Monthly Archives: December 2021

“So the nature of war consists not in actual fighting, but in the known disposition thereto, during all the time there is no assurance to the contrary.”-Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 1651 The “time” to which the seventeenth century...

A few Hamas leaders fully expect Israel’s downfall, yet Israel may not want to dislodge Hamas from its perch in Gaza. That is due to the equally firm expectation Hamas will be replaced by...

Dear readers: I would not want to end this 2021 without the possibility of thanking you for having made a place for me in your lives so that I periodically transmit to you something of...

Preface In the last 25 years historiography has shifted its focus increasingly away from long standing “methodological nationalism” and toward more transnational approaches and perspectives. These take an interest in relational aspects of history, moving...

Marriage is the human institution that provides the legal foundation for the creation of the family. In most family situations, the husband is treated as the father of the offspring. I say most because...

Yiddish poem: I. L. Peretz (1852-1915) Original music: Beethoven's 9th Symphony Choral adaptation: Binyumen Schaechter Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus דער ייִדישער פֿילהאַרמאָנישער כאָר (formerly Jewish People's Philharmonic Chorus / JPPC) Binyumen Schaechter, Conductor בנימין שעכטער, דיריגענט Shinae Kim, pianist Filmed live in performance November 1,...

The state of Illinois is expected to divest its pension funds of investments in Unilever this coming Wednesday, JNS has learned. This looming decision in Illinois marks the latest domino to fall as the global...

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged the United States and Europeans to challenge Iran over its violation of nuclear nonproliferation. Speaking at the 2021 virtual gala of the Zionist Organization of America on Sunday, Bennett said that...

Since the signing of the Abraham Accords, there has been a remarkable shift in Israel’s relations with the Muslim world. New reports have emerged of the possibility of further breakthroughs in diplomatic ties with...

The last live classical music I heard before COVID isolation set in was the cello recital of 13-year old Israeli cellist Nahar Eliaz on March 4, 2020, at Congregation Beth Am. In my review for San...