Israel News In North Chicago
Last week I was doing business in the north suburbs of Chicago in a city famous for its large Jewish population. In 1 hour I counted over 30 yarmulkes (you know those little Jewish hats). That would be a little less than the number of beards and hijabs you’d see in the south suburbs.
During my lunch hour I walked over to a local grocery store and found a Chinese restaurant inside, absolutely genius because I love Chinese food. Even though I went to the grocery store in hopes of getting a fresh sandwich, I decided to order Chinese, how could I resist?
While I waited for my orange chicken to come out I passed the time by counting Rabbi’s, they swarmed the place, in like 5 mins I counted 7 or 8. I found a sign on the counter of the Chinese restaurant assuring me my food was kosher and next to that I saw a modestly assembled local newspaper called “Israel News”. It peaked my interest so as they handed me my food a grabbed a copy.
This thing is great, I cant stop reading it. Let me give you a sample…
Headlines
- IDF Chief of Staff: “Only a Strong Military Can Bring About Peace, We are a people that understands that our freedom still costs blood”. Ironic, no?
- Palestinians Disavow ‘Right of Return’, ‘Our leaders exploit us to gain concessions from Israel,’ Palestinians tell Ynetnews. An article in which young Palestinian adolescents are interviewed and quoted as saying,
“We want to have an independent Palestinian state, but a lot of refugees will prefer to live in the West if they got that opportunity. Actually all of the second generation Palestinians born in Lebanese refugee camps dont think about returning to Palestine or living there permanently…from a religious point of view, we have the right to choose what we want if that will make our life better, including living outside of Palestine”
-Iran Making Nuclear Fuel in Underground Plant and Gates Says Washington to Sell Smart Bombs to Saudi Arabia Translation= Write your congressman.
Some advertisements
-Religious Zionists of Chicago or the RZC as they are affectionately known.
Jokes!
-How Israel Got Her Neighbors
God turned to the Angels and Said: “I am going to create a land called Israel. It will be a land of mountains full of snow, sparkling lakes, forests with all kinds of trees, sandy beaches and wonderful sea life. I shall make the land rich and the people there wealthy. The people shall be called Israelis and all the people on earth will know of them”. “But Lord,” the Angels said, “dont you think you are being too generous to these Israelis”. “Not really” God said, “just wait till you see the neighbors I’m going to give them”.
The racism warms my heart!
But if there is anything I really cherish its the 59th Independence Day Stats on the front page. Tell me if any of the following stats strikes you as peculiar information to celebrate.
Israel’s current population- 7,150,000. Increased by 121,000 over the past year.
Jewish Pop- 76%
Arabs and Druze-20%
148,000 Babies born. Up 2.7%
18,400 Jewish immigrants arrived
Moslem Births dropped by 5%
119,700 on kibbutzim (settlements in occupied territories)
Hmmmm.
Join the Conversation
I thought it was on the rise, hence the Jews going nuts over Eeerabs taking over Israel by out breeding them. Hmmm…
I don’t think they’ve been rising lately, but muslim birth rates have consistently been about double that of jews, christian, and druze arabs.
I will not – for even a second – defend the Israel News, but come on! You want to fight racism with racism? You watched “rabbis” walk by as you waited for your kosher food? Please (wo)man! If you don’t like the area’s politics or religion, in this country, you can leave. By simply buying the food from that Kosher establishment you supported those folks whom you defame in your post. You don’t know if those “rabbis” were rabbis or even right wing politically. Your post is just as bad as what you are trying to point out as horrible offence to Arabs and Palestinians.
If we really want to be even, let look at all the Arab and Muslim press outlets that describe Jews as pigs and apes. They aren’t just in the Arab world; they are in South Chicago and Detroit and Oakland and New York.
Looks like you don’t know what is a Kibutz… Some Israeli surely has to make a post about them… here is a glimpse:
What are you talking about Peter? Clearly, he doesn’t mind Jews because he didn’t mind doing business in the NOrth suburbs and was just commenting on how Jewish the neighborhood was. Is that racist? It’s the same as simply commenting on how Fairfax in Los Angeles is a very Jewish neighborhoood where you’ll find a lot of yarmulkes and stuff. That’s not racist. At all. N
I never knew the word “rabbi” was a racial slur. Enlighten me Peter.
