Opinion
Kamala Harris and her fluid identity
By BERNIE BELLAN
The announcement that Joe Biden has chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate immediately set off a torrent of applause from many Jews who, if they weren’t aware before that Harris is married to a Jewish man, Doug Emhoff, are certainly aware now.
But, in checking off one more box that should broaden what was already a very diverse set of qualifications for the vice-presidency of the U.S., Kamala Harris’s rather fluid identity raises some questions about how any individual chooses to identify in this day and age.
While we can’t pick our skin colour – it’s always been a source of interest to me how certain individuals of mixed descent choose to identify strongly as a member of one particular racial group. The case that I find most interesting is that of Barack Obama, who had a white mother, Ann Dunham, and a Kenyan Black father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr. Obama’s parents divorced when he was only a few months old.
Barack Obama’s mother subsequently married an Indonesian man and young Barack spent part of his childhood in Indonesia. He also has half brothers and sisters from that relationship, as well as from his father’s subsequent marriage to a Black woman.
In addition to his mother, with whom he was very close, Obama was also raised by his mother’s parents in Hawaii from the time he was 11 until he went off to college.
Obama eventually moved to Chicago and chose to identify with the Black part of his identity. He’s always referred to as America’s “first Black president”, but one wonders what path his life might have taken had he chosen instead to be more ambiguous about his racial identity.
Similarly, Kamala Harris is the daughter of a Black man from Jamaica and an Indian mother. We’ve also learned that Harris spent her formative years in Montreal (in Westmount) with her mother. In an interesting article that was posted on the Sun chain of newspapers, columnist Tarak Fatah made this observation about Harris:
“Writing about her Tamil Indian mother, Kamala Harris once wrote that she is the ‘reason for everything.’ In her memoir and a New York Times article, she explained, ‘There is no title or honour on Earth I’ll treasure more than to say I am Shyamala Gopalan Harris’s daughter. That is the truth I hold dearest of all.’
“Yet, when it came to list her ancestry on the U.S. census form, Kamala Harris dropped any link to her mother and chose instead to be known as African-American instead of Asian Indian.”
Finally, here in Canada we have our own recent case of someone with an interesting patchwork of identities in the form of Annamie Paul, who is both Black and Jewish, and who is now favoured to win the leadership of the Federal Green party. We’ve already carried two articles about Paul, one from the JTA, and one from Gerry Posner, both of which discuss her decision to convert to Judaism while she was a student in Princeton.
In looking back at those articles, I was particularly struck by this line from the JTA story about Paul: “Like picking a religion, Paul looked to shared values to determine which political party she would join when her work no longer prohibited her from doing so.”
So, while Annamie Paul couldn’t choose her skin colour in the same way that Barack Obama and Kamala Harris seem to have done, she chose her religion and now the political party which she is striving to lead.
I offer these examples of fluid identity not as a criticism, but rather as an observation of the degree to which individuals seem to be able to define themselves in ways that can often help them in future endeavours, whether or not that was a motivating factor in their decision. All three of the individuals I have cited here became lawyers – and then ended up entering into politics. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Are you as cynical as I am and wonder whether, especially in the cases of Obama and Harris, both their decisions to identify as Black – when they could have identified as something else, were strongly influenced by the thought that it would be far more useful to be thought of as Black if they were to enter into politics?
As for Annamie Paul, full credit to her for daring to be her own person – and seek out both a religion and a political party that conformed with her beliefs. But, the idea of shopping around for a religion – and a political party…well, it does seem rather arbitrary.
Still, as we ourselves have demonstrated in this very paper, with all the attention we’ve heaped on Paul, when someone makes a conscious decision either to convert to Judaism or to marry a Jewish spouse – it’s bound to elicit attention – and that attention can’t hurt someone with political ambitions.
A case that’s even closer to home – and one which I find somewhat confusing is that of Laurelle Harris, whose name has been recently in the news when she conducted a study of alleged discrimination at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Laurelle Harris is a Black woman who converted to Judaism several years ago, but when my wife and I attended an event for the LGBTQ Jewish community a few years ago, and Laurelle Harris was there representing the Jewish Federation, I was quite surprised when she began her remarks that evening by saying, “I am a proud Black Jewish gay woman”.
