To blog, perchance to scoop

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Here are three recent letters to the editor of the Jewish Journal:

It is commendable that Brad Greenberg has written about Luke Ford as a journalist in the Jewish community ("Interview With a Serial Blogger," Aug. 3). Unfortunately, Greenberg devoted more print to the mayor’s affair and the porn industry than Ford’s writings about our community.

Ford’s book, "Yesterday’s News Tomorrow," was mentioned but not explored. Had it been, we would understand that amid the lashon hara, Ford gives us "sunlight" as "antiseptic" (Louis Brandeis).

Reference to Marsha Plafkin suing the University of Judaism is an apt example. This case was investigated by The Jewish Journal but never published. Ford addressed the opportunity, if not the responsibility, to provide readers with information. He published an interview of Plafkin’s experience, leaving readers to determine fact or fiction.

If Greenberg had read the interview, he would know that a jury reached a verdict on some charges favoring the UJ. He would also know that other charges were withdrawn by Plafkin (dismissed without prejudice), given her concern about the judge’s impartiality.

Without Ford, what other stories will be yesterday’s news tomorrow?

Daniel Hurwitz
Los Angeles

Shame on The Jewish Journal for publishing such an article ("Interview With a Serial Blogger," Aug. 3). You are no better than the person you wrote about.

A better title for that article would have been, "Interview With a Serial Porno Blogger." I was shocked, horrified and appalled. In the future, I hope you publish articles that are worthy of being in a newspaper that has "Jewish" in its name.

Name Withheld by Request

Your cover article about Luke Ford and his wayward lifestyle force me to ask you why we need to know about him, and why put him on the cover and give him undue notoriety.

I am tired of weekly reading negative things about our Jewish community that you dig up. It is worse than anti-Semitic publications which you seem to fuel.

Why can’t you write about all the good and chesed that goes on around us in the Jewish community that I see. You have not done one article on Yael and Nouriel Cohen and their Tomchei Shabbat, which feeds and clothes 54 families weekly.

Please spend your time locating and publicizing the positive aspect of being Jewish and being a part of a wonderful, close-knit Jewish community and value system, as I feel I am. Turn your negative covers into something positive, please!

I wait for Thursdays to get your publication outside my synagogue and not be disappointed.

Joanne BeitHalahmi
Marina Del Rey

Posted in Jewish Journal, Personal | Comments Off on To blog, perchance to scoop

Enough!

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Jane emails:

Luke,

I am happy for you for the article and the making the cover of The Jewish Journal. As usual its fun to go with you through all your ups and downs and varied emotions concerning the article. I did not like the article and at first blamed Brad for it. After taking some time to reflect on it, I’ve come around to Amalek’s point of view. Enough!

I can’t fault Brad for: The lack of respect and the shallow story he wrote about you. Missing the essence of your blog and your talent. That he went for the easy target— Lashon Ha-Ra decimator Porn Ejection from alll Shuls Living in a hub…Bllah, bllah, bllah.

At times Amalek speaks truth and is worth listening to.

You are a grown man and a talented witty writer. Stop wining and selling yourself short. the fault is not Brad’s or the Bimbo’s from who-knows-where. The buck stops with you! You spoon fed your detractors with all the crap. Time to stand up for Luke. Luke merits integrity and loyalty as well as positive encouragement to move on. Enough hiding in the hob and being sick. 41 is not a kid anymore. It’s not cute anymore and not funny. Time to stand like a man and be counted. Get out of the corner you have painted yourself into and command respect.

I love you and respect your talent and its heartbreaking to watch you do it. As you know I myself am sick (heart). I treat people who come in and their 1st complain is their health (Chrons, Cancer) In time I encourage them to live FULLY with the illness and get out of this trap/aliby e.g. rationalizing staying home and giving up on the outside world.

