First Israeli in Space

Sleepyman writes "CNN has a story about the first Israeli in space going on STS 107 Slated to takeoff today from NASA's Space Center in Florida this afternoon. Good luck to him and the rest of the crew of STS 107."

Comments

Re:anti-semitism

[StressedEd]

If there's one thing sure to annoy me it's the use of throw-away terms like "anti-Semitic" used by people incorrectly.

I'd be inclined to believe that there is a bit more anti-Semitism in play than we are led to believe.

Are you sure you mean anti-semitism? Semitic refers to the Jews, Arabs and many less well known groups.

Surely in this context you wanted to say anti-Jewish.

Reference below for your edification (emphasis mine)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]

Semitic \Sem*it"ic\, a.
Of or pertaining to Shem or his descendants; belonging to
that division of the Caucasian race which includes the Arabs,
Jews, and related races. [Written also Shemitic.]

Semitic language, a name used to designate a group of
Asiatic and African languages, some living and some dead,
namely: Hebrew and Ph[oe]nician, Aramaic, Assyrian,
Arabic, Ethiopic (Geez and Ampharic). --Encyc. Brit.

However, in the current political climate you are probably right, there is almost certainly increasing anti-Semitism. Currently this seems to be mostly coming from the USA and directed at the Arabs of the Middle East in a country whos name begins with "IRA" and ends with "Q" (pun intended).

-ed

Re:anti-semitism

[puterguy]

You may be a student of Latin, but you are certainly no student of history. Go learn some Roman history and you will see when and why the Romans changed the name on their maps from Judea to Palestine. (hint: it had something to do with punishing the Jews for a recent revolt). Similarly, Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina (some more Latin for you :) Or look at some more modern history, where the major English Jewish paper was called the "Palestine Post". Before 1948, the local Arab population actively refused to identify with the term Palestine since that term had long been used to refer to the Jewish concept and geography of the Holy Land. Here is some background: It was not until the Romans crushed the second Jewish revolt against Rome in 135 A.D. under Bar Kochba that Emperor Hadrian applied the term Palestine to the Land of Israel. Hadrian, like many dictators since his time realized the propaganda power of terms and symbols. He replaced the shrines of the Jewish Temple and the Sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem with temples to pagan deities. He changed the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitalina, and changed the name of Israel and Judea to Palestine. Hadrian's selection of Palestine was purposeful, not accidental. He took the name of the ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines, Latinized it to Palestine, and applied it to the Land of Israel. He hoped to erase the name Israel from all memory. Thus, the term Palestine as applied to the Land of Israel was invented by the inveterate enemy of the Bible and the Jewish people, Emperor Hadrian. It is interesting to note that the original Philistines were not Middle Eastern at all. They were European peoples from the Adriatic sea next to Greece. It may have pleased Hadrian to utilize this Hellenistic term for the Jewish land. In any case, the original "Palestinians" had nothing to do, whatsoever, with any Arabs.