“Gay?” I thought. I didn’t know Laurelle Harris was gay. (She had been married to Rabbi Larry Pinsker for a time, but then again – being married to someone isn’t necessarily an indication what anyone’s sexual preference is.)
I also thought: “Well, she’s certainly checked off all the right boxes”.
Still, when I’ve mentioned that particular story to others, I’m always met with the same reaction: “Laurelle Harris isn’t gay.” So – why would she say that she is, I wonder?
The point of this is to establish that modern Western societies are changing so rapidly that members of groups who thought they knew how to define that group are often left puzzled by someone’s choice to identify as part of that group. We didn’t have room in this issue to print in its entirety a very thoughtful piece by someone by the name of Alicia Chandler, who describes herself as “a Jewish woman married to a Catholic man”, but she makes a very interesting point about how Jews should be more accepting of interfaith marriages.
Chandler questions all this gushing among Jews over Kamala Harris for her being married to a Jewish man, which she finds somewhat hypocritical. Her piece is titled: “We can’t kvell over Kamala Harris’ Jewish husband while we demonize interfaith marriage.”
In her column, Chandler writes:
“Around the country, you hear the bubbies kvelling:
“Did you know Kamala Harris’ husband is Jewish?
“Did you know her step kids call her mamele?
“Did you see the video with her doing the cute impression of her Jewish mother-in-law?
“Did you hear that he broke a glass at their wedding?
“It is not surprising that the Jewish community is excited to be represented on the Biden-Harris ticket. Political leanings of the community aside, Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, is a member of the tribe, and two of Joe Biden’s children are married to someone who is Jewish.
“But sadly, the Jewish community is a
bit selective in celebrating interfaith marriage. If it brings us a Jewish second gentleman, we will cheer. But interfaith marriage is still taboo to many, and an Orthodox or Conservative rabbi would not have been allowed to preside over the Harris and Emhoff wedding.
“American Jews want to celebrate the Jewish ties of any famous person while still discriminating against the relationships that tie these individuals to the Jewish community.”
Chandler goes on to argue for greater acceptance of interfaith families within the Jewish community, writing that “It is time for full inclusion of all interfaith families in the Jewish community, not just vice presidential nominees and celebrities. In 2013, 44% of all Jews were married to a non-Jew; 58% percent of those married since 2005, and the trend is seemingly on the rise.
“Doug and Kamala are not a rare exception — they represent much of the American Jewish community today. We should make a greater effort to make families like them feel just as included and celebrated.”
Of course, the problem with excerpting Chandler’s column in a newspaper like this one is that it might not be greeted with much favour by many of our readers. While I’m sure that many of you have direct experience with interfaith families – either because you, yourself, are part of one or you have children who are in that situation, I’m realistic enough to know that many of our readers have a hard time coming to terms with the notion that intermarriage is now the norm within our Jewish community.
Even as it’s increasingly difficult to define what it means to be Jewish, however, I think that most of us still take great pride when someone, especially someone as prominent a personality as Kamala Harris, chooses to marry someone Jewish. Okay – so maybe the extent to which she has adopted Jewish norms is limited to her stepkids calling her “momala” (see article on page 2 for an explanation how that came about) and, as noted in Chandler’s piece, a couple other nods to stereotypical Jewish customs – but hey, she chose to marry a Jew, just as Joe Biden also has two children married to Jews (not to mention Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son Eric – also married to Jews).
In Donald Trump’s case, however while he certainly doesn’t gloss over his Jewish familial connections, he is also known to have traded in anti-Semitic stereotypes, such as when he said that he likes “short guys who wear yarmulkes every day” to count his money.
In short – any celebrity’s having a Jewish connection – especially when that celebrity is very high on the pecking order, is a source of some fascination to many of us, but beyond the superficial aspect of it all, what it really says is that being Jewish or being married to a Jew is not nearly the political handicap that it would likely have been not too long ago.
Local News
Is It Alberta’s Turn to Regulate Online Gambling? Looking at the Possibilities
Online gambling and betting in Canada is booming, with each province allowed to regulate its own space. Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, turned two this year after leading the way in April 2022. In what should motivate Alberta and other provinces, Ontario is already reaping the rewards, generating $100 million annually in gambling revenue. Will the local administration in Alberta do what is needed?
