Three Irrational US Mideast Policies

Posted on: May 6th, 2012

Barack Obama and many of his appointees share a New Left sensibility, which includes the ideas that colonialism and imperialism — particularly ‘US imperialism’ is the root of all evil, that it is meaningless to suggest that one culture could be morally superior to another, and that national interests should be subordinated to multilateral cooperation.

Elections Bring Egypt to the Edge of Abyss

Posted on: May 6th, 2012

With two leading Islamist presidential candidates that are backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, chances are high that Egypt will vote an Islamist into the office of president. This will undoubtedly be followed by an Islamist constitution.

Rubin Reports: New York Times Coverage of Israel: What Comes After Ridiculously Biased?

Posted on: May 6th, 2012

At times we seem to be living in the updated version of Ignazio Silone’s remark, “The final conflict will be between the Communists and the ex-Communists.” All too often, we cannot depend on Western-trained intellectuals in positions of power who either buy into leftist ideology or tremble in fear of being called racists or Islamophobes.

Khaled Abu Toameh: What the Palestinians Want

Posted on: May 4th, 2012

As far as most Palestinians are concerned, the "friend of my enemy is my enemy." Palestinians hate the US because of its continued support for Israel. The Palestinians want the US to endorse all their demands and force Israel to give them everything. As one of the leaders of a recent anti-US demonstration explained, "The US will remain our enemy for as long as it does not fully support the Palestinians."

Time For A Presidential Clarification

Posted on: February 1st, 2012

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas's statement last Saturday that "Israeli intransigence" was behind the collapse of the recently convened Israel-Palestinian talks in Jordan may provide a moment of truth for President Obama.

The Police Commissioner And ‘The Third Jihad’

Posted on: February 1st, 2012

The current controversy surrounding the film "The Third Jihad" is ostensibly over the propriety of the NYPD's airing it as part of in a training program.

The Jewish Press Won’t Be Silenced

Posted on: January 31st, 2012

A significant number of suicide attempts are committed by boys from not just religious but rabbinic homes -- because they thought they were homosexual and had no place in the Orthodox world they grew up in, even if they had never acted on those impulses.

The Sound Of Silence

Posted on: January 26th, 2012

Given its context, the recent declaration of the mufti of Jerusalem that it is Muslim destiny to destroy the Jewish people cannot be dismissed as the primitive rant of a crackpot cleric.

The Unbearable Lightness Of Larry King

Posted on: December 8th, 2010

Larry King will host his last edition of "Larry King Live" on CNN next week, and the Monitor can only say Good Riddance. King built a reputation and made a fortune as the master of the soft toss interview, which was fine for doing Frank Sinatra retrospectives but made for cringe-inducing television whenever the subject at hand required a tad more seriousness.

Mike Wallace’s Palestinian Mentor

Posted on: December 1st, 2010

Over the years, two Jewish journalists - Thomas Friedman and Mike Wallace - have been the subject of particularly intense vituperation in the letters and e-mails received by the Monitor, and both gentlemen have been scrutinized here on several occasions. One of the most popular columns, in terms of reader response, was a July 2002 piece on Wallace - actually, it was part of a series on Wallace the Monitor ran that summer - which looked at the possible genesis of his troubling attitude toward Israel.

The Curious Case Of Scott McConnell

Posted on: November 17th, 2010

After a brief hiatus as a print publication - since the August 2010 issue it had existed only as a website - The American Conservative is back with a December print edition. Founded in 2002 by, among others, inveterate Israel-bashers Pat Buchanan and Taki Theodoracopolous, TAC from its inception raised high the banner of paleoconservatism and isolationism, taking particular relish in attacking both neoconservativism and various Israeli government officials and policies.

Dreading Democracy In Action

Posted on: November 3rd, 2010

Anticipating with a sense of outright dread the widely expected Republican gains in this week's midterm elections, mainstream media types have been busy tarring Tea Party activists and bemoaning an electorate that would dare even entertain the thought of voting for the Grand Old Party and that failed to appreciate the unparalleled virtues of Barack Obama.

