Monday, December 10, 2018
I think that we have a vocabulary problem.
An opinion piece in The New York Times bore the
headline “Anti-Zionism Isn’t the Same as Anti-Semitism." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/
Meanwhile, an advertisement in the same
newspaper proclaimed that "Anti-Zionism Is Racism."
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379,
adopted on November 10, 1975, declared that "Zionism is a form of racism
and racial discrimination," later revoked. All of these statements
point to Israel, the realization of the Zionist vision. I am a Zionist,
a believer in the need and validity of a homeland for the Jewish
people.
Except as understood by Avenue Q, I
do not consider myself a racist. https://www.youtube.com/
It may not be entirely fair, but I expect Israel
to operate at a slightly higher level than the typical nation-state. I
want Israel to reflect Jewish values, not merely to succumb to realpolitik.
Aha! What are Jewish values – a question that itself breeds
fraternal conflict. While I wrestle with the last two items on this list,
here is a reasonable collection from Rabbi Mark Diamond (formerly Executive
Director of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California):
Love of others
Justice/responsibility
Kindness/compassion
Love of learning
Kindness/compassion
Love of learning
Welcoming guests/strangers
Peace/harmony in home/family
Perfecting the world
Sanctity of life
Sanctity of life
Sanctity of language
Modesty/humility
This article conveys an obvious conflict between
Jewish values and realpolitik: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/
Political criminals and Fascists are being
welcomed in Israel, because they seem to share either some of the same enemies
or a harsh nationalism. It seems that the present Israeli regime strongly
supports the efforts of the ultra-Orthodox to keep men and women apart while
allowing Jews and fascists to mingle freely.
. . .
In case you were unaware, the weekend real
estate section tells us that “the average size of a
new rental apartment in the United States shrank more than 5 percent over the
past decade, from 993 to 941 square feet. And the smallest apartments got
even smaller: The average new studio shrank from 573 to 514 square feet, a
decrease of more than 10 percent. At the same time, the average rent went
up, from $1,523 to $1,944 a month — an increase of nearly 28 percent.”
Unfortunately, the average size of an American
has been moving in the opposite direction. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “the average American man
now stands at 5-feet-9 1/4 inches tall and weighs 196 pounds — up 15 pounds
from 20 years ago. For women, the change has been even more striking: The
average female today stands 5-feet-3 3/4 inches and weighs 169 pounds. In
1994, her scale read 152 pounds.” https://www.vox.com/2016/8/31/
In all, it makes for a tight squeeze.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Paul Hecht, our favorite male thespian, keeping
in touch with his northern roots, forwards this article on the dilemma faced by
Montreal bagel bakers.
Montreal bagels have their eager advocates,
including David Brodie now removed to London. I have heard it claimed
that Montreal water made the difference. Alternatively, the cooking
method has been singled out and there’s the rub. Montreal bagels are
typically baked in wood-burning ovens and some neighbors have been unwilling to
put up with the smoke and smells to get a feinschmecken bagel.
Now, even as the city is considering forcing a change to electric or gas ovens,
one centrally-located borough (arrondisement) has banned all new
wood-burning cooking ovens. So far, there have been no assertions of
anti-Semitism.
December 12, 2018
Frank Sinatra would be 103-years old
today.
. . .
If Mexico does not pay for the border wall, will
their government have to shut down?
. . .
It's that time of year again. 10 Best of
the Year Movies/Restaurants/Novels/
This list covers Dungan (descendants of Muslim
traders who married Han Chinese), Tibetan, Japanese, Moroccan, Dominican
Republican, Belarusian, northern Thai, Malaysian, southern Ecuadorean, and
Oaxacan (Mexican) joints. How wonderful, how diverse, but mostly how
inconvenient. Only one of the joints is on the island of Manhattan; 8 of
the 10 are on the island of Long. The Bronx, once home to the
not-yet-America's-Favorite-
All right. I'm going to dust off my
Metrocard and explore these remote regions. Companions welcome.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Speaking of companions, Michael Ratner and Ken
Klein joined me for lunch at Café Evergreen, 1367 First Avenue, a nice, clean
Chinese restaurant, befitting the Upper East Side. We shared two 4"
round scallion pancakes ($8), then each of us ordered a lunch special, $9-12,
that included a green salad, choice of soup, and choice of rice. I had
Crispy Orange Trio, beef, chicken and prawn, exactly what you would expect, and
I would do it again. Ken also enjoyed his moo shu chicken and
Michael his shrimps in lobster sauce.
Friday, December 14, 2018
To celebrate his birthday one day late, I took
my brother to the Rangers game tonight and almost as if the team knew that one
of their most devoted fans was present they jumped out to an insurmountable 3
goal lead. Well, nearly insurmountable.
Thanks for an interesting read, as a Montrealais, I have to mention that those wood burning ovens full of bagels are owned by Greeks and operated by folks from the islands ... A d some of those same illegal wood burning ovens are for fancy thin crusted pizzas, made by Greeks and Italians... What a wonderful world! Cheers! Julian Hecht
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