Daily Kickoff: Unbearable Smallness vs. Unbearable Misunderstanding | Settlers Prepare for Clash, with Israeli Gov’t | Meet VP Candidate Mindy Finn
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SHOTS FIRED: “The Unbearable Misunderstanding of Goldberg” — Bibi’s spokesman David Keyes responds to Jeffrey Goldberg’s article titled, ‘The Unbearable Smallness of Benjamin Netanyahu’: “Goldberg casts the Prime Minister as an obstacle to peace despite the evidence to the contrary. He also accuses the Prime Minister of badly misplaying Iran. History will judge Netanyahu differently — boldly taking Israel’s case to the American people and Congress to highlight the existential threat of the world’s worst state sponsor of terror seeking atomic bombs. Netanyahu’s determination over the years to prevent a nuclear armed Iran was a leading force that helped galvanize sanctions against Iran in the first place… The Prime Minister is a staunch optimist. He has no doubt that Israel has an incredible future ahead… When the Prime Minister was re-elected in 2009, 63% of Americans had a mostly favorable or very favorable view of Israel according to an annual Gallup poll. Today that number has risen to 71%… Israel’s future has never been brighter. The real pessimist here is not Prime Minister Netanyahu — it’s Jeffrey Goldberg.”
Goldberg: “The piece prompted a fair degree of fury on the part of Netanyahu’s aides, and from what I’ve been told, Netanyahu himself. The prime minister’s spokesman, David Keyes, sent us, through the Israeli embassy in Washington, the following response — he sent it on Rosh Hashanah, in fact.” [TheAtlantic]
DRIVING THE CONVERSATION: “What’s at stake in US-Israeli row over settlements” by Oren Liebermann and Laura Smith-Spark: “Israel’s fear is that Obama could now act at the United Nations, after the US elections in November but before the next president is inaugurated in January. Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each met with Netanyahu following the UN General Assembly in New York last month. Clinton reaffirmed “her opposition to any attempt by outside parties to impose a solution, including by the UN Security Council,” according to Netanyahu’s office. Trump has also previously ruled out any UN Security Council resolution on the issue. But that’s something Obama did not promise — in fact, it never came up when Obama met with Netanyahu last month.” [CNN] • Obama’s Record on Israeli-Palestinian Peace [FP]
Deputy Minister for Foreign Policy Michael Oren to Galei Tzahal: “This government has a certain view about settlements, and if we built in Gilo or Ramat Eshkol [in Jerusalem], the reaction would be the same. We have a dispute [with the US] and it didn’t start yesterday, it started in 1967.” [JPost]
“Senior official: US rebuke over Shiloh ‘alibi’ for policy change” by Shlomo Cesana: “A senior government official has called U.S. condemnation of the construction permits issued for some 100 apartments next to Shiloh, “disproportionate,” saying it is meant to serve as a “cover” and an “alibi” for U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to change American policy and to present a diplomatic plan, according to a report by Channel 2 News… “It’s strange that while children are being massacred in Syria, the administration is concerned with building permits for a few apartments in Israel,” Naftali Bennett said.” [IsraelHayom]
“West Bank Settlers Prepare for Clash, With Israeli Government” by Isabel Kershner:“AMONA OUTPOST, West Bank — Thousands of Israeli police officers stormed this hilltop settler outpost in the occupied West Bank to raze nine illegally built homes. Settlers and their supporters hurled cinder blocks at the officers, who charged on horseback and beat protesters with batons. The homes were torn down, but 300 people were injured and the emotional scars ran deep. Some later called it a pogrom. That was a decade ago. Now the residents of Amona are readying for another battle with their own government and security forces, trying to thwart an Israeli Supreme Court order that the entire outpost be dismantled by Dec. 25.” [NYTimes]
NYTimes Editorial — “At the Boiling Point With Israel: If the aim of the Israeli government is to prevent a peace deal with the Palestinians, now or in the future, it’s close to realizing that goal… The most plausible pressure would come from Mr. Obama’s leading the Security Council to put its authority behind a resolution to support a two-state solution and offer the outlines of what that could be.” [NYTimes]
Mark Dubowitz tweets: “Obama is laying the groundwork for UN & EU sanctions on Israel. I’ve seen this playbook before.” [Twitter]
J.J. Katz writes… “Israel should unilaterally, and very publicly, present a peace treaty to the Palestinian leadership, already signed and approved by the Israeli government, as a standing offer of self-determination and peace. From that moment forward, responsibility for the continued conflict would rest on the shoulders of the leaders of the Palestinian people.” [ToI]
