Tikkun Magazine - Current Thinking

Obama Now Fully Embracing the AIPAC Line plus Dennis Ross' speech to the J Street Conference

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:46:11 -0800

We received the note below from the National Jewish Democratic Council lauding Obama for his embrace of what is in essence the Jewish establishment and AIPAC position on all major issues between Israel and Palestine. While we too seek an Israel that is strong and secure, we also seek an Israel whose moral strength is reflected in its ability to do repentance for the ways it has brutalized and oppressed Palestinians (even as we recognize that Israelis too have suffered from violence from Palestinians, and that the story must be told in a nuanced and balanced way). But there is nothing nuanced or balanced in what the Obama Administration is saying or doing these days.

One of many bright moments that happened at the J Street conference: In a workshop attended by a good thousand people in a session after Dennis Ross delivered the talk printed below, the Al Jazeera speaker commented that J Street ought to be ashamed to have had Dennis Ross deliver the keynote speech because he has been positioned for the past twenty years as one of the most powerful obstructionist forces to any chance of the US adopting a peace plan that could conceivably satisfy the minimal needs of the Palestinians. At least half the audience in that workshop cheered and yooped wildly in support of that criticism. Read his talk below and then try to figure out why many J Street participants felt disturbed at Ross' speech (though still, as we are, strongly supportive of J Street and its accomplishments)

And then we have the statement by David Harris, former chair of the American Jewish Committee and now exec director of the NJDC, praising Obama for his consistent support of the current Israeli government's policies and demands at the U.N. including his Administration's recent veto of a resolution condemning Israeli expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Have these people no shame?

A Crazy Prophet

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:15:56 -0800

Uri Avnery, a major leader of the Israeli peace forces, reflects on what could be learned from the Arab uprisings.

Support the Demonstrations In Favor of Public Employee Unions' Right to Collective Bargaining

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 07:26:21 -0800

For most of the past fifty years, the political Right has sought to undermine the role of government in restraining the worst excesses of American and global capitalism. Today, for a variety of reasons, they are winning. Former Sec. of Labor Robert Reich explains one of the dimensions of what is happening and why. This Saturday there will be demonstrations in the capitol cities of every state in the union supporting the right of workers to collective bargaining. Don't think this is someone else's struggle--if the public employee unions are smashed, you too will directly feel the effect both in lowered income and lowered public services. We fully support those demonstrations and urge you to attend. To find the nearest one to you: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=238

This is as much a spiritual and religious concern as prayer or meditation! You cannot fulfill the Biblical injunction to "love your neighbor" while simultaneously ignoring their economic plight. And this is not only about your neighbor--you too will soon be feeling the impact of the dismembering of government by the political Right, not only in your pocketbook but also in your soul as the cycle of diminished caring leads people around you to new levels of fear, despair and cynicism. --Rabbi Michael Lerner

Let�s Get Behind Rabbi Lerner�s Call for a Progressive Primary Challenge to Obama in 2012!

Ashley Bates — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:57:46 -0800

Bob Anschuetz responds in depth to Michael Lerner's call for a creative way to use the Primaries to push Obama to the left, in the Washington Post December 4, 2010, and developed further on Huffington Post.

Arts Education as a Spiritual Act

Ashley Bates — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:51:23 -0800

February 23, 2011

Joel Shatzky, Professor Emeritus in English at SUNY, Cortland, argues for the return of wonder to learning.

It's not a great idea to put American Muslims on Trial

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:21:27 -0800

Josh Stanton tell us: It is a nightmare for an entire religious tradition to be put on the stand as a collective for the actions of an extreme few. It is worse still when the extreme few are such a miniscule fraction of the population.

Uri Avnery: The Arab Awakening 2011

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:44:13 -0800

Israeli author and chair of Gush Shalom in Tel Aviv Uri Avnery argues that what has been happening in the Arab world has lasting significance even if it is temporarily repressed or diverted in less revolutionary directions.

[Meanwhile, have you signed up yet for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Tikkun Magazine--if not, please do it now at www.tikkun.org/celebrate or at least make a tax-deductible contribution to help us keep goingl Check to Tikkun, 2342 Shattuck Ave, #1200, Berkeley, Ca. 94704].

Obama & Clinton Undermine the Palestinians Once Again

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:11:08 -0800

It's not such a surprise--once the Obama Administration decided to stay true to the traditions of our State Department from the Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush days, it gives priority to the wishes of the Christian Zionists and AIPAC--at the expense of the continued suffering of the Palestinian people. M.J. Rosenberg analyzes it, and then the news story of the US actually vetoing the resolution confirms it. What seems obvious (and sadly disappointing) is that the initial promise of the Obama Administration for a more balanced position in the Israel/Palestine conflict (a balance that actually would be more in Israel's long-term interest than capitulating to the self-destructive policies of the Netanyahu government) has been abandoned. It makes no more sense in this situation for anyone concerned about peace to focus on gently nudging the Obama Administration to live up to its promise on Middle East matters. Instead, it must be publicly and unequivocally challenged.

Stephen Zunes on Mubarak's Ouster: Good for Egypt, Good for Israel

Ashley Bates — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:14:00 -0800

February 16, 2011

Our thanks to Stephen Zunes for this piece, exclusive to Tikkun.

Utterly Wrong: U.S. Will Veto The UN Resolution Condemning

Rabbi Michael Lerner — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:12:28 -0800

MJ Rosenberg shows how crazy US policy toward Israel and Palestine continues to be under Barack Obama. Anyone who believes that Obama has moved away from the policies of the past is simply not following the actual policies of the US, which were unveiled clearly when it refused to back UN consideration of Justice Goldstone's Gaza report. This is the next crazy step--and also shows how wild are the conservatives in the Jewish world who portray Obama as not being adequately supportive of their version of what it means to be pro-Israel, when in fact he is all too willing to be their lap dog.