By Steve Kramer KFAR SAVA, Israel —Too many American Jews are ignorant about what’s really going on in Israel. They think they are better equipped to determine Israel’s fate than Israelis are. I know where that comes from: “fake news” about Israel from the mass media. The majority of U.S. liberal Jews truly believe that
OpEd: America’s major media is biased against Israel Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA
By Moshe Dann JERUSALEM — Although Jews have been retelling the story of the Exodus from Egypt at the Pesach Seder for millennia, the Haggadah as we know it was compiled during the Gaonic period (8th-9th century CE) in Babylon, with additional songs written by Jews probably during the Middle Ages. Based on Torah, Mishna
Who compiled the Haggadah, and why? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East
By Simmy Allen JERUSALEM — The Pesach holiday – which marks the Jewish people’s exodus from enslavement in ancient Egypt – was never more reminiscent in modern times as during the Holocaust. In the Pesach Haggadah, which recounts the miraculous story, Jews are told to proclaim: “This year we are here; next year we will
Pesach during the Holocaust Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Had the leaders of Israel’s political parties with seats in the next Knesset been committed to the good of the country and all its citizens – rather than their own interests and the advancement of their party – they’d recommend to the president a government led by the two
Blue and White coalition with Likud would be best Read More »
Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel–Now that the actual elections (though not the coalition-building process) are behind us we can stop and think about what we have all just been through here in Israel, and what awaits us in the near future. Apparently this election campaign was the nastiest in living memory, which isn’t saying
Habit voting aided Netanyahu despite all Read More »
Middle EastShared support for Israel brings people together By Yonatan Spitz LOS ANGELES — In Israel and even now as a shaliach (Israeli emissary) in the U.S., I’ve often felt that the pro-Israel Jews of the Diaspora receive unfair criticism for supporting the Jewish state. At times, it seems impossible to get through a discussion about
AIPAC fosters Jewish unity Read More »
Middle East, USAWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, will lead the U.S. interagency delegation to Jerusalem April 16 for the annual meeting of the U.S.-Israel Joint Counterterrorism Group, the State Department’s longest running strategic counterterrorism dialogue. The United States and Israel will discuss the shared terrorist threats facing our two
U.S., Israel strategize to counter terrorism Read More »
Middle East, USABy Shoshana Bryen and Stephen Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — During the Cold War, the Soviet Union seriously outspent the United States on military equipment. The U.S. and its NATO allies worried that the Russians would have such overwhelming military power that, at any moment, Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces could flood Western Europe, starting with
Chinese tech products threaten U.S. security Read More »
International, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The election is over, but we’re still a way from the new government. Official results look like a Likud victory, but it’s close, and the winning side is loaded with small parties that will be difficult to meld into a government. So far we’re hearing of competing demands for the
Election over, now jockeying begins Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Michael Jeser SAN DIEGO — My grandfather Morris Cohen was the youngest of 28 children. Yes, you read that correctly. His father, my great grandfather, was in his 70s when my grandfather was born in a town near Vilnius, Poland. My great grandfather was actually married twice (not at the same time), and had
S.D. Yom Hashoah focuses on preserving memory Read More »
International, Jewish History, San Diego CountyBy Doron Krakow NEW YORK — It’s a long flight. The return from Israel to New York or to points beyond is at least 11 hours if you fly direct. That’s a long time to sit. Some sleep, but others like me tend to do so fitfully more often than not. It’s quiet, beyond the
The many faces of Israel Read More »
Middle East
By Yossi Alpher TEL AVIV — Lately, my own research and writing efforts have taken me back to the events of Passover 2002. On March 27, Erev Pesach, a Hamas suicide bomber attacked several hundred people gathered for a Seder at the Park Hotel, near the beach in Netanya in central Israel. He killed 30
The day the Oslo peace process ended Read More »
Middle EastBy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — It must be only a matter of time before Team Trump accuses Ilhan Omar of overcooking hamburgers (a Seinfeld reference, to be explained for TV viewers who miss Seinfeld episodes). The Democratic congresswoman and our president, along with his Republican allies in Congress, overcooked their rhetoric when they traded
Omar, Trump use Jews as political football Read More »
USABy Gary Weitzman, DVM SAN DIEGO — A dog tied up in a backyard without access to food and water. Dozens of birds living in their own filth and feces, hoarded in a tiny apartment. A family cat experiencing prolonged suffering from a lack of veterinary care. These are just a few examples of the
How you can help abused animals Read More »
The World We Share, USA