Pondering the state of American Jewry
Speaking to Fareed Zakaria in Davos, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke brilliantly, as per usual. Pressed to say that President Trump somehow stymied peace by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Netanyahu blew that myth right out of the water: “He did a great service for peace because peace can only be based on truth, on …
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett presented his ministry’s report on global antisemitism. It seems that while antisemitism is on the rise, violent antisemitic incidents are down. In Bennett’s introduction to the report, he said: “The unequivocal growth in the anti-Semitic discourse is apparently due to two phenomena that we have witnessed over the …
The mainstream media has been in an uproar since President Trump announced the U.S. Embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But not everyone is listening. Guatemala, for instance. Guatemala is moving its embassy, too. So are another score or so of other countries considering the same. Maybe it’s time to stop tuning …
Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim, writing for Salon, says that while just one in 50 Americans is Jewish, American Jews give more money as private individuals and also as a community. Bar Nissim studies community philanthropy. She’s trying to figure out why Jews play an outsized role in American philanthropy. The interesting thing is that these …
President Trump made his daring pronouncement that Israel’s capital is its capital and while many were pleased in the Jewish community, the Reform Movement made a statement against the move. This was a real head scratcher. What? They don’t recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel??? And they’re JEWISH? Confusing. If we don’t have Jerusalem …
If Chanuka was all about remaining true to Torah Judaism and not giving in to secular Greek culture, how is it possible for the holiday to remain relevant to Jews in America, the majority of whom are not orthodox, and are unlikely to marry Jews? Chanuka must be more than the Jewish version of Christmas. …
Everyone is reporting a rumor that Meghan Markel, Prince Harry’s girlfriend, may be Jewish. There is, in fact, no truth to the rumor. Yet the story has been in Vanity Fair, Elle UK, Tablet, and the Daily Express. It is interesting that Jews are always wanting to know if other people are Jews. Why do …
You know how people say Jews control all the money? If you think that’s an antisemitic idea, take heart. There’s a new nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve, and for the first time in a long time, the office will be held by a non-Jew. Alan Greenspan assumed office in 1987. He was succeeded …
Yet another reason American Jews might want to make Aliyah and move to Israel: they’ll live longer. According to the Jerusalem Post, a more healthy lifestyle, along with better education, better healthcare, and a healthier economy, has help to raise Israeli life expectancy by 10.3 years, from 1970-2015, from 71.8 to 82.1 years. How does …
The Jewish Institute for Strategic Studies has just published a poll which suggests that 72% of Israelis think Israel should retain sovereignty over the Temple Mount no matter what peace agreements it signs, while 68% believe Jews should have the freedom to pray there. This is contrary to the current status quo in which only …