AN AMERICAN JEWISH GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION NEWSLETTER

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GERMANY EDITION October 18, 2012 Dear Friends: We are now through two of the three planned Presidential debates and election fever is at an all time high. During the second debate, as you have probably heard from your own media, Pres. Obama and Gov. Romney almost came to fisticuffs. Even with all the campaigning, one groups votes do not change much; that of the Jewish community. Still pretty solid for the Democrats. (See below) As I explained in my American Edition, Im exhausted hearing, reading and watching political ads. There seems to no end to it. After Nov. 6th I may get some rest but P.M. Netanyahu has called for a January election in Israel and so Ill be glued to the computer following that. When that finishes the German election season, I am sure, will be picking up steam. With the SPD Chancellor candidate selected there will be no rest for the weary. Its O.K. not to feel sorry for me. I want to direct you to my Oct. 16th American Edition which you can access at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com . There are two articles, which I think should bear your attention. One deals with circumcision and the other with what is being seen by some as a troubling rise in anti-Semitism in Germany. Both matters have received considerable coverage in the American-Jewish, as well as general, press here in the U.S. Id be interested in your reaction. If there is any energy left over from politics it is being spent on following the baseball championship playoffs which in about a week will culminate in the beginning of the World Series. There is lots of discussion about the collapse of the favored New York Yankees who are now on the cusp of elimination. That doesnt make me sad. Im a

confirmed New York Mets fan, who didnt even come close to making the playoffs, and an equally confirmed Yankee hater. Vital information for your records! Enough! Lets get on with the news IN THIS EDITION SOME RECENT POLLS On Israel & American Jews. Views and being viewed. PALESTINIANS: BACK TO THE UN What will the Palestinians gain (or lose) by going to the General Assembly? THE PROBLEMS SURROUNDING JEWISH MARRIAGE Muddying the waters on Whos a Jew. AN ARAB POINT OF VIEW (PLEASE READ IT) An enormously important article from a Saudi writer. AMERICAN CHRISTIANS & ISRAEL Who loves Israel and who doesnt. HOW MANY ARE THERE? Jews in Israel that is.

SOME RECENT POLLS Most of us here in the U.S. that follow politics are, by this time, sick of polls. The political ups and downs can be wearying. However, once we get away from daily (Whos ahead?) politics some of the polls turn out to be quite interesting. A recent survey by the Foreign Policy Initiative found that, Seventy percent of Americans view Israel favorably. The Jerusalem Post reported, Moreover, when asked their view of Israel, nearly 81 percent of political conservatives share that view while the number is at 68.5 percent for moderates and roughly 63 percent of liberals. The survey, called Foreign Policy Matters in 2012, was conducted from Sept. 15-17 by Basswood Research for the Foreign Policy Initiative. Its margin of error is 3.1 percent. Roughly 40 percent of respondents identified as Republicans, 40 percent as Democrats and 20 percent as either Independents or with no party affiliation. When asked the open-ended question who was Americas best ally in the world? Israel came in at 15.9 percent, second only to the United Kingdom, which had

54 percent. ****** There has been a great deal written about the friction between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama. In addition, much of the European press is, and has been for a long time, critical of the Israeli Prime Minister. However, none of that seems to have had any affect on the Israeli public. Haaretz recently reported, If elections were held today, according to the latest Haaretz-Dialog poll, Benjamin Netanyahu would have no trouble forming his third government. And that poll was conducted before his appearance this week at the UN. as compared to poll conducted two months ago, held in the shadow of the tax increases and the economic belt-tightening, the new one shows that Netanyahu has gained in popularity, and that the gap between Likud and Labor has increased from four to eight projected Knesset seats (i.e., to 28 and to 20 seats, respectively). The Likud-rightist-Haredi bloc has also increased its strength - to 66 Knesset seats, if the election were to be held today. There is much more to the story, most of it dealing with the elements going into the now scheduled early election. You can read it all by clicking here. http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/as-early-elections-loom-netanyahu-s-standingin-polls-is-stronger-than-ever.premium-1.467275 ***** In anticipation of the American election AJC published its 2012 Survey of American Jewish Opinion. In terms of the upcoming election the results were 64.9% Obama, 24.1% Romney and 9.9% undecided. These numbers are pretty much in lock step with those I reported in the last edition of DuBow Digest. Perhaps, more interesting were the answers to the other questions in the poll. For instance, almost 80% were between moderate and liberal while only 18.7% leaned conservative or considered themselves conservative. 54.8% listed themselves as Democrats, 15.8% Republican and 26.8% Independent There are many other questions in the poll which you can access by clicking here http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=846741&ct=12208961 By and large American Jewry remains liberal and intensely interested in all the questions that confront them as American citizens. Interestingly, the issue of the

