Why is this night different from all other nights? It is different because tonight President Obama will give his last State of the Union address.
Yet, there are news today of another unceremonious, undemocratic and without due process event, “ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] personnel have entered homes—sometimes without a warrant or consent—and roused children from beds before taking families into custody.”

The painful dissonance that frames this day was underscored as I heard on NPR this morning about the deportation of these children and mothers asylum seekers, and at the same time I read an appealing and democratic email from the much admired First Lady Michelle Obama, “Tonight, Ayala, Barack gives his final State of the Union speech, where he’ll talk about his vision for this next year and beyond.
Everything we’ve accomplished…is possible only because of the incredible support we’ve seen from people like you, Ayala.
So I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for standing by our President’s side for the past seven years. And I want to make sure you’ll be tuning in tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET, so you can hear for yourself, one last time, what Barack has to say about how, together, we can keep moving our country forward: Thanks for standing with us, Ayala. Now, let’s finish what we started — together.” read more

With “Netanyahu at War,” the PBS Frontline series continues its tradition of visiting its subject with a combination of fast-paced dramatic footage, sprinkled with authoritative talking heads providing commentary with some (limited) variation of views. It understandably features commentators who have been in the spotlight on Israel, including Dennis Ross, Ari Shavit, Peter Beinart, Jeffrey Goldberg, and David Remnick.

Unremarkably for a less than two-hour broadcast, it is not anything like a complete run-down of major events in the past 20 years since Netanyahu first first became prime minister in 1996. Perhaps surprisingly, however, there is no mention of Ariel Sharon, the Gaza Disengagement, Ehud Olmert, Operation Protective Edge (the Gaza war of 2014); likewise, there is nothing on how Netanyahu bested Livni in 2009 despite having fewer votes (in fact, the only mention of Livni is one appearance as a talking head about something else). There is no mention of how he defeated Herzog in 2015 by rallying votes from other right-wing parties in the eleventh hour; you’d never know that the plurality vote for his Likud party last year was a mere 23% of the total. The details of how Israel is governed by coalitions of diverse parties may seem too arcane for television, but it is important in understanding Israeli politics. read more

The first day of 2016 featured women in politics. It happened in synagogues last Shabbat on January 1, as we read the opening chapters of the Book of Exodus in which six women make history and emerge as political catalysts. All are remarkably brave; all are women who make bold moves in the political/ethnic/religious arena of their time. Framed in contemporary political lexicon, the women speak truth to power, brand civil disobedience, and defy book banning and closing of the mind in Jerusalem. My reading of Torah within the current politics of book banning and fear-mongering in Jerusalem is informed by the idea that in a Jewish universe, word and world are in frequent dialogue. read more

Following Ayala Emmett’s “Emailing With the President,” Richard Rosen proposes, WHY NOT ASK US ALL TO DO THIS? AFTER ALL, WE ALL RECEIVED THE SAME LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT, AND HIS XMAS CARD AND ETC. Send your e-mail to President@whitehouse.gov All you have to do is what Richard has done, inserted his own name in the first line of the e-mail. Richard invites you to insert your name in the copied text and send it to the president. If you are on facebook please share as well.

I am delighted to get emails from the president that say, “I need you Richard” I know that emails from the president are mass-produced, yet they have a personal appeal for me because they use my first name. Yesterday, I got an email from President Obama asking me to join him, “before the ball drops and we close the books on 2015, will you join me and pitch in to help Democrats retake the Senate.” Since I like the spirit of being asked to join the president I respond to his appeal with a reciprocal email request:
Dear President Obama, read more

Eight Tips to a Better Perspective

I had a brief, yet substantial conversation with my cousin’s spouse, Dawn. Both Dawn and Mike retired from the military after a 30-year career as high-ranking officials in intelligence. Mike now works as a Program Manager for a government agency, and because of his experience in the military, he looks at things with a different perspective. This article is a result of my conversation with Dawn.

“How is everything going with work?” Dawn asked.

“Pretty good,” I said. “There are some frustrating points, but, I love my family, and that is my focus, especially when things get crazy Monday-Friday.” read more

I am delighted to get emails from the president that say, “I need you Ayala.” I know that emails from the president are mass-produced, yet they have a personal appeal for me because they use my first name. Yesterday, I got an email from President Obama asking me to join him, “before the ball drops and we close the books on 2015, will you join me and pitch in to help Democrats retake the Senate.” Since I like the spirit of being asked to join the president I respond to his appeal with a reciprocal email request: read more

I hate to say it, but Donald Trump has probably earned his “ism.” Of course, this is not to defend the message, but to merely acknowledge its potency, But like Joseph McCarthy, Juan Peron, Joseph Stalin, or (less benightedly, Mahatma Gandhi or Charles Darwin) Donald Trump has come to embody a mood, a movement, or a political stance. Although Time magazine chose Angela Merkel, a sort of anti-Trump, as the person of the year, there’s no doubt that the most important person of the year, certainly in the United States, has been Donald Trump, as depressing as that thought is. read more

President Obama celebrated Christmas in beautiful Hawaii, while his administration told children there would be no presents for them, and no Christmas cards saying peace and joy. When the knock would come on their door it would not be UPS with lovely presents; it would be government agents to send them back to places of terror.

These children and mothers, asylum seekers from Central America are fleeing unspeakable violence, and have risked their lives to come here, because remaining in their countries of origin is a death sentence. Yet the Obama administration decided that the week before Christmas would be an auspicious time to announce that it would intensify deportation of the mothers and children. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders rightly denounced the administration’s act as outrageous, “We need to take steps to protect children and families seeking refuge here, not cast them out. Our nation has always been a beacon of hope, a refuge for the oppressed.” read more

Perhaps you’ve heard? A new Star Wars film opened this week “The Force Awakens.” I can’t say I’m that much of a Star Wars aficionado, but I enjoyed the first three films, before the genre of science fiction-action-adventure films Star Wars wrought became so routinized as to become unwatchable. The new film has received very respectable reviews, and I suspect sometime in the next few weeks I will go see it.

What I liked about the Star Wars films was mystical conceit known as “The Force.” And what I liked most about “the force” is that is reminded me of the philosophy of Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi. Perhaps the most basic and familiar concept of Gandhi is that of satyagraha, a Sanskrit term that he liked to translate as “soul force.” Another term for it might be “the force.” Gandhi loved to speak of satyagraha, systematic campaigns of nonviolence, and ahimsa, a Jainist term meaning the respect for all life as forces. read more

To celebrate the eighth night of Hanukkah, Temple B’rith Kodesh issued an invitation to “light the candles with interfaith and community guests.” On Sunday, we gather in the attractive Atrium with its large collection of Menorahs from all over the world, representing centuries of artistic/artisan creativity. The collection infuses the space with intimate history and a presence of ancestors that encircle/embrace the local Hanukkah event. Ready to light the candles, Rabbis Peter Stein and Kelly Levy are joined by Bill Moehle, the Brighton Town Supervisor and we the people of different faith communities chant the traditional Hanukkah blessings. read more