The Jewish Advocate
August 22, 2008
Op-ed: Resist being discouraged
By Sid Topol
Last fall, I wrote in these pages that the time was ripe for American Jews to follow the lead of two unprecedented, bipartisan resolutions of the House of Representatives and the Senate in support of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks about to be re-launched in Annapolis, Maryland. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
August 8, 2008
Op-ed: A true friend of Israel
By David Strauss
What is a friend? A friend celebrates your joys, stands by you in times of trouble – and lets you know when you’re hurting yourself. A friend will tell you how others see you, even if it’s unpleasant. [Read More]
Kansas City Star
August 9, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Native Palestinian's plight
By Alan Abrams
Recent articles about and by area resident Yaser Wishah demonstrate the suffering endured by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza from Israel’s occupation. [Read More]
Sommerville Journal/ News
August 6, 2008
Somerville resident advocates on Capitol Hill for resolution of the Israeli-Palestine conflict
Beth Wasserman of Somerville joined a delegation of twelve Boston area activists who traveled to Capitol Hill last week to advocate for vigorous U.S. engagement in facilitating a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]
Real Clear Politics
August 1, 2008
Obama and the Jewish Vote
By Pierre Atlas
In order to win the "Jewish vote," candidates often try to out-trump each other in demonstrating their support for Israel. [Read More]
Bangor Daily News
July 29, 2008
River City Cinema to Screen 'Promises'
A documentary film about the conflict between Palestinians and Jewish Israelis as seen through the eyes of seven children in Israel will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Bangor Opera House. [Read More]
The Jewish Review
July 21, 2008
Portland activists advocate for peace on Capitol Hill
Five members of the Portland chapter of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom visited Capitol Hill on June 24 to advocate for vigorous U.S. engagement in facilitating a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
July 18, 2008
Letter to the Editor: A Wise And Helpful Parshah
By Stan Fleischman
I found Grand Rabbi Korff’s dvar Torah on Parashat Chukas in your July 4 issue, which he titled “Talking to a rock,” extremely enlightening. [Read More]
Episcopal Life Online
July 16, 2008
Churches for Middle East Peace ask Secretary Rice's help for students in Gaza
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) has joined six other American organizations in sending a letter on July 15 to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking that she urge Israel to permit hundreds of students in Gaza who have been admitted to foreign universities to exit the embattled area. The students are confined to Gaza because of Israel's closure policy. [Read More]
Intermountain Jewish News
July 11, 2008
Colorado delegates for Brit Tzedek v'Shalom negotiate on Capitol Hill
Three Colorado Brit Tzedek v’Shalom steering committee members traveled to Capitol Hill in late June to advocate for a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]
Ipswich Chronicle
July 10, 2008
Local resident advocates for two-state resolution
Philip Kuhn of Ipswich joined a delegation of twelve Boston area activists who traveled to Capitol Hill last week to advocate for vigorous United States engagement in facilitating a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]
The Winchester Star
July 2, 2008
Alpert fights for Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution
By Donna Spiegelman/Special to the Star
Bonnie Alpert of Winchester joined a delegation of 12 Boston area activists who traveled to Capitol Hill last week to advocate for vigorous U.S. engagement in facilitating a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
[Read More]
The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
June 27, 2008
Op-ed: The wall — where protection ends and collective punishment begins
By Dr. Michael Cooper
These are not easy times to be a duty-abiding doctor in Israel. One could say we’ve hit a wall.
