This time it was President Barack Obama who used the formula “because of the color of their skin,” after a police officer killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop for a broken taillight: “When incidents like this occur, there’s a big chunk of our citizenry that feels as if, because of the color of their skin, they are not being
treated the same.”

He was not the first and will not be the last to cast matters in that topsy-turvy way. Martin Luther King Jr’s reference to “the color of their skin” in his “I Have a Dream” speech has normalized the formula in Americans’ ears, though King probably considered it a reductio ad absurdum rather than an explanation. read more

Our 4^th of July flags were still flying high when seven people died leaving behind bereaved parents, children, relatives and friends. Families and friends from now on will have to celebrate births, confirmations, graduations, and marriages with tears, memories, and pictures.

The chronology of the tragic events took place in front of our eyes. In real time we saw Alton Sterling a black man shot and killed while pinned down on the ground by police officers in Baton Rouge America. On the scene was Muflahi the owner of the convenient store who kept repeating, “It was a nightmare,” contradicting the police version, “there was no altercation,” he said. read more

First, the good news: Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton today, to the discomfiture of some diehard Bernie or Busters, and the gratified relief of everyone who wants to see Donald Trump defeated in November. Extended political campaigns tend to bruise feelings, and this was no exception, but the Dems will be united, behind a strong platform (wish it could have mentioned the occupation, however) and should be well positioned to win, with the backing of liberals and progressives, whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians, and everyone who is serious about not wanting Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. read more

On the eve of Israel’s last election, we strongly believed that in order to ensure the future of the state as Jewish and democratic we must change the regime.

We had known that a new coalition with Netanyahu at the helm would not be able to achieve a separation from the Palestinians and a two-states agreement.

To bring about political change we forged a number of alliances to win in the voting booth, but we failed to bring about change and the results of the election confirmed our worst fears. read more

Joy turned into mourning
A celebration became a funeral procession.
Gone are you beautiful people
Life interrupted in the spring of your time.

The Pulse was a place for America-
All are created equal with unalienable rights
To life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness:
To hold hands in broad daylight,
To love and to cherish at weddings.

In the Pulse last week
A murderer was among you
And you didn’t know.

Life-Shattering Shots
And the breath of life left forty-nine
People created in the Image of God. read more

Many politically minded people are asking, “what is the upcoming Friday Paris Conference good for?” In the face of Israel’s total rejection, tepid US participation, and an anticipated plain declaration many wonder why go through all the trouble of having a conference.

The French initiative is essentially about delivering a very simple message: the West Bank future is not an internal Israeli matter; rather it is of great concern to the International Community. Thus, it is prepared to intervene, actively if necessary. No wonder that PM Netanyahu is so forcefully opposed to this initiative. He clearly understands that this is the beginning of a process over which, ultimately, he might have no control. read more

Today May 23, is a beautiful spring day that B.J. would have loved, blue skies, sunny and warm.  It is today on her birthday that I feel B.J.’s absent presence in the space where friendship is of the essence.

We were introduced two years ago on a Friday night as we both leaned carefully on a counter loaded with Sabbath food and B.J. spoke Hebrew to me immediately right there, in the kitchen.

The rich aroma of spices filled the air, and somehow we skipped the formal conversation of people who have just met. We talked about writing. She wrote, I found out, mostly creative non-fiction and poetry was not her favorite genre. She was about to publish her memoir. read more

What should the Dems do? Should Sanders fight until the convention? Should he graciously concede if he has no chance of winning the nomination? How and in what form should Clinton reach out to Sanders and his supporters? These are some of the most pressing issues of the day.

I raise these issues because recently some of the friends of The Jewish Pluralist have complained that there is a pro-Clinton bias in our coverage in the US elections. They’re correct, just as there has been a consistent anti-Netanyahu “bias” in our coverage of Israeli politics.   The two American editors, Ayala and myself, both supported Clinton in the primaries.   This is accidental. It just happened that both of us, independently, and without consultation, after carefully looking at the alternatives, decided to back Hillary Clinton in the primaries. I won’t speak for Ayala, I did so because, tactically, I believed and still believe that she has the best chance of winning in November. read more

May is a celebratory month for supporters of Israel: Israel’s Independence Day, the Israel Day Parade in New York, and smaller Walks for Israel in cities all over the United States. Detroit is one such city poised to host its eleventh annual Walk for Israel.

We at Partners for Progressive Israel wished to join this year’s Walk for Israel in Detroit. But for the second consecutive year the Detroit Walk for Israel steering committee unilaterally decided to prevent us and Americans for Peace Now from participating. They say their mission is to “unite the metropolitan Detroit community to celebrate the establishment of the modern Jewish State of Israel and support its right to live in peace and security.” So why are they dividing the community by deeming who is and isn’t an adequate supporter of Israel’s “right to live in peace and security?” read more

So, to get to the point, just a few days ago, on what is now one of my infrequent trips to New York City, I found myself, standing at the DeKalb Avenue station in Brooklyn, waiting for an R train, going to my brother’s house.

It was about 10:30 at night, and there were only a few persons on the platform, and as a veteran of New York City of the 70s and 80s, I immediately started to scan the passengers on the platform. And then, from the other end of the platform, a man started to shout. A white dude, about 40-50 years old, shabbily dressed, powerfully built. His rant went something like this: “F–ing kikes, goddam f–ing kikes, I hate f–ing kikes, f–ing kikes, Hitler was right, we need to put them in the ovens. I went to Bellevue ten times, and every time the f–ing kikes took my money and robbed me. F–ing kikes, Donald Trump will know how to take care of the f–ing kikes.” read more