The International Committee of the Red Cross is an apolitical organization.  It is designed to provide medical relief to all sides in armed conflicts.  They gain unfettered access to soldiers during war.  This is a noble and necessary mission. 

But the Red Cross has failed in that mission.  The Red Cross has failed Gilad Shalit.  They have not visited him. They have not provided Gilad with his basic human rights.  It is their duty, no matter what stands in the way.   Accepting anything else is a blemish to their mission.   

Hamas has denied the Red Cross access to Gilad Shalit. Their bargaining position requires secrecy as to his physical and emotional condition.

Instead of demanding human rights for Gilad Shalit, the Red Cross has downgraded its responsibility to Gilad Shalit. They have punted on the issue of Gilad Shalit.   The Red Cross recently requested Khaled Mashaal, Damascus head of Hamas, for a sign of life from Gilad.  Khaled Mashaal did not deny the request and stated he would look into the matter.

This is a troublesome decision by the Red Cross and a sign of Hamas’ strength.

A sign of life is not a human right.  The Red Cross must visit Gilad Shalit.  That is his human right.  Doing anything else, dodges the Red Cross’ responsibility.

Downgrading to requests and pleas, is emblematic of how nations have come to deal with terrorists.  Jimmy Carter who relishes playing interlocutor with thugs like Khaled Mashaal of Hamas gives credibility to Hamas despite its terrorist ways.  His meetings are a PR bonanza for Hamas and produce no tangible benefit to anyone other than a perverse pleasure for Jimmy Carter.  Instead of working forcefully and using all levers of power, the Red Cross has shifted to a conciliatory tone and appeals for goodwill from terrorist leaders.  The Red Cross’ pathetic attempt to fulfill its duty to Gilad Shalit is an embarrassment to  all human rights activists.  Conceding on a fundamental tenet of international law is a travesty.  The terrorist thugs of Hamas act with impunity and face no consequence.  The Red Cross has implicitly accepted Gilad’s captivity. 

The Red Cross leadership should be embarrassed with themselves. Instead of turning Gilad into a martyr for human rights, creating international campaigns for his basic human rights, and energizing its members and leadership, the Red Cross has turned its back on Gilad Shalit when he needs them most. 

LOQUACIOUS, GREGARIOUS, VERBOSE, BANAL, ABSTEMIOUS, and the list goes on……

Every spring millions of US high school students prepare themselves for the SATs.  They take classes, hire overpriced, underwhelming tutors, and spend hours taking practice tests. 

For many, learning a new set of vocabulary words is the toughest challenge.  I spent hours memorizing the “Top 500 HOT SAT Words.”  It was boring and ineffective.  I struggled to remember new words because nobody used them on a regular basis. It was like they existed solely on the SATs!   My parents didn’t use “BIG SAT WORDS”, neither did my friends (or their parents) and surprisingly neither did my teachers.    

There was only one person who actually used “BIG SAT WORDS”:

Walt Clyde “The Glyde” Frazier!

Yes, Walt Frazier the NY Knicks championship-winning point guard, current Knicks sports announcer, and funky suit connoisseur! 

You see, I had been learning “SAT words” my whole life.  Only it came from a NBA Hall-of-Famer.  I spent the 1990’s huddled next to my radio listening to Walt Frazier announce New York Knick basketball games.  His analysis was filled with “BIG SAT WORDS.” 

The precocious rookie, John Wallace, is playing well tonight.

John Starks has been the impetus for this run.

That was an egregious blunder by Patrick Ewing.

He used “BIG SAT WORDS” with ease and it was clear to me what they meant. I enjoyed the language because I knew how to use them.  It was the best BIG SAT WORD classroom. To top it off, I was listening to the Knicks, not “studying” for the SATs.      

Walt Frazier is the reason I use “BIG SAT WORDS.”   This is probably why my parents, Matt and Mimi Cohen,  think I am so smart. (Love you Mom and Dad!) 

