Israel Reaches Out to the Diaspora

[Jefferson23]

By ETHAN BRONNER MARCH 15, 2014

OVER the past two weeks, Jewish leaders outside Israel quietly gathered in seminar groups to grapple with a thorny question: how to ensure that Israel is both a Jewish and a democratic state.

While the debate is not new, the discussions — 40 of them, including some in New York, London, Atlanta, Paris and Sydney, Australia — were significant and unprecedented. First, they come at a crucial time in Middle East peace talks with Israel demanding, quite unsuccessfully, Palestinian recognition of its Jewish identity. Second, they followed the introduction of a right-wing bill in the Israeli Parliament (set aside for now) aimed at making sure that in conflicts between Jewish and democratic identities, Jewish would win. And third, they were the result of a request for help from Israel, signaling a little-noticed shift in the relationship between the Jewish state and the Jewish world. In the past, signed checks were welcome, advice not so much.

The change is a result of several things. Over the last few years Israel has become the world’s largest Jewish community (of the roughly 13 million Jews in the world, just over six million are in Israel and just under six million in the United States) and, along with its recent wealth and might, that has put it in a very different position. It is, for the first time, the senior partner in the Jewish world. It feels more comfortable asking for help and more aware of the need to support Jews abroad rather than demand immigration to Israel. With American Jews intermarrying more, reaching out to them is also a way of strengthening them as an asset.

That is why the Israeli government contributes to programs like Birthright, which brings young Jews for a free visit that has been shown to increase levels of attachment to Israel and Judaism. Over the next five years the Israeli government will spend $1.4 billion on a range of initiatives to strengthen Jewish identity abroad and Jewish connections to Israel and vice versa. The Mossad spy agency also invests in surveillance and protection of Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union and parts of Latin America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/sunday-review/israel-reaches-out-to-the-diaspora.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0

[King_David]

1. Jewish Diaspora ? nt

[Jefferson23]

2. What can you expect, he reads, Ma'an..daily. n/t

[King_David]

3. Not sure that's true,

I read maan daily too. You just need be sceptical when reading it and also bear in mind Maan has been shown to have printed antiSemitic articles/blogs/comments.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113431278

[azurnoir]

4. ah yes but that was shown to be well a bit exagerated especially with regards to Maan's funding

and in answer to this comment

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113431278#post25

the reply to the poster mentioned showed where he was in error and I must add it's all on the same thread too

[King_David]

5. I'm afraid there's too much evidence against the rag,

For Maan to rehabilitate itself.

It's toast now as far as credibility goes.

[azurnoir]

10. Because Itamar Marcus's organization says so ? let's review him again shall we

this is the Islamophobic Rightwinger who is one of the driving forces behind 'Obsession" the dvd that was distributed free of charge in US newspapers in an attempt to smear Barack Obama, if you wish to take the word of his organization be my guest

[King_David]

11. Nope nothing you said at all but Oberliners post worth repeating,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1134&pid=59688


As I said Maan's credibility is toast.

[Jefferson23]

12. You keep leaving out information, but you knew that. oberliner never responded

to the post below..he dropped it after he was corrected in post#19.

shaayecanaan (4,538 posts)
19. No, its not


And they do receive funding from European sources.
(Also confirmed by this article)


That specifically was not confirmed by the article.

Othman said specifically that Ma'an was self-sufficient, apart from journalistic courses.

Ma'an still has extensive ties with Search for Common Ground, which in turn is funded by the UK Foreign Office as well as the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, but even so there would not be any funding link with Europe or the Europeans in general.

[azurnoir]

13. as is the reply to Oberliners comment, really all of the linked comments are on the same thread :)

shaayecanaan (4,538 posts)
19. No, its not
And they do receive funding from European sources.
(Also confirmed by this article)


That specifically was not confirmed by the article.

Othman said specifically that Ma'an was self-sufficient, apart from journalistic courses.

Ma'an still has extensive ties with Search for Common Ground, which in turn is funded by the UK Foreign Office as well as the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, but even so there would not be any funding link with Europe or the Europeans in general.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1134&pid=33241

[King_David]

14. Oh I think Oberliner nailed it.

And point proved...

[azurnoir]

15. sigh but oddly he never replied however if you wish to believe Ma'an is bogus

go right ahead

[Jefferson23]

16. lol

[Jefferson23]

6. Peddle your bullshit at Palwatch. n/t

[King_David]

7. So 1st it's :

Jefferson23
2. What can you expect, he reads, Ma'an..daily. n/t

And after I comment on your post:

Jefferson23
6. Peddle your bullshit at Palwatch. n/t

[Jefferson23]

8. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt and did not think you needed

the sarcasm thingie on post#1.

My mistake.

[King_David]

9. Ahh ok ,

It's not easy to tell sarcasm in text.

That's a well known fact .

[Scootaloo]

17. You know!

The facet of the world Jewish community that good stalwart, liberal Zionists like A.B. Yehoshua deride as "akin to masturbation" and "only playing at Judaism."

[King_David]

18. So what ?

His opinion is that Israel is important to the Jewish Nation... And it is .

So what's your point ?