Whatever you do, there are rockets falling,
and after the rockets, smoke climbing
The Blessings of Metonymy
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WHAT MAKES POETS great to begin with is a living presence we feel in their words, the way we can “read” the body and the voice of the poet. That is why it is so hard to believe it is now fifteen years since the death of Israel’s greatest poet, Yehuda Amichai. His adopted Hebrew name Amichai—he was born in Germany in 1924 as Ludwig Pfeuffer—which means “my people live.” This name he made for himself also became prophetic because through his poetry his people surely live.
Being Here Now: This Creation is the Divine Image
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Green and I agree that the most pressing issue of our time—indeed the only issue that matters if as a species we are to have time left—is our relationship to this planet. But do we need more clarion calls? Jewish environmentalists, like environmentalists of all stripes, have been exhorting us for half a century. Will one more exhortation make the difference? I do not think so.
Is Everything in God’s Image?
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I HAVE TO BEGIN with a confession. Theologizing about the environment in 2016 does feel more than a bit like the proverbial rearranging of deck chairs on the Titanic. It is but small comfort to me that I am not a novice at this effort, suddenly discovering that we religious folk had better have something to say about the most urgent global issue of our times. I have been thinking and writing about these issues over three or four decades, and pride myself to think that I might have had a milligram or two’s weight of influence on the level of concern about them in our Jewish community. But we, like the rest of humanity, have been preoccupied with issues that seemed more pressing or immediate, allowing awareness of the impending environmental disaster to be pushed to the outer edges of our consciousness.
A Journey to Armenia: Visual Reminders of Genocide and Oppression
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One of my objectives was to link the Armenian tragedy to a broader historical and global context, not to diminish the tragedy of the millions of Armenians who lost relatives, but rather to highlight the deeper pattern of oppression that will, among other things, advance the long overdue international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
2017
Readers Respond
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We welcome your responses to our articles. Send letters to the editor to letters@tikkun.org. Please remember, however, not to attribute to Tikkun views other than those expressed in our editorials. We email, post, and print many articles with which we have strong disagreements because that is what makes Tikkun a location for a true diversity of ideas. Tikkun reserves the right to edit your letters to fit available space in the magazine.
Articles
George Lakey’s 10-point plan to stop Trump and make gains in justice and equality
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I was among the 100,000 who marched in San Francisco’s Women’s March the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration. While enthusiasm for the struggle seemed high, an important question was looming: What’s the strategic plan, as we head into the Trump era? Although there’s no simple answer, I offer this 10-point plan — fully open for discussion and debate.1. Recognize that we represent the majority, not Trump.
Three times more people participated in the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., than were present at the inauguration the day before.
Portugal’s Secret Revolution
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Whatever Costa decides, the gerigonça has already proved to the Portuguese public and others that there are responsible alternatives to austerity, and that the political certainties of the past are no longer so certain. Indeed, the coalition has demonstrated that if left-of-center political leaders are willing to give up past quarrels and rivalries, they can work together to bring about meaningful economic, political and social change.
Normalizing Trump’s Authoritarianism is Not an Option
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American society is no longer at the tipping point of authoritarianism, we are in the midst of what Hannah Arendt called “dark times” and individual and collective resistance is the only hope we have to move beyond this ominous moment in our history.
The Benediction Rabbi Hier Should Offer at the Inauguration
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Editor’s note: RABBI MARVIN HIER Founder and Dean Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance has accepted an invitation to give a benediction at the Trump inauguration. While his presence there is a disgrace to the very notion of a “museum of tolerance,” and a betrayal of the 70% of Jews who voted against Trump in the 2016 election, Rabbi Aryeh Cohen provides him with ethical guidance in what he could say to redeem his presence, which provides the very kind of legitimation to Trump that Trump’s appointment as a key White House advisor who has been the publisher of anti-Semitic and racist articles of the alt-Right has been to the racist section of the poltical Right. But don’t hold your breath to see if that happens. Congratulations to Rabbi Ayreh Cohen, a contributing editor to Tikkun magazine, for his courageous and prophetic article which appears in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal. –Rabbi Michael Lerner
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Rabbi Hier, you have been given a unique challenge and a unique opportunity.
The Truth About Palestinian Susya
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The issue of Palestinian Susya has become a major flashpoint for Israel in global politics. According to one narrative, Israel’s plan to destroy the homes and other buildings in the village of Susya — and expel the residents — is an example of brutal discrimination which severely violates the dignity and basic rights of the people who live there. According to another narrative, we have to put “Palestinian Susya” in scare quotes, because Susya is an imaginary village, a fabrication cooked up by the Palestinian Authority and the EU to take over state land in Area C. I want to tell you what I think is the truth about Palestinian Susya.
Why Security Council Resolution 2334 Matters a Lot More Than We Think
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Those who long ago succumbed to cynicism and hopelessness when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can find many reasons to discount the importance of Security Council Resolution 2334, passed unanimously (14-0 with the U.S. as the only abstention) on December 23. It is certainly true that Israel will ignore and indeed work actively to undermine the Resolution just as it has ignored innumerable other resolutions demanding a halt to settlement construction or expansion. As one activist tweeted shortly after its passage, in all likelihood Israel will expand the seizure of Palestinian land and construction of settlements just to thumb its nose at the UN (and the departing President Obama) and to demonstrate the irrelevance of the UN when it comes to the Occupation. Observers looking for historical precedent will find it in the many other Security Council and General Assembly resolutions that Israel has ignored over the decades. As many journalists have pointed out, Obama has had the worst record of any recent President when it comes to Security Council resolutions criticizing Israel, vetoing every one that was put for a vote until last week.
Defending Educators in an Age of Neoliberal Tyranny
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IN AN AGE OF intellectual and spiritual debasement, thinking is vilified as an act of subversion and ignorance translates into a political and cultural virtue. Traces of critical thought appear only at the margins of the culture as ignorance becomes the primary organizing principle of American society.
Educating for Hope and Possibility in Troubled Times
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THERE IS MUCH TALK TODAY in the United States about a crisis of education. Yet what is pointed to as the cause of this crisis is confusing at best, and misleading at worst. There is, for example, the argument made by some commentators that our economy is in trouble because of poor education. Of course this seems preposterous when compared to the role of the banks in our most recent economic crisis. Despite talk of demands for sophisticated skills and more educated workers, predictions are for an economy that will continue to employ high numbers of low and semi-skilled workers; jobs that used to be done by high school graduates are now increasingly filled by those with college degrees.
On God
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This is the task of Tikkun at this moment—to birth the next stage of consciousness of the human race, and in so doing to bring God’s presence more fully into the world. We can make our own contributions to this process, each in our own ways. And as we do so, we can rejoice in the marvelous opportunity to serve God with joy, love and celebration.