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COMMENTARY
ADL actions in Armenian controversy suggest leadership delusions of grandeur
By Dov Burt Levy
 SALEM, Massachusetts—We all face difficult decisions when an aging relative or friend exhibits significant behavioral change, becomes delusional or starts making important mistakes. One cop-out, and I've used it myself, is to say that intervention will be met with argument, denial, and little chance of success.
I've known the Anti-Defamation League since my undergraduate days. For several years I was an ADL staff member, and I've always followed the League's work with admiration. So, no cop-out here.
Now I see worrisome symptoms, delusions and a pattern of misjudgments that bring those aging relatives to mind. The pattern was hard to ignore during the Armenian genocide imbroglio this year.
Dov Burt Levy
The Armenian-American community in a Boston suburb asked ADL, as a leading human rights organization and sponsor of the "No Room for Hate" local community program, to join its call for a Congressional resolution recognizing the 1.5 million Armenians murdered in Turkey between 1915 and 1923 as victims of a genocide.
It was not an unreasonable request. ADL itself is a passionate guardian of what is said about the genocide of Jews during World War II. Abe Foxman, ADL national director, has castigated congressmen and others for comparing the Shoah to other events of lesser importance.
ADL's first big mistake was not giving adequate weight to the real anguish of the Armenian community about an undeniable atrocity that the world has conveniently forgotten. Instead, ADL gave the Armenians the royal brush-off. ADL won't be involved; work this out yourselves, Turkey and Armenia, it is saying.
The Boston ADL board and the local regional director, Andrew Tarsy, found that response lacking, and publicly said so. Tarsy was summarily fired, only to be rehired a week later after protests by a wide range of Boston-area Jews. In organizational life, fewer mistakes beat that one, the operational rule being, never fire anyone that you may have to take back.
Another mistake, paranoia and delusion I call it, was ADL's argument that its recognition of an Armenian genocide would affect the Turkish government's willingness to maintain supply routes through Turkey to American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also at risk, they said, was the economic and military relationship between Turkey and Israel and the safety of 25,000 Turkish Jews.
My first reaction was that somebody at ADL was smoking an illegal substance through a Turkish water pipe. Could they truly believe that a paragraph-sized statement from a private Jewish organization in New York could disrupt relations with three countries whose total population exceeds 378 million?
Obviously they believed it, because throughout the entire six months of statements and letters, the potential of a negative Turkish reaction was persistently raised.
I can only conclude that ADL thinks itself a powerful sovereign state, with Abe Foxman the reigning president.
An inflated view of one's own importance is not uncommon among leaders of corporations and labor unions. Politicians, and even nations, suffer the malady after years in power. They start believing their own press releases and propaganda campaigns. Sometimes both their supporters and enemies buy into their imagined omnipotence. I think this is ADL's situation today.
The governments of Israel, too, have contributed to ADL's self-delusion. On their many missions to Israel, Foxman and other leaders get VIP treatment, including instant access to political and military brass.
Yes, that impressive word, mission. It comes from the Latin verb meaning "to send" and has for centuries been connected with missionaries who believe they are delivering the Holy Spirit to the world. Doing enough missions from New York to the Holy Land could convince a person that he or she is acting under holy orders. I say now to ADL, reevaluate how you handle these kinds of issues, learn from the recent mistakes, and what changes in your mindset and process need to be made. Revisit the Armenian request; it is legitimate and begs for honest resolution.
While countries may balance actions between the expedient and the moral, private American Jewish organizations should represent the best Jewish values and travel the moral high road. And key to it all is a degree of modesty. ADL must remember that it is not a nation and Abe Foxman is not a head of state.
CRITIC AT LARGE
Gay love in bubble among Mideast rivals
By Larry Zeiger
SAN DIEGO—
The Israeli film, The Bubble, directed and co-authored by Eytan Fox is a modern day adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in Tel Aviv and in Nablus. The story is about three young Israelis, two young men and an attractive woman .who share an apartment in a trendy neighborhood in Tel Aviv (sort of like San Diego’s Gaslamp).
Yelli, Noam, and Lulu are having the time of their lives, living in an escapist world. They work at restaurants and music stores during the day and leave enough time for partying during the night, but the fun and friendship are about to end as reality deals a tragic blow to all the principal characters.
