All posts by Amelah

Thought-Inspiring Television

American Politics

I’ve watched some insightful, challenging, enjoyable television lately. I recommend the following programs:

Bill Moyer’s Journal, especially this week’s segments on: Regent University (or as some call it, G-d’s University) and the Costs of the Iraq War.

Secret Files of the Inquisition, a PBS series on the history up to and the time of the Inquisition (12th century forward). This series is based on Vatican archives of the time first opened to some in 1998. Apparently some find this series controversial. Some sites on the series are: a Catholic forum, Jerusalem Post introductory article, a blogger called “Mission Territory.”

What do you think?

Israeli Ingenuity Does It Again – Turning Rocks into OIL!

Israel

Yes, you read that correctly – Israeli scientists have figured out a way to turn rocks, specifically shale, into oil. Read all about it on Israel21c by Stuart Winer.

Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

Haifa-based A.F.S.K Hom Tov recently demonstrated its patented method of extracting high quality oil and natural gas from a mixture of bitumen and oil shale rock. Bitumen – or asphalt – is the residue obtained by distillation of crude oil.

Experts predict the process will return oil at just $25 dollars a barrel and the additional natural gas produced would further boost the financial feasibility. With crude oil prices currently floating over the $50 a barrel mark, this proposed method is generating interest around the world.    [Read the entire article!]

Upcoming Book to Read

American Politics, Israel, Israeli Blogs

Michael Oren has a new book coming out soon,

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present (W. W. Norton & Company, January 15, 2007) “The first comprehensive history of America’s military, political, and intellectual involvement
in the Middle East from George Washington to George W. Bush.

Oren’s website has summaries, comments of reviewers and more.  Go and check it out.

Aharon at Blogs of Zion opens a post about it by saying,

I got my hands on an advance copy of Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present, historian and Shalem Center senior researcher Michael Oren’s new book, and I have to tell you, it is great. The research will boggle your mind, and it is just so interesting that you have a jaw dropping experience every paragraph or two.

I’ve pre-ordered at Amazon and I look forward to getting a copy.

Citing Shmuley Boteach on the Pope

Judaism

Greetings and salutations on this secular New Year day.

Today’s Jerusalem Post has an interesting article on some of the recent actions and statements by the Pope.   Boteach speaks of the Pope’s recent “warm greetings” for Ahmadinajab of Iran, the recent Holocaust denier’s conference there and the Pope’s condemnation of the execution of Sadaam Hussein.

See if you agree with Boteach in the following excerpt from the article,

Last week, the church broke ranks with nearly every moral voice and came out publicly against Saddam’s execution. But if that were not enough, Pope Benedict XVI granted a private audience to a delegation of Iranian officials, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki, whose ministry sponsored the recent Holocaust denial conference in Teheran.

The pope is the foremost spiritual leader on earth. It shocks every moral sensibility that he would choose to legitimize a wretch like this. More troubling yet, the pope conveyed warm greetings to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad through the delegation.

Warm greetings? Ahmadinejad is calling virtually every week for Israel’s annihilation. Does the pope have anything to share with this man aside from his contempt? One would hope that a pope who witnessed the Holocaust and the destruction of the Jewish people would practice extra caution before hanging out with those who wish to renew Hitler’s efforts.

LET’S NOT finesse this. Ahmadinejad is an international abomination who can lay strong claim to being the single most hate-filled man alive. Surely the pope can find more worthy recipients of his time and graciousness?…   (keep reading)

Yes, it is a bit unusual for me to cite Rabbi Boteach, but on this point, I agree.  How about you?

Shavuah tov

Judaism

Shavuah tov  – a good week to you and yours.  This week we read parashat Vayishlach, a portion continuing the story of Jacob and his family.  Here are some net resources on the portion:

Read the text in Hebrew, hear it chanted, and see what it looks like in the Torah scroll itself (thanks to World ORT)

Summary of the portion (Torah from Dixie) 

Commentary on the reunion kiss between Jacob & Esau (JAFI)

Rabbi Shefa Gold on Vayishlach – a spiritual commentary 

Take a quiz about Vayishlach from Paredes 

Wikipedia on the portion and many links to other commentaries 

Read, learn, reflect and connect with the text.

Enjoy and may you have a week of blessing!

Wow! Same-Sex Marriages to Be Recognized in Israel!

Israel

Wow! A red letter day of the good kind. According to Yuval Yoaz in Haaretz,

“In a precedent-setting ruling, the High Court of Justice on Tuesday ruled that five gay couples wedded outside of Israel can be registered as married couples, Army Radio reported. A sweeping majority of six Justices in favor and one against ruled that the common-law marriages of five gay couples obtained in Toronto, Canada, can appear as married on the population registry. The gay petitioners sought to force the state to give equal recognition to common law marriages of heterosexual couples to those of gay marriages, which can be performed in certain countries.”

 

Another reason to have pride in Israel!!! (Now if only there were leagal marriages in American that Israel could recognize…)

Thoughts on the election…so far

American Politics

Sitting on my couch and listening to NPR report election results (and cheering more than moaning – thank G-d) my hope for this country is increasing a tad. Maybe this will be real change. Maybe not.

What is Jewish about this post? What is Jewish about caring about elections?   Many things, in my opinion.

First, on voting – Jews have been prohibited from voting and participating in government in many of the countries in which we have lived. Voting is a privelege and, in America, Canada, Israel and other  countries it is a right.  I believe that voting is a right which all Americans (and etc) are obliged to take seriously.  This obligation is even heavier for Jews – for those who were never permitted to vote and for the principle of tikkun olam (the obligation to repair the world).

Tikkun olam appears throughout our texts – we must care about the world around us and we must  take part in making the world a better place.

Using the voices we have in the American government – voting, writing/talking to congressional personnel is our obligation and our right!