Category Archives: Israel

Politics, culture, people, life, religion and general info on Israel.

Historic Decision for Same-Sex Benefits

Israel

Israeli Courts recently decided that Same-Sex partners have the right to inherit their deceased partner’s estates. Excerpts from the beginning and end of the full article

The Nazareth District Court on Sunday handed down a landmark decision declaring that the survivor of a homosexual partner is entitled to inherit his or her estate as long as the deceased has not willed it to someone else….
According to Maman, the High Court handed down a landmark decision on equal rights for homosexual couples in the workplace in 1994, when it ruled that the benefits offered to the common-law partners of El Al employees should include same-sex, as well as heterosexual, couples.
Maman also said that Article 55 of the Inheritance Law, which granted common-law partners the same inheritance rights as married partners, was primarily aimed at helping common-law couples who could not marry because of religious law.
Although the law at the time was clearly aimed at heterosexual couples, it did not rule out homosexual couples. In fact, homosexual couples belong to the category of those who are prevented by matrimonial law from marrying.
Mike Hamel, chairman of the Association of Homosexuals and Lesbians, hailed the decision as “highly significant” and said he hoped that it would be the springboard for recognizing homosexual rights in other spheres of matrimonial law.

May all peoples live in countries with equal rights and privledges.

Israeli Viewpoint on Divestment

Israel

Recent actions by the PC USA and various Universities (like Columbia) on the question of divestment from Israel led some at the recent General Assembly of United Jewish Communities to speak with Israeli officials for their viewpoint on the attempt of many to (falsely and biasedly) equate Israel with Apartheid South Africa. The resulting conversation is covered in a recent Ha’aretz article. Some excerpts from the article are,

A senior Israeli official who deals with the subject explained last week that the approach of the government was to try to keep the affair out of the headlines as much as possible. The Israeli assumption is that the threats of divestment are only of marginal practical importance, and that the American Jewish community can use its influence to moderate the harsh decisions. In this case, there is no point in providing free advertising for an anti-Israel approach. The burden of the struggle is therefore being borne by American Jews, and they can point for now to a certain degree of success.

…from the end of the article,

Supporters of the approach of the Israeli government, which prefers to ignore the issue, can point to the fact that during the four years since the start of the intifada, not a single dollar has been withdrawn from investments in Israel. But the American Jewish community sees a more worrisome picture, of which there are many examples – from annual conventions of students who support divestment, to discussions in the institutions of the Presbyterian, Episcopalian and Anglican churches in the United States, to the bitter battle against Caterpillar, manufacturer of the bulldozers used by the Israel Defense Forces to destroy homes and crops in the territories.

The success of the Jewish community in halting these initiatives for the time being is what enables Israel to treat the question of divestment as a curiosity, or as an internal American issue. But the very fact that discussion of the subject continues, and that the Christian churches belonging to the centrist denominations in the United States are moving away from support for Israel, is a warning signal, not only for the American Jewish community, but for Israeli decision-makers as well.

Read the entire article.

Condemning Threats Against the Presbyterian Church USA

American Politics, Israel

On October 22nd, I posted about the problematic nature of the Presbyterian Church (USA) divestiture of funds from Israel and meeting with the known terrorist organization Hizbollah. Recently there were some arson threats against Presbyterian Churches presumably in response to the Church’s actions. Such arson threats are inexcusable. Violence and the threat of violence is not an appropriate response to this kind of intolerance on the part of the leadership of the PC USA. Yesterday leaders of the Reform movement issued a statement about these threats.

Reform Jewish Movement Condemns Threats Against the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Yoffie and Saperstein: We are disgusted and outraged by those who have threatened to use violence and arson against Presbyterian churches to protest the Presbyterian Church’s (USA) recent steps toward divestment from Israel.

New York, November 14, 2004: In response to threats of violence and arson against Presbyterian churches in protest the Presbyterian Church’s (USA) recent steps toward divestment from Israel, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, and Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

We are disgusted and outraged by those who have threatened to use violence and arson against Presbyterian churches to protest the Presbyterian Church’s (USA) recent steps toward divestment from Israel. The thugs who have made these reprehensible threats are far outside the mainstream of American Jewry, and we, the largest branch of American Judaism, condemn them forcibly, vigorously, and unequivocally.

We will, of course, continue to raise concerns about the Presbyterian Church’s (USA) policy, but, at the same time, we stand with the Presbyterian community in denouncing these threats. They have no place, no place, in public debate.

Link for the full text of the Press Release.

May the day come soon when all peoples and faiths respect each other and may God bring peace to Israel and the Palestinian people.

