New York, U.S.A. – For the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, AJC Executive Director David Harris issued the following statement:

“Eleven years ago, our city and nation suffered monstrous acts of terrorism. We were attacked by radical Islamist forces not for a specific policy, but for who we are — an open, democratic, pluralistic society.

“We remember the cherished lives of the nearly 3,000 people who were murdered on that fateful day, a day seared into our memory forever.

“We can only begin to imagine the enduring pain — and irretrievable loss — of the families, friends, and colleagues of those who were slain.

“And we recall the extraordinary courage of those who put their own lives on the line—and, in many cases, sacrificed their lives—so that others might live.

“Painful memories will always remain, as they should, but remembrance stirs us to reflect on both the evil and, yes, the good that emerged on that tragic day and in its aftermath.

“The good is rooted in the heart and soul of American society. Right after 9/11, as a country, we stood as one. We were all in this together—as proud, strong, determined Americans. We must never lose that sense of common destiny.

“Memories and reflections of 9/11, and what has transpired since, inspire us to recommit to the core values that form the bedrock of the United States of America. We must never falter in the defense of human freedom and human dignity.

“And never again should we underestimate our enemies or suffer from a failure of imagination. 9/11 was a sobering reminder that those who despise what we stand for—liberty, diversity, religious freedom, and women’s equality—will stop at nothing in the name of their demented political and religious ideology.

“We and our allies—the family of democratic countries and common values—must remain ever vigilant and ever united.”

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New York, U.S.A. – AJC praised President Barack Obama for imposing additional sanctions on Iran’s energy and banking sectors.

Two Executive Orders signed this week will further restrict access to Iran’s energy and petrochemical sectors, as well as impose sanctions on China’s Bank of Kowlun and Iraq’s Elaf Islamic Bank.

“Today’s action makes it clear that we will expose any financial institution, no matter where they are located, that allows the increasingly desperate Iranian regime to retain access to the international financial system,” the White House said in an earlier statement.

The new sanctions follow measures taken earlier this year against any institution that deals with Iran’s Central Bank. They also are the latest round in increasingly punitive measures targeting companies worldwide that do business with Iran’s oil and energy businesses.

“This is no time to relent,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “New U.S. sanctions are essential in the global effort to convince the Iranian regime of our resolve to end its quest for nuclear-weapons capability.”

The Obama Administration’s move follows the failed P5+1 talks with Iran in Moscow, which came after similarly fruitless negotiations in Baghdad and Istanbul. No date has been set for more high-level talks between Iran and the U.S., Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany. At the same time, Tehrancontinues defiantly to proclaim progress in its nuclear program.

“The Iranian regime’s rejection of UN appeals to stop its nuclear weapons program, and fully open its existing facilities to IAEA inspectors, leaves concerned governments no choice but to impose ever-tighter sanctions,” said Harris.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress, with strong bipartisan support, is expected to approve this week another round of sanctions.

“The onus is on Iran to abide by its international obligations,” said Obama. “If the Iranian government continues its defiance, there should be no doubt that the United States and our partners will continue to hold Iran accountable.”

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New York, U.S.A. — AJC called on the Knesset to censure one of its members for desecrating the Christian Bible.

MK Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union Party, in his Knesset office, tore pages from the New Testament as he condemned the Christian holy book for fostering anti-Semitism.

“MK Ben-Ari’s extremist views and actions are outrageous,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “The photograph of MK Ben-Ari tearing up the Christian Bible, holy to many around the world, is a sacrilegious outrage, an abominable assault on an entire religion.”

Ben-Ari has a long record of open hostility towards Israel’s Arab citizens, and has been barred from visiting the U.S., his country of birth, due to his association with the extremist Kach movement, banned in Israel. The Kach party was banned in Israel after a law was passed that stated political parties who incited racism could not be elected to office. Today the party is considered a terrorist organization in Israel, Canada, the United States, and the European Union.

Harris, praising today’s remarks by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, and by Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, urged other Israeli leaders to speak out and take appropriate action against Ben-Ari.

