June 7, 2009

Broadcast Date: 
Jun 7 2009

Felice Gelman reports back from a delegation to Gaza; a new book deconstructs the power of the Israel lobby in Washington; plus, will religious leaders allow rabbis to marry outside of the Jewish faith?

Episode segments
  • The War on Gaza Continues
    Israel/Palestine, Occupation
    Felice Gelman recently returned from Gaza where she was a member of the Wespac Middle East Committee and was part of a group of four delegations under the umbrella of CODEPINK invited to Gaza by the UN Relief and Works Agency. She blogs at Gaza Views.
    Esther Kaplan

    Felice Gelman describes the ways the israeli military continues to wage war on civilian and economic life in Gaza.

  • How Potent is the Israel Lobby Today?
    American Politics, Israel/Palestine
    Dan Fleshler is the author of Transforming America's Israel Lobby: The Limits of Its Power and the Potential for Change.  Fleshler is a media and public affairs strategist based in New York City and a board member of Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now and the advisory council of JStreet.  He blogs at Huffington Post.
    Esther Kaplan

    With the Obama administration apparently ready to take a hardline against Israeli settlements and to engage actively in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dan Fleshler talks with us about whether the vaunted Israel lobby will be able to derail these initiatives or whether their political power has been over-rated.

  • The Coming of the Intermarried Rabbi
    Religion, Jewish Communities, Jewish Life
    Jeremy Gillick is the author of The Coming of the Intermarried Rabbi, which appeared in the April 2009 issue of New Voices.  He is a writing fellow at Moment magazine.
    K.E.Feldman,Esther Kaplan

    With around half of non-orthodox Jews choosing non-Jewish mates, and with both Reform and Reconstructionist movements permitting their rabbis to officiate at these unions, can their ban on admitting and ordaining rabbinical students in mixed relationships hold?