Steve Kramer[/caption]
Steve Kramer grew up in Atlantic City, graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1967, adopted the hippie lifestyle until 1973, then joined the family business for 15 years. Steve moved to Israel from Margate, NJ in 1991 with his family. He has written more than 1100 articles about Israel and Jews since making Aliyah. Steve and his wife Michal live in Kfar Saba.
By Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — Spring is the perfect time to travel to the north in Israel: the temperatures are generally ideal, the hillsides and fields are green after the winter rains, and the streams are flowing with a respectable amount of water. So, not long after Passover, Michal and I and some […]
By Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — One hundred years ago a bomb shell was dropped on the international community by the British government. It was the Balfour Declaration, a public “letter” which would have greatly cheered Theodor Herzl, the great proponent and leader of the Zionist movement, had he not succumbed to a heart
The importance of the Balfour Declaration Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — For thousands of years the Jewish people remembered Zion and God’s promise that that they would eventually return to their homeland there (Genesis 15:18). Whether one believes the Bible or not, it is an uncontested fact that Jews have prayed for the return to Jerusalem for millennia: By
Judea and Samaria: A promise fulfilled Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — I have heard the following platitude ad nauseam: “It is presumed that Israel will retain high Jewish population centers in the West Bank, known as the blocs, in any final status agreement for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.” Who says this? Nearly every Western diplomat, wire service,
Israel has no credible peace partner Read More »
Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — All the reports that I read about the dwindling support for Israel by liberal Jews, and other Westerners, stress one thing: ignorance on the part of those who have taken an adversarial stance towards Israel. Of course, readers of my articles are very well acquainted with the facts
Israel test for American readers Read More »
Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — As we approach the Passover holiday, when helping others is customary, it’s instructive to see how a few volunteers are having a considerable impact on Netanya’s Ethiopian Israeli community… The Forgotten People Fund (FPF), a strictly volunteer organization in Netanya, Israel, was founded in 1998 by two couples, Anne
Computers for Ethiopian Israeli students Read More »
International, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — The Lies They Tell is the second Tuvia Tenenbom book that I’ve read, following the enlightening Catch the Jew!, which penetrates the bubble surrounding many Israelis and journalists. Tuvia (his irreverent style breeds a strange familiarity) is an expat Israeli who has lived in the United States, Germany
‘The Lies They Tell’ excoriates U.S. society Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Steve Kramer, USABy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — Israelis had been waiting with bated breath for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s initial meeting with President Donald Trump on February 15. All sorts of fantasies were dreamed up by “Land of Israel” (right wing) advocates, as if the new president were an ultra-Zionist. Left wing “peace” advocates, on the other
By Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — With everyone in the US and Israel either apprehensive, worried, or elated with the change of American administrations, the world turns. This week I was irritated enough by an article in the Boston Globe (which I read courtesy of the watchdog (HonestReporting.com) to write a letter to the
Thoughts on ancient and modern Israeli conflicts Read More »
Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — The “Palestinians” are an “invented people,” in the opinion of Newt Gingrich, former US Speaker of the House, presidential candidate, best selling author, and bona fide historian (Ph.D. in European history – Tulane University). It’s a fact: the Palestinian Arabs simply have no history as a distinct people
‘Palestine’ has a very short history Read More »
Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — Of course Palestinian Arabs deserve a state. It’s obvious, isn’t it? No, it isn’t. There are many stateless groups that are far more deserving of statehood, having proven their provenance, responsibility, and mettle. Nevertheless, it’s taken for granted by many that there must be a Palestinian state, based on
Do Palestinian Arabs Deserve a State? Read More »
Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — In the waning days of December, in its “great wisdom,” the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2334. Yes, the US abstained, but that is the equivalent of “yes,” because the US Ambassador declined to veto what may be President Obama’s final assault on Prime Minister Netanyahu and
At the United Nations, it’s all against one Read More »
Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — Wake up! President Obama showed his true colors last week when he instructed US Ambassador Samantha Power to abstain on a Security Council resolution indicting Israel for building houses for Jews in the Jewish homeland, including in Jerusalem, the Jewish capital for 3,000 years. (Even the Western Wall
UN’s Israel vote may lead to a reduction in its revenues Read More »
International, Middle East, Steve KramerBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — Question from a reader: “I have been reading quite a bit about the Amona situation and have to admit at being somewhat confused. Is the ‘outpost’ proven to be illegal? Doesn’t most of the international community consider Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria to be illegal, regardless of
Evaluating the legal status of Judea and Samaria Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer