Religious Extremism And International Legal Norms Perfidy, Irrationality And Preemption (First of Three Parts)

Posted on: April 25th, 2007

The French dramatist and diplomat, Jean Giraudoux, inquires in one of his plays (Sodome et Gomorrhe): "C'est beau, n'est-ce pas, la fin dumonde?" ("It is beautiful, isn't it, the end of the world?")

The Close Connection

Posted on: April 25th, 2007

Israel Independence Day is a very special celebration.

Jewish Agency In Poland

Posted on: April 25th, 2007

One of the most frequently asked questions about Jewish life in Poland is, "Are there still Jews there?"

Difficult Questions In Polish-Jewish Dialogue

Posted on: April 12th, 2007

Whenever I meet people, and they find out I write about Jewish life in Poland, invariably they have questions.

‘The Horror…The Horror’: Facing Nuclear War In The Middle East (Conclusion)

Posted on: April 12th, 2007

'Faced with imminent and existential attacks, Israel − properly taking its cue from The National Security Strategy of the United States of America − could decide to preempt enemy aggression with conventional forces.

Sigmund Rolat And Wayne Zuckerman Honored At YU Museum

Posted on: April 2nd, 2007

The exhibit "And I Still See Their Faces," at the Yeshiva University Museum in the Jewish History Center in N.Y., was the site of a gala reception honoring two of Polish Jewry's greatest friends, Mr. Sigmund Rolat and Wayne Zuckerman.

‘The Horror… The Horror’: Facing Nuclear War In The Middle East (Part I)

Posted on: April 2nd, 2007

"The horror, the horror," mumbles the Marlon Brando character in the film, Apocalypse Now. How thin, he reflects, is the veneer of our planetary civilization. How entirely inadequate, he understands, are the unsteady fences that protect us from humankind's most ruinous inclinations.

What A Surprise! Diplomatic Sanctions Won’t Work For Iran

Posted on: March 28th, 2007

One would think, certainly by now, that foolish optimism about Iran should have been swept completely away. One would now assume, with altogether good reason, that Iran has absolutely no intention of abandoning its nuclear program, and that it does not display markedly genocidal stripes only for Islamic public consumption.

On Assassination, Preemption, And Counter-Terrorism: The View From International Law

Posted on: March 21st, 2007

Good morning. Thank you, John (Loftus) and Bob [Dr. Robert Katz). The conference main theme is in essence: Our individual and collective survival amidst growing global chaos. With this in mind, the Irish poet Yeats reminds us: "The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned."

Jewish Historical Institute Photo Project

Posted on: March 21st, 2007

Whenever I go to Poland I make a point of visiting the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.

Ahmadinejad’s Calls For Genocide Are Crimes Against Humanity

Posted on: March 14th, 2007

"The more things change," goes the well-worn maxim, "the more they remain the same." Readers of The Jewish Press are already well acquainted with now incessant Iranian calls for the annihilation of Israel. What might not be so apparent, however, is that such calls to "wipe Israel off the map" constitute a serious crime under international law.

Swidin Jewish Cemetery Vandalized Again

Posted on: March 14th, 2007

Half of the 20 tombstones in the Jewish cemetery of Swidin were broken March 1, according to Albert Stankowski of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Warsaw. "This was done during the same time as the Claims Conference was visiting in Poland, and I have no doubt that the act against the cemetery was related," he said. Stankowksi was referring to a Claims Conference meeting last week with the government about compensation for Jewish property stolen by the Nazis and Communists.

Justice And Jewish Slavery: Daimler-Chrysler’s Final And Inevitable Collapse

Posted on: March 7th, 2007

On its face, it would surely be foolish to blame Daimler-Chrysler's extraordinary woes on the very dark history of Daimler-Benz. On its face, the combined company's deep decline is manifestly a function of bad economic judgments. After all, from the very start, the 1998 decision by Germany's Daimler-Benz to merge with Chrysler simply made no financial sense.

Irena Sendler

Posted on: March 7th, 2007

When people hear of those honored as Righteous Among The Nations by Yad Vashem, they automatically think of the most renowned, such as Oscar Schindler or Raul Wallenberg.

Olmert’s Unspoken Existential Imperative Taking Israel’s Bomb Out Of The ‘Basement’

Posted on: February 28th, 2007

Now that Israel is again being pressured to follow a self-destructive "Road Map," a 23rd Arab state called Palestine is again in the process of being born. One serious but largely unforeseen effect of this grotesque birth (one in which only a gravedigger could wield the forceps) is greatly diminished "strategic depth" for Israel. Consequently there is a heightened probability of both conventional and unconventional war.

Rededication Of Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin in Poland (Part III)

Posted on: February 28th, 2007

Restoration And Future Plans Of The Yeshiva

After The State Of The Union Pain And Terror In Iraq

Posted on: February 21st, 2007

Following every suicide bombing in Iraq, one crucial point is always overlooked. This point is rooted in the confining space of each individual human body. It has to do with the general incommunicability of physical pain. No human language can ever really describe agony. In consequence, the monstrousness of terror-violence - never truly palpable - is generally reduced to an anesthetized inventory of "casualties."

Rededication Of Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin in Poland (Part II)

Posted on: February 21st, 2007

Last week's column, mostly pictures, on the rededication of Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin, could only partially describe the joyous event.

Rededication Of Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin In Poland (Part I)

Posted on: February 14th, 2007

It has been said that Poland is a country of ghosts and for the past 68 years, since the invasion of Poland by the Germans in 1939, there has been little to celebrate.

The Suicide Bomber, Again

Posted on: February 14th, 2007

My daughter once worked on a kibbutz near Eilat, so the suicide bombing on January 29 in that normally tranquil Red Sea resort is especially sobering. This Palestinian "freedom fighter" struck a small bakery, killing three shoppers who had stopped by for bread and cakes. The two groups taking responsibility for the terror, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, were ecstatic about the success of their "military operation."