By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It’s not right and fair to engage in ‘old-timer’ nostalgia at any time, I know, but in view of recent events I can’t help comparing Israel as it was fifty years ago, when I first came to live here, and today. Israel today is, if anything, even more vibrant, productive […]
Bitter division among Jews threatens Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel has been wracked by violence, conscience, and not a little hypocrisy in recent days. Assailants, widely thought to be extremist Jews, firebombed a Palestinian home in a West Bank village, killing a year-old child and severely injuring other family members. An ultra-Orthodox Jew, recently released from prison for a similar
2 Jewish terror attacks roil Israel, U.N. Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — I’d like to take back everything negative that I’ve written about President Reuven Rivlin. Though I had repeatedly expressed my admiration for his pronouncements since he became president on behalf of Israel’s Arab citizens, I was distressed by his seeming discrimination against exponents of non-Orthodox Judaism. He seems to
Rivlin, in wake of deaths, urges soul- searching Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Wisdom and justice are elusive topics, with numerous issues on their borders. Israel presents the topics of settlements and Jonathan Pollard. Settlement is either the curse of post-1967 Israel, the fulfillment of God’s promise, an appropriate response to Arab rejections, and/or a way to get more of contested real estate. Americans have
Weighing the morality of settlements, Pollard case Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Shoshana Bryen and Stephen Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both Iran and North Korea were part of the A.Q. Kahn proliferation network, and bilateral trade in oil and weapons has continued despite UN resolutions designed to stop it. Ballistic missile cooperation is documented, and nuclear cooperation has been an unspoken theme in Washington. Pyongyang helped
Is Iran building its bombs in North Korea? Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–When I first encountered Zionism as a child in post-war Poland, I heard much about the dream for Jews to become like all other peoples. After all that we had been through we now wanted to be like everybody else. Living in Israel today, not only when I’m in Tel Aviv,
Terrorism in the guise of piety Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastPoll: 76% of Israelis think Israel needs to continue fighting Iran nuclear deal (JNS.org) More than three-quarters of the Israeli public believes that Israel needs to press on with efforts to torpedo the Iran nuclear deal, a new Israel Hayom survey conducted by New Wave Research revealed. According to the poll, 76 percent of Hebrew-speaking
Jewish news briefs: July 31, 2015 Read More »
Middle East, USABy Isaac Yetiv, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — Almost two years of “negotiations,” the final “deal” appears as a total surrender of the Obama government to all the demands of the Ayatollahs who boasted that all their red lines have been met . The deal will put them on the path to become a nuclear power, not as a
Obama, Kerry capitulated to Iran Read More »
Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reports that Israel’s Consul-General in Philadelphia recently sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry suggesting that Israel is losing the support of American Jewry over Iran. If he’s right, does it mean that Prime Minister Netanyahu is wrong or is it because American Jews will
Is Iran N- deal pulling U.S. Jews away from Israel? Read More »
Middle East, USATop Israeli jurists crafting ‘legal Iron Dome’ to boost public diplomacy (JNS.org) Top Israeli legal experts came together this week to formulate a new strategy to bolster the public diplomacy efforts of Israel’s government. The project, promoted by Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), seeks to provide Israeli diplomats with solid public diplomacy messages to
Jewish news briefs: July 30, 2015 Read More »
International, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This oldie from the Kingston Trio (“They’re rioting in Africa . . . “) is an appropriate theme for today, even though we have to look beyond its details. The general point remains. There’s chaos in lots of places, and we must hope that somebody doesn’t make it a lot
On Africa, U.S. and the Middle East Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Israel is a marvelous country and I deem it a privilege to live here as a citizen. But nowadays the Jewish state is seriously (I hope not irreparably) marred by a terrible government. Perhaps it’s even more menacing than our hostile and volatile neighbors. As the Hebrew Prophets have
Israeli government seeks to subvert housing law Read More »
Middle EastIsraeli politicians warmly welcome Jonathan Pollard’s impending release (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli politicians warmly welcomed the news that Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli spy imprisoned in the U.S. for nearly 30 years, is due to be freed on parole in November. “Throughout his time in prison, I consistently raised the issue of his release in
Jewish news briefs: July 29, 2015 Read More »
International, Middle East, USABy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — Gov. Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, preacher, and talk show host, seems to believe that he has special access to Jewish historical pain. Yet what he uttered about the dubious nuclear deal with Iran served only to Trump his own calibrations about how to get some attention. Huckabee’s utterance,
Huckabee’s ‘oven door’ comment outrageous Read More »
International, Middle East, USA