If you are a high school student studying for the SATs, try out Walt Frazier.  I guarantee he will help you learn “BIG SAT WORDS.”  Since the NY Knicks are relevant, it’s once again a pleasure to watch or listen to them play. 

GOOD LUCK on the SATS!     

Dear President Obama,

I have rooted for you since the 2004 Democratic convention.  I watched that speech with great attention.  It gave me goosebumps.  You had the “it” factor. Your presidential campaign tapped into a wellspring of positivity and inspiration not felt since RFK’s campaign in 1968.  

My generation was overwhelmingly in favor of your election.  I was intrigued by your rock star image and followed your campaign closely.   Your inauguration, which I attended, brought so many people together in the name of renewal.  I hoped your potential would spur a new form of political leadership.

After two years, Mr. President, you have let me down. 

You failed to capitalize on your greatest strength: oratory. You inspired millions of people during a time of personal and national uncertainty.  However, once you started “governing”, Mr. President, you forgot about the American people.  Instead you took the job of rebuilding our economy and our self-image just for yourself and the federal  government.  You left us at the alter, Mr. President!  

Until you capture your ability to inspire the American people to do good for themselves and this country, I don’t think your going to win re-election. 

Let me explain why I feel this way.  

You are the best orator in the world. Everyone knows it. People yearn for an “Obama Channel” playing Barack Obama speeches 24/7.   The demand for your speeches are great because you tapped into messages of hope and renewal during the Great Recession.  Peoples lost their jobs.  Lost their savings in the stock market. Many had lost faith in America.  Then you came along and offered something different.  You inspired people to take back their country.  You spoke about personal responsibility, delayed gratification, and public service. You demanded more, of yourself and Americans.  You told the American people that they could lead their country back from the brink.   

But guess what, Mr. President, you aren’t leading us that way. You used your oratory for your own political objectives instead of communicating your message to us.  You stopped asking the American people to build their communities.  You just stopped asking and did it your way! 

You had an opportunity to inspire a whole generation to change the way the American people expected from themselves.  You had everyone paying attention to you, even those who didn’t vote for you. But you blew it.  Instead you had the US government do everything.  You started with health care and never looked back.   That (and the lagging economy) is why your party lost so badly in the 2010 midterm elections.

 Your power, an ability to inspire and call the American people to action, is gone.  You have lost your Mojo, Mr. President!   You became a traditional Democrat.

If you wish to be re-elected, Mr. President, I recommend you get back to your community organizing roots.  Start a conversation about how the American people can work to reinvent the US.  I know you are scared of Carter’s “Malaise speech.”  US presidents never like to tell the American people what to do.  So don’t!   Instead, challenge us to cut our consumption of oil.  Challenge us to create a cleaner and sustainable country.  Challenge us to speak out against the injustices in dictatorial regimes.  Challenge us to build loving homes dedicated to education.

Don’t just have the federal government do all the work;  demand it of the American people!  If we are as great of nation we both know we are; I promise you we will rise to the occasion!   

If you can accomplish this during your re-election campaign (and the unemployment rate continues to drop) I think you will win a second term.

Sincerely,

Jonathan ‘JC’ Cohen

p.s.  If you have a spot on your campaign staff, please consider me.  I am a soon to be Brooklyn Law school graduate, years of experience in public diplomacy, and can transform your schmoozing skills overnight.  I won’t let you down, Mr. President.  

The Middle East is on fire. The Obama Administration was caught off guard by these events.  After 3 months of revolt it is time for President Obama to show leadership.  To protect the interests of the United States and her allies, President Obama must develop a delicate and comprehensive Middle East Policy that will guide his efforts in the region.

We have seen removal of dictatorial leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.  Currently, coalition of forces are utilizing airpower and Tomahawk missiles to limit the military capabilities of Mass Murderer Gadaffi. Yemen is on the brink of civil war.  Saudi Arabia has initiated a military presence in Bahrain to stem a rising revolt and Bashar Al-Assad’s regime has murdered over 100 demonstrators.  In the Palestinian territories, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organizations have re-started their terror campaign with missiles, mortar fire, and rockets fired into Israel. Only yesterday, a terrorist strapped a 4 pound bomb unto a telephone pole outside Jerusalem’s Central Bus station.  One British national was killed and over 35 were injured.  This terrorist attack comes only 2 weeks after 5 members of the Fogel family were butchered in their sleep. Interesting to note that Iran, Lebanon, and Hezbollah have remained deceptively quiet.

