Israel
Text-Message HalakhahFriday, July 13, 2012 by Yoel Finkelman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
From the ancient moment when the Sages began committing the Oral Torah to writing, through the invention of the printing press, all the way to searchable electronic databases of Jewish texts, each change in communications technology has had an impact on the Torah.
The Cush ConnectionMonday, July 9, 2012 by Jonathan Neumann | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
One year ago today, South Sudan declared independence. An elated Israel officially recognized the new state the next day. In the year since, many optimistic hopes for the Middle East and North Africa have been dashed; but in the case of South Sudan, Israel’s optimism was justified.
The End is NighFriday, July 6, 2012 by Allan Arkush | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Richard Landes tells us on the very first page of Heaven on Earth: The Varieties of the Millennial Experience that he isn’t going to confine himself to the usual suspects.
Freud in ZionTuesday, July 3, 2012 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Three Jewishly-conflicted German speakers changed the course of modern history. By the time the first, Karl Marx, had died in 1883, Sigmund Freud and Theodor Herzl were rising stars in their twenties; later, they came to be neighbors living but a few doors apart on a Vienna street.
The Last Holy RebelThursday, June 21, 2012 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Some years ago, a friend asked what I thought was the more impressive title: "Rabbi," "Doctor," or (the often unwittingly self-parodying) "Rabbi Dr." You know, I said, there's a man in Israel who's one of the most impressive talmidei hakhamim I've ever known—and he's not "Rabbi" or "Doctor."
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.
The Aircraft PlotFriday, June 15, 2012 by Malka Margolin | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Forty-two years ago today, on June 15, 1970, a group of Soviet dissidents gathered at Smolny Airport outside Leningrad. They had bought all the seats on a 12-passenger aircraft headed 240 miles northwest to Priozersk, near the Finnish border.
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 . . .
Editors' Picks
Star and Stripes Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post. Theodor Herzl had proposed a white banner with gold stars as the Zionist flag. But David Wolfssohn disagreed: "The tallit with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: That is our symbol."
No Thanks Yossi Klein Halevi, Hartman Institute. On Yom Ha'atzma'ut, haredim are conspicuous for refusing to acknowledge the country that guarantees their survival. But "non-haredim have also been remiss in expressing gratitude—to the haredi world."
Don't Just Celebrate Mishael Zion, eJewish Philanthropy. "How fitting would it be if the week of Yom Ha'atzma'ut would be a time in which American Jews educate themselves on Israel’s challenges and opportunities."
Remembering Israel’s Fallen , Ynet. Today, on Yom Hazikaron, Israel remembers 25,578 fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, including 92 service members and 10 civilians who have been killed over the past year.
The Price of Freedom Eli Ben Shem, Israel Hayom. “On this day, Israel's big bereaved family, of which I am one, enters your homes, meets you up close, looks into your eyes and seeks your gaze.”
Living and Dying for Israel Yishai Fleisher, Jewish Press. “The battalion commander said: ‘The enemy should not see you weeping like babies in front of the cameras, we are an army, and death is a part of it.’ I knew that he was right.”
The Silver Platter Nathan Alterman, eJewish Philanthropy. “Through wondering tears, the people stare./ ‘Who are you, the silent two?’/ And they reply: ‘We are the silver platter/ Upon which the Jewish State was served to you.’” (Poetry)
Remembrance Before Celebration David Hartman, Hartman Institute. “We affirm the dignity of our existence only as we feel the memory of those who are not here with us. We cannot celebrate unless we feel total solidarity with those who came before us.”
The Elephant in the Mosque Jonathan D. Halevi, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Mahmoud Abbas' recent agreement with King Abdullah II reaffirms Jordanian jurisdiction over the Al-Aqsa compound but ignores Jordan's Palestinian dilemma.
Buried at Sea Owen Jarus, LiveScience. Discovered by a sonar survey in 2003, researchers have confirmed the existence of an ancient stone monument weighing 60,000 tons—underneath the Kinneret.