Among the fifty-three mitzvot in Parashat Mishpatim, two stand out: returning a lost animal and helping load and unload the burden on a beast. Two mitzvot that require us to help others. Who are those others whom we are bidden to help? The Torah’s language is very clear: “Should you encounter your enemy’s ox or […]
BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES MAKING NEWS Pro-Palestinian and even pro-Hamas marches on university campuses and new reports of students harassing Jewish students at K-12 schools across the country are increasing at an alarming rate. The ADL has registered hundreds of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel attacks in public and […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Thirty years ago, in his book “A Place Among the Nations,” Bibi Netanyahu observed that even beyond its army, its technological advances, and its service to global humanitarian causes, “Israel’s great shield … was its moral stature.” Natan Sharansky noted that Israel’s enemies have sought to erode its moral stature […]
BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES – PHOTOS IN THE NEWS The United Nations has a decades-long track record of bashing Israel and using the Jewish state as the scapegoat for the world’s problems. Recent headlines: UN Palestinian employees were among the terrorists during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks The U.S., […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD A popular canard leveled against Israel and Zionism is that of allegedly being rooted in “settler-colonialism.” Rabbi Bradley Artson, dean and vice-president of Conservative Judaism’s Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies, posted a blog entry, in which he lamented: “This week I have been inundated by hateful and violent antisemitic email […]
BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES MAKING NEWS Billions of dollars of humanitarian aid have poured into Gaza since Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. Massive amounts of the money have been used by Hamas to build a vast tunnel network, manufacture rockets and incite Palestinians to hate Jews and Israelis. Gaza […]
From their first encounter, he understands that he is dealing with someone unusual. Someone who succeeds in places where his ministers fail. Maybe that’s because he grew up with him in the palace (but we don’t talk about that). His demands are high, so he answers, “No.” The second encounter is already more dramatic. Throughout […]
BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES MAKING NEWS ================================================ Anti-Israel, pro-Hamas activists are hijacking local government agendas across the U.S. to spread false propaganda that defames Israel and pressures politicians to act against the Jewish state, and Jews in much of the world. Activists also are targeting Americans on the streets, […]
When Moshe approaches Pharaoh, he must feel a sea of emotions. He returns to the house that banished him, to those who oppressed his people for hundreds of years. It would be understandable if Moshe dreamt of revenge–if not for himself, then for his enslaved people. But Moshe brings neither his personal interests nor his […]
January 4, 2024 His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations 760 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 Cc: Ms. Sima Sami Bahous Executive Director, UN Women 405 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017 Cc: Ms. Ana Peláez Narváez Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women […]