From an IDF Soldier on the Border

An IDF soldier on the border with Gaza sent me this update. (Translated from the Hebrew)

What's happening here in the staging area [area where soldiers prepare to enter Gaza] is beyond comprehension, not rationally, not emotionally and begs the imagination.

Almost every hour, a car shows up overflowing with food, snacks, cold drinks, socks, underwear, undershirts, hygiene supplies, wipes, cigarettes, backgammon and more. They're coming from the North and the Center, from manufacturers, from companies and private businesses, from prisons, Chareidim and Settlers, from Tel Aviv and even Savyon.

Every intersection on they way down here we get stopped, not by the police, but by residents giving out food. What is amazing is that the entire situation isn't organized and everyone is coming on their own without coordination between the folks coming.

They're writing letters and blessings, how they're thinking of us all the time. There are those who spent hours making sandwiches, so they're as perfect and comforting as possible.

Of course representatives of Chabad are here to help soldiers put on Tefillin and distributing Cha'Ta'Ts (Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya) for every troop transport and Breslov are showing up to the border and dancing
with the soldiers with great joy.

The Chareidim are coming from their yeshivot to ask the names of the soldiers with their mothers' names so that the whole yeshiva can pray for them. It should be mentioned that all of this is done under the threat of the terrorist tunnels and rockets in the area.

Soroka Hospital (in Be'er Sheva) today looks like a 5 star hotel. A wounded friend who was recently discharged told us how the MasterChef truck is parked outside and is preparing food for the wounded.

It goes without saying the amount of prayer services that are going on. On the religious front as well, there are lectures and Torah classes, all the food is obviously Kosher. Shachrit, Mincha, and Maariv with Sifrei Torah. 

They're giving out tzitzit and Tehilim by the hundreds. It's become the new fashion! The Rabbi of Maglan [Special Forces unit] told me that almost the entire unit has started wearing them, because the Army Rabbinate has been giving out tzitzit that wick away sweat. They're gaining both a Mitzva and a high quality undershirt. We've started calling them "Shachpatzitzit" (שכפ"ציצית - a portmanteau of the Hebrew term for body armor and tzitzit). We're having deep conversations late into the night without arguments, without fights and we find ourselves agreeing on most stuff.

We're making lots of jokes at Hamas's expense and without politics. There's lots more to add but my battery is running low and the staff has been requesting someone give a class on Likutei MoharaN (Breslov).

How happy is the nation that is like this. - אשרי העם שככה לו

Gloria Steinem Compares Abortion Lobby to NRA

Feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem spoke to a packed house at a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania on April 16. Steinem, the founder of Ms. Magazine, was heartened at the future of feminism by seeing “so many in the room that were not even born when I first published Ms. Magazine.” She gave all the men in the room a “free pass on the sins that they have committed or might commit in the future.”

Steinem, who recently celebrated her 79^th birthday, shocked the room with this chilling statistic: “More American women have died at the hands of the husbands or boyfriends since September 11, 2001 than the total of Americans that died on 9/11 and in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

She explained why this concerns all of us.

“Studies have shown that societies that mistreat women are more likely to breed terrorism,” she said.

Steinem touched on local concerns by voicing her disappointment with the gender gap in Pennsylvania politics.

“Pennsylvania has very few women in the legislature. We need more women at the table because they concentrate on issues that are of concern to all of us such as health and welfare.”

Pennsylvania ranks 42 nationally for number of women elected to political office in the state.  Although women are a majority of the registered voters in this state, they make up only 17.8% of the General Assembly. Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is the lone woman that represents Pennsylvania in Congress. 

She graciously ceded to former Pennsylvania State Senator Connie Williams, who made an emotional plea for the women in the audience to run for office.

Steinem took aim at the Pennsylvania legislature, which spent 1/3 of their last legislative session debating abortion.  The legislature has passed through committees in both houses bill that would prohibit insurance companies from paying for an abortion except in the case of rape and incest. An abortion, which is needed to save the life of a mother, would have to be paid out of pocket by the woman.

“We have a problem with the Pennsylvania Legislature,” she said. “The abortion lobby is similar to the NRA. Both are controlled by extremists that do not represent the views of the majority of the members.”

Steinem is not surprised that the battle over legalized abortion and birth control continues even though many feminists thought it was settled in the 1970’s.

