Mordechai Kedar: The Syrian Crisis Spills Over into Lebanon

Posted on: May 20th, 2012

From the tragedy of Tripoli and Lebanon we can draw several conclusions: in the Middle East it is not possible to establish a state with an Arab society and Western political characteristics; Iranian involvement - even the economic and cultural – will ultimately undermine Western cultural and political influence in the Middle East; and whoever legitimizes jihad against Israel receives terror in his own streets in return.

J.E. Dyer: Reflections on Ambassador Shapiro’s ‘We’re ready to attack’ comments in Israel

Posted on: May 20th, 2012

For the United States, issuing attack threats in the manner of Hugo Chavez is not a convincing posture. I don’t know if the Israelis will find it reassuring; I suspect the Europeans and Iranians will find it annoying, and decide to ignore it.

A Russian Refusenik Remembers Jerusalem

Posted on: May 20th, 2012

Minister of Diaspora and Public Affairs Yuli Edelstein: “For me, Jerusalem is more than just a capital to be proud of. As the former Minister of Immigrant Absorption, I can say that for Jews who immigrated to Israel--from as far as Ethiopia-- making aliya to Israel always meant returning to Jerusalem, to Zion."

Yoram Ettinger: Beyond World Opinion

Posted on: May 17th, 2012

The bolstering of Jewish sovereignty generates negative world opinion - except in the U.S. and a few other countries - but enhances respect toward a conviction-driven Jewish state. On the other hand, when Jewish sovereignty retreats and Israel submits to world opinion, it merely projects weakness. Israel will never satisfy world opinion, and such action only further fuels global pressure.

The Pollard Petition

Posted on: May 2nd, 2012

The Jewish Press urges readers to sign a circulating petition that calls on Shimon Peres to do all he can, in advance of accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, to persuade Mr. Obama to free Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli spy serving a life sentence in a federal prison. (President Obama announced last month that he would be awarding the Medal to Mr. Peres, the president of Israel, in June.)

Wiesel Versus Netanyahu

Posted on: May 2nd, 2012

We were dismayed by the criticism Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel leveled at Prime Minister Netanyahu following the latter’s speech marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. Mr. Wiesel took issue with what he said was the prime minister’s likening of the Holocaust to the threat posed to Israel by Iran. Obviously whatever Mr. Wiesel says about the Holocaust is worth listening to. But we are nonetheless puzzled.

The Community Organizer-In-Chief

Posted on: April 25th, 2012

On recent occasions we have noted that several of President Obama’s public actions reflect a disdain for the traditional American view of the governmental process. Most stunning perhaps was his threat to the Supreme Court that it had better come out his way on Obamacare, or else. Having steamrolled the legislation through Congress (urging, it will be recalled, violations of longstanding procedures if necessary) he issued his challenge to the Supreme Court despite its constitutional duties to pass on the law’s constitutionality.

The Hebron Expulsion

Posted on: April 18th, 2012

The highly publicized IDF expulsion from Hebron’s Beit Hamachpela of Jews who purchased and were residing in it was an extraordinary event. And it does not bode well for what we can expect from the Israeli government regarding historical Jewish sites.

Ten Years Ago This Week: An Icon Exposed

Posted on: February 29th, 2012

Billy Graham had for decades been one of America’s most admired figures, a national icon, a man respected across the board for his seeming sincerity, rock-solid faith and openness to working with those whose beliefs differ from his own. He was also a staunch friend of Israel. But a different side of Graham emerged during the 90-minute White House meeting with Nixon. Graham was particularly exercised by what he saw as the “stranglehold” Jews maintained on the American media.

Popular Israeli TV Host Calls for Reducing Number of “Ultra Orthodox Grandchildren”

Posted on: February 28th, 2012

Yaron London is spelling stuff out, having moved, like many secular Israelis, from bemused disliking of the Ultra Orthodox to outright loathing anyone wearing a black hat and a beard. Now he's out for blood. His op-ed piece in Y'net Tuesday recalls earlier solutions to "the Jewish problem."

Off To The Races

Posted on: February 15th, 2012

The common lament from the smugly high-minded is that the media’s fascination with polls gives too much weight to the horse race aspect of a campaign, at the expense of the important and weighty discussions of policy for which voters presumably hunger. The Monitor says: Give us more of the horse race!