When I graduated Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Medical School in 1977, I was given a copy of the oath of Maimonides with my diploma. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
June 26, 2008
Letter to the Editor: No Absolutes In Israel
By David Albert
In his June 13 letter, “Don’t blame Israel first” in response to my May 30 article “Bittersweet reflections,” the Zionist Organization of America’s Morton Klein took issue with many of the facts that underpin Jewish peace activism, and the efforts of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the national, grassroots organization of which I am national treasurer. [Read More]
Shalom Rav
June 25, 2008
Brit Tzedek Hits the Hill
By Rabbi Brant Rosen
Just returned from DC and an invigorating few days with Brit Tzedek v’Shalom’s Advocacy Days on Capitol Hill. Anyone who supports a Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace policy should take heart in knowing that more than 150 activists from all over the country devoted themselves to in-depth briefings and advocacy training before fanning across the Hill to visit the offices of House reps and senators, encouraging our leaders to redouble their efforts toward a two-state solution. [Read More]
The Peoria Journal Star
May 31, 2008
Op-ed: Two-state solution is best for Israeli Jews
By Rabbi Brant Rosen
President Bush recently traveled to Israel to celebrate that country's 60th anniversary, a visit attested to by the many pictures of him smiling and shaking hands with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
May 29, 2008
Op-ed: Bittersweet reflections
By David Albert
I suppose the best way to describe my feeling about Israel’s 60th birthday is bittersweet.
I remember experiencing the same feeling 10 years ago on Israel’s 50th birthday. At that time, Hillel at my university held a big birthday celebration on campus while Palestinian students held a counter-protest a few feet away. [Read More]
The News & Observer
May 23, 2008
Op-ed: An urgent need to get beyond nice words
By John Friedman
Israel recently marked its 60th anniversary, and President Bush traveled to the region to celebrate. We American Jews, with our long tradition of standing by Israel in good times and bad, were happy to see our president visiting our spiritual homeland, but many of us are worried. [Read More]
The Jewish Review
May 19, 2008
A ‘baseless’ claim
By Jeremy Gillick
Robert Horenstein’s claim that many American Jews hold a “double standard” when it comes to creating a partnership with Christian Zionists (Jewish Review, May 1) is baseless, and his depiction of progressive Jews who oppose such an alliance as naïve and ill-informed is insulting. [Read More]
The Jewish Review
May 19, 2008
Evangelical leaders on record in support of two-state solution
By Joel Glick
In “Jewish-evangelical Christian alliance good for Israel” (Jewish Review, May 1),Robert Horenstein asserts that evangelicals “generally oppose” any political division of the Holy Land. However, he fails to mention that many prominent evangelical Christians have spoken out in support of a negotiated, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]
The Boston Globe
May 14, 2008
Letter to the Editor: A road map, of sorts, to Mideast peace
By Deborah Katz
Jeff Jacoby ("A triumph of life and hope") and Yousef Munayyer ("For
Palestinians, mourning") might seem to speak for the two sides in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict ("Israel at sixty," Op-ed, May 11). But I
don't think this is true. [Read More]
Jewish Currents
May 2008
A Love Letter to Haifa
By Sue Swartz
Consider this a love letter to Haifa — where the prophet Elijah is buried and Israel’s first modern university was built. City built between the mountains and the sea, Haifa of summertime air advisories and surly Russian-speaking super-market clerks, less-favored cousin of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. [Read More]
The Jewish Review
April 28, 2008
Jewish-evangelical Christian alliance good for Israel
By Robert Horenstein
Of all the other faith communities with which American Jews partner on a wide range of issues, none generates more internal discord than evangelical Christians. [Read More]
The Boston Globe
April 27, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Mideast talks need greater diligence
By Stan Fleishman
I have been futilely searching the Globe daily for some small ember that would indicate that the flame of hope for Mideast peace, lighted at the Annapolis Conference, has not yet been extinguished. [Read More]
The National Journal
April 16, 2008
Pushing Israel From Both Sides
By Julie Kosterlitz
What does it mean to be pro-Israel? With the Bush administration's 11th-hour push for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the American Jewish community has renewed its soul-searching on this question. [Read More]
