RSS
The essence of Passover is recounting our history. Or is it? Avi Finegold contemplates the concept of origin stories
Trauma myopia. It’s a term I encountered recently in the New York Times, in an article about alliances and tension between Jewish and African-American activists. The journalist, Daniel Bergner, interviewed a young non-Jewish activist named Nicole Carty, who spoke about “a Jewish propensity for ‘trauma myopia’.” “I’ve been to a lot of Passover celebrations,” she […]
The post The essence of Passover is recounting our history. Or is it? Avi Finegold contemplates the concept of origin stories appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
RSS
Palestinian Cameramen Exposed in New Footage Documenting Oct. 7 Atrocities Side by Side with Terrorists
Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother Yarden (34) was taken hostage with his wife Shiri (32) and 2 children Kfir (10 months) and Ariel (4), holds with her friend Tal Ulus pictures of them during an interview with Reuters, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas continues, in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 13, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Harrowing footage released on Wednesday, shows Palestinian cameramen filming the violent abduction of Yarden Bibas into Gaza on October 7.
While the identity of the Palestinian journalists remains unclear, their presence amid a blood-thirsty mob of terrorists proves a disturbing truth: Gaza-based journalists covering Hamas atrocities that day did not bravely risk their lives, as declared by institutions that recently granted them awards, but operated easily without any objections from the perpetrators.
“Innocent Palestinian civilians” brutally kidnapping Yarden Bibas on October 7
https://t.co/Tf1KWFO1gH
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 17, 2024
In the video, a professional camera hovering over a Palestinian mob can be seen as its operator nonchalantly tries to focus on the terrified Bibas, who is tightly held on a motorbike in the middle of the chaotic scene.
34-year-old Bibas — whose wife Shiri and two young sons Ariel and Kfir had been abducted in a separate incident — is seen surrounded by armed men, bloodied, beaten, abused, and yelled at.
But the cameraman — as well as whoever films the video footage and others who hold up their phones — care only about capturing Bibas’s suffering, most likely in order to sell the footage to local and international news outlets.
As Yarden Bibas was kidnapped by a mob of Gazan terrorists, Palestinian photojournalists and cameramen working for foreign press agencies took footage and photos at the scene.
This is what the mainstream media considered to be “bravely risking their lives.” https://t.co/VkTk0SqcOs pic.twitter.com/22Zg06qgOs
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 17, 2024
That they could operate freely amidst the barbarity suggests that they were present with — at the very least — tacit approval from the mob. In fact, including journalists as part of the invading force was always part of Hamas’ plan.
Gaza-based journalists were there not just to document, but to exploit. HonestReporting exposed this connection in November 2023, revealing that Gaza-based photojournalists had infiltrated into Israel with Hamas on October 7.
Subsequently, CNN and the AP cut ties with one of them — Hassan Eslaiah — who had been photographed with none other than Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
But in general, media outlets failed to acknowledge these ethical violations. Not only do they still offer for sale pictures showing the lynching of an Israeli soldier or the abductions of civilians into Gaza. They showcase them in their selective war footage galleries, and win prestigious awards with them.
This is not journalism.
As revealed last month by Israel’s Channel 12 news magazine Uvda, the documentation and distribution of the October 7 atrocities was part of Hamas’ vicious plan. And as an Islamic Jihad spokesperson recently admitted, international media reporters in Gaza have been willingly dancing to Hamas’ tune.
So if we put two and two together, it’s clear that the video that captured media workers filming Bibas’ abduction shows only one example out of many.
As Hamas slaughtered more than 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others, Gaza-based journalists were there to document it all.
Others celebrated the massacre on social media, like Motaz Azaiza, who — just this week — has been shamelessly declared one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people of 2024.
It is stunningly irresponsible for @Time to allow Motaz Azaiza to rewrite history and to declare him one of the most influential people of 2024. On October 7, he celebrated the start of the war he’s now “raising awareness” for the world to stop. https://t.co/e1uKX8lqHu https://t.co/0cQmAvlV8I
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 17, 2024
But any profit or recognition gained by such “journalists” or their organizations is tainted, because it has all been achieved thanks to Hamas’ passive or active approval, on the back of innocent people like Yarden Bibas.
HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Palestinian Cameramen Exposed in New Footage Documenting Oct. 7 Atrocities Side by Side with Terrorists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US Money to Convicted Terrorists; US Training to Aspiring Terrorists
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, July 26, 2023. Photo: Reuters/Palestinian Presidents’ Office
After Palestinian Media Watch exposed in the US Congress in 2011 that the Palestinian Authority (PA) pays salaries to terrorists, most Western countries eventually cut off funding of the PA’s general budget and instead gave money for specific projects, such as education. However, one Palestinian framework has remained a recipient of Western money and was also excluded from the limitations of the Taylor Force Act, which prohibits American funding of the PA. That framework is the PA Security Forces.
The US State Department said that in 2002, it provided $45 million to the PA security sector:
The U.S. government plans to provide an additional $75 million in economic assistance to the Palestinian people this year. Additionally, the United States is also providing $45 million for programs to support the security sector including important improvements to the rule of law.
[U.S. Department of State website, March 26, 2022]
Now the PA reports that the Western-funded General Intelligence Service of the PA Security Forces gave a special grant to precisely those terrorists whom the West is trying not to fund — the convicted Palestinian terrorists and dead terrorists. Worse still, the recipients are terrorists who are members of the PA General Intelligence Service who used their training and weapons from the US to perpetrate terror against Israel. The decision to give the grants to terrorists was made by the head of the PA General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj, who is presented internationally as a “moderate” who cooperates with Israel in fighting Palestinian terror. Yet instead of punishing those members of the PA Security Forces who turned to terror, Faraj decided to give them an extra reward:
The [PA] General Intelligence Service in Jenin provided a grant to the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners [i.e., terrorists] from the service’s ranks in the district …
A delegation from the service provided the grant to 25 families from among the Martyrs’ families and 11 families from among the prisoners’ families from the General Intelligence ranks.
[PA General Intelligence] Service Director in Jenin Adnan Abu Aisheh said that the message of the service, under the instructions of its leader [Head of PA General Intelligence] Majed Faraj, is to emphasize what President Mahmoud Abbas has said again and again — that if we are left with one penny, it will be paid to the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners. [emphasis added]
[WAFA, official PA news agency, April 4, 2024; official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 5, 2024]
Official PA TV also reported on the special grants to the members of the PA Security Forces-turned-terrorists’ families:
News flash on screen: “The [PA] General Intelligence [Service] gives a grant to the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners from its members in the Jenin district.”
[Official PA TV, April 5, 2024]
In addition to these direct payments from the US-funded budget to terrorists, new recruits to the PA security forces train “at a U.S.-funded training center” [Washington Post, March 5, 2024].
Palestinian Media Watch recently exposed that in addition to those receiving special grants, the PA forces in general are profoundly involved in terrorism, as admitted by a PA official:
More than roughly 63-65% of the number of Martyrs in the West Bank, in the daily confrontations, are members of the Fatah Movement. And most of them are members of the [PA] Security Forces or their sons … The ones who are being pursued in the streets, arrested, and imprisoned are the Palestinian Security Forces officers. [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, June 14, 2023]
Fatah also corroborated the PA TV report:
More than two-thirds of the Martyrs in the West Bank over [the last] year-and-a-half belong to the Fatah Movement and the PA … More than 355 of our Palestinian people’s prisoners inside the prisons are from the Palestinian [PA] Security Forces — in other words, the PA’s soldiers.
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 27, 2023]
To sum up, the US-funded PA General Intelligence Service is giving grants to convicted terrorists from among the General Intelligence, and new recruits to the PA Security Forces are being trained in US-built facilities. In other words, it appears that money is going directly to convicted terrorists while the US is training aspiring terrorists.
The authors are the founder and senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.
The post US Money to Convicted Terrorists; US Training to Aspiring Terrorists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
This Passover, Combine Respect for Tradition with the Courage to Innovate
Henry Kissinger once famously said, “Whenever you have two alternatives, the first thing you have to do is to look for the third that you didn’t think about, that doesn’t exist.”
With Kissinger’s recent passing at the advanced age of 100, much has been written about the legacy of the 20th century’s greatest statesman, and particularly how he mastered the art of thinking outside the box, while respecting the box itself as the foundational framework of diplomacy.
In the early 1970s, amid a sharply divided Cold War world, Kissinger — then National Security Advisor in President Nixon’s administration — orchestrated a groundbreaking diplomatic maneuver that would reshape global politics: the opening of relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
Kissinger’s approach was innovative yet deeply grounded in existing diplomatic structures. His secret 1971 trip to Beijing, facilitated through discreet communications and intermediaries, exemplified his belief in the power of traditional diplomacy, creatively applied. By leveraging established channels in unconventional ways, Kissinger not only bridged a vast ideological divide but also set the stage for a new era in international relations.