Shomrim In The Face Of Danger

Posted on: October 20th, 2010

Shomrim, volunteer citizen patrols, established in Jewish communities to handle quality-of-life issues, have been in existence for many years and are credited by local police forces for their key role in reducing crime. Not only are there active Shomrim patrols in Brooklyn's religiously concentrated neighborhoods of Boro Park, Flatbush, Williamsburg and Crown Heights, but also thriving patrols in the Jewish communities of Baltimore, Northwest London and more. While these patrols are designed to monitor suspicious activity and report any potentially dangerous activity to the police, the recent shooting of four Boro Park Shomrim members in September is a chilling reminder of the inherent danger these dedicated volunteers face on a daily basis.

The Man Behind All The Noise: An Interview with Rabbi Yehuda Levin

Posted on: October 20th, 2010

All last week, Rabbi Yehuda Levin's name appeared in the news as the man behind gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino's widely-reported remarks opposing gay marriage and homosexuality. After a maelstrom of criticism, Paladino apologized to the gay and lesbian community, prompting Rabbi Levin to sever his ties with the Republican candidate.

Yaffa Farjun: A Young Woman With A Mission – An AMIT Feature

Posted on: October 14th, 2010

When Yaffa Farjun graduated from the AMIT Florin Taman High School in Tzfat, Israel, in 1994, she never imagined that 15 years later she would return to her old school, to the very same building where she had once studied, not just as a member of the staff, but - at the tender age of 33 - as the school's newly appointed principal. After graduation, Farjun had been keen to discover the world that lay outside of Tzfat and spent over a decade teaching in the center of the country. But following the outbreak of the second Lebanon war, she felt a duty to return to the north and to her native city.

‘Not Everyone Is Meant To Sit And Learn’: An Interview With Popular Blogger Rabbi Harry Maryles

Posted on: October 6th, 2010

Of blogs there is no shortage (roughly 130 million, in fact, according to the latest statistics). Good blogs that address contemporary issues relevant to the Orthodox Jewish world, however, are harder to come by. Emes Ve-Emunah - haemtza.blogspot.com - is one such blog.

Video: Carol Simantov Misses her Old Friends from Gaza

Posted on: March 17th, 2012

Outside the battered wall of the kindergarten, we met with registered nurse Carol Simantov, from Levittown, Pa., who has seen up close the wages of this war. But to my surprise, she harbored no resentment, not even anger. Instead, she spoke wistfully about her friends back inside the Gaza strip, who are suffering under the yoke of the Hamas government.

The Academic Jihad Against Israel

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

In Genocidal Liberalism: The University’s Jihad Against Israel & Jews, published by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Dr. Richard Cravatts pulls no punches, relentlessly anatomizing the pedagogic bias currently in place, which is neo-Marxist in its orientation and undeniably anti-Jewish in its expression.

Israel Has Legal Case For Iran Attack

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

In a world where nuclear weapons could soon be in the hands of a rogue nation like Iran, an Israeli preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be fully justified.

Why The West Is Ripe For Jihadists’ Plucking

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

The riots and violence in Afghanistan over some accidentally burned Korans followed a script that by now is all too drearily familiar.

Guard Our Freedom

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

I oppose the proposed Biometric Law because of how easily it can chip away at a citizen's liberty, without him feeling a thing.

Global Denuclearization And Israel’s Survival (Third of Four Parts)

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

For forty years I have studied the stunningly complex problem of enemy rationality, especially in certain earlier published writings concerning the particular nuclear threat from Iran.

Quick Takes: News You May Have Missed

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

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An American Odyssey (Part 7)

Posted on: March 7th, 2012

We left Santa Fe on our way to visit the Painted Forest and the Petrified Forest in Arizona. Part of our day was spent traveling on the historic Route 66 and we stopped at the state visitor's center as we entered Arizona. At each state visitor’s center, we stopped to gather information about interesting sites and to request coupon booklets with reduced entry coupons.

