By Peter Huessy WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, missile defense is under attack. This is not a new thing, however. Opponents tried to eliminate funding for ballistic missile defense when Ronald Reagan was President, sneeringly calling it “Star Wars” to denote how foolish they thought the idea to be. Under President Bill Clinton, defenses against […]
The case for a solid missile defense Read More »
USAWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Congresswoman Susan Davis (Democrat-San Diego) called for the United States to stand with Israel against the nuclear threat posed by Iran, in a floor speech observing Israel’s Independence Day. The text follows: I rise in strong support of the contribution of the State of Israel as it celebrates its 64th anniversary as
Congresswoman seeks steadfast U.S. support for Israel Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — By all accounts, the most admirable feature of American Thanksgiving is that it’s being celebrated by all citizens. Irrespective of religious affiliation, skin colour or income, all Americans feel the need to give thanks for the country in which they live, even when they’re grossly disadvantaged in comparison to
Most Israelis celebrate Yom Ha’atzma’ut, but some pointedly refrain Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For an American used to Memorial Day as a time for mega-store sales and picnics, the Israeli equivalent requires a significant reformatting of expectations. The official number of those who died while serving in one or another security function or as a result of terror is close to 23,000, with
Controversies surround Israel’s secular holidays Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — A small group gathered Sunday at nearby Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the life and work of British Maj. Gen. Orde Wingate of blessed memory, who is interred there with the Americans with whom he was flying when his plane crashed in Burma in 1945. Israel and the Jewish
Orde Wingate’s doctrines still best for fighting insurgents Read More »
International, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Reading news reports can be like reading tea leaves. The combination of different items may mean more than any one of them says explicitly. Yet it is more art than craft. Conclusions may be sounder than received from a seer, but are less than certain. Currently my computer screen is
U.S. reactions to North Korea inform Israel’s decisions about Iran Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–It’s always refreshing when serious people refuse to give up hope – as a growing number of “peaceniks” in Israel have done – about solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The latest effort comes from three distinguished Israelis: a former admiral, a former peace negotiator and a businessman. I understand the article in
Authors urge unilateral steps by Israel to build peace Read More »
Middle East
By Joel A. Moskowitz M D LA JOLLA, California — Experimental Biology is the name of the multidisciplinary conference that has attracted 17,000 registrants from all over the world to the San Diego Convention Center. I was privileged to attend this vital assemblage of the newest developments in matters of human health. AAA (not
Nations are united in medical research Read More »
International, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Israel has something of an anti-European complex. That’s the impression readers of The Globe and Mail, Canada’s “national newspaper,” are likely to get from a report by its Jerusalem-based correspondent Patrick Martin. Writing about Israeli reactions to the incident that cost a colonel his job because, as Martin put
Israel’s love-hate relationships with Europe Read More »
Middle East
By Ira Sharkansky KIBBUTZ AMIAD, Israel–Our apartment in Jerusalem’s French Hill neighborhood is about 810 meters above sea level. We began our trip to the Galilee by driving to the tunnel under Mt Scopus, and then through the Judean Desert to the Jordan Valley. At the junction to the road north we were 300 meters below
Sightseeing through the Galilee Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Yaakov Lappin WASHINGTON, D.C –At the start of this week, hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists planned to board passenger planes and fly to Israel. Their plan, according to Israeli intelligence assessments, was to join Palestinian demonstrations in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, events that had a high potential to turn violent. The activists,
Israel’s organization turned ‘flytilla’ into a non-event Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — On Tuesday night I shared a fascinating lesson plan from Yad Vashem (Israel’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority) with my Community Jewish High students. The lesson juxtaposed two reports from a transport that carried Jews from Dusseldorf, Germany to Riga, Latvia that left on December 11, 1941.
Let’s be the ‘village’ that supports Israel locally Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM –The full Hebrew name of Holocaust Memorial Day is yom hasho’a v’hagvurah, the day of catastrophe and heroism. The commemorations in Israel tend to put at least as much stress on the heroism as on the catastrophe. Thus the annual state ceremony at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial complex, in
Yom HaShoah and the Iran threat Read More »
Middle East
By James Colbert WASHINGTON, D.C. –Providing the Egyptian military with unrestricted military assistance no longer serves American goals. While conditional aid is a relatively weak diplomatic tool, it is the only approach left to the United States to alter meaningfully Egypt’s negative trajectory that is propelled by an economy nearing collapse, ongoing human rights abuses,
U.S. should put conditions on its military aid to Egypt Read More »
USA