The Land of Israel is the sacred inheritance of the Jewish People.  That we have been able to return after 2,000 years of exile is a modern day miracle. I see with clarity the protection of Heaven hovering over us.  I see it in the way we thrive as a …

Or, in the Israeli vernacular, Kol Hakavod! It was Shabbat here when President Trump announced the strike on Syria we had been waiting for; I did not access the news until Saturday evening. Friday evening, 9:00 E.T., (4:00 AM Saturday morning here), the president spoke to the nation. “My fellow …

Ani Ode Chai! The English translation—I am still alive!—doesn’t quite have the same impact. It is Yom HaShoah here in Israel today: The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day. Last night, the official ceremony was held at Yad VaShem. Every year I write about this ceremony, and the stories of …

The imperative to counter libelous statements and untruths about Israel is always with us. But at this moment in time the situation—in terms of libels, distortions and untruths—has intensified as a function of the “protest” at the Gaza border. One way in which the Palestinian Arabs and their supporters attempt …

Just as I did a week ago, I turn again to report on what happened at our border with Gaza on Friday, a day that Hamas called “Friday of the Tires.” They had warned that they would bring massive quantities of tires close to the border and set them on …

Had I not been busy with Pesach, I would have written this sooner.  Now that I am at my computer, it is my intention to get this out today: It is imperative to move past biased media reports and Hamas PR, so that everyone can understand with some clarity what …

Friday night begins the week of Pesach. This holiday, enormously rich in symbolism, has universal elements regarding freedom and human dignity. But at its core, its powerful message is Jewish: The Almighty brought us out of slavery, in order to be his people, receive his Torah, and then make our …

  Matters are certainly not smooth. Not here – and I’ll come to that. But worse, on the other side of the Atlantic. America is in a great deal of trouble. And so I begin by recommending Gloria Greenfield’s latest film, “The Fight of Our Lives.” The film addresses the …

Which is to say: it hurts! In my last post I focused on news of two terror attacks in recent days, and I had hoped to move on from there to other matters. But it is not to be. When I wrote yesterday, I reported on a terror attack in …

Late Friday afternoon there was a terror attack by car ramming that took place outside of Mevo Datan, a small community in the northern hills of the Shomron (Samaria). Two soldiers were killed instantaneously, two were injured, one moderately and one with critical head injury. He has, thank Heaven, stabilized. …

Until late yesterday Israelis were facing the unpleasant prospect of an early election brought on by the collapse of the coalition.  The presenting issue: Inflexible ultra-Orthodox party (UTJ and Shas) demands for blanket yeshiva student draft exemptions facing off against the inflexibility of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (head of Yisrael …

The sun may be behind the clouds part of the time, and the clouds can get very dark.  But it’s there.  And we need to remember that even when it’s raining. ~~~~~~~~~~ As I had mentioned in my last posting, on Sunday night at the AIPAC Conference, CEO Howard Kohr …

My regular readers know that I am basically an upbeat person.  I am not a Pollyanna: I face the bad news.  But I also seek out the promise and hold fast to the blessings.  And so I think I may surprise many of you, when I speak now of how …

    Wednesday night and Thursday we celebrate Purim (with the celebration a day later in Jerusalem, a walled city).  As we read the Megillat Esther, we relate the story of the machinations of Haman, in the Persian court, whose goal it was to eradicate the Jews. And we celebrate …

It’s a fascinating phenomenon, a paradox: Muslim Arab (and thus Palestinian Arab) culture is an honor-shame culture.  Honor is the ultimate value. But in this context “honor” means receiving appropriate courtesies and respect – being viewed positively by others.  It’s an external thing, not having to do with an internal …

  It feels as if there is flux everywhere: whether with regard to politics, diplomacy or security issues. And so, let us turn away from the tumult and begin with the good news – for, indeed, we are also blessed with good news. ~~~~~~~~~~ The Israeli Defense Ministry, working with …

  Today I begin by following through on the events of this past Saturday, with regard to our contending with Iran and Syria.  There is so very much being said, so many different opinions as to the implications of what has happened. If there is any clarity I can bring …

In the early hours of Saturday morning, for the very first time the Iranian military launched a direct military operation against Israel, when a drone (UAV) commanded from the Tiyas Military Airbase in the Homs desert region in central Syria was dispatched into Israeli air space. According to a statement …

  Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal, who was knifed to death by a terrorist on Monday, was buried in his home community of Har Bracha on Tuesday. He was praised highly as a sterling teacher, forever devoted to his students. Here we see an unidentified mourner at the funeral. “Our hearts are …

Sometimes all subtleties fly away, and I have to tell it as it is: Damn!! Another terror attack.  Another innocent victim, a young husband and father of four little ones, killed only because he was a Jew. Didn’t we just have a picture like this, of a happy family torn …