Author: Nargizian David

MESROB II: DIASPORA DEAF TO TURKISH ARMENIANS (1)
Yonca Poyraz Dogan

Turquie Europeenne, France
Sept 24 2007

"The ‘Armenian genocide resolution’ pending in the US Congress disrupts
both the relations between Turkish people and Armenians in Turkey
and between Turkey and Armenia," said Patriarch Mesrob II (Mutafyan),
the spiritual leader of Turkey’s Armenian Orthodox community.

"We had big problems in the past. I especially find the approach of
the Ýttihat Terakki’s (the Committee of Union and Progress) collective
punishment of Armenians quite wrong. It wasn’t the whole Armenian
community who took up arms against the government, but I believe the
Turkish Republic should not be accused of what happened then. The
diaspora would say that it should be accused as long as there is a
denial of what happened," Mesrob II said.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in a genocide
campaign by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, but Ankara
rejects the charge, saying both Armenians and Turks died in civil
strife when the Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern
Anatolia, siding with Russian troops that were invading the crumbling
Ottoman Empire.

There is currently a non-binding "Armenian genocide resolution"
pending at the US Congress. "We are the ones here living with our
Turkish friends everyday. The resolution’s passage would have a
cooling effect on our relations," Mesrob II said, adding that the
diaspora doesn’t care about Turkish Armenians’ sensitivities and that
"it’s a political issue for them."

Turkish Armenians are the biggest Christian community in Turkey with
approximately 70,000 people living in Anatolia. Mesrob II said that
since they lack schools of theology, the number of clerics is only
26 and bringing religious services to the community is tough.

For Monday Talk, Mesrob II told Today’s Zaman that the Armenian
community hasn’t been represented in the Turkish Parliament,
even though some of them have been interested in politics. The
community’s attitude toward the Justice and Development Party (AK
Party) is generally positive, and the main reason behind this is
the "aggressive attitude" of the Republican People’s Party (CHP),
especially regarding the law of foundations.

As the Turkish-Armenian religious leader, Mesrob II has a different
stance from that of some Turkish circles regarding the secularism
debates. "I don’t think that secularism is under threat in Turkey.

Secularism has been so entrenched in the society since the time
of Ataturk that I don’t think anybody will be able to remove it,"
he stated.

We’ve been trying to interview Mesrob II since Today’s Zaman was
founded on Jan. 16, but due to some unfortunate events – such as the
Jan. 19 assassination of Hrant Dink, editor of the Turkish-Armenian
weekly newspaper Agos, we were unable to until now. The Patriarchate
closed its doors to the media then after receiving many threats.

Nevertheless, the patriarch started to open up recently and discuss
the Turkish-Armenian community’s problems more.

For Monday Talk, we had a sincere interview with the patriarch,
ranging from politics to his personal life, beliefs and hobbies.

Could you talk about your childhood, your neighborhood, your education?

I was born in Ýstanbul in Tarlabaþý on Yoðurtcu Faik Street. We had
Muslims, Jews, Greeks and Armenians in the neighborhood. Everybody knew
everybody else’s important religious celebrations. We had wonderful
days having many celebrations together, especially on holidays. I grew
up in the Taksim neighborhood around Talimhane, where Taksim square
is. I went to the Esayan Armenian school in Taksim. I continued my
education at the Ýstanbul English High School for Boys. Later I went
to the Stuttgart American College in Germany.

In the United States, I went to the Memphis State University to
study sociology. Then to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, then to
Angelicum University in Rome, Italy and finally got my doctorate at
St. Mary’s University in Washington.

How did you benefit from studying sociology?

I was able to understand people better.

Did you decided to study theology then?

No. I decided to study theology later after I had an accident in the
United States. I was supposed to die but I survived. I lost my best
friend in that accident. After that, I felt like I re-started life
and dedicated myself to religion.

Why do you fast during Ramadan?

Otherwise I’d feel guilty at the time of the iftar (the evening
fast-breaking meal).

Why would you feel guilty?

If I participate in the iftar with others who fasted all day, not
having fasted myself, I feel guilty.

Do you fast throughout the month of Ramadan or just when you are
invited for iftar?

