doesn’t follow at all. (Think of all the many crimes against humanity that have been committed by party-endorsed, citizen-elected and fairly “seasoned” politicians.) Instead, there seems to be a more simple reason why people are quick to question Obama’s readiness: sheer jealousy.

And this jealousy isn’t limited to the Republicans. There are many Hillary Clinton supporters who were pissed their candidate lost the primary. They complained that Hillary was more electable and that she had received as many or more votes as Obama. As evidence, they pointed to the fact that Hillary won the vote of the party’s backbone—that is, blue-collar Democrats, older Democrats and the “big” states like California, New York and Pennsylvania. And all of this is undoubtedly true.

The problem, however, with the “pro-Hillary” argument then, and the very similar “pro-McCain” readiness doctrine now, is that Obama’s very success demonstrates their conclusions to be wrong. For precisely the reasons that are raised by Clinton and McCain supporters, the evidence demonstrates Obama is more ready to be president than anyone else on the national stage. Think about it. The fact that he, in a relatively short period of time, grew from a Chicago community organizer to the national political arena suggests he’s more of a leader, not less. The fact that he won the voting count despite losing many white, blue-collar Democrats indicates his voting blocks, not Clinton’s, were the political backbone of this Democratic primary. And even more so, the fact that Obama won more delegates than Hillary while losing all the states with the highest delegate count should make his election feats more remarkable, not less. And the list goes on… he’s only forty-six years old; he’s African-American with the middle name of “Hussein”; he’s lived on multiple continents; he’s published two books while expanding his career in politics, etc. and he STILL has been able to master and ultimately gain control of the United States’ Democratic Party machine!

Taken together, what all this suggests are three absolutely critical things: first, that if winning elections is any indication of leadership potential, Americans believe beyond a shadow of doubt that Obama is ready to lead; and second, if other politicians doubt Obama is ready to lead, he or she really secretly thinks those millions of disagreeing Americans must be naive as hell; third, and most important, it conveys the notion that Americans are tired of good politicians in Washington. There are definitely times for good politicians, but there are also times for great leaders. Whether or not Obama will change Washington has yet to be seen. But one thing’s for certain. When he says to his supporters that “our time for change has come,” their massive response does just about everything except the one charge constantly labeled against him: suggest that he’s not ready to lead. Quite to the contrary, he’s so far led all his opponents to abandon their campaigns for the presidency. And unless you’re willing to say he’s a charlatan and demagogue, the obvious truth is that — even if not the greatest president — Obama has already made his mark as a great leader.