Traveling far and wide from every corner of the world, Israeli “lone soldiers” risk their lives every day to protect a 10,782 square mile territory for their people; a territory less than 1/16th the size of California. Such a decision…
World
Israel refuses to take sides on Ukrainian crisis
While the maelstrom that has enveloped Russia-Ukraine relations continues to whirl, Israel has done its best to steer clear of the fray. The Jerusalem Post reported Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s statement on the matter: “[Israel’s] basic position is that…
The changing dynamics of Jewish education
The perpetuation of Judaism throughout the millennia has largely relied on one of its most important tenets: education. The Talmudic tractate Kiddushin (“Consecrations”; 29a) dictates that a father is obligated to teach his child three things: how to earn a…
Jacob Ostreicher, Bolivian justice and rice farming gone awry
Passover, the holiday of Jewish liberation and freedom from Egypt, took place about two months ago. But Jacob Ostreicher has given up hope of leaving Bolivia, where he has been under arrest on what actor Sean Penn called “unevidenced prosecution.”…
Prisoner X information finally released
Following the release of a report delayed by two years, Israelis are angered by governmental censorship with respect to the Israeli prison system. Benjamin Zygier, previously identified as Prisoner X, was found hanging by a makeshift noose on the night…
Departure of Israel’s economic wizard creates uncertainty
Of all the terms readily associated with the Middle East, “resilient” and “stable” are refrains mostly designated for other regions. However, largely to the credit of the governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, the Israeli economy has managed…
When Americans cannot compete, we all lose
Home to the second largest Jewish community, with some 5.2 million Jews, the United States’ political climate is undermining the ability of its citizens to trust their government. Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, opined in his blog Economics and…
Survivors’ Message Immortalized Through Storytelling
Leon Weinstein and his daughter Natalie Gold Lumer in a loving embrace. (photo by Clifford Lester/Jewish Journal)A 101 year-old man died on December 28th, 2011 in his bedroom in the early hours of the morning. His daughter, a phone call…
Anti-Semitism Studies returns to Yale despite PLO criticism
This past June, Yale University announced that its Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism (YIISA), which had been operating since 2006, was meant to be discontinued. The official reason given by Professor Donald Green, director of Yale’s Institu te…