The first thing I noticed were the slogans painted in colorful letters on the walls and columns of the convention center. “Silence is Not Golden,” said one. “Keep the dialogue going,” said another one. “Don’t leave anything unsaid,” said a third. The Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in Tel Aviv was plastered with…
(JTA) — Think unity. On the heels of this year’s rancorous and polarizing debate over the Iran nuclear deal, organizers of this week’s General Assembly of Jewish federations wanted their annual conference to be an opportunity for reconciliation and healing in the Jewish community. At their conference in Washington, they talked about civility, touted the…
In the wake of last summer’s bitter Iran debate, the chief executive of Jewish Federations of North America urged its leaders to ensure their organizations are welcoming to people of various political and religious stripes. During the Iran debate, “too much of the language was vicious and beyond the pale, and has no place in…
Looked at from one perspective, you couldn’t find a better illustration of the dynamic that’s run Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts into their current ditch than the mudslinging that passed for Palestinian diplomacy at the United Nations at the end of September and the tone-deaf response of Israeli officialdom. From another perspective, though, the September 30 U.N….
(JTA) — There was the vice president of the United States, two Supreme Court justices and an Academy Award-winning actress with a compelling Jewish story. There were Jewish professionals, lay leaders, clergy and recent college graduates. The West Point cadets’ Jewish choir performed. The Israeli prime minister appeared via satellite from Jerusalem. Part pep rally, part…
(JTA) — Joe and Bibi? Still buddies. U.S. and Israel? Still allies. Agreement on Iran and the Palestinians? Well, not so fast. The governments of President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were back on joshing terms this week, but the deep differences that led to recent name-calling exchanges still percolated. Netanyahu and Vice…
Supreme Court justices Stephen Breyer and Elana Kagan talked about their Jewish identities at the opening plenary of the 2014 General Assembly conference of the Jewish Federations of North America. Speaking before a crowd of more than 2,000 at the conference center just outside Washington, Breyer said the most remarkable thing about there being three…
(JTA) — It was, perhaps, not the most auspicious setting for Ronit Peskin’s first-ever public speech. The 25-year-old self-described housewife stood in front of a crowded room at the biggest Jewish conference of the year, the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Jerusalem. She was about to verbally assail Women of the Wall…
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