t should have been one of the most powerful and exciting days of my life; I can still see all the guys, in their dress uniforms, preparing for the final ceremony; instead, it was one of the most depressing. more

Ta’anis Esther, next Wednesday, will again mark the Yahrtzeit of HaRav HaGaon Moshe Feinstein, zt”l. For this occasion, we will again briefly highlight the valuable biography, “Reb … more

It was the first time, as an officer, that I came under fire. Well, sort of. We were stationed on the edge of the Bekaa valley, in Lebanon, and intelligence had information that terrorists might try … more

This week one of modern Israel’s greatest war heroes, Yanosh ben Gal, was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Givat Shaul. To honor his memory, this story is excerpted from a 2011 … more

Although Judy stayed home for Pesach, she took a few “travel days” off from her column, so we’re reprinting her post-Pesach dispatch from 2012. The last of the Pesach dishes, … more

This is the third time I have had the honor of writing an op-ed for Jewish Star readers the week before a presidential election. The first two times I warned against voting for Barack Obama because … more

Were the forefathers Jewish? Leaving aside the anachronistic usage of the term “Jew,” there are those who argue that while the forefathers were monotheists, calling them … more

Sometimes inspiration comes in the simplest of moments, like a good cup of coffee. In the fall of 2000, my unit was called up on special emergency orders (known as a Tzav Shmoneh). I still recall the … more

While Israel is mired in domestic scandals and coalition crises, the greatest threat the country has known since the eve of the Yom Kippur War — perhaps since the War for Independence — … more

Another week, another gifted commentary on the Haggadah, this time by Dr. Adena Berkowitz. Just released by Israel’s Gefen Publishing House, “The Jewish Journey Haggadah” is … more