Talks have been rife that Alberta is considering going the Ontario way by having an open-licensing system. In July 2023, the minister for Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, issued a mandate to make this province a hub of online sports betting and gambling.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently asked Nally to cooperate with indigenous partners and other stakeholders to develop an online gaming strategy. The main focus will be on revenue generation and responsible gambling. In light of this, Nally said Alberta’s primary focus is becoming a “leading hub for iGaming” with streamlined regulations and low corporate taxes. Such conditions should position Alberta to become a leading iGaming destination.
A few weeks ago, the minister attended the ICE international gaming conference held in London. Together with Ontario’s Attorney General, Doug Downey, and other stakeholders, Nally participated in a roundtable discussion regarding the status of iGaming in Canada. CDC Gaming Reports also revealed that the discussion highlighted the success of iGaming in Ontario and how Alberta can emulate this success story.
Looking into the Alberta Budget 2024, it’s evident that state monopoly could soon give way to Canadian casinos to thrive in the province. Alberta took the first baby steps towards a more liberal gambling sector after setting aside $1 million for gambling. This budget will support the looming review of the Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Act and supporting Regulation. The idea is to review the entire regulatory framework to find more funding ways for Alberta charities and community projects.
Major operators like BetMGM, PointsBet, and PokerStars have since hired lobbyists to ensure commercial operators become a reality in Alberta. Speaking to investors and industry analysts in March this year, PointsBet CEO Sam Swanell tipped Alberta and British Columbia to legalize online betting soon. He noted that this could provide the much-needed expansion of that TAM.
Alberta is yet to take full advantage of online gambling despite being the country’s fourth-largest province, with around 4.3 million people. Smaller markets in North America, such as West Virginia and Connecticut, are already benefiting from commercialized online gambling. The good news is that noises about legal online gambling are getting louder in Alberta. It’s just a matter of when the government will make the announcement.
What Next for Online Gambling and Betting in Alberta?
Including a $1 million gambling review budget is definitely a step in the right direction. However, there’s still much to do to end Alberta’s long-standing gambling status quo. But at least the budget opens the door for further discussions and reforms regarding iGaming in Alberta. That discussion has been underway, although the momentum has increased in the last year or so.
As it stands, PlayAlberta.ca is the only regulated online gaming platform in Alberta. It’s a government-run website operated by the AGLC (Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis). Besides casino games, this website provides sports betting and lottery-style gaming experiences. The legal sign-up age on PlayAlberta.ca is 18 years.
For Albertans who prefer more gambling freedom, the government doesn’t restrict anyone from joining offshore operators. Most gaming sites operating in Alberta are licensed in Curacao, the UK, and Malta. Compared to PlayAlberta.ca, these websites provide a more extensive variety of games, rewards, and general experience.
In conclusion, it’s just a matter of when Alberta will introduce an open-licensing market. This approach has proved to be a success elsewhere, especially in Ontario. A recent Ipsos report in Ontario revealed that only 13.6% of the residents prefer to gamble on offshore websites. Alberta could soon follow this path, although there’s much work to do to realize this dream.
Opinion
Hamas savages make no distinction between Israeli Jews, Arabs
By MYRON LOVE I remember many years ago attending a presentation by Simon Wiesenthal, the world’s leading Nazi hunter, during which he made the point that the focus of Holocaust education should not be on the number six million – the number of estimated Jews who were murdered – but rather on the 12 million martyrs – including other targeted groups such as the Roma, people who were gay, the mentally and physically handicapped and the many great many Slavic people who were also murdered. After the Jews, the Slavs were next on the list.
By focusing strictly on Germans killing Jews, he observed, it became too easy to make it out to be only Germans versus Jews – thereby making it easier for Holocaust deniers and absolving the other European peoples who were complicit in the killings.
Similarly, while we naturally mourn our Jewish brethren who were so horribly slaughtered on October 7, we need to also bear in mind that Hamas made no distinction in its murderous rampage between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs or between Israelis and foreign workers.
In a posting for The Gatestone Institute on November 30, Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh noted that he Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7 did not slaughter Jews alone. The terrorists also murdered and kidnapped scores of Muslim citizens of Israel, including members of the Bedouin community. The terrorists’ murder spree made zero distinction between young and old, Muslim and Jew.
“Scores of Arab Israelis were wounded, murdered or taken prisoner,” he reported.
