This is not the Time
Published September 8, 2010
Anyone see the cover of this week’s Time magazine? It depicts a Jewish star made out of daisies, with a headline that reads: “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace.” Suffice it to say, many Jews are angry, including a Creve Coeur couple who address this matter in a “Letter to the Editor” on Page 10A.
The article, written by Karl Vick, suggests that Israelis have become indifferent to peace at home, basking instead in the country’s prosperity. It cites a March poll in which just 8 percent of Israeli Jews cited the conflict with Palestine as “the most urgent problem” facing Israel, putting it fifth behind education, crime, national security and poverty.
At www.time.com, hundreds of readers have commented on the article, with most pointing to an anti-Israel/Jewish bias, selective interviewing and a failure to understand that learning to live with 60 years of war, terrorism and thwarted peace efforts can become thumping background noise to which some grow immune.
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After reading the story, it seems an integral side wasn’t told. But it also makes sense that wanting to make a good living, educate your kids and enjoy the good life, can be a priority – isn’t it that way for most of us? Nothing I read in the article suggests that Israelis don’t care about peace.
No question that what is most irksome about the Time article is the cover headline. Provocation is one thing. Sensationalism is another.
When did using a cell phone become a sin?
An outfit called “Offlining” has launched a campaign calling for Yom Kippur, Sept. 18, be a “No-Device Day” for people of all faiths. Offlining began on Father’s Day with a “guilt-tripping, in-your-face campaign” that urged dads to turn off their mobile devices so they could spend quality time with their families.
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Now the marketing geniuses behind www.offlininginc.com are using Tiger Woods, Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson as poster children for the consequences that come from relying on tech devices. The Tiger Woods ad/e-card, for example, shows the face of the pro-golfer with text that reads: “You don’t have to be Jewish… to atone for your texts on Yom Kippur.” The Mel Gibson card shows his face with the caption, “You don’t have to be Jewish to give up drunk dialing for Yom Kippur.”
Offlining creators Mark DiMassimo and Eric Yaverbaum sent an email noting that Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays, calls for atonement. “When it comes to overuse, misuse and abuse of our devices, most of us have some atoning to do. What better time than the Jewish holidays for all of us to follow the example of contemplation and reconnecting with the important things?” says Yaverbaum.
The Yom Kippur e-cards are free to send, but then who would want to? Commercializing the holiest of Jewish days, then foisting it on others, seems blatantly disrespectful, not to mention a diluting effect on the holiday itself. Better to consult Oprah and take her “No Phone Zone” pledge instead.