America Perspectives

Jewish Labor Committee President's Address at the JLC Human Rights Award Dinner

By Stuart Appelbaum

Read the full text of the Jewish Labor Committee President's speech, that drove Shlomi Kofman, Israel’s deputy consul general in New York, from the room. › More Info

Mother May I (Go On Maternity Leave)?

By Emma Goldberg

Emma Goldberg, a member of Habonim Dror, writes about the ongoing lack of benefits for working women in the United States and urges choosing a world where work and health are not mutually exclusive. › More Info

Four Questions for a Shaliach with a Social Justice Agenda

In light of the events currently taking place in Israel, it is appropriate that we ask our "four questions" this time of a long-time activist on social issues, Nir Braudo. › More Info

US Middle East Foreign Aid: Investing in Quiet, But Not Peace

By Rabbi Michael M. Cohen

While the outcome of the Arab revolutions will not be clear for some time, the shifting sands are already revealing certain truths. › More Info

Peter King’s “Muslim Terrorism” Hearings: Injudicious, Prejudicial, Dishonest, and Dangerous

By Jeffry V. Mallow, Phd.

Republican congressman Peter King is moving ahead with his congressional hearings on "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community's Response." Should King be conducting such hearings? No. He seeks to make his mark as all bigoted demagogues do. He has announced in advance the outcome of the hearings, opining that there are too many mosques in the country and that nearly all of them are run by radical extremists. › More Info

From the Triangle Fire through Madison Wisconsin: What is to be done?

By Stuart Appelbaum

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire that took place in New York City a century ago is now being memorialized in programs across the country. It took that fire on March 25, 1911, and the deaths of 146 innocent garment workers – mostly women, mostly Jewish, mostly immigrants – to bring about meaningful safety regulations, and to respect the call of workers struggling to secure the benefits of union membership. Many of our grandparents and great-grandparents played a critical role in building a strong and vibrant labor movement with the hope that it would endure and remain a permanent feature of American life. Through their actions and their struggle, our lives and the lives of most Americans were made better. Today, those hard-fought gains are under threat in communities across the United States. › More Info

I'm Not Ashamed

By Mira Sucharov

Many political players and observers have been discussing Israel’s recent social tensions using the language of shame. When 39 Israeli rabbis issued a letter urging their fellow citizens not to rent apartments to Arabs, Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin told a Ha’aretz reporter that the letter “shames the Jewish people.” › More Info

Not All Criticism Of Israel Is The Same

By Dan Fleshler

In an article on the recent General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, The Jewish Week’s Gary Rosenblatt noted the delegates’ understandable “angst” over“ international efforts to delegitimize Israel.” Then he asserted: “Many of the 4,000 delegates witnessed that effort firsthand [my italics] when a tiny group of hecklers ... disrupted the keynote address by Prime Minister Netanyahu.” › More Info

Summary Findings of National Survey of American Jews Commissioned by J Street

By Jim Gerstein

J Street’s national survey of 800 American Jews reveals a remarkable gap between the attitudes of American Jews and the conventional wisdom about how Jews view America’s role in the Middle East. › More Info

Making the Diaspora Bloom

By Toni Hellman

This article reprinted from New Voices – the National Jewish Student Magazine www.newvoices.org examines how Jews are energizing environmentalism outside of Israel. It looks at a Kibbutz in Seattle as well as Hazon and our own Habonim Dror Camping as American Jews rediscover chalutziut. › More Info

What Iran and A KOSHER MEAT COMPANY have in common

By Avram Lyon

Freedom to choose is a right that is under attack not only in Iran but here on our own shores as well. How proud we are of the brave Iranians standing up for their rights - how poorly we protecdt those that do it here. › More Info

“Tough love” for Israel will be tough on the pro-Israel peace camp

By Dan Fleshler

If push comes to shove between Washtington and Jerusalem, can pro-Israel pro-peace movements support bold US diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli Palestinian conflict without being branded as traitors. › More Info

Israel and Zionist Advocacy: A New Era

By Ami Isseroff

An exploration of the traditional friendship between the United States and the Jewish State, as it is reflected now that there is a new family in the neighborhood. › More Info

The Economics of Oppression

By Avram Lyon

Advertisments have appeared recently in a Guatemalan newspaper for men to work at a meat packing plant in Postville, IA. The only meat packing plant in Postville, is the Agriprocessor plant, the object of a raid by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 12. › More Info

Why The New Middle East Peace Lobby Has a Chance

By Dan Fleshler

"Realistic Dove" blogger Dan Flshler explains why he is hopeful about the new J Street project › More Info

