July 8, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. Duty to save gullible from themselves? Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Islamists have the West just where they want us JWisdom:: Putting the Spirit Back into Spirituality, Part 3: The Fully Loaded Human Being by Rabbi Dovid Gross July 3, 2008 Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget (TOUCHING!) Jeff Jacoby: Israel still paying for its defeat JWisdom:: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part IV by Rabbi David Aaron JWisdom:: The Moses Method by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky July 2, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: Appeasers Make Poor Patriots The Kosher Gourmet By Kathleen Purvis: Slaw, y'all: For BBQs or Sabbath dinner, these southern recipes are something else! JWisdom:: Rabbi Mordechai Becher: Jewish Rx for A Simpler Life July 1, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. I think it's important to leave a legacy to my children. How much should I save towards this end? Paul Greenberg:A President who is history deficient? JWisdom:: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Poland's Unique Antisemitism June 30, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: Remembering the architect of Torah Judaism for the modern world Abe Novick: Hulk: Still a Jew? JWisdom: : Putting the Spirit Back into Spirituality, Part 2: The Abandoned Child June 26, 2008 Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Quantum leap to evil Caroline B. Glick: Victimized families must not be allowed to dictate policy June 25, 2008 Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Today in Biblical History: King Jeroboam of Israel prevents pilgrimage to Jerusalem Jonathan Tobin: Real Friends and Real Enemies JWisdom: Raping of reason By Rabbi Sroy Levitansky June 25, 2008 Steven Emerson: Kristof: Never Mind the Terrorists Stratfor Intelligence Briefing: Mediterranean Flyover: Telegraphing an Israeli Punch? JWisdom: Rabbi David Aaron: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part III June 24, 2008 Caroline B. Glick: What were they thinking!? Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Guilty knowledge JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Warping Innocence June 23, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Diploma dilemma Jeff Jacoby: A world without children JWisdom: Rabbi Dovid Gross: Putting the Spirit Back into Spirituality --- Introduction June 20, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Man: The Crowning Glory of Creation Caroline B. Glick: Israel's darkest week JWisdom: We aren't worthy? by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky June 19, 2008 Rabbi Elazar Meisels: The saints who don't come marchin' in Chris Christoff: Muslim woman demands an apology from Obama after camera snub June 18, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: Still Dancing Around Jerusalem The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky: Chilled fruit and vegetable soups JWisdom: Souls Need A Check Up? by Rabbi Mordechai Becher June 17, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Baby Einstein Caroline B. Glick: Bush's rhetoric, Bush's policies JWisdom: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part II by Rabbi David Aaron June 16, 2008 Varda Branfman: Bob Dylan, won't you please come home? Diana West: Academic dares to question the 'religion of peace' JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Positive Backfire June 13, 2008 Rabbi Berel Wein: Trading manna for whine Caroline B. Glick: Peace with friends JWisdom: From the mouths of … by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky June 12, 2008 Michael Feldberg: Meet Paul Revere's pal, the Orthodox Jew who played a key role in laying Boston's cultural and business infrastructure The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Manweiler: No need to be tempted by Wendy's mandarin chicken salad JWisdom: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part I by Rabbi David Aaron June 11, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: What would Hillel say? Jonathan Tobin: UNRWA and NGOs: The Real U.N. 'Insult' JWisdom: Sara Yoheved Rigler: Greatness Made Simple: How a momentary decision shifted life's course and destination June 6, 2008 Rabbi Pinchas Stolper: Revelation: The basis of faith Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Mere hours after becoming Israel's new 'best friend' Obama backtracks on status of Jerusalem Caroline B. Glick: UN choosing to protect rogue nuclear programs JWisdom: Sameness in difference by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky June 5, 2008 David Lightman: Now Obama wants to be Israel's newest 'best friend' Obama's remarks to AIPAC policy conference The Kosher Gourmet By Ethel G. Hofman: Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Lokshen Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread JWisdom: Why a Jewish Jerusalem makes so many nervous by Rabbi Mordechai Becher June 4, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: A different sort of 'religious broadcaster' Jonathan Tobin: Misgivings on the Road to Damascus JWisdom: 44 Years Without An Argument? by Sara Yoheved Rigler June 3, 2008 Daniel Pipes: Obama vs. McCain on the Middle East Everything's Relative: There is a crisis growing in Orthodox synagogues worldwide, reveals Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkel JWisdom: White Facades; Black Secrets by Rabbi Mordechai Becher June 2, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q: Lie to outsmart discriminator? He writes the songs that make our souls sing:Gavriel Aryeh Sanders interviews Jewish music legend Ben Zion Shenker; includes stirring, uplifting song JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Of laws and lives March 22, 2007 J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !) Oct. 29, 2003 Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Nov. 30, 2005 / 28 Mar-Cheshvan, 5766 Fear factor By Jonathan Tobin GOP and Dems take aim at Jewish vote with calls to arms against different foes http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | In a time in which vicious partisanship is the order of the day, any respite from the bear-baiting that passes as debate between Republicans and Democrats is a blessing. And so when more than 700 people gathered in downtown Philadelphia for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee "Salute to Congress" gala, the bipartisan spirit of the event added to the general good spirits of those in attendance. The affair was yet another demonstration of the wall-to-wall support for the pro-Israel agenda of AIPAC among both officeholders and activists. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT With so many people from both parties out in strength, it was, as one of the event's emcee's said, a night when no one was supposed to know their left from their right. And to make it official, the group was able to call in as speakers Howard Dean and Ken Mehlman, the chairmen of the Democratic and the Republican national committees, respectively. Neither disappointed, as each pointed to the longstanding support of the major parties for Israel and for strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance. Each lambasted Palestinian terrorists, and stressed that Israel's security would not be compromised in the search for peace. But for all of the scrupulous bipartisanship fostered by AIPAC, there were still some critical differences between the messages put forward by Dean and Mehlman. And in these speeches can be discerned the different approaches of the two parties toward the task of winning Jewish votes. Speaking at length about the history of Democratic support for Israel, Dean surprised no one when he spoke of the party's "unshakable support," as well as voicing criticism of the Palestinians and the Saudis for inciting hatred against Jews and Israel, and pledging that Democrats "won't permit" Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Reminding the audience that Israel and the United States face a common foe in "radical Islamic terrorists," the former Vermont governor proclaimed that "Israel's enemies must know that we are allies and friends, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the State of Israel." True enough. But it was interesting that of the two, it was Dean who was at pains to demonstrate his personal commitment to Jewish causes. Dean, whose allegedly equivocal statements about Israel in the past were used by both Democratic and Republican foes during his 2004 presidential bid, felt the need to establish his bona fides by speaking movingly of his close associations with Jews and Israel, including the fact that his children are Jewish, and that he holds great respect for Judaism and his Jewish in-laws, and has visited Israel. Indeed, his pledge of allegiance to all things Jewish and Zionist seemed to lack only a promise to convert. Of course, Mehlman, who is not the media star that Dean has become in recent years, is already Jewish. He was left to explain how a "nice Jewish boy" from Baltimore would find himself backing "a Texas Republican." In calling himself a "Sharansky Republican" — it was President Ronald Reagan's opposition to Communism and support for refuseniks that inspired him to join the GOP — Mehlman harkened back to Cold War divisions that propelled many in the pro-Israel camp over to the Republicans. But after the obligatory applause lines about Israel were spoken, both men went on to make points that, while lacking a directly partisan punchline, clearly laid out each party's line of attack for Jewish votes in the future. For Mehlman, that meant identifying the war in Iraq and its justification with the pro-Israel movement's own concerns about Islamo-fascist terrorism. But Dean, who is well-known as an all-out critic of the Iraq war, said not a word about it. Rather, he focused the second half of his speech taking aim at what he correctly sees as the Democrats ace in the hole: Jewish fear of Conservative Christians. Speaking of what he said was the difference between his party and the Republicans, Dean asserted Democrats "believe that Jews should feel comfortable in being American Jews" without being constrained from practicing their faith or be compelled to convert to another religion. The obvious implication was that even though, as Dean acknowledged, Republicans back Israel, their views on domestic issues and their identification with evangelical Christianity ought to make them non-kosher in Jewish eyes. As assertive as he was about threats to Israel, Dean was just as passionate about the perception that conservative Christians actually wish to constrain Jews from practicing their religion in the United States — or at least make them feel less comfortable about it. Ignoring Dean's attacks, Mehlman concentrated his fire on another fear: what would happen to both the United States and Israel if Iraq was lost to Al Qaeda. Mehlman spoke of Bush's record of support for Israel and his refusal to deal with ex-PLO chief Yasser Arafat. But the Republican's main focus was to justify the war on Iraq and link it with the pro-Israel community's concerns. For Mehlman, the points Democrats make about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are irrelevant, and that "waiting for Saddam to deploy them" was not a reasonable option. Saying that Bush's dilemma resembled that of Israel, which launched its own pre-emptive strike against the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981, he declared that "we could not and we cannot wait." "Leaving Iraq at the mercy of the murderers" would grant a victory to Al Qaeda, stated Mehlman. The implication here was that if, as many Democrats now wish, America pulls its troops out and concedes failure in Iraq, the common war against terror in which Israel is also locked would suffer. Republicans were able to gain a crucial few percentage points of Jewish votes in 2004 based on the perception of strong Republican support for Israel. Also key to that gain was the notion that an administration fighting aggressively against Islamist terror will make the world a safer place for Jews. Since then, administration pressure on Israel has taken some of the glow off Bush's reputation, but the bottom line remains the same. As long as Jews fear Al Qaeda and its Palestinian allies more than the conservative Christians, the Republicans have a fighting chance to win a larger share of Jewish votes. But if the bulk of these voters still fear that Bush's conservative Christian allies are out to turn them into second-class citizens, then the Democrats win. Republicans can argue that the fears they seek to exploit are more immediate and represent a greater threat to Israel and Western civilization itself. But as the war drags on and Sept. 11 recedes further into the background, Jews' insecurity about their place in American society and their nightmares about their Christian neighbors — even if unjustified — may have a greater impact on their votes than anything Islamists do. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. JWR contributor Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. Let him know what you think by clicking here. Jonathan Tobin Archives © 2005, Jonathan Tobin