An Interview with Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt
“Antisemitism is like the canary in the coal mine of democracy,” says the U.S. special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism.
07
Feb
25
Mar
Jewish History in China Boosting Sino-Israeli Relations
by Amanda Walgrove
Chinese and Jewish cultures are among the oldest remaining civilizations in the world. Besides the spiritual divide, both cultures highly value family life and educational pursuits, and although both have absorbed various other cultures, their central foundations remain strong. As developments in the Middle East have begun to change the landscape of Israel's international relationships, China has become a central player for it. While China's attitude towards Iran's quest for nuclear weapons are worrisome, efforts are still being made to boost tourism, trade, and communicative cooperation between Israel and China. Most recently, on March 2, visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming met with Israeli President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu with intentions of enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries. Although Sino-Israeli relations were first officially established as late as 1992, China's history...
19
Aug
Hasbara? Leave it to the Canadians
Senior Editor Mandy Katz reports from Israel:
Rather than presenting its case to foreigners, Israel should save its breath, a leading Israeli diplomat asserted last week. "Yes to public diplomacy, no to apologetics," former U.S. Consul-General Alon Pinkas told an audience assembled at Jerusalem's Begin Center to review new projects aimed at improving Israel's international image.
"Let the Canadians defend their right to exist," asserted Pinkas. "Not us."
His comments, reported in HaAretz, poured a surprisingly cold bucket of water on 150 fresh-faced university students finishing up StandWithUs, a year-long program in improving Israeli outreach. "Hasbara," he told them—using the term for Israel advocacy, propaganda or public relations—"is not a policy, but a Jewish state of mind."
Pinkas's remarks may have shocked his immediate audience into temporary silence but are hardly new in the discussion of what Israel's international...