mauricedharris

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Songs I Hope You'll Love (Vol. 1)

This is an experiment – I’m gonna try posting these periodically Hi ya’all. I know I haven’t posted much lately. I have a couple longer articles in the works, but for now here are two songs I’ve been listening to often, in search of shreds of hope for peace, and even beauty, for Palestinians and Israelis. The first is an Israeli song called Tov She’atah Kan (טוב שאתה כאן) by Ofra and Idan…

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Wherever Law Ends…

Wherever law ends, tyranny begins – John Locke, Second Treatise of Government Today is July 4th, 2024, anniversary of the birth of our democracy.  This past week, as the Supreme Court of this land handed down its verdict on Presidential immunity, I wondered whether we had all just witnessed the death of it. When people […] Wherever Law Ends…

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"But we're supposed to be righteous."

A scene from Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film, Munich, pierces the heart and resonates right now Excerpt from Tony Kushner and Eric Roth’s screenplay for Munich (2005) The context for the scene above is that a secret Israeli assassination team authorized by then Prime Minister Golda Meir has been finding and killing Palestinians that the Mossad claims were responsible for the planning of the Munich…

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Biden & Blinken are going for all the marbles (but first I share some personal stuff)

As the body count surges in Gaza, the US Administration is taking a chance at turning the war into a sudden catalyst for Oslo’s two-state solution and regional peace treaties First, I want to acknowledge that I have not posted anything here since the Hamas massacres of October 7. When it comes to personal writing on the horrible events of the past month, I have been tongue-tied. In my day job, I…

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Rosh Hashanah 5784 - Having Our Eyes Opened

Offered to String of Pearls congregation (Princeton, New Jersey, USA) Rosh Hashanah is, according to our tradition, the birthday of the world, the day that cosmic Creation happened. Now for the scientifically minded among us, the birthday of the universe is an idea that immediately invites questions, beginning with how you reckon what a day is according to the creation story found at the very…

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Liar, liar, liar

Netanyahu, Trump, and Musk – three peas in a pod (if the peas were all telling huge lies) I 100% agree with the Jewish Council on Public Affairs’ (JCPA) statement today on recent public comments by the three men mentioned above. Here’s their statement: JCPA STATEMENT ON NETANYAHU AND TRUMP COMMENTS For Immediate Release: September 18, 2023 NEW YORK – Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO Amy…

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We need a Plan B in case Plan A doesn't work

The J6 indictments improve the odds of Biden’s re-election, but by now we must learn to always plan for the worst. I am, like many of you, overcome with welcome emotions in response to Jack Smith’s announcement of the four serious indictments against Trump and his efforts to overthrow our democratic system and steal the election he lost. Those feelings include: deep appreciation for the…

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Why do these people hate rock 'n roll?

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How you can help stop vigilante settler rampages (or at least try to do something)

Headline and photo from Times of Israel on June 21, 2023 A couple days ago I visited the websites of my House Rep and both Senators and sent them versions of the following message. Please feel free to copy and paste (or modify) as you wish. The content speaks for itself. Dear Senator _________, I am writing to express my strong support for the comments of US Ambassador Nides, in which he…

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Shavuot and Revelation

My latest thoughts on the Jewish festival of Shavuot, as presented in the Jewish Exponent: https://www.jewishexponent.com/consider-how-revelation-happens/. Please visit the link, or click on the image above, to head over there and read it. Would love to hear your comments too!

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My Israel/Palestine Learning Curve Is a Zigzag

Part 1: My Moroccan-Israeli family I am the child of a family of Moroccan Jewish refugees who found refuge in Israel. My mom was 16 on the day in 1956 when her entire life in Morocco abruptly ended — the day that her father was tipped off by an Arab friend that he was marked for death by the Moroccan liberation fighters (who were trying to oust their French colonizers) because he was discovered…

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Remembering Monty Lazar

A poorly attended funeral marks the end of an improbable life Last week I was sent by my editor at Rolling Stone to chronicle the funeral of one of the most unusual of entertainment impresarios of the mid to late 20th century, Monty Lazar, who died at the age of 93 in Laguna Hills, California of complications relating to a severe case of Foreign Accent Syndrome. On a brusk and windy day, a young…

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M*A*S*H (the movie - 1970) and me

M*A*S*H (the movie – 1970) and me

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My daily grind

Hi all. This is probably the most personal disclosure I’ve ever shared on this blog, which isn’t exactly read by millions, so perhaps this is really just a chance for me to share some of my daily struggle with a small semi-random cohort of people. So, my day to day life is governed by several relentless fears. They mostly have to do with politics. I mean, it’s quite possible that my brain has…

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Under the Bombs (2007) movie review

Under the Bombs (2007) movie review

A simple story that gently rips your heart out Just watched Under the Bombs for the first time, a 2007 Lebanese feature film directed by Philippe Aractingi and written by Aractingi and Michel Leviant. Nada Abu Farhat plays Zeina, a wealthy Lebanese Muslim mother of a young boy, Karim, from whom she has been separated during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah (started July 12, 2006 –…

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Review of my Leviticus book from Progressive Christianity Network Britain

Review of my Leviticus book from Progressive Christianity Network Britain

This was written shortly after my book, Leviticus: You Have No Idea was published almost a decade ago. To read the full book review, click here or on the image below.

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The Power of an Instant Flash of Compassion - Zoom Webinar

The Power of an Instant Flash of Compassion – Zoom Webinar

A teaching about the daughter of Pharaoh in the Exodus story