Thanksgiving could not have been more Normal Rockwell traditional in my childhood home. I woke up to the scent of a turkey already in the oven and came downstairs to find pies and more already … more

This is not how I grew up. My children are living a very different life than I had. When I was growing up, the only funerals that I attended were those of my elderly grandparents. In England, it … more

In my view By Michael Fenenbock Issue of Jan. 23, 2009 / 27 Tevet 5769 Rafi, the head of security for 17 kibbutzim bordering the Gaza Strip is an extraordinary man. Of Iranian Jewish … more

From the other side of the bench By David Seidemann Issue of June 11, 2010/ 29 Sivan 5770 Occasionally, the times demand that you go it alone. That is called courage. Courage is a soldier … more

I'm thinking by Micah D. Halpern Issue of October 15, 2010, 7 Cheshvan 5771 The Arab League has agreed to back the Palestinians in their rejection of direct negotiations with Israel while … more

Perhaps the two most popular literary works on the Jewish calendar are the Megillah and the Haggadah. This year has witnessed two very unusual and timely commentaries that pull together ancient pshat and drash in a modern lingo that should help further enrich an already crowed field of Megillah publications. more

Letters to the Editor more

On June 16-17 Egyptians will cast ballots in a runoff election that will decide between the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Mursi and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who served under former president Hosni Mubarak. more

To the editor: It was unfortunate that Malka Eisenberg chose to give a largely unchallenged forum to Pamela Geller, who is, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “anti-Muslim movement’s most visible and flamboyant figurehead.” http://bit.ly/njgAJU. more

Six months into his second administration, Barack Obama’s presidency has become overrun with scandal. The events of the past two weeks; the Benghazi hearings, the news about twelve revisions of the Benghazi talking points, the IRS scandal and the Justice Department’s attack on freedom of the press via the AP phone records, is a lot of “distractions” for an administration during the course of a four-year-term, however these three all flared up in a one week period. Presidents tend to have problems their second term--but Obama’s second term problems seemed jacked up on steroids. more