A Jewish State in Germany as an Artwork

In the name of ART everything is possible. Ron Edelman a graduate student at an art university in Weimar, relying heavily on this axiom, proposes to launch an alternative Jewish state in Germany in the state of Thuringia with the town of Weimar as capital, about 10 km from Buchenwald, the Nazi concentration camp.

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“Magav in Weimar”, Ron Edelman.

I quote from the Israeli newspaper “haaretz”, 

….”Whenever someone launches an initiative towards establishing a Jewish state in addition to the one already in existence, there is invariably a ripple effect. This time, however, an even bigger stir than usual has been caused by the proposed site of the “second Israel”: Germany.”…

…”Ronen Eidelman, a journalist who espouses politically leftist views and is currently completing his masters studies at an art university in Weimar, says the movement that he heads is in fact his final academic project.”…

…” One of the motivating factors which compelled Eidelman to conceive of his idea was the famous speech delivered by Iran’s president calling for the elimination of the state of Israel and the establishment of a Jewish-run entity in an alternate location in Europe. ‘It’s clear that Ahmadinejad is an anti-Semite and Holocaust denier and not some great theoretician, but he touched upon a very exposed nerve.’A video academic work produced by the artist Yael Bartana, which depicts a Polish member of parliament calling on the Jews to return to Poland (“We miss you”), served as the tipping point for Eidelman.

‘The state of Thuringia is becoming more empty of people, the economy is not successful, and there is no immigration,” Eidelman said. “They’re hurting from the fact that there are no foreigners here. Hitler’s dream of racially pure states has proven to be a nightmare. You walk down the street and notice all the girls look alike. I’m going to convince the Germans that a Jewish state here is to their benefit.’ “ see more.

The ‘haaretz’ ‘s article also mention’s another Israeli artist Yael Bertana whose video work, ”Mary Koszmary” (Nightmares), , presented at the Foksal Gallery Foundation was the trigger to Edelsman video, Yael Bertana’s wants to import 3 million of Jews to Poland and in one scene a Polish member of parliament says ” We are missing you” :

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See here for the full scene.

In the Middle East, the law of improbable events becoming real events, works overtime : perhaps Ron Edelman will import a Jewish state to Goethe’s Weimar and Yael Bertana resurrect 3 million of Polish Jews, both in the name of Art.. 

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Middle East Toilet Paper

 It is perhaps unusual to open an article on the credibility of  writers on Middle East topics with in the headline the words ’Toilet Paper’. But why not? And lets see why.

Yesterday (March 21, 2008) I  came across an article named ‘How to Use Toilet Paper’. I quote, …”Certain aspects of human life are simultaneously private and universal — everyone experiences the same stuff privately and almost no one talks about it. Pretty much everything that happens in the bathroom falls into this category, which is why I was amazed to discover that serious thought has gone into the challenges presented by toilet paper.”..

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 A question obviously interesting any user of toilet paper was, I quote …”[is it] better to fold several sheets of paper, or crumple them together in a bunch.”…”One major argument in favor of the “fold” method is that depending on the quality of your paper and your folding technique, you can refold (and thus reuse) a single set of sheets. The counter-argument is that this is super-gross”…”Also, far more crumplers are male than female (70% of crumplers in the survey are male).”..

Ending reading the article I found myself smiling and agreeing with every word. For me,  based on the evidence of my personal experience, the text has great credibility. For the full article,  look here.

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  So after appreciating the benefits of folding sheets of toilet paper or crumble them together in a bunch, I come to the credibility of another article, by Joel Leyden  from the Israel News Agency, leading me to the Middle East topics. The headline was “Israel And Gaza – Fighting Terrorism With Toilet Paper”, a rather surprising headline…

 Joel Leyden wrote, I quote ..” Jerusalem, Israel —- October 28, 2007 ….. Israel has decided to defend herself against continued, unprovoked Hamas terror Qassam missile attacks by reducing the amount of electricity provided to Gaza by Israel”…

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  Now comes the catch phrase ..”But many other scenarios could follow”…I quote ..” ‘If we really wanted to hit them below the belt we could stop all supply of toilet paper,’ said one Israel security analyst.”

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  From here on, anything is possible in the domain of terrorism and toilet paper.

Look at these, I quote ..”"The Canadian Relief Association for Palestine (CRAP) stated that they would join the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and the British UCU, the university lecturers’ union, in boycotting toilet paper made in Israel. The Scandinavian Humanitarian Institute for Toilet Paper (SHIT) has already petitioned the United Nations.”…”…”Many in the toilet paper industry see a “paper trail” starting to take shape as Iran supplies toilet paper to Syria which is then transported to Hezbollah in Lebanon which is then transferred to Islamic agents in Jordan and then shipped to Egypt. From there thousands of red and green rolls of toilet paper could then be tossed over the Israel security fence or smuggled from Egypt into Gaza through tunnels.”…For further insights,  see here.

