By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — As George Zimmerman disappears now into the legal wilderness of white complicity and police reticence, and good people in Tulsa lay down their dead into the crypt of black marginality, this white man wonders how frightful it must still be to a black male in America. Friends […]
Notwithstanding its black President, U.S. society is still racist Read More »
USABy Peter Huessy WASHINGTON, D.C. — Striking a deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin requires a certain amount of cunning, diplomacy and, more than anything else, a “correlation of forces” on your side. Unfortunately, the United States may not be in the strongest of positions to strike a cooperative deal with Russia on missile defense, and
Russia protects Iran to control oil moving through central Asia Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Jonathan Pollard has returned to Israeli headlines, first with his hospitalization, then the appearance of Esther (who he married after being incarcerated) before President Peres, Peres’ appeal to President Obama to release him due to his long imprisonment and ill health, and an announcement from Washington that the President does
The pros and cons for Jonathan Pollard’s release from prison Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USA
By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Even to my untrained eye and deaf ear Gunther Grass’ poem that has created such a furor in Israel and in Germany isn’t great poetry. It reads even in the original like an old man’s rant in search of attention, even though the author who is a distinguished writer
Yishai overreacts to Grass’s poem Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It is hard to know if this is a time to cry, laugh, or more simply to recognize the intractable nature of Israel’s problems in the Middle East. I’m not about to go back to Fall River, and certainly not to my grandparents’ home town of Bialystok. I’ve gotten used
Iran and Palestine follow ‘no-negotiation’ strategies Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
HEBRON, Israel — While many Israelis fly off to various points around the globe for Passover, those of us who stay home and are fortunate enough to have some time off during the week-long holiday use the time to explore and get to know the country better. One group that’s helping make that happen
Israelis pour into Hebron for Passover Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM– There are some disturbing elements and some that are optimistic in a Washington Post article about expanded US intelligence activities with respect to Iran. As is the nature of reports about these most secret of things, the optimism may come from some of the fluff added by unattributable sources, or by
U.S. apparently believes Iran can but won’t make N-bomb Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USABy Jarrod Bernstein WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Starting tonight, the Jewish community in the United States, Israel, and throughout the world will come together to celebrate the holiday of Passover. President and Mrs. Obama will join them, continuing their tradition of hosting a small Seder at the White House. By now, the story of how that
President Obama extends Passover greetings Read More »
USABy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — Passover is the best gift we ever gave to the world; nobody who was ever a human being could turn down its message of freedom, its transformation of the taste of tears into the wine of hope, its view of the leaves of parsley as the springtime of
Passover is also a modern American story Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A recent poll about American Jews’ political inclinations raises once again the issue of how the two largest Jewish communities are developing, each in its own way. Figures are not entirely reliable, especially outside of Israel, but one reasonable compilation shows that the American and Israeli communities comprise about two
Many differences emerge between Israeli and American Jews Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–The fact that the peace process that was to lead to a two-state solution is going nowhere isn’t news, but the fact that Yossi Beilin – the architect of the 1993 Oslo Accord that gave birth to the idea and charted a path for its realization – has now called for
Beilin calls for dismantling the Palestine Authority Read More »
Middle EastBy Matthew RJ Brodsky WASHINGTON, D.C. — While Western and Arab countries struggle to find a way to assist the Syrian people, Moscow is continuing to do all it can to save the Assad regime of Syria. Speaking on a trip to Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Syrian opposition wouldn’t be able
Russia has financial reasons for saving Syrian regime Read More »
InternationalBy Samara Greenberg WASHINGTON, D.C. –A delegation from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) made its first official visit to the United States this week, where it has spent time in New York and Washington, DC talking to think tank experts and White House officials about the Brotherhood’s growing role in Cairo.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood launches a PR offensive Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Within a very short time after hearing that the eviction of the settlers at Machpelah House had been postponed, they were, in fact, evicted. In a moment of premature enthusiasm I thought: “Three cheers for the Prime Minister.” But those cheers may have been premature. For the Prime Minister may not
Did Netanyahu make a backroom deal with settlers? Read More »
Middle East