Fasting is also a Christian practice, so I do not have any problem
fasting throughout the month of Ramadan. It also helps to bring my
Turkish friends and me closer together.

Do you have fond memories of Ramadan?

I was in a village called Kýyýkoy in Kýrklareli in 1974 at the time
of Ramadan. Together with the villagers, I would get up for sahur
(a small meal eaten before dawn; the final meal before the day’s fast
begins). This is a fond memory for me.

What is a typical day for you?

Among the patriarch’s duties is inspection of the churches and
attending liturgies at churches. I attend to my appointments.

Do you have hobbies?

I like traveling.

Where do you like to go most?

Jerusalem. I try to go there once a year. In Turkey I like to go
along the Bosporus. One of the places I like most is Kýyýkoy. I also
like Mersin.

Do you watch television?

I usually watch news on TV.

Don’t you watch any of the hundreds of television series?

I watch "Yeþeren Duþler" (Revived Dreams)."

Why do you like that series?

It is about real life in a small village where one family tries to
domineer over the others. It is a real life situation.

How many patriarchates are there in the world?

In the world there are 23 patriarchs. In the Armenian church, there
are four patriarchates, the first one is in Armenia and the others
are in Lebanon, Jerusalem and Ýstanbul.

Are there different levels or are you all equal?

The Catholicosate in Armenia comes first. All others are autonomous.

We don’t meddle in each others’ affairs much.

A Muslim leader, Mehmed the Conqueror, founded the Patriarchate in
Ýstanbul in 1461. What is the significance of this?

The founding of the Armenian Patriarchate in Ýstanbul is unique. It
marks the first time in history that a Muslim sultan established a
Christian center. It’s quite positive for inter-religious dialogue.

What are the Turkish-Armenian community’s feelings toward the new
government?

The community’s attitude toward the AK Party is generally positive.

One of the main reasons behind this is CHP’s aggressive attitude,
especially regarding the law on foundations. Because of this our
community tends to support the AK Party.

Are there Armenians interested in politics, interested in being
candidates perhaps?

Yes, there have been a few people.

Would they be interested in becoming independent candidates or be
under the umbrella of a party?

Most of them tend to support the AK Party.

If the AK Party had approached them, would they have entered politics?

They might have.

Have there been any Armenian members of Parliament in the history of
the republic?

I know one who was a school principal, indeed my principal, at the
Esayan school that I went to. Her name was Hermine Kalustyan.

Do you remember what year and from which political party?

I think from the CHP. The year escapes my memory.

What could have changed if there was an Armenian member of Parliament?

First of all we would have been represented. No members of any minority
groups – be it Jews, Armenians or Greeks – have been represented in
Parliament, even though it is our Parliament too.

To be continued…

———————————— ——————————————–

[PRO FILE]

Who is Mesrob II? Mesrob II became the 84th patriarch of Turkey’s
Armenian Orthodox community in 1998 after Patriarch Karekin II passed
away. Mesrob II studied theology in 1979-1982 at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem in Israel. He held several positions in Turkey’s churches
including bishop, chairman of the Religious Council, patriarchal
vicar for Ecumenical Affairs, overseer of the Theological Auditorium,
vice-president of the Patriarchal Advisory Council and archbishop. He
is the editor-in-chief of the Shoghagat Theological Review. He has
academically worked on the "Vanakan Vartabed’s Commentary of Davoush
on the Book of Job." He is bilingual in Turkish and English and uses
classical Armenian, Hebrew, French and Italian in his academic studies.

155.html

–Boundary_(ID_hrU484sYZ0RTc+lM6WmUZA)–

OSCE MINSK CO-CHAIRMEN TO MEET IN AZERBAIJAN SEPT. 18

RIA Novosti
September 12, 2007
Russia

BAKU, September 12 (RIA Novosti) – The co-chairmen of the Minsk OSCE
Group on the Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh will
meet in Azerbaijan September 18, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

During the meeting with the Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov the co-chairmen will discuss the current negotiation
process and further ways of settling the long-running conflict,
Hazar Ibragim, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk
Group was established in 1992 to encourage a peaceful resolution to
the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The group is co-chaired by U.S., Russian and French representatives.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely
Armenian population, first erupted in 1988 after the fall of the
Soviet Union, when the region claimed independence from Azerbaijan
to join Armenia.

