charles jackson http://jta.org/user/profile/64422 en-us rcsillag@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 what's more amazing is that Franken is the third Jewish holder of the same Senate seat. It's like there's a senate seat from Minnesota reserved for a New York Jew. It's even more amazing is that in neighboring Wisconsin which has fewer Jews than polar bears, there are 2 Jewish Senators. It's like being a Senator is the new occupation of choice - I guess the hours are better than obstetrician or even Chazzan. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 there are some Jewish groups that want to radicalize the presidency in support of each and every leftist policy; and there are others who oppose his policies on every issue from health care to negotiations wih Korea. and then there are those Jewish groups who realize that they totally diffuse their influence and credibility as Jewish organizations if they weigh in on every issue under the sun; to those who exercise some restraint, a hearty Yashar Koach!! 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 and who supports these spoiled little mamzerim? 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 1. she looks like she doesn't eat her mother's cooking. 2. let it be a lesson! 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 Jews don't send a heart - they send kishka 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 the irony of the whole thing is that the only reason any of these students care a bit about Gaza is that Israel has become a proxy for anti-Americanism. It's an easy target; and you can let loose a bit of your pent-up antisemitism in the bargain. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 This is a group of the most self-absorbed, spoiled, and delusional effetes ever assembled. They bow to every possible PC blather - local foods, etc. having nothing to do with anything ethical other than the romance of a past which never existed. They fly in a shoichet with absolutely no experience only because he may share their self-professed idealism. The kosher meat business isn't pretty; it's messy both in physical terms and in the sense that it has a fine line to walk between profitability, legitimacy, and kashrut. It's wonderful to play grown-up for a day and kill 3 goats for chulent, or to play kill-the-turkey on dress-up day; those are activities for seventh-graders, not for adults. If these guys think they can recreate a kosher food business that will deliver reasonably priced kosher meat to the vast array of consumers throughout the country, let them show us a business plan; otherwise, go back to your granola sandwiches and wait until you go home to mommy for a bowl of chicken soup 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 So what? 1. as you wrote, there a plenty of Jews real close 2. we're at a point where there are 12 or 13 Jews in the Senate; 2 jewish Senators from Ca and 2 from Wisconsin; Jews no longer need political appointments to feel good 3. His closest advisors are Jewush 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 No institution of higher learning has been so careless with its resources and so trusting of hotshot money men who spread around a few bucks as donations and then turn around and steal 100 times as much through schemes. YU has never adopted the proper "chinese wall" strategy to ensure that board members and others in authority are devoid of conflicts-of-interests. There must be a complete revolution in the way YU acts along all fiscal areas - accountability, transparency, and independent review of all expenditures, investments, and director relationships. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 A real proposal - merge the duplicative offices, staffs, mailing lists, fund-raising and spending efforts of the two movements. The administrative efforts of maintaining two "brands", each of which is a force for spending more money on fewer users or members would be the real way to save. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 One really hopes that Madoff and all who facilitated his frauds spend their lives in hell. How many sophisticated investors just let him steal the money entrusted to them by organizations and trusting individuals. Hadassah hospital - now that's really hitting home. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 And this is newsworthy because a couple of guys who like to spend their evenings eating out in 3rd rate kosher restaurants feel that they qualify as ethics experts. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 there will be further investigations. merkin was a highly educated, extremely successful investor and businessman; the questions raised will be a lot more direct once he's in front of a grand jury. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 Given the greater responsibility placed on young Jewish males, from circumcision to figuring out how not to strangle one's self putting on tephilin, maybe the women's siddur should have the alternative blessing: "Shelo asani boy" 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 It must take a certain type of self-absorbtion to be able to ramble incessantly over a decision that's made by millions of people every day. If you had to satisfy a dozen different criteria for name picking, it means that none of the issues mattered to you at all. Otherwise, one would have dominated and the decision would have been either automatic or quickly the appropriate consensus. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 The real crisis is going to hit the central organizations as the big-bucks-Wall-Streeters run out of appreciated securities to donate for big time recognition at dinners, galas, etc. The central organizations are filled with articulate, dedicated, committed, and fully-engaged well-trained rabbis who spend their time shuffling papers, developing programs, arranging speakers, and generally congratulating one another. Not an ounce of this effort teaches a nine-year-old to read from a siddur, or helps a 12 year old understand chumash or tanach. When half of the staff of the organizations are cut because their funds have dried up maybe they’ll put their egos aside and use their talents and training to teach torah instead of spending their days in committees and program development. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00 The real threat to Yoffie, et al. For how long will the moderately affiliated Jews of the United States perpetuate the dual strains of Conservative and Reform Judaism and the massive infrastructures of organizations, committees, fund-raisers, Educational Systems, etc. If he is willing to concede compromise at the most organic level - they prayer service, the sermon, and the application of ritual - it will be hard to justify the massive duplication of efforts and the consequential diversion of funds to administrative functions rather than to the primary responsibility of Jewish organizations - teaching our children and perpetuating our system of beliefs. The real crisis is going to hit the central organizations as the big-bucks-Wall-Streeters run out of appreciated securities to donate for big time recognition at dinners, galas, etc. The central organizations are filled with articulate, dedicated, committed, and fully-engaged well-trained rabbis who spend their time shuffling papers, developing programs, arranging speakers, and generally congratulating one another. Not an ounce of this effort teaches a nine-year-old to read from a siddur, or helps a 12 year old understand chumash or tanach. When half of the staff of the organizations are cut because their funds have dried up maybe they'll put their egos aside and use their talents and training to teach torah instead of spending their days in committees and program development. 2009-11-20T;16:30:00-05:00