These events are spiraling out of control.  The United States has the most to lose but also the most to gain. President Obama has been correct to take a different view on each country. US interests are greater in Saudi Arabia than in Tunisia.  However, to assure stability of the region and advance US interests President Obama must assert America’s role in the Arab & Muslim world that integrates new realities on the ground.  

Now is the time for President Obama to capitalize on his fantastic oratory skills.  Merely, addressing our role in Libya outside of comprehensive approach to popular uprisings would be without proper context.   It sends a message to people in the region that United States is either uninterested or incapable of handling these situations. 

President Obama’s policy should address the Arab people’s demands for good governance, the power vacuum that could result from these revolutions, a growing radical Jihadist presence in the region, strongly defend our allies in the region, and explain why the United States interests are intricately connected with the Middle East, including US reliance on oil. 

I fear without a strong policy by President Obama, radical elements in the region will be emboldened.   These radical Jihadis will interpret a slow developing US policy as weak and motivate them to grab control.  After all, the Muslim Brotherhood is the most active and organized political entity in Egypt.        

President Obama faces a major foreign policy opportunity.   I hope he rises to the challenge.

Many people laud Persian-Jews for their faith in God, commitment to tradition, and unbreakable family ties.  On the other hand, Persians may be described as ostentatious or opportunistic.   There is a kernel of truth in these descriptions.     

There is one image of elderly Persian women that stands out in my head. 

Attend any Persian synagogue when the Torah (Bible Scroll) is being shepherded around the congregation and you will see an amazing display of faith and love.  If you are looking for inspiration to pray or wish to experience acts of genuine prayer, Persian women are great examples.  

As the Torah approaches these women, the individual carrying the Torah slows down, enabling the women congregants direct access. At this point, it seems these women enter into another world and begin an intense moment of personal prayer. 

I have no idea what they are saying but it always catches my attention.  Their lips move purposefully, their hands cover their eyes, then with their palms facing upwards elevate their hands toward the sky.  

These seemingly, “not-so-religious” women demonstrate reverence for their religion, their Torah, which I have not seen in any other community around the world. 

These intense and awe-inspiring acts are pure and filled with love. As a child, I never understood their actions. In fact, I probably poked fun at them on occasion.  But as I grew older, grappled more with issues of faith, God, and truth I began to appreciate these older Persian ladies even more.  

Their display of love, commitment, and service to their religion showed me humility and faith.  When people come to judge Persians, for good or for bad, I wonder if they have seen the way Persian women show reverence for their Torah in the synagogue.       

If you are intrigued by my description, or you just want some Persian food,  I invite you to spend Shabbat with me at the Moishe House of Great Neck.   I guarantee a meaningful Shabbat experience and an opportunity to see first hand how Persian women exemplify piety and humility.

It has been a painful week for the world. An epic earthquake and subsequent tsunami has Japan on the verge of a nuclear calamity.  Mass Murderer Gadaffi has been allowed to bomb and kill his way back into power in Libya, while the Obama administration fecklessly works to design a global response.    

Then there was the Fogel massacre, which did not recieve as much coverage we expect.  Last Friday night Hadas, Elad, Yoav, Ruth, and Udi Fogel were brutally massacred in their home in Itamar, a West Bank town.   

This massacre has left Israel and the Jewish people devastated.  Photographs of the massacre and the victims were released to show the world the brutal nature of the attack. (I have not looked at the photographs out of respect for the victims and I believe they should not have been released.) Many are left helpless and enraged by the senseless and indiscriminate killing.  Israeli politicians have reacted with defiant stances on rooting out terrorism and called for increased national home building.  However, I think there is one point that may be lost in this sea of despair, defiance, and helplessness.  