Over 30,000 people were killed on both sides between 1988 and 1994,
and over 100 died following a 1994 ceasefire. Nagorno-Karabakh
remained in Armenian hands, but tensions between Azerbaijan and
Armenia have persisted.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Robert Kocharian: I am optimistic about Armenia’s future
21.09.2007 19:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA President Robert Kocharian congratulated Armenian
people on Independence Day, the RA leader’s press office reported. The
President’s statement says,

`Dear compatriots, I congratulate all those present and our entire
nation on the occasion of Independence Day.

The reestablishment of our statehood was an exceptional historic event
in the life of the Armenian people. The determination of our people to
build a free, democratic and prosperous state was expressed during the
referendum on independence. This determination has been evolving
through the next sixteen years, and numerous challenges have been
honorably prevailed over down the road.

Armenia of today is developing steadily. It can be stated with
confidence that our economy is on the rise:

– Thousands of new jobs are being created, Income of the people grows
– considerably, poverty reduces gradually, life standard improves,
– Thousands of our compatriots, who left the country, are coming back
– to live a better life, Middle class is taking shape.

I am optimistic about Armenia’s future, comprehending at the same time
that there is still a lot to be done, that there is a great potential
to do it, and that our people deserve better lives.

We are obliged to double our efforts to build a modern and efficient
statehood. That is why it is necessary to continue with the reforms,
deepening their social aspect.

We intend to continue our support for the subsistence of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic since only matured statehood can provide for the
security of the people of Artsakh. The recently held presidential
elections in Nagorno Karabakh manifested the united covet for
independence, faith in their statehood and willpower to defend it.

The Parliamentary elections of Armenia demonstrated the trust of
people in the current policies. I am confident that the upcoming
presidential elections will also be conducted in accordance with
international standards, in the atmosphere of great
confidence. Consistent continuation of the chosen political course is
an important guarantee of Armenia’s stability and progress.

Today Armenia is dependably protected by our Armed Forces. On this
festive day it is our solemn duty to pay tribute to our fallen
heroes. For today’s peaceful life they paid with great efforts and
with their lives. Our unfailing Army is the source of pride for every
Armenian citizen.

Once again I congratulate all of us on the occasion of the 16th
Anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. The Motherland
of all Armenians is stepping into a new stage in its development,
setting more ambitious goals. I have no doubt that combining our
forces we will achieve these goals and will build a strong and
prosperous state for the generations to come.’

Azeri Press Agency

Armenians detained me in Shusha, says Azerbaijani captive Ashraf
Jafarov who was handed over to Azerbaijan today

[ 21 Sep 2007 17:19 ]

Armenians detained me in Shusha, Resident of Uchoglan village of
Aghdam region, Ashraf Mohubbat Jafarov who has been handed over to the
Azerbaijani authorities today said, APA’s Karabakh bureau reports.

Jafarov said that he could make observations while being taken to the
district he was released. `I do not know the names of several places
I saw. But I saw that new houses were built,’ he said. Jafarov did
not say anything on his undergoing tortures when he was captured.
/APA/

DailyTech, IL

YouTube Banned in Turkey, Again

Michael Hoffman (Blog) – September 21, 2007 11:25 AM

YouTube again finds itself banned in Turkey

Once more, Turkey has put the ban on YouTube after a YouTube user
reported that the Google-owned video sharing web site had several
clips that were considered insulting to several prominent Turkish
political figures. The Turkish government then ordered the national
telecommunications company to block access to YouTube for all Turkish
residents until YouTube agrees to remove the clips.

According to the nation’s current penal code, insulting "Turkishness"
is a crime that is punishable by law. Turkish courts often press
charges against journalists when they mention the Armenian genocide
that took place in the early 1900s.

In March, YouTube was banned in Turkey for two days before several
"offensive" videos were removed from the web site.

In the most recent ban, a court located in the Turkish city of Sivas
ordered the temporary ban because of a video that insults President
Abdullah Gul, the nation’s modern founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish army.

