I used to subscribe to Biblical Archeology Review. It was certainly not Christian in perspective (agnostic?), but the evidence of the historical accuracy of the Bible was unmistakeable.

I dropped it about the time the kerfuffle over the Dead Sea Scrolls was beginning.

It’s not just historical claims, it is also biblical (the lands of Judea & Samaria).
Fools come in all shapes and colors and faiths.

“I wonder how many Jews in America object to the occupation of the West Bank, though support the actual goal of a Jewish state?”

There are ‘wobbly-headed liberals’ both here and in Israel (few in number in each country) that object.

Wright’s foaming rage and bitter tongue was all ready wagging in the wind long before Obama became president and could be due to the Chicago Patrons, who were funding the Obama ‘dream’ years in the making. Money talks and bullshit walks as the expression goes and Wright had to take the walk.

I am not surprised about the long list of Jewish economic advisers. The Jewish community historically in Europe held similar positions for a variety of reasons and as a result this was an occupation that could travel from one region to another (that expulsion thing kept happening). As an aside, it was also the reason many Jews became violinists (easy to pack up and keeping moving). You can just imagine moving a harp.

There are many Jews who are still very uncomfortable with the idea that there are Jews, who seek a higher and more visible position. When the governor of Pa. (Ed Rendell) ran there were some, who would not vote for him, for fear that if he screwed up, all Jews would be blamed). The same voice was echoed on the Gore/Lieberman ticket.

Since, I do not trust our Commander in Chief, one iota as he sat at the lap of the Rev. if/when economic policies fail…guess who will put out the list in your post and guess who will be blamed and guess who will lead the charge and no need to guess who won’t be surprised.

The if/when factor will come only as a surprise to those on the list.

Here’s another interesting comment from a poster at Althouse:

Cedarford said…
For context, Rev Wright was in Chicago when Jews there had a few articles published last December quoting them as revelling in the number of Chicago area Jews going to the White House, and calling Obama “Our First Jewish President” – While black leaders there and in other states said they were not getting their due of appointments – after Obama got 96% of the black vote – again..(What a surprise in the Democrat Party! You would think one day blacks would learn they are taken for granted except when elections approach and they are marched to the Plantation and forgotten the day after.)

As FLS posted, the list of Jews is long. It covers 4 of 6 top White House people controlling access to Obama, plus Chief of Staffs for VP Biden and the 1st Lady.

Except for Holder and Valerie Garrett, blacks were shut out of senior policy-making positions. Another bone of contention for Chicago blacks after Jews said they were the big winners of the key positions..

FLS – Monica Sutphen is a biracial, halakhic Jew, by the way.

David Axelrod (2009- ) Senior Advisor to the President
Jared Bernstein (2009- ) Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President
Rahm Emanuel (2009- ) Chief of Staff
Pete Rouse (2009-) Senior Advisor to the President
Lee Feinstein (2009- ) Foreign Policy Advisor
Gary Gensler (2009- ) Chair of the Commody Futures Trading Commission
Elena Kagan (2009- ) Solicitor General of the United States
Ronald Klain (2009- ) Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Jack Lew (2009- ) Deputy Secretary of State
Eric Lynn (2009- ) Middle East Policy Advisor
Peter Orszag (2009- ) Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Dennis Ross (2009- ) Special Advisor for the Gulf and Southwest Asia to the Secretary of State
Mara Rudman (2009- ) Foreign Policy Advisor
Mary Schapiro (2009- ) Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Dan Shapiro (2009- ) Head of Middle East desk at the National Security Council
James B. Steinberg (2009- ) Deputy Secretary of State
Lawrence Summers (2009- ) Director National Economic Council
Mona Sutphen (2009- ) Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Susan S Sher,(2009 -), named new Chief of Staff for the First Lady..

When one group controls access to the President, sets and they are from an identifiable population – they tend to get called such (those Germans with their Berlin Wall shielding Nixon), those Georgian peanut Mafioso..Dubya had “those Texan Christians and ‘Bush Family retainers” shielding him – plus Rice…

Obama is also known in Chicago to owe “big favors” to the ethnic Jewish – Crown, Pritzker, and Klutznik families who were he and Michelle’s wealthy patrons (and Valerie Garretts) for 20 years. Along with Abner Mikva. And who also got some very good deals for high-paying part-time work for both the Obamas at U of Chicago..which had the Crowns and Pritzkers running the Board of Trustees and seating past protege Garrett as a director..

If that’s true, it’s no wonder Wright is foaming at the mouth.

I’ll begin with the basics.

Zion is one of the biblical names for the land of Israel, which G-d gave to the Jewish people. Therefore the desire to return to Israel and to live there is known as Zionism. It has come to mean also that those that support the right to live there are also Zionists no matter where they live.

There are some Jewish sects that believe that only G-d could deliver Israel to the Jewish people, therefore the State of Israel is not recognized by them. Few in number compared to the majority of Jews.

