Unjustified: Unchecked Justice, Denied
Please watch… and spread… this video. The US Supreme Court will announce Monday whether they will hear the case of Shalom Rubashkin.
Shiur on Shemonah Esrei of Yomim Nora’im
I called it “The Longest Day’s Longest Beracha,” which isn’t quite accurate, but I explain right up front why I used that title for a shiur I delivered Thursday evening in Los Angeles. It...
Bad Week for the DNC
The Democratic National Committee, at least from the perspective of Israel supporters, had an exceedingly bad week when it convened. Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was caught in an unpleasant untruth when she claimed...
An Olympic-Size Embarrassment
“Israel’s Olympic Shame.” So read the heading of an article by an Israeli columnist. My heart sank, fearful that some terrible scandal involving Israeli Olympic athletes had surfaced. What could it be? Attempted bribery...
The Price We Pay For Contempt
A monastery in Israel is desecrated, almost certainly by nationalist extremists. The Catholic Church turns the heat on whom? Haredim! Sadly, however, I can’t be as critical of the finger-pointers as I would like...
Rosh Hashanah Thoughts From the West Coast
For the inspired, the curious, or the just-plain-bored, my Rosh Hashanah machshavah shiur entitled Plan A and Plan B is available for free download. In the old days, I was able to give many...
Missionaries and Maligners
[This is an Ami Magazine “News Commentary” piece — one of several features I write for the publication.] An umbrella group of institutions engaged in Jewish-Christian relations and the Anti-Defamation League both issued statements...
Our Wrong and Rightful Role in the Presidential Election
The noise, news, deception and demagoguery that emanate from political conventions tend to intoxicate some Americans to break out their own flags and flyers and root loudly for their guy (and against the other...
G-d Makes a Comeback at the Democratic Convention
It was a moment that was, shall we say, biblical. G-d had made it back into the Democratic platform, in a way that would have pleased the ancient prophets. The day before, the platform...
The Best Case for Obama
Three weeks ago, I wrote about the natural human tendency to avoid exposure to ideas or facts that will challenge one’s own world view. Not every refusal to expose oneself to threatening ideas signifies...