Pondering the state of American Jewry
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, accused Israel of perpetrating 50 Holocausts on the Arab people. Shockingly, Scholz stood by, silent. While Scholz later used Twitter to suggest he was disgusted by Abbas’ comments, at the time the remarks were made—when such a statement would have …
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 …
The Elder of Ziyon blog took Michael Chabon to task for lecturing Jews on how to behave: Now [Trump’s] coming after you. The question is: what are you going to do about it? If you don’t feel, or can’t show, any concern, pain or understanding for the persecution and demonization of others, at least show …
Israeli commentator Caroline Glick, in her New Year’s column, compares American Jewish life to Israeli Jewish life and comes up wanting. “As the New Year 5778 begins, 88% of Israeli Jews say that they are happy and satisfied with their lives. This makes sense. Israel’s relative security, its prosperity, freedom and spiritual blossoming make Israeli …
A poll by the American Jewish Committee published in the Jerusalem Post says most American Jews don’t want the American embassy in Israel moved to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital (an election promise President Trump has not kept): When asked about the embassy, a majority said they oppose moving it. Thirty-six percent responded that they would be in favor of this, …
The shekel is worth more than the dollar and now instead of American Jews putting money in the pushke for Israel, Israel is sending money to American Jews. How do you like them apples? Elliot Abrams has a terrific article on the subject HERE, in which he concludes: It is logical to expect Israel to …
If you or a loved one has food allergies, you know how difficult it can be to make kitchen staff at a wedding or bar mitzvah understand your needs. And if you think that’s difficult, multiply the difficulty by a factor of 100 to understand the needs of the kosher diner. Denny’s accidentally added bacon …
Hurricane Harvey is truly ecumenical, affecting Jews and those of other religions with equal vengeance. Many have been reminded of Katrina, and in fact, New Orleans is bracing for similar flooding to Houston as a result of Harvey. Like the survivors of Katrina, the Jews of Texas remember past floods. “I am sad to report …
Comedian Jerry Lewis has died at age 91. Lewis, as you might have guessed, was changed from something else, in this case: Levitch. Vanity Fair has an interesting article about a film Lewis made that was never finished, never aired, called The Day the Clown Died. Had it been released, it would have been among …
Israel just got 232 new North American immigrants, thanks to the organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, and one of them is Talia Friedman, daughter of the American Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. Of his daughter, Ambassador Friedman said, “We’re so proud of her, we love her so much, we just want her to be happy and this …