“I condemn all disrespect of holy writings, including the tearing of the New Testament by an MK last night. Imagine a foreign parliament member tore the bible, relating to it as a provocation,” Rivlin said at today’s Knesset session in Jerusalem. “Democracy means freedom of speech but not freedom to disrespect other religions. A foundation of the state is freedom of worship and belief.”

Speaking for the Israeli government, Regev said, “We totally deplore this behavior and condemn it outright. This action stands in complete contrast to our values and our traditions. Israel is a tolerant society, but we have zero tolerance for this despicable and hateful act.”

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When ticket sales and statistics come into play, the cast and crew of Wicked the Musical, which opened in Singapore for the first time just last Wednesday, must feel some pressure. The Lion King Musical, also held at Marina Bay Sand’s Grand Theatre just before Wicked, sold a record-breaking 330,000 tickets for over 230 performances, making it the most successful musical in Singapore’s history yet.

Nonetheless, boasting 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony awards along with an exceptional cast and crew, Wicked the Musical looks very set to take Singapore by a storm even greater than the one which swept Dorothy’s house off the ground and all the way to Oz.

It is easy to see why Wicked the Musical continues to be such a sensation. Bert Newton, who plays the Wizard of Oz, describes the musical as “suitable for all ages” and his fellow cast members as the “best ensemble [he] can truthfully say [he] has ever worked with”. However, Wicked the Musical’s success does not come without challenges.

According to author Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book for the musical, one challenge the creation team faced was to never contradict the original film, The Wicked of Oz. This is a challenge she evidently rose to. “There’s a whole lot of delicious little references throughout the entire show of Wicked that pertain to the original film so if you’re a film buff, you’ll have fun picking out this little bits and pieces,” actress Anne Wood, who plays the antagonist Madame Morrible, comments.

Lead actress Jemma Rix, who plays Elphaba, mentions the challenge she faces in getting out of character at the end of each performance; “It’s actually very difficult because the role is quite a big role to play. She’s quite an angry sort of character all the time.” Rix adds that this is something she has had to learn over much time and practice.

“I try not to bring the wicked witch home to my husband. I don’t think he would appreciate that very much,” she laughs. Getting into character bears out just as difficult, as Elisa Colla who plays Elphaba’s handicapped sister, Nessarose, can attest. “When I first started learning to use the wheelchair, I really struggled not to move my knees at all,” Colla recounts but is glad to announce it is now almost “second nature” to her.

Stephen Schwartz’s music score for Wicked have also largely contributed to its worldwide triumph. “My most difficult part [in the musical] would be “Defying Gravity”,” Rix says of the massive number she belts out at the climax of the first act. She credits her resulting performance of the song to intensive singing lessons and long hours of training. “When I hit my broom in the air right at the end and I hear the audience’s response back, it hits you. It’s pretty amazing.

And sometimes, my breath gets taken away by the response,” Rix beams as she recounts the satisfaction she feels as she completes each song. On the other hand, Mathers considers “Popular”, a bubbly zealous song characteristic of Glinda’s gusto and enthusiasm for all things positive, a cardio work-out and jokes that she no longer needs to visit the gym. Even so, both actresses pull off what they consider their most challenging songs beautifully and one can only imagine the amount of effort behind their achievements.

What is most captivating about the musical, however, is perhaps the many important messages and lessons it brings across. Apart from the larger lessons to always stand up for oneself and to never judge wickedness on outward appearance, many other points are scattered throughout the musical.

For instance, Glen Hogstorm who plays Doctor Dillamond, an animal professor cruelly stripped of his right to speak, points out how the musical addresses the question of equality in society today. “I certainly think it’s a very valid point in any country and any generation about how the ruling class chooses to treat everyone below them,” he elaborates, referring to how the voices of the animals in the musical are muted and they gradually lose all freedom of speech as the musical progresses.

