The Supreme Court and the Mythical Road to Weimar
Partisans will disagree about Brett Kavanaugh, but those panicking about the end of democracy need to step back from the brink.
Politics And Practical Insanity
Iran has at its core the same ideology as that of ISIS but, inaccurately, is thought a lesser threat
Yaffed And The War On Jewish Education
The Yaffed organization, claims to promote discussion by “rais[ing] awareness” in the community, but in reality aims to end it via coercive action. Yaffed sued New York State in federal court, demanding that the state’s Education Department force Jewish schools to change their curricula.
Will Brian Ever Show Up?
A special guest came to Seder--not just Eliyahu HaNavi--proving why we should never give up on our fellow Jew. A Pesach story of the "Life of Brian"
No Free Pass For Anti-Semitism
Israel proactively preventing individuals and organizations promoting BDS should come as a shock to no one, ESPECIALLY to the groups named.
Supermarket Epiphanies in Israel
There I was, in dire gloom, cart frozen well distant from the cash register. I was sorely aggrieved. Until I remembered a flash of soul-searching during my flight when I promised I would try to improve my grumpiness a bit and seek alleged silver linings even in dismal circumstances. What could I do save give my commitment the old college try.
The Pope’s Got A Point
The pope has generated a bit of controversy.
First, he permitted congregations to go back to the old custom of praying in Latin. (More about that later.) Then he announced that only the Catholic Church qualifies as a real church. Protestants, as far as the pope is concerned, simply don’t make the grade!
Identity Politics is America’s Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is tribal. Those who hate Jews tend to be losers who are convinced of their own natural superiority and blame the Jews for their failure to achieve it.
Incorrect And Ill-Advised Assumptions: A Response To Critics Of The Levy Report
Mr. Peter. A. Joseph, Chairman, Israel Policy Forum
Mr. David A. Halperin, Executive Director, Israel Policy Forum
Dear Mr. Joseph and Mr. Halperin,
Permit me to introduce myself. I am Ambassador Alan Baker, a member of the Edmond Levy Commission established to examine the status of building in Judea and Samaria and to make recommendations to the government on this and related issues.
Shavuot: Heavy On The Customs, Light On The Laws
What stands out about the halachot of Shavuot is the lack of any specific halachot for Shavuot.
‘I Have Lived With Laban’: Our Galut in the Secular World
It is difficult to remain faithful in galut, the ultimate Rorschach test for all Jewish generations
The New Israel: Annexing Liberated Judea And Samaria
Nearly 40 years have passed since Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria were liberated from the occupying Jordanians by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). That's the same number of years the Jewish people wandered in the desert before they were allowed to enter the Promised Land.
9/11 Yanked the Veil From my Eyes: Evil Exists; We Must Stop It
It's a cliché, but nonetheless true that 9/11 changed my life. There is evil in the world. Our grandparents were right.
The Redacted Iraqi Jews
Iraqi Jews had been genuine citizens for thousands of years -- even before Muslims and Christians.
How Israel Rescued the Promised Land
Part of the Israeli miracle is the restoration of a depleted, deteriorating land through determination, ingenuity and back-breaking work.
Turkey: Erdogan’s Campaign against the West
Mosques, migrants and the military are now Erdogan's new weapons in his threats against the West.
Ending the Ambiguity
Israel had claims to Judea and Samaria; it did not invade another country, offensively, to take away its land. And the Palestinians weren’t living in a nation of their own that could be occupied.
Rosh Hashanah 2013 – Pain or pleasure?
Zechariah was ready to scrap all the sad fast days and turn them into joyful celebrations.
Second Generation Revisited
I am a child of survivors. I stand as near to the gates of Auschwitz and Belsen as anyone who was not actually there, and that is still a million miles away
Religious Freedom And Orthodox Jews: Three Challenges We’ll Soon Confront
The Orthodox community should support laws that prohibit commercial discrimination in activity
Israeli Voters Step Decidedly To The Right
The Israeli election was on the surface a tie between Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kadima, led by Tzipi Livni (who replaced Ehud Olmert as party chief). While Livni loudly proclaimed victory because Kadima had come out one parliamentary seat ahead, the election was largely a victory for the Israeli Right.
Confidence-Building Measures
Why, what an excellent set of confidence-building concessions, I thought happily as the TV screen suddenly went black. I yawned as I rubbed my sleepy eyes.
Es Kumt Mir
Apparently, in J Street’s view, giving $500 million of American taxpayers’ money each year to the Palestinian Authority-- a corrupt, misogynist, dissident-torturing, terrorism-sponsoring, fascist dictatorship--is the eleventh commandment engraved on the tablets Moses brought down from Sinai.
Must We Love Sinners?
A Jew who accepts the divine origin of the entire Torah except for a single letter is a blasphemer.
Four Lessons a Post-Brexit Britain Can Learn from Israel
A post-Brexit scenario requires long-term strategic thinking by the British establishment. The parallels between the situation of Israel in the Middle East and the eventual position of Britain vis-à-vis a federal European state offer lessons and suggest opportunities. If Britain acts on these lessons, it is more likely to flourish despite the economic and political pressure European leaders may try to exert on it in Brexit’s wake.
Government Dependency And The Sacrifice Of Torah Ideals
I recently called a friend in Israel and we exchanged news about our families.
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...
Continuing the Vision
What is in Eretz Israel that draws so much attention? Water? Mineral deposits? Open spaces? Oil? Gold? Diamonds?
One Mother’s Response to Terror
My son is seventeen; he didn't want to talk about what happened, or give any details of the Rosh Yeshiva's words of chizuk.
Celluloid Fantasies
I have been hooked on movies from the moment I saw “Fantasia” and “The Red Shoes” at the Windsor Movie Theatre in Boro Park when I was six or seven years old. Movie-going, like book-reading, became permanent habits and I eventually turned to foreign films in the same way that I turned to classical theatre, music, poetry, and literature: in order to understand the human condition. A little bit of dazzle and drama were fine too.