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 …
Read More »From Israel: Listen Up: No Quick Fix!!
Friday was April Fools’ Day. Two days later, I think it is still appropriate to ask who is being fooled. I would say anyone who believes that a quick fix is possible for overcoming the Muslim Arab terrorist violence in Israel. Please! Read this to the end and share as …
Read More »From Israel: Who Would Have Imagined??
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 …
Read More »From Israel: “Lifting Up from Horrible!!”
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 …
Read More »From Israel: “A VERY Bad Idea!!”
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 …
Read More »The big question is – can it survive and for how long? Opinion piece: July ’21
The Israeli government was formally approved on June the 13th which means that we are currently witnessing its fourth week of existence. This coalition of 8 different parties with a wide variety of ideologies has already had to weather numerous challenges. With only having been brought in by a vote …
Read More »MYTH: The UAE betrayed the Palestinians by establishing relations with Israel
“I never expected this poison dagger to come from an Arab country,” Saeb Erekat complained after the UAE-Israel agreement was signed. “You are rewarding aggression. … You have destroyed, with this move, any possibility of peace between Palestinians and Israelis” (“Palestinians Say UAE Deal Hinders Quest for Mideast Peace,” AP, …
Read More »Good News Weekend – Shabbat Chanukah edition
It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these posts, and while I don’t promise to be going back to making this a regular feature, I am delighted to feel “the muse” awaken within me. It’s the first day of Chanukah today, and soon we’ll begin Shabbat Chanukah. …
Read More »Collapse of the Kerry Doctrine and End of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
In January 1919, Chaim Weizmann, who would become the first president of Israel, signed an agreement with Emir Faisal, who would rule Syria and Iraq. Signed on the eve of the Paris Peace Conference at which the victors of World War I would determine how to administer the former colonies …
Read More »From Israel: “The Shift is Radical!!”
The US election is less than a week away, and, as I track the news, I have a growing conviction that Donald Trump will be in the White House for four more years. As Caroline Glick tweeted: “Spit three times, then say, ‘No evil eye, things look hopeful, things look …
Read More »YES, IT IS A BIG DEAL.
Not shooting is not the same as peace The Internet is full of comments claiming Israeli agreements between Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan mean nothing because they were already at peace. Is there any explanation other than Trump Derangement Syndrome to explain the blindness? Had former POTUS Barak …
Read More »An Israeli View: With the Abraham Accords, The Times They Are A-Changin’
Years ago, a survey was done in Japan, where people were asked how many people were there in Israel. The top of the bell curve answer came back with 125 million people, about the same population as Japan itself. Clearly, the people in Japan were impressed by Israel’s ubiquitous presence …
Read More »Shana Tova Umetuka (” a good and sweet year”!) – 5781
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight (Friday night), and lasts for 2 days, until sundown on Sunday night. The Jewish year follows the lunar calendar, and the number counts the number of years since Creation. This year we will mark the beginning of 5781. This year is going …
Read More »From Israel: “Dangerous?? Promising??”
We here in Israel are dealing with shifting international scenarios that are a bit unsettling; For there is no certainty as to how they will play out. I allude, of course, to the evolving détente with various nations – primarily Aran and Muslims nations that Israel has long been accustomed …
Read More »MYTH: UAE betrayed the Palestinians by establishing relations with Israel.
FACT: “I never expected this poison dagger to come from an Arab country,” Saeb Erekat complained after the UAE-Israel agreement was signed. “You are rewarding aggression. … You have destroyed, with this move, any possibility of peace between Palestinians and Israelis” (“Palestinians Say UAE Deal Hinders Quest for Mideast Peace,” …
Read More »From Israel: Mission Impossible!!
Making sense of a world that seems more convoluted day by day is impossible. None-the-less, I’m going to give it my best shot. Be sure to read to the end for two good news items that will provide a badly needed smile and a bit of uplift. ~~~~~~~~~~ We look first …
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