The Nixon Fascination

Posted on: February 1st, 2012

Americans never seem to tire of Richard Nixon, the man who strode the nation’s political stage for three decades, as congressman, senator, vice president and president, only to see his career come crashing down when his involvement in the Watergate scandal led to his resignation – the only U.S. president to so step down – in order to avoid certain impeachment.

Tzadik Plastic Surgeon to Shadchanim: Free Nose Job for Your Clients Who Need But Can’t Afford It

Posted on: March 31st, 2012

Board-certified Miami plastic surgeon and Nose Job Specialist Michael Salzhauer surprised me. He forced me—an instinctive objector to vain mutilation for the sake of some notion of exterior beauty—to reconsider my views on this issue. And he's not cynical, that was another huge surprise. I walked away convinced he means every word he says.

Bet Din On The Clock: Nathan Lewin Wants Jewish Courts To Run More Efficiently

Posted on: March 21st, 2012

Like other chassidic dynasties, Bobov was not immune to one day experiencing a schism. When Rabbi Naftali Zvi Halberstam, the fourth Bobover Rebbe, died in 2005, a dispute arose over who would succeed him. Some chassidim sought to appoint his younger half-brother, Rabbi Ben Zion Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, as the next rebbe; and others sought out the fourth rebbe’s sons-in-law: Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger as the rebbe, and Rabbi Yehoshua Rubin as the Bobov rav (serving as head of the bet din and as the posek).

‘You Need 150 Salaries To Buy An Apartment – That’s Outrageous’: An Interview With Eyal Gabbai, Former Director-General of Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

This past summer, Israel made headlines for something other than the peace process or fighting terrorism when hundreds of thousands of its citizens took to the streets to protest social inequality and rising living costs.

Underreporting The Holocaust At The ‘Paper Of Record’: An Interview With Student Filmmaker Emily Harrold

Posted on: February 29th, 2012

If you asked someone to outline the profile of a director making a film on The New York Times’s coverage of the Holocaust, “non-Jewish,” “college student,” and “South Carolina native” would probably not be the first descriptors he would use. Yet, they perfectly fit the profile of Emily Harrold, a 21-year-old senior who is currently completing “Reporting on the Times,” a film inspired by Laurel Leff’s 2005 book, Buried by the Times: The Holocaust and America’s Most Important Newspaper.

National Union Recess Tour

Posted on: April 18th, 2012

The National Union went on the road this week, despite the Knesset's recess. Faction members visited Naot Kedumim and pledged to increase awareness of the Biblical landscape reserve. They also visited Ateret, where they were shocked to see a new access road being built by Arabs in Area C, an area under Israeli civilian and military control.

Knesset Calls Special Session; Migron Bills on Agenda

Posted on: April 17th, 2012

Two bills that were shelved back in January will be discussed following Likud MK Danny Danon's success in attaining 25 MKs' signatures to call a special session during the Knesset's 39-day spring recess.

100 Ultra-Orthodox Would-Be Soldiers Not Drafted in 2011

Posted on: April 16th, 2012

An officer close to the issue told the Jewish Press: "It is not that we turned away 100 soldiers - had they come to us we would have taken them anyway. But we were told to stop our Haredi outreach efforts which would have netted more recruits. The Tal Law is the big story though. If a new law does not pass we will be in a position to draft 60,000 Haredi soldiers in August."

Whither Kadima?

Posted on: March 29th, 2012

Tzipi Livni must decide on her first step. If she comes up short on the number of MKs needed to break away or if she decides against a split, she will most likely resign rather than stay on under Mofaz’s leadership. Whether or not Livni leaves, Kadima will break into two camps- those who will support Mofaz and those who will try to find another political home.

Rejoicing Proud Jews: Reflections on Lag B’Omer

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

The victory of the Jewish idea is celebrated on Lag B'Omer. It fits neatly between Israeli Independence Day and Yom Yerushalayim. These three days are all driven by the same spirit: the liberation of Jewish peoplehood, the return to the land, and the reemergence of authentic Jewish culture.

Israel’s ‘Leftists Are Idiots’ Fence

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

I recently was challenged by an academic who claimed to be dumbfounded that I rejected as absurd his use of the term “Apartheid Wall” to refer to Israel’s security barrier fence.

Obama’s Unseemly End-Zone Dance

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

What a difference a year makes. Last year I praised President Obama for not wanting to “spike the football” by releasing gruesome death photos of Osama bin Laden. But this year, forget spiking the football – the president is doing an end-zone dance.

