Obama: Jews' outlook on the future should be a lesson to all Americans

[subsuelo]

Source: Haaretz

U.S. President Barack Obama launched Jewish Heritage Month on Thursday as he hosted some 200 guests at the White House to honor the contribution of Jewish Americans. In his address, Obama said that Jewish people's belief that a better future is always possible should be a lesson for all Americans.

Obama honored the contributions American Jews have made in the arts, music, sports and other fields at the first-ever White House reception of this kind. Obama also took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to the safety and security of Israel.

"So what we are called upon to do now is to continue to live up to those values as a nation – to continue to uphold the principle of “tikkun olam” - our obligation to repair the world," Obama went on to say.

"That is why," he continued, "even as we never waver in pursuing peace between Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs, our bond with Israel is unbreakable. It is the bond of two peoples that share a commitment to a common set of ideals: opportunity, democracy and freedom."

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/obama-jews-outlook-on-the-future-should-be-a-lesson-to-all-americans-1.292662?localLinksEnabled=false

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The last quote is interesting:

"even as we never waver in pursuing peace between Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs, our bond with Israel is unbreakable."

He is basically admitting that keeping this unbreakable bond with Israel runs counter to pursuit of peace regarding the Palestinian people. In other words, it's just not possible to have both. Either make peace with the indigenous population, or stand with Israel no matter what. It is one or the other.

[secondwind]

1. proud to be the first to K&R

[totodeinhere]

2. I don't read that into his comments.

He did not say "keeping this unbreakable bond with Israel runs counter to pursuit of peace regarding the Palestinian people." Those are your words, not his. After all, even the right wing Likud government says that it is pursing peace with the Palestinians. What I find most interesting is Obama's use of the word "unbreakable." That's a very strong word. If it is unbreakable then does that mean that Israel is free to do whatever it wants and no matter what that is our bond with Israel will not be broken?

[Violet_Crumble]

13. I don't see how it could be read any other way than being contradictory...

If it is unbreakable then does that mean that Israel is free to do whatever it wants and no matter what that is our bond with Israel will not be broken?

That's exactly how I read it. There's no such thing as an unbreakable bond, but to come out with something like that is at odds with wanting a peaceful and fair resolution to the conflict because the current hardline RW Israeli govt doesn't want an end to the occupation, removal of Israeli settlements from the West Bank, or a viable and independent Palestinian state emerging alongside Israel. Israel does need to know that it can no longer do what it wants and not be at risk of suffering the consequences of its actions. Maybe Obama would be knocking off the unbreakable bond with Israel line if Israel had forged a few US passports instead of picking a selection of other countries it supposedly was friends with...

[Romulox]

3. "pandering". nt

[frazzled]

7. Really?

You think having a WH event for Jewish Heritage Month is "pandering"? Would you say the same for, say Black History Month events or other recognitions of American groups that are held all the time?

Where would women be in America without feminists such as Bella Abzug, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Susan Falludi, or Naomi Wolf? All Jews! (as Adam Sandberg would say)

Or gay activists, like Harvey Milk--a Jew, too!

How about American literature without Saul Bellow, E. L. Doctorow, Allen Ginsburg, David Mamet, Cynthia Ozick, Dorothy Parker, Susan Sontag and hundreds of other famous Jewish writers?

Scientists? Oy vay. Try Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, the whole Manhattan Project, Steven Jay Gould: this list would be far too long to list.

Film and Theater? Historians? Artists? Architects? Long lists. Sports, maybe not so much (there's always Sandy Koufax!). The musical list would be long as well, with Gershwin, Bernstein, Perlman, and so on.

What is so problematic to you about having an event that honors the contributions of Jewish Americans?

[SharonRB]

9. + infinity

[Posteritatis]

12. Sadly, "Jews are bad" is once again an increasingly popular attitude lately. (nt)

[Romulox]

15. That sentiment originated in your mind, not mine.

It's baseless such that I feel no need to refute it; the accusation often says more about the accuser.

[Romulox]

16. I take issue with this post.

Did you mean to omit Robert Zimmerman?

At any rate, this is to what I referred:

"That is why," he continued, "even as we never waver in pursuing peace between Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs, our bond with Israel is unbreakable. It is the bond of two peoples that share a commitment to a common set of ideals: opportunity, democracy and freedom."

[Jim Sagle]

8. - infinity

[Socal31]

4. Oh this thread could get good.

I am going to go grab a sixer of ale...

[madrchsod]

5. it`s going to be moved to the i/p forum

[ShortnFiery]

6. In a heartbeat.

:popcorn:

[cali]

10. sadly, that's not an unlikely outcome.

[Violet_Crumble]

14. I hope not.

It's annoying how anything to do with other countries policy towards Israel gets vanished down to the I/P forum which I'm guessing doesn't get even a fraction of the traffic LBN or GD does.

[jody]

11. Poor Obama, the speeches he reads are tailored for the immediate audience not extended readers. He

ends up supporting everything but really nothing.

I had HOPE but he CHANGES with ever speech.

[Crowman1979]

17. Wells if he's talking about Jews who are Likud fascists, then we'll learn nothing.

[JerseygirlCT]

18. I disagree

I think the point he is making is that even though many will see them as irreconcilable, they are not.

[Hestia]

19. If you really parse his words, IMNSHO, he is telling Isreal to quit the saber rattling - peace,

opportunity, freedom, democracy. When Bush went over there, he'd go glassy-eyed as he spoke of bombing Iran (in a roundabout way). Way different speech...