Words of the Week

“But forgive us if we experience a special kind of grief for the Jewish kid from Miami, who played rugby and video games and tweeted about American basketball and risked his life to tell an important story.”
“Steven Sotloff Was Jewish,” editorial in The Forward

“We only wish your response and your voice against this crime and the crime Hamas has committed against their own people.”
“Letter by Parents of Daniel Tregerman to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.”

“Vigilance means speaking out whenever protests devolve into the classic rhetoric and symbolism of Jew hatred: swastikas, blood libels, conspiracy theories. We must reject depictions of Israel as a spearhead of Western colonialism — a clash between ‘European’ and ‘brown’ people — and explain how that narrative depends on a stereotypical and caricatured image of the ‘Jew’ that ignores the diverse reality of Israel (which includes, not coincidentally, brown and black people who were either thrown out of or made miserable in a wide range of non-European, ‘post-colonial’ countries). And we need to keep reminding people that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement is not anti-Semitic because it seeks justice for the Palestinians, but because it sees no place for the Jewish state or the Jews who live there.”
“Fight Anti-Semitism, Embrace Zionism,” by Andrew Silow-Carroll (New Jersey Jewish News)

“We never took Block’s piece to be a scientific survey of all the articles the Times has run about Gaza, but rather his impressionistic take on how the coverage may or may not be slanted. So we reached out to him about these counter-examples and asked what he thought, and he sent an e-mail back. ‘In my view, despite occasional exceptions,’ Block wrote, ‘the preponderance of the NYT coverage of the Gaza conflict over nearly two months, as reflected in stories, headlines, framing, and choice of Op-Eds, presented a distorted and overwhelmingly one-sided picture.'”
“Sunday, The Rabbi Skipped the New York Times, Part II”  (Tablet)

“Critical, at times, of Jewish groups that advocated either widening the war or making deep concessions, [Rabbi Andy Bachman] said he will ‘poke some holes on both sides. But I want to criticize the left internally,’ he added, troubled by leaders who spent more time criticizing than defending Israel during the recent Gaza fighting.”
“Popular Rabbi’s Parting Shot,” Gary Rosenblatt on Andy Bachman (The Jewish Week)

“Let me be clear. What is objectionable here is not criticism of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians. Many of us have joined in calling Israel to task for the trail of destruction it has inflicted, most recently in Gaza. It is the sophomoric, intemperate and, dare I say, hateful quality of Salaita’s speech. Even if one shares Salaita’s passionate commitment to the Palestinian cause and believes fervently in his right to free speech, it is imperative to call out his irresponsible words.”
“Whether You Fire Him or Not, Condemn Salaita’s Words,” by David N. Myers (Jewish Journal)