MGM's Trump tapes. Penises & politics. Roy Moore's textbook. Linda Sarsour on antiSemitism. Ruth Ginsberg's $1 million prize. Bibi ditches U.S. Jews.
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #60 Dec 1, 2017
* ** Breaking news: Michael Flynn pleads guilty. ***
Even if you've OD-ed on stories about sex predators -- the latest revelation, playwright Israel Horovitz -- I'm including below a few items worth thinking about. Plus other news, about Justice Ruth Ginsberg's boffo $1 million prize, great films, videos, books, Israel, antiSemitism conference & more.).
DEPT. OF SEX PREDATORS
* A new twist in today's revelation about Israel Horovitz (left): * Even his son, Adam (right), a member of the Beastie Boys, believes his father's nine accusers.
* MGM should release tape. "The list of famous men fired for sexual harassment and assault has reached into the dozens, yet there's one man still missing from that list: Donald Trump. A year ago, Trump wasn't just caught bragging about grabbing women's genitals on tape. Multiple TV producers also claimed there's worse footage, much worse, of Trump being sexually predatory and extremely racist. MGM, the company that owns these tapes, has so far refused to release them. But with this huge movement of survivors going public about their abusers, several media and tv companies like NBC, CBS, Netflix and more have fired perpetrators so they can be seen as taking sexual assault seriously." Sign petition to pressure MGM to release tapes.
* WashPost Fact Checker offers complete list of women who, thus far, have accused Trump of sexual harassment or assault as well as quotes from others who corroborate the women's reports.
*The women we're thankful for. I'm thankful for Jennifer Weiner's paean to the #MeToo movement. And the fact that the NY Times just inaugurated "A Newsletter for the #MeToo World." Sign up here
POLITICS (or sexual predators, continued)
* Something else to loathe about Roy Moore besides his stalking underage girls. A textbook co-authored by Moore in 2011 says women shouldn’t run for office, people shouldn't vote for women, and women's suffrage was a mistake. Somehow, despite all his atrocities, polls show Moore has pulled ahead of Democrat Doug Jones in the Senate race in Alabama To support Jones, click here.
VIDEOS
* Bet you've never seen a campaign commercial like the one that's gone viral from Dana Nessel (above), the straight-talking Democratic candidate for Michigan Attorney General. It's not a parody, it's real.
* The conference on "AntiSemitism and the Struggle for Justice" took place at The New Schoo Tuesday night, standing room only, with minimal disruption despite the raging controversy that preceded it. Panelists included Linda Sarsour (far right), the Palestinian-American feminist activist, and Rebecca Vilkomerson (2nd from right), director of Jewish Voice for Peace, and representatives from Jews of Color and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice. Some found the subject and the panelists an "Orwellian" mismatch. Others welcomed the opportunity to hear the perspective of groups whose views are often dismissed, demonized or distorted. Judge for yourself. The proceedings begin at about the 12 minute mark on the timeline of this video. Or read this press report.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
* Netanyahu writes off U.S. Jews. This article in Haaretz describes the sorry state of Israeli-Diaspora relations. Many American Jews who support, believe in, and love Israel, are starting to feel like abused family members. We're expected to stay loyal regardless of how we're treated.
Credit [ Illustration by Joao Fazenda]
* Why won't Israel let this man mourn his father? How do his nonviolent political views threaten public order? See NY Times Op Ed by Amnesty Intl staffer.
* Journalism from Israel/Palestine that you won't read anywhere else. +972 internet magazine is well-worth reading and supporting. (+972 is Israel's area code.) Here's their pitch: "We have made taboo topics mainstream. We have reported on the ground about non-violent Palestinian movements against the occupation and we have pushed the boundaries of discussion about Zionism and the two-state solution. We have expanded knowledge of Israeli society through reporting about Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews, religion and state, sexual harassment in Israel and social protests - along with a relentless commitment to democracy and human rights on both sides. We report directly from the region, but we have created an inclusive conversation of concerned voices from around the world. Sample an issue here. WOMEN
* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wins $1 million Genesis prize, Israel's lifetime achievement award for her “groundbreaking legal work in the field of civil liberties and women’s rights.” Recently Ginsburg told a Washington, D.C. Jewish audience that Judaism "is an ethical religion...we are taught to do right, to love mercy, do justice, not because there’s gonna be any reward in heaven or punishment in hell. “We live righteously because that’s how people should live and not anticipating any award in the hereafter.” More here.
* Alice needs company. Believe it or not, of the 29 figures in New York's Central Park (23 of them historical personages) the only female figure is Alice in Wonderland, a fictional character. Help crack the bronze ceiling and put two real women on a pedestal: the history-making suffrage leaders, Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony. Make a tax-deductible donation to the statue fund before Dec 31 here.
* #MonumentalWomen. Design competition now open to choose the sculptor of The Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Woman Suffrage Movement Monument. Eligible are professional sculptors/artists age 18+ with previous work experience creating figurative and contemporary sculpture. Details at www.monumentalwomen.org.
BOOKS
* John Rosove, rabbi of Temple Israel of Hollywood for nearly 30 years, has just published a wonderful book, Why Judaism Matters: Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to his Children and the Millennial Generation. The blurb I gave John for the cover describes exactly how I feel about his book: “Rabbi Rosove’s letters to his sons are full of Talmudic tales and practical parables, ancient wisdom with modern relevance, spiritual comfort, and intellectual provocation. Whether his subject is faith, love, intermarriage, success, Jewish continuity, or the creation of a meaningful legacy, you’ll find yourself quoting lines from this beautiful book long after you’ve reached its final blessing.”
FILM
* Not to be missed: Greta Gerwig's "Lady Bird," a coming of age film unlike any other. Yesterday, it won the NY film critics Best Picture award. Saoirse Ronan (left), who plays a fiercely headstrong, endearingly confused teenager, won Best Actress. Also wonderful in the movie is Beanie Feldstein (right) Lady Bird's BFF. The film just set Rotten Tomatoes record as best-reviewed movie of all time! Watch trailer here.
* Aviva Kempner makes extraordinary documentaries about American Jews --for instance about the legendary baseball pitcher, Hank Greenberg, and about the old TV series superstar Molly Goldberg - has now given us the amazing story of Julius Rosenwald, the Jewish philanthropist who founded Sears Roebuck and used his fortune to build more than 5000 schools for African-American kids in the South. Order CD here.
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Have a great weekend (and maybe take bets on which powerful men will fall between now and Monday).