“It should be a women’s health issue,” she emphatically declared. “Instead it is about a need to control, racism, nationalism, and cheap labor. America did not have a problem with birth control until the Europeans came over with their monotheistic religions. “

Steinem poked holes in the current GOP attack line against abortion, victims of rape can’t get pregnant. She stressed that the promulgation of this falsehood during the 2012 election cycle was not about a lack of anatomy knowledge.

 “This Republican line of attack mystifies feminists the most. It is all about blaming the victim. If the women does get pregnant that means she wasn’t raped.”

Meeting Gloria Steinem in person, you realize why she has stayed relevant for this long. She is humble and modest about her achievements. A greeting of “it’s an honor to meet you” is returned with “It’s an honor to meet you.”

In an interview before the event, Steinem took sides in the feminist debate du jour over Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” This is not surprising because Steinem’s brand of feminism, as opposed to Betty Friedan’s, has always been inclusive.

“Former Planned Parenthood CEO and President Gloria Feldt wrote a similar book, “No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power” and was not criticized,” she noted. “Sheryl is being attacked because she is successful. In order to maintain the unequal gender roles, if we are women we have to be persuaded that we will not be loved if we are successful. If we are men, we will not be loved if we are not successful.”

She dismissed criticism that Sandberg’s approach was too elitist by noting “domestics in New York are forming “Lean in” circles. She specifically endorsed her idea of co-parenting.

“Couples should not agree to have children unless the man agrees to parent equally,” she said.

Steinem’s latest project, Women Under Siege Project  hearkens back to her Jewish roots, which may surprise many that do not think of Steinem as a Jewish feminist.

“My father was Jewish,” she said. “When someone says something anti-Semitic, believe me I am Jewish. I have attended a feminist Seder for thirty years. I believe in spirituality not paternalistic hierarchies. I attended a regular Seder once and was shocked at what I was reading.”

We had a good laugh that the 4 sons not sons and daughters ask the questions in the Passover Haggadah.

The Women Under Siege Project is attempting to chronicle the accounts of victims of sexual abuse during war or military conflict starting with the Holocaust and extending to present day conflicts in the Congo, Egypt and Syria.

“Sexual violence is a weapon of war. The judges at Nuremberg would not allow the testimony of women that had been sexually abused by the Nazis in the courtroom. The proceedings were horrific enough. They did not want tears in the courtroom,” said Steinem.

Gloria Steinem Compares Abortion Lobby to NRA

Feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem spoke to a packed house at a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania on April 16. Steinem, the founder of Ms. Magazine, was heartened at the future of feminism by seeing “so many in the room that were not even born when I first published Ms. Magazine.” She gave all the men in the room a “free pass on the sins that they have committed or might commit in the future.”

Steinem, who recently celebrated her 79^th birthday, shocked the room with this chilling statistic: “More American women have died at the hands of the husbands or boyfriends since September 11, 2001 than the total of Americans that died on 9/11 and in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

She explained why this concerns all of us.

“Studies have shown that societies that mistreat women are more likely to breed terrorism,” she said.

Steinem touched on local concerns by voicing her disappointment with the gender gap in Pennsylvania politics.

“Pennsylvania has very few women in the legislature. We need more women at the table because they concentrate on issues that are of concern to all of us such as health and welfare.”

Pennsylvania ranks 42 nationally for number of women elected to political office in the state.  Although women are a majority of the registered voters in this state, they make up only 17.8% of the General Assembly. Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is the lone woman that represents Pennsylvania in Congress. 

She graciously ceded to former Pennsylvania State Senator Connie Williams, who made an emotional plea for the women in the audience to run for office.

Steinem took aim at the Pennsylvania legislature, which spent 1/3 of their last legislative session debating abortion.  The legislature has passed through committees in both houses bill that would prohibit insurance companies from paying for an abortion except in the case of rape and incest. An abortion, which is needed to save the life of a mother, would have to be paid out of pocket by the woman.

“We have a problem with the Pennsylvania Legislature,” she said. “The abortion lobby is similar to the NRA. Both are controlled by extremists that do not represent the views of the majority of the members.”

Steinem is not surprised that the battle over legalized abortion and birth control continues even though many feminists thought it was settled in the 1970’s.

