Yearly Archives: 2011

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Israeli airforce struck at terrorists preparing to launch rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip this Friday, killing 21-year-old Muaman Abu-Daf . The IDF...

Netanyahu said: “If Hamas joins the Palestinian government, I will not hold peace negotiations."

Ludwig Blum (1891 – 1974) was a deeply complex artist who walked the fine line between pure aesthetics and a radical artistic view of the Zionist enterprise. He clearly loved to paint, make beautiful images and provide aesthetic pleasure.

We have seen this movie before. Already, Herman Cain is off the front pages, but there will remain readily accessible political scandals to enjoy in the wings. Ironically, whatever the particulars of these chronic humiliations, all of them will commonly disclose far more serious shortcomings about their "audience" than about their subjects.

Those who think that Abbas's invitation to Hamas to join the PLO is a positive step for the peace process are deluding themselves.

Readers respond to the letter from Wounded In-Laws (Magazine 12-2-2011)

With the U.S. troops gone, the power struggle in Iraq is reaching new levels.

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Question: What should a person do if he brings a relative to the hospital on Shabbat and is asked to sign his name? Can he sign if the hospital will not admit the patient otherwise?

Findings in catacombs confirm the existence of Jews on Malta from the time of the Roman Empire until late in the Middle Ages. They came from Alexandria to this important crossroads on their way to Italy.

For most of his life, Yaakov Avinu suffered tests, trials and tribulations. It seems his days were spent moving from adversity to crisis. Clearly he didn’t have it easy, and the suffering took its toll.

“This is not the good old Likud that we know,” sighed the party’s veteran princes. “Where is Begin’s liberalism?” cried the journalists. “Where is the Jabotinsky splendor?” “We must guard against the tyranny of the majority.” “Democracy is in danger!” “A murky wave threatens Israel’s democracy!” “A dark Feiglinite dictatorship.”

Hashem’s kindness is limitless, and even when He administers judgment, it is tempered with kindness.

In this week’s parshah, Yaakov is reunited with his son Yosef after having being separated from him for 22 years.

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An Eventual Resolution ‘May The Likes Of You Increase Manifold In Israel’ (Bechoros 45b)

Question: I know there is a dispute in the Gemara regarding ayin hara, the evil eye. Can you discuss the origin of it? Ben Glassman (Via E-Mail)

What do porcupines do in winter? asked Schopenhauer. If they come too close to one another, they injure each other. If they stay too far apart, they freeze. Life, for porcupines, is a delicate balance between closeness and distance. It is hard to get it right and dangerous to get it wrong. And so it is for us.

To this day, this true story makes the hairs on my neck stand up straight. It’s a story whereby too many “coincidences” just “happened.”

The woman in her mid-thirties who initiated this discussion a few weeks ago bemoaned what she considers the indifference and the insensitivity of most people to the plight of singles.

In one respect, the current, very public, controversy over gender separation in Israel is a no-brainer.

It was only two weeks ago that, except for Congressman Ron Paul, the aspirants for the Republican presidential nomination were falling all over themselves in expressing undying support for Israel and its right to choose how it would pursue its own destiny.

Many of us are actually quite satisfied that U.S. efforts at securing a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians seem to have been put on hold these past few months.

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The Obama administration is planning to sell billions of dollars of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Israel is not protesting the deal.

When analyzing the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is very easy to pinpoint the horrific acts of terror carried out by Palestinian terrorists as a critical issue that must be addressed before there can be any substantive conversations about a true and lasting peace agreement.

In producing "Women Unchained," a daring yet dignified film about women who can’t get a get – a Jewish divorce – filmmakers Beverly Siegel and Leta Lenik have done Jewish society a favor.

When I was young, my father, like many of his generation, frequently remarked that America was the greatest country in the world. He was an immigrant who lost almost his entire family in the Holocaust. He came here with nothing and earned everything. He treasured his American citizenship, guarding his citizenship papers like others would guard heirloom silver.