One such brave individual was 23-year-old Awad Darawshe, an Arab-Israeli paramedic who was on duty at the music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, which was among the first locations under attack. When the medical staff on site were ordered to flee, he insisted on remaining behind to treat the wounded.
Abu Toameh suggests that the paramedic thought that because he was Arab, he could reason with the killers. He was murdered nonetheless.
Another courageous Arab-Israeli that the writer noted, 50-year-old Abed al-Rahman Alnasasrah, was murdered by Hamas terrorists when he attempted to rescue people from the music festival. He was married and a father of six children.
Fatima Altallaqat, 35, from the Bedouin village near Ofakim, was murdered while working with her husband near the city of Ofakim in southern Israel. She was a mother of nine children, the eldest nine years old.
Abu Toameh quotes her husband as saying: “We’re a religious Muslim family and she wore the traditional headdress of a devout woman. It is inconceivable they [Hamas terrorists] could not see who was inside [the car]. They were five meters away from her as they passed.”
Forty bullets were fired into her.
Abu Toameh further cites the comments of Suleiman Zayadneh, brother and uncle, respectively, to four of the Arab-Israeli hostages, who describes himself “as proud to be a Palestinian and Muslim”.
‘The people who came to shoot and kill — they know nothing of religion,” the writer quoted Zayadneh as saying. “These [Hamas] people came and killed left and right.”
Abu Toameh went on to reference the words of Nuseir Yassin, a video blogger with 65 million followers. Two days after the massacre, he wrote: “I realized that… to a terrorist invading Israel, all citizens are targets. More than 40 of them [the murdered] are Arabs. Killed by other Arabs. And I do not want to live under a Palestinian government. Which means I only have one home, even if I’m not Jewish: Israel…. So from today forward, I view myself as… Israeli first. Palestinian second. Sometimes it takes a shock like this to see so clearly.”
Abu Toameh reported that “there have been many storie about reciprocal inter-communal generosity and heroism in the aftermath of this national tragedy, and they create hope for the future”.
He quoted a statement by the Darwashe Family:
“We are very proud of Awad’s actions… This is what we would expect from him and what we expect from everyone in our family — to be human, to stay human and to die human.”
Abu Toameh also quoted Ali Alziadna, four of whose family members were kidnapped, as saying that he was “touched by the outpouring of support” by other Israelis.
“People from all over the country have come to hug and support our family,” Alziadna said. “The entire nation is one family now.”
Abu Toameh pointed out that many Arab citizens of Israel serve as IDF officers and policemen, risking their lives for their fellow Israelis. Many are serving at the front lines, saving lives.
Undoubtedly, Abu Toameh suggested, one of the objectives of the Hamas massacre, in addition to slaughtering as many Israelis as possible, was to thwart normalization between Israel and Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. Hamas may also have aimed to damage relations between Jews and Arabs inside Israel.
”The terror group was, without doubt, hoping that we would witness another cycle of violence between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, similar to that which erupted in May 2021,’ Abu Toameh posited. “Then, Hamas succeeded in inciting a large number of Arab citizens of Israel to take to the streets and attack their Jewish neighbors and Israeli police officers.
“This time, however, the Arab-Israelis have not heeded the calls by Hamas. One reason is that Arab-Israelis saw, with their own eyes, how Hamas terrorists make no distinction between Jews and Muslims.
“Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated that it cares nothing for the well-being of Arabs and Muslims. From their luxury homes and hotel rooms in the safety of Qatar and Turkey, Hamas leaders give the orders to attack Israel and then sit back and let the world weep over the destruction they wrought upon their own people.
“On October 7,” Abu Toameh concluded, “Hamas metaphorically shot itself in the foot by showing the world, with unfathomably ghoulish pride, by way of Go-Pro cameras and other self-documentation, that it has neither a religious nor a secular-humanist set of values. Perhaps the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip should look at the Arab citizens of Israel and note how they enjoy equal rights, democracy, freedom of speech and a free media. If Palestinians wish to live well, like the Arab-Israelis, this is the time for them to get rid of Hamas and all the terror leaders who, for seven decades, have brought them nothing but one disaster after another.”
It is too bad that so many gullible fools in our Western societies refuse to open their eyes to the truth.
