It’s a venerable Jewish joke: a Jew falls off a ship, in mid-ocean, and swims to an uninhabited island. Years later, his SOS signal is spotted. When rescuers arrive, they find he has managed to construct three small buildings from flotsam and jetsam: a small cabin, and two identical synagogues. “Why two?” He was asked. … Continue reading Could Drafting Ultra-OrthodoxYouth Bring Down Israel’s Government?
Gwynne Dyer remains one of my go-to reporter/analysts on the international scene. Here he brings three recent, revealing and concise snapshots. Three famines: Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti Gwynne Dyer There are three incipient famines in the world today, and politics is at the root of all of them. That’s not unusual, actually: Famines are almost … Continue reading Three Timely Reports from Gwynne Dyer, from Ireland, Sudan, Gaza, Haiti & England
[Note: These days, I don’t get out as much as I used to: age, ailments, etc. That means I don’t keep up well as I once did. So I may be missing some stuff, and I hope somebody will catch me up. This anti-LGBTQ news from Ghana and Burundi (and Kenya & Uganda) is … Continue reading What am I Missing? Some Burning Questions
New York Times — December 31, 2023 Can He Condemn the Killings Without Causing More Pain? Chris George has lived in Israel and Gaza, where he was once held hostage. As his employees ask him to speak out on the latest war, he is torn. He had spent his entire career attending to the horrors … Continue reading A Quaker In Conflict, Outer and Inner: Damned if He Speaks, Damned If He Doesn’t. Meanwhile, There’s Work To Do.
