Three more countries have announced they will open embassies in Jerusalem in the coming months. Serbia is planning to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following the precedent set by the United States and Donald Trump. Malawi and…
Israel
A Centrist Manifesto on Israel
I am a Jew devoted to Israel. I believe that Jewish life cannot be sustained without Israel at its core, and Israel cannot be sustained without the Jewish people at its side. When I look at Israel, I do not…
Israeli Breakthrough in Cancer Research Leads to Promising Results
A team of Israeli scientists believe they are on the brink of discovering a cure to cancer. According to 2013-2015 data from the National Cancer Institute, approximately 38.4 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer within their…
Zionism: A Brief Guide in Perplexity
It’s the perfect moment in which to re-examine Zionism afresh–and not only because of the recent spate of fighting between Israel and Gaza, the controversy surrounding the SJP national conference held some weeks ago here at UCLA, or the fact…
U.S. Representative Brad Sherman on Israel and SJP: Interview by Grayson Peters
Congressman Brad Sherman is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California’s 30th Congressional District. Congressman Sherman is Jewish, a member of Encino’s Valley Beth Shalom synagogue, and a strong advocate for Israel. As a Congressman,…
End of an era? Reflections on Benjamin Netanyahu
Recent events have put the political future of Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in jeopardy. Several criminal probes have been opened against him on corruption allegations, and he and those close to him have been questioned by police on several…
The Changing Middle East and its Implications for Israel
From Fall 2016 Print Edition, “Transitions” If you’ve been following the news in the Middle East, you have probably noticed a popular trend in the region — instability. Since the 2010 eruption of the Arab spring in Tunisia, political unrest…
Resolving the problem of the Jewish Left
In my previous article I outlined the several reasons why the Jewish left is in an existential crisis, my goal in this piece will be to provide a potential solution to this problem, a solution which preserves the role of…
Taste of Torah: Letting the land lull
By Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Co-Director of the Jewish Leaning Initiative on Campus at UCLA This week’s Torah portion, Behar, introduces us to a most fascinating commandment: Shemitah, the Sabbatical year. The mitzvah of Shemitah mandates that Jews in Israel cease and desist of all labor to fields for the entire seventh…
House of Cards: the Israel episode
Israeli politics can best be described as a volatile and tumultuous show. Recent events have provided yet more evidence of this phenomenon and have cemented president Benjamin Netanyahu’s reputation as Israel’s Frank Underwood. The current saga began several months ago,…