More Terror

Israel, Terrorism

It has happened again. A young Palestinian has been a “martyr” for his people and murdered at least 3 Israelis, killed himself and wounded 32.

You can read a Ha’aretz news report.

There is so much I could say, but mostly I feel sad and like so much of it has been said before.

May G-d help us find a true and lasting peace.

With prayers for the souls of the departed, for their families and for all those who have been injured.

UPDATE: The pain of the bombing is added to, for it was a place of co-existance as explained in this Jerusalem Post article which includes the comment,

“Jews and Arabs have been working at the market for over forty years, and there has never been an instance of hatred between us,” storeowner Ofer Shmueli also said.

Knesset Passes the Disengagement Plan

Israel

The Knesset (Israel’s parliament, in case you didn’t know) has passed the plan to pull out from Gaza. The vote has already had some interesting political ramifications and I image there will be more. Israel is going to, at long, long last, pull the people and troops out of Gaza. It is about time (and it will be by the time it takes effect).

There are many sides to this issue and many questions in the air, like “Will a non-negotiation de-facto pullout mean the Palestinians will govern themselves?” What will this mean for the larger peace issues. We will have to wait and see.

For more see:
Ha’aretz
Jerusalem Post
Ma’ariv
and, for an interesting and different perspective, Al-Jazeera (yes, I know, but it is interesting to see how others view things.)

Presbyterian endorsement of terrorism

Israel, Terrorism

Recently, an official delegation from the Presbyterian Church (USA) met with leaders of Hizbollah. They praised Hizbollah for their work. (they have claimed responsiblity for many terrorist attacks in Israel.)

I support interfaith discussions, dialogue and disagreement. While I understood the Presbyterian church’s statement this summer for divestiture from Israel, it saddened me for it did not include a statement against terrorism. Well now I think we are beginning to see the true stripes of the PC USA leadership – support of Palestinians and terror.

The leaders of Israel and the leaders of the Palestinians must work for peace, mutual acknowledgement and the ability to live side-by-side without killing each other. However, for PC USA to take such a blatently pro-Palestinian step as praising Hizbollah without even mentioning their terrorism is wrong.

I pray that things can change and that the leadership of the PC USA will acknowledge the pain this move is causing those who support Israel.

The PC USA church issued a statement which somewhat deliniates the full Church position as opposed to those in Lebanon engaging in the meetings, but it doesn’t seem to go far enough.

The leadership of the Reform movement has issued a statement in response. The statement includes a letter sent by Rabbi Yoffie and Rabbi Menitoff to the leadership of PC USA. The letter includes,

We are especially offended by Elder Stone’s remarks that meeting with Hezbollah “is a lot easier than dealings and dialogue with Jewish leaders.” To suggest that dialogue with terrorists is preferable to conversations with the American Jewish community is appalling and has overtones of anti-Semitism.

Based on our recent dialogue, we had hoped that you would swiftly and strongly denounce these meetings and statements by individuals who speak in the name of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  Yet your statement does no more than repeat an earlier blanket condemnation of terrorism with no attention to the meetings of and statements from this delegation.

As we said when we met, there can be no religious justification whatsoever for words that serve to encourage terror and justify terrorism.  Surely all people of decency, especially those whose tradition calls on us to “choose life” and “seek peace,” can see that Hezbollah is not praiseworthy.  We hope and pray that you will exercise the moral leadership required at this moment and repudiate these deplorable words spoken in the name of your church. “

May G-d bring wisdom, courage, understanding and peace to us all.

From the New Editor of the Jerusalem Post

Israel

David Horovitz is the new editor of the Jerusalem Post. In today’s editorial he wrote of the goals he has for his leadership of the JPost. Among his comments were…

“I regard it as an immense responsibility to be editing The Jerusalem Post at this fragile juncture in the short history of modern Israel. …. Similarly, honored that you, our readers, come to The Jerusalem Post to learn the details of Israel’s daily development, and conscious that you make personal, business and all manner of other decisions based on what you read here, we will strive to maintain the highest reporting standards, with coverage and analysis as informative and fair-minded as we can make it. English is not the main language of Israel, but it is the language most widely spoken by Jewish people. The Jerusalem Post is the most resonant name in daily English-language journalism in Israel and the Jewish world, in an era when this article, and every other, can be accessed globally in an instant. We at the Post acknowledge the responsibility, and relish the opportunity, this brings us.”

Read the full editorial here (You may need to log in, but it is free.)

Wishing everyone a shabbat shalom,
May G-d spread a sukkah of peace over Israel and over the world on this sabbath of Sukkot.