1950s time capsule. Antisemitism envoy. 90 days of white supremacy extremism. George Burns on sex at 90. Palestinian elections. Jews in general. Good books.
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #106 APRIL 12, 2021
This week I'm obsessing about the past and the future, who counts as an American, hatred of "the Other" and its impact on our common destiny. Also keeping an eye on the upcoming Palestinian elections.
A BACKWARDS GLANCE
* If you're "an American," your heritage either dates back to Native Americans, slaves, refugees, or immigrants. Nobody is "just" an American.
* I wouldn't want to relive the racism, sexism, and McCarthyism of the 1950s (though I do love the era's snazzy two-toned cars & some of its cultural icons.) Point taken: the past wasn't so great & we survived it.
DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED
* The American Jewish Congress has just released an exhaustive report on 90 Days of White Supremacist Extremism -- from insurrectionist rabble to political movement. Newsweek's coverage of the report zeroes in on the danger of normalizing extremism via social media.
VIRTUAL THEATER
* Sondheim fans won't want to miss this Thursday's online production of "Tell the Story." Buy a ticket to support the Classic Stage Company, one of many stalwart theater groups enduring the pandemic.
JEWS
*Like many of you, I binge-watched Shtisel, the gentle, magnetic, empathic Netflix series about an ultra-Orthodox family in Jerusalem. But don't let the fictional story put an uncritical gloss on the education (or lack thereof) experienced by kids in haredi schools. An investigation by the NYC Dept of Education found that out of 28 ultra-Orthodox yeshivot, 26 failed to teach basic academic subjects. Watch the NYTimes video My Son's Yeshiva is Breaking the Law, & support YAFFED, a group fighting to insure that all children learn math, science, science, history, and civics so they can function & flourish in the modern world.
* Who will be the next U.S. Envoy to Monitor & Combat AntiSemitism? Many progressives are rallying around Nancy Kaufman (above) whom I believe is perfectly suited to the job. If you have a personal contact in the Biden Administration, put in a good word for Nancy.
WOMEN
* Joyce Antler recalls the struggle to legalize abortion in NY two-and-a-half years before Roe v. Wade. Her opening line in Lilith should snag your attention: "Only bad girls get abortions." Oh, really?
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
* The annual Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony, co-sponsored by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle-Families Forum, will be held tomorrow Tuesday, April 13, 1:30-3:30 PM ET Last year more than 200,000 people attended live and a million people streamed it. One rabbi wrote me that the joint commemoration reminded him of Isaac & Ishmael jointly mourning their father Abraham. And Jacob and Esau joining to mourn their father Isaac. "But, alas, tomorrow we'll join to remember children, siblings, spouses, on both sides who've lost their lives in the conflict."
Technion's Naama Geva-Zatorsky and her team (above) developed a rapid test kit for COVID-19.
*Though I'm quick to criticize the Netanyanu government's oppressive, antidemocratic policies, I take second place to no one in my pride and gratitude for Israeli scientists whose trailblazing research, inventions and innovations have reduced human suffering and saved lives. Ten random examples;
1. Tel Aviv University is developing a nasal vaccine that protects against Alzheimer's and stroke.
2. The Technion Institute has developed a blood test that detects the presence of various cancers.
3. The Ichlov Center has developed a blood test for colon cancer that can displace the need for a colonoscopy.
4. The Curlight Laboratory created high intensity UV rays that safely kill the bacteria that cause acne.
5. The Given Imaging Laboratory developed a tiny camera that can be swallowed in pill form and then transmit photos of the digestive tract in order to detect polyps, cancer, or sources of bleeding.
6. Scientists at Hebrew University developed a device similar to a pacemaker that, when implanted in the chest of a Parkinsons patient, blocks the nerve signals that cause tremors.
7. The Russell Berrie Institute for Nanotechnology has created a kind of breatholizer test that indicates the presence of lung cancer without requiring na biopsy.
8. Endopat is a device that measures arteries and predicts a person's likelihood of having a heart attack in the next 7 years.
9. The University of Bar Ilan is developing a new drug, called Vecoy Trap,that may combat hepatitis, AIDs, & Ebola by tricking viruses to self-destruct.
