Most Israelis spend two or three years of their youth as a soldier guarding the Promised Land and its people. It is a non-negotiable, a rite of passage that falls between high school and adulthood. While many around the world would frown on such a sacrifice of time and self, history has taught the Jewish
Continue Reading »How do ethics (or morality) and dispute go together? Good question. Rising Israeli hip-hop artist Roy Kornblum seems to think they do. In a compelling video entitled “0.2%,” he captures the questions that plague many Israelis in a post-October 7 nation. Since that terrible Saturday, now referred to as Black Shabbat, Israelis have been trying
Continue Reading »It happened during the height of the battle against ISIS. British author and political commentator Douglas Murray was making small talk at a cocktail party when a fellow guest asked, “What do you think ISIS wants?” The question left him baffled, Murray admits. Hadn’t the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria been upfront about
Continue Reading »Professor Ron Hassner, Israel studies chair at the University of California, rattled a few academic cages in a recent widely quoted article where he stated, “There’s no shame in being ignorant unless one is screaming for the extermination of millions.” The comment was both a harsh indictment of an ineffective educational system that has
Continue Reading »In every culture there are unique expressions, words that help paint a picture of the character of the members of that people group. For the Jewish people, “Hazak, hazak v’nithazek” is just such a phrase. Translated, these Hebrew words mean: “Be strong, be strong and may we be strengthened.” And strength has certainly been
Continue Reading »“Israel is mourning. Israel is fighting. Israel is filled with hope. We are not alone, which is a new feeling, since we were alone for so long.” –Danielle Mor, the Jewish Agency for Israel Many might assume that immigration to Israel slowed or halted since the October 7 massacre of 1,200 people by Hamas
Continue Reading »Isaiah’s famous words, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people” (40:1), resounds in my heart. So many families in Israel are in deep mourning following the massacre on October 7 when Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people. Moreover, soldiers are continuing to fall in the ensuing war against Hamas on a nearly daily basis. The words from Isaiah
Continue Reading »A deadly virus is on the loose in the world today. It is not a novel virus but an age-old disease that slyly simmers beneath the surface. Transmitted from one generation to the next, the symptoms and prognosis of this virus are well known. Yet from time to time, the virus is cultivated and
Continue Reading »Since the first time I heard its haunting melody, I have been drawn to the short Jewish liturgical piece put to music entitled “Vehi Sheamda.” The words of the title are translated, “And it is this that has stood,” with the word “this” meaning God’s covenant relationship with Abraham and his descendants. The song
Continue Reading »We often hear Israeli leaders claim that the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is an ethical, moral army, motivated by Jewish values, while Israel’s enemy is far different. What do they mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, ethics is defined as “moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.” Values are
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