Pink Floyd Feud Erupts Over Antisemitism

Published by Ultimate Classic Rock David Gilmour and Roger Waters are once again feuding. Polly Samson, Gilmour’s novelist wife who has written lyrics for Pink Floyd, recently posted a Tweet in which she called Waters “antisemitic” and a “Putin apologist,” as well as a “lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy megalomaniac.” Gilmour shared his […]

Pink Floyd Feud Erupts Over Antisemitism Read More »

International

Omar’s Removal is a Frightful Omen for Israel-Bashers

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — As the competing votes tracked upward on the Congressional scoreboard last Thursday, my memory summoned up a moment more than two decades ago when I spotted an anti-Israel sketch posted on a bulletin board. It featured a message that compared Israel to the civil rights struggles in the South.

Omar’s Removal is a Frightful Omen for Israel-Bashers Read More »

Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, USA

Light and Obliquity: Edward Hopper at the Whitney Museum

By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Clement Greenberg once observed that Edward Hopper was a “bad painter. But if he were a better painter, he would, most likely, not be so superior an artist.” “Edward Hopper’s New York,” a major retrospective currently on view at the Whitney Museum, confirms this judgment. There is occasionally a

Light and Obliquity: Edward Hopper at the Whitney Museum Read More »

Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

Parashat Yitro: The Importance of ‘Do Not Covet’

Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha, Yitro, one of the six portions named for an individual, the Ten Commandments (not suggestions), the Aseret HaDib’rot, are revealed to Moses and to the Israelites in the wilderness. We may learn from this pinnacle experience that the Torah can be learned anywhere, even

Parashat Yitro: The Importance of ‘Do Not Covet’ Read More »

Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

The Biblical Portion Yitro: Is ‘Ten Commandments’ a Misnomer?

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — As usual, the biblical portion Yitro is named after the first significant word in the portion, the name of Moses’ father-in-law Yitro. His name in English is Jethro with a J. German scholars began to transliterate some, but not all, names that start with the Hebrew

The Biblical Portion Yitro: Is ‘Ten Commandments’ a Misnomer? Read More »

Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade, Inna Hecker Grade Now Publicly Available

NEW YORK (Press Release) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the National Library of Israel (NLI) are delighted to announce the completion of the digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade and Inna Hecker Grade. Making this collection available online will enrich the lives of lovers of Jewish and Yiddish literature throughout the

Digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade, Inna Hecker Grade Now Publicly Available Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, USA

Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents

Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes.  His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation.  But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses.  They are beyond my depth.  What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book.  [Donald H. Harrison]

Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Israel Offers Humanitarian Aid to Turkey and Syria

Published by DPA Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria, announcing the dispatch of search and rescue teams as well as medical teams “in accordance with a request from the Turkish government.” The precise nature of the assistance to Israel’s northern neighbour, with which it remains at war, was

Israel Offers Humanitarian Aid to Turkey and Syria Read More »

Middle East

Substantial Opposition and Continued Uncertainties in Israel

By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Israel’s government has an edge in the Knesset, but it’s only four seats. And there is substantial opposition to what its extreme members are proposing to do with the judiciary. One option is for a Knesset majority able to override the Supreme Court’s opposition to a Knesset law or

Substantial Opposition and Continued Uncertainties in Israel Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Israel, Opinion, USA

Israel: A Democracy

By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — There’s way too much hysteria from the left wing over proposed legislation in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Where do world leaders like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron get the chutzpah to lecture Israel’s elected representatives? It’s bad enough that the leaders of Israel’s

Israel: A Democracy Read More »

Israel, Opinion, Steve Kramer, USA

‘A God of Our Invention’ Shines Light on Contemporary Political-Religious Agendas

Daniel Kohanski, A God of Our Invention, How Religion Shaped the Western World (Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile Press, 2023) 285 pages, $26.00 By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — Daniel Kohanski graduated from Colgate with a degree in philosophy and received an MS in computer science from Rutgers. He spent many years as a computer programmer

‘A God of Our Invention’ Shines Light on Contemporary Political-Religious Agendas Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Oliver Pollak, USA

Sunday Soundoff: Cancel Culture, Transit Equity, & Love vs. Hate

Craven now has been “cancelled” by the unforgiving academic community. The irony of this is that were it not for Bill Craven, Cal State San Marcos would not have existed in the first place.  He fought the uphill legislative battle to win approval for the construction of that campus. Opponents noted that San Diego County already had San Diego State University, whereas other parts of the state didn’t have even one state university campus, much less two, in addition to a campus of the University of California. [Donald H. Harrison]

Sunday Soundoff: Cancel Culture, Transit Equity, & Love vs. Hate Read More »

California, Donald H. Harrison, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA