European, U.S. Billions to Gaza Go Poof! (And Keep Hamas in Power)

Posted on: March 25th, 2012

The West Bank's Palestinian Authority government, headed by Salam Fayyad, has appealed to donor countries to increase financial aid to strengthen the Palestinian economy, especially in the Gaza Strip. But before the donors make any decisions, they really should ask Fayyad and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas about the $7 billion they have already spent on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip over the past four years: Where is it?

‘Red Ken’ Livingston: ‘I Will Make London a Beacon of Islam’

Posted on: March 23rd, 2012

Livingstone's appeal to Muslims may, on May 3, propel him into the mayor's office. Either way, London appears headed for an Islamic future.

Toulouse and NPR, Ideology and Fayyad

Posted on: March 23rd, 2012

It has been widely reported that Merah, the young Islamist terrorist who killed three French soldiers two weeks ago, and four Jews at the Otzar HaTorah school in Toulouse, murdered Jews “to avenge the deaths of Palestinian children.” But NPR went one better, reporting — in the words of “All Things Considered” host Robert Siegel — that “the gunman told officials that he killed his victims in part to avenge slain Palestinian children.”

Preemption is Better than Defense

Posted on: March 23rd, 2012

It is impossible to rely on defense alone, because Israel simply isn’t big enough to absorb the damage when the defensive systems are not 100% effective. More importantly, a strictly defensive posture has zero deterrent ability. Why not fire rockets at Israel if the worst that can happen is that they will get shot down?

The “New” Outreach?

Posted on: May 30th, 2003

A letter published in last week's issue as well as several others slated for publication in the coming weeks, are critical of our editorial comment several weeks ago regarding Agudath Israel of America's Avi Shafran's penchant for addressing religious issues in non-Orthodox publications. Our comments were triggered by a particular Shafran piece in the March 21 issue of such a publication, The Jewish Week, entitled "What Da'at Torah Really Means," in which Shafran addressed the seeming rejection by so-called Modern Orthodoxy of the notion of general deference in decision-making to Torah authorities.

Sandbagging The President

Posted on: May 30th, 2003

It would seem that Bismark, Metternich and even Machiavelli have nothing on Britain's Tony Blair. Having stood firm with President Bush on Operation Iraqi Freedom, it is widely reported that the President feels he "owes him one." And Blair is skillfully - and ironically - using that chip to ingratiate Britain in the Arab world and reverse the negative reaction engendered by the war against Iraq!

Palestinian “Rope A Dope”?

Posted on: May 30th, 2003

In the months prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Bush Administration grappled with the dilemma of determining when enough was enough and military force had to take over where UN inspections left off. In a revealing interview in February, Secretary of State Powell gave us a window into his and the President's thinking. Here is Secretary Powell's response to Ted Koppel's question about how much more time would be appropriate to give Hans Blix and his inspectors:

Passover Observance Is Not Grist For Anyone's Political Mill

Posted on: May 25th, 2003

We recognize that in the high-stakes, often take-no-prisoners budget negotiations in Albany, leverage is at a premium. And we also appreciate the particularly exquisite dilemma now facing Governor George Pataki with the advent of both houses of the legislature having united against him and their probable ability to override his vetoes of their budget proposals.

Acknowledging Bush’s Historic ‘Tilt’

Posted on: November 5th, 2008

George W. Bush will leave office as one of the most unpopular presidents in history, battered by years of non-stop criticism, scorn and derision – a good deal of it deserved, but much of it politically motivated, hypocritical and unfair.

William Ayers Is No David Ifshin

Posted on: October 30th, 2008

It’s difficult to say which member of the mainstream media has shamed him- or herself most in terms of pure self-abasement at the feet of the idol Obama. We are, after all, talking about a cast of name-brand reporters, analysts and opinion columnists (are such distinctions even relevant anymore?) probably numbering in the hundreds.

Following The Campaign Online

Posted on: October 22nd, 2008

As we enter the final two weeks of the most interesting and unpredictable presidential campaign in memory, the best way to keep up with developments, polls, and issues is by making regular visits to some of the seemingly countless political blogs and websites.

The Howling Man

Posted on: October 15th, 2008

Most political observers in Israel feel it’s only a matter of time before Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu gets another turn at the premiership. Nine years after being voted out of office in a landslide defeat at the hands of Ehud Barak, Netanyahu routinely tops voter preference polls – a state of affairs surely owing more to the country’s dearth of leadership than to fond memories of his first term in office.

Maccabiah Games 2009 – Coach Bruce Pearl: ‘Being Jewish And Being Connected To Israel Is Part Of Who I Am’

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

The hottest event at the 18th Maccabiah Games currently being held in Israel could be the anticipated encounter between the American and Israeli men's basketball squads during the playoffs next week, a prospect that Bruce Pearl - the University of Tennessee and Maccabi USA coach - is actually counting on.

Late Bloomer Composes In Three Styles

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

Not widely appreciated during his lifetime, composer Gustav Mahler famously predicted, "My time will yet come." And it did. Aaron Blumenfeld, a 77-year-old composer from the San Francisco Bay Area, hopes a similar future is in store for him - and the sooner, the better.