“It should be a women’s health issue,” she emphatically declared. “Instead it is about a need to control, racism, nationalism, and cheap labor. America did not have a problem with birth control until the Europeans came over with their monotheistic religions. “

Steinem poked holes in the current GOP attack line against abortion, victims of rape can’t get pregnant. She stressed that the promulgation of this falsehood during the 2012 election cycle was not about a lack of anatomy knowledge.

 “This Republican line of attack mystifies feminists the most. It is all about blaming the victim. If the women does get pregnant that means she wasn’t raped.”

Meeting Gloria Steinem in person, you realize why she has stayed relevant for this long. She is humble and modest about her achievements. A greeting of “it’s an honor to meet you” is returned with “It’s an honor to meet you.”

In an interview before the event, Steinem took sides in the feminist debate du jour over Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” This is not surprising because Steinem’s brand of feminism, as opposed to Betty Friedan’s, has always been inclusive.

“Former Planned Parenthood CEO and President Gloria Feldt wrote a similar book, “No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power” and was not criticized,” she noted. “Sheryl is being attacked because she is successful. In order to maintain the unequal gender roles, if we are women we have to be persuaded that we will not be loved if we are successful. If we are men, we will not be loved if we are not successful.”

She dismissed criticism that Sandberg’s approach was too elitist by noting “domestics in New York are forming “Lean in” circles. She specifically endorsed her idea of co-parenting.

“Couples should not agree to have children unless the man agrees to parent equally,” she said.

Steinem’s latest project, Women Under Siege Project  hearkens back to her Jewish roots, which may surprise many that do not think of Steinem as a Jewish feminist.

“My father was Jewish,” she said. “When someone says something anti-Semitic, believe me I am Jewish. I have attended a feminist Seder for thirty years. I believe in spirituality not paternalistic hierarchies. I attended a regular Seder once and was shocked at what I was reading.”

We had a good laugh that the 4 sons not sons and daughters ask the questions in the Passover Haggadah.

The Women Under Siege Project is attempting to chronicle the accounts of victims of sexual abuse during war or military conflict starting with the Holocaust and extending to present day conflicts in the Congo, Egypt and Syria.

“Sexual violence is a weapon of war. The judges at Nuremberg would not allow the testimony of women that had been sexually abused by the Nazis in the courtroom. The proceedings were horrific enough. They did not want tears in the courtroom,” said Steinem.

Romney's Desecration of Jewish Holiday Underscores Staff's Incompetence

Presumptive Republican Nominee Mitt Romney is arriving in Israel this Sunday on Tisha B'av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. The somber holiday marks the date on the Hebrew calendar when both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. It would be the equivalent of a foreign leader arriving in the United States on 9/11 or in Hawaii on Pearl Harbor Day.  

The state orders all businesses, except those selling necessities, to be closed on Tisha B'av. It is prohibited for cafes, gyms, nightclubs, and movie theaters to be open on Tisha B'av. The only other day of the year that Israel enforces such a ban is Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. 

Religious Jews observe the day by fasting. Secular Jews will commemorate the day in a more low key manner, but they will note it. There is no Israeli that does not feel the pull of the Temple and Wall. I have pictures of my great aunt Fela, who was an avowed secularist, rushing to visit the wall in the days after Israel recaptured it during the 1967 Six Day War. 

Israelis were buzzing with excitement upon the arrival of Obama in 2008. The Jewish press is already noting that Romney's arrival has received a ho hum reaction. Romney came to Israel to shore up his Jewish vote, but by arriving on a somber Jewish holiday he risks offending his mostly likely Jewish constituency-religious Jews. He has already been forced to change a fundraiser to the next day. 

I really hope that Romney does not exacerbate his mistake by desecrating the holiday with the staging of a photo opportunity at the Wall on its most somber day. Jews should be allowed to pray at the Wall on this special day without the distraction and interruption that a Romney visit and the accompanying media will bring.  

Hamodia Publisher's Husband Being Investigated for Fatal Fire

Michael, Yechiel, and Nahman Lichtenstein, owners of the Buck Warehouse in Kensington where a recent fire occurred that resulted in the death of two fireman, are Gur Hasidim, a Hasidic Jewish group, from Brooklyn, New York. 

Ruth Lichtenstein, wife of Nahman, is the publisher of Hamodia, the English version of a newspaper for very religious Jews. The first Hamodia was published 100 years ago in Eastern Europe while the Hebrew version has been published in Israel since 1950. The tagline of Hamodia is the daily newspaper for Torah Jewry.