Yesterday’s ban of YouTube has drawn outrage from the Reporters
Without Borders organization, a renowned journalist watchdog group.

"Blocking an entire website because of a few videos is a
disproportionate measure," the organization said in an official
statement.

Thailand, Morocco and several other nations also imposed bans on
YouTube for a number of different reasons.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

THE ARMENIAN CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE WCC COMMISSION OF
THE CHURCHES ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS MEETING

The World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Commission of the Churches on
International Affairs convened in Geneva on September 11-13. Vana Kitsinian,
a lawyer from Los Angeles, represented the Catholicosate of Cilicia at the
meeting.

The participants discussed various religious, social and political issues
affecting churches and the world in general and outlined the positions of
the WCC vis-à-vis these issues as well as the council’s future steps.

Vana Kitsinian actively participated in all the sessions of the meeting and
in the activities of the working groups on Armenian Genocide and Ecumenical
relations.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

ARMENPRESS

YEREVAN AND FRENCH NICE BECOME SISTER-TOWNS

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Yerevan and Nice
in France have become sister- towns today. The
agreement was signed in Yerevan by its Mayor Yervand
Zakharian and Jacques Peyrat, Mayor of Nice, who is
also a Senator from Alpes Maritime Department.
Both mayors said they will get down to building
friendly relations between their two cities. Yerevan
and Nice will cooperate in many areas, particularly,
in tourism and culture.
Speaking to reporters Zakharian said both sides
will later develop a more comprehensive cooperation
program.
According to Jacques Peyrat, this agreement has
further consolidated the French-Armenian cooperation.
Later in the day an agreement will be signed
between Yerevan State University and Sophia Antipolis
University in Nice.

Georgia Straight, Canada

News Features

CSIS retiree: nothing "nefarious" with tapes

News Features By Charlie Smith
Publish Date: September 20, 2007

Not the real Air India tapes, which CSIS destroyed during the 1980s.

A former senior Canadian intelligence-service officer has denied there
was an "ulterior motive" behind the destruction of taped conversations
involving suspected Sikh terrorists in the mid 1980s. James Warren,
former director-general of counterterrorism for the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service, told the Air India inquiry on September 19 that
wiretap recordings were "destroyed in accordance with a policy that
was our default mode".

He added that the spy service had a policy of erasing tapes. He said
that nobody thought to give an order to preserve the recorded
conversations of the people who were suspected of blowing up an Air
India jet in 1985.

"I can’t put myself in the shoes of the people that were responsible
for the section when it happened," Warren said. "But certainly from
the point of view of someone who had to deal with the aftermath, I
wish dearly that they had not been destroyed. I wish-we all would have
wished-that they had survived for whatever value they might have had
in the subsequent events."

The inquiry’s lead counsel, Mark Freiman, later asked Warren on what
basis he concluded there was no ulterior motive. Warren replied that
it was "hard to prove a negative", and then added, "simply on the
basis that I never saw anything that suggested that there had been
anything nefarious in that decision".

Warren testified that he was in charge of CSIS’s foreign-liaison unit
from 1984 to the spring of 1986. At that point, less than a year
after Air India Flight 182, outbound from Canada, had exploded off the
coast of Ireland killing all 329 people aboard, Warren was transferred
to become the head of the counterterrorism branch. He said there were
many other issues, such as "problems with the Armenians", pressure
from another unnamed country to stop the flow of detonators to the
Irish Republican Army, and threats that might arise in Canada from
Middle Eastern issues.

"But by far and away the most traumatic event that had happened was
Air India," he said. "When I arrived on the scene, the service was
gearing up exponentially to deal with Sikh extremism, if you will, at
that point in time. That included warrants and it included the issue
of, well, put it in the vernacular, what the hell happened with the
tapes."

Warren questioned whether these tapes would have had any use in
court. "Whether they would have had any evidentiary value is neither
here nor there," he testified. "They would have-they might have-had
some intelligence value in the future. Um, their evidentiary value was
always suspected because they weren’t collected by the service on the
basis of, with any eye towards, the preservation of evidence."

