two yashar koachs--to Bloomy and Olmert

Another opportunity for some appreciations for a couple of public servants who did the right thing this week...Yashar koach, kol ha kavod, congrats, prosdovlayim to Mayor Mike Bloomberg for reaching out to the family of a young black man, Sean Bell, killed in Jamaica, Queens after plaincloths police officers fired 50 rounds at him and two friends who were severely wounded. The shooting was unprovoked and the men unarmed. Bloomberg also met with a group of black leaders and called the police action "unacceptable." What a welcome change from the tough guy, unfeeling and deeply insensitive response of Rudy Guiliani to the shooting of Amadou Diallo and the torture of Abner Louima back in 'Guiliani time'. In those days, African-Americans felt abandoned by a hostile City Hall ready to accept a few black deaths in exchange for a lowered crime rate. I am not a huge Bloomy fan, but this makes me proud to have a Jewish mayor who acts like a mensch and makes all the people of the city feel cared for and protected.


Yashar koach too to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for his agreeing to a cease-fire with the Palestinians, pulling Israeli troops out of Gaza and proposing new negotiations with President Mahmoud Abbas based on land for peace. This wasn't an easy move for Ehud given the ascendancy of hard liners in Israel these days; given continued Qassam fire at Sderot; and given Hamas still in power and no return of POW Shalit. The most important and welome development in this initiative is that Olmert has abandoned the ill-starred unilateral approach and has come back to the understanding that negotiations with the Palestinians are the only way to go. In making this move despite the political risks, Olmert shows he understands reality; the hard-right perscription offers Israelis nothing more than endless bloodshed; the only way out is searching for a political accomodation. I have lots of criticisms of Olmert's performance, but for today at least, my kippah is off to him.