I’ve raised quite a big stink among conservative Jewish and Israeli bloggers (and some who swear, ahem, that they’re LIBERAL) about the right-wing imbalance in the JIB Award competition. I feel a bit like a reverse Sally Field at the Academy Awards: “Oh, you hate me; you really hate me!” Really it was hate at first site for many of the hellions sent Tikun Olam’s way by Little Green Footballs and Israelly Cool over the past few days.
In the midst of the criticisms in my three earlier posts about the JIB Award, I’ve raised some points for its sponsors to consider in making it more representative (if they really wanted it to be–a position they’ve never embraced). All of which were summarily dismissed by Aussie Dave because I said things about the JIB Awards he didn’t like. Too bad.
I thought I’d add another unrequested two cents into this debate by suggesting progressive Jewish and Israeli blogs ignored in this year’s competition. If JIB Awards does want to represent the entire Jewish blogging world, it would do well to notify these blogs of the contest and allow them to compete should they wish.
Here are some of the best progressive Jewish blogs on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
Lawrence of Cyberia
Head Heeb
Pro-Semitism
Cal Tzedek
Israelblog.org
One Voice
SJ’s Blog
Ariga.com
Dennis Fox’s Weblog
Angry White Kid
Letter from Israel
If these blogs were nominated for competition next year and Aussie Dave did not disqualify any of them, only then would I concede that the competition was not hopelessly unbalanced. But I bet some of them wouldn’t pass Dave’s Israel advocacy smell test. You see not all of them are Zionist (some are, some aren’t) and their “raison d’etre” is not to advocate on Israel’s behalf (that would be one of Dave’s missions for the JIB Awards) but to discuss the Israeli Palestinian conflict without regard to propagandizing for one side or the other.
I hope some of the supporters of LGF & Israelly Cool who trickle in to read this post (these two sites have sent me most of the huge influx, for my blog, of 4,000 visitors who’ve come here in the past three days) and who have not been totally brainwashed in the Arab hate represented there and who pride themselves on having open minds might review these blogs. But if you worship at the shrine of Charles, you’ll be SHOCKED, I say SHOCKED at the ideas represented here. You’ll want to shun them like the plague.
I see you have HALF correctd the ‘lens’ of left of center to PROGRESSIVE from liberal which are two very different things.
Actually Cyberia is interesting but comments are missing, a necesary ingredient (as long they don’t run to 100’s) for an award IMHO (though it seems in my experience people would rather email than take it all up publicly)
but….Angry White Kid …
That’s even left of progressive ..it’s into the area of discredited philosophy which has already failed in pratice..somewhere between Leon and Felix. Sorry but burning SUV’s at a car dealership (eco-defense) is ipso facto- terrorism.
Semitism is first rate informative. Now if there was only an MLK in the west bank, it would be over. But there isn’t.
One Voice is also a very good read, but doesn’t post enough for an award.
Work arrives…..
Another comment that I think got lost in a lot of the very heated discussion of Zionism etc is that the awards needed by re-named – which I think is a major cause of the tension.
They need to replace the word “and” with something else (not sure what). Blogs that weren’t Jewish were included. From the description of the criteria, a blog about Diaspora Jewish life with no consideration of Israel would be excluded…
I know a number of American Jews who feel strongly about their faith – but don’t feel a strong connection to the State of Israel one way or another…
Here is a quote from SJ’s:
“in the case of its former editor Brett Stephens, the hard right”
The hard right is Meir Kahane, not Bret Stephens. This blogger is simply not trustworthy. As someone noted above, a bunch of these blogs don’t allow comments. The ones that do have very few comments. Almost all the center-to-right blogs that were nominated have a ton more comments and (presumable) readership. the problem is not with the JIBA contest. The problem is with the absence of decent, interesting, believeable left-wing Jewish blogs.
Since you haven’t provided a link allowing anyone to judge Stephens (nor a link to your quotation fr. SJ’s blog) & I’ve never heard of him, I have no idea whether you’re right or wrong & I’m not willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Meir Kahane is the hardest of the hard right. But LGF isn’t much farther behind. And many of the blogs nominated in the political categories are equally repulsive in the hate they spew or encourage.
You’re being absurd. You don’t judge the value, accuracy or integrity of a blog based on whether or not it allows comments. I believe there should be comments in blogs. It’s one of the things that distinguishes blogs from other media. I’ve even said this to some bloggers whose blogs I enjoy but who have no comments. But whether you allow comments or not has no bearing on your worth. All it proves is that some bloggers don’t enjoy dealing with the type of hate I’ve received from would be commenters here (& which I’ve chosen not to publish). Why should anyone have a comments section if a right-wing commenter, for example, is going to suggest (jocularly of course) that you kill yourself? I can’t blame anyone for not wanting personal abuse like that.
