2007 June | Peoplehood.org

We will be pleased to be introducing Miri Ben-Ari to Jewish students in 3,500 classrooms across Jewish America. An Israeli with both particular and universal values, and a mean violin, she is a mainstream talent, whose work can be viewed here.

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President-elect Shimon Peres’s first major decision is to convene the much-awaited for World Jewish Forum, a gathering of 250 Jewish thinkers, business-people, and others, to rally the Jewish world around new initiatives that would rejuvenate our people. Much ground-work has been prepared under the radar while we were all waiting for Katzav to disappear. Look for initiatives that include: An international Jewish peace corps, major support for Jewish education, an exploration of Jewish genius and perhaps even an adoption initiative that would boost our numbers and help fulfill mission.

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Gezer, June 28- The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox continued their timely
hitting Thursday night in a 10-7 win over the Ra’anana Express thanks
in part to a grand slam off the bat of catcher Scott Jarmakowicz. The
grand slam was the Blue Sox’s third in as many nights, but it wasn’t
the only ball that left Gezer Field. Fan favorite Johnny Lopez went
2-3 with his fourth homerun of the year- a key 2-run shot that put the
game away.
The Ra’anana pitchers may have been unable to stop the Bet Shemesh
bats, but the Express had no problem putting forth some offense of
their own. Rightfielder Matt Castillo led off the game with a homerun
and Dominican Juan Ramirez also homered with a runner on base, but it
wasn’t enough to keep up with manager Ron Blomberg’s Sox, who are now
4-0 on the season. Read more

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Judaism is supposed to be about justice and personal responsibility. They are letting moshe katzav off the hook when they could have sent a clear and strong signal within Israeli society about how wrong it is to abuse power and women. Instead, the opposite signal was sent. It was shameful when 90 Knesset members couldn’t get their act together for impeachment; it is shameful that katzav gets a suspended sentence. Peoplehood and justice must be linked affirmatively.

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Gezer, June 26- It took a homerun derby at Yarkon Field for the
Rana’ana Express to earn the 1-0 victory over the Modi’in Miracle.
The game ended in a 4-3 homerun derby in favor of Rana’ana thanks to
the controversial bat of first baseman Scott Feller. Feller’s three
homers in the second round gave the Express the win, but the game is
under protest by the Miracle and will be reviewed by the
commissioner’s office for what Modi’in manager Art Shamsky believes
was an illegal bat. Read more

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Note the international make up of the league as an expression of Jewish Peoplehood:

Petach Tikvah, Israel June 25, 2007

This was one for the record-book.

The first professional baseball game in the history of Israel was played here in Petach Tikvah last night, as the visiting Modi’in Miracle bested the Petach Tikvah Pioneers 9-1, in the opening game of the Israel Baseball League’s (”IBL”) “Inaugural Season”. The game’s managers were Art Shamsky for Mod’in and Ken Holtzman for Petach Tikvah.

An unexpectedly large crowd of 3,112 (”a new IBL record”, as one press box wag put it) more than filled the temporary bleachers and plastic lawn chairs surrounding a beautiful and well-lit field in the Yarkon sports complex. The atmoshpere was both ceremonial and heimesh. With all six League teams and assorted dignitaries on the field for opening ceremonies, Hatikvah was sung touchingly on the mound and in the stands, and the game began exactly as scheduled at six in the evening. The kosher barbecue stand was mobbed; youngsters hawked program books, tee-shirts, and water; Players whose teams were not on the field ambled throughout the complex, happily signing autographs for fresh-faced kids and not a few middle-aged folk. Overall, the atmosphere was reminiscent of some combination of an American minor league game and country fair, overlaid with a heavy press and television presence

In a concession to concerns about the attention-span of Israeli fans, the game was played over seven innings

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http://entimg.msn.com/i/ExperienceData/p1-7/en-us/x.htm?sh=LiveEarth&g=53c5e496-cb24-4d9c-8993-4dc6340def3a

On 07/07/07 concerts on all seven continents to promote climate change initiatives will be taking place. Rumor has it my two oldest girls and me may be attending the UK event. (all pre-paid for shabbat observance)

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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1182409621873&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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From Richard Dale’s Venture Cycling blog, co-starring Susan Silverman.

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Dear Peoplehooders, I have tried not to have too much personal information on this blog, but every once in a while the intersection of personal and ideological comes together and is hard to avoid. Today, Aliza, our 14 year old, graduated from Boston’s Jewish Community Day School with her friends in eighth grade. It was a beautiful and touching and funny graduation, with all the trademark warmth, bi-lingualism and Peoplehood values shining through. As you know, we’ve spent the past ten months on Kibbutz Ketura in the southern desert of Israel. In that time, four of Aliza’s classmates came to visit, which always made her happy but also increased her longing for her chevre in Boston. The gift and anti-gift that we have given our children is that they are not exactly home in the Arava yet, and they are not exactly home, or with a home, in Newton, yet both places have magic and a lot in common. Experiencing the commonalities of places seemingly so different and so remote is a Peoplehood experience. We are very proud of all the kids and tonight especially of Aliza, who had to sacrifice the most this year. It was good to have her reunited with her chevre for nearly a month, yet making the goodbye even more bittersweet, as the class now breaks up to go to different high schools. Living in Israel one has a greater sense of the mobility of our people, of the great distances people have come for a dream–not always a Zionist dream–but, nevertheless, with a dream or two. Living between two worlds, or perhaps in two worlds, is part of the global nature of 21st century jewish life.

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