BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

Once you discover you are the victim of someone with a Cluster B disorder, like Destructive Narcissistic Pattern, it changes you. Forever. - You realize you meant nothing to that person. - You realize they used you for sex, fun & games, money. - You realize if they used you for sex (saying they 'loved' or 'cared' about you) they were just masturbating using your body & emotions. - You realize you can't trust them or yourself. - You realize if they were a friend, they probably used you to meet other victims or to springboard a personal agenda. - You realize everything you were told was a calculated lie. Now imagine if you have had at least 15 of these people as friends or lovers in your life. Now imagine if someone like this was one of your parents. So you were raised by one. (Usually takes a child of a narcissist until their 40s to see it, if at all) Now imagine if a bunch of them were in charge of the government of the country you lived in. What to expec...

By NEVE GORDON The Jewish celebration of Passover and Israel’s 60th anniversary coincide this year, and seem to be a good time to reflect upon, and perhaps explain, my passionate commitment to Israel. No doubt having been born and raised in Israel makes me feel most at home there. My family and friends live in Israel. I like the smells and the tastes, and I am not surprised or taken aback by the forthrightness, the occasional arrogance or the cynical humor, which characterizes many Israelis. My familiarity with the culture helps me identify and understand the nuances of social interactions. Yet this particular intimacy, which comes from recognizing and grasping the “rules of the game,” is in no way unique to me or to Israel, and I imagine many people feel the same way about their country of origin. Israel is, however, special for and to me in several other ways that I do believe are unique. My concern for it does not originate from the materiality of the place, if one means by this the...

Freeing Afghan Women Will Take More Than Allowing Them to Take off Their Burqua Michele Toomey, PhD The graphic pictures of Afghan women walking around covered and hindered by their burqua is so painful to see, but as they become free to take them off, that may be pain that we don't see. They have not only been forced to be hidden, they have grown accustomed to it and to the violence directed at them as women. What will exposure feel like? Will it feel freeing or frightening? I would like to address the prospect of fear. These women have been raped, beaten, and even shot, at a moments notice and at a man's whim. They have known slavery and captivity, all because they are women. Now they are going to uncover for all the men to see. How safe is that going to feel? How freeing does that seem? For some, probably not freeing at all, only more frightening at the prospect of such exposure. If we really do care about the plight of Afghan women, we had better provide them with psycholo...

SHOOT OUT FOR THE LAST HATER STANDING Fatwa Against Hamas for Having 'Jewish Characteristics' by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz A Muslim cleric, apparently from the Palestinian Authority, has released a fatwa (religious ruling) permitting the killing of members of the Hamas terrorist organization. In support of his position, the heretofore unknown sheikh declared Hamas to have "Jewish characteristics," but added that "the Jews have more mercy" on the Arabs than Hamas. The fatwa and accompanying argumentation appeared in two articles, one in the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan and the other published on the website of the Fatah terrorist organization, headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. According to a report and translation of the articles provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the Islamic cleric, identified as Sheikh Shaker Al-Hiran, labeled Hamas "Khawarij." This term is a reference to a group of Muslims that rebelled ag...