The ticking of the clock is uniformly, maddeningly constant. Tick, tick, tick. In equal, perfectly differentiated, precise segments. One second after another. Tick, tick, tick. A minute. An hour. One day. Another. Then a week. A month. A year. A lifetime.
Jerusalem was never real to me. It was a name I came across in books of Bible stories as a child. If I’d ever tried to imagine it, it would have been like places in my books of fairy stories. I knew it was a city with crenellated walls, with domes and towers and minarets. In my mind, I saw it peopled with old men with long beards and flowing robes, and women with clay jugs precariously balanced on their heads.
With the Syrian government refusing to allow UN inspectors into the country it is difficult to see how indisputable proof of use of chemical weapons can be found
If it is the sole solution to women's rights at the Kotel, an egalitarian section at the Kotel will ultimately make things harder for Orthodox feminists who are trying to assert their rights within a Halachic framework.
The policy of engagement of China was enlightened, far-sighted, and generous.It was also a mistake.
You know, you don't have to fight every injustice under the sun, but you do have to fight for a fighter who stands up to an injustice which is crouching like a lion in your own neighborhood, ready to pounce on you and eat you up. There is a Muslim lady doing just that, fighting […]
Blaming America and appealing to a presumed guilt will not solve the problem of Muslim radicals wishing to infiltrate, dominate, Islamize and kill Western citizens.
Islam's approach to God extends to all interpersonal relationships, which are based on honor.
By Daniel Pipes
Unfortunately, we who live in democracies learn best about Islamism when blood flows in the streets.
By Ben Voth
All Americans should take an interest in the accurate recognition of President Bush's good work.
I close my eyes and am transported back to Israel, where I spent the past six weeks.
By Eli Chomsky
Do Israelis believe it’s OK for political aspirants to say whatever they feel is necessary to gain power?
By Jeff Reznik
It’s always a blessing to visit Israel – even a greater one when your kids come along. Of course, once the family has been to Israel a number of times and all the best sites have been seen and the most important holy places and kevarim visited, what do you do with your family?
We don’t normally pay much attention to what is published in Tikkun magazine, let alone what its editor Michael Lerner disseminates through his e-mail list. But occasionally Lerner’s tirades shine a light on the positions of the far left that illustrate exactly where some of Israel’s critics stand in a way that makes clear how they have made common cause with those who seek the Jewish state’s destruction.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), which represents some 14,500 members, voted in early April “to cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as cooperation in research programmes [sic].”
Killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen Muslim, has been identified by the FBI as a “strong believer” in Islam, and an adept of jihadism. Tamerlan was unabashed in his Muslim piety and avowal of jihad—the latter bringing him to the attention of both Russian intelligence and the FBI. Indeed, Tamerlan Tsarnaev […]
By Meir Indor
Only recently, in his very last days, did Rabbi Ya’akov and his father Rabbi Ovadia Yosef become closer.
I also would like to strongly criticize those who express joy at the sight of horror in America.
By Meir Indor
As time went on, as would be expected of me, I lost more and more of my equipment—but not my gun or my tefillin.
By Ami Eden
Robinson witnessed the valuable contributions that Jews were making to the black community's struggle.
By Isaac Kohn
Last month United Torah Jewry MKs heckled a speech by Prime Minister Netanyahu and then walked out of the room. As the prime minister read out the names of the ministers in his new government, UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler shouted, “Jews don’t ban Jews” from the Knesset. (The reference was to demands by the Yesh Atid Party that haredi parties be excluded from Netanyahu’s new coalition.)
Now that several weeks have passed since President Obama’s visit to Israel, it is possible to get a better perspective on many of its aspects. Focus must not only be placed on what was said and done, but also on what was missing.
By Steven Plaut
April 16, 2013 Dear Mr. President, My heartfelt sympathies to you and the American people for the acts of protest carried out in Boston this week during the Boston Marathon. This really is a wake-up call for us all.
The infamous hadith about the Jew hiding behind a tree is not some apocrophyl canon held in esteem by an unimportant few, but runs parallel to anti-Jewish motifs throughout the Koran.
The very word "hero" was used by the Jordanian justice minister in joining the chorus calling for the release of a convicted terrorist.
By Daniel Pipes
On the happy day when Assad & Tehran fight the rebels & Ankara to mutual exhaustion, Western support then can go to non-Baathist and non-Islamist elements in Syria.
Choosing Life in Israel evinces what it means to be emotionally, spiritually, and viscerally drawn, as a Jew, to the siren song emitted by Israel.
With Israel's military is at its strongest, the country is capable of dealing with its highly chaotic and dangerous environment.
The valuable Cypriot gas fields are located halfway between the Cypriot and Israeli coast.
Erev Yom Ha’Atzmaut, 2012: As I return from a visit to my elderly mother in the northern part of Jerusalem, the bus winds its way through ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. The stone buildings along the route are colorless shades of sand and grey, some new, some old and blackened with age. Men and women rush through busy streets, expressions of pain and joy, helpless and hopeful looks defining their faces.