The Washington Independent
April 15, 2008
Reframing the Israel Debate
By Spencer Ackerman
Beginning today, a band of liberal Jews intends to transform the terms of the American debate over Israel -- among the most delicate, controversial and combustible topics in politics. And right on time for Passover, the Jewish holiday marking deliverance from bondage .[Read More]
JTA
April 15, 2008
Doves launch J Street initiative
By Ron Kampeas
After years of on-and-off policy wars with the pro-Israel establishment, liberal Jewish advocates for a more aggressive U.S. posture in Middle East peacemaking are taking the fight to the street. K Street, that is. [Read More]
JTA
April 15, 2008
Obama's Jewish surrogate wants balance, pressure in peacemaking
By Ron Kampeas
In recent weeks the Obama campaign has sought to bolster its outreach to Jewish voters with a big name: Daniel Kurtzer, the first Jewish U.S ambassador to Egypt and the first Orthodox Jew to serve as envoy to Israel. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
April 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor: A Sustainable Peace Treaty
By Steve Masters
Rick Blumsack suggested I was unrealistic to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, because Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cannot be trusted. I understand fears, as does anyone who loves Israel, but let us consider the facts. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
April 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Channel Anger Into Change
By Hanna Siniora
As a Palestinian who recently visited your country, I can understand the anger and impatience in some of the letters in this publication, including Rick Blumsack’s letter in the March 21 edition, “No Case for a Cease Fire.” The long-standing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has been a disaster for Jews and Arabs alike, and of late the level of danger indeed has risen.[Read More]
The Jewish Daily Forward
April 3, 2008
Dovish Lobbying Group Set To Debut
By Nathan Guttman
Although the organizers behind a nascent dovish pro-Israel group known as the J Street Project have steadfastly remained silent ahead of an expected formal launch in mid-April, details have emerged over the past week that paint a clear picture of the group’s goals. [Read More]
In These Times
April 1, 2008
Secular Jews and the ‘Jewish State’
By Ralph Seliger
American Jews remain, along with African Americans, the most left-leaning ethnic community in the country. While many support the State of Israel uncritically, some Jews express their concern for Israel’s welfare by joining organizations and activities that challenge certain policies and promote social change. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
March 31, 2008
Peace is still within reach
By Donna Spiegelman
Gershon Baskin and Hanna Siniora, the Israeli and Palestinian co-directors of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), recently told an audience of 120 at Temple Israel in Boston that “a framework agreement for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is within reach.” [Read More]
The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
March 21, 2008
Can we talk?: Parleys with Hamas aren’t unusual for activists
By Joe Eskenazi
When Hanna Siniora or Gershon Baskin’s phones rings late at night — or even at 3 a.m., Hillary Clinton-style — they never know who’ll be on the other end. [Read More]
The Jewish Voice and Herald
March 21, 2008
Breaking the Silence soldiers tou r U.S.
By Mary Korr
Tel Aviv native Oded Na’aman was an idealist when he entered the Israeli Army during the Second Intifada. His experiences, however, left him numbed, confused, and silent — until he joined Breaking the Silence, a forum for former combat veterans. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
March 21, 2008
Op-ed: The case for a ceasefire
By Steve Masters
Supporters of Israel are living through painful days. With Israeli-Hamas hostilities in Gaza, and the massacre of eight yeshiva students in Jerusalem, many pin their hopes for conflict resolution on Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. [Read More]
Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
March 14, 2008
Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible
By Ghaith al-Omari and Steve Masters
Grim news continues to come from the Middle East: Palestinian rockets, Israeli incursions, people running for their lives on both sides.The images of such harsh realities have come to define the conflict, and often serve to polarize people of goodwill who truly want peace. [Read More]
The Atlanta Jewish Times
March 14, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Hope for Peace
By Jan Jaben-Eilon
Atlanta’s Limmud offered the Jewish community an assortment of speakers and presenters, most of who were from our own community. But not all.
