The Emanuel Brothers Talk to Charlie Rose

By Benjamin Schuman-Stoler

If you’re wondering which brother is which, just check out the suits:

The one with the power pinstripes has to deal with Capitol Hill, that’s Barack Obama’s White House Chief of
Staff Rahm.

The puke colored tie gives away the eldest brother Ezekiel, who is a doctor and thus owns no nice ties. Actually, he’s a world renowned oncologist who wrote a book that purports to solve our health care crisis.

And, lastly, the brother with the simplest, bluest suit is the Hollywood agent Ari. If you’ve seen HBO’s show Entourage, Ari is the inspiration for Jeremy Piven’s character, aptly named Ari Gold.

(HT: Jewssip)

One View of Obama From The Muslim World

By Benjamin Schuman-Stoler

Over at the Islam’s Advance blog, writer Wajahat Ali has a post about how Barack Obama and the various foreign policy decisions he will inherit from the current administration are viewed across the Muslim world. Although the post goes into the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the situation in Pakistan, we’re focused on what he says about Israel.

Ali says that even though American Muslims came out and voted for Obama in record numbers, the feeling abroad is a touch less enthusiastic.

Overseas, however, Muslims are treating Obama with considerable skepticism born from a fear that once in office, he will be overwhelmed by imperial desire and will perpetuate the rhetoric of the “War on Terror.”

Much of this consternation comes from Obama’s appointment of Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff. Some see this as confirmation that Obama will not change American policy when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at least.

The “ultimate litmus test,” according to Ali, will be how much pressure Obama places on Israel to remove settlements.

As historian and writer Will Dalrymple told me, “At the heart of U.S. problems with the Muslim world lies America’s complacent attitudes to Israel’s continuing colonization and balkanization of the West Bank.”

The Forward 50: 2008 Jews of the Year

By Jeremy Gillick

The Forward has published its annual list of America’s 50 most important Jews: the Forward 50.

Winners include Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s newly appointed Chief of Staff, about whom you can read here.

There’s also Morris Allen, a Conservative Rabbi from Minnesota who helped re-invent kashrut as a moral rather than merely legal imperative, just as Agriprocessors, America’s largest kosher meat producer, sunk deeper and deeper into sin, exploitation and eventually, bankruptcy.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, founder of the new, liberal Jewish, Israel lobby group J-Street, is at the top of the list too. Although this choice is perhaps more a reflection of the Forward‘s editorial stance than of Ben-Ami’s success, the creation of a viable alternative to AIPAC is, at the very least, a major symbolic accomplishment. And it could become much more than that. Here’s what Moment columnist Eric Alterman had to say about J-Street back in July.

Obama Roasts Emanuel to a Tender Medium Rare

By Benjamin Schuman-Stoler

The jokes are good, but let’s hope Obama’s plan for solving the fiscal crisis is better than his comic timing.

This Week’s Links: Yiddishe Edition

By Benjamin Schuman-Stoler

• NPR reported on Yiddish and Klezmer in Russia today. Judging by the above video, I’d say it’s doing just fine. Still corny as ever.
• Thanks to Heeb for pointing out Rahmfacts.com. Spend some time at the site and learn such brilliant nuggets of dubious knowledge as, “Even Rahm Emanuel’s mother calls him ‘Rahmbo.'”
• The New Yorker spoke with Emanuel’s rabbi. A good jew, this guy is. Oh, and their cartoon caricature of him is positively creepy. [via Nextbook]
• Two new news items re. Iran. First, they tested a missile purportedly for defense uses which has capability to reach Israel. Second, now that there’s an administration willing to talk to them (eventually), they’re getting skittish. [Washington Post]
• A mainstream Greek newspaper ran this headline after Obama’s victory last week: “The anticipated victory of Obama in the US elections signals the end of Jewish domination. Everything changes in the USA and we hope that it will be more democratic and humane.” What?! [Totally Jewish]
• I’ll bet you my complete James Bond DVD box set you didn’t know that on this date in 1791 King Louis XVI signed a proclamation giving Jews full rights. Check out the blog This Day … in Jewish History for nonstop party fun!
• Not sure if you care, but…Adam Sandler had another baby. A baby girl. Awwwwwwwwwww. [Jewtastic]
• Ew: I mean, I know that Andy Warhol peed on his canvasses, but this is worse. It’s called placenta art and involves, you guessed it, using one’s placenta as paintbrush. Srsly? [Ha’aretz]

Is Rahm Emanuel the Jewish LBJ?

Who is Rahm Emanuel (Barack Obama’s new Chief of Staff)?

For starters, he’s Jewish. He, his wife Amy, and their three children attend the Anshei Sholom B’nei Israel modern Orthodox Synagogue in Chicago. His father, Benjamin Emanuel, was born in Jerusalem and was active in the Irgun, a radical Zionist group. Rahm himself holds strong views on Israel.

Here’s an excerpt from Moment’s 2007 piece by Richard Dunham on Emanuel:

“He’s a profane bundle of contradictions: a former dancer with the political instincts of Tony Soprano, a political junkie who genuinely regrets time away from his wife (who converted to Judaism) and beloved children, and a devoutly religious street brawler who can trade expletives with the best of them, including his rabbi. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato has dubbed Emanuel the Jewish LBJ.’”

Click here for the full story.

—Jeremy Gillick