By Bruce C. Ratner and William E. Rapfogel
On Thursday Night, February 28, Jews from all walks of life flocked to Barclays Center, the new state of the art arena at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn. Walking outside the area gave one an almost Jerusalem-like feel as the excitement built for a historic night of Jewish music.
What a week it was for Jerusalem late last month. The president of the United States arrived, transformed the King David Hotel into his (and his entourage’s) home away from home, and then began a series of meetings and visits – to the official residences of President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu, to the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, to the Jerusalem Convention Center, to Mount Herzl, Yad Vashem, and to the grave of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. All these sites are in Jerusalem. But are they in Israel?
I recently read yet another article in a Jewish publication stressing the importance of having your child tested for attention deficit disorder if he is having trouble at school or finds paying attention difficult. I would have yawned if I hadn’t gotten so frustrated. The fact of the matter is that there is no scientific test for ADD. It’s a condition diagnosed by clinical evaluation – and grossly over-diagnosed at that.
Radical Islamist ideology must be analyzed and challenged or the fight against terrorism wil have no end.
Disarmed despots are soon-to-be-dead despots. It is a lesson the North Koreans have taken on board with understandable eagerness.
By Meir Indor
The terrorist organizers don’t only deploy terrorists., they also deploy collaborators and lawyers.
By Noah Beck
With all prior Israeli withdrawals leading to violence, why is Obama so convinced that Israelis will now get land-for-peace instead of land-for-war?
At every occasion, I try to correct the impression that this so-called hadith supposedly determines the Muslims' outlook towards Jews.
This is the functional equivalent of agreeing not to swing the wrecking ball after you've set the house on fire.
Whatever your feelings about how permissive or repressed our society is, certainly not in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s ,or 90’s was the sexualization of women this young.
Hungarian Haredi Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal experienced a 180 degree change in his view of Zionism hiding from the Nazis.
Once the children were grown, my aunt decided to give love and care to many lonely, elderly Jewish women in Williamsburg.
The Turkish delight that Netanyahu presented on a golden platter to Erdogan only fueled Turkey's sense of invincibility against the dhimmi Yahudi.
By Steve Maas
Dewey Stone worked behind the scenes for the establishment of the State of Israel.
On February 17, the Dutch Nederland 2 TV station broadcast an interview with Dutch Turkish youth conducted by volunteer youth worker Mehmet Sahin. In the broadcast the youngsters expressed their admiration for Hitler and his role in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust.
The conflict between the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood and its allies and the self-described Alawites is the rupture in "broken" Syria – and it is not new.
All the wars involving Israel, throughout its history, have caused at least 30,000 fewer deaths than have been caused in Syria in the last couple of years alone.
Israel and Turkey are the two neighboring countries that will not allow a fanatic and totalitarian regime to reign in the region.
The heat being generated from the Keystone controversy may well have had an influence upon Obama's gaffe in comparing U.S.-Canada relations to Israel-Palestinian relations.
By Daniel Pipes
This will likely be Obama's most important, most lasting and most constructive contribution to Arab-Israeli diplomacy.
Israel, because of its more limited strike capabilities, cannot wait much longer before it loses the ability to act.
No matter how deeply American Zionists yearned for peace their good intentions often went unreciprocated. There was plenty of matzah ball soup and brisket, to be sure. But the dining room was occupied by a makeshift tent, the Passover table was replaced by a pile of sheepskin rugs, and the Lindheim children were dressed in Arab garb.
Pesach, the Hebrew name for Passover, appears first in the context of the ten plagues, in which God passed over the homes of the Israelites while the rest of Egypt suffered.
By David Mandel
Over the years, our community has become greatly enriched by the proliferation of a diversity of gemachs. Yet there is one gemach that, to the best of my knowledge, is not found in any community but that now more than ever would benefit us the most.
The motto “In God We Trust” is emblazoned on our currency and in courtrooms across America. And yet it seems we’re trusting less and less in God these days. With each passing year, secularists and sophisticated intellectuals manage to kick Him out just a little more from the public square.
Netanyahu did the right thing in the right manner and with the right words.
President Obama, perhaps inadvertently, made the case for U.S.-Israel relations grounded in the most fundamental shared values.
Israel inspires in Obama what has fired up almost every US president – a simplistic Christian belief of “turn the other cheek” that reflects total ignorance of the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal last month featured a front-page article titled “After These Jewish Prayer Services, Things Come ‘To Life’ at Open Bar,” with the sub-heading, “To Woo Worshippers, Synagogues Compete with Food and Booze.”
By Rabbis Yitzchok Adlerstein and Abraham Cooper
A popular aphorism had it that “wie es sich Christelt, so Juedelt es sich” – as things go for Christians, so they go for Jews. In 2013, however, the conditions for some 200 million Christians can be read from the pages of Jewish history.
