Excellent reporting in the New York Jewish Week on a "divorce" in the birthright program that provides free trips to Israel for American Jews, 26 and under. Gone is Shlomo "Momo" Lifshitz, the largest Israeli provider of the trips, through his organization, Oranim Birthright, who promoted the marital and rightwing political aspects of the trip too hard:
“Oranim’s ‘honeymoon package’ and emphasis on ‘making Jewish babies’ commit a cultural faux pas that carries the potential to damage Birthright’s image in the U.S.,” said Ruth Stein, who attended an Oranim trip in June 2007. “Such ‘religious’ choices are regarded as private matters that are none of anybody’s business.
“Momo’s lectures on the unsurpassed beauty of Jewish women, among other topics,” continued Stein, “are especially risky given the trip’s reputation as a secular option for non-religious Jews.”…
“The right-wing perspectives presented were rather unsettling, and the indoctrination was unappealing,” said a 23-year-old 2005 Oranim trip participant, who requested to remain anonymous due to his work at an American Jewish organization. “[Momo] spoke to our group, saying, ‘Some people say the Iraq war was good for Israel. Wrong. The Iraq war was great for Israel,’ representing a rather astonishingly narrow viewpoint.”
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"Momo" wasn't exactly described as a Jewish David Duke! This is a PR move on the part of Birthright, and lukewarm writing on the part of the New York Jewish Week.
Hey I'll have no badmouthing of Momo! He is a wonderful individual who is warm hearted and welcomed us all home on our birthright trip. You may be surprised to know that Momo is actually quite left wing and would be willing to give up a lot of true peace even at the expense of Jewish territories. You guys don't know Momo you don't know the program and you have no right to impinge the character of this honorable man.
We know all about the program – an attempt to indoctrinate American Jews to ensure that they continue to fund Israel's colonial project long after their parents and grandparents have gone. Even if Momo is as 'honourable' as you claim he is (which by the sound of this article, I doubt), he is tainted by association.
[Tikun Olam-תקון עולם] Shlomo Momo
Anyone who says Iraq was great for Israel is a crazy Neocon, totally divorced from reality, believing in the power of a few to manipulate the many in pursuit of ideological objectives, with no blow back possible, let alone likely, and no concern for the innocent lives destroyed. When blow back arrives, they blame it on someone else, blind to their own blame. These guys need adult supervision by the reality-based community.
The article is biased. Actually teaching Jewish children about their identity and bringing them to our native homeland for a visit is a _good thing_ I think there could be many changes made to the program, I think there should be more nationalist indoctrination, more trips to hevron, Beit el, etc, and more focus on Golan.
The Honeymoon Tour should be made into a video and distributed in Michigan to Arab audiences. Hilarious!
Their identity? Jews have been a diaspora for 2000 years. Their identity is defined by these 2000 years, not some fantasy homeland. Can Palestinians make trips to the villages they come from? I think there should be more nationalist indoctrination That says it all
May I suggest something additional from history's vault besides stressing how beautiful the tribal women are? How about awards, e.g., blue and silver or gold pendant crosses, er, I mean Stars Of David? Proudly worn, showing at a glance how many children have been birthed for the state by each beauty.
The simple fact that you support him – and the fact that he endorses "Jewishness" with Palestine means ultimately that he is a racist or Jewish supremist. I don't believe your claim that he is willing to give up Jewish land at the expense of peace – he probably would give up some irrelevant bits here and there – would he willing give up East Jerusalem? And we have every right to impinge upon him if he is part of any Zionist project that works against the return of Palestine to the Palestinians….
In a few months Iraq will be on fire and nobody will care about "MOMO"
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