Warren added that CSIS was not in the business of collecting
evidence. "That was a role for the police," he said. "We were in the
business of mining intelligence…from the sources that we had, and
passing that on to government."

He acknowledged that it was an "oversight" that the tapes weren’t
preserved. "Nobody gave the order, and things kept rolling along as if
nothing had happened," Warren said. "The people who were at very
junior levels who were actually in this process of destroying these
tapes, in the absence of anything from up above, kept doing what they
had always been doing."

On September 18, B.C. Provincial Court Judge James Jardine, a
prosecutor in the Air India case in the 1980s and 1990s, testified
that he was frustrated by CSIS’s reluctance to cooperate with the RCMP
and supply evidence following the bombing of Flight 182 and another
bombing at Narita Airport in Japan, which killed two baggage
handlers. Jardine said that he only learned that CSIS had destroyed
taped conversations with the main suspect, Talwinder Singh Parmar, in
December 1987.

Warren said that if the tapes had been preserved, it would have
removed lingering questions about whether or not there was "anything
inculpatory or exculpatory about them that would have aided the
defence or the prosecution".

Freiman noted that the RCMP had felt "angst" that they were not given
access to taped conversations recorded two days before the Air India
bombing. Freiman said that these conversations allegedly included
"very worrying information that might have led the RCMP, had they
known about it, to take action to prevent the bombing".

"Well, perhaps they would have," Warren said. "But all I can say is it
didn’t apparently occur to anybody in the service that this forewarned
of a plane being bombed out of the sky. And I frankly-in these things
I don’t see words that would lead inescapably to that kind of a
conclusion. I mean sometimes in the intelligence business, there is an
innocent explanation for things."

Freiman noted that CSIS translators were under the impression that the
tapes had to be destroyed 10 days after the conversations had been
intercepted, whereas senior officials stated that the policy was to
get rid of tapes 10 days after they had been transcribed, with a
holding period of up to 30 days.

Warren said there was never an attempt to mislead people. "I was
assured that every tape had been listened to," he added.

In 2000, the Globe and Mail quoted an unnamed former CSIS agent who
admitted to burning tapes containing 150 hours of interviews with
informants in Vancouver. At the time, the agent stated that if he had
given the tapes to the RCMP, his sources could have been required to
testify and be publicly identified, which might have led to them being
killed.

In 1991, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Crown has a legal
duty to disclose "all relevant information to the defence", regardless
of whether or not the Crown has any intention of using this as
evidence.

The bomb maker, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted in connection with
the Narita Airport explosion, and later pleaded guilty for his role in
the bombing of Flight 182. The prime suspect, Parmar, was killed by
police in India in 1992 without ever being charged in connection with
the terrorist attacks. In 2005, Vancouver businessman Ripudaman Singh
Malik and Kamloops millworker Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted of any
involvement in the Air India bombing.

THE END OF FAITH? A ROSH HASHANAH MESSAGE
Jim Levinson

Brattleboro Reformer
September 18, 2007
United States

The religion-related group which has figured most prominently in the
Book Review sections of our newspapers of late – has been … not Jews,
not Christians, not Muslims, but atheists. There has been a plethora
of books published in the last two years by Sam Harris, David Dennett,
Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and others with such titles as
"The End of Faith," "Breaking the Faith," "The God Delusion," and,
best of all, "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything."

The case these books have been making is no surprise to any of us:
Religions, we’re told, have triggered bigotry, hatred and war,
religions have exacerbated ethnic conflict, horrific practices like
female genital mutilation have been justified (erroneously, it’s worth
noting) on religious grounds, and religion runs counter to science.

I find atheism interesting for a number of reasons beyond this recent
spate of anti-religion diatribes.

For one thing, atheism is growing more rapidly at present than any
Western religious denomination. For another, it’s much younger. Judaism
and Hinduism are about 4000 years old.

Large-scale atheism is only about 200 years old.

Before the French Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, there were
barely any people

who did not believe in a god of some kind – and still fewer who were
willing to talk about their non-belief.

