[wvns] Jewish-Muslim Relations Pledge: Coverage Marred by Hate
Letter to the Editor:
Erasing memory of Palestinians (Nakba as Holoexaleipsis)
Dear Editor,
Did the spirit of better Jewish-Muslim relations ("With holidays, a
vow for better Jewish, Muslim relations," Boston Globe, Sept. 12,
2007, p. B1, http://tinyurl.com/2b628y) inspire Lisa Zwirn to write
the article "Having a ball, getting on a falafel tour of the Boston
Area." (Boston Globe, Sept. 12, p. E7, http://tinyurl.com/ys3csm).
Zwirn's negation of Palestinians is so complete that she cannot bring
herself to mention that Palestinians lived and ate falafel in
Palestine long before Central and Eastern European colonists
ethnically cleansed the country in order to create Israel.
She appears to disdain Palestinians so much that she could not even
bring herself to visit Cambridge or Watertown to dine at either of the
Palestinian-owned Sepal restaurants, which according to the October
2004 Bulletin (http://tinyurl.com/2gwz4m) of Tempel Beth El of Belmont
has "the best falafel in the area."
Shanah tovah!
Joachim Martillo
Boston, MA 02126-2813
===
Having a ball
Getting around on a falafel tour of the Boston area
By Lisa Zwirn, Globe Correspondent | September 12, 2007
http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2007/09/12/having_a_ball/
FRAMINGHAM - The falafel sandwich at Big Fresh Cafe is a two-handed
affair, a soft pita pocket stuffed with golden brown balls of
deep-fried ground chickpeas, diced tomato and cucumber, shredded
lettuce, and a drizzle of tahini, a sauce made from ground sesame
seeds, lemon juice, and garlic.
Falafel is a specialty of many Middle Eastern countries, where it's
offered at corner stands, take-out windows, and cafes. Quite a few
claim it as their own, though falafel is believed to have originated
in Egypt, and later spread to Israel, Lebanon, and neighboring
nations. What makes it so popular in the region is the use of
indigenous legumes - typically chickpeas and fava beans - that are
cheap and plentiful. Soak and grind them, add onion, parsley, garlic,
cumin, and coriander, then roll the mixture into balls, cook them in a
bath of hot oil, and you have a memorable dish.
That's what my friend Joyce Schwartz thought when she ate falafel in
Israel last spring and began craving it when she returned. To get her
post-travel fix, Joyce set out on a falafel tour of the Boston area. I
went along for the ride, and, of course, the comparison tasting.
Falafel is vegetarian and healthful (even though the chickpea mixture
is fried, little oil is absorbed if it's made correctly). It goes
without saying that falafel that has been sitting around, and (gasp)
reheated in the microwave, is dreadful. You know you're at a good
place if you're the one doing the waiting.
At Framingham's Big Fresh Cafe, which is squeezed between fast-food
joints in a strip mall, you can choose falafel in pita, a wrap, or a
salad plate. The balls are freshly fried, well seasoned, but not quite
as tender as Joyce remembers they were at small stands in Jerusalem
and Tel Aviv. But she likes the idea that the restaurant uses mostly
organic produce.
===
With holidays, a vow for better Jewish, Muslim relations
Pledge follows rift surrounding mosque
Daniel Seriy (left), 6, and Avi Gold, 7, "played" the origami shofars
they made in preparation for Rosh Hashana at the Rashi School in
Newton. (Pat Greenhouse/ Globe Staff)
By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff | September 12, 2007
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/12/with_holidays_a_vow_for_better_jewish_muslim_relations/
A group of local Jewish and Muslim leaders have signed a joint
statement urging better relations between the two communities, which
have suffered a serious rift over each other's response to
controversial remarks by onetime leaders of a large mosque under
construction in Roxbury.
The cautiously crafted statement, which is being released to coincide
with tonight's start of both Rosh Hashana and Ramadan, commits the
leaders to "strive to address disagreements and community concerns in
ways that promote reconciliation rather than conflict."
That pledge appears to be a response to the mosque dispute, in which
the breakdown in relations was so bad that it led to litigation, much
of which was dropped in May. The statement also decries "all forms of
terrorism, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim prejudice, or any other
form of discrimination or stigmatization against any racial,
religious, or ethnic group."
The statement includes the signatures of 20 individuals from each faith.
On the Muslim side, it includes the leaders of every prominent local
Muslim institution, including five imams. On the Jewish side, where
community institutions are under pressure from an Israeli advocacy
group called the David Project to be skeptical of the motivations and
backgrounds of Muslim leaders, the statement was signed by a number of
prominent lay leaders but not by the staff who run mainstream
organizations.
PDF | STATEMENT: Building A Community of Trust
Among the Jewish signers are eight former presidents of the Jewish
Community Relations Council and Combined Jewish Philanthropies, as
well as several prominent business people active in the Jewish
community and Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Temple Israel, who had broken
off his congregation's partnership with the Muslim community over the
mosque controversy. The statement was also signed by the Massachusetts
Board of Rabbis, which is sending it to all of its members, and by the
Muslim American Society, which is sending it to all area mosques.
The statement is being criticized by the David Project, which cites
concerns about the Muslim signers' affiliations. The David Project had
been the leading critic of the Islamic Society of Boston's plans to
erect a mosque at Roxbury Crossing, asserting that some of the
mosque's founding leaders had made remarks that were anti-Semitic or
supportive of terrorism. In response to those assertions, the Islamic
Society filed a lawsuit in 2005 against the David Project and two
media outlets, saying that those allegations were defamatory, but
dropped the suit in May after a suit challenging the mosque's
construction was also dropped.
David Project president Charles Jacobs, reiterating the assertion that
was the central issue in the defamation case, said in an e-mail
yesterday: "Regrettably, the evidence that both the leadership of the
Islamic Society of Boston and of the Muslim American Society have been
supportive of organizations and individuals who themselves support
terror, anti-Semitism, and/or hate speech is abundant and continues to
grow. We believe that the wiser course is to defer statements of this
sort, laudable as they may seem, until the ISB and MAS answers those
questions."
But the signers said they thought it was important to start talking
now. "The statement calls on leaders and followers in both communities
to renounce terrorism and hatred and calls for the building of
bridges, and I find it hard to disagree with that," said Rabbi Eric
Gurvis, the president of the Board of Rabbis and the rabbi of Temple
Shalom in Newton. "Those who point fingers and say, 'You can't trust
this one, you can't trust that one,' that's part of why we've got
conflict all around the world to start with. At some point, we have to
at least start to talk to one another."
M. Bilal Kaleem, executive director of the Muslim American Society's
Boston chapter, said the letter was welcome in the Muslim community.
He rejected the criticism from the David Project. "In working toward
this statement, Muslim leaders and Jewish organizers very much
expected that there would be strong attempts by some to hurl
accusations in order to sabotage any attempts at dialogue,
cooperation, or increasing trust between the two communities," he
said. "And, indeed, if there are concerns, we feel that the best way
forward to increase trust is for leaders from both communities to
regularly meet and dialog and frankly raise with each other any
questions they have, in addition to getting to know each other as
fellow citizens."
Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.
*********************************************************************
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