Wicked also sees Elphaba eventually earning the love and affection of Fiyero, forming an unlikely match. “I’ve got three things that I stand by when I’m looking for a partner in a relationship and that is trust, honesty and respect and without those three things for me, the others don’t exist,” says David Harris who plays Fiyero, the handsome prince who establishes that physical appearance is of little consequence in true love when he, unexpected to all, falls in love with green-skinned Elphaba and chooses her over the beautiful Glinda.

The musical’s plot also witnesses the formation of strong friendship bonds between Elphaba and Glinda, two characters who started off with an intense “Loathing” for each other, as the title of their first duet suggests.

“The main message of friendship in the show is that friendship knows no barriers. It really applies to today with race and gender and sexuality,” Mathers aptly summarizes the relevance of the musical’s message to the world today.

Together, the dedicated crew, exemplary costumes and stage sets, and the cast which shares just as much chemistry off-stage as they do on-stage is what brings the fairytale plot its greater meaning and significance; there is nothing but praise to be had for Wicked.

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Another week has passed and in another game Gang Green has been handed their proverbial butts once again. After last week’s embarrassment in Oakland, the Jets traveled south to Baltimore to face Rex Ryan’s old team and were met with a brick wall.

The game started with so much promise as Joe McKnight, who’s become quite the special teams player, popped the ball loose from the Ravens on the opening kick-off, though the Ravens did recover later. The newly signed DE Aaron Maybin gave the Jets a pass rush and forced the Ravens to punt.

After that there wasn’t much good for the Jets. On the offenses’ first play the Jets left arguably one of the best safeties of all time, Ed Reed, unblocked and he blindsided Mark Sanchez forcing a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown. One of the lone brightspots came on the ensuing kick-off when Joe McKnight ran the kick 107 yards back for the touchdown setting the record for longest play in Jets history.

The troubles for Sanchez continued as he played his worst game, and arguably one of the worst games for a QB ever. He had 4 fumbles, 3 of which were recovered by the Ravens and 1 pick. Three of his turnovers led to touchdowns. The biggest was a pick 6 he threw as the Jets were gaining some momentum after a fumble recovery by the defense on the previous play.

Sanchez couldn’t hit anything as his passer rating (30.5) and his completion percentage (31.4) are laughable at best. He failed to read any of the Ravens blitzes and find his hot routes. This wasn’t all on Sanchez as the offensive line had another horrible game and was still suffering from the absence of C Nick Mangold.

Replacement center rookie Colin Baxter was actually benched for a few series and Vlad Ducasse made it into the game as Matt Slausson moved to center. The running game was again absent and the wide receivers dropped many of the passes that made it to their hands. The defense rebounded from a tough game in Oakland, but it wasn’t enough to overcome all the turnovers.

They got a decent pass rush, forced a few turnovers and the highlight came on David Harris’ pick 6. Starting OLB Bryan Thomas tore his Achilles on a fluke play rushing OT Michael Oher and will miss the remainder of the season which is another big loss for a team with lack of depth.

Don’t be surprised if the Jets sign a veteran offensive linemen or two and possibly a linebacker to fill in for injured players. LB Tully Banta-Cain is a viable option and the Jets worked him out not to long ago and have remained in contact with him. This has been a tough two games for the Jets and it doesn’t get easier with a trip to Foxboro to square off with Tom Brady and the Patriots looming next week.

This has turned into a must win for the Jets as they’ve fallen to 2-2.

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If anything was learned from the “hard fought,” (Brandon Jacobs) but sloppy game Jets-Giants preseason game its that the Jets are now the younger brother that’s grown up and surpassed there older brother.

Though neither side looked overly impressive during this game the Jets D was able to dominate the Giants and the Jets offense which looked way less explosive than it had the week before against the Bengals was able to get it done and score when they had the chance.

The first quarter belonged more the Giants as Sanchez was a measly 2-6 for 6 yds on 2 drives that resulted in three and outs. Eli Manning led a few impressive drives, however they all resulted in no points as he threw an interception on their first drive as David Harris was able to get a free run unblocked up the middle to force the errant throw.

