Jewish nationalism, in its belligerence and paranoia, is watching the world pass it by - and the overwhelming majority of Jews in America, Israel and elsewhere do not want that to happen to them. The split between humanistic Judaism and nationalistic Judaism goes back a very long time, but in recent years, the complete takeover of both Israel and the Republican Party by nationalist radicals has obviously sharpened that split, nearly creating schism within Judaism. (By "Judaism," I don't mean just the religion but all of Jewish civilization.) Every Israeli election is a battle between these two opposing Jewish camps,…

The U.S. presidential race is entering its last two weeks.  On Friday, President Barack Obama picked up a surprising endorsement from the Salt Lake Tribune, the official newspaper of the capital city of the predominantly Mormon state of Utah. Governor Mitt Romney, a Mormon, seemed like the natural choice, but as the Tribune noted, Romney does not deserve a chance. "Our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term.…

Over the years, Israeli politicians have used various disparaging remarks to describe Palestinians. During this U.S. election, it looks like American politicians have adopted the same tactic, as recently shown during Mitt Romney's visit to Israel. By Amer Zahr Look, as a Palestinian, I’m used to hearing racist epithets thrown my way.  I’ve heard Abba Eban say that Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”  I’ve heard Menachem Begin call us “beasts.”  Ehud Barak called us “crocodiles.”  Ariel Sharon once said he would “kill as many Arabs as necessary.”  Benjamin Netanyahu labels us a “demographic threat.”  Famously, Golda…

Cutting-edge neocon group runs scare ad "It's Time to Act" in presidential election campaign. It doesn't get any more blatant than this: The Emergency Committee for Israel, founded by the aristocrats of the "Commentary crowd," the original Republican Likudniks, is now screaming for Obama to attack Iran.  ECI put out a press release yesterday announcing that "in light of yet another failed round of nuclear talks with Iran this week," its 30-second, scare-the-shit-out-of-'em ad, "It's Time to Act," which began airing last week in New York and Washington, is debuting this weekend in the November election's battleground states.  It's running "on broadcast and cable in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with dozens of spots featured in major markets during Sunday shows,…