Opinion

Sixty years ago the Algerians revolted against the French who had ruled them for more than 120 years. On Nov. 1, 1954, the National Liberation Front, the leading Algerian underground, issued a proclamation calling upon the French government to enter negotiations which would eventually lead to the creation of… Read more »

When it comes to a long-term solution for our conflict with the Palestinians, there is no unanimity among Israelis. Many feel that the two-state solution is the only realistic option, while others believe that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel and therefore a regional agreement is needed to address… Read more »

MODIIN, Israel (JTA) — With the news that Rabbi Barry Freundel, a prominent Orthodox rabbi, has been arrested for peeping at the naked bodies of his female congregants through a secret camera in the mikvah, or Jewish ritual bath, many disturbing questions are being raised about the implications of… Read more »

BOSTON (JTA) — Four rabbis are engaged in an animated debate about Jewish law. Three of them agree, but the dissenter is adamant that he’s got it right. He cries out: “A sign, God, I beg You, a sign!” It begins to rain, but the three in the majority… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Once again the love affair between the Jewish people and higher education is back in full bloom. The start of a new school year, and the Jewish New Year, marked the beginning of robust programming for Jewish college students across the globe. As students dig into… Read more »

Demonstrators in new York protesting the Metropolitan Opera's decision to produce "The Death of Klinghoffer," Sept. 22, 2014. (Raffi Wineburg)

NEW YORK (JTA) — On Oct. 8, 1985, our 69-year-old wheelchair-bound father, Leon Klinghoffer, was shot in the head by Palestinian hijackers on the Achille Lauro cruise ship. The terrorists brutally and unceremoniously threw his body and wheelchair overboard into the Mediterranean. His body washed up on the Syrian… Read more »

Hillel students (Courtesy Hillel International)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Once again the love affair between the Jewish people and higher education is back in full bloom. The start of a new school year, and the Jewish New Year, marked the beginning of robust programming for Jewish college students across the globe. As students dig into… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is talking tough. And Israel and the United States don’t seem to mind too much — or else think their best option at this point is to grin and bear it. Abbas used his Sept. 26 speech to the United Nations… Read more »

The good news is that Israelis are still willing to sit down and talk with the Palestinians. The Peace Index, a monthly survey run by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, has just found out that “the rate of those who favor renewing the talks (50 percent)… Read more »

Lora Stern Druker wrote this essay in August 2014. I live in Israel. I’ve lived here for over 30 years. I first set foot in Israel when, as a teenager, I joined with a group of Jewish youth from all over the United States to visit Israel. Our journey of… Read more »

SALEM, Mass. (JTA) — Every fall, Jewish teens arrive on college campuses unprepared, uninformed and unable to cope with the hostility and antagonism against Israel and Jews that they find there. While Birthright Israel does a commendable job of bolstering Jewish student pride and community, the program could have… Read more »

In situations as complex as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which often seem insoluble, one sometimes envies the ancient Greeks, who invented deus ex machina — that artificial device that solved the entanglement of the dramatic plot. No wonder, then, that many in Israel cheered recently when Israel Army Radio announced… Read more »

I very much enjoyed the special supplement about past, present and future perspectives from members of our Southern Arizona Jewish community in the Sept. 12 edition. All were interesting, but more importantly, reassuring about our community’s future. However, my favorite was Roberta Bracker’s story. Much has to do with… Read more »

Submerged cars on a Manhattan street following a tidal surge caused by Hurricane Sandy, Oct. 30, 2012. (Christos Pathiakis/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two days before the U.N. Climate Summit, demonstrators, including a large multi-faith contingent — will descend on New York City to demand urgent action on climate change. The People’s Climate March, which coincided with the week of the U.N. General Assembly, was billed as the largest climate march in history. Sunday’s event notably took place in… Read more »

(JTA) — I recently attended a farewell party for someone switching jobs from one Jewish organization to another. Among many accolades, one person giving a toast said, “While we are sorry to lose him, at least he is still committed to working in the Jewish world.” While I appreciate… Read more »

Iranian President Hassab Rouhani, left, meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 26, 2013. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (JTA) — The circus is coming to town. No, there won’t be marching elephants, lion tamers or motorcycles jumping through rings of fire. But there may be wolves in sheep’s clothing, tightrope walking and motorcades blocking traffic. We’re talking, of course, about the United Nations General Assembly,… Read more »

For the past several years, and again this year, I have been honored to be chosen to read the Torah in my synagogue on the first day of Rosh Hashanah – and each year I struggle with the troubling text and try to figure out what it is saying… Read more »

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Barack Obama meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2014. (Andrew Harper-Pool/Getty Images)

(JTA) – All is not well in the U.S.-Israel relationship. Somehow, the 50 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas frayed ties between Washington and Jerusalem. How did this happen? In part, the contretemps stems from the divergent ways that the Israeli and U.S. administrations view the Gaza war.… Read more »

Now that the guns have fallen silent, leaders of Israel and Hamas are busy trying to convince their respective peoples that they emerged victorious from this 50-day war. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Chief of Staff of the IDF Gen. Benny Ganz… Read more »

Regarding “Tucsonans of many faiths join in prayers for Mideast peace at Temple Emanu-El” (AJP 8/15/14), I, too was stunned by the imam’s tirade. Had I been there, I would have also walked out in protest. Calling Gaza a concentration camp before people who knew a lot better than… Read more »