By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Village councils in the West Bank, and Sharon’s alliance with the Christians of Lebanon represented Israeli efforts to play in the politics of neighbors. One was a failure, and the other a disaster. Israel sought to create village councils in the West Bank during the 1970s and 1980s as its
Is ‘alliance’ brewing among Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Donald Trump claimed that John McCain was not a war hero but only a soldier who was captured. John McCain retorted that Trump is not a politician but only a lout who is captivated by the sound of his own voice. Jeb Bush added that his brother never would have
Humoring the headlines: July 19, 2015 Read More »
Travel and Food-Last in a four-part series- By Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — This is the third and last review of wannabes vying for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. There are so many declared candidates that both Fox and CNN will only allow ten to appear in their initial debates. The two presidential candidates
More GOP hopefuls’ opinions on Israel Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer, USABy Michael R. Mantell, PhD SAN DIEGO–Imagine waking up in the next century with those words made famous by Regis Philbin, sandblasting its way into our popular lexicon: “Is that your final answer?” Along with “Where’s the beef?” and “Yada Yada Yada,” not to mention, “You look mahvelous,” “I’ve a feeling were not in Kansas
Forget TV catch phrases; try these Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and FoodLuther’s Fortress, Martin Luther and his Reformation Under Siege, by James Reston, Jr., (Perseus Books Group, 2015) By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — In the time in which Martin Luther lived – 1483 to1546 – it was not difficult to run afoul of the Catholic Church and find oneself either in a dungeon of the
From the Jewish Library: ‘Luther’s Fortress’ Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Professor Avi Shlaim of Oxford is often described as a “revisionist” historian of modern Israel, where he had lived and where he served in its armed forces. In his comprehensive and important book, The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World, he writes about the late Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin:
Where is Yitzhak Rabin’s political heir? Read More »
Middle East
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — The “play within a play” concept always intrigues me, and this story is a delight, based on the treatment of the 1949 Broadway play which ran for more than 1,000 performances. The play was further informed by the 1953 film starring Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, which led
The Bard to Grayson to Liz Taylor to Lilli Vanessi Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — According to one published report, a potential New Hampshire primary voter has stated: “We need the truth. We don’t have to like the truth. But we need it.” Agreement on this comes from this spiritual corner. The truth is that Donald Trump has an endless supply of money
Trump, the rich, exploits the stupid Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s been a few days, and the dust hasn’t settled. Israeli shrill, in Hebrew and other languages, has been prominent in the media here and elsewhere, along with efforts at varying hues to calm our fears. Headlines in Israel Hayom about as expected An agreement to shame the world It doesn’t obligate
Weighing the reactions to the N- deal Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — The shuttle car drops me off in front of the Shiley Eye Institute, part of UCSD Healthcare. I’m getting a clouded, natural lens removed and a clear, acrylic one put in. Even though cataract surgery is one of the most common procedures in the aging population and
Oh, so that’s what my friends look like Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — Since the murders at Emanuel AME church a few weeks ago, I’ve struggled looking for the right words to express my feelings on the so called “Southern Culture” as symbolized by the Confederate flag. It is amazing to me that we tolerate the rewriting of history as a way to
U.S. should take down all Confederate symbols Read More »
Jewish History, USABy Edwin Black WASHINGTON–When the last plaintive shofar blast echoed through the Washington D.C. Convention Center of the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Policy Conference extravaganza of support for Israel, July 13–14, 2015, it was not the record attendance of 5,000 fired-up pro-Israel Christians that marked a turning point for the 10-year old group. Nor
CUFI plans all-out campaign against N- deal Read More »
Edwin Black, Middle East, USABy Stephen Bryen and Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The deal is done. Iran has sort-of promised it won’t build nuclear weapons, but even the promise has serious caveats: Iran can continue to build weapons platforms to deliver the non-existent weapons; it can cooperate with friendly countries to acquire enhancements to weapons delivery technology; and
Iran N- deal may force Israel to unveil its N- capacity Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USA