From Odyssey Networks’ Faith on the Record series: After the shocking crimes of terrorism committed in Paris last week, a leading U.S. presidential candidate recently suggested the reprehensible idea that all Muslims in America should wear I.D. bracelets. Of course, we should reject such a proposal. But on the other hand, is it wise to cite the mistakes America made with Jewish refugees fleeing Nazis as a basis for our present-day policy decisions? “The two situations are not analogous. easy comparisons…simply break down.” Watch my video for more insight and discussion.......
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During celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, the Hebrew greeting L’Shanah Tovah means “for a good year.” But how can we possibly say it will be a good year with a straight face, when the U.N. predicts that the Syrian refugee crisis could escalate by year’s end to 4.27 million people fleeing Syria? After the body of a three-year-old boy, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach, it seemed that the world finally woke up to the gravity of the humanitarian crisis. However, it would be wrong to chalk......
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Just about everything wrong with American/Western diplomacy in the Middle East in general, and with Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy in particular, is embodied by the study in this New York Times report, “Profit as an Incentive for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” The Rand Corporation (a nonprofit that researches public policy, with clients including the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) actually spent two years and $2 million compiling a 228-page study on the “opportunity costs” that would come with an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Their conclusion: If an independent Palestine was to emerge tomorrow,......
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Spirituality & Faith, Wisdom Warehouse |
April 16, 2015
The Blessing of Being a Child of Holocaust Survivors
On Thursday, Jews across the world commemorate Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). For survivors, it is a time to pause and recollect. For Jews everywhere, it is a time to affirm that we will never forget. For me, Yom Hashoah is only an accentuation. I am the son of two Holocaust survivors, the grandchild of another survivor and of three grandparents who did not survive. I commemorate the Holocaust every day. Children of survivors live in dual and occasionally dueling realities. On one hand, we did not ourselves witness the horrors of......
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Wisdom Warehouse |
February 27, 2015
Joyful Jobs, Interfaith Unity and Staying Weird: Our Week in Wisdom
On The Wisdom Daily this week (February 23-27), we celebrated a Hollywood insider’s plea to “weird” outsiders, a job made joyful by Mother Nature, a U.S. veteran’s exemplary self-awareness, a young Muslim’s civil rights and the unique acclaim earned by Birdman. And we also thank guest writer Michael Bernstein, whose post revealed new insights about a famous peace demonstration in Europe. Did you grow wiser this week? We hope The Wisdom Daily played a part. Norway’s Beautiful Ring of Peace -?Michael Bernstein What does it mean to build a holy place......
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There’s much about social media that degrades conversation and exacerbates polarization. But, like every technology, it also empowers us and offers opportunities to speak across boundaries and borders. Tim Byrd, a veteran of the war in Iraq who fought in Mosul, is a juvenile corrections officer in Washington state, a husband and a father of five. I met him on Facebook, where we connected after he heard my guest spot on Glenn Beck’s show. Tim and I have very different politics, and live in very different communities, and we continue to learn......
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Wisdom Warehouse |
February 20, 2015
Stranger Danger, Cultural Context and a Sniper Saga: Our Week in Wisdom
On The Wisdom Daily this week (February 16-20), we looked at an American hero’s morally ambiguous story, the debate about disarming Iran, and what happened when witnesses ignored a train-station tragedy. Many thanks to guest writer Ruth Abusch-Magder, whose post placed recent French antisemitism into historical context. Did you grow wiser this week? We hope The Wisdom Daily played a part. Netanyahu, Congress and the Importance of Fierce Debate – Irwin Kula Despite all the controversy surrounding House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress about......
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Clint Eastwood’s film about the late Chris Kyle – nominated for six Academy Awards this weekend – is not only the highest-grossing war film of all time. American Sniper has become a cultural lightning rod for fierce, emotional debates about the very meaning of war, heroism, sacrifice, patriotism and truth. We know that Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL, endured four combat tours of duty in Iraq and was nicknamed Legend for being the most lethal sniper in U.S history. At a firing range in 2013, Kyle was tragically shot and killed by......
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I found myself celebrating Easter this Christmas, and I was quite moved by the experience. No, my calendar was not off; I’m not even Christian. So what was going on? I went to the December 25 opening of the new film Unbroken. Directed by Angelina Jolie, the feature film was my first exposure to the true story of Louis Zamperini, the Olympic runner, American soldier and World War II POW. Indeed, I’m one of the few people who never read Lauren Hillenbrand’s bestseller Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience,......
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News & Politics, Videos, Wisdom Warehouse |
September 09, 2014
Video: Genocide, Religious Warfare or A Third Option
From Odyssey Networks’ Faith on the Record series: Christians are increasingly at threat of ethnic cleansing throughout the Middle East and North Africa. How do we talk about that real possibility without turning this war into a religious war? Odyssey Networks tells the stories of faith in action changing the world for the better. Their stories explore a wise range of issues including peace, tolerance, social justice and the environment. To view more of Brad’s Faith on the Record discussions, please click here....
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