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May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Oct. 26, 2007 / 14 Mar-Cheshvan 5768

Was This Outing Really Necessary?

By Greg Crosby


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | I have never read a Harry Potter book, never had any interest in them. I did see the first movie and was not too impressed by it; it seemed to me to be a mediocre kid picture - heavy on the special effects, light on the intellect with nothing much there for me. But if kids like it, well okay, fine. I figured the books must be the same sort of thing - kid stuff in the manner of say, the L. Frank Baum Oz books. The movie I saw was definitely no Wizard of Oz, I can tell you that.


As more and more Potter books and movie sequels came out, some parent groups started complaining that the property was anti-Christian and pro-witchcraft. Potter fans said it wasn't true that the Potter stories were pro-witchcraft; in fact they said that the stories had traditional good versus evil messages and besides, the mere fact that these books got kids interested in reading again was a very good thing.


I really had no idea who was right in this debate, never having read the books, seeing only the one picture, and frankly, not much caring about the entire matter one way or the other. I was certainly aware of one thing, however - Harry Potter was a tremendous phenomenon, immensely popular with millions of children around the world. The writer of the books was English authoress, J.K. Rowling, who suddenly became famous and incredibly rich from the property. She was and is a real life super-heroine to her many young fans, going to book signings, conducting speaking tours, and attending the other usual public relations events.


And then on October 20th on a Friday night in New York City, a whole new chapter opened up in the Harry Potter chronicles. Appearing at a full house at Carnegie Hall, J.K. Rowling told her fans that the character Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is homosexual.


Rowling first read from the final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," then she took questions from audience members. One fan asked if Dumbeledore ever finds "true love," to which the authoress responded, "Dumbledore is gay." Some in the audience gasped, others applauded.


Then Rowling explained that Dumbledore was infatuated with the character of Gellert Grindelwald, a rival whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down." She said Dumbledore's love was his "great tragedy." Then, as if realizing that she had divulged something she shouldn't have, said, "Oh, my god, the fan fiction." And then she laughed.


Rowling told the crowd that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she noticed a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. She had a note passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about her character being a homosexual so that the script could be changed.


The Carnegie Hall appearance was the tail end of Rowling's short "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000. She also said that she has always regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority." Noting that not everyone has liked her books, Rowling said that her news about Dumbledore will give them one more reason not to like her work.


It may be that J.K. Rowlings has strong feelings about homosexual acceptance in society. But so what? In writing the characters for her books she may have felt that it was important to assign sexual preferences for them, although she never spelled out what those preferences were in her books, so what's the point? And why did she feel it was important to announce the homosexual proclivities of a main character in children's fiction to her young fans? For what purpose? Does knowing this help kids appreciate the stories more? I think not. These are fictional stories for children, for heaven's sake, why introduce the whole homosexual thing into it at all? And you know what? Not all aspects of a fictional character's personality need to be exposed anyway.


Why should anyone care about the sex lives of people in the Harry Potter books? Do I care what the Wizard of Oz did on the weekends or who he did it with? Do I need to know that the Cowardly Lion was gay? Or if the Tin Woodman was impotent? Is it important for me to be told that the Wicked Witch of the West was a lesbian? Or that Auntie Em was doing the farm hand on the sly because Uncle Henry had E.D.?


In a world where the innocence of children is being assaulted on a daily basis from every direction, J.K. Rowling had a chance to take a higher road. Children grow up too fast nowadays. They are handed adult problems and hang-ups way too soon. She might have gone against the tide of cultural progressive dogma and allowed her young readers their chance to enjoy pure imaginative fiction in a make-believe world far, far away from contemporary realities. She might have - she could have - but in the final analysis, she chose not to. She opted instead to join other liberal voices who happily shove their views of gender diversity and homosexual acceptance into the easily influenced minds of kids.


What a pity.

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JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.

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