Paying Living Wage - One Synagogue's Experience

By Judith Gelman

The Conservative movement is roiled in another controversy. This time it isn’t whether women count in a minyan or whether gays can be rabbis but whether halachically observant Jews are required to pay their employees a “living wage.” › More Info

J Street: A New and Realistic Movement for Peace and Justice for Israel and Palestine Emerges

By Michael Givel

Enter on the scene a new pro-peace and Israel organization that supports realistic diplomatic and peaceful solutions to solve the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflict—J Street › More Info

Discrediting Senator Obama in the Jewish Community: A Response

By Kenneth Bob

We have received several reports about dishonest emails circulating about Senator Obama, aimed at Jewish voters. The following letter distributed by the National Jewish Democratic Council should not be construed as an Ameinu endorsement of Senator Barak Obama. We simply want to assist in dispelling the false rumors circulating the Internet and print media regarding the senator. For other coverage of the presidential campaign and Israel, please see articles by Gershom Gorenberg and Dan Fleshler on the Ameinu website.
› More Info

Bad for the Jews

By Eric Alterman

A 57-to-35 percent majority of American Jews oppose an attack on Iran, even to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons › More Info

The Israel Lobby Revisited

By Stephen Zunes

The Israel Lobby seems powerful because it converges with more powerful interests driving U.S. policy, particularly the drive for hegemonic domination of the oil-rich Persian Gulf. › More Info

How to Defuse Iran

By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

Successful U.S.-Iran engagement requires comprehensive diplomacy encompassing the core concerns of both sides. › More Info

The Iranian Challenge: It's High Time We Shed False Assumptions about Iran

By Trita Parsi

Bursts 7 of the most popular myths about Iran which are driving an ineffective & dangerous US policy. › More Info

The Writers Strike is a Jewish issue

By Rob Eshman

The dispute is really about fair compensation and just treatment of labor--Jewish ethics. › More Info

Jerusalem Post: Genocide, Morality and American Jews

By

We must minimize harm to human lives here and now, and urge our leaders to take a courageous moral stand on historical truth when the cost to innocent lives, and world peace, is more bearable. › More Info

Should Jews Support the Armenian Genocide Resolution? Pro & Con

By Forward Editorial & US Congress vs. Rabbis Eric Yoffie and David Saperstein & Former Israeli Education Minister Yossi Sarid

What does it mean to take a stand in favor of moral principle? › More Info

Failure Risks Devastating Consequences

By Zbigniew Brzezinski, Lee Hamilton, Carla Hills, Nancy Kassebaum-Baker, Thomas R. Pickering, Brent Scowcroft et al.

"We believe that a genuine dialogue with Hamas is far preferable to its isolation." › More Info

Bush Should Engage with Syria

By Mitchell Reiss

Bush should explore if Syria like Libya can play a constructive role. › More Info

Dialogue with Adversaries

By Senator Arlen Specter

Republican Senator Arlen Specter explains why the United States should negotiate directly with Iran and North Korea, also recounting his experiences mediating between two Syrian presidents and several Israeli prime ministers. › More Info

Watch Video of Fox TV's Warmongering on Iran in 2007 vs. Iraq in 2004

By Robert Greenwald

Robert Greenwald's short film, "FOX Attacks: Iran", outlines the evidence that FOX TV is beating the drums for war with Iran as it with Iraq. › More Info

Pentagon 'three-day blitz' plan for Iran

By Sarah Baxter

The Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to annihilate the Iranians' military capability in three days. › More Info

Will President Bush Bomb Iran?

By Tim Shipman

The Bush Administration is working on dealing with the fallout from a military strike on Iran. › More Info

Israel Warned US Not to Invade Iraq After 9/11

By Gareth Porter

Israeli officials warned the Bush administration that an invasion of Iraq would be destabilising to the region and urged the United States to instead target Iran. › More Info

Prelude to an Attack on Iran

By Robert Baer

Bush Administration official: "There will be an attack on Iran." › More Info

U.S. Actions Against Iran Raise War Risk, Many Fear

By Warren P. Strobel & Nancy A. Youssef

US allies fear Bush's latest steps will undercut diplomacy with Iran and raise the odds of war. › More Info

Everything JNF Wants to Know About Democracy, But Was Afraid to Ask

By

JNF America CEO Russell Robinson has some mistaken ideas about democracy, America and Israel. › More Info

What Would a Diplomat Do?