Larry Zeiger
While on army reserve, music store clerk Noam meets Ashraf, a handsome, bright Palestinian man and the two fall instantly in love. Lucy, Noam, and Yelli, who are evidently actively involved in the peace movement, decide to help the Palestinian stay illegally in Tel Aviv by giving him a Hebrew name and giving him more contemporary clothing to wear. They also get him a job in the café where Yelli works. When the film focuses on how Ashraf is trying desperately to assimilate into Israeli culture and his developing love for Noam, the movie is quite entertaining. While Lulu has a disastrous affair with a hunky guy she meets, Noam and Ashraf stay true to each other until disaster strikes.
Ashraf crosses the border to attend his sister’s wedding in Nablus. While he is visiting his family, Lulu and Noam obtain illegal passes to cross into the Palestinian territory and disguise themselves as French television journalists so Noam can see his lover. This sequence is hard to believe but is used as a device to expose Ashaf’s forbidden love for Noam to Ashaf’s sister’s fiancé, Jihad. Jihad is an evil guy who Ashaf suspects may have organized suicide bombings in Israel. When Jihad discovers Noam and Ashaf in a fast embrace, he is horrified (gay relationships are punishable by death) and tells Noam that he must instantly marry his sister! At this point the story becomes just too unbelievable with one underwritten scene after another as the clichés fly faster than a speeding bullet!
Along the way, Lulu, her roommates, and friends organize a rave for peace on the beach. There seems to be a large organizational group, and for some odd reason, a rather narcissistic poster of Lulu and her roommates is posted all over the neighborhoods. The rave turns out to be nothing more than a party scene and an excuse for the main characters to dance on the beach in wild abandon, do more drugs, and make out with each other. The issue of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians suddenly seems insignificant in this part of the film.
The end of the film is tense but the motivation of characters and development of rationale for what makes the characters do what they do is not clearly defined. The denouement contains a powerful message but without giving away the ending, you can probably guess how it will end about thirty minutes before the explosive climax.
The actors, Alon Friedman, Ohad Knoller, Yousef Sweid, and Daniela Virtzer are all very good, but screenwriters, Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky have not developed the characters to make them very interesting, and there are too many plot contrivances and clichés to make the film believable. This is too bad because the theme is powerful, and it is clearly evident that Fox and Uchovsky have something important to say about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the similarities and differences of people who live so close to each other, the fine lines that exists between peace and war, and the passion of two people in love who are ultimately destroyed by prejudice and violence.
Too many ideas and too many underdeveloped characters burst this bubble.
The Bubble is currently at the Ken Cinema and will be out on DVD shortly.
WINE PRODUCERS—Kathleen Inman, left, and Susie Selby listen as Marguerite
Potelle tells of her career producing boutique wines
 SAN DIEGO—For me, attending the Grand Tasting event at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival this past Nov. 17 was like going to temple during High Holy Days. I saw so many people I haven’t seen all year! What was clear to me by the overwhelming attendance of over 4,000 at the Embarcadero is that Jews love food and even more so, they love to talk about their experiences with it. I enjoyed some good laughs with so many of you, dear readers, about how this culinary fascination must be in our DNA! And believe me, with over
Lynne Thrope
700 wines and spirits, 60 of San Diego’s top fine dining restaurants and 30 gourmet food companies struttin’ their stuff, there was plenty of fodder to feed on.
How lucky we San Diegans were to host the largest wine and food festival in Southern California. The five-day festival featured champagne and wine tasting seminars, cooking classes by award-winning Top Chef contestants Brian Malarkey, Frank Terzoli, and Brian Hill, cookbook signings, and an oil tasting in which attendees took part in a people's choice contest from40 gourmet olive oil producers who taught us the fine art and nuances of tasting olive oil. Best in show and Gold Medal Winner was Jovia Farms Arbequina from Dixon, CA – an extra virgin olive oil to taste once in your life.
 One of the more popular classes of the event on the bay was about appropriately pairing wine with Ghirardelli intense chocolate. Evan Goldstein, master sommelier from San Francisco, could not have been happier teaching us to break, sniff, melt-on-tongue a crackle of chocolate followed by a swish-in-the-mouth of a Cab, Zin, or Port. Each of these pairs was dependent, of course, on the percent of cacao in the chocolate. He taught us that milder chocolates have a lower cacao percentage and that just as wines have a certain finish to them, so does chocolate. Another tip he gave us was that the richer the texture of the chocolate, the richer the wine should be.
