At the 2013 AIPAC convention, Edwin Black of the IBC Channel interviewed Juda Engelmayer on Israel’s politics and the world view on the Jewish State.
Category: Israel
Charlton Heston was Moses to me until I was able to appreciate my studies a bit more. What a disappointment that turned out to be. When I finally learned of the Exodus in school, I kept seeing the film in my head as we reached each scene in the Chumash (Five Books). I heard Dathan sneer the name Moses, and I heard God call in his deep voice, “Moses.” Alas, it was all an act. I was told many times in shiur that the TV version was wrong. So I stopped watching it, figuring at least for this part of my education I did not want to be totally misinformed.
Fine wine and kosher used to be contradictory terms, but with the rise of so many wonderful vineyards in Israel, the race to produce the best kosher wines soon expanded to Spain, Australia, France, Italy, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New York, California, and every other place non-kosher wines have been made for centuries.
In another address on the matter, former Democratic Congressman and president of the Center for Middle East Peace, Robert Wexler said that President Obama’s policy on Israel shows, “an unflinching commitment” and assured the audience that “The president directly intervened to make sure this amendment happened,” and had the Jerusalem language added back to the platform.
That “unflinching commitment” must have been yet unknown to White House spokesman Jay Carney when, prior to the Convention, at a White House press briefing on July 26, he refused to acknowledge that Jerusalem was considered the Capital of Israel. This was subsequently reported on by media, and the video posted to Youtube of his dodging of the question is indelible evidence of the President’s less than certain policy on Israel.
The parade is the largest gathering of Jews outside of Israel to celebrate the forming of the Jewish state. In the past, it was arranged by the Israel Tribute Committee with respect and dignity. This year, however, some of that respect and dignity may be diminished. Not only will school groups, Jewish organizations, synagogues of all stripes, Zionism-inspired artists and the like proudly proclaim their love for Israel, but this year’s parade will also see people marching who stand accused by some of actively working to undermine Israel. It matters little whether the accusation is a false one. This is a case in which perception counts more than reality.
At some point, the public that cares, but is not invested–namely non-Jews or non-Christian Zionists who just see Israel as a democracy where disorder is common, will just get bored or worn on the subject.Some claim that the endless nature of these difficult cycles calls for a different approach by the parties, yet few really expect anything different from the Arabs. Look at the world today; most of the Arab world operates as if it is still in the Dark Ages. It maintains laws that most Westerners deem antiquated, treats women as chattel and keeps the masses uneducated and desperate. There are only Palestinian refugees because their leadership has consistently refused to allow anyone to build up and move in order to maintain the status of poverty and pain for anti-Israel positioning purposes.
The final outcome of the case will be interesting, because it speaks volumes of the fraudulent nature of the right of return. What cuts for Arabs, does not appear to cut the same for Jews. If Jews demanded their rights of property, assets and land from Arab countries that threw them out, and the United Nations and world leaders joined in the call for Justice for Jews, how lopsided would this world seem on that day? Perhaps a court can decide once and for all that Israeli Law applies for cases involving Israel and its Arab neighbors.
In June 0f 2003, the United States Department of Homeland Security initiated The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), to monitor terrorist traffic. Then the Combating Child Exploitation Act, (S. 1738), and the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators (KIDS) Act of 2008, (S. 431) were signed into law to fight online and in person sexual exploitation of children.
This debate rocks between Israel’s left and right. Some on the right want to make it harder for non Jews and non-believing Jews to participate, and some on the left urge making Israel more inclusive; essentially, making it nothing more than the United States on the Mediterranean
Representing Israel will cause negative reactions among their client base, because it is a controversial project, but for a firm to take on the role of painting Syria’s first lady as glamorous amidst the bloodshed of the people right outside her palace windows is mainstream and acceptable. Or, staging the deadly flotilla off Gaza is just a routine job, but helping Israel appear as a modern country at the height of medical and technological breakthroughs that benefit the world could blight the agency that does it.
Juda Engelmayer's Blog 