Lessons of a 100–year-old postcard from an imaginary land
Where in the world is West Refaim and why did it have its own stamp? Riddles from back when the Jewish imagination went postal
View ArticleA Cease-fire with Hamas is possible?
The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel is being celebrated by right-wing supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as proof that Israel can use its military superiority to bend its...
View ArticleWhat’s a ‘non-Zionist Zionist,’ eh? 43% of Jewish Canadians claim to be one
Is it possible to believe that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state and not think of yourself as a Zionist? 43% of Jewish Canadians believe you can. This is an important and perhaps puzzling...
View Article‘The Bibi Files’: Corruption vs. Morality Meets Survival
“The Bibi Files” had a World Premiere at DocNY, was included in the JCC’s Other Israel Film Festival, and had its official US release in mid-December. Jolt is the distributor, and they put no limits on...
View ArticleWhy Netanyahu does not want to end the war in Gaza
The commandment of redeeming captives surpasses many other commandments. “There is no greater mitzvah than redeeming captives”, writes Maimonides (in the sense that it includes many other mitzvot)....
View ArticleIsrael Goes to Elections
The stunt Itamar Ben-Gvir tried to pull on Netanyahu this week suggests he’s going to be hit by retaliation from Netanyahu and his coalition partners. But Itamar Ben-Gvir has nothing to worry about. He...
View ArticleLong Past Time to Name Names
I promised myself that I would avoid the news after Biden won in 2020. The years before had been a nonstop deluge of awfulness under Trump, one crisis, embarrassment, or worse, after another. I stuck...
View ArticleHostage deal: My rant on it.
Trump said that if the hostages currently in gaza were not released by the time he gets inaugurated (in about a week from now), there would be “hell to pay.” This got both Yisrael and Hamas on the...
View ArticleThe Great Chanukah Polemic of 1891– Relevant Today?
If, as the polemic suggests, the Rabbis invented the miracle of the oil lasting 8 days, was this to avoid glorifying military might and tell a cautionary tale against internal division and misuse of...
View ArticleChoosing Life over Death: Parshat Shemot
This week has been a hard week for all of us in Israel. It doesn’t matter which side you are on. We are all in pain. We are all waiting. The press is having a field day, playing on our emotions. There...
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