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How The Japanese Media Is Like The Parochial Jewish Media

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Ian Hargreaves writes in his 2003 book Journalism: Truth or Dare:

…But the workings of Japanese news media are barely recognizable to journalists from the United States or Britain… Japanese journalists, for example, are bound together in a network of a thousand ‘press clubs’, all linked to major institutional or industrial sources of power and therefore of news, and designed to ensure that both sides play by a set of unofficial rules. This is, in essence, a form of self-regulation, designed to avoid embarrassment and misunderstanding, but which in the opinion of its critics neuters and homogenizes Japan’s journalism through the management of "an unchallenged monopoly on the flow of news or any other form information." (pg. 57-58)

…France, for example, has a statutory law to protect privacy, along with a culture in which exposure of personal relationships is not regarded as the staple diet of even the most popular journalism.

Adam Michnik, a leader of the fight to democratize Poland, wrote up ten commandments for the rebirth of journalism. The first one ran: "Our God, who led us out from bondage, has two names: Freedom and Truth. To this God we subordinate ourselves completely. If we bow to other gods — the state, the nation, the family, public security — at the expense of Freedom and Truth, we shall be punishable with the loss of reliability. Without reliability, one cannot be a journalist."

A P.R. company in Russia in September 2001 "offered newspaper editors money to publicize the opening of a non-existent hi-fi shop. Of the twenty-one titles approached, thirteen obliged." (pg. 73)

Academic Kevin Glynn said the tabloid media "multiplies and amplifies the heterogenous voices and viewpoints in circulation in contemporary culture, giving rein to many that are typically excluded from the dominant regime of truth… The shrill and revulsive response to tabloid media form ‘respectable’ journalism and other elite social quarters indicates the extent to which their popularity threatens officialdom’s power to regulate the discursive procedures through which we make sense of society and ourselves. ‘Serious’ journalism is far more concerned with controlling, organizing, and ordering the hierarchy of voices it admits into its discurse reportoir than is tabloid news, whose contents are driven by ratings and circulation." (Pg. 132-133).

Ian Hargreaves writes:

Glynn brings to his advocacy for tabloid journalism a specifically political case, involving the election to the governorship of Minnesota in 1998 of Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former professional wrestler and radio talk-show "shock jock." Glynn sees the very high turnout in this election (over 60 per cent, compared with less than 50 per cent even for presidential races) resulting from Ventura’s fluency with tabloid-style communication, that enabled him to assemble an extraordinary coalition of supporters, many of them normally excluded from the political domain.

Posted in Book Reviews, Japan, Jewish Journalism, Journalism | Comments Off on How The Japanese Media Is Like The Parochial Jewish Media

Judaism’s Universalist Side

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Chaim Amalek writes: "In my many years of orthodox cheder (Noah, Amalek feels for you), I don’t recall even once being instructed on what it meant to be a "light unto the nations of the world".  And I asked, too:  "We are an example by studying the Torah" (by which they meant the books of the Talmud that other rabbis had written well over a thousand years after Mount Sinai).  The Judaism of the rabbinate turned its back on the rest of the world thousands of years ago, thereby ceding the field to Christianity and then Islam, each of which went on to great victories that a less tribal Judaism might well have won for itself – to its profound and enduring loss."

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The Prayer Pathway To God

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Reform Rabbi Dana Kaplan writes in his forthcoming book The Transformation of American Judaism:

As a new rabbi in the mid 1990s, I discovered that the vast majority of my congregants were disinterested in the meaning of the words in the prayer book. Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayerbook, which was used by the Reform movement from 1975 until 2007, had ten different Friday night services and six different Saturday morning services. Most of these different services had distinctive theological voices. I wanted to see which theology or theologies had the most meaning for my congregants. Every Friday night for a month, I chose one of the first eight Sabbath Evening Services and then moved to the next. My hope was that those in attendance would notice the differing theologies and comment on those differences, but I was to be disappointed. Only when one of the services did not include Lecha Dodi, a popular liturgical song, did I start to get any feedback at all. Even though Service One spoke of an omnipotent, omniscient God, and Service Two spoke of God as the still small voice within us, virtually no one in the congregation seemed to notice. I felt surprised that the prayers – recited in large part in English – seemed to make so little difference to them.

