A Lesson From King Saul On Exposing Child Molesters

"Whoeverhas mercy on cruel people will in the end act cruelly to merciful people." So the Midrash deduces from the story of Shaul HaMelech - King Saul. When commanded to kill out the wicked nation of Amalek, the king had mercy on its monarch, Agag, sparing his life. As evidence that Saul eventually acted with cruelty to merciful people, the Gemara quotes the Navi that years later Saul showed no such compassion when he killed out an entire city of Kohanim because they had given shelter to his nemesis David.

Arizona Shootings Expose Liberal Hypocrisy

The shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, along with federal judge John Roll (a Republican appointee) and numerous others, including a nine year-old constituent of the Congresswoman, resulting in the deaths of six (including the judge and the little girl) and brain injury to the congresswoman, prompted the usual ruminations.

Terrorist Cop: The NYPD Jewish Cop Who Traveled the World to Stop Terrorists

I like this book. Very much. Terrorist Cop will be of interest to all Americans and Israelis who remain deeply concerned (as they should) about our continuing vulnerability to Jihadist terror attacks. It will be of even greater interest, moreover, to readers of The Jewish Press. After all, the author, now retired New York City homicide Detective First Grade Mordecai Dzikansky, spent his distinguished 25-year career as an NYPD "Jewish cop."

The Sprouting Of Mashiach

What is it about Tu B'Shevat?There are four "Roshei Hashanah." The First of Tishrei we all know about. That is the day we blow the shofar.The First of Nissan and the First of Elul come and go in our times without much notice.

Bad Old Times

Several readers took issue with the Monitor's statement last week that coverage of Israel by The New York Times, while still problematic on occasion, has improved markedly since Deborah Sontag left the paper's Jerusalem bureau nearly a decade ago.

A Tale of Two Letters

Twenty rebbetzins in Israel recently issued a public call to Jewish women "not to engage in romantic connections with Arabs." The declaration followed in the wake of a number of cases where Jewish women either inadvertently or intentionally became involved with Arab men and suffered grievously as a result.

‘Israelis Need To See Themselves As Jews First’: An Interview with Panim el Panim...

As an IDF reserve colonel and a chozer b'teshuvah who studied for many years in yeshivot in Jerusalem, Geva Rapp finds himself in a unique position to relate to so many of today's generation in Israel who are searching for their Jewish heritage. Recognizing the dangers that the lack of basic Jewish knowledge among Israelis poses to the Jewish character of Israel, Rapp founded Panim el Panim in 2005 in an attempt to infuse Jewish values into Israeli daily life, particularly among Israeli youth.

The Real Danger To Israel On Campus

There is a serious threat facing Israel's long-term standing in this country resulting from a prolonged campaign to delegitimize the Jewish state on campus. But it's probably not what you think.

Tu B’Shevat, Human Beings, And Trees

The source for Tu B'Shevat is the opening Mishnah of the Talmudic tractate Rosh Hashanah: "The Academy of Hillel taught that the 15th of Shevat is the New Year for the trees." What does that mean, "New Year for the trees"?

Tapping Into Your Spiritual DNA

In my Nov. 26 op-ed article, "The Clarifying Truths of Chanukah," I explored how clarity, purity and joy bring us close to God and to living a meaningful life. If they are so essential, their potential must exist within our spiritual DNA. I suggest it does; we inherited that potential from our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Fighting Amalek From Within

Hashem said to Moshe, "Write this for a memorial in a book, and recite it in the ears of Yehoshua; for I will completely...

On Existential Threats And Lethal Remedies A Jurisprudential View (Part II)

Let me return very specifically topreemption, in counter-terrorist operations, and in national self-defense against existential threats from other states. In this regard, there are two basic considerations before us here at the conference: legal and operational. Naturally, our capacity to succeed on both dimensions at the same time will sometimes be problematic. Moreover, there are potentially important trade-offs, and also interactions or synergies between the legal and the operational considerations that should be better understood.

2011 May Bring Changes Here

I've been thinking for some time now of giving the column a facelift if not a complete makeover and would appreciate reader input.

You Just Might Be An Israeli Left-Wing Fascist…

Back in 2003 I wrote an op-ed for The Jewish Press titled "You Just Might Be an Assimilated Jewish Liberal," based standup comic Jeff Foxworthy's "You just might be a redneck" routine. It's time to revisit that theme, focusing on Israeli leftists rather than American liberals.

Celebrating The Death Of The Blue-Hat Jew

Mordecai Bienstock's Dec. 24 front-page essay - "Death of the Blue-Hat Jew?" - was an interesting, important, and for the most part accurate assessment of what is happening today in Jewish America.

