Israeli judge unfamiliar with word "shmooze"

The article the heading links to is about Olmert and the case in question is newsworthy enough in itself. There just seemed to me to be something chilling about this secular, shaven-headed Israeli judge saying the following words:

Turning to Korb, he added, “Tell me one fact that she knows. I have learned one thing from her testimony, the word ‘schmooze.’”

Could his honour really have been so isolated from the Jewish hoi-poloi his entire life as to have never heard the word "schmooze" before?

Christian Aid made bogus Israel sex abuse claim

From the Jewish Chronicle



Christian Aid has apologised “unreservedly” for falsely claiming that Israeli settlers had sexually abused Palestinian children in Hebron.

The allegations came after Miranda Pinch, a social worker from Winchester, had travelled to the West Bank town in January to “monitor human rights abuses” as part of an accompaniment programme part-funded by the charity. The 59-year-old returned from the trip and reported to Christian Aid that a Palestinian headmistress had made allegations of verbal abuse. [So we're talking of second-hand allegations of verbal abuse.]

But when promoting Ms Pinch’s trip, Christian Aid said the headmistress had alleged that “some of the children had been sexually abused on their way home” by Israeli settlers.

Asked how the charity had come to make such an extreme and false claim, Ms Pinch said the organisation had apparently “lost their notes” and that she had clearly explained that she was talking only of verbal abuse.

Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, attacked Christian Aid, saying the claims were part of a trend of demonising Israel.

“This is not an isolated incident but part of a series of events. Christian Aid has allowed itself to be used as a channel for some very crude anti-Israel propaganda.

“When it happens more than once then there is something more fundamental that Christian Aid needs to sort out. Almost any claim is now believed or promoted by NGOs without anybody checking the details.

“It’s in the culture at Christian Aid and they need an intense house-cleaning to end it. It’s an escalating and worrying situation.”

In a statement, Christian Aid admitted it should have described the alleged incidents as having involved “verbal sexual harassment”.

“We unreservedly apologise for misreporting an interview with Miranda Pinch, an English social worker who travelled to the West Bank with ecumenical accompaniers whom we support.

“Verbal sexual harassment is clearly different from sexual abuse and we apologise for the inaccurate representation of what Ms Pinch said.”

In the late seventies my father's advertising agency (proudly named Cohen and Company), was hired by Christian Aid, and the memory of that period has pleasant associations for us. My Dad came up with some great double-entendre slogans for their African campaign, like "The real share issue" (very topical at the time), "More power to their... elbow", and "Flour power".

It's sad to see them politicized.

Queen sports Star of David brooch

In the well choreographed world in which Her Majesty lives and works, wearing a brooch that looks conspicuously like a Star of David (or a Jude patch in diamonds) when welcoming her new Prime Minister, cannot be inadvertent. What might it mean?

I've always been curious about her attitude to Israel. Though speculation is rife about why she's never visited, I'm inclined to think that's more due to the Foreign Office. I believe that in her own English way she's a friend both of the Jews and of Israel, and that her warmth when she awarded Israel's president Shimon Peres recently, was palpable and genuine.

Could the brooch be a subtle warning to Cameron to keep Clegg's hands off Israel?

Unlikely I suppose, but isn't it odd?

Triple crown meets Shmuley's "triple two"

In Shmuley Boteach's laters JP article he describes meeting the pope and in a few well-chosen sound bytes suggesting they collaborate on "Turning Friday Night into Family Night with two hours of uninterrupted time that parents give their kids, inviting two guests, and discussing two important subjects." Of course it's an oversimplification, but what a good place to start!

The interesting image is from the courtyard of the Hotel de Sully in Paris, though I have no idea where they got it from, or how old it might be. I Photoshopped two partial images together to get this complete view.