“UN Security Council to Hold Special Meeting on Israeli Settlements” by Barak Ravid: “The meeting will be held on October 14 at the behest of Egypt, Venezuela, Malaysia, Senegal and Angola, with a push from the Palestinians. Arria Formula meetings allow all council members to initiate debates on subjects of specific interest to them. Jerusalem officials say they believe all Security Council members will attend the meeting, stressing that the Palestinians and the host nations succeeded in exceptional fashion to open the session to the press.” [Haaretz]
“UN Security Council formally nominates Guterres” by Edith Lederer: “Portugal’s former prime minister Antonio Guterres, who was formally nominated on Thursday to be the next U.N. secretary-general, said he faces “huge challenges” and hopes to see unity and consensus during his term.” [AP]
“New UN chief Guterres ‘a friend of Israel’ by Gil Hoffman: “I am sure he will be fair,” [Ehud] Barak said. “His views are closer to those of [Israeli writer] Amos Oz than Netanyahu. His stances reflect those of the world. The world’s view of Israel is that it hopes to see a different Israel.” [JPost]
“Biden, remembering Peres, pleads for triumph of tolerance over bigotry” by Ron Kampeas: “At a time when the currents of bigotry and anger and isolationism are on the rise, when too many are quick to cast blame on the outsider, on the other, and the promise of peace might seem like a distant dream, it’s my hope, my sincere hope, that each of us continues to hold Shimon’s memory very close,” Biden said Thursday at a memorial service held at Adas Israel. “In all of us who continue to hear his voice in our ears, that deliberate irresistible rumble urging us on; ‘Dream big,’ he implores us still, ‘make the world a better place’.” [JTA; TimesofIsrael] • Video [CSPAN]
“The Orthodox Case for Hillary Clinton — and Against Donald Trump” by Jay Michaelson:“Few have made the Orthodox case for Clinton stronger than New Jersey’s Rabbi Menachem Genack. “For the Orthodox community,” he told me, “it comes down to one issue: Israel. And on that issue, during Israel’s most difficult times, Bill and Hillary Clinton were there. This has been a consistent position of theirs always. I know this personally… Her concern for Israel is absolutely genuine,” Genack insisted.” But myths have played a role as well. “I’m so disappointed in the Orthodox community; we’re supposed to be smart Jews. People have bought into this horror story about Hillary Clinton,” Genack told me.”[Forward] • With Election Nearing, Anxiety On The Pulpit [JewishWeek]
“Clinton Aide Huma Abedin Referred to AIPAC as ‘That Crowd’ in Newly Released 2009 Email” by Allison Kaplan Sommer: “When Abedin was asked to help decide whether former U.S. President Bill Clinton should address an AIPAC policy conference in 2009, she expressed her misgivings by asking, “U really want to consider sending him into that crowd?” Band then followed up in an email directed only to Abedin, telling her that Bill Clinton “said he was going to speak to her about goingtomorrow night whether he should or not.” Abedin wrote back: “OK. She will say the same thing,” indicating that Hillary Clinton would tend to agree with Bill Clinton’s inclination to decline the AIPAC invitation. Band then tried to clarify Abedin’s directive: “Which is go or not go(?)” Abedin made it clear: “No go to AIPAC.”” [Haaretz; NYPost]
Chemi Shalev: “Even if one can understand how some Americans might ignore the racism and anti-Semitism enveloping Trump because they view Clinton and the Democrats as greater evils, it’s harder to understand how American Jews — and discerning Israelis — can justify voting for him by citing his supposed support for Israel, transitory as it is.” [Haaretz]
HEARD YESTERDAY — Trump discussed his recent meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu during a town hall in NH: “I think the Iran deal is one of the worst deals I have ever seen. It’s going to lead to nuclear weapons. I was with Bibi Netanyahu the other day and we talked about it. Not to reveal what he said, but I can tell you what I said: ‘This is horrible for Israel. It is horrible for our country.’ It’s a horrible deal because over a short period of time it leads — within 10 years, and it’s going to be sooner, they are going to end up with nuclear weapons.” [JewishInsider]
Marc Zell, co-chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, offers Jewish angle to Trump’s immigration plan: “My grandparents wanted to come to the United States in the 1920s. And that’s when they put a prohibition on any more Jews from Eastern Europe. They waited 10 years in a foreign country — Cuba — learned Spanish. My mother was born in Havana, Cuba. They waited 10 years before they got their visa. They came and they built a life. That’s what people expect the immigration laws to do. They’re supposed to be fair. If you don’t come in legally, you don’t have the right to be a citizen and stay.”[INN]
