As we struggle with the tough stuff, it’s essential to retain a broad perspective. And so, the first item I want to present today is what we might call somber good news. Whatever we call it, it is reassuring. Below you will find a link to an article about the …

Dear Friends, Earlier this week, I did a Zoom presentation sponsored by AFSI (Americans for a Safe Israel).  It was called “Sustaining a Strong Israel in Unsettled Times.” I provided an overview of the current Israeli political situation and then focused on a matter that I believe is exceedingly important: …

Sukkot, which ends tomorrow night, has been so lovely.  The sukkah, shared with family and friends, an oasis of peace. The blessing over the lulav, a delight: I grasp the fronds of palm, willow and myrtle, along with the etrog, and shake it in all six directions as reminder that …

Before I begin to address that question, I want to note that tomorrow night begins Sukkot, sometimes known as Z’man Simchateinu – Season of our Rejoicing. We need to hold on to that joy, if we are to have the strength to wade through the difficult stuff – and we …

Whatever circles about us, here we are, in the midst of the High Holiday season. Rosh Hashana just past, Yom Kippur immediately before us. If ever there was a time to ask what it is all about, it is now. We are called upon, first, to look inward.  For if …

Rosh Hashana begins next Monday evening, and it seems unlikely that I will write again before then.  And so, I now wish all a Shana Tova: May it be a sweet year of many blessings!!     ~~~ Prior to his meeting with Biden, Prime Minister Bennett gave an interview …

It is with enormous sadness, but not surprise, that I share news of the death of Bar-el Shmueli, age 21, a Border Police officer who was shot in the head at point blank range, during the course of a riot at the Gaza border on Saturday night, August 21. Shmueli, who …

Along with many of you, I have been watching the unfolding of the situation in Afghanistan with a sense of pain and horror: The shocking, alarming failure of the Biden administration: The abandonment of American citizens and Afghan allies, the emerging terror. But we must not fashion this as an …

And with good reason, I add, “alarmed!”  The situation as it is unfolding in Afghanistan is over the top. Here I hope to touch several bases briefly. As Lawrence Kadish, writing in Gatestone, put it: “The horror of President Joseph Biden’s deliberate retreat from Afghanistan is so immense and its …

Prime Minister Bennett is leaving Israel for Washington DC tomorrow (Tuesday) for a snap 48 hour visit. He is scheduled to meet with Biden on Thursday. Credit: Mishpaha Magazine That meeting is the very bad idea that I am referring to here.  (Not that there are not many others.) Rabbi …

Last I wrote, I titled my posting “Danger: Within and Without.”  I began with dangers that lurk within, which I suggested pose the greatest threat to Israel. Fervently do I wish that the one issue I discussed in that posting – a reluctance of our left-leaning Supreme Court to stand …

Before I begin to address those dangers, I want to return to the matter of the extradition from Jordan of Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi, mastermind of the horrendous Sbarro terror attack 20 years ago.  You will find my posting that includes this material here (scroll towards bottom): https://arlenefromisrael.info/from-israel-hold-fast-and-dont-let-go/  I had written …

The last couple of weeks have been “kaitana savta” — grandma camp, a very special time for me.  When the kids are here, they are my first priority. Now that camp is over, I began to consider what to write about in this posting. And what I found was that …

That is Artem Dolgopyat’s fantastic in-the-air manoeuvres, which won him the gold on Sunday in the floor exercise of the artistic gymnastic event. This was the first gold for Israel in the 2020 Olympics, and the second ever. Credit: JPost Scroll down here for a video of his performance. {Editor’s …

I had written recently that no matter how much bad news there was to write about, I would make an effort to incorporate some good news: It does help to keep us sane.  And with the state of the world being what it is, we can use all the help …

So what do you know?  When the news about Ben & Jerry’s decision to boycott Judaea & Samaria and eastern Jerusalem first broke, I thought at most I would devote a couple of lines to it in my next posting because there are so many more urgent topics to address. …

Tisha B’Av – a day of mourning for the destruction of the Temples – has just drawn to a close here in Israel.  Here you see stones from the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden. We mark the calamities that have befallen …

It is not just me: I doubt that there are very many who are not Islamists or hardcore leftists, or absolutely determined optimists, who smile at the news today. ~~~ Across the ocean, America is crumbling at a rate that had not been anticipated even by most of us who …

I have a good friend who will say to me now and again: “You just put one foot in front of the other and keep going.” Most of the time I’ve responded by sighing, and saying, “Yes, I know…” But in recent days, as I have struggled to wrap my …

Before I look at various events concerning Israel, I note the date: the Fourth of July.  From here in Jerusalem, I remember. But, as the title of this posting suggests, I am at a loss as to what will ultimately be for America. I know only that the country in …