Thanks to Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, two speakers came all the way from Jerusalem to share their insights into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Read More]
Voicesforpeace.blogspot.com
March 11, 2008
"Breaking the Silence" and "Wheels of Justice" speaking tours are underway
Two important speakers' tours are underway, and I have neglected to publicize them. There is still time to make a connection with these witnesses. Brit Tzedek has organized the "Breaking the Silence" tour. "Wheels of Justice" with Mazin Qumsiyeh and other speakers is making its way through western US cities. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
March 6, 2008
'Breaking the Silence' comes to Harvard Hillel
By Lorne Bell
No military unit is better equipped and trained to protect the Jewish homeland’s borders than the Israel Defense Forces. But guarding against invaders and terrorists from the outside is only part of the mission of Israel’s young soldiers. [Read More]
The Bangor Daily News
March 3, 2008
Rockland, Speaker: Israeli-Palestinian peace a matter of perspective
By Walter Griffin
Finding a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might be possible if each side looked at its differences from the perspective of the other.
That was the observation made by Dr. Aaron Ahuvia of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the Jewish American Alliance for Justice and Peace, during a talk at Adas Yoshuron Synagogue on Sunday. Once one learns to understand an adversary’s mind, one can hope to win his heart, he said. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
March 3, 2008
Op-ed: A Presidential Peacemaker
By Gershon Baskin
The upcoming U.S. elections won't affect Israelis and Palestinians as they do American citizens - yet it's undeniable that America's choice for president will have an enormous impact on the lives and struggles of people in the Middle East. [Read More]
Daily Hampshire Gazzette
March 3, 2008
U.S. can help forge Mideast peace
By Gerson Baskin and Hanna Siniora
The upcoming U.S. elections won't affect Israelis and Palestinians as they do American citizens - yet it's undeniable that America's choice for president will have an enormous impact on the lives and struggles of people in the Middle East. [Read More]
The Jewish Daily Forward
February 28, 2008
Photo Essay
Breaking the Silence, a group of Israeli army veterans dedicated to public education about the effect of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, is hosting exhibitions this month in Philadelphia and Boston of images photographed by Israeli soldiers during active duty in the West
Bank. [Read More]
JTA
February 26, 2008
"Breaking the Silence" on Israel's occupation
An Israeli veterans group will tour the U.S. East Coast to talk about the moral price of Israel's occupation of the West Bank. [Read More]
Wickedlocal.com
February 19, 2008
The future of the Mideast peace process
Gershon Baskin and Hanna Siniora of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information will speak Monday, March 3, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., on the Brookline/Boston line. They will discuss whether the peace process is at a dead end, or headed toward success. [Read More]
The Jewish Review
February 16, 2008
Op-ed: Western Negev experience is only a part of the story
By Joel Glick and Sandy Polishuk
Israel is almost 60, a living testament to the Jewish people’s steadfastness and ingenuity, and our ability to overcome adversity, time and again.
It’s a source of great sorrow among American Jews that the struggle continues. On a recent trip to Israel, Robert Horenstein was able to view up close the suffering of Israelis in the western Negev. [Read More]
The Jewish Journal
February 15, 2008
Whither the Left?
