With phones literally ringing off the hook and iPhone abuzz, it is a typically hectic day for a matchmaker, or a shadchan, like Esther Levy in the Orthodox Jewish community of Midwood, New York. A typical “Jewish mother,” Esther is…
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.”…
True colors: Nazi flag hoisted over Palestinian area
On the morning of Monday, May 20, the hundreds of residents of the Israeli town of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, woke up to see “an oversized Nazi flag flying next to a mosque in the neighboring Arab town of…
Toward a more humble Middle East policy: a post-uprising update from Dr. Robert Malley
May 20, 2013 — When told by the student introducing the event that he would be expected to offer his thoughts on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Dr. Robert Malley retorted that the events to which she referred were…
Fatah outraged over soccer match between young Israeli Jews and Palestinians
Once again, Fatah, the Palestinian political party led by Mahmoud Abbas, has shown that peaceful intentions are not on its agenda. The Jerusalem Post reports that “Mifalot, an organization seeking to promote peaceful coexistence through sports” organized a soccer tournament…
Frozen Bananas
In celebration of the beautiful summery weather and the highly-anticipated return of my favorite comedy series, here is a kosher recipe for delectable frozen bananas. With such few ingredients, this treat is easy to make and cost-effective. Frozen bananas can…
To enroll or not to enroll?
In recent years, rhetoric pertaining to the American economy has become increasingly contentious. Resolving the atrophying sector of American manufacturing, dealing with a stubbornly-high unemployment rate and striking an equilibrium between government and private markets mark a few of the…
American Jews recognized with their own heritage month
Irving Berlin. Joan Rivers. Groucho Marx. Sarah Silverman. Fanny Brice. Lou Jacobs. Sophie Tucker. Barbara Streisand. Harry Houdini. George Gershwin. These are comedians, magicians, songwriters, performers, actresses, composers, singers, and even a clown. They are also all Jewish, yes —…
Arming Syrian rebels could threaten Israel’s security
As the death toll continues to climb in Syria’s bloody, two-year-old civil war, concerns over Israel’s security mount as well, over the various embargoes against supplying arms to the rebel forces. As the European Union and other countries are considering…
Israel’s dilemma: how to deal with illegal immigrants
On Sunday, it was reported that more than 300 of Israel’s Saharonim Detention Center detainees refused to return to their individual cells in protest, saying that they are being held illegally, against their will, and that they vehemently demand their…