October 4,2009

Broadcast Date: 
Oct 4 2009

Israel opens the Gaza border, but only for Jewish holiday lulavs; remembering Marek Edelman, a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; the Sukkes Mob celebrates; Wayne Barrett on New York City's mayoral race; plus the latest salvo in the campaign to discredit Human Rights Watch: military analyst Marc Garlasco's troubling hobby.

Episode segments
  • Israel Opens Gaza Border
    Holidays, Israel/Palestine, Jewish Life, Occupation
    Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

    The Jerusalem Post reports the opening of the Gaza border so Israelis can import lulavs, which are the closed fronds of the date palm used by Jews during the Sukkot holiday. Beyond The Pale comments.

  • Remembering Marek Edelman
    Obituaries
    Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

    Marek Edelman, the last surviving leader of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising passed away this week in Warsaw, Poland. An anti-Zionist and member of the Socialist Jewish Labor Bund, Edelman remained in Poland after the war, where he had a distinguished career as a cardiologist and was an early supporter of Solidarity. In 2002 he infuriated many Israelis by writing an open letter to the Palestinians.

  • Sukkes Mob
    Holidays, Jewish Life
    Jenny Romain is a yiddishist, puppeteer, stilt dancer, performer, musician and one of the leaders of Great Small Works  and Circus Amok.  She is the director of the Sukkes Mob.
    Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

    Jennie Romain talks with us about the Sukkot harvest holiday and its ancient traditions of celebration, merriment and entertainment.  This year, the Sukkes mob presents Awesome is Over (for details, see Upcoming Events).

     

  • Is the Mayoral Race a Race?
    Labor, New York Politics, Electoral
    Wayne Barrett is a staff writer at the Village Voice.
    Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

    Is New York's mayoral race in play?  Will Mayor Bloomberg's strong arming to overturn term limits make a difference? Can Bill Thompson's labor endorsements turn the tide? Why hasn't Thompson exploited Bloomberg's vulnerabilities?   These are some of the questions we discuss with Wayne Barrett whose investigative stories about the Deutsche Bank scandal and Bloomberg's myriad conflicts of interest could provide Thompson with some of the ammunition he needs.

  • Shooting the Messenger
    American Politics, Israeli Politics, Israel/Palestine, Occupation
    Chris Toensing is Executive Director and Editor of Middle East Report.
    Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

    The Israeli government and its allies, such as AIPAC in the U.S. and NGO Monitor in Jerusalem, have responded to critical reports by human rights organizations and peace groups with campaigns to discredit them and their staffs.  In this segment, Beyond the Pale  talks with Chris Toensing about revelations that Human Rights Watch's military analyst, Marc Garlasco, is an avid collector of Nazi military memorabilia. For Human Rights Watch's response, click here.  For a response by Marc Garlasco, click here.