With all of the political angst and tension that we are struggling with these days, it’s easy to lose track of what is not only good but very special. Friday is Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day).  Coronavirus restrictions, although greatly modified now, are still in effect with respect to crowds. And …

It’s official. Israel’s 35th government was sworn in on Sunday after a full 500 days of angst that included three elections and the problems of an interim government. The Knesset approved the new government by a vote of 73 to 46. People are celebrating the fact that a fourth election …

In the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday, a unit from the elite Golani Brigade had gone into the village of Ya’abad in the northwestern Shomron, to secure the arrest of members of a terror cell. The mission had been accomplished and the unit was preparing to leave. Staff Sergeant Amit Ben …

It appears that we are a “go” for the unity government.  For now: I have yet to speak with anyone who believes that the new government will last anything near its full term. —– Last Thursday, the High Court – in a unanimous vote by the expanded panel of 11 …

The “mess” I am referring to is the electoral situation, and, quite frankly, I do not see the possibility of unscrambling it and making reasonable sense of the situation. This comes as an interim report, setting out the relevant parameters; final resolution is expected by the end of this week. …

How strange this time is for us here in Israel. Along with a good deal of the world, we’ve coped with the restrictions required because of coronavirus: the social distancing and isolation, the avoidance of public gatherings. And we have coped quite well. Ah, but now it is quite a …

Today we mark a momentous historical event that is not sufficiently recognized: Following WWI, the victorious Allied powers met to determine the allocation of territory that had been captured from a defeated Ottoman Empire. The first meeting, held in London in February 1920, established, among other matters, that Palestine would …

The number of issues calling for our attention has been overwhelming and so little offers clarity. Yesterday was Yom Hashoah Ve’HaGevurah – Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Heroism. This date was picked because it marks the anniversary of the uprising of the Warsaw ghetto, an historic interval …

There is something surreal about the current situation, as if time is standing still. It isn’t, of course.  Someday ‒ let us pray before too very long! ‒ we will look back on this and say, “Remember when…” Here in Israel the gov’t is making noises about slowly reducing restrictions. …

  Let me begin with a note to all of those who have written to me about my last posting.  I thank you for your gracious words; please understand that it is difficult for me to respond to everyone. ~~~~~~~~~~ Late last week, we were told that negotiations for a …

  According to news reports, some time on Sunday negotiations between Netanyahu and Gantz for that unity government should be complete. When that happens, I will write again. This is going out in the wee hours of Sunday morning (Israel time). Perhaps by the time you read this, there will …

  Most of the readers who wrote after my last posting – in which I celebrated the fact that we would have a unity government – wanted to share their pleasure at the news. But a few wrote with considerably less enthusiasm: Gantz? Bibi is going to work with Gantz? …

Sometimes, when we no longer expect things to get better – when we are already resigned to the fact that they may get worse, the situation shifts. And that is what happened yesterday, when the news broke – in leaks at first – that Gantz was going to join Netanyahu …

The eyes of the world are on the coronavirus and its implications for each of us. Here in Israel we are struggling with a heavy situation, rendered all the more difficult by a political situation that is literally unbearable. I remain alone in my apartment: Alone, and determined to come …

Our first battle is against the coronavirus, which is being fought not just in Israel, but around the world.  It preoccupies everyone, so that political news here is not necessarily even front page any more. I write from my Jerusalem apartment: I am well, thank Heaven, but following the rules …

Not our government’s response to the coronavirus danger, certainly: That has been most exemplary. And I want to look at this first, before I describe the contemptible situation we have also been dealing with. Israel, as it turns out, responded more quickly than other countries to the impending threat of …

Oh, and these are tough times. But Purim begins Monday night (and a day later in Jerusalem, where Shushan Purim is celebrated).  And so, today children went to school in their Purim costumes, and I happened to be running an errand when they were coming out of school. All those happy …

  This past Monday was election day here in Israel, and the people came out in impressive numbers – more than 70% in the end. Exit polls released after 10 PM Monday night indicated a solid win for Likud, which was polling several mandates ahead of Blue and White. The …

  Seize the day!!  Do not let it pass. The poll numbers are shifting in favor of the right wing bloc.  It appears that this bloc may require only three additional mandates in order to win the election. The votes for winning are there: but they must be registered at …

Perhaps we truly are on the verge of significant positive changes.  But then again, we may be facing only frustration and stagnation.  It’s difficult to call on several counts. I am speaking, first, about the election which is now – yikes! – less than two weeks away. It’s difficult to …