The Fogel family was murdered because they chose to live in their national homeland.   

The Fogel family and their neighbors are considered “Settlers.” These “settlers” have been demonized and lambasted for living in their ancestral homeland. Yes, the Jewish people have a two thousand year old connection to the area now referred to as the West Bank!  For reasons that I do not understand, Israel, the United States, and its allies have abandoned the narrative that Jews have a national right to live in the West Bank.   Sadly it has become a foreign concept for people, including many left-leaning Jews, to argue that Jews should have the right to live in the West Bank. 

Because Israel is committed to a just and lasting peace with its neighbors it will forgo this right to ensure peace takes hold.  However, the terrorism that was inflicted upon the Fogel family is a direct attack against the right of the Jewish people to live in the West Bank. As a result, that is why people argue that the peace process is dead. Exercising national rights are prime areas of negotiation in a peace deal.  However, using terrorism to destroy those rights must be halted immediately.

Some of you may be thinking that I sound like a right wing Israeli politician.  Maybe so, but I stand by the Jewish people’s ancestral right to live in their homeland. Real peace can not take hold without acknowledging this basic national right.   

How much did that wedding cost?  Did you see that Chupa (Jewish Wedding Canopy)? What about the four-string quartet and band for the dancing?  Wow, they must have spent a lot of money on this wedding!!

These are common questions and comments heard after any wedding. 

Recently, a string of articles have come out in the Jewish community criticizing lavish and exorbitant family celebrations.  Most notably in my head, is Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz’s article in The Jewish Week, titled: Extravagant Jewish Celebrations – Have We Gone Too Far?

The basic premise of these articles is that Jewish weddings, bar-mitzvahs, bat-mitzvahs, and other celebrations have grown too opulent, extravagant, and ostentatious. As a consequence they are no longer in line with Jewish tradition and values. 

I am not a Rabbi so I will not attempt to give a Halachic (Jewish Law) perspective. However, I do believe that this line of critique is unhelpful, underestimates the power of the Jewish people, and misses an opportunity to bring Justice into this world.  

Imagine you were planning a $250,00 dollar wedding.  Chances are with that budget you are planning your dream wedding. 

Our Rabbis and community leaders should not castigate people for spending that money.   Rather why not ask the young couple planning their dream wedding:  “Now that you have planned your dream wedding, what do you think about doing an act of justice and assist an impoverished couple have a wedding celebration?”

I guarantee that if approached by an admired and respected community leader, many couples planning their dream wedding, would be delighted to entertain the idea of setting aside a sliver of their personal celebration to give another couple a proper wedding.  In fact, I believe many of them would jump at that chance.   

Instead all we hear is critique and outrage.  Decrying opulent weddings with no alternative will not bring about any substantive change.  Encouraging, motivating, and inspiring young couples to include a less fortunate couple in their wedding planning, is something tangible, real, and powerful.   People don’t change just because you make a speech (unless your name is Barack Obama!)  If you want to see change, you must give people an actionable idea to bring about the change you want to see in this world.  

That is how you bring about justice in this world.  Not through high-minded rhetoric and soap-box inspired speeches.  “Justice, Justice you shall pursue”   Pursuit requires direction, purpose, and above all action!  

Today so many people are looking for spirituality and meaning.  When couples are creating their home, inspiring them to do this act of justice is a practical and powerful way to fill that home with an ethos of charity, justice, and community.

What is your Ethos?  We all have one, whether we recognize it or not.  Believers describe it as your soul.  Psychologists may describe it as your personality. 

I describe it as the singular characteristic that most clearly defines who you are and how you approach your life.  It should be obvious to you and even more so to everyone around you.  If not, then your Ethos must be cultivated and brought to the forefront of how you view yourself and the world around you. 

