Zionism
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.
Self-Hatred or Self-Help?Thursday, November 15, 2012 by Ben Cohen | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
One of the most insightful scenes from Larry David's comedy series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, begins with David and his on-air wife, Cheryl, standing at the entrance to a movie theater. As they chatter aimlessly, David starts whistling a tune composed by Richard Wagner.
Can Reform Judaism Get Its Mojo Back?Friday, November 9, 2012 by Evan Moffic | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The American Jewish community as a whole cannot survive if there is no non-Orthodox movement to which American Jews can belong; in other words, survival depends on a strong Reform movement. But in light of current trends, is that possible?
Can Jews Write History?Thursday, November 8, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In his well-known book Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality, historian Eric Hobsbawm made the remarkable assertion that “no serious historian of nations and nationalism can be a committed political nationalist.”
Biblical PoliticsTuesday, October 23, 2012 by Alan Mittleman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Michael Walzer is a pivotal figure in the recovery of the Jewish political tradition. From his early book, Exodus and Revolution, which traced the impact of the Exodus story on Western politics, through his editorship, with Israeli colleagues, of the projected four-volume Jewish Political Tradition, Walzer is almost unrivalled as a scholar of Jewish political thought.
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.
Editors' Picks
The Not-So-Magic Carpet Ride Yaacov Lozowick, Israel State Archives. Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of 50,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel, has gone down in legend. But the archives reveal that mismanagement cost hundreds of lives.
Balfour and the Bolsheviks Eddy Portnoy, Sh’ma. History remembers 1917 for the Balfour Declaration’s support of Zionism. But Jews in 1917 were more interested in another event of that same week: the October Revolution.
Arendt and the Arabs Richard L. Rubenstein, New English Review. Hannah Arendt feared that Zionism would create a “Jewish island in an Arab sea.” But her Eurocentrism kept her from seeing just how hostile that sea would be.
Satisfaction? Shimon Peres, eJewish Philanthropy. Jews feel “at home in the 21st century,” a time of constant change, says Israel’s President—because “what characterizes Jews above all is dissatisfaction."
Herzl House Aviva Bar-Am, Shmuel Bar-Am, Times of Israel. Situated in the JNF’s first forest, Herzl House was built as a memorial to the Zionist founder; but when Arab rioters murdered Jews in 1929, it served as a sanctuary for the next generation’s pioneers.
Martin Buber and the Holocaust Richard L. Rubenstein, New English Review. Martin Buber was the preeminent Jewish thinker of his generation and the intellectual leader of German Jewry during its darkest hour. So why does his theology ignore the Holocaust?
Hope and Change—for Israeli Arabs Philippe Assouline, Times of Israel. Aatef Karinaoui is running for the Knesset—as a pro-Israel Arab. “Our leaders have defrauded us,” he says. “We will do more for the people in five years than they have done in 60.”
Barak's New Bargain Mortimer B. Zuckerman, U.S. News. Ehud Barak’s new idea: incorporate some settlements into Israel and pull out of the rest of the West Bank. A retreat from Zionism—or a way to save it?
Sovereignty without Statehood? Aryeh Cohen, Justice in the City. While Israel is predicated on Jewish national sovereignty, American Jews enjoy a different sort of sovereignty that comes from “the unfettered equal access of Jews to the levers of power.”
Spinning Spinoza Allan Nadler, Forward. From David Ben-Gurion to Jonathan Sacks, Jews are determined to see the traditionally Jewish elements of Spinoza’s thought—by misreading his genuine heresy.