The Iran agreement is a most urgent issue, right now, facing Israel and the American Jewish community. It is important in itself, of course It holds out the best chance to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and to prevent the war that would likely break out if this agreement falters, and as such it is crucial for the future of Israel, the Middle East and American involvement in the region. Potentially, it can be a turning point in American-Iranian relations as well, an event that might be as significant as the opening to China in the 1970s. read more

Today, Monday August 3 is marked by the unthinkable grief of the bereaved parents of Shira Banki and the sorrow of her family and friends who mourn an amazingly brave 16 year old who had the courage to be a decent human being and was stabbed at the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem. Today is Shira Banki’s funeral in a private ceremony in Kibbutz Nahshon.

Her family shared a heartbreaking message: “Our magical Shira was murdered because she was a happy 16-year-old – full of life and love – who came to express her support for her friends’ rights to live as they choose. For no good reason and because of evil, stupidity and negligence, the life of our beautiful flower was cut short. Bad things happen to good people, and a very bad thing happened to our amazing girl. The family expresses hope for less hatred and more tolerance.” read more

Two horrific brutal attacks have shaken up Israel last week. On Thursday there was a stabbing attack on a Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem in which 6 people were wounded, one seriously injured. Friday morning the country woke up to face the burning of a Palestinian family home in which a baby was burned to death in the village of Duma. The killers wishing to make sure that their identity would not be in doubt left a message on the wall in Hebrew, nekama, (revenge). On Saturday thousands of Israelis*, including Israel’s president, rallied in major cities, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa holding signs, “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” “Homophobia=Racism” and “How Many Will be Killed in the Name of God?” read more

This is the news. The United States and other major powers after years of delicate negotiations, reached an agreement with Iran. Iran has promised not to develop nuclear weapons; the US and the other powerful nations agreed, in steps, to lift the sanctions that have been crippling the Iranian economy. It’s a complex agreement, with many moving parts, but it has the possibility of ending or ameliorating the deep enmity that has defined US-Iranian relations since the fall of the Shah, which could be a potential benefit in all sorts of ways; in Iraq, Syria, the fight against ISIS, for the Iranian people, and changing the basic dynamic in the Middle East. It holds the possibility of being the most positive change in the Middle East in several decades. read more

Recently, the New York Times published an article about ISIS outreach to American and Western youth, whose goal is to win the hearts and minds of young people. The article looked at the case of a young woman in Oregon named Alex. Alex connected with ISIS activists on Twitter and, under their guidance, converted to Islam and progressively radicalized her worldview. Her contacts manipulated her into keeping her conversion a secret from her family, and not to contact local Muslim communities who are not affiliated with ISIS. read more

The two most interesting stories in the American South this past week were undoubtedly the release of Harper Lee’s second novel Go Set a Watchman, and the final furling of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds in Columbia. Both events were decades overdue.

Go Set a Watchman first. Most of the discussion about the novel has revolved around the changed depiction of Atticus Finch. In To Kill a Mockingbird, set in the 1930s, Atticus Finch was an almost saintly lawyer, upholding the idea of justice for all in a deeply unjust society, and the right of everyone to a fair trial. In Go Set a Watchman, set in the 1950s Atticus is a bigoted 70-year old man, telling his now adult daughter that he doesn’t approve of school integration, and goes to a Klan or White Citizen’s Council meeting now and then. read more

We are at a Catskill resort to celebrate my parents’ 50th anniversary. Even in its heyday, the Homowack would not have been up to my family’s standards. It’s not that it wasn’t fancy enough—my parents gravitated toward rustic North Carolina lodges. It just attracted a different type of guest, those from Brooklyn or the Bronx, where most patrons are more religiously observant and perhaps less refined than those of us who hail originally from Atlanta and Seattle. But we sought a place with kosher food near my parents’ New York and New Jersey children and grandchildren. read more

It was three days before I noticed it. The third night that Molly was my nurse, I spotted her wrist tattoo: a graphic of some kind, and what seemed to be Hebrew writing. At first, I tried to sneak a better glimpse. When my surreptitious peeks didn’t work, I broke down and asked this delightful, soprano-voiced nurse about the tattoo.

“Is that Hebrew?”

“Yes.”

“Why? You’re not Jewish are you?”

“No, so I worked diligently to be sure I had the letters right.” She explained the tattoo to me. “The heart is anatomically correct. The Hebrew says, ‘Refined by fire.’” read more