Here are three of my favorite pairings with Ghirardelli I highly recommend:
- Evening Dream (60% cacao) and a Cabernet Sauvignon; Midnight Reverie (86% cacao) and a Zinfandel; Twilight Delight (72% cacao) and a Ruby Port
Evan Goldstein
What a great Chanukah gift idea for the wine and chocolate connoisseur.
Another informative class I attended during the festival took place at The San Diego Wine & Culinary Center. Lisa Redwine, Sommelier at Molly’s Fine Dining Restaurant & Bar at the Marriott on the Bay led a panel discussion with women winemakers Susie Selby, Kathleen Inman, and Marguerite Potelle.
Each of these dynamic women has created her own label containing some stunning varietals. Eight in all we tasted as they each shared their daily challenges farming the vineyards, producing the wines, and marketing them while simultaneously juggling their roles of mother and wife. And I thought I was busy! Each of these smart, funny, and patient women possesses an MBA degree that has guided their eventual success in the marketplace. With these words, Susie Selby echoed the sentiments of her colleagues, “We love wine. We only make wines we love to drink. That’s why we’re in the business of winemaking today.”
If you’re interested in a lively Chardonnay with a gentle finish, try the 2005 - Chateau Potelle VGS Chardonnay ($36.99/bottle). Marguerite says it’s her favorite as the VGS stands for Vinter’s Grand Selection. With its Brilliant yellow-straw color, the attack in the mouth is fresh and crisp, very lively, with loads of apple and citrus turning very fast to the richer, deeper fruit nuances of melon and peach. Another great gift idea for the host of this year’s Chanukah party.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.: Rice should be in Baghdad, not Annapolis
Rabbi Wayne Dosick in Carlsbad, California: 'Who by fire'—when the words of our liturgy crackle beyond our doorsteps
Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: Appreciating all our Rembrandts
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Garry Fabian in Melbourne, Australia: * Orthodox dispute poll indicating most New South Wales Jews favor gay unions ... * Victorian Premier praises Jewish volunteerism ... *ZFA funding safe—at least for now ... * Journalists must make truth again the priority, Carl Bernstein tells Australian Jewish National Fund
Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: Eve was superior to Adam, biblical scholar Shalom Paul asserts
Judith Apter Klinghoffer in Cherry Hill, New Jersey: Now let us give thanks for Judith, a Jewish female prototype found in the Apocrypha
Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem: The pros and cons of Annapolis
Isaac Yetiv in La Jolla, California: Mr. President, please cancel conference
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: Rabbi at interfaith service denounces tactics of Minutemen against migrants
J. Zel Lurie in Delray Beach, Florida: Calling Israel a 'Jewish state' a misnomer
Melanie Rubin in San Diego: Another Jewish license plate: 2Nudnix
Dan Schaffer in San Diego: Look! Look! Dick and Jane’s new authors
practice a vicious brand of partisan politics
Isaac Yetiv in La Jolla, California: Three reasons for saying no to the Palestinian 'right of return' demand
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Peter Garas in Canberra, Australia: Jewish knowledge and information on the web: can it be indexed for researchers?
Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: TV Phenomenon personality materializes at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day fundraiser
Joe Naiman in Lakeside, California: Is Ryan Braun baseball's first Jewish rookie of the year? It depends...
Sheila Orysiek in San Diego: 'What could not sustain them but the spirit of G-D and His grace?'
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.: Every veteran is Hal's best Koster-mer; JINSA backs him for citizen's award
Cynthia Citron in Los Angeles: Lessons assures that audience learns too
Rabbi Baruch Lederman in San Diego: 'Pearing' our perceptions and reality
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego: Notice Divine presence all around us
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LA JOLLA, California—A surprising number of our friends—older friends, are in denial—they don’t think that they will grow old with the inevitable losses of muscle strength, need of eyeglasses, hearing aids and, if they live long enough, some disabilities too. Our friends say such things as: “I don’t want to think about it, it is too depressing,” or “I’m not old enough, I feel strong and vital,” or “I’m not ready.”