I’d venture to say those that hate Jews, don’t separate the Zionist aspect from it all. They generally lump it all together as we’ve all seen in the anti-Israel demonstrations and by Wright’s rhetoric – blame the Jews template. Can you just imagine the outcry if it were turned around and everyone said blame the Blacks.

“So what is the distinction between American Jews and Israel Jews?”

From my own perspective, the luxury of American Jews is that they can choose to live wherever they want here or there. For Israelis, the expression is ‘ain od’, which loosely and culturally translates to there is no other place/land. Of course, there are many Israelis that have immigrated to America and Europe, but for those that remain the view is quite different. Even those that have lived in American for years and years continue to see themselves as very connected to Israel. This is also true for American Jews, who have never been to Israel. It is a bond, an internal promise of sorts to stay the connection. Historically, all Jews know that their lives in lands, other than Israel were at the bequest of whomever was ‘running the show’ – England, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, etc. -it’s a very long list and I’ve omitted every country in Arab hands, which is obvious.

“I am to conclude from this statement that one cannot be racist towards Jews because Jews aren’t really a race? Or because they are both a race and a religion?

From Judaism 101:

In the 1980s, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Jews are a race, at least for purposes of certain anti-discrimination laws. Their reasoning: at the time these laws were passed, people routinely spoke of the “Jewish race” or the “Italian race” as well as the “Negro race,” so that is what the legislators intended to protect.

But many Jews were deeply offended by that decision, offended by any hint that Jews could be considered a race. The idea of Jews as a race brings to mind nightmarish visions of Nazi Germany, where Jews were declared to be not just a race, but an inferior race that had to be rounded up into ghettos and exterminated like vermin.
But setting aside the emotional issues, Jews are clearly not a race.
Race is a genetic distinction, and refers to people with shared ancestry and shared genetic traits.

Finally…
Since the Jewish communities in the world are vast and far reaching, The Jews of Kai Feng, China looked Chinese (due to intermarriage) but maintained the faith. Jews of Arab lands look different from Europeans as do the Jews from Ethiopia.

So, no not a race, but all historically and culturally bound together by Zion in one way or another. Even non practicing Jews, Obama Jews, give the land back Jews is a luxury they can ill afford. Of course, they have no idea of what it’s like to live without choices.

So what is the distinction between American Jews and Israel Jews? Wouldn’t an ethnic group whose survival was in question a few decades ago share a common purpose—a nation state that would guarantee the survival of the Jewish race?

As I have been reminded many times, 80% of the Jews in America voted for Obama, despite the concern that he is conflicted about the Jewish state (Samantha Powers, etc.).

I hear the phrase Zionist thrown around, and looking for an explanation of the distinction between a Zionist and a Jew, I went to this web site:

http://www.jewsnotzionists.org/differencejudzion.html

From this website:

To begin with, a few definitions: Who is a Jew? A Jew is anyone who has a Jewish mother or who converted to Judaism in conformity with Halacha, Jewish religious law. This definition alone excludes racism.

I am to conclude from this statement that one cannot be racist towards Jews because Jews aren’t really a race? Or because they are both a race and a religion?

A Zionist is anyone, Jewish or not, that supports or defends the state of Israel, correct? So not all Jews are Zionists, it seems—and should we assume that the advisor’s Obama has surrounded himself with are anti-Zionists? And how are they different from Jeremiah Wright? And if they share a common goal (anti-Zionism) why would they care whether Obama and Wright talk (other than political implications).

Is it realistic to make a distinction between bigots (racists if you prefer) who hate Jews and those who hate Zionists (I’m a Zionist apparently, by virtue of my support of the nation of Israel)?

So we have Jews who support the destruction of other Jews. You can see why most people throw up their hands and walk away.

From the website I sourced:

It is not my purpose to detail how Zionism should be dealt with. Let me state, however, that isolated or spontaneous acts against individuals or the mere adoption of resolutions in the UN or elsewhere are not effective means of bringing an end to Zionism. Let me state also that the battle against Zionism must be waged first, not on the shores of the Mediterranean, but in Zionism’s most powerful bastion — the USA>

That does not sound encouraging to a person supporting the nation of Israel.

I’m not trying to deflect any criticism of Jeremiah Wright in all of this, but to point out why the average Joe might have trouble figuring out what to think of all this.

I believe you, like former cult members for example, are sensitized to certain behavioral cues and behaviors that most people without your experience do not notice.

….and then along comes this from the Rev. Dudley Do-Wrong, our very own version of Admedinejah.

Wright also said Obama should have sent a U.S. delegation to the World Conference on Racism held recently in Geneva, Switzerland, but that the president did not do so for fear of offending Jews and Israel.

…and the difference is?

Of course the Qu’ran, Allah’s very own word (except whenever Mohammed needed to change it so he could chase after some strange), considers anti-Semitism and lying to non-Muslims to be perfectly acceptable. So I can’t really blame Obama’s foul-mouthed mentor for being true to the Religion of Peace.