This bold initiative showed that although the “box” — namely: the existing structures of international diplomacy — provides necessary stability and continuity, stepping just beyond its traditional bounds can lead to transformative outcomes. Kissinger’s diplomatic accomplishment showed the value of maintaining a delicate balance between innovation and tradition, a lesson that remains pertinent as we navigate today’s complex global landscape.
And considering Kissinger’s Orthodox Jewish roots, perhaps it is not such a surprise that he intuitively understood this concept. After all, he grew up with Pesach and Seder night. The idea of thinking outside the box while respecting the box itself was deeply embedded in his Jewish DNA.
Just as Kissinger navigated the complexities of international diplomacy, so too does the Pesach Seder navigate the balance between rigid structure and the necessity for creative engagement. Each year, as families worldwide prepare for Pesach, they revisit the ancient traditions and rituals that define this pivotal Jewish holiday.
Central to the festival’s observance is the Seder, a ceremonial dinner on the first night of the festival, and outside Israel, on the second night as well. The theme of the Seder is retelling the story of the Exodus from Egypt. However, despite the ritual’s deeply structured nature, the Seder is ripe for incorporating spontaneity and creativity.
A 2017 study from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management highlights a paradox that transcends cultural and religious boundaries: structure, while simplifying comprehension and organization of our surroundings, can significantly stifle creativity. The research, which was led by doctoral candidate Yeun Joon Kim and Professor Chen-Bo Zhong, drew on several experiments, including one involving LEGO bricks.
It turned out that participants asked to assemble a model from LEGO bricks sorted by color and shape exhibited noticeably less creativity than those who were given a box of randomly assorted bricks. The findings, published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, suggest that over-structuring and over-planning can dampen the innovative spirit.
The Seder is intricately designed with a series of rituals and readings from the Haggadah — the text that guides the evening’s proceedings. Steeped in structure — indeed, the Hebrew word “Seder” means “order — at first glance, it would appear that this deliberate organization is critical, ensuring that the multifaceted story of the Exodus is presented in a comprehensive and accurate manner, allowing each participant to follow the chronological progression from slavery to freedom in a well-honed and immutable framework.
But this first impression is wrong. Despite its structure, the Seder is uniquely conducive to creativity and personal expression. The readings from the Haggadah, while fixed, are not just about droning on about a passive version of ancient events. Instead, the Haggadah’s readings serve as a springboard for discussion, questioning, and exploration.
The narrative is crafted not just to be told, but to be engaged with; it calls for each participant to delve into the meanings, themes, and moral questions inherent in the ancient story. This engagement is vital to the educational mission of the Seder, which aims not only to transmit historical knowledge but to instill a deeper understanding and personal connection to the events of the Exodus.
Besides, although the Haggadah provides a set script, it is replete with obvious cues for personal input and interpretive freedom. It incorporates various symbols and rituals — like the eating of bitter herbs or the spilling of wine — which are designed to evoke sensory responses and emotional reactions that transcend mere verbal storytelling. These elements are invitations for participants to reflect on the harshness of slavery and the sweetness of liberation, integrating their own narratives with the ancient text.
The Seder’s structure also includes several built-in moments specifically intended to provoke discussion and participation, such as the asking of the Four Questions. Traditionally posed by the youngest at the table, these questions about why this night differs from all other nights shouldn’t just prompt answers, but a lively exchange of ideas and interpretations — and, more importantly: even more questions. The Seder is not a monolith; it values the insights and curiosities of all its participants, regardless of age or scholarly background.
In essence, the Seder exemplifies a dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation, much like Henry Kissinger’s approach to diplomacy. While it adheres to a predetermined order that ensures the story of the Exodus is told with fidelity and depth, it simultaneously encourages a creative engagement that makes each Seder a unique and deeply personal experience.
This blend of structure and spontaneity not only enriches the ritual itself but also reinforces its enduring relevance, inviting each generation to find its own meaning and message in the ancient tale of liberation. In remembering Kissinger’s legacy, we are reminded of the power of balancing respect for tradition with the courage to innovate — a principle that continues to resonate both at the Seder table and, hopefully, in the broader world. This principle reminds us that in the interstices of rigid structures lie the opportunities for transformative creativity and enduring change.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
The post This Passover, Combine Respect for Tradition with the Courage to Innovate first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login