Yom Ha’atzmaut Sameach!

Happy Israel Independence Day!

For some great shiurim and activities about Yom Ha’atzmaut, check out the Yeshiva University Yom Ha’atzmaut To Go packet available for download here.

Happy Passover

Happy Passover from the Eimatai Family.

For interesting passover reading, check out the YU Pesach To Go Torah Packets.

Israel@60: A Time to Celebrate?

That seems like a stupid question, right? Isn’t this 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel worth an extravagant celebration? There should be dozens of fireworks shows to light up the sky across the country! There should be parades with war heroes, politicians, movie stars and television personalities! Men, women and children of all ages should pour into the streets in a flood of excitement and national pride!

In fact, the Israeli government has set aside $28 million for this year’s festivities. It’s not quite the $70 million from the celebration of Israel’s Jubilee year back in 1998, but it’s a serious chunk of change. What better way to unite a country that has gone through so much in the last few years than a day full of natioanlistic festivities?

Apparently the Israel@60 campaign has united the people, but not in the way it was intended. To date, over 90,000 Israelis have signed a petition to request that the government not spend any more money on this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut than it would in any other year. Buy why?

Petitioners argue that this is no time to spend valuable resources on a celebration that is mainly used for  political grandstanding. The irony, they claim, is that the theme of this year’s celebration is “Strengthening Israel’s Children” - yet statistics show that 1/3 of Israeli children are living in poverty, and school teachers held a two-month strike at the beginning of the academic year because of inadequate pay and poor classroom conditions.

The organizers of the celebration have responded to this public demand. They currently plan for only 20% of the $28 million to be spent on Yom Ha’atzmaut itself for the festivities. The rest is going to be spent on educational programs, infrastructure projects, and remembrance projects. School children are going to hike into Jerusalem on the path that was used by Israeli soldiers in 1948. A walking path is going to be built around the Kinneret, along with a bike path that will cross the country. Over 60 picnics are going to be held across the country, and beach parties will be happening along the coast. And yes, there will be fireworks shows in seven different cities from Teveriah to Eilat.

So what are we to make of this? Does this signal a lagging in nationalism by Israelis, or a practicality in spending money where it’s most needed? How would you want the festivities to be?

Under 18 for Election ‘08? Get in your two cents.

If you have been thinking a lot about who the next president is going to be, but are not going to be able to vote in the upcoming election, you might be really frustrated. You have an opinion that is valuable, and your voice should be heard just like anyone else’s!

Well now there’s a place for you to share your thoughts on the upcoming election with friends, family, and teens under 18 from across the country. My Two Cents for Change is a great website that gives teens the opportunity to share their thoughts on the issues that are relevant to the upcoming presidential election.  You can even have your comments automatically send to the Presidential candidates themselves!

So what do you think about the war in Iraq? What do you think about Universal Healthcare? What do you think about what’s happening in Darfur? How would you like the next president to address poverty in this country? Get your thoughts out, and get yourself educated on the facts.

If you are going to be 18 for the upcoming election, make sure you register to vote here, here or here. Voting is your way of showing the leaders of this country that you care, and that you matter.

What is happening in Tibet?

It seems like every day a new report is out about Tibetans protesting the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the Chinese government that is hosting the games. Where did this whole thing come from? It seems like it started all of a sudden one day, and now it’s everywhere. What is it all about?

This will require a quick history lesson: In 1971, The Qing Dynasty that ruled China established the Dalai Lama and his regents as the spiritual and political leaders of Tibet. They continued in their rule through 1951. In 1911, Tibet proclaimed its independence from China, and although no other country recognized Tibet, it continued as a de-facto independent state until 1950.

In 1950, the Chinese army invaded Tibet, and easily overran the small Tibetan army.  Since then the Tibetan government led by the Dalai Lama has been in exile, and the Chinese government has been in control of the region. Chinese citizens were moved in to populate the area, and many Tibetans feel that their culture is being threatened.

March 2008 saw a flare-up in anti-China protests by Buddhist Monks living in Tibet, and has spread in advance of the China-hosted Olympics.

Whether or not China should relinquish some or all of its control of Tibet is one question, but the real issue is the way China has responded to the Tibetan protesters. Hundreds of peaceful protesters have been arrested, and journalists and diplomats have been barred from the region.

The US and the EU are pressuring China to change its ways, but this only highlights the question the world must be asking itself about choosing China to host the Summer Olympics. Will China clean up its human rights record? Will China stop persecuting members of the Falun Gong groups? Will China put pressure on the Sudanese government to stop the massacres in Darfur? Will China stop its ruthless crackdown of Tibetan dissent?

This is what the Tibet protests are all about. This is what we can all be thinking as we head towards the Summer Olympics that are only 129 days away.

Race in the 2008 Presidential… Race

As the 2008 Presidential Campaign inches forward, the focus has been squarely on the two remaining candidates for the Democratic nomination: Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama. In the midst of this, a question of race has been raised. Are Americans ready for a non-white president? Will Americans elect a non-white president?

Obviously it is not good to vote against someone because he’s black, but It’s just as bad to vote for him because he’s black. People should vote based on how they think that person would perform in office. But if we were to assume all things were equal aside from race, is that still a factor in the mind of Americans?Clearly Barrack Obama hopes it is not. Last week for the first time, Senator Obama addressed the issue of race head-on in a speech he gave in Philadelphia. He explained that an America that is distracted by issues of race would never be able to tackle healthcare, the economy, or the war in Iraq. He explained that it is time “to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native-American children…” Obama is trying to remove race as a factor in the election.

In 2000, the Jewish community was amazed that Senator Joseph Lieberman seemed to overcome his minority status when he was pegged by Al Gore to serve as his Vice Presidential running mate. Lieberman was the first Jew ever to run on a major American party presidential ticket. There was a time when it would be unfathomable for a Jew to achieve such a position in the government, and in 2000 the issue was barely a blip on the screen.

But we know that racism in this country has a long and ugly history that may not quietly disappear overnight.

In 1968, the same day the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed, Senator Robert F. Kennedy had the following to say:

“In this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are, and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black… you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization - black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another.

“Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.”

We have come a long way since 1968, and race is far less divisive in this country than it once was. The question we have to ask ourselves is not whether Barrack Obama should be nominated by the Democratic Party or elected by the American people. The question right now is not about Obama’s policies, beliefs, or anything about him at all. The success of his campaign so far simply gives us the opportunity as a nation to do a little introspection and soul-searching. Therefore the questions is:

Do you think America is ready to not care about the race/ethnicity of the President? Post your opinion or comments here.