Friday, January 11, 2008

Ms. outrages Jewish community

Ms. Magazine Rejects Ad Featuring Israeli Women -E.B. Solomont

Jewish leaders are reeling after what they say was a decision by Ms. magazine to refuse to accept a full-page advertisement featuring three prominent Israeli women. The advertisement, submitted by the American Jewish Congress, featured photographs of the president of the Israeli Supreme Court, Dorit Beinisch; Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni; and the speaker of the Knesset, Dalia Itzik. Underneath the photographs, the advertisement included the text, "This is Israel."

Officials from the American Jewish Congress said they were shocked by the magazine's decision, which they said amounted to anti-Israel sentiment. As news of the incident was publicized, Jewish leaders condemned the magazine's actions.

[A] representative from [Ms.] magazine told Harriet Kurlander [American Jewish Congress] the advertisement was too controversial and was likely to "cause a lot of opposition." "If we print the ad, it will create a firestorm," Ms. Kurlander recalled being told.
(New York Sun)
UPDATE:

'Ms.' magazine causes furor -Haviv Rettig
Feminist Jewish activists are preparing a campaign targeted at the quarterly Ms. magazine after it refused to run an ad featuring Israeli women because it was "too controversial."

"[T]his is an act of utter bigotry," said Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz. "It's pure and simple anti-Israel discrimination. They've run many controversial ads and stories. And they will never stick to this standard in the future or they'll be bankrupted. This is a standard invented for Israel. Ms. magazine has become the United Nations of magazines."

"The ad has to run," he continued, "and there should be stories about the ad not running, and finally, whoever made decision [not to run the ad] must be fired."

Dershowitz also vowed "to start a campaign of leading feminists to critique and disassociate themselves from so bigoted a magazine. No legitimate person today can support Ms. magazine while it has this policy."
[Jerusalem Post]

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