Yad Sarah: Finding Lessons In Israel

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

"When I first started," said Beverly Marcus, "I couldn't sleep the night before because I'd be so nervous, wondering what I'd do and how it would go. And then I wouldn't sleep the night after a class, either, because I was so excited. It really gives me a high."

Yad Sarah: Finding Lessons In Israel

Posted on: July 15th, 2009

"When I first started," said Beverly Marcus, "I couldn't sleep the night before because I'd be so nervous, wondering what I'd do and how it would go. And then I wouldn't sleep the night after a class, either, because I was so excited. It really gives me a high."

Thoughts On The ADL’s Anti-Semitism Survey

Posted on: December 7th, 2011

While it’s said that numbers don’t lie, the truth is they do lie – or, rather, mislead.

Israel’s Mona Lisa Weapon

Posted on: December 7th, 2011

Meet Israel’s secret weapon against terrorism, code named “Mona Lisa.”

Everything I Dreamed Of In A Husband

Posted on: December 2nd, 2011

My husband’s first yahrzeit is almost here and I am finally ready to write about him. The gaping hole his passing left in my heart is still there, but I have learned to fill it with the sweet memories of our life together.

A “financial war” against Tehran would be the most humane way of avoiding a nuclear one

Posted on: December 1st, 2011

A threat of this magnitude calls not for prevarication, but swift and strong action: every day that passes without massive Western pressure increases the likelihood of a military strike against Iran.

Saying No To ‘Palestine’

Posted on: October 18th, 2011

As the Palestinians press forward in international forums with their plans for statehood, a growing chorus of countries has expressed support for the move.

Israel and Palestine: Critical Intersections of Law and Strategy (Part II)

Posted on: October 16th, 2011

Generally, the Israeli is despised in the Islamic world because he or she is a Jew, a condition of presumed infirmity that can never be "remedied." Consider the following facts:

Reclaiming The Land

Posted on: October 16th, 2011

Editor's Note: This installment of Keeping Jerusalem was written by Hillel Fendel, who interviewed Chaim Silberstein, the usual co-author of the column.

Israel And Palestine: Critical Intersections of Law and Strategy (Part I)

Posted on: October 5th, 2011

Oddly enough, even Shimon Peres, the unrelenting Israeli champion of a "two state solution" in the Middle East, initially identified Palestinian statehood as an existential threat to Israel. In his book, Tomorrow is Now (1978), Peres had warned: "The establishment of such a state means the inflow of combat-ready Palestinian forces into Judea and Samaria (West Bank); this force, together with the local youth, will double itself in a short time. It will not be short of weapons or other military equipment, and in a short space of time, an infrastructure for waging war will be set up in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip . In time of war, the frontiers of the Palestinian state will constitute an excellent staging point for mobile forces to mount attacks on infrastructure installations vital for Israel's existence ."

Children and the Essence of Pesach

Posted on: April 7th, 2009

The humble-natured sheep symbolic of Nissan (Aries), the first month of the year, recognizes the shepherd to be its guide, just as the Jewish people place their faith in their Shepherd, the Creator of the universe.

Ike and Israel: The Apogee of Neutrality

Posted on: March 25th, 2009

Much has been written in recent weeks of the Obama administration's possible tilt toward a more evenhanded U.S. Middle East policy. Contrary to popular perception, however, if such a change were indeed implemented, it would constitute not so much a new and revolutionary approach as it would an old and reactionary one.

Orthodoxy, Then and Now

Posted on: March 18th, 2009

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn was the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe (widely known as the Frierdiker - Yiddish for "previous" - Rebbe). He served in that position for 30 years, from 1920 until his passing on Shabbos morning, January 28, 1950. He was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Orthodoxy, Then and Now

Posted on: March 18th, 2009

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn was the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe (widely known as the Frierdiker - Yiddish for "previous" - Rebbe). He served in that position for 30 years, from 1920 until his passing on Shabbos morning, January 28, 1950. He was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: December 22nd, 2004

Lyrical EssayWe’ve come to expect moving and profound insights from Rachel Weiss’s pre-holiday front-page essays, and Ms. Weiss certainly didn’t disappoint us with “Forever Burning, Forever Yearning” (Dec. 10). There is a lyrical quality to her writing that one does not necessarily associate with works of Torah scholarship, but make no mistake – her articles [...]

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: December 15th, 2004

Mail We Like (I)I’m undoubtedly biased, since Harry Danning was my uncle, but I couldn’t agree more with you regarding the pathetic obituary The New York Times ran (‘Au Revoir, Harry Danning,’ Media Monitor column, Dec. 10).Thanks for your article.David DanningBrookline, MAMail We Like (II)I would like to commend The Jewish Press for Naomi Klass [...]

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: December 8th, 2004

Our Shameful ‘Leaders’A wave of nausea overcame me as I read that ‘more than 70 prominent Jewish religious and communal leaders, with direct ties to leading organizations … have sent a letter to Secretary of State-designate and current National Security Adviser Rice effectively urging her to pressure Israel into concessions’ (‘The Pressure to Pressure,’ editorial, [...]

Letters To The Editor

Posted on: December 1st, 2004

Right GesturesThe Israeli government has decided to once again make ‘good will’ gestures by pulling the army back and releasing many terrorists. This has been done dozens of times in the past with disastrous results.Mr. Sharon, how about good will gestures to the Jewish people for a change? These can include: reasserting control over har [...]