I have written previously about the crises facing our community – assimilation, disaffection, substance abuse, among many others.
But I had another fear: that generations X and Y are either not inclined or incapable of taking the reins from the baby boomer generation. I have worried that our community is becoming so atomised, and our young [...]
Sep
21
2009
21
2009
In The New Year: Glimpses of the Future at Auburn Rd Shul
May
24
2009
24
2009
The New Week: Ideas from SJ Readers 2 – Jewish Priorities, the Media, Jewish Schools, and our Leadership
While we strongly agree with Yoram on this, we do not agree with his extrapolation that we should not focus too much on the media, or get caught up in its “glamour.” Yoram believes that we are not in any danger of an imminent “pogrom,” and with this we would also agree.
…That does not mean that relations between our community and the Muslim community have not deteriorated considerably. There are many unpleasant actions and events that can take place before large scale violence occurs. It’s also important to remember that communal violence of any stripe never erupts without a long lead-up of perceived insults to honour. One of the hopes of The Sensible Jew is to catch the destructive tendencies of our leadership before any lasting and long term damage is done. Indeed, danger is not imminent, so we are blessed in that we have this opportunity, during a time of peaceful relations with other communities, to build networks and on-the-ground relationships that will prevent a slide into inter-communal animus.
May
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May
12
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2009
Rabbi Procel to pronounce on “Who is a Jew?” conundrum
Maccabi Australia Incorporated (MAI), in a flash of inspiration, is going to enforce the Jews-only policy in its clubs. As if Jews and sport weren’t a bizarre enough mix, there are actually non-Jews who want to be part of these clubs.
May
12
2009
12
2009
8 minutes of terror
The thing is, it’s so bad it’s funny.
And anyone who doesn’t already have a problem with Jews can see it. Anyone who does have a problem with Jews is not going to hear our venerable leader, Jeremy Jones of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, and think, “Gee… I’ve been wrong about you people all along!”
We’re talking about a an 8 minute play. It’s just another one of those cultural expressions of the evils of Israel (but not Jews – some of their best friends are Jews).
Some lady named, Caryl Churchill wrote it. Who? Let’s just say that if our resplendent leader, Mr. Jones had not screamed, “FIRE” yet again in the crowded theatre of multicultural discourse, we would never have heard of Caryl Churchill, and neither would you…
Reader Response 4: Coups, Town Halls, and the Reluctance to Comment
It would seem prudent to gather some momentum, and to get a feel for the common ground shared by all Jewish moderates before storming Beit Weizman.
While the last sentence is somewhat tongue in cheek, it does allude to an idea that emerged at The Sensible Jew: what do people think of an open meeting, to which all Melbourne Jews are welcome, in which we could ask the leaders of the ZFA, ECAJ, AIJAC, and other bodies some questions regarding their recent media performance, and their claims to legitimate representation?
Would such a meeting do any good? Is it at all worthwhile? Are our institutions so rotten that attempting to graft democratic elements onto them would be futile? If so, by what mechanisms could an alternative leadership be established?