Please tell me one thing that pointed to any anti-Semitism in DB’s post.
And please point to ARab news outlets that call Jews pigs and apes in those cities you mentioned. I really don’t think there are many Arabs in Oakland or south Chicago for that matter.
Yeah, kibbutzim aren’t the same as settlements. They’re mostly in the Negev, which is land the Palesitnians dont want anymore anyway.
I always forget that one can mean by “the occupied territories” all of Israel + Palestine …
I don’t think DB’s intention was racist at all, but it does sound funny. It can be degrading and reductive in a hahaha look at what they’re wearing way, even if it’s not saying OMG i hate these people it’s somewhat disrespectful to be inaccurate. Like if you went to koreatown and said you were counting ninjas or something like that.
I will tell you straight out I refuse to be the P.C. police. I dont police my own cynicism or those of others. I make it very clear in my writing that I explore funny stereotypes in all cultures including my own.
Peter, counting rabbis is simply that, just counting for my own entertainment. I dont care what their political views are nor did I suggest anything about them in my post. I simply chose to describe the enviornment that I observed in order to provide a context for my story. nothing personal buddy but i just dont like the racist finger pointing.
Everyone gets so sensitive about the words that natural describe others, Black, Jew, Mexican, White guy etc. Some how these words become slurs. I will admit that I intentionally challenge that way of thinking by using those titles with no apologies.
Also I apologize for my misuse of the word kibbutzim, I even researched it and thought i understood the meaning. No harm no foul.
If you don’t want to be “PC” that’s fine, I’m hardly the most sensitive person in the world, but you have to accept with that that you’re going to be pissing people off from time to time when you’re speaking to an audience that don’t know you or your sense of humour. You didn’t say a racial slur you used an inaccurate term which even if it wasn;t negative, I could see why it would get on people’s nerves.
Japanese are ninjas, not Koreans.
I don;t think DB Showbray was being racist at all. Just descriptive.
And living in Chicago, when I see any Arab media call Jews “pigs” and “apes,” I would speak out against that as do many Arabs that I know. The fact is I haven’t seen that except in rightwing Israeli web sites like “JihadWatch” and MEMRI which selects the ugliest in Arab society to translate and ignores all the positive
People should write on this web site what they feel. The fact that we are together sharing our views (not just Arabs/Palestinians and Israelis/Jews, but also Arab Muslims and Arab Christians) is the achievement.
We don’t have to accept each other’s narratives, just respect that we share one vision for the future of peace, justice, principle and tolerance. Tolerance means we read, listen and try to understand what others are saying. It’s not easy to do but we learn far more than just being angry
I go up north and eat at a Moroccan Jewish restaurant all the time … just as I spend loads of time eating at my favorite Arab restaurants in Chicago. But th efact is, I am a great cook and make Maftoul, stuffed grapeleaves and tabouli all the time. (In fact, I have a video on how to make tabouli online at http://www.ArabAmericanTVOnline.com which is one of the most popular of about 60 online videos I have produced.)
I say FREE THE FOOD FIRST, AND THEREBY FREE THE PEOPLE
Ray Hanania
http://www.hanania.com
Part of my first post was anger and I read that very differently that I suppose others did. I am sorry for that.
I have seen the Arab papers in the same way I have seen the hateful Jewish papers. In NYC there is The Jewish Press, which is full of such garbage and I for one can’t stand that “Jewish” is associated with such filth.
That said, I do believe there is a big difference between looking around and counting the rabbis as they pass and being descriptive of the surroundings.
My apologies for my rushed response.
Japanese are ninjas, not Koreans.
you might be onto something there, like my point.
You know the world would be a better place if we would except that all stereotypes are true.
I didn’t say that all Japanese people weren’t secretly ninjas
Actually I am a ninja…
Duh you’re Jewish.