Ze’ev Jabotinsky: 70 Years Since The Passing Of An Exceptional Zionist

Posted on: August 4th, 2010

A portrait of Ze'ev Jabotinsky may still adorn Likud conventions in Israel, but the ideas of this great Zionist leader - who passed away 70 years ago this week - are essentially forgotten and/or ignored.

Israeli Basketball Star Doron Sheffer Tells Of Return To Judaism

Posted on: August 4th, 2010

JERUSALEM - Doron Sheffer, 37, one of Israel's greatest basketball players, shared his story of return to religious observance with a group of Jewish educators.

‘I Never Ran So Fast In My Life’: An Interview With Holocaust Survivor and ZOA Official Larry Wenig

Posted on: July 28th, 2010

Sixty-five years ago next month - on August 11, 1945 - Polish-born Holocaust survivor Larry Wenig vowed to utilize all of his talents toward creating a Jewish state in Palestine.

‘There’s A Double Standard When It Comes To Israel’: An interview with GOP senatorial candidate Jay Townsend

Posted on: July 21st, 2010

The November midterm elections may well alter the political face of this country. Opponents of Obama administration policies have galvanized their forces and are eager to make their voices heard to the American electorate. One of those people is Jay Townsend, a GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate from New York who will be seeking to unseat incumbent Sen. Charles Schumer.

At The Rebbe’s Side: On the 20th Yahrzeit of Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht

Posted on: July 21st, 2010

Many people knew him as Rabbi Hecht. His brothers called him Yank. To most of us he was J.J. - the man who, year after year, we saw standing at the Lubavitcher Rebbe's side for hours, no matter the weather, at the Lag B'Omer parade.

Rabbi Amital Remembered As Symbol Of An Era

Posted on: July 14th, 2010

JERUSALEM - Rabbi Yehuda Amital died July 9 at the age of 86. He was among the heads of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Alon Shvut, and among the creators of the Meimad political stream.

Helping The Jews Of Marine Park

Posted on: July 14th, 2010

During the day, Shea Rubenstein works in real estate development. In the evenings he helps run the Jewish Community Council of Marine Park, an organization he helped establish, to meet the needs of the local community, as its executive vice president.

‘America Is Better Served By A Religiously Vibrant Christianity’ An Interview with Rabbi Daniel Lapin

Posted on: July 7th, 2010

To some non-Jews, he is simply "America's rabbi." Rabbi Daniel Lapin - great-nephew of the widely revered mussarpersonality, Reb Elya Lapian - lectures across America to audiences both Jewish and Christian, produces audio CDs on such issues as marriage, the Ten Commandments, and the ill effects of vulgar speech, and disseminates a weekly e-mail called Thought Tools.

‘The Time Has Come For Us To Stop Beating Ourselves’: An interview with Shas Chairman Eli Yishai

Posted on: June 23rd, 2010

Though Sephardim are a small percentage of worldwide Jewry, they constitute a majority of Jews living in Israel today. Shas, the Israeli political party representing Orthodox and traditional Sephardim, has become a political powerhouse since its founding in 1984 by former Sephardic chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

‘The World Is Crazy And Netanyahu’s Under A Lot Of Pressure’: An interview with the Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman

Posted on: June 16th, 2010

With the influence of news writers almost rivaling that of newsmakers, especially in the Middle East, Gil Hoffman has a pivotal position as chief political correspondent and analyst for the Jerusalem Post. Hoffman is closely connected with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, has interviewed every major figure across the Israeli political spectrum, and is a regular analyst on CNN, Al Jazeera and other news outlets.

Jamaican Hip-Hopper Turned Orthodox Jew: A Candid Talk With Yoseph Robinson

Posted on: June 9th, 2010

At the height of his musical success and while indulging in all the material abundance Hollywood had to offer, Yoseph chanced upon a Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch edition of the Chumash. Yoseph's life was transformed. He decided to reject the emptiness and egotism of the Hollywood lifestyle and embrace Yiddishkeit. Yoseph converted to Judaism and now lives in Brooklyn as an Orthodox Jew.

‘Her Heart And Soul Are Wrapped Up In Love Of Israel’: An Interview with the Founder of Jewish Americans for Sarah Palin

Posted on: May 26th, 2010

Perhaps it was inevitable. Ever since her address at the Republican National Convention two years ago, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has been popular among many Orthodox Jews. A month after the convention, a "Sarah Palin Wig" went on sale on Sheitel.com. Now, as worry increases in the Jewish community over President Obama's Middle East policies, a group of Jews have banded together to create Jewish Americans for Sarah Palin (JewsforSarah.com).

Probing Kashrut Pitfalls In Jerusalem: An Interview with Investigative Journalist Yechiel Spira

Posted on: May 18th, 2010

Yechiel Spira is part of a new breed of Internet-based Orthodox investigative journalist. The native New Yorker, who made aliyah in 1984, is on the front lines of Jerusalem's "almost anything goes" kosher-food industry via his Jerusalem Kosher News website (www.jerusalemkoshernews.com).

‘The Outlook For Israel Is Very Grave’: An Interview with AFSI’s Rael Jean Isaac

Posted on: May 12th, 2010

Rael Jean Isaac was in the right place at the right time. Forty years ago, she found herself in Israel together with her husband, studying the various activist groups that had sprung up in Israel in the wake of the Six-Day War. Some argued for returning the lands won during the war; others, for keeping them. While researching the different movements for her doctoral thesis, she and her husband met veteran right-wing activist Shmuel Katz. The rest is history.

‘I’m A Chazzan, But I Don’t Put On A Broadway Show’: An Interview with Lincoln Square Synagogue’s Cantor Sherwood Goffin

Posted on: April 28th, 2010

Sherwood Goffin has had a storied career. The cantor of Lincoln Square Synagogue since 1965, Goffin started his musical career as a folk singer. From 1961-1995, Goffin sang on major stages worldwide, recorded six albums, and was known as the "Voice of Soviet Jewry," singing at all the major Soviet Jewry UN Solidarity Day rallies from 1964-1991.

Responding To Islamic Extremism: An interview with Dr. Marvin Belsky

Posted on: April 21st, 2010

The Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam, founded in May 2009, has held numerous political demonstrations, rallies and seminars aimed at bringing about a collective awareness of the perils of Islamic extremism. The Jewish Press sat down with Dr. Marvin Belsky, chairman of the board of HRCARI, to hear more about the goals and objectives of the group.

‘There’s A Grand Deception Going On’: An Interview with Terrorism Expert Steven Emerson

Posted on: April 14th, 2010

The New York Post called him "the nation's foremost journalistic expert on terrorism." Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism chief, called him the "Paul Revere of terrorism." For 16 years, Steven Emerson has been conducting research, reporting, writing, speaking, and testifying before Congress on the threat of radical Islam.

‘We Can Manage With The Palestinians If The Americans Don’t Interfere’: An Interview with MK Dr. Aryeh Eldad

Posted on: April 8th, 2010

As the son of former Lehi leader Israel Eldad, Knesset Member Dr. Aryeh Eldad (National Union) is no newcomer to Israel's political wars.

Israel’s Rebirth ‘A Boring Story’ To U.S. Jews: An Interview with American Zionist Hero Dr. David Gutmann

Posted on: March 29th, 2010

In 1947-1948 I lived in Boro Park where, against parental and rabbinic advice, I joined a Zionist group. By 1950 I was packing machine-gun parts for Israel in a home not far from the Young Israel. But what I did as a child does not compare to what my friend and colleague David Gutmann did for love of Zion at that very time on the dangerous open seas.

‘Pretty Worth It In The End’: An Interview With Dominican-American Convert Aliza Hausman

Posted on: March 24th, 2010

Have you read the blog Jewminicana? If you have, you are already familiar with Aliza Hausman, a recently converted Dominican-American blogger. She blogs about her childhood, upbringing, conversion, and a wide range of other topics. She and her husband, a semichah student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, also speak about life as a religious interracial couple.