Comments on: Judah’s Avatar

By: Old Rockin' Dave

Old Rockin' Dave — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:26:46 +0000

First, a little correction: The Temple never was on Mt. Zion, but Mount Moriah.
Second, the only distinction between Palestinian “extremists” and Palestinian “moderates” seems to be that the extremists have vowed to throw the Jews into the sea and the moderates would probably settle for throwing us into a large lake. Their documents and speeches make no references to providing lifejackets. It might be instructive to look at the various connections between the Palestinians and the Nazis in the 1930s and ’40s.
Third, you can read anything you want to into “Avatar”. It is so derivative of so many movies and stories that you can find parallels to any liberation movement, anticolonial struggle or cultural clash that you like.
Remember,though, that the Maccabees kicked out an army that was derived from the mightiest war machine of its era, one that strove to commit what in modern times is known as genocide. There is something to celebrate in that.

By: LD/Cliff

LD/Cliff — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:05:49 +0000

I saw this movie as an anti-colonial struggle. So the blue smurfs are definitely Palestinian.

You could not have a Jewish State without getting rid of all those Arabs. That’s why there was en ethnic cleansing. That’s why it began before the declaration of Israeli Statehood.

All this religious nonsense aside, it’s funny hearing Zionists claim they are descendants of the ancient Whatevers as then justifying their theft of Historic Palestine with that propaganda.

By: imp

imp — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:36:54 +0000

If my culture revered a man who was willing to kill his son because a voice in his head told him to . . . I would get another culture.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:55:57 +0000

To elrig: Are you speaking for the Palestinans? Read the Hamas covenant and see what their aims are. They don’t try to hide it.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:45:47 +0000

>However if you insist on taking the remaining 22% (and that’s what you’re doing in the IDF), they and the world might one day insist on sending you back to England. Other than that, I don’t see farmers in Hebron, teachers in Gaza, or webmasters in Ramallah interested in wiping you out from the face of the world.<

So that’s why they promised to eliminate us in ’48 and ’67 and cold-bloodedly murdered dozens of anti-Zionist yeshiva folks in ’29?

By: Elrig

Elrig — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:25:14 +0000

To Jonathan Ross. You say: “Those who don’t believe in my right to live here don’t want me back in England they want me and mine gone from this world.”
Actually, you’re wrong (if you actually believe that propaganda piece). Those who don’t believe in your right to live on the East side of the Green Line, wouldn’t mind you going back to England at all. But they’ve pretty much accepted that 78% of their land has been conquered by your parents. However if you insist on taking the remaining 22% (and that’s what you’re doing in the IDF), they and the world might one day insist on sending you back to England. Other than that, I don’t see farmers in Hebron, teachers in Gaza, or webmasters in Ramallah interested in wiping you out from the face of the world.
If Tarentino wrote the Hanukah story, it would be an antiSemitic story. In my book you don’t get to pick and choose. Humans are humans. Semites are humans. And yes my friend, Arabs just the same as Jews.
Welcome to the 21st Century.

By: Ginny G.

Ginny G. — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:17:20 +0000

So Hana…what IS the difference between uninterested and disinterested?!

By: Linda dukes

Linda dukes — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:52:51 +0000

Enjoy:)

By: hana blume

hana blume — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:54:55 +0000

So Andrew Marantz was “disinterested” in the story of the Jews? Or was he uninterested? And why is someone who doesn’t even know the difference between those words worth reading? Not to mention someone who couldn’t find anything profound in all the books of the Hebrew scriptures, but who managed to find and read extensively the Apocryphal tale that gave him indigestion (or “dyspepsia,” as he would have it).
And I thought TABLET was going to be a literate and thoughtful venue. Sigh.

By: Sergio Wax

Sergio Wax — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:20:23 +0000

As far as I know, the Maccabees 1 and 2, are not in our Bible. This means something. The Rabbis did not like the Hasmoneans. They stopped with Hanukkah and did not tell the rest… quite rightly so.
We can keep Hannukah as a symbol. Our Temple, the one that lives in our conscience, has to be revisited and purified. Let us light the candles.

By: Paul Palnik

Paul Palnik — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:16:58 +0000

What Israel needs now, to go along with our saints, sages, scholars, prophets, poets, artists and doves is a big, beautiful bunch of Rambo Jews. You want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth do you ? Let me introduce you to Zahal and our boys in the sky.

By: charlie salem

charlie salem — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:28:26 +0000

Good piece but my sympathies lie with the views of Mr Ross. As for Tarantino i would have liked to explore the Jewish notion of revenge.After all Laurence Bender, his producer is said to have seen Tarantino’s movie as a source of jurtified vengance on behalf of those who were slain.
I don’t know if that’s right or not – all i know is that the Gemmara is much clearer on this any any Rabbi I have asked on the subject.Hope Mr Cameron and his team gets all the credit and praise and cash they hope for..and more.
Well done Tablet, Avatar and a good 2010 from me – Charlie trapped in snow encased London!!!

By: Hillary

Hillary — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:24:56 +0000

Oy, please don’t ask Tarantino to do us any more favors.

As another Israeli, I am happy you recognized the story of our people in a unique place. We have a great story of survival. You should write about it one day.

By: Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Andrew congrats on rediscovering the less PC side of your identity.

I live in Israel, I have served for 15 years as an infantry combat medic reservist in the IDF not because of any great love of Mars, war or feelings of extremism but simply because as a Jew who chose to move to Israel I believe this is my homeland and there are many who do not.

Those who don’t believe in my right to live here don’t want me back in England they want me and mine gone from this world.

The temple has never been the point to most Israelis its simply a symbol, a symbol of our right to choose who, what and how we practise religion if at all.

Beyond the right to our own country and simply to exist these are the fundamentals we and the Maccabees fought for. Maybe we should ask Tarantino to do the Hannuka story for u not James Cameron.