TresSugar

Relationships and Religion

DearSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Religion can be a very sticky subject for a lot of couples that date inter-religiously.

I know many women who will only date Jewish men if they are Jewish, or Catholic men if they are Catholic, but personally, I think it's more important to date for love rather than religion. I have never been one to think that religion mattered much, as long as both people's values were respected and celebrated. Compromise is key when people come from different religious backgrounds, and as long as both people are open and communicate their needs in a sensitive way, I think it can totally work. It can actually be really amazing to mesh your two cultures, family values, and holidays.

So what do you think? Does the religion of your significant other matter much to you? Is it super important to your family to marry someone who shares the same religion? Or does religion never even cross your mind?

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Sarah Silverman, Jewish Grandkids Schlep for Obama

LibertySugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:01:01 -0700

On Columbus Day weekend, October 11-13, Jewish grandchildren will schlep to Florida to educate their grandparents about Obama, hoping to swing the state into the blue column. In the video below, Sarah Silverman does her part to help wrap up the Jewish grandparent demographic for Obama. The effort is called "The Great Schlep" and supporters without grandparents in Florida, or those who are not Jewish, are being asked to talk to their relatives about Obama, too.

Talking points to be discussed with said grandparents include:

Barack's Biography Obama's life story of achievement through education and hard work is one Jews can relate to.
Foreign Affairs Obama has expressed a willingness to talk to any nation without preconditions but with appropriate preparations. This is the kind of smart, but strong, diplomacy that led Israel to a peace treaty with its strongest enemy, Egypt.
Barack Hearts Israel and so do you! We don't need a volatile and unpredictable president like McCain in charge of America's relationship with Israel. We need a steady hand like Obama who will continue decades of US commitment to a strong and secure Israel.
Patriotism His love for the United States is similar to that of generations of Jewish immigrants, who love America for giving them an opportunity to succeed when they worked hard enough.
He's Black, Let's talk about it! Obama represents a different kind of black leadership, less interested in the confrontational tactics favored by many who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s.

What do you think about Sarah's plea? Would you schlep for Obama?

NYC Fights Sexual Abuse in Orthodox Jewish Communities

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:30:51 -0700

Sexual abuse is one of those problems - if acknowledged - Orthodox Jews tend to hush and handle in religious courts, which apparently exist. Stigma, shame, cultural isolation, and the more obvious fear that revelations will hurt future marriage prospects ensure secrets stay in the streets of ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn neighborhoods.

But New York City has ambitious plans to change that. The city is setting up an outreach program, which includes prosecutors visiting synagogues and a hotline called Kol Tzedek, meaning "voice of justice" in Hebrew. The voice of justice on the line will be a "culturally sensitive" social worker, who will allow callers to remain anonymous until they're ready to come forward. When and if that happens, victims can meet with social workers and lawyers who specialize in sex crimes.

The chief of Brooklyn's sex crimes bureau told the New York Times "there is a climate of change" in the ultrasecretive community. Maybe so - the number of current cases in Brooklyn is up to 19 from not enough to count in years past.

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New Jewish Lobby Group Wants Two State Solution

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:48 -0700

J Street, a new Jewish lobbying organization, plans to campaign for a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Frustrated because, in their opinion, the term "pro-Israel" has been seized by a conservative minority of Jews and Americans alike, J Street hopes to be a voice for left-leaning Jewish Americans.

Currently, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is "the most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel," enjoying a $100 million endowment. Some academics have criticized AIPAC for pressuring the US to set aside its own security to advance the interests of Israel. Others counter that such a characterization serves anti-Semitic causes.

J Street's founders are somewhere in the middle. They want to counter right wingers, whose positions they believe go against Israeli and American interests. The group will raise money and donate it to politicians who will help bring about a two state solution and comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and Palestine.

Are you happy to see views that don't fit the typical dichotomy infusing the discussion? Is it essential that both sides come to the center, or should Jewish Americans not be expected to give up loyalty to a single Jewish state?

