As Megillah Story Unfolds Anew, the Times Publishes Op-Ed by Modern-Day Mordechai

Posted on: March 3rd, 2012

So who are the Megillah characters in this round? We definitely have our Hamman in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. King Achashverosh should be President Barack Obama. Benjamin Netanyahu would be Esther, given his direct dealings with the ruler of the free world. And, if you ask me, I'm voting in favor of Amos Yadlin for the role of Mordechai. On June 7, 1981, Amos Yadlin, who later became chief of Israel's military intelligence, was one of eight Israeli fighter pilots who bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak.

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Plagued by Charges of Ineptness and Corruption, Olmert to Keynote at J Street Conference

Posted on: March 2nd, 2012

Although J Street describes itself as a pro-Israel organization that supports peace between Israel and its neighbors, many Israelis and US Jews, including many public figures, have said that J Street is anti-Israel, particularly in relation to the security challenges facing the Jewish state. Several US Jewish leaders have objected to J Street's position on Israel, and have publicly disassociated themselves from the organization.

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Clinton, Panetta, Push Back Republican Criticism on Israel

Posted on: March 1st, 2012

Republicans see a political opening in the disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem over two major issues: Jewish settlements and their influence on the peace talks with the Palestinians, and the Obama administration's pressure on Israel to hold off on a military strike against Iran. A House Budget Committee pressed Panetta on reduced budget requests for Israel's missile defense program against ballistic missiles and rockets.

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Israelis Risk Flying Through Enemy Countries To Save a Buck

Posted on: March 1st, 2012

In recent years, Israelis have been choosing to fly to the Far East through Arab states which do not recognize the State of Israel, according to Israel Channel 2 News. Israel's Foreign Office says that those enemy countries prohibit the entry of Israelis – but Israeli passengers report no special problem at those stops, and they get to save as much as $500 per ticket.

Rabbi Rosen: Ahmadinejad Is Amalek and We Must Destroy Him

Posted on: March 1st, 2012

Once we recognize that the enemy is not acting against us based on rational reasons, but out of a pathological hatred, it is our duty to act on our conclusion and strike at the enemy, disregarding world opinion.

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English-Speakers Laugh At Life in Israel

Posted on: March 1st, 2012

A new video by a young Israeli from New York earned 57,000 views in two days, taking comedic aim at the life of the average young English-speaking immigrant to Israel.

2/29/12: Will Israel’s Supreme Court Tilt Right Under New Chief?

Posted on: February 29th, 2012

The Supreme Court’s interventionist approach was pioneered by Aharon Barak, who served as the court’s president from 1995 till 2006. Dorit Beinisch, who is retiring from the court this week after serving as president since her mentor's retirement, upheld the tradition of judicial activism, keeping the court at the center of Israeli public debate and making it a lightning rod for Orthodox and right-wing critics. That could change as Beinisch is replaced by Asher Grunis, a conservative justice who has made a name for himself as a supporter of judicial restraint.

MK Ben-Ari: Outgoing Court Chief Beinisch Destroyed Public Trust in the Justice System

Posted on: February 29th, 2012

The National Union MK is delighted Beinisch is leaving, after five and a half years, because she "destroyed public trust in the justice system. Under her gavel, the court became the possession of BLD (Left wing, Arab dominated Democratic National Alliance)."

Israel to Sell Germany Spike Missiles Totaling Hundreds of Millions

Posted on: February 29th, 2012

Israel Defense reports that Eurospike, a subsidiary of weapons manufacturer Rafael, has signed a contract to supply Spike missiles totaling hundreds of millions of dollars to Germany.

High Court President Dorit Beinisch Retires

Posted on: February 28th, 2012

The 9th president of the Supreme Court of Israel, Beinisch presided over an active term, in which she wrote landmark decisions like the 2005 ruling against the IDF’s use of “human shields,” the 2007 ruling that Israel's separation fence route must be modified, and the 2009 ruling declaring private prisons unconstitutional. But the most memorable ruling of her legacy may be her penultimate one – the High Court's revocation of the Tal Law.