“The Myth of the ‘Change Election’” by Jonathan Chait: “If you had a normal, professional, Republican politician on the stage, prosecuting conservative arguments, who actually knows what he’s talking about,” said former Republican adviser and staunch Trump critic Dan Senor, “we would actually be winning this election.” [NYMag]
“This Year, Please Vote (A Request From a 14 Year Old Who Wishes She Could)” by Morgan Jo Cohen: “Even if you feel it’s not your place to contribute to a big decision, if you have the right to vote, please take advantage of it. Every decision matters, and every voice counts.” [Medium]
“How Rob Portman pulled away in Ohio” by James Hohmann: “The campaign has identified 62,000 Jewish registered Democrats, and they’ve bombarded them with literature highlighting Strickland’s support for the nuclear deal with Iran.” [WashPost]
“J Street Cautions Schumer On Iran Deal” by Jacob Kornbluh: “Senator Schumer understands that he’s very much in the minority in his own party and he would have a strong uphill battle were he to try to do anything that would actually undermine the deal,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami told Jewish Insider on Wednesday. “In the final vote, there were only four Democratic senators who did not vote to support the deal,” he asserted. “Senator Schumer did not work hard to rally opposition. He stated his personal view on this and he voted against it, but he was also very understanding and realistic that 90 percent of his colleagues in the Democratic caucus were in favor of the deal; sided with the president, with Secretary [Hillary] Clinton] and Senator [Tim] Kaine.” [JewishInsider]
SCENE LAST NIGHT — Howard Wolfson posts a photo with John McCain and Mike Bloomberg: “Unlike Donald Trump, Mike Bloomberg and I know that Sen John McCain is an American hero.” [Twitter]
Meet Mindy Finn — “Presidential Candidate Evan McMullin Picks Mindy Finn as Running Mate” by Shushannah Walshe: “Finn, 35, has worked for former President George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Twitter and Google. This cycle, she was a senior digital strategist for the RNC and oversaw digital programs for the NRSC’s targeted races in 2014.” [ABCNews]
Finn wrote last January… “Here’s why I will never vote for Donald Trump, no matter how charming or how devoted to country he appears. He’s a master at propaganda. He’s a bully. And he’s dangerous. I’m a lifelong Republican. But more importantly, I’m an American, a Mom, and though I don’t wear it on my sleeve, a committed Jew.” [Medium]
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BUSINESS BRIEFS: How Producer Brian Grazer’s Firing Led To His Big ‘Splash’ And The “Little Scam” That Started His Career [Deadline] • Apple confirms more iPhone 7 release dates incl. Israel on Oct. 20[9to5mac] • HBO Orders Drama Series From Keshet & Hagai Levi To Film In Israel With Michael Lombardo Producing [Deadline]
“Bruce Springsteen: I really need to play in Israel” by David Horovitz: “Springsteen, one of the world’s most beloved live performers who has played in some three dozen countries around the world in a career spanning five decades, told a fan from Jerusalem that he “needs” to play in Israel. Springsteen made the comment at a book-signing last week for his new autobiography “Born to Run,” at a Barnes & Noble store in his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey. “When we met, I said to him, ‘I just want you to know that I’ve flown in for the day from Israel,’” Kalman told The Times of Israel. “And he said, ‘Well, that gets a hug.’” Kalman went on: “I’d been thinking on the plane about, how could I say to him, nu, play in Israel already. But I didn’t get to say any of that because he immediately said, ‘I really need to play there.’”[TimesofIsrael]
— Netanyahu responds: “Hey Boss, I agree. We are waiting for you.” [Twitter]
SPORTS BLINK: “‘On the Map’ Documentary Trailer About the Israeli Basketball Team” by Alex Billington: “We are on the map. And we will stay on the map! Not only in sports, but in everything!” That was the iconic line spoken by Israeli basketball player Tal Brody after his team won the European Championship in 1977. On the Map is a documentary that profiles the successful victory of the Israeli basketball team in the 1970s, an amazing feat that actually did help put Israel “on the map” — at least in sports history. Israeli figures from outside the sports world, including former ambassador Michael Oren, politician Yair Lapid and former refusenik Natan Sharansky, all recall what TV commentator Alex Giladi calls “the end of Israeli sport losing with honor.” [FirstShowing]
