Opinion | Who Is a Reform Jew?
How many Reform Jews live in Israel?
The proper answer to this question ought to be: Who cares? And yet some people do care, me...
Opinion | Is the Left Israel’s New Lost Tribe?
So on the eve of another round of Israeli elections, in which a “right” is supposedly battling a “left,” we have to ponder two options. The first is to agree that most of what Israelis argue about is either relatively unimportant (should we pass a nationality law?) or strictly tribal (do you belong to this or that segment of the population?), or just personal (do you approve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?). The second option is to change the definition of our political camps and what they mean. Do not contrast the small, vocal and largely irrelevant minority of people who still call themselves a left with the majority—because it skews the real political picture. Do not even call it a left—it’s confusing. Do not pretend the major debate in Israel is about the peace process—because it’s not. What is it about then? Hmmm. Good question.
Opinion | Israel’s Vote Goes to the GOP
The Israel picture, while barely a trifle to most Americans, is almost everything to us. We consider only one question: Will the next Congress be supportive of Israel, and of President Donald Trump’s support for Israel?
Opinion | Does Israel Need a Law to Make It Jewish?
What is the role of Jewish law in the life of a Jewish state? The question might seem abstract, but the Knesset has been debating it heatedly for months, often in discussions that deteriorate into shouting matches.
Opinion | A Good Deal Doesn’t Have to Be ‘Beautiful’
But can President Trump and his special Middle East envoys accept anything less?
Opinion | Should 1967 be Celebrated or Mourned?
Fifty years. More than half of them, many more, have been years of acrimony. Was the Six-Day War just a great triumph—or a triumph whose consequence is grave devastation? Was it worth it? Pick the facts that support your viewpoint: The 1967 war resulted in overconfidence that brought about the 1973 war; the 1967 war convinced some Arab leaders that Israel was no longer weak and that removing it by force was not a realistic option; the war enabled Jews to settle the more important regions of its ancient homeland; the war put Israel in charge of territory occupied by Palestinians.
Opinion // Is it Time to Move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem?
What is an embassy? It is an office in which people do their jobs—at times essential, at other times unimportant. It is also a symbol—of friendship, of cooperation, of relations.
Opinion // The True Value of Cheap Books
It is Book Week in Tel Aviv. At Rabin Square, the tables are loaded with volumes, old and new, light and heavy, and buyers are leafing through them as they move from one publisher’s table to the next.
Opinion // Who Will Be Israel’s Champion?
It’s never been easy for the Israeli establishment to foresee how a newly elected American administration is going to behave. Israel did not know in advance that Lyndon Johnson was going to be Israel’s best American friend, possibly ever.
Opinion // Shmuel Rosner
Pity the Israeli Voter: No matter which party is in power, Israelis will end up disappointed.
Opinion // Israel: “Close to Perfect”
Rachel Fraenkel, mother of Naftali Fraenkel, one of the three Israeli teens whose kidnapping and murder started the current crisis, recently gave her first lengthy interview to Yediot Daily. It was clear that she is an impressive woman, wise, calm and sober, and that her tragedy has catapulted her into a yet-to-be-defined leadership position. But what people all around me are still talking about is the way this interview ended.