Biden’s ‘Nine-Miles-Wide Plan’
The Biden administration reportedly intends to demand that Israel return to the nine-miles-wide pre-1967 armistice lines. Should we be surprised? How dangerous would that be? And what should American Jews do about it?
According to...
A Stain on Jewish Values: Israel’s Misguided Obeisance to Donald Trump
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary….
Rabbi Hillel, Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Introduction: Trump and Talmud
Israel’s largely enthusiastic support for Donald J. Trump...
Magical Thinking And The Need To Overcome Boredom
The other day, I was in a zoom meeting with my friends from the Chicago Ethical Humanist Circle. Given that they are atheists, which I am not, their philosophical approach is how to replace...
Thoughts on Immigration
With the wave of immigrants arriving at the border clamoring to be let in, I have been thinking a lot about immigration. As a retired English as a Second Language teacher, immigration stories have...
After Pittsburgh and Atlanta, Senate Rules Still Threaten Gun-Control Bills
It is a relief to learn that the nearly 10 million Americans who live in Arizona, Montana and West Virginia feel safe from gun violence.
Three Democratic senators from these states will not take all...
A profession where results don’t matter
Should we really care whether Colin Kahl becomes undersecretary of defense for policy? Some friends of Israel think that defeating his nomination for the third-ranking civilian post in the Pentagon matters a great deal...
The differences between Israel’s 2020 and 2021 elections
Israelis will head to the polls next week for the fourth parliamentary elections in two years. The voters will determine which of the 13 parties polling near the electoral threshold will enter the 120-member...
Refugees will become hard-working Americans
With the wave of immigrants arriving at the border clamoring to be let in, I have been thinking a lot about immigration. When Trump was in power, the border was basically closed, refugees and...
The two Tom Friedmans
There is no question that Thomas Friedman is a great writer, and his columns on books on issues such as climate change and domestic policy are often brilliant. When it comes to the Middle...
Israeli democracy is still not in danger
As Israel heads to its fourth Knesset election in two years on March 23, polls show that the outcome is very much in doubt. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor any of his rivals...