Organizations also have an Ethos.  Brandeis University’s Ethos is its commitment to improving and changing the world for the better. Its students do not accept the status quo - rather they challenge commonly accepted situations.  Brandeis’ success is dependent upon  attracting individuals who have demonstrated this particular Ethos.     Aish Hatorah’s ethos is its commitment to empowering the Jewish people with the fire and power of their heritage and values.  Persians have an ethos of opportunism.  That may be why they are so successful in America. Chabad’s Ethos is that it will do anything and go anywhere for the Jewish people.  I often describe Chabad as “Jews without Borders.”   

If you speak to people who are genuinely excited about their profession, they will say “i don’t feel that I am working, I am excited when go to my office every morning.”  I think this occurs because their profession is highly connected with their Ethos.  They are constantly connecting with their Ethos and cultivating it in a positive and expressive manner.  Their works comes as pleasure because it enables them to express their Ethos on a constant basis.         

Unfortunately, people and organizations often live their lives without cultivating their Ethos.  Brooklyn Law School is an entity without an Ethos.  It has no vision, no clearly identifiable characteristic that separates it as a law school, different from others. 

I think it is vital that individuals and organizations gain a greater understanding of their Ethos and integrate it into their life.   

Where did the idea of a “Shidduch Crisis” develop?  Is there really such a problem?

A friend of mine, Dani Klein, posted an interesting Facebook post a couple of weeks back.  He said something to the affect of “Why is every problem in the Jewish community considered a CRISIS!.”  I think Dani makes an interesting point. 

Right now, there are thousands of Young, Jewish Professional singles who are at the stage in their lives where they want to get married.  There is a perception that many of these singles, especially those on the Upper West Side, have failed in their own efforts at finding a life partner and are in serious need of help.  So much so that the concept of a “Shidduch Crisis” is no longer shocking.  It is just accepted as fact without question or inquiry.      

Personally, I strongly advocate for friends helping each other in this process, assuming it is done with proper care and based on a person’s life goals.  It’s a level of loving-kindness that is vital to a community.  

However, I am seeing a trend in the Persian community that disturbs me and I believe is doing more harm than good. 

On an almost bi-weekly basis,  Persian synagogues in Great Neck offer what I dub as “Singles Classes.”   It’s the precursor to “Bride or Groom” classes. 

Basically, a Rabbi comes and explains to everyone that what they are doing to get married is fundamentally flawed. He then goes on to explain how you should find “Mr. or Mrs. Right”.   Here is just the latest event posted on Facebook with the title:  “How to pick the Right one…..not the Right Now.”

I think these classes harm more than they help because it only puts more pressure on singles that they are supposed to be married.  Placing a personal and individual decision in the public sphere is akin to publicly embarrassing marriage-minded singles.  It screams “YOU ARE SINGLE AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!”

Persians are strongly paternalistic (even if they don’t know what that means)  which is where these “Singles Classes” are originating.  I think our Persian communal leaders would be better served by engaging young, married couples to sit down privately in a one-on-one format with marriage-minded singles and develop an individualized system of relationship referrals.  This accomplishes the same goals without placing it in the communal and public sphere.  It would also produce a more engaged community with people taking personal responsibility for their fellow Persians. 

What do you think?   

Who is the happiest person in America? 

I was recently sent a New York Times article via an Aish Hatorah list-serve that sought to answer the question: Who is the happiest person in America?

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index discussed in the article, the Happiest Person in America is:

“Alvin Wong. He is a 5-foot-10, 69-year-old, Chinese-American, Kosher-observing Jew, who’s married with children and lives in Honolulu. He runs his own health care management business and earns more than $120,000 a year.”

I take pride that the article highlights his kosher-observance.  As a Persian-American, I take pride that he runs his own business.  These two factors speak to important parts of my personal ethos: commitment to Judaism & entrepreneurship.  

The article does not discuss the individual weight and affect of each characteristic on Mr. Wong’s level happiness.  As result, I do not know which parts are most important to his level of happiness.   

However, the article does raise important questions I like to think about everyday:  Am I at my optimal Happiness?  How can I become a Happier person?  & most of all, Do I work hard enough to ensure that I am always at my optimal state of Happiness?

What makes you happiest?  Do we spend enough time thinking about it?  How do you work on making yourself Happy?