Jewish Press Radio: Canada Loves Israel, Happy Hebrew Life, and Middle East Inside

Posted on: February 28th, 2012

Malkah and Yishai discuss Canadian dedication to Israel, and simple but deeply important aspects of distinctly Jewish life, experts from Brookings get real on Middle East dynamics, and, finally, Rebbitzin Mizrachi teaches how to be truly happy.

Dr. Pepper Not Kosher – In Israel

Posted on: February 28th, 2012

The Chief Rabbinate claims that, based on data provided by the Badatz in London, it appears that the products under the name "Dr Pepper" which are made in England and imported to Israel are not kosher.

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Israel Railways Proposes Ambitious Plan to Link Israel with Judea and Samaria By Rail

Posted on: February 27th, 2012

The plan, drawn up at the request of Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, has little chance of succeeding without the cooperation of the Palestinians. But if the Palestinians won't even talk to the Israelis, its unlikely they'll be riding together anytime soon.

Heartbreak: Iran’s “A Separation” Beats Israeli “Footnote” at the Oscars

Posted on: February 27th, 2012

In pre-Oscar television interviews, actors Shlomo Bar-Aba and Lior Ashkenazi, stars of the Israeli Oscar nominated "Footnote," which last night became the tenth Israeli nominee to not win the big prize – were telling anyone who would listen that it was definitely going to be Iran this year. And they were right. The Hollywood elite which decides these things gave the nod to Iran's "A Separation," from what we hear a fantastic family drama, and Director Asghar Farhadi has taken home the Oscar for best foreign language film. While Director Joseph Cedar, an observant Jew, went home empty handed for the second time in his career. Bummer.

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In-Fighting at Brooklyn Food Co-op over Israel Boycott

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

If you have nothing better to do and you're member of the Park Slope Food Co-op, you should try to attend their Monday night meeting this week, when a group within the mostly organic-food loving, bicycle riding, inoffensive crowd of lefty New Yorkers, will be attempting to add the food co-op to the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Bring your own tomatoes.

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Abbas, Arab MKs Incite Against Israel in Qatar

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

Members of Knesset Taleb Al-Sana and Ahmed Tibi tell Arab League nations that Israel is systematically attempting to 'Judaize' Jerusalem, and is in breach of international law.

Saudis Might Support Israeli Strike on Iran

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

Why would Saudi Arabia support Israel instead of attacking it? Forbes' Peter Cohan argues that Saudi Arabia is dominated by Sunnis, while Iran’s ayatollahs are the Sunni's sworn enemies, the Shi’ites. Saudi Arabia’s rage against the Shi’ites exceeds its dislike of its Jewish neighbors.

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Police: Arab Attack on IDF Soldiers – Case of Mistaken Identity

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

Police investigating the violent assault on two soldiers on Shabbat in Haifa now believe the attack was not carried out for nationalist reasons, as they originally assumed, but resulted instead from mistaken identity. Still, the accounts of both victims about anti-Semitic slurs that accompanied the brutal blows cannot be brushed aside.

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Livni Stakes Political Future on Yeshiva Students’ IDF Service

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

The first Israeli pol to be taking a ride on the back of the Supreme Court's decision to kill the Tal Law is stating her motivation bluntly: "I'm sick and tired of hearing that it's impossible to implement the law, because the Haredim or the Arabs don't want to join." Being sick and tired can be a recipe for political success in Israel – provided you don't face a field of multiple opponents who are all equally disgruntled.

Why Are Israelis Trimmer than Americans? Their Chocolate Costs Double

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

It's not nearly as funny as it sounds, though. Israeli food products are the costliest in the Western world, and that goes practically across the board. The reason appears simple enough: lack of competition for the country's food behemoth, the Strauss Group.