economy ranks at the top of important issues while U.S. Israel Relations comes in way behind in fourth place. I believe if the danger to Israel was seen as something larger and more apparent, the numbers would be much higher. However, the Iran nuclear issue apparently is not seen in such dark and ominous terms. Obviously, the Israeli government and those American Jewish organizations that have the view that there is greater danger have not made their case as yet. Irans nuclear program is only seen as an issue of importance by 1.3% of those responding. PALESTINIANS: BACK TO THE UN There is little doubt that, given the Iran problem, the matter of Palestinian statehood has been pushed to the back burner. However, it has certainly not gone away, but with the continued internal problems the Palestinians have (Hamas vs. Fatah West Bank vs. Gaza) no immediate movement toward an agreement with Israel seems to be forthcoming. However, Pres. Abbas, no matter his own political weakness, is intent on getting some sort of recognition in the UN. Reuters (via JTA) reported, The United Nations is likely to hold a debate on whether to upgrade the Palestinians U.N. status to a sovereign country in midNovember - after the U.S. election, the president of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly said on Wednesday. Having failed last year to win recognition of full statehood at the United Nations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said last week he would seek a lessambitious status upgrade at the world body to make it a non-member state like the Vatican. The Palestinians current U.N. status is an observer entity. If Abbas wins, that would change to observer state. Come the middle of November, theres going to be an international debate on the Palestine issue in the General Assembly, U.N. General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic told a news conference. There are electoral and political calendars in many parts of the world, he said in a reference covering the Nov. 6 U.S. election. My understanding is the Palestinian Authority leadership is going to engage in extensive discussions coming to a conclusion as to what they want to do some time in November. Upgraded status for a Palestinian state could be uncomfortable for Israel. Being registered as a state rather than an entity would mean the Palestinians could join

bodies such as the International Criminal Court and file a raft of complaints against Israel for its continued occupation. An upgraded status would also anger Israels close ally, the United States, which argues that a Palestinian state can only be created through direct negotiations. There have been no direct Palestinian talks with Israel on peace since 2010, when the Palestinians refused to resume negotiations unless the Israeli government suspended settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week that the two-state solution was the only sustainable option for peace. But he said the continued growth of Israeli settlements meant that the door may be closing, for good. The so-called two-state solution involves the creation of a state of Palestine to exist peacefully alongside Israel. Both Israel and the U.S. are opposed to any General Assembly resolution believing that such a declaration would harm the possibility of direct negotiations. On the other hand, the Palestinians believe (Jerusalem Post), that a UN resolution that sets the territorial parameters of the two-state solution at the pre-1967 lines would help pave the way for a final status agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. The Israelis are very much opposed to the setting of the territorial parameters at the 1967 lines believing that all territorial matters have to be decided upon in direct negotiations. There is no question that a UN General Assembly resolution will dramatically harden the Israeli position. With Israeli elections coming up, probably in early 2013, such a declaration would enhance P.M. Netanyahus political situation. If Pres. Obama is reelected we will have to wait and see what his position will be if and when it comes to pass. Given the other problems in the Middle East such as the disaster that is Syria, the continuing fragile situation in Iraq, the ups and downs of the Arab Spring it is hard to see how the Israel Palestinian situation can move forward. However, it is still there and must be dealt with in some fashion. What that fashion will be remains an unanswerable question at the moment. I want to bring your attention to a most interesting article by Dr. Tal Becker, a widely respected academic and observer of the Middle East scene. Abbass Five NonOptions is printed as Policy Note13 by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Dr. Beckers article delves deeply into the options that Palestinian President Abbas has before him. None of them are very good such as the re-starting of negotiations (not happening at the moment), the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority,