By Amy Klein
When, after seven years of violence, President George W. Bush brought the Israelis and Palestinians together last November to resume peace talks at Annapolis, right-wing groups in America and Israel mobilized their members in protest. The unified message: Jerusalem should not be divided. [Read More]
The Jewish Daily Forward
February 5, 2008
Peace at the Caucuses
By Marissa Brostoff
Allan Abrams, chair of the Kansas City chapter of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, a left-leaning Jewish advocacy group, arrived at his Kansas caucus prepared to present a resolution calling for the United States “to actively and persistently engage in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” [Read More]
The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
February 1, 2008
Op-ed: Next year may be too late for peace
By Susie Coliver and Bob Herman
The time is now to conclude an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Next year may be too late. We spent the past week in Israel and the Palestinian territories as participants in a symposium sponsored by Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and Meretz USA. [Read More]
The Jewish Press
February 2008
Letter to the Editor: Concern for Israel
By Molly Freeman
Congratulations to j. for placing so prominently the comprehensive and astute account by Susie Coliver and Bob Herman of their recent trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Their eloquent letter expresses the deep concern for Israel that drives Brit Tzedek V’Shalom to educate and advocate with members of Congress, the administration and within our Jewish communities a sense of great urgency for the U.S. to play a strong role in bringing the parties to negotiate a just peace so that two states may live side by side. [Read More]
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
January - February, 2008
Congressional Letter Provided Positive Backdrop to Annapolis Conference
By Shirl McArthur
In a rare display of congressional constructiveness, the Nov. 26-27 Annapolis conference was preceded by a Nov. 19 bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, originated by Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Charles Boustany (R-LA) and signed by 133 other House members. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
January 31, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Story Headline Is Misleading
By Deborah Fogel
The headline of your recent article about Barack Obama is a perfect example of the rumor-filled and fear-based messages that have been circulating among Jewish groups online with the intent of undermining support for his candidacy among American Jews. [Read More]
The Philadelphia Inquirer
January 29, 2008
Op-ed: Last chance for two states?
By Steve Masters
I recently returned from leading a delegation to Israel and the West Bank whose mission was to express American Jewish support for a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Given news reports about recently renewed diplomatic efforts, you might think the trip was almost unnecessary. [Read More]
The Jewish Advocate
January 24, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Peace Process Must Move On
By Stan Fleischman
Paul Sassieni’s “Time for a deep breath” (Jan. 11) rightly points out numerous roadblocks on the road to peace.After seven years of inaction and missteps on both sides – despite Sassieni’s insistence that Israel is wholly blameless, and Israel’s neighbors wholly at fault – it’s easy to be skeptical. [Read More]
The Atlanta Jewish Times
January 21, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Gift of Peace
By Jan Jaben-Eilon
I just returned from Israel, where I had an opportunity to get a sense of the feeling on the ground about the "peace process" and President Bush's trip to Jerusalem. [Read More]
The Jerusalem Report
January 21, 2008
Letter to the Editor: From Fringe to Mainstream
By Steve Masters
We were very pleased to see your coverage of our presence at the Annapolis conference "Fringe Theater at Annapolis," (Dec. 24). The organizations that came out that day in support of a return to substantive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians represent the 87% of American Jews who say they support a two-state solution to the conflict. [Read More]
The Philadelphia Inquirer
January 19, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Israeli-Syria Peace
By Rabbi Marcia Prager
I was very happy to see Sen. Arlen Specter's commentary regarding the possibility of an Israeli-Syrian peace accord ("Israel-Syria treaty the key to Mideast peace," Jan. 14). [Read More]
KansasCity.com
January 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Bush, the Middle East
By Allan Abrams
On the heels of November’s Annapolis peace conference, President Bush is making his first-visit to Israel and the West Bank, intending to spur negotiations for a 2008 agreement. [Read More]
Special To The New York Jewish Week
January 9, 2008
Op-ed: Let Us Not Remain The Jews Of Silence
By Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf and Steve Masters
The American Jewish community has been one of Israel’s most stalwart supporters since its foundation. We rightly see the Jewish state as our spiritual home, and in times of trouble, never fail to stand by Israel’s side. [Read More]
The Los Angeles Times
January 8, 2008
Letter to the Editor: Re "Bush will find Israel ambivalent"
By Claire Gorfinkel
After seven years in office, Bush is finally visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories in a bid to move the peace process forward. As an American Jew committed to a negotiated two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I believe that the American government should support efforts to bring about a peace agreement that would result in a secure Israel living alongside a viable Palestinian state.[Read More]
The Chicago Tribune
January 8, 2008
Op-ed: Jewish support crucial now for Middle East peace
By Arnold Jacob Wolf
It was supposed to be different. President Bush is headed for Israel and the West Bank, on a trip meant to coincide with the first real progress toward peace after years of diplomatic neglect. The Annapolis peace conference, held in November, was to have been the start of something new. [Read More]
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