Tag: isn
Desperately Craving Normal
There are so many things that aren't normal about life here. Having a pile of gas masks in a corner of the room, for example, isn't normal.
A Lie Once Told…
The picture isn't from Gaza. The blood wasn't from his brother. The Israelis weren't involved.
Israel Gives Palestinians NIS 200 Million
Galei Tzahal reports that despite Israeli threats to withhold money if the Palestinian Authority doesn't stop its UN bid for statehood, Israel transferred on Tuesday NIS...
Admitting the Mistake of the Disengagement
On Sunday, Wall Street Journal editor and columnist Bret Stephens did what too many need to do: own up to the mistake of supporting the Disengagement Plan.
US Doesn’t Want to See Hamas Crushed
Israel’s leaders know that there isn’t a diplomatic solution. But what can they do? Over the years, Israel has become so dependent on the U.S. — for advanced weapons, spare parts, etc. — that it is almost impossible to say no to US demands.
The Age Of Disrespect
And Lavan and Betuel answered and said, “It is from Hashem that this has come forth. We can speak neither for nor against it.”...
Jewish Mothers Have Rights
I'm not a fan of Shimon Peres - I have to be honest. If I look back over his career as a politician...well, I'd rather not. But Peres has his moments. He is very supportive of women. I heard him speak a few months ago. He spoke of men as babies and says women run the world, ground it, nurture it.
In New Jersey 9th Race, Boteach Is Best Bet
It isn't just that Boteach is a rabbi, steeped in Jewish law and lore and is strongly pro-marriage, pro-America and pro-democracy, and it certainly isn't that he is a world-famous author and larger-than-life personality, although he is all of that. It's simply that despite there being a low bar set for congressmen to apply to their lapels the hecsher of "pro-Israel," not all of them really deserve it, and Boteach's opponent falls firmly into that category.
A Star Falls Over Chicago
The Obama Campaign, that strange 4 year marriage of Generation X hipsters, inner city bosses, suburban college educated boomers longing for racial healing, Big Green businessmen and shady Saudis, appears to be finally sinking beneath the waves. It isn't going out in a blaze of glory, but with mumbles of trending topics.
Rashi Was a Zionist Racist
Almost everyone is familiar with the famous first Rashi on the Torah. He asks why does the Torah begin with the account of Creation? After all, since the Torah contains the commandments which Hashem gave to Am Yisrael, it should have begun the precept concerning Rosh Chodesh - the first commandment given to the Israelite Nation.
The Snake Made Me Do It
If Eve had read www.jewishsexuality.com, she wouldn’t have followed after her eyes and got us all kicked out of the garden. If Adam had read jewishsexuality.com, he wouldn’t have eaten the “apple.” Today, we don’t have to make the same mistakes they did. We have the teachings of the Torah and the advice of the Sages to rely upon. While I won’t quote from the holy Zohar here, for people who enjoy the secrets of Torah, there’s a lot more to the snake than his pretty long tail.
Judaism in a Jar
If the recent Sukkot overdose of Shabbat, followed by two days of Yom Tov, and another Shabbat followed by two more days of Yom Tov, isn’t enough to get Diaspora Jews to move to Israel, with its force-feeding of gefilta fish day-after-day, until gefilta fish jelly drips out of people’s noses and horseradish pours out of their ears, I don’t know what it’s going to take until Diaspora Jews are fed up with practicing Judaism in a jar.
Selichot
Jewish men at Selichot services at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Why do we call these days and these rituals "Selichot" – Pardons and Forgiveness,...
Transferring Wealth with Stocks, Bonds, and Bicycles
Wealth transfer is a hot topic in financial planning. Thinking about how to pass funds from one generation to the next can be emotionally difficult. Perhaps the older generation doesn’t approve of the way the younger spends the money, or the younger generation isn’t involved in the family business. Furthermore, tax and legal issues can complicate matters.
The Heroes of T’shuva
The true champions of life are not the basketball players, not the Hollywood stars, not even the Prime Ministers and Presidents. The real heroes are the masters of t’shuva.