reconciliation with Hamas, the UN option and the initiation of non-violent demonstrations. Its 8 pages but very readable, balanced and deals realistically with the problems the Palestinians are facing. Click here to access it. . http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/PolicyNote13.pdf THE PROBLEMS SURROUNDING JEWISH MARRIAGE Marriage is usually an institution that normally is meant to bind individuals, families, clans and even nations. European royalty is a good example. However, the problems of Jewish marriage is causing a great deal of trouble in Israel and, therefore, in Jewish communities around the world. To understand the problem one must understand that according to Halacha, Jewish law, in order to be considered Jewish one must be born to a Jewish mother or properly converted. Thats it! No exceptions! The Jerusalem Post recently reported, Of the interminable squabbles that have erupted in recent years between the religious establishment and proponents for greater inclusiveness in matters of Jewish identity, the issue of Jewish marriage is perhaps the most fundamental and explosive of them all. In particular, the arrival of over one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union since 1990, including approximately 330,000 people who are of Jewish descent but are not accepted as Jewish according to Halacha, led the religious establishment to demand that all immigrants provide proof of their Jewish lineage before being allowed to marry in a Jewish wedding ceremony. But there are an increasing number of people who, instead of complying with the dictates of the Chief Rabbinate, marry abroad in civil ceremonies which are not available in Israel but which are subsequently recognized by the state. This phenomenon is causing great concern to those who argue that it is leading to the division of the Jewish people in Israel into two groups: those who are recognized as Jewish and the growing population of those whose Jewish lineage is cast into doubt as a result of the dramatic increase in civil marriages conducted abroad. This phenomenon is causing great concern to those who argue that it is leading to the division of the Jewish people in Israel into two groups: those who are recognized as Jewish and the growing population of those whose Jewish lineage is cast into doubt as a result of the dramatic increase in civil marriages conducted abroad. To many this sort of split doesnt have much meaning. However, in Israel and in Orthodox communities throughout the world (including Germany) this Jewish division has real meaning and possible disastrous implications. If you are interested in the subject and want to pursue it further click here to read the entire article.

http://www.jpost.com/Features/FrontLines/Article.aspx?id=285743 AN ARAB POINT OF VIEW (PLEASE READ IT) I do not quote much from the Arab press. Most of the articles that deal with Israel and/or Middle East peace seem very one sided and are frequently filled with antiIsrael invective. However, every once in a while I come across something that I think should be shared. The article below deserves to be widely distributed and read. Because I was so touched by it Ive decided to re-print it in its entirety. The author is Abdulateef Al-Mulhim and the piece is entitled, Arab Spring and the Israeli Enemy. It appeared on the Internet in Arab News. Mr. Al-Mulhim writes essays and op-eds that appear in regularly in Arab News, the SUSRISblog and elsewhere. He is retired from the Royal Saudi Navy at the rank of Commodore. Arab Spring and the Israeli Enemy Thirty-nine years ago, on Oct. 6, 1973, the third major war between the Arabs and Israel broke out. The war lasted only 20 days. The two sides were engaged in two other major wars, in 1948 and 1967. The 1967 War lasted only six days. But, these three wars were not the only ArabIsrael confrontations. From the period of 1948 and to this day many confrontations have taken place. Some of them were small clashes and many of them were fullscale battles, but there were no major wars apart from the ones mentioned above. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most complicated conflict the world ever experienced. On the anniversary of the 1973 War between the Arab and the Israelis, many people in the Arab world are beginning to ask many questions about the past, present and the future with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The questions now are: What was the real cost of these wars to the Arab world and its people. And the harder question that no Arab national wants to ask is: What was the real cost for not recognizing Israel in 1948 and why didnt the Arab states spend their assets on education, health care and the infrastructures instead of wars? But, the hardest question that no Arab national wants to hear is whether Israel is the real enemy of the Arab world and the Arab people. I decided to write this article after I saw photos and reports about a starving child in Yemen, a burned ancient Aleppo souk in Syria, the under developed Sinai in Egypt, car bombs in Iraq and the destroyed buildings in Libya. The photos and the reports were shown on the Al-Arabiya network, which is the most watched and respected news outlet in the Middle East. The common thing among all what I saw is that the destruction and the atrocities are not done by an outside enemy. The starvation, the killings and the destruction in