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  Is the article credible? To take one exemple, we can assume that ”The Scandinavian Humanitarian Institute for Toilet Paper (SHIT)” does not exist, so where is the credibility? For me the credibility is in the satirical  description of a most serious situations between Palestinians, Hamas rulers and Israel.

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But what if we cannot distinguish between satire, lie, truth, fantasy or disinformation?

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Look at the header  ”Gaza: The Auschwitz of our Time”, see here.

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  Or look at this headline “American CIA behind all of this Terrorism ? across the world!” from an article by Latif Yahia.

I quote a few lines ..”Is the COLD WAR really over? Was it ever real? Here’s a good place to start your research!”.. ..”the appointed time has arrived for the Jesuit General to destroy both the Dome of the Rock and the Al AqsaMosque in Jerusalem, secretly using his CIA/Nazi-trained, Masonic Zionist Mossad in conjunction with his CIA/Nazi-trained,Masonic Islamic Intelligence Agencies, including Osama bin Laden’s MAK and Pakistan’s ISI, while shrouded in the confusion of a huge aerial war. This will enable the General’s crusading Knights Templars (the present day Shriner Freemasons)to rebuild Solomon’s Temple for the Pope & his Vatican.”..etc,  see more.

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  And look at this headline “Top Ranking CIA Operatives Admit Al-qaeda Is a Complete Fabrication.” (on NewPublic)

I quote, …”Top CIA officials openly admit, Al-qaeda is a total and complete fabrication, never having existed at any time. The Bush administration needed a reason that complied with the Laws so they could go after “the bad guy of their choice” namely laws that had been set in place to protect us from mobs and “criminal organizations” such as the Mafia. They paid Jamal al Fadl,(my linking) hundreds of thousands of dollars to back the U.S. Government’s story of Al-qaeda, a “group” or criminal organization they could “legally” go after. This video documentary is off the hook…see more.

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  Phrases like “ Gaza: The Auschwitz of our Time“….or….”secretly using his CIA/Nazi-trained, Masonic Zionist Mossad in conjunction with his CIA/Nazi-trained,Masonic Islamic Intelligence Agencies, including Osama bin Laden’s MAK and Pakistan’s ISI,”... or…”Top CIA officials openly admit, Al-qaeda is a total and complete fabrication, never having existed at any time“.., what are they, satire, lie, truth, fantasy, disinformation? reading the above article didn’t put a smile on my lips,  they where deadly earnest and fall into another category, ‘news’ without given evidence, which may eventually transform into rumors and beliefs where credibility is wiped out by credulity and ignorance. 

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  To finish with true credible evidence ,I quote  from the comments on “How to Use Toilet Paper”..”if you ever run out and you only have the card board roll left try wetting it and then using it.It softens the card board and does a good clean up job when your in a pinch “….

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Dangerous Lingerie Under the Veil in Syria

Islamic veils does not prevent  Arabic women from normal human behavior. A symposium hold on August 24, 2007 (Khatt Kufi Kaffiya | Symposium on Arabic Visual Culture, see here), shows Arab lingerie in Syria.

(Syrian Lingerie - Image for the publication “The secret Life of Syrian lingerie: Intimacy and Design” This book will be published together with Scalo Publishers by the end of 2007. Photo by Omar al-Moutem)

  “The Arab street – its vibrancy, innovativeness, traditions of design and contemporary expression – has been obscured by geopolitical issues. Any attempt to deviate from the established line that the region is a place of war, religious fundamentalism or terrorism becomes virtually impossible particularly within the context of mainstream Western commercial publishing.”

  “My recently co-edited books, The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie, with Rana Salam, Transit Tehran – Young Iran and Its Inspirations, with Maziar Bahari, and Kaveh Golestan – Recording the Truth in Iran, with Hengameh Golestan, provide ample examples of the challenges facing books that show a different side of the Middle East.”

…..”However a more insidious problem exists. Books on the Arab and Iranian street, showcasing authenticity, are almost impossible to get published”…See more.

In an article ‘What lies beneath’ by Malu Halasa , published in the ‘NEWSTATESMAN’ on the  05 June 2006, I read:

“Syria – A conservative culture has produced some of the world’s most explicit – and bizarre – lingerie, as Malu Halasa discovers… In Damascus, sex is rarely discussed in public. Yet veiled women regularly appraise the contents of window displays featuring feathered bras, knickers and one-piece crocheted bodysuits with”…see more 

Update.

Lingerie Laws – Men Banned From Selling Lingerie in Sharjah, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait…”Ultra-conservative countries have passed new laws barring men from working in lingerie shops. Only women can be hired as salespersons and shops who fail to comply are being shut down”…..”There are similar rules for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, however, shopkeepers complain that it is difficult to find women salesmen for the job in such a conservative atmosphere. (lingeriemagic.org) “, (see more).

Fitnah Lingerie in Damascus see here.