10 Using technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Kadimatem, last month. received a patent for a drug that treats ALS (Lous Gehrig's Disease) by using embryonic stem cells to create healthy nerve cells that can support patients' malfunctioning brain & spinal cord tissue.
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* Upcoming Palestinian elections. An astounding 93 percent of Palestinian eligible voters have registered for May legislative and July presidential elections, the first to be held in 15 years. If you're interested in following these events, start with two excellent articles by Daoud Kuttab, journalist, activist, & former Princeton journalism professor: Does Abbas intend to run for President after all? And this in-depth election analysis.
* Ori Nir, spokesman for Americans for Peace Now, (above) who used to cover Palestinian affairs and Israel's Arab minority for Haaretz, and is fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic, has long been my go-to source on complex developments in the region. Here's Ori's take on Palestinian politics.
"They used to be more ‘predictable.’ Fatah was centralized and disciplined. In past elections – whether for the parliament, for student councils or for labor unions, there were official Fatah slates, endorsed by the leadership and therefore undisputed. This time around, there are three Fatah lists running for the Legislative Council. In all, there are more than 30 slates running. Public opinion is more fluid too. People are disappointed with Fatah and the PA, as well as with Hamas (yet to a lesser extent). There is a general sense of malaise and political nihilism, as polls consistently show. A poll taken several months ago showed that more than half of those surveyed said elections held under the present conditions would not be fair and free.
"Finally, there is a good chance that elections won’t take place at all. It is not clear yet whether Israel will allow free and fair elections in East Jerusalem. Israel is threatening the Palestinians with dire consequences if Hamas wins, which may be a disincentive for Abbas to go ahead with elections (even though it seems like the train has left the station). We’ll see.”
* The APN Auction is online now! Your winning bids will help support the organization's work to advance a just, secure, enduring peace between Israel and Palestine.
i previewed some of the auction items last week: vacations, airfare, artwork, lunch with Mandy Patinkin & his wife, Kathryn Grody; Gloria Steinem's signature aviator sunglasses plus an autographed book and T-shirt; an original script of a M*A*S*H episode signed by Alan Alda; Leonard Nimoy's original Spock ears (above) and an autographed photo; a week's stay at a lovely house in France; a basket of "Free To Be, You & Me" items signed by Marlo Thomas; online cooking lesson from Joan Nathan. Click here to join the fun.
BOOKS
For those who've requested reading recommendations, here are 5 very different books I've enjoyed recently.
* Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli, a captivating, topical, gorgeously-written novel about migrants, the wall, Native Americans, soundscapes, marriage, and the wisdom of small children.
* In Homeland Elegies, Ayad Akhtar, the Pulitzer prize-winning playwright of "Disgraced," offers auto-fiction at its best. This is a smart, funny, propulsive tale of an American-born Pakistani Muslim who both deplores & adores this country & spares no words in critiquing U.S. capitalism, billionaires, insurance companies, the medical establishment, and his father's people.
* Second Thoughts; On Family, Friendship, Faith, and Writers is a memoir of remarkable candor and insight by Stephen B. Shepard, a Nice Jewish Boy from the Bronx, who became a celebrated magazine editor (Newsweek, Saturday Review, Business Week) and the Founding Dean of the CUNY Journalism School. The author is most revealing when he revisits his relationship with his father and his mentally "slow" sister and converts his guilt into forgiveness, compassion, and self-knowledge.
* In This Place Together: A Palestinian's Journey to Collective Liberation by Penina Eilberg-Schwartz with Sulaiman Khatib. To quote Peter Beinart's blurb; "The next time someone asks you if there's still hope for justice and peace in Israel and Palestine, just hand them this book." I think it should be read by Middle East policy makers, scholars, diplomats, news junkies, and anyone who loved Colum McCann's "Apeirogon."
* To Be a Man, ten sublime, intense, unforgettable short stories by the incomparable Nicole Krauss.
LAST LAUGH
* This story came from a friend who just turned 90: A woman in her 90s, stands up in the dining room of her senior residence, cups her hands together, and bellows, "Whoever can guess what I'm holding in my hands can have sex with me. Anyone?" An old guy at the next yells out, "An elephant?" Shouts the woman, "WE HAVE A WINNER!"
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