I begin with an announcement about a One Israel Fund Webinar in which I will be participating: In Conversation with Eve Harow (pictured), director of community development and tourism. “Guarding Israel at this Critical Juncture” Sunday, June 19, 10 AM eastern N. America time, 5 PM Israel time It is …
Read More »From Israel: Miracles and Standing Strong!!
Last Friday night, Jews across the world were participating in the Pesach Seder. And so I begin by extending wishes for a Pesach Kasher v’Sameach to all who are observing. Every year I share a link to a video of Vehi shamda, which is found in the Haggadah: That which …
Read More »From Israel: “Perverse, Obtuse, or Just Plain Stupid??”
Incredibly, dear readers, this title applies all too well to a number of subjects that I wish to touch upon. I would obviously prefer that it would be otherwise, but it is so. I start with what is happening on the Israeli political scene, as it is, in my opinion, …
Read More »From Israel: “Damn! And Damn Again!”
Yehuda Guetta, 19, who was a student at the Itamar Yeshiva, has succumbed to his wounds. He is dead because he was Jewish. Yehuda was one of the three students who were targeted in a drive-by shooting at Tapuach Junction in the Shomron on Sunday evening. He was the most …
Read More »From Israel: “National Tragedies, Multiplied Pain!!”
Before I turn to the national tragedy that will be a major focus of this posting, I want to call the attention of my readers to a terror attack that took place on Sunday evening: A drive-by shooting at the bus stop at Tapuach Junction, a major crossroad in the …
Read More »From Israel: ”Vile and Maddening!!”
The meaning of “vile” is fairly obvious. But “maddening”? I am referring to the back-room bargaining and extensive game-playing that have been taking place as Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks a way to form a coalition and others seek to block him. It could drive one mad (as in crazy). …
Read More »From Israel: “We Must Not, We Cannot Fail!!”
Tonight, with a one-minute siren, Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, will begin. This is a time during which we honor the memories of those who have died in defense of the Land of Israel since 1860—the year that the first Jewish settlers left the secure walls of Jerusalem to build …
Read More »From Israel: “The Risks Are Enormous!!”
It has been my practice each year to share some of the painful stories of the Holocaust: It is forbidden to forget what happened, and I have sought to honor those who lived through the horror by recognizing them. ~~~ But this year is different. I am so alarmed by …
Read More »From Israel: “It’s Deplorable!!”
There are not a whole lot of people within the Israeli political system that I’m pleased with at the moment – and that is a polite understatement of major proportions. What evolved yesterday was the final stage of a process of wheeling and dealing that has been destructive for the …
Read More »From Israel: “Madness: Nonstop!!”
Madness aside for the moment, I begin on a high note, with a hope that all who celebrated Pesach found joy and meaning within the celebration, and a wish that my Christian friends now celebrating Easter are also uplifted. We need all of the uplift we can get!! ~~~ The …
Read More »From Israel: “Infuriating and Deplorable!!”
Here we are, at the end of Pesach, with the final day coming on Shabbat here in Israel, and also on Sunday, outside. This is a time for learning the lessons of our people, for rejoicing in all that we have become since the Almighty brought us out of Egypt. …
Read More »From Israel: Well, How About That!!
We here in Israel knew we were doing very well with regard to corona, as compared with the rest of the world. And there were reports of Pfizer using Israel as a testing ground. Now it is all officially reported. “Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer revealed [Thursday night] why Israel …
Read More »From Israel: “Because We Must!!”
First order of concern: We must stay in touch with news of significance, even – or especially – if it is unsettling or worse. There is no way I will ignore the situation in the US; I will continue to deal with it going forward, as I see the need. …
Read More »From Israel: Buckle Your Seatbelts, Israel!!
So we’re into election campaign mode. This does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean that matters will now go smoothly: We’ve got a long and winding road ahead of us before election day. One factor seems reasonably certain: this election will play out for the most part on …
Read More »From Israel: “The Nonsense of Our Political Circus!!”
Tonight we kindle the first light of Chanukah. And it strikes me that this year the messages and themes of the holiday are especially important: It is hardly an easy time. Not here in Israel, and certainly not in the US. We struggle with corona and the concommitant economic difficulties. …
Read More »Normalisation with the Arab World. Opinion piece: Oct. 2020.
Direct Etihad passenger flights to Israel; the formation of Kosher Arabia which will apparently make it easier to get kosher food in Abu Dhabi and Dubai than in Sydney or Melbourne; a public sukkah in front of the world famous Burj Khalifa Tower; and normalisation with Sudan around the corner. …
Read More »From Israel: Stop the World, I Want to Get Off!!
That was the title of a Broadway musical which first made it to the stage almost sixty years ago. This provocative title came into my mind now because of the current state of the world. I don’t really want to get off, my friends. I’m too much of a fighter …
Read More »From Israel: Tumult and Tangle!!
So much, so much to deal with! Prime Minister Netanyahu had indicated on July 1 – the first date on which he would have been able to bring decisions about application of sovereignty in Judaea & Samaria to the Cabinet – that there would likely be news next week. But …
Read More »From Israel: “Penetrating the Fog!!”
There is fog on two continents, actually. And unless we penetrate it, we are not able to comprehend what is going on. We begin with what is happening in the US. As an American citizen, born and raised in the US, I suffer with my American friends as reports come …
Read More »From Israel: “Do Not Hold Your Breath, Folks!”
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 …
Read More »