This observation would not surprise Professors Steven M. Cohen and Arnold M. Eisen, who together have studied “the moderately-affiliated Jew”. Eisen told an audience at the University of Michigan that “the words in the prayer book simply do not very much interest the Jews to whom we spoke.” He explained that “whether Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, or Reconstructionist, the liturgies describe a God in whom the Jews we met do not believe.” I think that Eisen may be being a little too definitive. Rather than consciously rejecting the traditional conceptions of God, they focus only on spiritual experiences that touch them emotionally. In their search for individualistic fulfillment, the American Jew simply ignores anything that does not immediately resonate.

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Chabad Online Since 1988

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

I first heard about the wonders of the online world in 1985 from talkshow Rush Limbaugh in Sacramento. But I didn’t send my first email until 1993, and didn’t buy my first real computer until July 1997 (an hour after I brought it home I had made my first blog post on my AOL web page).

Rabbi Dana Kaplan writes in his forthcoming book The Transformation of American Judaism:

The Lubavitch have found that the internet is a terrific way to present Judaic texts. Shimon Laber explains that "the Torah jumps around. It is the original hyper-linked text. Nothing can bring it out like the web." There is a long history to the Chabad involvement with the internet. Rabbi Yosef Kazen began producing internet material as early as 1988. He distributed it on Fidonet, an online discussion network which was part of the early computer communication systems preceding the development of the World Wide Web. Kazen would distribute a regular e-newsletter to several thousand subscribers, foreshadowing the much more massive Chabad internet presence in later years. He also digitized some of the most important Chabad texts, including the Tanya in English translation. These texts became part of what Kazen called a Jewish Web library. He included an interactive "Ask the Rabbi" column, which later became a popular staple of almost every Jewish internet site, as well as Jewish sections on AOL, MSN, and so forth.

Posted in Chabad, Internet, Personal | Comments Off on Chabad Online Since 1988

Shmuley Boteach Vs. Madonna

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Rabbi Dana Kaplan writes in his forthcoming book The Transformation of American Judaism:

According to Boteach, Kabbalah "argues for the spiritual supremacy of women over men, for feminine transcendence over masculine imminence, and feminine radiance over masculine expedience". He finds a deep disconnect between this esoteric wisdom and Madonna’s behavior over a long period. "Madonna has spent her career dishonoring women, portraying them as chunks of meat bereft of personalities or even souls. She set back the cause of female recording artists by a generation by showing, a full 50 years after the feminist revolution, that a woman cannot sell a record unless she takes off her bra."

One could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Boteach is simply jealous. He is, after all, the Orthodox rabbi who became famous because of his supposedly close friendship with Michael Jackson. Boteach himself now speaks of this friendship as "one of the great mistakes of my life". Yet, he was not above befriending a celebrity in need when it suited his purposes. He also used sex to sell his first popular book, Kosher Sex. While it is true that the book made the argument for monogamy and generally traditional sex roles, the very title of the book played upon the same sources of interest that Madonna and others take advantage of so effectively.

…Despite his criticisms, Boteach says that "the Kabbalah Centre deserves applause for having taken one of the most significant, yet ignored, disciplines of Judaism and bringing it to the thirsty masses." As a popular author who has published on the Kabbalah, Boteach agrees that this is "a singular and outstanding achievement." He also admits that much of the opposition to the Kabbalah Centre from the established Jewish community is animated by jealousy. The Centre has attracted tens of thousands of students and raised millions and millions of dollars focusing on a subject that was, until very recently, considered arcane and obtuse.

Posted in Dana Kaplan, Shmuley Boteach | Comments Off on Shmuley Boteach Vs. Madonna

A Judaism That Isn’t Fear-Based Isn’t Judaism

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Jennifer Bleyer writes in the Forward:

“I’ve tried Buddhism, which I like very much,” said Gorn, a 35-year-old photographer, after the service. “But I wanted something that feels more like home. And I feel Jewish, but reading from the Torah in a rigid way doesn’t work for me. This is closer to what I’m about — celebration.”

The monthly Romemu minyan had its inaugural Sabbath runs in March and April at Makor, the Manhattan cultural center aimed at twenty- and thirty-somethings, attracting standing-room-only crowds for what Ingber, its charismatic founder, called “fully embodied, ecstatic and contemplative prayer.”