By New York Times Editorial

There’s no sign that Bush has grasped the lesson for the Mideast of the North Korea breakthrough. › More Info

U.S. Labor Leaders Blast British Union Israel Ban

By Jewish Labor Committee

Two dozen U.S. trade union leaders have endorsed a strong statement denouncing “calls for divestment from and boycotts of Israel.” › More Info

Plan B on Israel-Palestine

By Daniel Levy

There is a better way to a secure peace: a new power-sharing arrangement between Fatah and Hamas. › More Info

With Friends Like These

By Akiva Eldar

No American president has caused more damage to Israel than the president who is considered one of the friendliest to Israel of all time. › More Info

Ten Commandments for Mideast Peace

By Daniel Levy, Ghaith al-Omari and Robert Malley

Three former peace negotiators for Israel, the U.S., and Palestine lay out a common peace plan. › More Info

U.S. Must Lead for Middle East Progress

By Mara Rudman and Brian Katulis

The US must regain the confidence to talk with its toughest enemies and adversaries especially when doing so directly serves U.S. national security interests. › More Info

Olmert explores, via third party, resumption of talks with Syria

By Aluf Benn

Now that IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and former Defense Minister Mofaz urge talks with Syria, Olmert is talking to Assad through a third party. › More Info

Is Bush Fomenting the Palestinian Civil War?

By Mark Perry and Paul Woodward

A Jordanian newspaper published a story about a secret US intelligence document that called for undermining and replacing the Hamas-led Palestinian national-unity government › More Info

The Big Thaw? America, Israel, Syria and Iran

By

Are the US and Israel moving towards talks with Syria--and Iran? › More Info

The Forward: Liberal Mideast Newsletter To Launch

By Nathan Guttman

Does the main daily news digest of the organized Jewish community advance a right-wing agenda? › More Info

Will the US Finally Get a Mideast Policy?

By Richard Silverstein

Bush officials admit: hands-off policy caused prospects for peace to deteriorate › More Info

Redefine the American Jewish-Israel Relationship

By Dan Fleshler

American Jews must ask Israel to stop using its lobbyists for dangerous foolishness. › More Info

Why Not Let Moderates Engage Far Left?

By Dan Fleshler

American Jews who support Israel’s peace and human rights camp are reaching out to progressive counterparts. Jews who agree with many of the left’s objections to Israeli policies can have more of an impact than those who don’t. › More Info

It’s the Oil, Stupid (or: Let Them Sell Sand)

By Noah Taft

All this finger-pointing over Iraq makes me sick. When it comes to our Middle East policy, it’s clear what America’s core weakness is: our unwavering addiction to petroleum. › More Info

The Myth about "The Israel Lobby"

By Elihu Davison

A study recently released under the imprimatur of Harvard University, just published in edited form by the London Review of Books is entitled "The Israel Lobby." It alleges that the sole reason for U.S. support for Israel has been the nefarious workings of AIPAC, the Conference of Presidents of Jewish Organizations, most politicians from both parties, a number of Christian groups, several influential media outlets, and sundry think-tanks. It would be an interesting thesis if there were any truth to the matter. › More Info

A Liberal Considers Disengagement From Iraq

By Martin I. Taft, Ph.D

Disengagement from Iraq requires us to decide whether to get out of Iraq now or later. In either case we must tradeoff the implications of each alternative and define the process for doing so. What follows are some initial thoughts by one who is grappling with this complex and critical issue.
› More Info

Perplexing Behavior

By Jamie Levin

What is the ?perplexing? behavior of US treaty allies you ask? Simple: they didn?t support the war in Iraq. To quote Donald Rumsfeld, ?Germany has been a problem and France has been a problem . . . But you look at vast numbers of other countries in Europe, they're not with France and Germany... they're with the US . . . You?re thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't," he said. "I think that's old Europe." › More Info

UN Reform

By Norman Gelman

There is a promising movement under way, as part of the American led effort to reform the UN, to abolish the DPR and to eliminate funding for the 30 year propaganda campaign against Israel. › More Info

THE CHALLENGE FOR LIBERALS

By Martin I. Taft, Ph.D

We live in a time when adherents of the political right have managed to create the impression that liberals are unthinking, unpatriotic, and politically incorrect. Sadly, the majority of liberals have not responded to these foul unfounded epithets as a clear declaration of war. › More Info

The "Value" of Labor in Ameinu?

By

The re-invention of LZA as Ameinu should give us pause to re-consider the meaning and goals regarding "labor," the organization "formerly known as Labor Zionist Alliance," and in our lives generally. How do we strive to uphold the meaningfulness of labor, without which the bounty of the earth still will not be brought forth? How do we elevate the value and dignity of labor, manual or otherwise, to the level it was accorded by the founders of Israel and LZA in their era, both in the U.S. and Israel? What will be the goals and means regarding "labor," consistent with traditional Habonim Dror values, but also mindful of the fact that in the 21st century, few of us are working in the fields or factories of romantic lore? Indeed, I would venture to guess that as many of us if not more are employers, owners, managers or administrators as we are employees. › More Info

Perspectives

Recent Articles

Newsletter Sign-up