The Jerusalem Post

“Lilush, chayim sheli” (my life), a typical Israeli mom, Michal Ben Nun texted on Friday, adding a heart emoji. “Tishti mayim karim” (make sure to drink cold water). By Shabbat, that mother plummeted from worrying about her 19-year-old daughter dehydrating to mourning her. We ended …

Dear president of a J Street  U chapter, We met recently when I spoke at your synagogue. As our conversation was personal, I won’t mention your name, university or shul. Still, allow me to respond in this forum because the exchange was productive and illuminating. First, …

I wanted to write a history-oriented column celebrating 75 years of friendship  between the American Jewish community and Israel since May 14, 1948. We should say “God bless America” for its generosity, and “God bless American Jewry” for decades of political, financial and moral support. But …

Here we are, after Israel’s 75th birthday , and… we’re still here! And here we are, not just still a democracy, but an impressive and stable one. We’ve endured months of protests, without billions of dollars of George-Floyd-riot damage, no January-6th-type trashing of government buildings, and …

Jews just started reading the Torah’s third book, Vayikra  (Leviticus). Although the book’s first word, “Vayikra,” majestically means “and God called,” it ends with a miniaturized aleph. This anomaly teaches that sometimes leaders should loudly and strongly project but sometimes, they should withdraw, be restrained or …

Seventy-five years later, videos of the UN’s November 29 vote still give goosebumps. The Soviet Union… yes! The United Kingdom… abstains. The United States… yes! The 33-to-10 majority triggers Jewish horas worldwide – even as Arab attacks begin. While celebrating this mind-blowing milestone next Tuesday, …

Thomas Friedman’s much-forwarded New York Times  lament for Israel’s soul – “The Israel We Knew is Gone” – has demoralized the Jewish world.  Feeding off the disgust many share for Itamar Ben-Gvir’s bigotry, Friedman has gone too far — again. I’m upset with him – and …

Last year, at University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, a pro-Palestinian student threw a rock at Jews standing by Hillel, the Jewish students’ organization. At the University of Oregon Hillel, vandals left an illiterate, hate-filled, message: “Free Palestina You genocidal rasist f…ks.” At an unnamed college, one …

Dear President Herzog, It may seem that this election made your coalition-facilitating job easy, as Benjamin Netanyahu has natural partners from the Right. This time, there’s no need to hunt around for a Knesset majority. But as the High Priest of Israeli democracy – I …

Like most Israelis, I voted yesterday. Final percentages are not available, but most Israelis vote as if their lives depend on it – because it often does. I am filing this column Monday, unaware of the outcome, but confident of one thing:  even if the …