History & Politics
Brandeis and Zionism, In and Out of LoveTuesday, June 19, 2012 by Evan Moffic | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The Supreme Court is once again poised to define the role of government in American society; and Louis D. Brandeis, the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, would have recognized the terms of the debate.
Steal This SiddurWednesday, June 13, 2012 | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
If anyone might be poised to understand how a project of decentralized authority and radically distributive ownership could operate in a market-based economy, it would be the treasurer of a kibbutz.
The Six-Day War: Day SixAfter five days spent battling Arab forces, Israel now faced a new opponent: time. With the Egyptians and Jordanians out of the war, and the Syrians having agreed to a ceasefire, the Security Council was becoming restless.
The Six-Day War: Day FiveOnce Dayan decided against a limited attack in the Golan and opted instead to take the entire Heights, Israel's air force pounded the Syrians. The Syrians had supposed the Israelis to be tired and intimidated by their incessant shelling . . .
Day Four: “Attack! Attack!”Friday, June 8, 2012 by Allan Arkush | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
On June 1, 1967, when Prime Minister Levi Eshkol yielded to public pressure and turned over the portfolio of defense minister to former IDF chief of staff Moshe Dayan, the mood in Israel changed overnight.
The Six-Day War: Day TwoOn June 6th, 1967, by 8:00 a.m. Tel Aviv time, Israeli forces had entered el-Arish. It initially seemed desolate, but the Israelis were soon under fire from every window. Israel's leadership, not expecting the war to move so quickly, had not considered what do to beyond el-Arish.
On the Eve of the Six-Day WarForty-five years ago today, on June 4, 1967, Israel and the Jewish world were in suspense. Today, we recall the Six-Day War as a stunning martial victory by the Jewish state; but on the war's eve, this outcome was wholly unforeseeable. Indeed, the odds appeared firmly stacked against Israel.
A Vote Not CastThursday, May 3, 2012 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
When my Labor Zionist cousins made aliyah from New York City in the 1950s to an agricultural moshav outside Raanana they cast off comfort, kin, and familiarity for the yoke of pioneering Zionism. It was inevitable that they'd lose touch with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Joe DiMaggio's love life, and the fate of the Third Avenue El.
Find, Fix, FinishTuesday, May 1, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
What is the threat? Al-Qaeda? "Terrorism"? "Violent religious extremism"? Israeli analysts call it "global jihad," but U.S. leadership has carefully circumscribed it as "al-Qaeda" or, even more narrowly, personified it as Osama bin Laden and his minions, hijackers of planes and Islam.
The Move that Dare Not Speak Its NameMonday, April 30, 2012 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Recent years have seen a flurry of reports, studies, and worried discussions about strengthening Diaspora Jewry's ties to Israel. But what about strengthening the ties to Israel—or, for that matter, to the Diaspora—of the growing numbers of Israelis who live abroad?
Editors' Picks
The Pope's Kissinger Martin Kramer, Sandbox. As a Vatican diplomat, Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli sought to improve relations with the Islamic world. But his signing a statement condemning Zionism in 1976 cost him the papacy.
Britain’s Masada Alan Shaw, Jewish Chronicle. This week in 1190, 150 Jews were besieged in York Castle by a local mob—and, at the bidding of their rabbi, chose to take their own lives rather than die at the hands of their enemies.
Under Saint Patrick’s Protection Pamela R. Winnick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ireland remains one of the few countries in Europe in which Jews have never been persecuted en masse, prevented from worshipping, or forbidden from holding public office.
Divided by Faith David J. Davis, Imaginative Conservative. “Where modern tolerance does not permit any rival to the authority of rationalism and secular humanism, pre-Enlightenment Europe was establishing policies that permitted worldviews which its rulers saw as heretical.”
French Jews Under Fire Liam Hoare, Jewish Chronicle. One year after the Toulouse massacre, French Jews face increasing anti-Semitism from Muslims, and have few allies on either side of the political spectrum.
A Marriage Made in Hell Rafael Medoff, JNS. Seventy-five years ago this week, German troops entered Austria to impose the Anschluss—and found the people, in the words of Sigmund Freud, "entirely at one with their brothers in the Reich."
When in Rome Seth Chalmer, First Things. Jewish leaders can present the next pope with a wish list on interfaith dialogue, Israel, and anti-Semitism—but must not lecture the Vatican about Catholic doctrine.
Facing Hungary’s Demons Thomas Ország-Land, Jewish Chronicle. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has "foolishly released the long suppressed, xenophobic hatreds festering in Hungary’s collective consciousness. Those demons are likely to destroy him and capture his people."
Mapping the Holy Land Matti Friedman, Times of Israel. Founded in 1865 to explore "the land to which we turn as the fountain of all our hopes," the London-based Palestine Exploration Fund completed its survey in June 1914. One month later, war began.
The Brothers Göring Gerhard Spörl, Spiegel. While Hermann Göring was Hitler's right-hand man, Albert Göring took advantage of his older brother’s protection to rescue Jews. But Albert Göring remains unrecognized at Yad Vashem.