Israel

The amazing thing about coming to Israel, perhaps especially in summer, is that for all of the fears that people outside of Israel have for her, apparently Israelis themselves are not troubled nearly as much as her supporters overseas are. In Australia we worry for Israel about Iran. We worry …

Last Sunday, June 30, news broke that an unarmed Ethiopian 19 year old, Solomon Teka, had been shot dead by an off-duty policeman in Kiryat Haim, a neighborhood of Haifa. Although this was not the fact of the matter, as we shall see below, many jumped to the conclusion – …

We cannot pretend otherwise: There is a great deal happening that evokes a very deep unease.  This was my theme in my last posting – the sense that matters are not as we might wish them to be. I will share below a number of issues of concern in this …

Another week has rushed by and it’s time for another Good News Weekend instalment.  This weekend we’re going for an international flavour. My first item simply highlights the incredible distance Israel has travelled in a mere 71 years, and demonstrates the strength of Israel’s diplomatic and military standing. This week …

So much, so much, seems not as it should be – or, at least, as we would, in the normal course of events, expect it to be. We shake our heads in confusion, and frustration, and anger. Consider: On Tuesday, there were something like 20 fires started in Israel as …

The workshop/conference in Bahrain has not even started yet, and we are being deluged by news reports about the Trump plan.  Quite frankly, it is very wearisome. Today everything is gearing up, with the activity officially beginning tomorrow. I would be pleased to skip it all, but feel there are …

These students are turning into some of Israel’s best ambassadors in one of the largest and most influential countries in the world.’ ========= This week, dozens of visiting Chinese students marked the end of the largest extra-curricular academic program for visiting Chinese students in Israel. The program, run by the …

The lazy summer days have arrived in Israel together with the heat, although we haven’t yet reached the height of the summer yet and it’s bound to get hotter. Nevertheless I’ve been enjoying doing not very much at all, even though this means I have neglected my blog somewhat. So …

Yoni Ben-Menachem, a Middle East analyst with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, has advanced a highly plausible take on the situation surrounding the Bahrain economic workshop. The current situation, says Ben-Menachem, represents a significant lowering of US expectations. Originally, the plan had been to invite Israeli officials, and, indeed, …

It was supposed to be just a quiet getaway. For our anniversary, my wife and I decided to spend Shabbat at the Ein Gedi guesthouse, a place we have visited many times before.  Waiting for Kabbalat Shabbat services to begin, I struck up a conversation with a retired French industrialist …

I can tell you, dear readers, that it is not annexation.  Before you panic, allow me to explain. My reasoning is quite positive: Last week, in an interview in the NYTimes, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said: “Under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, …

I am, of course, aware that I used this exact same excerpt in commencing my recent column, Cracks in the Dome?, in which I warned of the disturbing defects of adopting an essentially defensive doctrine in facing the escalating threat from Gaza. However, I make little apology for its re-use, …

Our many challenges, that is.  It is so easy to ignore them, or minimize them.  But we do not have the luxury of doing this.  We must confront our problems head on, to ensure that we come out ahead. Among our serious challenges are the internal ones:  So much energy …

This is not so much a review of the book “The Rage Less Traveled: A Memoir of Surviving a Machete Attack,” it’s more a summary of my experience reading it and why I believe this is a must read for everyone, including those not specifically interested in Israel.  Choosing to …

Press release – Two hundred and forty Israeli and Jewish Academics Urge German Government To Reject “BDS is antisemitism” Law   Two hundred and forty Israeli and Jewish academics sent a letter to the German government urging them to reject its recently passed “BDS is antisemitism” law. In an open …

I wrote in my last posting about the passing of First Lady Nechama Rivlin, z”l. But I return to this subject briefly now because the mourning of her loss has been so real, so unusual, that it has been a balm to the sore soul of our nation. I didn’t …

How did that happen? Notwithstanding the individual party count from the April 9thelections, the single outstanding overall result was that fully 65 members of the Knesset (out of 120), recommended to President Rivlin that Netanyahu be invited to form a government. With only 45 recommending Gantz. This in itself signalled …

It’s the way of the world.  There are always complexities and provisos and competing perspectives. But first matters first:  Sometimes the way of the world encompasses death.  Nechama Rivlin, Israel’s First Lady, wife of Israel’s president Ruby Rivlin, has passed away, one day before her 74th birthday.  She underwent a lung …

Yesterday was Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day, marking the re-unification of Jerusalem in 1967. Never, ever, will our city be divided again. Jerusalem is not only the capital of Israel, it is Israel’s very heart, its historical essence. We are strengthened when we remember this. Please, take the time to …

Since I’m in celebratory mood after the birth of our grandson this week, my first item is very relevant. Recently Israeli scientists got to partying with 5,000 year old beer! (That’s some aging!): The pottery used to produce beer in antiquity served as the basis for the new research, led …