these Arab countries are done by the same hands that are supposed to protect and build the unity of these countries and safeguard the people of these countries. So, the question now is that who is the real enemy of the Arab world? The Arab world wasted hundreds of billions of dollars and lost tens of thousands of innocent lives fighting Israel, which they considered is their sworn enemy, an enemy whose existence they never recognized. The Arab world has many enemies and Israel should have been at the bottom of the list. The real enemies of the Arab world are corruption, lack of good education, lack of good health care, lack of freedom, lack of respect for the human lives and finally, the Arab world had many dictators who used the Arab-Israeli conflict to suppress their own people. These dictators atrocities against their own people are far worse than all the fullscale Arab-Israeli wars. In the past, we have talked about why some Israeli soldiers attack and mistreat Palestinians. Also, we saw Israeli planes and tanks attack various Arab countries. But, do these attacks match the current atrocities being committed by some Arab states against their own people. In Syria, the atrocities are beyond anybodys imaginations? And, isnt the Iraqis are the ones who are destroying their own country? Wasnt it Tunisias dictator who was able to steal 13 billion dollars from the poor Tunisians? And how can a child starve in Yemen if their land is the most fertile land in the world? Why would Iraqi brains leave Iraq in a country that makes 110 billion dollars from oil export? Why do the Lebanese fail to govern one of the tiniest countries in the world? And what made the Arab states start sinking into chaos? On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel was declared. And just one day after that, on May 15, 1948 the Arabs declared war on Israel to get back Palestine. The war ended on March 10, 1949. It lasted for nine months, three weeks and two days. The Arabs lost the war and called this war Nakbah (catastrophic war). The Arabs gained nothing and thousands of Palestinians became refugees. And on 1967, the Arabs led by Egypt under the rule of Gamal Abdul Nasser, went in war with Israel and lost more Palestinian land and made more Palestinian refugees who are now on the mercy of the countries that host them. The Arabs called this war Naksah (upset). The Arabs never admitted defeat in both wars and the Palestinian cause got more complicated. And now, with the never ending Arab Spring, the Arab world has no time for the Palestinians refugees or Palestinian cause, because many Arabs are refugees themselves and under constant attacks from their own forces. Syrians are leaving their own country, not because of the Israeli planes dropping bombs on them. It is the Syrian Air Force which is dropping the bombs. And now, Iraqi Arab Muslims, most intelligent brains, are leaving Iraq for the east. In Yemen, the worlds saddest human tragedy play is being written by the Yemenis. In Egypt,

the people in Sinai are forgotten. Finally, if many of the Arab states are in such disarray, then what happened to the Arabs sworn enemy (Israel)? Israel now has the most advanced research facilities, top universities and advanced infrastructure. Many Arabs dont know that the life expectancy of the Palestinians living in Israel is far longer than many Arab states and they enjoy far better political and social freedom than many of their Arab brothers. Even the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy more political and social rights than some places in the Arab World. Wasnt one of the judges who sent a former Israeli president to jail is an Israeli-Palestinian? The Arab Spring showed the world that the Palestinians are happier and in better situation than their Arab brothers who fought to liberate them from the Israelis. Now, it is time to stop the hatred and wars and start to create better living conditions for the future Arab generations. All I can say is that if there were more leaders in the Arab world like Abdulateef Al-Mulhim the Israeli Palestinian dispute would have been settled years ago. AMERICAN CHRISTIANS & ISRAEL Its no secret that keeping the relationship between the U.S. and Israel on a positive footing is one of the most , if not the most, important item on the list of almost all segments of American Jewry. Without the friendship of the U.S. Israel would be at the mercy of the surrounding Arab countries and, in all likelihood, cease to exist as the worlds only Jewish state. Since Jews are only about 2% of Americas population the key is to continue to have the support of the Christian community. Following World War II American Christian churches, by and large, were sympathetic to the newly founded Jewish State with the exception of those that had followings in the Middle East. Clearly religious institutions always have their political side. After the Six Day War (1967) things began to change. More of the left wing churches (liberal) began to see the Palestinians as underdogs and more anti-Israel feeling began to emerge. As a counterweight, the more right wing (evangelical) churches saw in Israel a religious meaning for themselves and therefore became advocates for the Jewish State. Today there seems to be a genuine split in American Christian ranks. JTA recently reported, Fifteen leaders of U.S. churches and other faith-based organizations have asked Congress to reevaluate U.S. military aid to Israel.

