“The tension of being an Orthodox dove is partly sociological. Most Israeli Jews with whom I could pray don’t share my political views. Most Israelis who share my politics do not understand why I enter a synagogue. More basically, the presumption of the society in which I live is that one cannot be an Orthodox critic of the occupation. That matching up of the political divide and the secular-religious one is a mistake. For a religious dove, however, there is an additional dimension to the argument about territories, settlements, and peace: The stakes are not only the future of one’s country but also of one’s religion.”

(Via The American Prospect.)

I find myself in the same situation with my Christianity and homosexuality. It’s why politics is bad for religion. Every political idea starts to become an article of faith. You can’t have absolutism with equivocality without giving evil has an opening.

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“By bringing up the word, Mr. Obama was sending a warning to the government of new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that reneging on the goals outlined during the Annapolis Middle East peace conference in 2007 would put Mr. Netanyahu on the wrong foot with the Obama administration.”

(Via NY Times.)

Sometimes you have to be a hard ass with your friends, not just your enemies.