How to Retire When You Don’t Have Enough Money
Whatever the reason, if you reach retirement age and you see that you are not going to have enough money for your anticipated needs, what should you do?
Everything is Fake Now: The Virtual Reality of Politics
When all the bubbles of rhetoric pop, there are still the hard unpleasant realities to deal with.
Pro-Palestinian Site Exposes IAF Pilots
A Pro-Palestinian website exposed the identities of 100 Israeli Air Force pilots.
The list included their names, addresses, and photos.
In Israel, one isn't allowed to...
Are You Really a Jew?
These days, it’s pretty hard to know who really is Jewish. Let’s take the example of the singles-bar scene in New York. A lot of times a Jewish guy will start talking to girl (call her Debbie) and during the conversation, he’ll ask if she’s Jewish, and she says, “Sure,” when she isn’t Jewish at all. So I have devised an almost foolproof test to determine if a person is really a Jew.
Good News From Russia
Russia's government mafia isn't cutting back, it's redoubling its aggressiveness. With less money coming in, it's relying more and more on wholesale confiscation. Confiscation was how the regime built up its original fortune, but the problem is that it's eating up the business ecosystem and running out of money to confiscate. Every 6th businessman in Russia has been prosecuted in the last decade. Three million have been sentenced in that time.
Invaders from Outer Space
In the movie theater, we revisit that terrible knowledge that we are engaged in a war with no natural end under a hundred disguises. We recreate September 11 in our ten-dollar nickelodeons every summer and look to the sky. But it isn't aliens we are watching for. It's planes.
Rubin Reports: A First Look at Egypt’s New Constitution Shows a Careful Ambiguity On...
If there is an Islamist president and parliament who pass laws that correspond only to Sharia and who appoint Islamist judges and al-Azhar shaykhs then Egypt will be a Sharia state. No doubt though the Constitution will be interpreted by many Western observers of proof that the Brotherhood and Salafists have moderated.
The Case for Kosher Lab-Grown Meat
Real progress is being made to generate lab grown meat that tastes as good as the real thing without the fuss -- isn’t this something we Orthodox Jews should welcome?
Why the West Loves Lying to Itself About Islam
Muslim integration into Europe is going swimmingly, much like the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the Arab Spring. It’s going like a house on fire, not to mention a bus, a lot of cars and two towers on fire—on the other side of the Atlantic. Whatever problems there are, as with the peace process and the spring process, are undoubtedly the fault of someone who isn’t a Muslim.
The Chareidi Gush Katif
Legislation is being used to force a situation onto a significantly large minority sector that disagrees with the decision. Will it once again end in disaster for everyone?
Talmud Underground
An Ultra-Orthodox man reading the Talmud on the subway from Underground NY Public Library. The photo blog is a project of acclaimed street photographer,...
The Cult of Obama
In retrospect, the Cult of Obama had much in common with other cults. Like them it recruited young volunteers on campus. Its recruitment materials leaned heavily on books by its beloved leader. It promised them that a new age was coming and that they could be a big part of bringing it about.
Rubin Reports: Why Isn’t Obama Visiting Israel?
By now it's clear that President Obama isn’t going to visit Israel in his term of office. And yet that’s pretty curious, isn’t it? After all, American politicians who seek Jewish support usually find a trip to Israel a pretty good way to claim pro-Israel credentials. And Obama has been desperate to do so, especially this year.
Why, then, isn’t Obama going to visit Israel? Of course, we cannot definitively answer that question but here are some thoughts.
A Sane Israeli is a Leftist Mugged by Illegal African Migrants
Left leaning Israeli Journalist Guy Maroz slammed right-wing MKs in March 2010 for wanting to create "labor camps" for these illegal workers. He was among the most vocal activists demanding that Israel not deport the children of these illegal immigrants with their families - till it hit home for him.
Jerusalem vs. The Asifa
I missed the Asifa. Admittedly, I wasn’t planning on going, though I do feel jealous of those software developers who managed to get 50,000...