You don’t judge the quality of a blog based on popularity (well, YOU do but I don’t). The old TV show JR was popular. Did that make it art? Sure LGF is popular. But that just means there are 100,000 red-neck Jews and sympathizers who enjoy pointing to every nasty, bad thing any Arab has ever done. Besides, that what does it prove? Does it prove that he has any useful ideas that will actually advance the peace process or enable Israel to attain real peace with its enemies (as opposed to maintaining a bloody status quo)?
One should base judgements about blogs on the quality of the writing and the cogency of analysis. I’m not here to defend or explain to you anything about individual blogs mentioned here. But I do note that you reference a single blog of all the ones I listed. Was it the first one you found that contained something objectionable or did you really bother to read anything in them?
The ‘problem’ is NOT with progressive blogs. The problem is with those on the right like you who will never find a blog to their left that is “decent, interesting or believable.” A reflection on you & NOT the blogs themselves.
The old TV show was called Dallas. JR was merely one of the characters in it. *sigh*
Shame on you, CK! Have some respect for the elderly!
CK: Thanks for the correction. But I see you couldn’t control that snark addiction.
As for the insipid Gib, our Jewish tradition bestows great honor and respect on the elderly–or have you forgotten? And it makes no distinction between wild-eyed radical Jewish elderly or any other kind.
Correcting factual errors is how you define snark?? Oh no wonder we don’t get along. So sorry. I’ll be off and on my merry way now. By the way, the elderly do not automatically deserve our respect according to Judaism. We do have some standards you know.
Elderly? I thought Richard was under 50. Not gonna bother arguing with the rest of what was posted here – I have more important things to do with my time.
Richard,
Bret Stephens is a very well know person. He was editor of the Jerusalem Post and worked for the Wall Street Journal previously. If you are interested, all you need to do is open up another browser and google for him. My point about comments (albeit unclear) is that it is impossible to know how widely a blog is read without either a hit counter or comments. We see that the right-wing blogs are very well read so we understand whey they are nominated and recieving votes. Who should vote for a bog with 5 comments (and maybe a 1000 hits) in the last two weeks?
Thanks for the nod, Richard, and I applaud your engagement of this topic. However, in the interest of openness, I should note that I’m not Jewish, just a plain old formerly-Christian white boy.
CK: No, if you’ll recall, I replied to you: “Thanks for the correction.” I meant that.
This is what I interpreted as snark:
If it wasn’t I stand corrected & apologize. I think Gib interpreted that as a dig as well though I certainly wouldn’t rely on his interpretation of anything being the last word on the subject.
Of course I don’t define correcting mistakes as snark. I welcome corrections. I freely admit to making mistakes though I take great pains not to.
I don’t know all the personalities on the right, but I know of a lot of them & he never hit my radar screen. If you want to provide a link to something you like that he’s written I’d take a look at it. I do so much googling & online research for my blog posts that I’m not eager to start new searches for this fellow.
Lawrence of Cyberia (see link in above post) has no comments. I don’t know whether 100 or 1,000,000 people read it. But I read her posts and I know there is a serious mind at work which agonizes over the Mideast conflict and feels the suffering of those involved. The author is also a former British intelligence official & so one knows she has a serious mind. I don’t care whether she has a comment section or not. She’s good. You only have to read her to know that.
By the way, I’m almost certain she would NOT want to be in the JIBA competition (though I haven’t asked her). But if I was running a competition I’d do my best to see she was included because she and Head Heeb are perhaps the most articulate progressive blogs going on the I-P conflict.
Now, that being said, you’ll prob. hate her point of view. But I shouldn’t prejudge. If you’re interested take a look at see if you can sense what I do. If not, that’s OK at least you took a look.
Dan: Geez, if 50 is ‘elderly’ a lot of us are in a lot of trouble! Your guess about my age was just about right.
Scott: If Charley Johnson can get his LGF into the competiton there’s no reason a “plain old formerly-Christian white boy” shouldn’t be allowed too. Though I do think that Aussie Dave might have a problem with your lack of sufficient fervor for the Israeli cause or for yr ‘excessive’ fervor for the Palestinian cause.
But it sure would be interesting next year to test what the limits are & nominate you & these others. I’m guessing you might be thrown out on your tush, dear boy. But then again, maybe the JIBA overseers will surprise me and be more open-minded.
“I’m not eager to start new searches for this fellow.”
Richard,
You write a blog dealing with things Jewish and Israeli politics yet you never heard of a the recent editorin-chief of the biggest English language Israeli paper. You are not qualified to criticize the right because you have no clue about the right.
Michael: I’d say someone who’s so petulant that he refuses to provide a link to validate his argument isn’t worth bothering with. If you refuse to do so then you’re just grandstanding & trying to score points.