JustASC

Notice anything weird about this New York Times correction?:

An article last Sunday about the movement for equal access for men and women to pray as they wish at the Western Wall described imprecisely the relevant Jewish law regarding prayer by men and women. Most rabbis agree that women are supposed to pray every day, although only men are required to do so in a group and at specific times, as some women want to do at the wall; it is not the case that Jewish law requires only men to pray daily. The article also described incorrectly the Jewish Agency, which passed a resolution on Oct. 30 calling for a “satisfactory approach to the issue of prayer at the Western Wall.” It is a nonprofit group, not an arm of the Jewish government. And the article misspelled one of the names of a California student who cried at the wall when she was not allowed to wear the prayer shawl her mother had given her. She is Sharon Graetz Strater, not Gretz.

An arm of the “Jewish government”? Israel is often referred to as the “Jewish state,” but “Jewish government” is rarely used, and is technically a misnomer, since the government can include non-Jews and is, according to Israel’s founding declaration, supposed to be a government of all its peoples. (I searched the NY Times archive, and the term “Jewish government” only appears in reference to pre-state Palestine, as in “The President’s statement linked establishment of a Jewish Government in Palestine with the spirit of the four freedoms.” [October 16, 1944])

I can’t find the uncorrected article that led to the correction and can’t tell if it referred to a “Jewish government.” The correction seems only to refer to the mischaracterization of the Jewish Agency, not to the term “Jewish government.”

I bet someone slipped here (Jewish this, Jewish that) and meant to write “Israeli government.”

Is it good news or bad news that no Jewish story made it into the Religion Newswriters Association‘s list of “Top 10 Religion Stories of the Year”? Here’s their list, truncated:

1.  Catholic bishops fight Obamacare over contraception.
2. “Nones” is the fastest-growing religious group in the United States.
3. The “Innocence of Muslims” travesty.
4. Romney’s Mormon faith “turns out to be a virtual non-issue for white evangelical voters” 
5. Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia found guilty of covering up priestly child abuse.
6. The Vatican criticizes U.S. nuns over abortion, sexuality, women’s ordination.
7. Voters OK same-sex marriage in Maine, Maryland and Washington.
8. The Episcopal Church adopts trial ritual for blessing same-sex couples.
9. The murders at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee.
10. Southern Baptist Convention elects first black president. 

Meanwhile, here’s the Ant-Defamation League’s list of “Top 10 issues affecting Jews in 2012“:

·  Anti-Semitism Resurgent in Europe
· Iran Sanctions and Subterfuge
·  U.N. Vote to Upgrade “Palestine”
·  GazaRockets Met with Israeli Airstrikes
·  Campaign 2012 and Efforts to Woo the Jewish Vote
·  Rumor Jews Were Behind Anti-Muslim Film Goes Viral
·  Primary Presidential Candidates Mix Religion and Politics
·  2012 Olympics Committee Fails to Recognize Munich 11
·  U.S. Jewish Community on Alert As Year Begins, Ends with Anti-Semitic Incidents
·  Deafening Silence in Face of Hamas Celebrations to “DestroyIsrael”

Number nine, “U.S. Jewish Community on Alert As Year Begins, Ends with Anti-Semitic Incidents,” is my favorite, since it basically describes every year in history. ADL is referring to the attacks on a congregation in Rutherford and similar attacks in Hackensack, which were scary but surprised no one by being the work of  20-year-old lone wolf.  The year ended with “concerns about Jewish institutional security in this country and abroad” sparked by the hostilities in Gaza and vandalism incidents at Northeastern University and in South Florida.

If these were among the 10 most significant things to happen to Jews this year, then it is very good news indeed.

Avigdor Liberman, who recently resigned as Israel’s foreign minister in a corruption scandal, apparently likes to leave them laughing – in Yiddish!

Two years ago he raised eyebrows and hackles when he referred to Likud moderates as “feinshmeckers” –  snobs, essentially. This week, he referred to three opposition leaders — women all — as “these three veibers.“ Literally, veibers means women, but with a hint of gossip or shrew, as in Veiber hoben nein mos raid: “women have nine measures of talk.”

Liberman apologized, but not before Lahav Harkov got off a great line in the Jerusalem Post: 

Liberman is a big fan of Yiddish, enjoys attending plays in the language, and seems to be trying to teach it to Israelis one scandal at a time.

Doesn’t this sound like a great name for a Jewish a cappella group?

I’m doing a little research for a story about JONAH, the Jersey City-based organization that offers “conversion therapy” to help one get rid of homosexual urges. Not sure this message, from their FAQ page, is the best way to word things:

3. Can you just quickly show me how to control my urges so I can get married?

Nope.

It is not possible to simply control the surface behavior. This is like “sticking your finger in the dyke” – the pressure just builds until it blows up.