Israel

I take this opportunity to wish all a year of peace, good health, abundant love of family and friends, and spiritual growth. Credit: My Jewish Learning ~~~~~~~~~~ Something disturbing happened in Jerusalem earlier this week, and the story is not yet over: Temple Mount activists Yehuda Glick, former MK and …

We are in a period of reflection during this month of Elul, and with the reminder from the daily blowing of the shofar, that we are approaching the Jewish New Year and the Ten Days of Awe. Whilst we concentrate on our own personal selves, introspection, repentance and so forth, …

These are vastly unsettled times, presenting huge challenges. What makes matters more difficult is a shifting of dynamics, both domestically and internationally.  There is not a whole lot that is stable. Bottom line: We must rely upon ourselves.  That has always been the case, but right now is a time …

“Ouch!! Confronting Truth, Because We Must!!” The world is full of incidents that it would be easier, more comfortable, to avoid confronting – but which we must meet head on because truth matters.  In the case I am going to address here, it matters a great deal indeed. ~~~~~~~~~~ In …

While here in Israel there is always much to contend with, at the moment, we are confronting a preponderance of problems of considerable proportions.  They require vigilance and determined responses.  It is imperative, however, that we not become discouraged by the scope of our challenges. ~~~~~~~~~~ Many of the problems …

Israel must forgo the forlorn hope of winning Arab amitié. and pursue different strategic goals. The most it can hope for is to be grudgingly accepted; the least it must achieve is to be greatly feared  The IDF looks for every possible way to maintain peace even if the very …

I struggle to understand the phenomenon.  But even should the Almighty bless me with 120 years, I do not believe I would get it.  That’s because I’m looking for rational answers, and there aren’t any. What I am referring to is the embrace of the “two-state solution,” which is once …

I have drawn my title, as many of you will surmise, from the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah (Yermeyahu), who asked, Can the leopard change its spots? What he was referring to was the idea that people don’t really change. I believe sometimes people can change, but it takes hard work and …

I am writing this during the closing hours of Tisha B’Av, the day of mourning for the destruction of our Temples and other calamities.  Below you see ancient stones from the time of the Roman destruction of the Second Temple. Credit: Amanda Borschei-Dan/TOI On Tisha B’Av we are called upon …

On 5  August 2022, Israel launched Operation Breaking Dawn against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, after days of tension with the terrorist organisation. Who is PIJ? Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a militant group allied with Hamas and backed by Iran. Both have a background in the Muslim Brotherhood, a shared …

In my last posting, I described the hard-nosed position taken by the IDF on the orders of Defense Minister Benny Gantz (head of Blue & White) with regard to the Nachala Movement’s effort to promote the establishment of six new yeshuvim (settlements) in Judaea, Binyamin and Samaria.  The Nachala program …

The first step is the most difficult, my friends.  That’s the first message I want to carry today. Had I written immediately after Nachala took action last Wednesday, July 20, my tone would have been heavier.  For in the immediate aftermath of what transpired it was difficult to sense an …

First thing to note – Covid is everywhere in Israel, but nobody seems to care. Masks are dirt cheap in Machane Yehuda, yet no one can sell any. Social distancing is not just a foreign concept but seems to be anti-Israeli – what, you don’t want to share? By the …

I am putting this brief posting out as a preview of what we may see coming down the road in the next couple of days with regard to the Nachala Movement Project. The plans are in place – and they are extensive. Three temporary yeshuvim (settlements) are to be set …

Some of my readers are undoubtedly familiar with the following story of Menachem Begin, z”l. When a young senator from Delaware, slamming forcefully on the table in the course of a 1982 Senate hearing, told  him that aid to Israel would be cut if Israel persisted in building in Judaea …

We must stand up for the rights that place Israel on the right side of law, justice and sovereignty.   My organization, Im Tirtzu, has been pleased to partner with Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights (CILR)—and I have been privileged to personally take part—in a series of highly informative webinars …

That we are in for some tough times is a given. No, let me correct this.  We are IN tough times, but the situation is about to become far more problematic. And yet, if we look past the problems we find genuinely hopeful news:   Determined right wing activism of a …

I believe that an across the board right-wing coalition, religious and secular, can and must address these issues. Elections in Israel can be viewed as punishments or as opportunities. I would suggest that the lengthy string of inconclusive outcomes preceding the recently dissolved government were the former. Conversely, the Bennett-Lapid …

Harebrained political notions are commonplace these days, and we cannot get the better of them if we don’t call them out directly.  The particular notion I wish to address here is a plan advanced by World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder. Ron Lauder, a billionaire, is not harebrained: I am …

In an election anyone claiming to predict who the next prime minister of Israel will be is a brave person. The frontrunner is Benjamin Netanyahu, which counts for quite a bit of course. But will it be enough? Hard to say. At the time of writing the next election had …