Lichtenstein, whose paper has a website plus print circulation of 160, 000, is a regular stop for New York politicians seeking the support of the Orthodox community. Mayor Bloomberg, who had a policy during the last mayoral election of not giving interviews to any paper that did not endorse him, still met with Hamodia.

Hamodia, which means the informer in Hebrew, is often the only way to reach this bloc of active voters since religious Jews are discouraged from watching television and using the internet to avoid seeing forbidden images like women. Lichtenstein takes the religious prohibition of Jewish men to not view pictures of women seriously. Her paper has never printed a picture of Hilary Clinton even though they report on her frequently.

The receptionist at Hamodia, while confirming that Ruth was married to Nahman, would not comment on Nahman Lichtenstein’s business. She said, “I work for the paper not the Lichtenstein’s personally.”

Some in the Orthodox community are already agitating that she steps down as publisher due to the allegations against her husband.

Biden's Future Jewish Son-In-Law is My Doctor

What woman can resist a Jewish doctor. Apparently not, Ashley Biden, daughter of Vice President Joe Biden.I have been a big fan of Biden since I volunteered and donated to his ill-fated 1980 Presidential campaign. So you can imagine my happiness when I found out that his daughter, Ashley, was engaged to my doctor, Dr. Howard Krein.

Dr. Krein is a very nice, thorough doctor. He is part of a big ear, nose and throat practice at Jefferson Hospital. My only complaint is that he kept me waiting over an hour and did not offer any apology when he did finally see me.

The office is very automated probably due to Krein's sideline. When you enter the office, you are asked to type your name into a computer and sit down.

Howard Krein is Chief Medical Officer at OrganizedWisdom Health. His brother Steve is a serial internet entrepreneur, with Organized Wisdom being the latest. The company "helps doctors set up their digital offices in minutes." The website  boasts, "The Most Effective Way to Save Doctors Time While Creating Healthier, Happier Patients". Former Time Warner CEO Gerry Levin serves on the board of directors of the company while Internet guru Esther Dyson is on the board of advisers.

Employees of Jefferson Hospital told me that Howard is proud of being Jewish so expect some Jewish elements at the wedding. Maybe that will shut up some of Obama's Jewish critics.

While Ashley Biden is marrying outside her Catholic religion, she not marrying outside of her party. She is marrying a liberal.

Mazel Tov Howard and Ashley!

Update: I saw Dr. Krein today. He had a sense of humor about my blog posts. Ashley is a very lucky girl.

Pollard and Tuna Tartare On The Menu at Biden's

Last night, more than 140 Jewish community leaders, members of Congress, and administration officials gathered at Vice President Biden's home at the Naval Observatory to commemorate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Ha Shanah. The usual suspects like Abe Foxman, head of the ADL, were there.

The Kosher food selection included: North African meatballs, petite turkey slider on homemade brioche with cranberry aioli, classic tuna tartare presented in a mini wonton cone, wasabi mousseline, sweet tomato jam tartlets, and crisp vegetable ceviche shooters. The desert table was festooned with French macaroons, apple latkes served with a honey creme, petite honey and walnut cakes, and mini chocolate cupcakes with lemon frosting.

The party occurred a midst a flap over Biden's comments about the possible release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. The New York Times reported several days earlier that he said,"President Obama was considering clemency, but I told him, ‘Over my dead body are we going to let him out before his time. If it were up to me, he would stay in jail for life. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz later reported that he claimed to be misquoted.

Something good has come out of Biden inserting his foot in his mouth. The Jewish community has coalesced around Pollard. Biden has agreed to meet with a small group of Jewish leaders to discuss the release. Along with arguing for the release, the Jewish community possibly should pursue a different tactic and ask for the reason that the intelligence community is so opposed to his release. With the entire intelligence community united in their opposition, there must be more to his transgressions than what was publicly released during his case. Even if the the spooks can not divulge the entire basis for their antagonism because it is classified, maybe they can provide some color.

The New Jewish Museum in Philly

I spent four hours in the new Jewish museum on Independence Mall. As a former Wall Streeter, I could not help notice that Wall Street was dissed. There is no mention of it. This is especially weird because the building is named in honor of a Goldman Sachs partner. Maybe the recent financial crisis play a role in that decision.
In touring the museum, I pondered another question. Can you really have a museum of American Jewish history without Bernie Madoff?