First Person Archives - The Jewish Press

Apologists for Hamas Hitch a Ride on Terror

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

"I'm an old hitchhiker, I wonder what's a waitin' ‘round the bend" - John Denver.

Kidnapping Saga: Wells Empty of Water but Full of Snakes and Scorpions

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

"They took him and cast him into the pit. (Gen. 37:24). Rashi: “There was no water; there were snakes and scorpions."

Israel Guilty of Disproportionate Attacks by not Wiping Out Hamas

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

The only thing disproportionate is the world’s hatred of Israel.

My War Diary: War is Hell but National Suicide is Worse

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

We mourn the dead, wish a speedy recovery to the wounded, and pray that God guides the government.

War Diary: A Letter to My California Cousins

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

There is much I can write you about what is going here, but I am wondering what I should not write. I will start by...

Gunmen from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in Gaza City on November 22, 2012.

Australian Rabbi: Love Muslims and Everything Will Be OK

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

Is Woodstock still leading the world to destruction?

Moving Back the Clocks Gives Bibi and Abbas Perfect Excuse Not to Meet

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

Israel and the Palestinian Authority cannot even agree to move their clocks back on the same day.

I know My Son in Nepal is OK because VISA Israel Told Me So

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

A ‘good news’ story from the Nepal avalanche disaster to warm your heart. Take out your Kleenex.

The Diapora’s Dilemma in Sydney

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

The decision to not publicly light the Menorah in Sydney, epitomizes the eternal dilemma of Judaism and Jews in the Diaspora.

Humiliated on the Temple Mount

First Person Rabbi Alan Haber

Told to conceal Jewish symbols- kippa/tzitzit-I despaired having to hide my Jewishness in Jerusalem

The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization on the passing of Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein

First Person Guest Author

"Rav Lichtenstein's vision and inspiration served to guide the development of Tzohar."

My Rav

First Person Guest Author

Rav Lichtenstein did not learn Tanaim, Amoraim, Rishonim and Achronim, rather he learned with them

Jewish Press Blogger’s Movie to Hit the Big Screen

First Person Tzvi Fishman

An Israeli actor pal asked me why I knew nothing about Judaism-The question hit like a thunderbolt

Six Million Excuses NOT to Make Aliyah

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

The one reason to make Aliyah outweighs all the arguments not to move to Israel.

The Trenton Trial: Was It Kidnapping To Free An Agunah?

First Person Nathan Lewin

FBI’s undercover agents contacted ORA (Org. for the Resolution of Agunot) pretending to be an agunah

From Segregation to Confrontation – No Nostalgia for Baltimore

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

The Ravens' Ray Lewis screamed that violence is never the answer." Unfortunately, he is wrong.

“Home Again” by Shalev Ben Yaakov: A Remarkable Account of a Conversion to Judaism:

First Person David Herman

During my spiritual journey I discovered G-d spoke to man only once, to the Jewish people at Sinai

Oz ve Gaon Update: One Year After the Abduction

First Person Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar

Hundreds visited Oz ve Gaon to mark 1 year since the abduction of Gilad, Eyal & Naftali, HY”D.

Ayala Shapira: Giving Through Receiving

First Person Elie Pieprz

In Ayala's case, the art of receiving can have an even bigger impact than the art of giving.

Shurat HaDin’s Letter Threatening to Sue Coca-Cola for Supporting BDS

First Person Nitsana Darshan-Leitner

Coke, the "Real Thing," may be in REAL trouble.

Yes, There are Rightist Artists – Me!

First Person Tzvi Fishman

To boost aliya, Israel will encourage Marshall’s, Costco, K Mart & Entenmann’s Bakeries to open here

International Farhud Day: An Insider’s Eyewitness Account

First Person Edwin Black

The Farhud occurred June 1&2 1941 in Iraq, effectively ending 2,600 yrs of Jewish life in Arab lands

Why I need to Tell My Truth About Serving in the Israeli army

First Person Matan Katzman

No longer will delegitimization efforts go unchallenged. That's a silence we will continue to break.

4th of July in Riga, Latvia: Memory, Distorted Behind Recognition

First Person Sarra Liskovets

Latvia, July 4, 1941 they forced many Jews in the shul putting it on fire; everyone was burned alive

The Kaddish

First Person Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich

I was entranced by Kaddish, a song of sorrow of the whole of Israel for the 1000s of years of exile

In Appreciation of Jewish Women Role Models

First Person Ronn Torossian

“I hold the woman’s place over that of men in every fundamental aspect of public and private life."

Is Obama a State Sponsor of Terrorism?

First Person Daniel Greenfield

If the Iran deal passes, Obama's WH becomes world's leading financier of terrorism against Americans

‘Settler’ Leaders Denounces Arson-Murder, but Rabbis Still Silent

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

"Yesha" and Binyamin Regional Council leaders said the attack "is not the path of Jews in Judea and Samaria."

The Pain Never Eases

First Person Yehudit Tayar

Yehudit's backstory and her poems related to the Yom Kippur War are a MUST read

Jewish Press Guide for Drivers Faced with Arab Rock-Throwers

First Person Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu

Don’t panic. Don’t stop your car. Don’t shoot. And most importantly, don’t give the enemy a victory by staying off the roads.