News

Principles, Pragmatism and Politics
By Ron Skolnik, Executive Director

As German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck once wrote, "Politics is the art of the possible" (Die Politik ist die Kunst des Möglichen). That understanding was certainly on the mind of the Meretz party in Israel this week, as it faced the inevitable dilemma that arises whenever idealism faces realism, or when the demands of one sacred principle threaten to undermine the realization of another. In practical terms, Meretz had to decide whether to push for new elections that seem likely to replace a roughly centrist government led by Ehud Olmert with an adamantly hawkish, right-wing one under would-be Prime Minister and frontrunner Binyamin ("Bibi") Netanyahu of Likud.

No time to beat around the Bush

As I write these lines, President Bush is on his way out of Israel, headed for Saudi Arabia, having just concluded one of the more anti-climactic visits to Jerusalem that I can recall.

When this second Presidential visit to Israel within 4 months was announced in early 2008, it was looked upon as a potential milestone event, a key marker in the timeline for peace that began back in Annapolis, MD on November 27.

Israel at 120

Racism. Blatant discrimination against women. The legitimization of ethnic cleansing. Undue influence over public policy wielded by a wealthy oligarchy. A Declaration of Independence that spoke of equality, amid a stark reality of inequality. A democracy at 60.

No, this is not a profile of Israel, as we approach her 60th birthday next week, but a snapshot of the situation in the United States of America circa 1836.

The Passover holiday, also known as the Festival of Freedom, is a time when Jews around the world recount the story of the Israelite people's exodus from Egypt, and their emergence from oppression. But what keeps the Passover tradition vibrant is the fact that the story is told not as a piece of dry, long-ago history, but as a subjective experience that has relevance for today: "In each generation," the Haggadah reminds us, "each person must see him/herself as if he/she had come out from Egypt." This experiential aspect of the story lets us identify and empathize not only with our ancestors, but with all those struggling against bias, discrimination, and injustice.

Report from Israeli-Palestinian Academic Conference

March 31, 2008: With the support of Meretz USA, the Jewish Academic Network for Israeli Palestinian Peace sponsored the First International Academic Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process: Pathways to Peace. The Conference took place on March 28-29 at Central Connecticut State University and was co-sponsored by the American Task Force on Palestine and the Geneva Initiative North America. It featured top-level keynote speakers Herbert Kelman, Naomi Chazan, Stephen P. Cohen, Sami Adwan, Daniel Levy, Gaith al Omari, and Saliba Sarsar, as well as over 36 other presenters.

Breaking the Silence; Ending the Occupation

Last Sunday evening, I attended an eye-opening lecture and slideshow of the "Breaking the Silence" organization, which Meretz USA was proud to co-sponsor at a synagogue in Brooklyn, NY. Our speaker was Dotan Greenvald, a wonderful, soft-spoken 25 year-old from the Haifa Bay area, who had grown up in the HaNo'ar Ha'Oved socialist-Zionist youth movement.

Briefing from MK Abu Vilan: Invasion or Ceasefire?

According to Meretz MK Avshalom (Abu) Vilan, who presented a briefing at Meretz USA's offices Beit Shalom last night (Thursday, February 28th), the two Ehuds - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak - were disinclined as of this past Monday to respond to continuing rocket attacks from Gaza into Sderot by sending the Israeli army into the Gaza Strip. However, recent occurrences could change this opinion.

Gaza Continues to Bedevil Israel

Last Saturday night, in another of the truly bleak developments emanating from the Gaza Strip and western Negev desert, a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza hit the town of Sderot, seriously wounding an 8 year-old boy and moderately wounding his 19 year-old brother.

Report from Israel and Palestine

After spending most of January in Israel, Palestine and Jordan as part of Meretz USA's annual "Israel Symposium", I'm now back in the States and it's both my duty and my pleasure to report back on what I learned.

Ron Skolnik - New Executive Director of Meretz USA

Dear Friends,

This week, I proudly took up the mantle of Executive Director of Meretz USA. I'd like to take a few moments to explain why I'm so excited to be a part of this organization.

If a stranger were to challenge me to explain Meretz USA in one short sentence, I would say, simply, that Meretz USA stands for a progressive Israel. All the rest, to paraphrase the legendary Rabbi Hillel, is just the details.