No Equal Justice Under The Law

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

The Koby Mandell Act created the Office of Justice of Victims for Overseas Terrorism in the Department of Justice, to ensure that all American citizens, irrespective of where they were killed or maimed, would get the justice under American law they deserve. I naively thought that the 54 American citizens who had been killed by Palestinian terrorists and the 83 who had been wounded would finally get a crack at the American justice they so richly deserved.

Quick Takes: News You May Have Missed

Posted on: May 16th, 2012

Money For Occupy’s DC Office Coming From Union Linked To Obama A labor union with strong ties to President Obama is paying for Occupy’s Washington DC office space inside a think-tank that is also heavily tied to the White House. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU ) is forking over $4,000 per month for three [...]

Reconsidering The People’s Army

Posted on: May 10th, 2012

The Knesset factions are pursuing legislation that will institute an equal draft into the IDF – but something is fishy. The New Israel Fund’s propaganda has made inroads, and it looks like the upcoming elections will focus on haredi-bashing.

Rationality, Irrationality, And Madness: Core Enemy Differences For Israeli Nuclear Deterrence (Third of Three Parts)

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

What, then, might be most important to Israel's prospectively irrational enemies, potentially even more important than their own physical survival as a state? One possible answer is the avoidance of certain forms of shame and humiliation. Another would be avoidance of the potentially unendurable charge that they had somehow defiled their most sacred religious obligations. Still another would be leaders' preferred avoidance of their own violent deaths, deaths that could be attributable to Israeli strategies of targeted killing and/or regime-targeting.

Quick Takes: News You May Have Missed

Posted on: May 9th, 2012

.Terrorists’ Memory Alive At Sports Tournament...John Bolton: Talks With Hamas Inevitable If Obama Reelected...Obama Official Doesn’t Recall His Own Writings

Tibbi’s Roundup: It’s All in the Wrist

Posted on: May 17th, 2012

Our JBlogs Chief Reviewer Tibbi Singer brings you fresh recommendations on 12 new articles, plus reader mail and words of wisdom about sticking magnets under your skin (you shouldn't).

Punch The Other Cheek

Posted on: May 16th, 2012

The problem with turning the other cheek is: it doesn’t work. Not with bullies. Not even with Catholic school bullies. Because bullies don’t consult the “Good Book” before they do bad things.

The Diaspora Has Failed!

Posted on: May 16th, 2012

All of the directors and presidents of the Jewish organizations and federations and committees and leagues and unions who didn't and still don't call upon their members to pack up and go, they all should be replaced with braver souls. With the scourge of intermarriage decimating our ranks, all of the rabbis who didn't and still don't urge their congregations to go en mass to Israel should read through the Torah once again.

JBlog Roundup: Love and Marriage and Hate and Divorce and Blintzes

Posted on: May 16th, 2012

You want strange news? I’ll give you strange news: According to a complaint filed in Federal Court, Nancy Genovese, a mother of three, was arrested for taking a picture of the decorative shell of a helicopter on display in full public view near the entrance of the Gabreski Airport in Suffolk County, New York. While [...]

Mother Of Liberty

Posted on: April 25th, 2012

Chanukah and Purim have passed but they are not past, because Jewish history is not only ancient. The message of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, is that Jewish history is now. Indeed, some of the Maccabees are still alive.

How The Academic Left Came To Hate Israel

Posted on: April 18th, 2012

On campuses today Israel is regularly, though falsely, condemned for being created “illegally” – through the “theft” of Palestinian lands and property – and thus has no “right to exist.”

Sefira And The Battle With Our Evil Inclination

Posted on: April 12th, 2012

During Pesach we experience liberation from slavery, followed by the dramatic encounter with Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea. Then we trek through the desert to the great moment at Har Sinai.

Chad Gadya – Pesach & the Order of Things

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

As the Seder night ebbs away – long after the Four Questions have been asked and answered, after the festive meal has been eaten and the post-feast drowsiness descends, after the evening’s mitzvot have been observed and the fourth cup of wine emptied – we raise our voices in a curious, delightful, seemingly whimsical song at the end of the Haggadah.

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: April 4th, 2012

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Letters To The Editor

Posted on: March 28th, 2012

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Letters To The Editor

Posted on: March 21st, 2012

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Letters To The Editor

Posted on: March 14th, 2012

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