The Global Jewish-Israel Syntheses Imagine: We Are All Israeli
I was thinking, growing up, my world was a tapestry of hyphenated identities. There was my Russian-American friend, my Italian-American neighbor, my Chinese-American classmate, my Polish-American cousin, and my African-American neighbor. Each wore their heritage proudly, their identities anchored in the lands from which their ancestors came. But I was simply Jewish-American. And increasingly, I’ve…
Colonization vs. Decolonization
Historical Patterns of Conquest and Return in the Middle East The narrative of colonization and decolonization has become central to…
The Voice That Calls: Jewish Awakening in Our Time
Imagine being awakened at 4 AM by a voice calling you to something urgent, something that cannot wait for a…
To Occupy or Not To Occupy Gaza
The morning of October 7, 2023, marked a watershed moment in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas militants breached the Gaza-Israel…
The Miracle of Persistence: Lessons from a People Who Refuse to Disappear
In an age when entire civilizations have risen and fallen, when empires have crumbled to dust and languages have vanished…
Rabbi condemns Ahmadinejad’s Israel ‘cancer’ remark When the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad compares Israel to a cancer, I take it personally.On Monday, you see, I traveled to Israel to co-officiate at a wedding. And I have cancer.I’ve been in remission from lymphoma for several years and I visit Israel on average once or twice a year.…
There’s a lot riding on this month of Elul as we journey to the Days of Awe; a period of healing, time to reflect on our lives and our relationships – with the expectation that we can return to a clean slate.
It is true that many of us were not alive to witness the birth of the modern State of Israel or any of the existential challenges the state and her people faced for that matter – but does that mean we can’t relate to those challenges, find pride in her accomplishments and stand upon the…
Not quite. It turns out that many Jews regardless of their citizenship identify with the People of Israel/Jewish Peoplehood. For some the relationship is prompted by threats against Jews and the state of Israel generating a tremendous amount of talk-back and interest. The recent attack on Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria, the rise of anti-Semitism…
I’m afraid so. Are we the People/Nation of Israel or the Jewish People? This could explain some of the disconnect we witness taking place among Jews (People of Israel) around the world. If Judaism’s ancestry is the tribe of Judah, and Judah was the son of Israel (Jacob), then aren’t we all Israelis?