Israel
The Soul of the SabraThursday, September 6, 2012 by Allan Arkush | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
For those who have been taught—by Peter Beinart or some other recent chronicler of Israel’s history—that Zionism only began to go awry after 1967, Patrick Tyler’s new book might come as a shock. Israel’s aggressive territorial ambitions didn’t emerge after the Six-Day War, Tyler argues, but antedated that (to his mind) avoidable conflict by more than a decade.
Neologism and NationalismThursday, August 30, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
There has never been agreement about Zionism. Not only is the idea of Jewish nationalism controversial, the very word “Zionism” arouses unique passions, as a recent controversy highlights.
Lambs to the SlaughterWednesday, August 22, 2012 by Ben Cohen | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Last week, the normally cautious Jewish community of Amsterdam took the unusual step of describing a member of the Dutch parliament as a "serious danger to Jews in the Netherlands and consequently Europe as a whole."
Holocaust Reparations: The Back StoryMonday, August 13, 2012 by Michael Pinto-Duschinsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
On July 10th, dignitaries from the U.S., German, and Israeli governments attended a curious ceremony at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
The Last Berber JewsFriday, August 10, 2012 by Diana Muir Appelbaum | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
As a child, the French filmmaker Kamal Hachkar learned the Berber language from his grandparents in Tinghir, a Berber oasis city east of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. As an adult he discovered that the now exclusively Muslim town once had a substantial Jewish community.
What are Israel’s Rights in Judea and Samaria? Two ViewsThursday, August 9, 2012 by JHH Weiler, Yaffa Zilbershats, and Avi Bell | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Two differing views of a controversial report on the legality of Jewish settlements in territories seized in the Six-Day War.
Is Romantic Love a Jewish Value?Friday, August 3, 2012 by Ben Greenfield | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Today is the happiest day in the Hebrew calendar. According to the Mishnah, Tu b’Av (the 15th of the month of Av) was a joyous occasion on which the unmarried women of ancient Jerusalem would dance in the vineyards, hoping to find a match.
Tal TalesTuesday, July 31, 2012 by Elli Fischer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Tomorrow, the Deferral of Military Service for Yeshiva Students Law (Temporary Measure), better known as the Tal Law, will expire. This law is not just any law: it is the latest enactment of the so-called “status quo arrangement” that frames the uneasy relationship between Israel’s Haredi and secular populations, and between religion and State more generally.
The Artist in the Parking LotMonday, July 30, 2012 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
"Once upon a time in a kingdom, in a Middle Eastern democratic country, there was a watchman. The watchman sat for days on end in a booth, in the southern end of a pretty Mediterranean city, in a concrete parking lot . . ."
UNESCO and the World Heritage GameMonday, July 16, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO, claims to safeguard the shared patrimony of the entire human race.
Editors' Picks
Blue-Collar Haredim Sam Sokol, The Tower. In 1979, 90 percent of haredi men in Israel were employed; by 2011, that figure had fallen to under 50 percent. But now the trend is starting to move in the other direction.
Liberating Israel's Economy Daniel Doron, Weekly Standard. Israel’s alliance between government and big business has long benefited a select few at the expense of the middle class. The current government has a chance to break the monopolies.
Lessons in Counterterrorism Greg Myre, NPR. "Israelis have figured out how to live with this contradiction: Something terrible could happen at any moment and there's no reason to let fear dictate how you live."
Another Brick in the Wall Gil Troy, Jerusalem Post. Natan Sharansky's proposal to open Robinson's Arch for egalitarian prayer is an elegant compromise—provided that the site's historical integrity is maintained.
Secularizing Israel Guy Ben-Porat, Moment. Since the early 1990s, secular Israelis have gained new freedoms from religious authority—even as the country has become more religious.
On Israel's Jewish Future Ruth Gavison, Tikvah Fund. "The real debate in Israel now is not whether to extend the existing religious Orthodox monopoly but whether to keep it at all."
After Fayyad Elliott Abrams, Weekly Standard. Salam Fayyad's resignation as Palestinian prime minister signals the failure of his proactive approach to state-building—and the return of corruption and mob rule.
Saving Israel's Chief Rabbinate Dov S. Zakheim, Jewish Ideas and Ideals. After retiring as Israel's Sephardi chief rabbi in 2003, Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron set out a plan to end the chief rabbinate's hegemonic control over marriage. Now it is time to implement it.
65 Years On Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom. "Our spectacular success has far exceeded the expectations of our idealistic founders. By any rational benchmark it would be deemed a modern day miracle."
Is Israel Isolated? Efraim Inbar, Middle East Quarterly. "A closer look at Israel's relations with countries near and far, as well as with international institutions, belies the claim that it is isolated. In fact, Israel is increasingly acknowledged as a world player."