Jerusalem Diary

Posted on: August 9th, 2006

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - The close of another day that I had hoped would be the beginning of an epitaph, the inscription commemorating the end of this war. However, it wasn't meant to be. Instead, another day of enduring news of rocket fire, wounded, and dead.

A World Without Israel/Democrats Prefer Neutrality

Posted on: August 9th, 2006

The world is full of Israel-haters. I don't know why. It probably has something to do with anti-Semitism - and even more to do with lack of knowledge and understanding about the Middle East.

Nothing In, Nothing Out

Posted on: August 9th, 2006

A democratically elected government's ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of its citizens. Accordingly, achieving that goal is the task facing the Israeli government in its dual war against Hizbullah terrorists on its northern front and Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

We Will Not Capitulate

Posted on: August 9th, 2006

Ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world. I, the prime minister of Israel, am speaking to you from Jerusalem in the face of the terrible pictures from Kfar Kana. Any human heart, wherever it is, must sicken and recoil at the sight of such pictures. There are no words of comfort that can mitigate the enormity of this tragedy. Still, I am looking you straight in the eye and telling you that the State of Israel will continue its military campaign in Lebanon.

Air Power Goes Only So Far

Posted on: August 2nd, 2006

In 1967 Israel defeated the combined armies of the Arab world in six days.

Hizbullah’s Nazi-Like Propaganda

Posted on: August 2nd, 2006

"Just like Hitler fought the Jews, we are a great Islamic nation of jihad, and we too should fight the Jews and burn them." - Hisham Shamas, political science student, at a symposium hosted by Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV at Lebanon's largest and only government-run university, Université Libanaise, November 29, 2005.

Jewish Birth No Shield For Anti-Israel Views

Posted on: August 2nd, 2006

Whenever Israel uses military force, there is always a cadre of Jews who feel it is their duty to undermine the Israeli government. They begin arguments by claiming moral superiority through their Judaism.

Why Lieberman Will Lose

Posted on: August 2nd, 2006

I hate making this call about my Orthodox Jewish brother Joe Lieberman, but he almost certainly will lose next week's Connecticut Democratic Senate primary. He will be defeated, as predicted by the polls and pundits, primarily because of his support for the Iraq war and his refusal to join in the demonization of George W. Bush.

Among Israel’s Heroes

Posted on: August 2nd, 2006

The news that I, along with Rabbi Avi Weiss (Rav Avi), would be embarking to the north of Israel on a mission of solidarity and unity was met by many friends and colleagues with a myriad of responses. Many were supportive of the mission, all were apprehensive about the dangers, and yet some were cynical about our motives and chances of success.

Washington Post Columnist’s Israel Mistake

Posted on: August 2nd, 2006

The Washington Post's Richard Cohen, in a July 18 op-ed on the current fighting between Israel and Hizbullah ("Hunkering Down With History"), declared that Israel's creation was a "mistake." He based this judgment of Israel on its Arab Muslim neighbors' opposition to its existence.

Lessons Of The Katyushas

Posted on: July 26th, 2006

People have very short memories.

Tzav Shmonah

Posted on: July 26th, 2006

When our son phoned to say he was coming over with his wife and children, my husband said, "Fine, we're home tonight, and for a change there's real food. Ima prepared supper for other family members that are on their way over."

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Posted on: July 26th, 2006

Northern Israel is a vacationer's paradise. From hiking trails to walk on, to rivers to swim in, to luxury hotels to bask in, to mystical sites to seek inspiration from, it has something for everyone. This is why, when last week I took my first vacation in four years, I made my way to the North.

Tenth Of Av

Posted on: July 26th, 2006

The fires that consumed the First Temple on the Ninth of Av continued to burn until the middle of the following day. The Talmudic sage Rabbi Yochanan stated, "Had I been alive in that generation, I would have fixed [the day of mourning] for the Tenth [of Av] because the greater part of the Temple was burnt on that day."

From Chupa To Kever: A Soldier’s Journey

Posted on: July 26th, 2006

July 21 - Five Israeli soldiers were buried today. Among them was Benjy Hillman, 27, the son of one of my oldest friends. Benjy, z"l, was a commander in the elite Egoz unit, who was killed fighting Hizbullah terrorists in southern Lebanon last night.

The Voice Of My Beloved

Posted on: July 19th, 2006

There are things that should not be said out loud, at least by people with little authority, because they might come out wrong. They might be construed as arrogant, naïve, impossible. The tone of voice must be just right, timbre calm and measured - even the pauses between words dare not be too great or noticeable, or you run the risk of being dismissed as preachy and holier-than-thou.

The Responsibility Of An Israeli Government And Its Army

Posted on: July 19th, 2006

I must begin by expressing that our hearts are with our soldiers on both the northern and southern fronts, and our prayers beseech the Almighty to protect them so that they all return home safely.

Gush Evacuees Will Fight For Those Who Disdained Them

Posted on: July 19th, 2006

As I write this, Israel is being heavily bombed. City after city in the north, like Sderot in the south, is reeling from the intense rocket attacks. The streets are empty. The people of Safed, Nahariya, Carmiel, Meron, Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi and Haifa are huddled in their safe rooms and community shelters. The rockets are deadlier and far-reaching.

Vicente Fox, Drugs, And The Secular Theocratic State

Posted on: July 19th, 2006

In 2001, Mexican president Vicente Fox made something of a splash when he, contrary to his campaign rhetoric, came out in support of the decriminalization of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use. Fox noted that, despite the number of people imprisoned for drug trafficking, and despite the legal penalties for the possession and use of substances, drug use was going up, not down.

Why The Left Hates Israel

Posted on: July 19th, 2006

Few facets of today's politics are more obvious or more startling than the Left's hatred of Israel. Be it the United Nations, elite universities or The New York Times, the Left unashamedly uses its institutions as forums from which to conduct its relentless campaign of vilification.