The Giants first offense was only able to come away with a field goal in the first two quarters as the Jets D was very staunch giving, but not breaking. They picked Manning twice in the half and even at the beginning of the 2^nd half when the Jets 2^nd D was on the field they were able to hold the Giants starting offense on a 4^th and goal to force a turnover and downs.

The Offense wasn’t too good all night, but the highlight for them came on a TD pass from Sanchez to Holmes on a 17yd strike. Burress was the number 1 target on the play, and his route caused Holmes to be open and Sanchez didn’t hesitate throwing a bullet in a tight hole to Holmes who corralled it for the score.

Both teams made boneheaded plays, but you could tell just from watching the game that the game meant more to the Giants than the Jets and they still couldn’t put anything together. The distraught looks on coach Tom Caughlin and Eli Manning were enough to show the frustration and somewhat of the realization that the Jets were in fact the better team on the field.

Granted this was just a preseason game and the two teams will get a chance to play for real when they meet in Week 16, but if this game was any indication of what is to come, by then the game won’t be relevant as the Giants won’t be in the playoff hunt and the Jets will have a playoff spot wrapped up.

One thing is definitely for sure when it comes to football in New York and that is that the New York Jets are now the best team finally surpassing the Giants who have overshadowed them for many years.

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After coming within one game of making it to the Super Bowl for the second straight year the New York Jets are looking to bolster their roster to take the final step and get to and win a Super Bowl. Coming into this off season the Jets had a lot of questions facing them with many key pieces to their team becoming free agents.

So far the Jets haven’t made a “splash” in free agency, but have made some key moves to sure up there team going into this season and haven’t been shy about throwing money around. The first move was to place the franchise tag on David Harris which he signed a tender for $10.4 million. He has since reworked his contract and signed a 4 year $36 million deal.

From there they moved onto the harder part of deciding which key members to retain. With Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Antonio Cromartie, Brad Smith, Shaun Ellis, Eric Smith, Brodney Pool, as well as kicker Nick Folk and punter Steve Weatherford all due to be free agents there was quite the daunting task facing GM Mike Tannenbaum.

Tannenbaum made Holmes their top priority and re-signed him to a 5 year $50 million deal. The Jets then turned their focus to arguably best available free agent Nnamdi Asomugha and for a few days it seemed as if the Jets were the front runner to land him and potentially have the two best corners in the game on the same team.

Asomugha eventually chose Philadelphia as his destination and the Jets then worked out a deal with Antonio Cromartie signing him to a 4 year $32 million deal. However, due to the Jets waiting on Asomugha to decide they lost all purpose WR Brad Smith to the division rival Bills. Now for all of you counting at home, so far that’s a whopping $118 million between 3 players.

This unfortunate tally ultimately lead to the Jets lack of interest in other big name WR Braylon Edwards. Rumored to have interest in other FA wide receiver Randy Moss, the Jets went with Plaxico Burress and have since signed the former Giants player who recently was released from prison stealing him away from his former team and following in the path of the Eagles who did the same with Mike Vick.

The Jets while taking a gamble on Burress as no one is sure what kind of shape he’s in or where his skills are at after two years away, were able to get him a much cheaper cost than Braylon Edwards and both have the same skill set of a tall deep threat receiver. The Jets have also re-signed S Eric Smith to a 3 year $7.5 million deal helping to sure up their secondary where they are somewhat thin past Revis and Cromartie.

So far the Jets staff has done a great job in being able to hold onto the key pieces they might have lost in free agency and adding talent to make up for what they have lost. With the season only a month away and some cap room still to work with don’t put it past Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan to make another big move or two to bring in more talent to a team on the brink of a championship.

Don’t be surprised if they re-sign DE Shaun Ellis to a short deal or go out and make a move for a pass rusher, Osi Umenyiora being the big name out there right now available for trade due to being unhappy with the Giants. So far this hasn’t been the off season of miracles for the Jets as the Eagles with all there big FA signings win that one, but has none the less been exactly what the Jets need to gear up for another shot at the Super Bowl.

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