mentalblog.com comments:
anyone watched this?
Yes.
yes, just finished it. Interesting.
Why is it that i (as an orthodox, chasidic Jew) I find myself agreeing more with leon than with Rabbi Steintzaltz?
I agree. Leon makes the most impressive case. Shteinzaltz just rambles most of the time.
Is that the same Neil that was not going to ever read this blog?
no
Here is an interesting article about the rise of the "jewish law firms" of new your city.
Can the 'Jewish Law Firm' Success Story Be Duplicated?
http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/
PubA...d=1147165537698
thanks for the video,
for me as a hasidic observer, rabbi stiensalts is a huge disappointment, yes he is witty and filibusters the forum with his friendly rabbi'ish schmoozing, but it is Leon who commends the leadership of seriousness by abruptly cutting of rabbi stiensalts: "this is way too charming but lets get talking"
perhaps the reason rabbi stienslats, comes trough with so little substantive impression, although his entertaining soundbites rolls the audience in laughter, is that his English is not so eloquent as leon's who wins it on eloquence elegance and intelligence.
a.b. yahosuha steals the show with his conviction and passion, sadly he frames the argument of the night, onsetting the evening, that "American Judaism" is history, as Cynthia Ozik so honestly describes her sad painful life of duel loyalty, it comes tears to the poor women, being pushed in this gruesome corner by the bully a.b yehoshua and the proud American ted Koppel, and rabbi steinsalts agrees by throwing out an other cliche, that future American Judaism is by satmar hasidim and former reform rabbis children.
Leon is the only panelist who somehow disagreed with a. b. yahoshua that there is such a think of "American Judaism" by arguing that we must preserve some remnants of our heritage and sentiments, because despite being assimilated into Americans we are still a people. and a people never forget where we come from,
The best point that Rabbi Steinsaltz brings out in his disagreement with AB Yehoshua is that it was merely by luck, not zionistic wisdom, that the Jews in Palestine survived. For had Rommel not been stopped at AL-Alamain, the Jews of Palestine would have suffered the same fate as their brethren in Europe.
Cynthia Ozick: Seems to be a sincere concerned Jewish grandma; did not offend me in the least. (She did not pretend to be generating ideas; rather she was expressing a concern that every Jews feels today.)
Rabbi Adin Even Yisroel (Steinzatz): Annoyingly inane and stupidly giggly. Allowed A.B. Yehoshua to drag him into a boring and irrelevant droning session about Israel & Israelis.
Leon Wieseltier: Able and willing to be part of serious discussion, but found 'no real partner'.
A.B. Yehoshua: Took all my self-control not to put my fist through the monitor. What an *** ****! All I could think was "How can an enterprise built on this philosophy have any קיום ?"
Thanks for summary, Berl. I know Ozick and her well-intended academic fuzziness. I have seen Steinzaltz rambling on with his humourous evasions.
The topic sounds worthwhile but the possiblity of getting somewhere sounds low indeed.
Even-israel is a genius and great, indefatiguable leader of the Jewish people ... but he is a lousy public speaker. His thoughts are best read and savored like an aged wine.
I diagree, RS is a very good speaker.
I thought the dialogue was interesting and, for the most part - the exception being AB Yehoshua, honest. Even T. Koppel seems to have and "us vs. them" (yiddin vs. goyim)attitude - which was indeed refreshing to hear/see coming from a person who, at times, villified Jews and the existance of Israel.
Steinzaltz was funny, pure and simple - he could'nt get into deep discussions on judaism and it's future, because the people that were present were not educated enough for that - Leon was good - I like what he said, what he spoke about always coming back to the question/point of the panel mainly, where is judaism heading. All in all, no one offered a reply.
Thanks for postign it Tzemach.
Tzemach Atlas,
I watched it as well and am of the same opinion regarding Leon and Rabbi Steinsaltz. Leon had the command of the panel and Rabbi Steinsaltz did ramble, but I had to listen carefully to catch the subtleness of his remarks.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Rabbi Steinzaltz is still a member of Lubavitch despite it's freefall into very unjewish theology on top of the general problem with Lubavitch he has said nothing,loud enough, at least about the very deviant Meshichist movement.I want him to at least publicly come out against them before he gets any credibility to speak on Jewish matters.Clean up your own backyard first
yes, but you can't get a bigger anti-meshichist than steintzaltz.
the fact that he doesn't speak out against then has everything to do with his personality and nothing to do with his views.
TO me AB Yehoshua came across like he was complaining that Jews think they have a Jewish identity outside of Israel. Stamping his feet saying its not fair.
yossi jacobson's summary:
מערקווירדיק. פיר טויזנט יאָר נאָך אברהם אבינו און דער איד מוטשעט זיך נאָך צו באַגרייפן וואָסאַראַ באַשעפעניש ער איז.
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