By Jeff Leb
The challenge of day school affordability is not just an economic but an existential one; it is about the continuity and vitality of the next generation of Jews. While enrollments are at an all-time high, so are tuition bills.
This is essentially a review of an introduction to a book. Not a few readers are no doubt wondering just how much one can say about an introduction, especially an introduction to a machzor of nearly 1,300 pages. The answer: a lot.
We have a custom of reciting Shir HaShirim (the Song of Songs) on the Shabbat during Pesach. Many reasons have been offered to explain why.
By Daniel Pipes
To understand Obama's visit to Israel, the next four years, and European Union diplomacy, keep this strange and contorted logic in mind
By David Wilder
We cannot and must not allow responsibility for our security to be in the hands of anyone else but ourselves. Not at any time.
The defamation of the Jewish people must be called out and stopped at all times, not only when it is convenient and politically correct to do so.
Hamas wants Palestinians civilians, especially babies, to be killed precisely so that they can display the kind of photographs that were shown around the world.
By Ben Cohen
Before Chavez came to power there were 30,000 Jews in Venezuela. The community has now dwindled to fewer than 9,000.
In cases where the Nazi regime judged that protest could spark attention from the broader German public, the decision was made for tactical reasons to appease rather than quell with brute force.
As a teenager growing up in Russia in the late 1800s, Trumpeldor was attracted to Zionism as well as the pacifism and communalism of the philosopher Leo Tolstoy.
When I visited the Gush Katif Museum in Jerusalem a couple of years ago, it was a brutal reminder of what happens when politicians make decisions that don’t involve their brains.
By Steven Plaut
The Israeli left, along with most of the world's pseudo-intellectual classes, has suddenly discovered Abraham Lincoln, thanks to Steven Spielberg’s much-praised movie.
By Meir Indor
Remembering a great man whose love for his fellow human beings knew neither religious nor political bounds, and was happily reciprocated by all.
If the U.S. is truly serious about honoring moderate Muslims, why is it not honoring those people who stick their necks out in stating their love for America and peace with Israel?
To cast believers out is a heinous and cruel policy, an offense not only to men, but to Islam.
US-Israel security relations have undergone a subtle, negative change in the past four years.
When Mein Kampf was published, many people thought it was just words. They were wrong.
By Steven Plaut
Honest Abe used exactly the same blockade tactic against the Confederacy over which the Israeli Left is now sobbing its eyes out.
While the U.S. touts the capture of Bin Laden-s son in law, it is doing nothing to capture the killer of U.S. civilians living in Amman, Jordan.
By Soeren Kern
Why does Europe so fear labeling Hizbollah a terrorist organization?
The Jewish world last month lost a master melamed with the passing of Rabbi Dr. David Hartman. I lost a trusted teacher and guide. Fortunate was I for the opportunity to study at his feet and be invited into his inner circle.
In 2007 my parents decided it was time to downsize and sell their home of more than thirty years. To help them pack up and move into their new apartment, I returned to Cleveland to offer my assistance.
Shattering the wall of silence surrounding the Holocaust was the first crucial step in the process of mobilizing the American public against the slaughter.
By Ben Cohen
What this year’s AIPAC confab proves is that there is considerable mileage in the values Israel shares not just with the U.S. but with other western states like Canada.
As new tech gadgets evolve and old ones slowly fade away, good manners never go out of style.
Understanding that Iran has interests around the world which go beyond preserving his autocratic regime should be a hard reckoning for Bashar Assad, who has been loyal to the Mullahs and their agenda.
Once it becomes operational, the Arrow 3 will form another layer of defense over millions of Israelis.
Imagine a union among the countries of the Middle East, the Caucasus and North Africa.
By Jud Newborn
Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans and the student group White Rose protested Nazi atrocities, including the murder of Jews. In 1943, the Scholl siblings and their comrade Christoph Probst were caught, tried in a show trial and beheaded.
While I was tempted to support grants that might provide some relief to a number of shuls, I was not willing to trade that potential short-term benefit for the likelihood of real long-term harm to religious freedom protections.
When people learn I suffered from an eating disorder they often are shocked for two reasons: How could such a vibrant, friendly, nice Jewish girl have had an eating disorder? And if I did, how am I able to talk about it so casually?
By Meir Indor
This is Torah. This is its rightful place in all our lives, both private and public.
A 'pinkwashing' conference - focused on how Israel allegedly uses its protection of gay rights to cover up its treatment of Arabs - is being sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Studies Center at CUNY's Graduate Center this April.
By Daniel Pipes
Government workers need to surmount their timidity and apply normal procedures even to those wearing full-body covers.
Despite the admissions and the remorse, Jonathan continues to remain in jail for a period of time unparalleled in its harshness.
Israel must respond to its Western neighbor's recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Purim is a good opportunity to speak with our teenagers about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse.
By Greg Lauren
He has never before uttered these words…at least not with a video camera present: “I will not debate an Israeli.”
By Nathan Lewin
The late Israeli Supreme Court judge Menachem Elon, was a pioneer of Jewish and Israeli law.