…“I had to wait until I could teach a Judaism that was transformative and exciting and healing and courageous,” he said. “A Judaism that isn’t fear based. A Judaism that is unabashedly devoted to spirit.”

As Dennis Prager notes, you’re always going to fear something in life. You might as well fear God. Because if you truly fear God, you won’t fear anything else.

Fear of God is an essential attitude in Judaism. And the word "fear" doesn’t mean "awe" or "wonder." It means "fear."

I don’t have a problem with that. Whenever I feel respect, I also feel some fear. My favorite part of my Jewish Journal profile was noting how many people feared me. Yay! I’d much rather be feared than loved (except among my friends) because people (outside of your friends) treat you better when they fear you than when they love you.

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So Why Don’t Bloggers Get Junkets?

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Brad A. Greenberg reports for the Jewish Journal:

[JERUSALEM, Aug. 8]  "You are not to directly quote the prime minister," Ehud Olmert’s press handler told a group of American Jewish journalists I’ve been traveling with this week.

This directive came today as we sat in a conference room in Olmert’s Jerusalem offices. It seemed a ridiculous request, but the prime minister’s fears made more sense once the meeting was over.

When Olmert walked confidently into the conference room, he shook some hands, said ‘Shalom’ and posed for a photo with a few journalists.

Through the UJC’s Israel Emergency Campaign last summer, North American federations sent $360 million to Israel. UJC is also the sponsor of this media trip, which was designed to show reporters and editors how American donations have been used. UJC officials have shuttled our group, including editors and writers from major Jewish publications in Washington, New York, Philadelphia and L.A., to show us the pain inflicted by war.

So why wasn’t I (or any of the leading bloggers on Jewish life) offered a spot on this junket? Lack of readers? Nope. I get as much readership as the JewishJournal.com.

Here’s the answer: Because the UJC knew they couldn’t control what we wrote. That we weren’t a bunch of sheep like the establishment Jewish press. Look at these clowns, posing for pictures with Ehud Ohlmert. These self-same jokers are the ones castigating the Jewish Journal for putting this whacko on its cover.

Most of the journalists on the trip lined up to pose with Ohlmert.

According to the Jewish Journal’s web guy, the site got these statistics for March, which would put it at twice my traffic:

Page views: 242,892
Unique visitors: 121,791

Larry Yudelson writes: "I suspect your readers donate less to the UJC than do readers to the JJ."

I disagree. My readers are more highly educated because they use the internet to get their information. They don’t want for it to be pre-chewed and printed up for them. People come to my site because they want to read about the news as it is breaking, not months later.

Posted in Jewish Journalism, UJC | Comments Off on So Why Don’t Bloggers Get Junkets?

On the Passing of Holocaust Historian Raul Hilberg

Posted on August 9, 2007 by Luke Ford

Steven Plaut blogs:

Hilberg in recent years had become an apologist and lobbyist on behalf of Neo-Nazi pseudo-scholar Norman Finkelstein, and had repeatedly endorsed Finkelstein’s hate-filled "books" and rants against Jews and Israel. Hilberg had been trying to help Finkelstein get tenured at DePaul University. Hilberg had also been increasingly mouthing anti-Israel rhetoric in recent years.

Why would the "Dean of Holocaust Studies" go out streetwalking for Norman Finkelstein? Part of the story may have been that he was far more upset that the "Jewish Establishment" did not give him the respect he thought he deserved. Alan Dershowitz suggested to me a more plausible explanation though. Hilberg in recent years was obsessed with engaging in a personal vendetta against Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, a prominent historian of German and of anti-Semitism. Hilberg evidently thought Goldhagen was stealing Hilberg’s own thunder. He attacked Goldhagen endlessly and viciously, in an ad hominem way.

Because Norman Finkelstein also attacked Goldhagen, Hilberg decided to endorse the Fink, in his own Vermont application of the Middle East’s slogan holding that the enemy of my enemy being my friend. Hilberg in his last years seemed to have been far more angry at the "Jewish Establishment" than he was at Neo-Nazis and anti-Semites.

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