Tag Archives: Putin

The international scene is unstable: changes – many vastly unsettling –- are taking place with lightning speed.  And a good number of those world events have significant import for Israel. The debate as to whether Israel can afford (from a security perspective) to provide additional assistance to Ukraine, via defensive …

Some years ago, I heard the head of an Israeli think tank say, that Jewish life is a constant tension between two, often clashing, narratives. The continuity of Jewish values – and the value of Jewish continuity. This construct left a deep impression and has stayed with me ever since. …

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, of course.  As eager as I am to address other issues, I feel the need to focus first on news related to Ukraine – much of which impinges upon Israel, and Jews.  In many respects, we are deeply connected to these on-going events. ~~~ Natan Sharansky …

Rarely are crisis situations on the international scene simple to grasp. There are always different versions, different perspectives. Not to mention unsubstantiated rumors and propaganda. That said, I am finding the crisis situation in Ukraine more difficult to deal with than most others.  I take seriously the need to get …

Please!  Share this posting as broadly as you can. This past week, Natan Sharansky spoke at Sheva Brachot (a celebratory dinner in the week following a wedding).  And this is what he said: “When I was growing up in Ukraine, in Donetsk, there were many nations and nationalities. There were …

The horrendous Russian attack on Ukraine continues… Credit: CNBC I remain focused on what is going on in that part of the world and how it impinges upon Israel and Jews. Many of the images we are seeing evoke a very uneasy sense of déjà vu: It’s almost as if …

Everything else I had intended to write is set aside, as I examine the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the multiple ways it affects us here in Israel.  It goes without saying that what I put out now may change within hours. The situation is enormously complex as it …

I have made no secret of it: the current election campaign has not exactly been an enlightening period for Israel. For many of us, this has been a source of great sadness. Our nation is capable of better – of a more elevated campaign. There has been too much back-biting, …

It is Hol Hamoed Sukkot – the intermediate days of the week-long holiday. The skies are blue here in Israel, and inside the sukkah there is an extraordinary sense of peace. How lovely it would be to shut out the world during this time, but, almost inevitably, the world impinges …

Yom Kippur, in all its weight and power, has passed. We have heard the last blasts of the shofar for this year. Hopefully it has awakened in us a stronger sense of who we are and where we need to go. ~~~~~~~~~~ The outpouring of grief over the terrorist murder …

My, how the world has changed. I woke up and looked at the news. It’s an Israeli thing, especially because of nights like last night. Amazing things can happen in the night. This was the headline: https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5256257,00.html TWENTY rockets were fired at Israel. Big ones that go far and cause …

Ani Ode Chai! The English translation—I am still alive!—doesn’t quite have the same impact. It is Yom HaShoah here in Israel today: The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day. Last night, the official ceremony was held at Yad VaShem. Every year I write about this ceremony, and the stories of …

These are hardly quiet times, and there is much to attend to. The trick is to focus on those issues that have genuine import, and to pass over the shtuyote (the nonsense) that masquerades as news. Otherwise we drown in a barrage of “events,” and run the risk of paying …

No one ever said it would be easy. When something turns out as we hoped it would, we might murmur “Fantastic!” and allow ourselves a momentary sense of ease or satisfaction. But in no time at all – bang! – we are likely to confront a stumbling block. Then we …

Before I get to the malice, which sure stares us in the face, let’s start with some good news, which sets matters into a very broad context. This week, the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem unveiled an enormously exciting new exhibit – “In the Valley of David and Goliath” – …

Persisting with its declared willingness to establish a Palestinian state while being unable to make the perilous concessions this calls for, makes Israel looks disingenuous and devious. Al-Aksa [Mosque on the Temple Mount] is ours… they [the Jews] have no right to defile it with their filthy feet. We will …

ead on for article The 2014 APEC Conference in Beijing this past week has been and gone and the G20 Conference in Brisbane is taking place in Brisbane this weekend. If the APEC Conference is any guide the world leaders assembled in Australia will have little to say about the …

ead on for article The possibility of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott shirt-fronting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Brisbane next month over the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 in Ukrainian sovereign territory with the loss of all on board – including 38 Australians – …

President Obama’s sudden about face in deciding to attack ISIL in Syria on 21 September – without express approval of Syria or a resolution of the United Nations Security Council – has provoked a strong response from Russia and Iran – President Assad’s main supporters in his three years struggle …