Opinion
An Arab Trusteeship Council for Gaza
By Prof. BRYAN SCHWARTZ Oct. 17, 2023 (Originally posted to The Times of Israel)
1 No peace is possible with Hamas. It is genocidally antisemitic. This position is foundational, not rhetorical or mutable. Waiting for the emergence of a “pragmatic” version of Hamas is suicidally naïve.
2 Peace and cooperation are possible with most of Israel’s non-Iranian neighbours. They are militarily threatened by Iran, not Israel. For many in those countries, Iran’s version of Islam might be more problematic from the religious perspective than Israel’s Jewishness.
3 Hamas’ attack was partly to prevent a Saudi deal and a long-term economic cooperation
4 Israel has no territorial claim to Gaza and no material, religious, or ideological interest in running it.
5 Israel has vital moral and material interests in the emergence of a peaceful, demilitarized, and prosperous Gaza. If that can occur in the medium term, a long-term reconciliation of the Palestinians with Israel is achievable.
6 As and when Hamas is evicted from power, Gaza will need some new form of government.
7 The Palestinian authority probably cannot be trusted to take over Gaza. It is corrupt and lacked- and probably still lacks- credibility with a majority of the population in Gaza.
8 There used to be a concept called trusteeship in international law, whereby foreign powers would govern a territory in its best interests until its final status is clarified at the wishes of its own people.
9 The United Nations cannot be trusted to administer Gaza – any more than it has shown to be trustworthy to maintain strategic security in Southern Lebanon or to operate UNWRA in a manner that is effective for Palestinians and not hostile to Israel.
10 Consider this alternative. After Hamas is evicted from power, there is an interim period- say five to seven to ten years -of governance over Gaza by an Arab trusteeship council. The Council members are appointed primarily by Arab states sympathetic to Israel and eager to see the people of Gaza thrive. This Council could include local Gaza representatives and a representative of the Palestinian Authority but the majority would be representative of states like Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
11 The trusteeship agreement would be formal, agreed to by Israel, and unequivocally state its objectives, including:
-demilitarizing Gaza;
-defining the sole purposes for which outside reconstruction and development money can be spent and requiring strict accounting
-ensuring that the education system in Gaza is not contaminated by antisemitic hatred;
-promoting sound administration of Gaza, including providing for transparent and non-corrupt government, with significant safeguards for human rights, and conformity to the rule of law;
-promoting the development of a real economy for Gaza, not one fuelled primarily by international subsidies.
13 No state could participate in the Council without having a peace agreement with Israel.
14 In fact, the creation of the Council and Saudi participation in it could be part of a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. The deal could involve a reconstruction package from the Saudis for Gaza, which would help secure the support of the people of Gaza for the Council arrangement as an interim measure.
15 Policing would be carried out by a force composed of Palestinians and members of the police forces of Trusteeship states, under the direction of the Council.
16 The net effect would be to remove Gaza from Iran’s influence and establish temporary control by a consortium of mostly Sunni states. The latter would be chosen from among those that are at least reasonably friendly to Israel and genuinely committed to good governance in Gaza.
17 The definitive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict can only be achieved in a series of steps. Compromises are even more painful if they are framed as permanent. But if practical peace, stability, and some prosperity can be achieved in the medium term in Gaza and the West Bank, an amicable and enduring resolution should be achievable with the Palestinians.
18 While Israel is under severe military menace right now, it is not too early to think about how a positive political outcome can be achieved after the necessary and painful battle is concluded.
19 The current catastrophe is a so-far successful attempt by the regime in Teheran to disrupt peace negotiations involving Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. Political vision along with military force might enable Israel to turn around the situation and complete and consolidate a lasting peace with almost all of its Arab neighbours and to set the stage for a formal and enduring peace with the Palestinians. The Teheran regime would be isolated, diminished in prestige, and more likely to be replaced from within.
About the Author
Bryan’s Jewish-themed musical “Consoulation: A Musical Mediation” premiered in the Spring of of 2018; https://consoulation.com His new album will appear in the coming months. Bryan Schwartz graduated with a doctorate in law from Yale School and holds an endowed chair at the University of Manitoba Law School. He is the author or editor of over thirty books and collections of essays. Bryan also created and helps to deliver an annual summer program at Hebrew University in Israeli law and society. He has served as a visiting Professor at both HU and Reichman university. . As a practising lawyer, Bryan has argued a number of cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, advised governments, and served as an arbitrator at the provincial, national and international level.
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