TALK OF THE TOWN: “A Raw Deal for Chickens, as Jews Atone for Sins” by Jim Dwyer:“Between Oct. 4, the end of the Rosh Hashana observance of the new year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement starting the night of Oct. 11, an estimated 50,000 chickens will be sacrificed in Brooklyn as part of a penitential ritual performed by some Hasidic Jews. The practice, called kaporos or kapparot, is meant to transfer a person’s sins to the chicken. To meet the demands of penitents in Brooklyn, slaughter operations are set up every year in parking lots and other open spaces, often run by congregations and other organizations to raise funds.” [NYTimes]
“Why Colorado’s longest-operating Jewish temple has closed after 127 years” by Jesse Paul:“Temple Aaron has fallen victim to decades of economic change in Trinidad that led to a dwindling congregation, which no longer has the resources to sustain itself. There were no Rosh Hashana services at the temple last weekend to celebrate the Jewish new year as there had been for the past century and beyond. Instead, those visiting the structure were greeted by a for sale sign. Even the synagogue’s sacred Torah scrolls are in the process of being sold.” [DenverPost]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “Jewish Literature Isn’t Dead: It’s Being Written By Women” by Erika Dreifus: “Jewish writing is decidedly not over. If you limit “Jewish writing” to a particular narrative of alienation — a narrative grounded in the great migratory wave from the 1880s to the 1920s, from poverty and persecution in Eastern Europe or Russia to new American lives in New York; a narrative built around ensuing self-focused conflicts of assimilation and identity and rebellion — then, you are correct. “Jewish writing” may well be “over.” But your premise is so faulty — so lacking in recognition of what has been happening in Jewish literature since 1969 and Alexander Portnoy — that you are, in fact, wrong. I won’t return to 1969 to begin proving my point. Rather, I’ll spotlight a mere ten novels that engage with American Jewish experience.” [LitHub]
“Why I swap my hijab for an Orthodox Jewish hat while flying” by Alaa Basatneh: “Although I still had questions about the unfair way TSA agents handled Muslims wearing hijabs versus Orthodox Jewish women and Christian nuns, I was mostly relieved to have found a solution for the delays and humiliation I experienced while flying. So, I immediately called my childhood Orthodox Jewish friend who took me to a tznius (“modesty”) clothing store in Chicago, where I bought a hat.” [Fusion]
Yitz Applbaum on the Wine of the Week — Teperberg’s Legacy Cabernet Franc: “It is not often that one has a 30-year personal relationship with a great winemaker. I can tell you it creates a wonderful bond and keen understanding of what the winemaker’s intentions are! I can feel the winemaker’s personality in the wine. Shiki Rauchberger has been with Teperberg for a long time, and has turned the brand into one of Israel’s premium wine labels. Teperberg’s Legacy Cabernet Franc is housed in a big frame and is very edgy but it maintains a simplistic elegance. I usually describe Shiki using the very same terms.”
“Israel has taken a leadership role in broadening the exposure of Cabernet Franc in various wine markets. The Teperberg Legacy Cabernet Franc 2012 is an example of this. It is a big and gentle wine. It is aged for 18 months in new French oak. This wine uses every aspect of the oak in its flavor profiles. The nose is very earthy, the tasting notes include green vegetables like asparagus and spinach. Those flavors are mostly in the mid-mouth. The front palate has some strong tannins showing the wine’s youth, but the finish has a soft elegance which helps to assure that this wine is ready to drink now. It will be good to drink for at least the next five years. This wine will be the delight of vegetarians as it will drink well with tofu dishes and green vegetables, but would also go well with rack of lamb.” [Teperberg]
WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS: President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin turns 64… Political fundraiser and strategist, an RJC alum, now a principal at Macadamia Strategies in DC, Arie Lipnick turns 35… Senior editor for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Magazine, Barbara E. Martinez… Sam Schear… Allan Nelkin… Daniel Mael… Jill Smith…
Founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, author and philanthropist, Isadore “Issy” Sharp turns 85… Gossip columnist and businesswoman, Rona Barrett (born Rona Burstein) turns 80… Director of Strategic Initiatives at AIPAC, has served on the boards of Mazon, Panim, and Seeds of Peace, Jonathan Kessler… Marriage and family therapist, Leah Koenig turns 89… Author of hundreds of horror fiction novels whose books have sold over 400 million copies, R. L. Stine turns 73… Academy Award-winning film producer and director, Edward Zwick turns 64… Agustin Estrada…
Founder, executive chairman, and now retired CEO of C-SPAN, known for his unique interview style, Brian Lamb turns 75… Teacher, lecturer, activist, author and rabbi at Ohev Shalom in Washington, DC, Shmuel Herzfeld turns 42… Richard Marpet… Daniel Rubin…
Originally published at jewishinsider.com.
