By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — “Mr. President, three years ago I met you at a similar venue and told you then that I worried about you—you answered that you were worried about yourself too—you were a candidate then. I must admit that I have not stopped worrying since and that you are […]
On meeting the President Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz, USA
By Josh Namm RANCHO SANTA FE, California — Seventy one people gathered at the home of Dr. Bob Shillman on Tuesday night for the debut of “Israel Inside” ahead of its nationwide premiere next week. Produced by Rabbi Raphael Shore and Rabbi Richard Green the film was made in conjunction with Jerusalem Online University. Shore
‘Israel Inside’ debuts before friends in Rancho Santa Fe Read More »
Middle East
-First in a Series- By Jeanette Friedman WARSAW–My first glimpse of Poland came through an airplane window. The thick turbulent clouds had just thinned, and from my aisle seat I could see a lush checkerboard of fields punctuated by small forests, and realized that these were the fields and forests where the Jewish Partisans I
Polish Odyssey: 2nd Generation Survivor visits ancestral homeland Read More »
InternationalBy Danny Bloom TAIPEI, Taiwan — When a British newspaper recently splashed some color photos of high school girls at a private Catholic school in Thailand sporting Nazi uniforms during a sports day festival, all hell broke loose on the Internet after the German and Israeli embassies in Bangkok issued statements to the English-language media
Nazi nonsense in Thailand Read More »
International
By J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Many lovers of Israel were disgusted by the brilliant speeches by the American, Palestinian and Israeli leaders at the United Nations General Asembly. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in eloquenant addreses to erase 18 years of talks sunce the Oslo Accords were signed
U.N. Mideast speeches were aimed at local audiences Read More »
Middle East, USA
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — There is a lot of anonymous suffering in the world, even when it gets great media play. Yesterday, one could bounce around on television and/or the web and see the clear release of unparalleled tension in a Seattle woman set free in Perugia, Italy; the cri de coeur
Let us pray for the world’s anguished Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For some time now, Israeli news has been leading off with the latest comments from international worthies about the need for Israel and Palestinians to agree on two states etc etc. This morning an American friend sent me a link to a Time article about the distancing of young American
West should not pressure Israelis, Palestinians on peace agreement Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM– The New York Times deserves its place as one of the best newspapers of the world. Like the actions of some of American presidents, however, its commentary on the Middle East seems to reflect more ideology than cogent analysis. Thomas Friedman and Roger Cohen have been blathering on for years about
Media underestimates Erdogan’s many problems in bid for Mideast leadership Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Yaakov Lappin WASHINGTON, D.C. _ A fierce debate is gripping Israel’s defense and intelligence community over fateful questions that have arisen from the recent period of Middle Eastern turmoil. The first, most basic question concerning defense officials is: Can stable states eventually emerge around Israel from the chaos and uncertainty that has replaced the
Arab Spring could turn into an Islamic winter Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A friend forwarded to me a sermon that Rabbi Schlomo Lewis of Atlanta delivered a year ago on Rosh Hashana. A bit of Googling showed that the sermon has circulated widely. It is as strong a statement as I have seen comparing Radical Islam to Nazism, and comparing the widespread
Moderates are the radicals of Muslim world Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Nothing new or dramatic in the highly touted speeches by Abbas and Netanyahu, and nothing promising or threatening in the prodding to negotiations announced after the speeches by the Quartet of minders: US, UN, Russia, European Union. Abbas repeated himself time and again, and Netanyahu seemed tired and off the
Neither Bibi nor Abbas very surprising at U.N. Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Palestinian Unilateral Declaration of Independence is a cynical ploy that bypasses the necessary requirement for direct negotiations between the Palestinian leadership and the Government of Israel. Despite a last minute scramble by the White House intending to delay this action, it is all too likely that a vote
What are the stakes of a Palestinian UDI vote? Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Barack Obama demonstrated once again that he knows how to speak. In the process, he may have regained some of the Jewish money and votes that he lost by his earlier tilts toward Palestinians, and demanding an end to construction in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Israeli commentators called it the warmest speech
Obama may have won back some Jews with his U.N. speech Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This is an auspicious time and place, appropriate for the awarding of two commendations. To employ the language of Genesis, this is first day (יום ראשון). It begins a week that will have the natural wonder of the autumn equinox, and the political wonder of the United Nations General Assembly.
And the winners of the disingenuousness and naivete awards are… Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East