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Speed Read! Family and Friends of Iran's Neda Speak Out

TresSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:49 -0800

Family and friends of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman brutally killed in Iran while protesting, are speaking out about persecution suffered under the Iranian government and Neda's commitment to protesting. - Jezebel
Hillary Clinton is in Afghanistan for President Hamid Karzai's Thursday inauguration.- New York Times
Sports fans appreciate a win more if their team almost loses. - Lemondrop
Australian authorities are investigating whether Scientology is guilty of imprisonment, forced abortion, physical violence, and blackmail. - Times of London
All the vampires in Twilight are kosher. - Jewish Journal
Revisiting Jordan Catalano of My So-Called Life. - Double X
Courtney Love bids $120,000 for date with Bill Clinton, loses. - Culture Vulture
Sarah Palin's Going Rogue and the Gossip Girl books are more alike than you'd think/wish. - Vanity Fair

Front Page: Holocaust Denier Ahmadinejad Might Be Jewish

TresSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:00:41 -0700

The identity papers of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reveal that he probably has Jewish roots. - The Daily Telegraph
A new report suggests that the government misled the public about the $700 billion bank bailout last year. - New York Times
President Obama will not meet the Dalai Lama when he visits Washington DC this week. The move is intended to reassure China. - Washington Post
Zombieland took the top spot at the box office this weekend. - BuzzSugar
Lindsay Lohan made her debut as an artistic adviser for Ungaro at Paris Fashion Week yesterday. - PopSugar

If You Gave Birth to a Baby Boy, Would You Have Him Circumcised?

DearSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:00:00 -0700

My mom said that when I was a kid, it was pretty common to circumcise your son when he was born. Times were different back then though - my mom also said it wasn't "proper" to whip your boob out in public, so instead of breastfeeding, the nurse put ice packs on her breasts.

Nowadays, we know how important breastfeeding is to the baby's health, and circumcision - well, some people are starting to disagree with it, calling it immoral, and against the baby's wishes (you can't really ask a baby boy if he wants his foreskin removed or not!).

In the 1960s, nearly 90% of American baby boys were circumcised, and in the 1970s, that rate began to drop. In 2004, it was reported that only 57% of baby boys were circumcised. So there has been a definite decline in the amount of newborn males having this operation.

Still many parents do agree with circumcision for many reasons - some want their baby to look like their father, others are following Jewish tradition (boys are circumcised during a ceremony called a bris), and others feel that it's cleaner and may help prevent certain infections, STIs or types of cancer.

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So I want to know...

Italian Union Calls For Boycott of Jewish Shops Over Gaza War

LibertySugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Rivaling Italian politicians on the left and the right can agree on one thing: They are outraged by a recent call to boycott Jewish-owned shops in response to Israel's actions in Gaza. A trade union tied to retail and food businesses handed out flyers calling for a boycott of "shops in central Rome linked to the Israelite community" and apparently listed streets populated with Jewish shops as "sales dirtied by blood." Now Italian political leaders have called the boycott "criminal," and the Italian Jewish community plans to sue the union under antiracism laws.

The trade union defends the boycott. To see why, read more. Union officials point to Israel's "military force against unarmed civilians" as reason to protest Italian businesses tied to the Middle Eastern country. Today, far from Italy, both Israel and Hamas rejected a UN call for a ceasefire as the war continued.

It's not uncommon for activists to call on consumers to stop supporting countries they believe violate human rights, such as China. But given Italy's history of anti-Semitism and the nature of the flyers, do you think this boycott amounts to criminal racism?

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Bloomberg Defends Obama to Florida Jewish Group

LibertySugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:00:16 -0700

New York Mayor, and Independent billionaire, Michael Bloomberg asked a group of fellow-Jewish voters to denounce false rumors that Barack Obama is a Muslim, rumors targeted at Jewish Americans.

On Friday, Bloomberg said the attacks, coming from supporters of his former Republican party, hide behind a pro-Israel facade, while actually threatening significant advances made between Muslims and Jews. He urged the audience to reject partisan tactics, preying on their fears.

Bloomberg probably makes both candidates' VP short lists; but, the popular mayor has yet to even endorse Barack Obama or John McCain. His statements to the Jewish community, in a crucial swing state like Florida, could only help Obama. Interestingly, Bloomberg made the remarks while Obama toured Florida, acting as a (perhaps unintentional) tag-team member.

Considering Barack Obama has called for a dialogue with Iran, do you think Jewish voters have concerns beyond deceptive email chains? Either way, Bloomberg is right for rejecting fearmongering, and urging the community to focus on the issues.

Obama/Bloomberg '08?

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Obama: US Not a Christian, Jewish, or Muslim Nation - Agree?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:30:51 -0700

American citizens enjoy both freedom of and freedom from religion. The Constitution forbids a religious requirement for holding office, but also guarantees citizens the freedom to practice their chosen religions. Speaking in Turkey, a predominately Muslim country that works hard to remain secular, President Obama highlighted America's secular strengths. He said yesterday:

I’ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is – although as I mentioned we have a very large Christian population – we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Jewish nation, or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.

Obama praised the idea of a secular country, "respectful of religious freedom, respectful of rule of law, respectful of freedom, upholding these values and being willing to stand up for them in the international stage."