![]() ![]() For instance, former James Woolsey got applause and laughs for calling Hezbollah “totalitarian, theocratic genocidal maniacs,†while Jane Harman got applause when she spoke out about a recent wiretap scandal involving herself and AIPAC having a “chilling effect†on the “bipartisan US-Israel relationship†which, she said, activists have every right to promote. In fact, all of the morning’s plenary speakers, which included the mayor of Los Angeles, Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) and Representative Jane Harman, received standing ovations, and their speeches were punctuated by applause throughout, especially when they said something to the audience’s liking. ‘Relationships matter,†he said, echoing the theme of this year’s and vowed to use his relationships with those in power “to fight for Israel to be safe, secure and protected.â€and ended his speech with the words “Glory Hallelujah! Glory Hallelujah! Glory Hallelujah.†At which point the audience rose to their feet and applauded wildly. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit gave a rousing speech in the tradition of African-American preachers like Martin Luther King. You walk in off the street, and have the feeling of being caught up in something much larger than yourself. Large screens magnify the speaker and rousing drumrolls and music between speeches: in a word, pure spectacle. ![]() Klieg lights flashed blue, then white, then red over the assembled masses, many dressed in business suits or in conservative shirts and slacks. ![]() This morning the conference opened with a plenary session in a vast hall of the convention center, the size of two football fields. “My religious Zionist beliefs trumped my political beliefs.†Michael explains that he is a Liberal by nature, but voted Conservative in the last few elections because of their stance on Israel. They can’t actually lobby Congress on Tuesday, but they’re here to learn and experience. Right now I am sitting next to Michael and Catherine Rossman of Toronto. When it comes to Israel, however, they are more hawkish. Although critics of AIPAC often identify the lobby with “neocons†most of the people I’ve spoken to described themselves as liberal, at least on domestic issues. Six thousand AIPAC delegates have descended on DC this weekend and though most are not identifiably Jewish (a minority are not Jewish at all) they bring a certain sensibility to the capital: an unabashed pride in, and identification with Israel. Jews go under cover—after all, it’s easier to get a high-ranking job in the State Department or Department of Defense if you don’t appear too Jewy. In the overwhelmingly liberal atmosphere of Obama’s DC, particularly within the city limits, one does not often see such bold assertions of Jewish identity. There was more Jewish paraphernalia in evidence: an IDF kippah, Israeli-and-American flag lapel pins, a delicate gold Star of David necklace. At the Chabad Center, we were seated at a lunch table with friendly and loquacious AIPAC delegates from all over the country: Alaska, San Francisco, Kansas. In New York, or certain suburban neighborhoods, this might not be an unusual sight, but in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC it is rare to see so many yarmulked heads in quick succession. “Look there’s someone with a kippa,†I said to my husband, as we walked to the Chabad Center in central DC. Over the next three days, journalist Simona Fuma will be guest blogging from the AIPAC Policy Conference. The London-based record producer and arranger whose credits include world renowned artists as diverse as Charlotte Church, OperaBabes, James Galway, Ronan Keating, Celtic Tenors, The Priests and Andre Rieu, told Donegal Daily: “This has been, without reservation, the single most rewarding experience of my career.My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donate Gallagher has worked with some of the biggest names in the showbiz world such as Dame Shirley Bassey to Sinead O’Connor, but he says nothing compares to being back home in Derry performing with Stage Beyond. The 28-strong cast will be joined by critically acclaimed Derry composer and musician Frank Gallagher as musical director, and NI Opera star Doreen Curran who is also from the city. Members of Stage Beyond stretching from Letterkenny to Gweedore have starring roles in their latest production billed ‘A Grand Spectacle’, which will take place in the City Hotel tomorrow at 7.30pm. A dozen young Donegal actors will take to the stage in Derry this weekend with the talented cast of a theatre company for adults with learning difficulties which is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary with a dynamic fundraising show. ![]()
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