Israel
The Turning of the Torah TideTuesday, December 4, 2012 by Diana Muir Appelbaum | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
“Torah Judaism today retains more of its youth than at any time since the Haskalah.” Historian Marc Shapiro recently made this remark. Can he possibly be correct?
A World Without EnemiesMonday, December 3, 2012 by Aryeh Tepper | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In Isaac Babel’s 1931 short story "Argamak," a Jewish intellectual "thirsting for peace and happiness" joins a Red cavalry division made up of Jew-hating Cossacks. The division commander understands the Jew’s strange choice—and has contempt for it.
Israel’s Friends in GazaThursday, November 29, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Hamas was quick to declare victory in the latest conflict with Israel. A closer look at the price it paid in terms of personnel and equipment shows that its bravado was false.
The PeacemakerMonday, November 26, 2012 by Seth Lipsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
About Menachem Begin the thing that I remember most was the way he talked. Begin wouldn’t say that he was born on the eve of the First World War; he’d say, as he did when a group of us from the Wall Street Journal interviewed him in 1981, that he was born “into” World War I.
Renaissance MenMonday, November 5, 2012 by Adina M. Yoffie | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Hugo Grotius. Isaac Abravanel. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. These are not names normally mentioned in the same breath, but taken together, their experiences with and thoughts regarding interfaith encounters are instructive.
Crisis in the CurriculumMonday, October 22, 2012 by Yoel Finkelman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In 1953, in a bold move, Israel passed a State Education Law. Before then, Israeli education was run by political movements and parties which used their schools not just to teach the three R's but to indoctrinate as many unsuspecting youngsters as possible.
The “Married to another Man” StoryFriday, October 12, 2012 by Shai Afsai | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In the introduction to his popular and influential history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, The Iron Wall, Oxford professor Avi Shlaim tells this story: "The publication of [Herzl's] The Jewish State evoked various reactions in the Jewish community, some strongly favorable, some hostile, and some skeptical . . ."
Strategic Investment in Israel’s New WarWednesday, October 10, 2012 by Ronen Shoval | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Foreign governments, acting thoughtfully and strategically, fund dozens of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that form a flourishing anti-Israel movement within Israel itself.
In Defense of the Nation-StateFriday, October 5, 2012 by Diana Muir Appelbaum | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Daniel Gordis wants you to know that if you want tolerance, diversity and freedom, you should work for Zionism. In his new book, Gordis weaves the work of political theorists and historians into a compelling case for the nation-state in general and Israel in particular.
At Last, ZionFriday, September 21, 2012 by Charles Krauthammer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Milan Kundera once defined a small nation as "one whose very existence may be put in question at any moment; a small nation can disappear, and it knows it." Israel is a small country. This is not to say that extinction is its fate. Only that it can be.
Editors' Picks
Friends, but Not Allies P. R. Kumaraswamy, Middle East Quarterly. Despite continuing political differences, India has forged a mutually beneficial relationship with Israel—by decoupling bilateral relations from the peace process.
Gaza's Modesty Police Phoebe Greenwood, Telegraph. "They beat me for at least five minutes. I was crying and screaming with agony. I found out from neighbors when I got home that it was because of my hair."
Who Needs a Constitution? Yaacov Lozowick, Israel State Archives. Popular opinion holds that the religious parties prevented Israel from adopting a constitution. But the archives show that the real obstacle was Ben-Gurion.
Israel on Syria Ehud Eilam, National Interest. If Assad falls, the risk of a high-intensity war between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights will recede—but the likelihood of low-intensity conflict will increase.
Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom. Disagreements in the religious Zionist camp over which candidate to back for chief rabbi are likely to ensure that the post remains in haredi hands.
Conspiracy of Silence Tibor Krausz, Jerusalem Report. A new book documents how “Jew” and “Zionist” have become generic insults in Muslim countries—and how Western policymakers deliberately ignore the extent of Islamic anti-Semitism.
Confessions of a British Zionist Liam Hoare, The Tower. "I am a Zionist because there is something inherently myopic, ignorant, and nasty about present-day anti-Zionism that must be confronted."
Keeping David's Palace Buried Yoran Yanover, Jewish Press. Archeologists believe that a First-Temple-era column discovered south of Jerusalem could form part of a buried Davidic palace. So why is the Israel Antiquities Authority keeping it a secret?
Rebels without a Cause Michael J. Totten, World Affairs Journal. Since Israeli forces left southern Lebanon in 2000, Hizballah has lost its raison d'être and its Lebanese support base. Can it survive if Assad falls?
Anarchy in Sinai Zvi Mazel, Jerusalem Post. Despite the Egyptian army’s campaign to impose order in the Sinai peninsula, last week's missile attacks on Eilat demonstrate that the area remains "for all intents and purposes a war zone."