After The Shloshim: Who Was Dr. Ivan Mauer?

I have always fashioned myself a wordsmith. No longer. Dr. Ivan Mauer was Naomi Mauer's husband and Mrs. Irene Klass's son-in-law, and both Irene and Dr. Ivan died virtually simultaneously. And I must confess: Ivan was not only my good friend and our family doctor, but also a congregant who respected me and loved me - and consistently squabbled with me. Yet I could not find a single word in the entire thesaurus that would suit him.

On Existential Threats And Lethal Remedies: A Jurisprudential View (Part I)

The following Keynote Address was delivered by Professor Beres to the Intelligence Summit in St. Petersburg on March 5, 2007. It is published here for the very first time in its original form. These formal remarks presented by our own Strategic and Military Affairs analyst to very senior members of the military and intelligence communities (U.S., Israeli and certain others) remain starkly relevant and timely.

No Longer Supporting Likud

One morning recently, I woke up to find that someone had plastered our yishuv community with signs proclaiming, "Join the Likud Political Party." The signs and subsequent Internet and SMS messages informed us that party workers would soon be around to sign us up.

People’s Court-Ing Disaster

The recent episode of "The People's Court" featuring an Orthodox couple suing a laundry service for washing and ruining the woman's wig has once again put Torah Jews in a negative light. In addition to the show's regular viewers, countless others have seen a video of the trial and decision on the Internet.

Kissinger Apology Falls Short

'Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except, of course, Henry Kissinger's publicists and strategists who decided that the slowest news day of the year was the perfect time for him to apologize, sort of, for telling Richard Nixon in 1973 that "if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern."

Bring Back The Jewish Beatniks

When I entered college, many of my classmates viewed me as an anomaly. I was a (mostly) observant Jew, and I was firmly entrenched in the school's creative arts community. As my religious friends prepared for careers in law or accounting, they were continuously astonished by my immersion in English literature - a course of study they considered a thoroughly impractical and esoteric subject.

Between Tel Aviv And Jerusalem

Have you noticed? Some journalists, commentators and academics have a peculiar habit. When they wish to refer to the Israeli government, they do so by employing the term "Tel Aviv."

Fret Not, Mr. Erekat

Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat recently expressed concern that Israel will launch a new large-scale attack on Gaza, following escalated rocket attacks on Israeli civilian areas.

Changes Ahead? American Nuclear Policy And Israeli Strategic Doctrine (Part II)

Fourth, the Obama anti-nuclear vision does not provide any useful guidance on how to deal with those refractory states and sub-states that may not be subject to ordinary deterrent threats. This brings to mind the perplexing security problem of prospective enemy irrationality.

Move Along, No Bias Here

The Media Research Center is out with its annual compilation of the year's Best Notable Quotables (December 2009 through November 2010) - a collection of dozens of examples of media liberal bias and idiocy that is as dispiriting as it is (unintentionally) humorous.

Death of the Blue-Hat Jew?

Once upon a time, there were Orthodox Jews who wore blue hats. Blue hats! Some wore brown, or shades of gray. In the summer, they wore white, or amber hats of straw.

The Shas Maverick Who Wants Haredim To Join Israel’s Workforce

JERUSALEM - Not so long ago, few Israelis had heard of Rabbi Chaim Amsellem, a soft-spoken Shas backbencher in the Knesset.

Kissinger And The Moral Bankruptcy Of Détente

The tapes from conversations recorded in the Oval Office during the presidency of Richard Nixon have provided historians with a treasure trove of material giving insight into the character of one of the most reviled figures in American political history.

Can Rabbis Save The Jewish State?

Israel is a Jewish country - but can it continue to be so when Judaism threatens to destroy the state? The unfair longstanding attacks on Israel's legitimacy are a permanent stain on the international community. For over 60 years, Israel has valiantly grown under hostile conditions while fighting lies and half-truths in the international arena. Israel suffers doubly, however, when its very essence, its Jewish character, supports its opponents' narrative.

Changes Ahead? American Nuclear Policy And Israeli Strategic Doctrine (Part I)

From the beginning, Israel has successfully managed to craft its overriding strategic doctrine apart from any specific U.S. expectations. To be sure, keeping its "bomb in the basement" has been at least partially a response to expressed American wishes. After all, any explicit end to nuclear ambiguity could have proven unacceptable to Washington. Still, all other core doctrinal considerations of nuclear force structure, basing, targeting and nuclear retaliatory thresholds have likely been fashioned, quite correctly, to suit only Israel.

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