ISABEL KERSHNER

Published: December 13, 2009

Of course, it's impossible for anyone to tell a story objectively, even a news story has various perspectives. But, it's disappointing when a NYTimes writer blatantly downplays one side in order to push for specific sympathy.

Isable Kershner's story on a Mosque burning glossed over a very disturbing reaction from the local children.

She reported: "But Palestinian schoolchildren brought to demonstrate in Yasuf on Sunday shouted, “Khaibar, Khaibar ya Yahud,” evoking a legendary battle between the Prophet Muhammad and the Jews of the Khaibar oasis, who were forced to surrender."

Not accurate. Muhammad slaughtered all the jews of the Khaibar oasis. This brings a whole different perception on these schoolchildren. Synagogues and churches have been attacked often, but it would be bizarre to see Jewish schoolchildren chanting, "Death to the Christians/Muslims/Whites/Germans".

The attack on a place of worship is truly despicable. But the community's reaction is indicative of a deeper problem. Members of the Jewish religious community offered their condolences and extended their hand in unity against the perpetrators. Accepting this gesture would have been a step towards unifying people of the area. Instead, once again, the Palestinians rebuffed condolences and chose to wallow in martyrdom, refusing to accept a path towards reconciliation. They prefer to blame all Jews for the crime against their mosque. Hateful reactions is the norm. Unproductive, useless hate.

Where would the African-American Civil Right's Movement be if Dr Martin Luther King had cried out, "Death to the Whites" after the bombing of the Birmingham church? No, the Black leaders of the community found constructive ways to handle a vile, shameful episode in America's history and turned that moment around to become one of the most powerful milestones in the Civil Right's struggle.

Isable Kershner was perhaps trying to downplay the story out of fear of seeming too Jewish? Well, she came across as untruthful or worse, ignorant and too lazy to research her story accurately. In the meantime, the leaders of the Ysuf community wasted yet another opportunity to create a different, more fruitful dialogue in their region.

Grief

You're just walking along, minding your own business when out of nowhere, Grief strikes.

And Grief is nothing like her brothers and sisters: Despair, Anxiety, Depression and Anger.

Grief is the Queen of the tribe, honey.

She backhands you so hard, you wake up every morning (if/when you are able to sleep) and within seconds the realization of your loss comes ebbing back into your consciousness and you are hit again. And again. And again.

And again.

Ms. Thing is out for blood and she really doesn't take any prisoners. No mercy.

Why do we Humans have to experience this horrible emotion?

I don't know. But my own recent dance with the Queen has forced me to review my life: my choices, my priorities, my relationships - all of them with family, friends and lovers with some awareness that each of us have grieved or are grieving, at some point.

Brought down to my knees. This time I submit to her power and the scream is released. The tears flow unstoppably. The pain feels unbearable.

But then, just like a forest razed to the ground by fire, it happens. A small green sprouting forces its way through the burnt earth. Life.

Life has it's own energy, similar to that of gravity, pulling us up and pushing us forward. And the vicious battle wounds begin to heal. The scars will remain. We'll never be the same. But we endure.

11 Sept Remembered

Living overseas for the last few years has given me a greater appreciation for my home roots. September has always held that special feeling of soberness: End of summer, Back-to-School, the onset of the Jewish New Year & Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. Added to this is the anniversary of 11 Sept. Each year, I have found a very different way to commemorate the day.

Three years ago, I deliberately scheduled my return flight to NYC to land at Newark Airport on 11 September. It was my way of 'Taking Back the Day". Each of us experience this day in our own ways. One thing was clear on that day for me, amidst all the grief, pain and horror, every single person on Manhattan Island stood united and determined that day. We took care of one another in a very quiet, synchronized, compassionate manner. We each found our humanity and fully expressed loving-kindness towards one another that day.