Jblogs: Five Ways to Show I’m not Pregnant and Then Some

Posted on: May 1st, 2012

It's my second batch so far, and all I can say is I'm frustrated beyond belief, because there's so much good, zesty stuff out there in Jewblogia, and I only get an hour or two to look for the best. For sure I missed great pearls today, and if you want to help me correct this inequity, a.) start a new blog against me, and, 2.) send me da links. I want my links to your work. Trip well, cruise safely, it should all be G rated, maybe PG-13, max.

Here’s My Problem with the Dalai Lama

Posted on: May 1st, 2012

That’s right. I’m calling out the Dalai Lama. And here’s my problem with His Holiness in particular, and with Buddhists in general – and it also happens to be one of the first things that drew me to Judaism: Jews understand evil. Buddhists do not.

Thanks to The Jewish Press!

Posted on: May 1st, 2012

I was going to start out this blog by saying that I am happy to be back at The Jewish Press. But, in truth, I have mixed feelings. After all, I’ve been living in Israel now for 28 years, yet The Jewish Press is still in Brooklyn, along with its myriads of faithful readers.

Why Do We Need an Asifa?

Posted on: April 29th, 2012

DovBear Blog: Huge argument are raging right now on Twitter about the next big Internet Asifa scheduled for the end of May in Citi Field. DovBear briefly summarize the positions, and refutes them.

Fire From The Skies

Posted on: June 1st, 2011

Thirty years ago next week - shortly after 5:30 p.m. on June 7, 1981 - Israeli fighter jets flew undetected through hundreds of miles of Arab air space and rained fire from the skies over Baghdad, laying waste an atomic reactor and depriving a brutish dictator the potential for mass destruction.

Embracing The Enemy’s Narrative

Posted on: May 4th, 2011

Reportedly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been preparing to unveil new Israeli diplomatic initiatives - including the possibility of further territorial withdrawals from Judea and Samaria and even the recognition of a provisional Palestinian state - before last week's bombshell announcement of a Hamas-Fatah rapprochement.

The Maltese Yad

Posted on: April 28th, 2011

It was the last slave prison and slave market in Europe. The United States was already an independent country and France was in the tumult of revolution. The Mediterranean island of Malta was the destination for the slaves snatched off of merchant ships by an order of Crusader Knights that had first been set up in Jerusalem in the 12th century.

Talking With Radio Star John Batchelor

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011

Listening to "The John Batchelor Show" on WABC is like taking a graduate course in current events. Batchelor covers the news nightly from domestic to foreign affairs, politics to the economy, China to the Middle East, election campaigns to planetary exploration. His insightful take on the day's stories is delivered with an elegance and punctuated wit rarely heard on today's airwaves.

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: February 7th, 2007

Outstanding Community   Re “Memphis, Tennessee: The Jerusalem of the South” (Contemporary Jewish Kehilla, Jan. 26):    My family and I moved to Memphis after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We came with literally two days’ worth of clothing after evacuating New Orleans. The community here welcomed us, fed, and treated us like long-lost family. Our children [...]

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: January 31st, 2007

Dreamer Vs. Realist    It is clear that Eli Chomsky (“For Israeli-Syrian Talks,” op-ed, Jan. 26) lives in America and Steven Plaut (“Israel Should Offer Syria Nothing,” op-ed, Jan. 26) in Israel. Like so many in America, Mr. Chomsky fails to understand the Arab mentality, and therefore he dreams. Professor Plaut may also dream, but living [...]

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: January 24th, 2007

Many Thanks    We must take this opportunity to express our tremendous hakoras hatov to Hakodesh Baruch Hu for performing an open miracle during the terrible car accident that occurred on November 27, 2006, when a city bus collided with our family van carrying two children. We also appreciate all the tefilos and Tehillim that were [...]

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: January 17th, 2007

Unwelcome Guest    A family checked into the Park House Hotel in Boro Park last week under an assumed name (we now know it was the wife’s maiden name). We did not know the true identity of this family, who paid in cash for their stay through Motzei Shabbos.    On Friday afternoon someone recognized the head [...]