The challenge of this atheism and of the often compelling ideas
presented in these books provide us, I believe, with a most useful
opportunity to examine our faith and the connection, the identification
we have with our faith and with our heritage – surely one of the most
valuable things we can be doing during these Days of Awe. What, after
all, is this religious faith we’re holding on to? What would be the
effect on our lives if we dropped it? What would life be like if there
were no rituals to mark the births, the coming of age, the marriages,
the deaths of our loved ones?

What would life be like if our religious heritage was no longer a
part of our lives?

These books attacking religion, indeed, deserve to be taken seriously
and to be discussed and debated openly by all of us, maybe particularly
by the most religious among us. Perhaps the emergence of all these
books within such a short time span is meant to serve us with a wake-up
call, a call to look seriously at the way a growing number of people
are viewing religions today. So let’s briefly examine their basic
arguments one by one: those relating to God, to science, to war and
to religious communities.

First about the God thing. As I read the anti-religion books, I am
struck by the fact that the God-belief being attacked by these authors
is pretty stereotyped and one-dimensional – mostly they are attacks on
people following unquestioningly what is assumed to be the dictates
of a supreme potentate in the sky. I’m not one to stand in judgment
of that kind of faith unless its exclusivity alienates one group
from another. But my sense is that the beliefs of many of us who do
subscribe to some type of faith, are a lot more interesting than that.

My survey of our congregation last year found that many of us don’t,
in fact, have a sky-centered vision of God at all. For many, God is
a spirit or life force in the world that lives within us and outside
of us, harkening back, perhaps, to our ancient belief that after God
created the universe, God made the universe part of God. For many,
faith merges into a spirituality that can be found in nature as easily
as in sanctuaries. Even Sam Harris, one of the authors battering
religion, acknowledges the importance of spiritual experiences. And
finally, rather than submitting meekly to a stern and judgmental
divine being, many of us think of ourselves as partners of a loving
God in completing the work of creation, particularly with respect to
protecting the earth, and eradicating hunger and disease. And, being
the people of Israel, a word which itself means "wrestling with the
divine," we don’t hesitate to do so – and God can take it.

Put another way, most of us would have trouble agreeing unequivocally
with statements such as "God feeds the hungry," "God cares for the
sick," or "God protects the innocent." But most of us could agree
heartily that feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and protecting
the innocent are holy endeavors. Once we remove God as a noun and
as a sole actor, and focus rather on the godliness of these acts in
which we serve as partners of God, the personal struggle of belief
become much less of a struggle.

(Let me add, lest any of you who question or outright deny the
existence of God get too worried, that if you care enough about Judaism
as cultural heritage or as spiritual base to attend services on the
High Holidays or to participate in Jewish life cycle events you are
one of us, and that if you also contribute to our people’s primary
mission of tikkun olam, of healing the world, then you are indeed
practicing Jews.)

What about the claims in these books that most violence in the
world stems from religion? If we look at the conflicts of the 20th
century resulting in the greatest number of deaths: the World Wars,
the Armenian genocide, the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the Stalinist
purges, and wars in the Congo, Sudan, Mozambique, Rwanda, Nigeria
and Bangladesh, we find some miserable and absolutist powers at work,
but usually not religion, per se. In fact some of the worst of this
violence carried out by Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot has been
anti-religious in nature.

Even the dreadfully misguided Jihadists have a long way to go to match
these folks. One can argue that the dichotomy often created between
cruel religious fanaticism on the one side (the "them") and rational,
secular groups on the other (the "us") is a false dichotomy – yet
one widely touted by policy makers who would have us believe that
the violence of those people is religious, while our violence is
peace promoting and rational – even when we have to bomb them into
a higher rationality.

Let’s talk for a moment about the scientific arguments put forth by
these authors. It seems to me that the anti-religion authors too often
make the facile assumption that we’re either rational beings or we’re
superstitious bumpsters. Once again, I think we’re more interesting
than that. Sure, most of us are rational beings, and we make rational
choices countless times each day.

