Obama’s Agenda Isn’t Selling In Conservative America

Posted on: September 23rd, 2009

The huge “9/12” protest in Washington was the latest expression of discontent over President Obama’s leftward policy thrust. The discord is evident from the Tea Party movement to the chaotic town halls on health care reform.

New Year’s Resolutions In September

Posted on: September 23rd, 2009

In the fall of 1988, I began a new chapter in my life. It had been almost a year since I delivered my bar mitzvah speech in my family’s warm suburban synagogue and just a few months after I’d completed eighth grade at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland – the Jewish day school I had attended since pre-kindergarten.

Goldstone Report A Mockery Of History

Posted on: September 23rd, 2009

The UN’s Goldstone Commission report on the Israeli army’s behavior in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead is a mockery of history.

Time To Get Tougher On Iran

Posted on: September 23rd, 2009

Amid the media firestorm over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's annual propaganda turn on the world stage addressing the UN General Assembly, let’s not lose sight of the need to get tougher on Iran.

J Street’s Shameful Attacks On Pro-Israel Organizations

Posted on: September 16th, 2009

If J Street, the new left-wing Israel lobby, wants to be taken seriously by mainstream American Jewry, I suggest it immediately stop the patronizing argument that all those who disagree with the organization are ossified Jewish knuckle-draggers who see an anti-Semite behind every corner.

Whose Side Is J Street Really On?

Posted on: September 16th, 2009

Is J Street a pro-Israel group? The lobbying organization never tires of claiming it is. Yet what pro-Israel group would invite a man to speak at its forthcoming conference who has called for Israel’s destruction, stating that “the establishment by force, violence and terrorism of a Jewish state in Palestine in 1948” was “unjust” and “a crime,” and vowed to “work to overturn the injustice"?

The Only True King

Posted on: September 16th, 2009

Hashem Melech. God is King. That is the theme of Rosh Hashanah. What does it mean for us? We are accustomed to a world in which “the people rule.” That is the theory. One man casts a vote, and it is tabulated along with the rest. The winner theoretically becomes the leader. We have grown [...]

Nullity Of Being, Greatness Of Being: A Meditation on Sin and Repentance

Posted on: September 16th, 2009

At the core of man is duality. Some might suggest contradiction. Regardless of how it is characterized, man’s essential duality creates tension in his life. For man is both corporal, like every other being that walks the face of the earth, and he is spiritual, imbued with the dignity and divinity of his Creator.

The President Who Saved A Million African Lives – Hint: It Isn’t Obama

Posted on: September 9th, 2009

What if an American president, on his own initiative, under no demands from staff or from supporters or opponents, set out to spend an unprecedented amount of money on AIDS in Africa, literally billions of dollars, at a time when the nation could not afford it, citing his faith as a primary motivation and, ultimately, saved more than a million lives?

Anti-Israel Hypocrisy At Human Rights Watch

Posted on: September 9th, 2009

One of Human Rights Watch’s common refrains is the demand for “independent investigations” based on the allegation that Israel is unable to conduct its own inquiries.

The Real Obstacle To Peace

Posted on: September 9th, 2009

For Arabs, Israel's "occupation" of Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza in 1967 and subsequent settlement is only part of the problem. The real issue is Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 as a Jewish state.

City Of Prayers And Dreams

Posted on: September 9th, 2009

The air over Jerusalem is saturated with prayers and dreams Like the air over industrial cities It is hard to breathe….

Who Will Mediate Between Israel And Obama?

Posted on: September 9th, 2009

President Obama is set to mediate a summit between Israel and the PA's Mahmoud Abbas at the end of September. But the real question is, who will mediate between Israel and Obama?

All Is Well In Our Home

Posted on: September 2nd, 2009

All is well in our home, in our community. Isn’t it? A new school year is about to open and enrollment will grow by about 5,000 students over last year. There are a third more students in yeshiva-world schools than there were a decade ago, while in chassidic schools the increase during this period is an astounding sixty percent.

Day Of Shock In Beersheba

Posted on: September 2nd, 2009

Professor Rivka Carmi, president of Ben-Gurion University (BGU), says she’s “shocked” by the call to boycott Israel made in a Los Angeles Times op-ed written by Dr. Neve Gordon, the chairman of her Department of Politics and Government.

The American Voter Is Israel’s Only Hope

Posted on: September 2nd, 2009

As reported last week, President Obama has now linked forcing Israeli concessions on a two-state solution to American help with Iran and its nuclear ambitions. The Obama administration is prepared to offer Israel tougher action against Iran’s nuclear program if the Netanyahu government agrees to stop building in East Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.

Israel Will Never Be Small Enough

Posted on: September 2nd, 2009

A view from the year 2016:As we know, a unique new peace program was proposed six years ago, in 2010, and implemented in 2012. The plan was based on the principle of Two States for Two Peoples and it received near-unanimous support from the Israeli Left. Among those celebrating the breakthrough and endorsing the plan were Peace Now, Physicians for Human Rights, Meretz, Yesh Gvul and many other like-minded organizations.

Travels With Mike

Posted on: August 26th, 2009

When I received the invitation from Shani Hikind at the Ateret Cohanim/Jerusalem Reclamation Project to accompany 2008 Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on a mission to Israel, I immediately accepted.

Mature Singles Have Their Own Shidduch Crisis

Posted on: August 26th, 2009

If you think the shidduch crisis can lead to heartache when we deal with our children, try going through it yourself. As someone newly involved in this scene, I can share that it is a sad one – comprised of scores of formerly married people mixed with never-been-married singles all trying unsuccessfully to connect.

Hebron Then And Now

Posted on: August 26th, 2009

Jews have been marking the 80th anniversary of the Hebron massacre that began on August 23, 1929. It is one of the most horrible pogroms in all of history. With a new American administration seeking to portray Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria as obstacles to peace, one wonders what would happen – what would be the reaction – were such an attack to be perpetrated against the Jews of Hebron today.