Mr. President, visit the parks and coffee shops
Outside of Jerusalem – and Israel – nobody hears about the beautiful, peaceful places that we call home
View ArticleWhy We Need Israel (and Zionism)
Several years ago, Yotam was working on a Greek island when Syrian refugees were struggling to escape from Assad’s murderous regime. When a boat capsized near the shore and a young child was unable to...
View ArticleHanukkah’s unwanted miracles
I celebrate the small army's defeat of an empire – and then I recall how the Maccabees oppressed their less zealous fellow Jews
View ArticleDefend Israel’s Democracy
Israel is on fire from within and from without. From the outside it continues to face lethal terrorist attacks and the specter of an increasingly emboldened and nuclear Iran. From within it faces...
View ArticleStanding with Israeli protestors
Fifty years ago, the armies of Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israeli forces in the Sinai desert and Golan Heights. It was on this very day of Yom Kippur in 1973. Israel suffered...
View ArticleHave Faith in the Jewish Spirit
The other day I was picking what will probably be the last of my garden’s cherry tomatoes. It was a rather inconsequential harvest. Ten tomatoes. My mind wandered away from what I had hoped to be...
View ArticleA Wounded Torah, A Defiant Spirit
Judah, the namesake of the Jewish people, draws near to the brother he no longer recognizes. His brother Benjamin is held in captivity. He pleads for his release. “Then Judah drew close to Joseph.”...
View ArticleIsrael’s Responsibilities to Gaza’s Children
Although Purim is celebrated with laughter and revelry, the megillah concludes on a violent note. We dwell on the joy. We forget the violence. We hide it behind costumes and masks. The Book of Esther...
View ArticleBe Proud To Be Jews
I returned from Israel a few days ago. I was there on another mission to learn more about the situation and express our solidarity. I will never tire of going to Israel, regardless of the situation....
View ArticleSet Their Teeth on Edge!
I am still thinking about the Seder’s wicked child. This child asks, “Whatever does this service mean to you?” The Haggadah teaches that this child excludes himself or herself from our collective...
View ArticleJerusalem Dreams
Several weeks ago, I was riding through the rural roads of Pennsylvania, outside of Penn State, when I confronted a sign planted on a front lawn, “If the Zionists stole your land, you too would be...
View ArticleReal People Provide Real Hope
On Sunday, I greeted the Jerusalem morning with news of the assassination attempt against former president Trump. We are grateful that the assassin was unsuccessful, and that President Trump was not...
View ArticleLet’s Dance Like Sunflowers
My new favorite flower is the sunflower. It’s not because of its seeds which I enjoy but instead because of a recent scientific discovery. Apparently, sunflowers dance. Let me explain. Every flower...
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