I won't go into descriptions and stories, but each person who was present that day knows exactly what I mean. Even those who weren't there were bonded in prayers and well-wishing efforts. From the 18 wheelers that rolled in with supplies from Texas with hand-written signs on the sides that read, "Texas loves NY", to the volunteers that flew in from all over North America (Canada included) to help out, we were united in a true sense of Community. There was a businessman quietly weeping on the subway sometime that week and the man sitting next to him just put his hand on his shoulder for the duration of the ride. It was incredibly powerful to witness. It may not have had lasted forever, but it was healing to have experienced.

I wish that the horror of that day could have sobered up all humans to senselessness of the destruction of human lives around the world. I wish we could banish violence and hatred from our lives everywhere around the world. Forever. That is what I pray for most on each anniversary in memory of all those who perished that day.

Humane, Humanity, Humaneness

Alissa J. Rubin's nterview of a would-be mass-murder-suicide bomber named Baida gave me reason to shudder. And think.

Some friends were visiting me from Europe, a few weeks ago. During the course of their visit, one of them made a comment that I had heard from yet another European, regarding Palestinian mass-murder-suicide bombers. The wording isn't exact, but the thinking goes along the lines of, "Suicide bombers feel so desperate about their situation, they are willing to kill others and themselves." Which also seems to imply: If Israel removed the wall and treated Palestinians better, this would not happen,

I disagree with this line of thought, but normally prefer not to engage in a heated discussion regarding this issue.

Perhaps I should. Today, I want to address it. Clearly. I read two separate articles on an Imam suicide bombing in Gaza and the interview in Iraq.

There is never an acceptable excuse for a person or a society to condone, support or tolerate the act of mass killing of civilians. Yes, that goes for the American, Russian, Iranian, Israeli, Palestinian, Sudanese, British governments and all the other governments that sponsor attacks on civilians.

What bothers me about the Europeans who made these comments is that they both made this comment as if they can understand that people feel so despondent about being occupied by Jews that they encourage their sons, daughters, wives, husbands to blow themselves up as long as they murder others along with them.

I'm curious to know if these same Germans would have felt so comfortable applying this line of thinking if we change the nationalities and races in these scenarios.

My ex-husband's father was a wealthy man in Beirut, until 1975. Just because he is Christian he was forced to flee his homeland - losing their home and all of their financial assets. His home and assets were never recovered. Family and friends were murdered throughout the violent civil war. Although they have never received compensation for their losses, nor are they able to rebuild their lives in Lebanon, no one in that family has ever come to the conclusion that mass-murder-suicide bombing the muslim Lebanese or the Syrians is a logical response.

Because it isn't.

My father spent the first 10 years of his life in either concentration camps or Displaced Person Camps in Russia and Germany. The Nazis took our home, killed everyone except for my dad, his parents and 2 uncles. They raped, tortured, sterilized, tattooed and extracted gold & silver fillings from the mouths of everyone in my family and then gassed and burned their remains. After the war, some of the survivors who tried to return to their homes were murdered by gentiles occupying our homes. Although demoralized, despondent, grief-stricken and feeling quite helpless, still, no one in my family ever came to the conclusion that it would be alright to strap on explosives and blow ourselves up in a crowded German cafe or market.

I want to believe that this is just the thinking of extremists, but I am uneasy with the lack of outrage from the Arab and the Muslim community against mass-murder-suicide attacks.

Americans, Europeans, Israelis and various other communities freely and loudly condemn hate-crimes committed by their brethren. What is holding these people back from condemning these vicious hate crimes? Are Arabs & Muslims afraid to speak up? I know for a fact that many Arab Muslims find these acts deplorable. So, enough with the wall of silence, someone has to stir up a movement within the Arab and Muslim societies to show this as self-destructive, senseless and inhumane behaviour. We all know that there is no Heaven for murderers. All lives are precious and taking life is never the decision of Man.

Therefore, let's stop making excuses for despicably insane hate crimes, stop being afraid and speak up against these vile acts. It's never acceptable.

Here are the articles for both the cleric who blew himself up (killing 24 and injuring 150 Palestinians) and the Iraqi female mass-murderer-suicide-bomber-wanna-be:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3762066,00.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/magazine/16suicide-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=global-home