USCJ Secession

Over the past two weeks I have been involved with trying to voice out against the synagogues in Toronto that have decided to secede from the organization that they were founded on. Here are the fundamentals of my argument in an article I wrote to the CJN:

I moved to Toronto in 2003, and since 2005 I have been going to Beth David Synagogue most weeks, I have walked to Beth David almost every week for a very long time because I believe in the future of USCJ. More than that, I believe in the future of USCJ in Canada. I got involved in Beth David for the youth program that was just regaining speed, and I found a community. I walked every week to help push youth led programming, in return I got role models and a chance to see the future I believe in. When meetings began last year and Beth David was talking about seceding from USCJ, my youth adviser assured me that the synagogue would listen to its youth and stay in the movement. This happened in my synagogue and I only wish Beth Emeth, Beth Tzedec and Adath Israel would be less arrogant and listen to their youth. Every single board member who voted to leave their parents movement was raised by the principles they are now choosing to leave. All they need to do is stop being arrogant for one moment and listen to their children as I am sure their parents listened to them. Their children will tell them that there are challenges staying in USCJ, but giving up on our founding organization is the coward’s way out.

I am young, but I am nowhere naïve enough to trust in the arrogance that these synagogues that have chosen to leave are preaching. You can’t just leave the movement that has created your beliefs and taught your children, and form a power grab in Canada in order to satisfy the desires and fears of the now. There are also a few things that apparently you can do. You apparently can leave the movement that every synagogue member signed up for with their dues without giving information to the membership before hand. You apparently can hold onto your synagogue’s dues for a year and prevent the youth of the synagogue from seeing their friends over winter break because they are not apart of the movement that they believe in. Apparently synagogues run by oligarchy, where a board is allowed to overstep their boundaries and vote for leaving the principles it was founded on. Apparently it is all about money. Apparently Jewish Ethics no longer teaches these synagogues to listen to their youth when for over a year the futures of these synagogues have been pleading with these synagogues to stay in the movement. If the youth of these arrogant shuls are taught that succession is possible, than what is to stop the youth program, the sisterhood, the junior congregation to secede from the synagogue? I am just trying to say that if secession is a step up, its going to hurt everyone for something not many reasonable people can see. If anyone wants to doubt the promise of USCJ reaching out to its members, than just look at the youth of Beth David synagogue. Just look to the potential that the instigators of the power grab in the leaving shuls are threatening to destroy over ownership of dues.

Dov Smiley

TO help voice your opinion, vote at the CJN poll about Canada leaving USCJ

The Clinton I've Seen

Hillary Clinton has proven what kind of politician she is. She is a politician who is willing to do whatever it takes to win an election. Months ago she was the candidate who chose to resort to negative ad campaignes. she then spent weeks blaming the media saying that they were treating her unfairly. Last Week SHE LIED TO THE WORLD. She made up an entire story just to appear stronger on foreign policies. Even when that didn't work Clinton chose to attack Obama ONE WEEK after he addressed racism, not as a political motivation but as an issue Americans together must face. And now that she has put herself into such a disastrous situation she told governor Richardson, an Obama supporter that Obama can't win. Her last hope was that the rest of the country was as competitive as her.

I want a President who earned the Presidency through conviction, not selling out their principles. Clinton has shown that she will do anything to try and get back in the lead, and that to me shows to much weakness to lead a country as diverse as the United States. The USA needs a leader like Obama who has had controversy but has not compromised who he is and what he stands for like his opponent. If Obama is not the candidate for the Democratic party, I am going back to Mac. I would rather a Conservative President rather than a lier and a shark any day of the year.

Double Standards enrages Morality

I have recently done a talk on the self appointed double standards within religion and in my research I had to revisit the double standards within our own medias and laws. I have come to the un-yielding conclusion that it is these double standards that cause our society to loose our educational decision making and hurt our moral fabric.

The most notable double standard in our society is the double standard the "Liberal" media presents about Israel. the only problem is that being an idiot has nothing to do with being a liberal. As JFK says:

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then ... we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal." [September 14, 1960]"

I find myself a liberal voice and anti-Zionism has nothing to do with being a liberal. Its just being ignorant. The double standard Israel receives shows that the liberal part of society that can bring about necessary change instead believes that it can be lazy.

This and other double standards are what hurt our world and hurt our worlds chance of being an educational environment instead of a crying match.

Olympic Boycott = TO LITTLE TO LATE

Recently, there has been talk about boycotting the Olympics this year because of China's oppressive nature against the Tibet people. There are only four words that can describe the real situation of all human rights advocates: TO LITTLE TO LATE.

The International Olympic Committee picked China over four years ago, THAT is when people should have protested the games, not four months before the games begin. It is basically sending a message to the world that the only time when people can fight oppression is when it is popular in the media. TO LITTLE TO LATE.

Olympic boycotts in the past were horrible, but planned at least two years before the games would begin. If any democratic country boycotts this year because of an infringement on human rights, all they are saying is that democratic countries only care about what is popular in the media. Let the athletes compete without political tension. The IOC is not ignoring the issue on human rights, it just took to long for the democratic countries to care and the only outcome of a boycott would be to embarrass human rights commissions by exposing their own procrastination. This type of irrational behavior shows that democratic leaders do not have the judgement to act properly in world issues. Fortunately that could change soon.

Recent Disputes

Please see my weekly opinions as presented in response to another shameful right wing blog:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2844475036767269637&postID=5163679315993534893&page=1

The American Dream has one hope

So Senator Bark Obama has proven that he can rally the American to a unified future, however the question of delegates looks to currently be against him. His biggest hope comes from an unlikely ally: John McCain.

According to most polls, Hillary Clinton would be less likely to defeat McCain while Obama has a slight lead over the war hero. The question is, do the Democratic delegates have enough faith in Clinton to be able to beat the likely Republican Candidate or will the Democrats join the voice of the new generation and see that only one man is the wave of the future.

Clinton is a fine politician, but the future of America needs someone who knows how to keep the country together, not divide the country because it will win an election. Obama does not just represent the ambition of young Democrats like Bobby and John Kennedy, but he promises to uphold the values that Washington himself pleaded his country to uphold. Obama is the United States hope to have a politician who is interested in public service and not self interest. In unity and not elitism. Obama is the American Dreams one hope.

Bush: Messenger Of Peace?

President Bush has vowed that before he leaves office he will find a peace resolution between Israel and the Palestinian territories. Paint me an optimist, but I disagree with all negative responses to Bush's dream. Most believe that this statement is to protect his legacy, but whats wrong with him trying to preserve his legacy if it could help bring a peace resolution to one of the most dangerous areas on the planet?

We can question the Presidents abilities and his reasons, but we cannot dispute the results that Bush promises. It might not work out, but I feel that all Americans hoping for a peace resolution should work with Bush instead of criticizing him for trying to do the right thing.