But there’s another part of us that wants to put rationality aside
from time to time, that wants simply to sink into the universe, that
wants simply to sink into a sunset or a symphony or a poem or the
sacredness of a relationship. And when we lose a loved one, we don’t
wish to employ our rational faculties which serve us so poorly at such
a time, but rather keep them consciously at bay while we envisage
some future time in Olam Ha Ba, the World to Come, when we shall be
reunited with that loved one. The popular book Kitchen Table Wisdom
puts it well when it talks about the experiences we have that are
mysterious, that are unexplainable, but are ineffably wondrous. We
wouldn’t want to give up those experiences for any amount of science.

And finally, what about the attacks these authors make on the faith
communities themselves? Once again, I find the pictures drawn of these
faith communities to be caricatures. I would challenge any of these
authors, even Christopher Hitchens – the most cynical and unfeeling
of them all (despite his pretty good book about the excesses of Henry
Kissinger) – to visit services of our congregations in Brattleboro and
find them, to use his words: vapid, fear mongering, superstitious,
incendiary, irrelevant, offensive, vulgar, lacking in seriousness,
or lacking in meaning.

I would challenge any of these authors to come also to our interfaith
events that facilitate understanding among the religious faiths and
that promote justice to undercut religious-based violence at its
source and find them lacking in meaning. I would challenge these
authors to have participated in our Abraham’s Family Reunion or our
Jewish-Christian-Muslim memorial service for the victims of the recent
war in Lebanon, or to participate in our upcoming interfaith Fast for
Peace (Oct. 8) or our Abrahamic Musical Service for Worship (Oct. 28)
and find them lacking in meaning.

I would challenge these authors, I would challenge anyone to be with
us at such times and not find meaning, not value a community so filled
with meaning at a time in the world when community and meaning are
often hard to find.

Jim Levinson is the Spiritual Leader of the Brattleboro Area Jewish
Community and teaches at the School for International Training.

FOOD BANK IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS

Waterloo Record
Wednesday September 19, 2007
Canada

For other volunteer opportunities in Kitchener-Waterloo, call the
Volunteer Action Centre in Kitchener at 519-742-8610.

Can you drive or lift boxes?: Food Bank of Waterloo Region urgently
needs drivers and driver assistants to help pick up donations for
the fall food drive.

Morning and afternoon shifts available. Volunteers must have
clean driving record. We also need volunteers to help us in the
warehouse. Weekday shifts only. Some heavy lifting required. Contact
Rose at 519-743-5576 ext. 226, [email protected] or visit
for more information.

Become a mentor: September is Big Brothers Big Sisters Month! There
are many ways to be a volunteer mentor: In School Mentoring, Go
Girls! Big Bunch, Big Brother/Big Sister. For more information, visit
or call 519-579-5150 ext. 208 or [email protected].

Promote healthy choices: Nutrition for Learning is seeking volunteers
to join one of its 50 nutrition programs in Waterloo Region. Tasks
include meal preparation, attendance, and promoting healthy food
choices with children. Time commitment is one or more hours per
week based on volunteer availability and program need. Contact Brian
Kamm, at 519-579-5745, e-mail [email protected] or visit
for details.

Volunteer Cambridge, a service of United Way of Cambridge and North
Dumfries, is pleased to present the following volunteer opportunities
in our community. For more information on volunteering, please contact
519-621-1030.

For friends of the arts: Grand River Film Festival Cambridge is seeking
help for the weekends of Oct. 5 to 7 and Oct. 12 to 14. Duties include
ushering, ticket-taking, sales and administration. Ticket vouchers
are given for every four hours volunteered.

Contact John Cammarata at 519-886-6054.

One day of work: Welcome Wagon is hosting Cambridge’s Bridal Showcase
on Oct. 1 at the Armenian Community Centre. Volunteers needed to assist
with registration, set-up, tear-down and exhibitors/representatives.

Contact Susan at 519-747-2398 or [email protected].

Tutors needed: Literacy Group of Waterloo Region (Cambridge) is
currently recruiting volunteers to tutor adults in basic reading,
writing, math and computer skills. The next tutor training is on Oct.

10, 13 and 20. Contact Cathy or Nancy at 519-621-7993 or visit

Support for caregivers: Caregiver Support Program (Cambridge) matches
volunteers with seniors for conversation and friendship. Enjoy cards
or games, sports or movies, walks or outings while giving the regular
caregiver a break and time for themselves.