American Historian, Zionist Thinker
American Historian, Zionist Thinker
At home in Jerusalem—I still get goosebumps writing those magical words—the post-Independence Day high lingers, as do the extra BBQ pounds. True, the 75th anniversary celebrations were touchier than expected. The Knesset is reconvening, gearing up for who knows what. Still, most Israelis just spent two …
Editor’s note: Excerpted from the new three-volume set, “Theodor Herzl: Zionist Writings,” edited by Gil Troy, the inaugural publication of The Library of the Jewish People, to be published this August marking the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress. This is ninth in a …
Editor’s note: Excerpted from the new three-volume set, “Theodor Herzl: Zionist Writings,” edited by Gil Troy, the inaugural publication of The Library of the Jewish People, to be published this August marking the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress. This is seventh in a …
Editor’s note: Excerpted from the new three-volume set, “Theodor Herzl: Zionist Writings,” edited by Gil Troy, the inaugural publication of The Library of the Jewish People, to be published this August marking the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress. This is fifth in a …
Israelis are sticking to their routines – starting the pre-Passover scrubbing-and-food-shopping frenzy. But, after terrorists murdered 11 of ours, Jews and Druze, Arabs and Ukrainians, in eight days, we’re extra-wary. Civilians who have guns are packing. Our soldier-heroes and police-heroes are patrolling. And the rest of …
On May 25, the first Taglit Birthright-Israel participants since the pandemic’s outbreak landed at Ben-Gurion airport. The Covid-19 crisis confirmed many of Birthright’s essential values. In our isolation, we all felt the anguish of the loneliness Birthright counters with group trips and community consciousness. Ideologically, …
What is it about Jews and race? In the 1930s, Hitler and others on the racist right demonized European Jews for being racially inferior. Today, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and others on the anti-racist left demonize Israeli Jews for acting racially superior. But injecting “race” into …
“I am a Zionist.” That phrase has inspired me my entire life. Yet, on Israel’s Independence Day in 2001, when I published those words in the Montreal Gazette, it changed my life. This was my Theodor Herzl Moment — the turning point when I came out …
Today’s thin-skinned culture demands that I be offended that Sherwin Pomerantz “disagreed” with my recent article, “The Non-Negotiable Judaism My Parents Gave Me.” But his response thrilled me, even if half his argument misfires. I hoped my article would trigger debate — rather than be squashed …
Within a week, two temples precious to me — and millions of others — were desecrated. As everyone knows, on Wednesday, January 6, “Fake-triots” (unpatriotic patriots) invaded America’s fabled Capitol building, spewing hatred while taking selfies in front of iconic statues and paintings. Less well …