The religious leaders sent a letter to Congress members on Monday, calling for an investigation into possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which would make Israel ineligible for U.S. military aid. "We write to you as Christian leaders representing U.S. churches and religious organizations committed to seeking a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians," the letter said, adding that the organizations have "worked alongside our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers to help build a peaceful and resilient Palestinian civil society." The signatories said they were writing to Congress "to express our grave concern about the deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories." The American Jewish Committee [responded and] said it was outraged by the Christian leaders' call. When the world currently is focused on the Iranian nuclear threat to the entire Middle East and the world, Christian leaders have chosen to mount another political attack on Israel, said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. When religious liberty and safety of Christians across the Middle East are threatened by the repercussions of the Arab Spring, these Christian leaders have chosen to initiate a polemic against Israel, a country that protects religious freedom and expression for Christians, Muslims and others. Now we come to the other side of the coin. Haaretz recently reported, Waving blue and white Israeli flags, thousands of evangelical Christians from around the world filled streets of downtown Jerusalem on Thursday in a show of support for the Jewish state. The annual march during the week-long Jewish Sukkot holiday brings together Christians from dozens of countries. Evangelical Christians are known as strong supporters of Israel, providing financial help and political backing, especially in the U.S. Even so, their hard-line views toward Palestinians and suspect religious motivations make some moderate Israelis and Jews abroad uncomfortable. Evangelical support for Israel is rooted in Christian Zionism, which calls for the return of Jewish exiles to the Holy Land to fulfill Biblical prophecies. Over the past several decades, key figures in the evangelical movement have lobbied the U.S. government to give greater support for Israel. Thursday's event was organized by the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, a group that promotes ties between Israel and the world's Christian communities. Strange! With vast majority of American Jews liberal on most of the social issues,

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one would think that the liberal Christian churches would make for the most natural of partnerships. And, since the evangelicals are socially conservative they would make the least favorable. Israel, obviously, is the difference maker. It should be noted that not all liberal Christian churches or, certainly, not all liberal Christians are anti-Israel. It is mostly the church bureaucracies connected to their co-religionists in the Middle East from which the difficulties arise. No matter what, American Jewry and their bureaucracies stay vigilant on the issue and try their best to work with those church groups that do not seem so opposed on their most important basic agenda item Israel. HOW MANY ARE THERE? Every once in a while one of the Israeli or American universities decide that its time to count how many Jews there are in Israel. (As a child I thought that almost all Jews lived in the Bronx even though I knew that some lived in a place called Palestine because we saved nickels and dimes for the Jewish National Fund to buy land and plant trees) I was wrong! And, now, according to Y-Net News, The global Jewish population reached 13.75 million in the past year, with an increase of 88,000 people, a study by Hebrew University Professor Sergio Della Pergola reveals. According to the study, one out of every 514 people in the world is Jewish, less than 0.2% of mankind. About 43% of the worlds Jewish community lives in Israel, making Israel the country with the largest Jewish population. The Central Bureau of Statistics reported on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year 5773, that the total population of Israel in 2012 grew to nearly 8 million. About 73% of the population is native born. The Israeli Jewish population stands at 5,978,600, up 1.8%; the Arab population numbers at 1,636,600, up 2.4%; and the rest of the population including Christians and non-Jews reached 318,000 people, up 1.3%. Israels Jewish population makes up 75% of the states total people. In all, the Jewish states population increased by 96,300 people in 2012, a growth rate that did not diverge from the average rate in the past eight years. Part of Israels population increase comes in part of the new immigrants that have arrived to the country. In 2011, Israel welcomed 16,892 new immigrants as citizens, with the largest populations coming from Russia (3,678), followed by Ethiopia (2,666), United States (2,363), Ukraine (2,051) and France (1,775). Israels population is relatively young compared to populations in other western countries, with 28% of the population aged 0-14. Israels life expectancy is one of 11

the highest of the international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments (OECD) 34 member states, with Jewish males life expectancy 4.2 years higher than their Arab counterparts. The Central Bureau of Statistics also found that 40% of Israels population lives in the center of the country, with Tel Aviv as Israels densest region, while 17 % lives in the north, 14% in the south, 12% in Jerusalem and Haifa, and 4% in Judea and Samaria. Over 47,885 couples married in Israel in the past year, of which 75% were Jewish and 21% Muslim. In 2011, there were 166, 296 babies born in Israel. Its pretty clear were not evaporating any time soon. ******************************************************************************************** See you in November . DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by clicking here Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com Click here to connect

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