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A Few Clouds My eldest daughter had a hard day on Sunday…
This is not how I grew up
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 …
From the Bronx to Israel
Torres joins Bronxites at Oct. 7 terror sites
It wasn’t Rep. Ritchie Torres’ first trip to Israel, but it was his first since last Oct. 7. The two-day trip, led by Torres and sponsored by the UJA Federation of New York, included …
Politics
Trump interview lacks clarity on Israel
During Israel Hayom's exclusive interview with former President Donald Trump — which took place at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida — he repeatedly said he was the most pro-Israel president ever …
Politics
Jew-hating Bowman’s ignorance on display in ‘happy Purim’ wish
It’s no surprise that one of Israel’s harshest critics in Washington doesn’t understand Judaism, even as he uses it to obscure his antisemitism. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the …
Gaza War
Survivors tell LI the horrors they lived
Amit and Tomer Ades decorated their home in the beginning of October to celebrate their son’s fifth birthday. What they didn’t prepare for was celebrating his birthday in a safe room …
Kosher Kitchen
It’s that time again! (to use up the chametz)
This is one of my favorite times of year, the time I get to clean out the pantry and start all over again after Passover. It is the time to use up all the half bags of rice and pasta and cans of …
Gaza War
Canadian politician: Bring Israeli flags to Iranian rallies
The first woman of Iranian descent to become a member of a Canadian provincial parliament wants Jews to know that they are not as isolated as they may think. “The Jewish community has more …
Gaza War
The reappearing ghost of the Goldstone Report
A United Nations fact-finding mission, charged with investigating Israel’s war against Hamas, concluded in a widely disseminated and exploited report that the Israel Defense Forces deliberately …
Reflection
Joseph Lieberman: A proud Jew and a pathbreaker with integrity
When Al Gore chose Joe Lieberman as his Democratic vice presidential running mate in 2000, it was a gamechanger for Jews in America as, for the first time, a Jewish candidate was on a major party …
Gaza War
Oct. 7 triggers Jewish moms to take up arms
Jewish mom chat groups on WhatsApp and other platforms cover lots of topics, including prayer requests for the sick, book clubs and opportunities to volunteer. But that has changed since Oct. 7 for …
Gaza War
It’s still an antisemitic mob, by any other name
In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Western cities have been inundated by loud, sometimes violent, masked zombie-like pro-Hamas mobs. They glue and chain themselves to roads and bridges; interrupt public …
Books
LIer publishes guide to ‘Essential Torah Words’
A few years after publishing “Ten Times Chai: 180 Orthodox Synagogues of New York City,” featuring 613 photos of the interiors of existing Orthodox synagogues in the five boroughs, …
Kosher Kitchen
Preparing for a joyous Pesach, despite it all
This year, a raging war, increased antisemitism, and trouble on our college campuses weighs heavily on all our minds. We struggle with so many issues, all the while praying …
Dateline: Israel
We are eternal optimists, trusting in G-d’s care
I o nce interviewed former Israeli Ambassador to the US Zalman Shoval, who was in his 90s (he is approaching 94 this month). He had lived the entirety of Israel’s history, often in high …
Gaza War
Tale of 2 UN tweets at Oct. 7 six month mark
On April 7, six months after Hamas’ terror attack in southern Israel, António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, posted a single message on social media — about the …
Legacy
Tributes to Lieberman at funeral in Stamford
Mourners at Joe Lieberman’s funeral on Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford included Al Gore, who chose Lieberman was his vice-presidential running mate in 2000; current …
gaza war
Religious women in Judea-Samaria armor up
Religious women living on the frontlines in Judea and Samaria are taking up arms to defend their homes, particularly after the Oct. 7 massacre. Srugim, a news site catering to the religious …
Gaza War
It is despicable to accuse Israel of immorality
In a speech given on the cusp of Israel’s creation in January 1948, future Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, “There can be peace in Palestine in five minutes. It depends entirely …
Local News
Albany pols supporting news ‘sustainability act’
A group determined to save local news in New York rallied in Albany in an effort to bring more lawmakers to their cause. The Empire State Local News Coalition — a statewide advocacy group …
This week in Torah
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Of bald men, bearded ladies, and Parsha Tazria
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Imagine! Freeing our minds, freeing ourselves
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Rejecting ga’avah for majesty of Hashem’s geut
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Othello, WikiLeaks, Mildewed Walls and Jews
I t was the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that translated tsara’at, the condition whose identification and cleansing occupies much of Tazria and Metzora as …
Jonathan Tobin
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Pogrom photogs deserve censure, not awards
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Woke antisemitic ‘as a Jew’ Oscars moment
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We must not let Biden grant victory to Hamas
P erhaps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t blowing smoke. After the announcement of a withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from southern Gaza, he pledged that a …
Ben Cohen
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Germany’s new naturalization test a bit too late
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Recognizing a truth: War is hell. Everywhere.
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Israel-bashing reviews are leaving a bad taste
F or several years now, my media consumption habits have been guided in part by what I call my “escape routes.” As someone who spends his days immersed in reports and analysis of …
Kosher Bookworm
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Answering questions from children of tomorrow
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Purim to Pesach with a stop at the Golden Calf
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As Pesach nears, discovering our tradition anew
W ith the onset of Pesach, I find the study of the historical and philosophical side of our religious tradition to be of great inspiration in getting myself into the “holiday mood.” Thus, …
On Campus
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Harvard stands with genocide
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To stop Jew-menacing hate, colleges must follow 4 rules
American universities have a history of dealing with campus unrest by waiting for their students to go home for break and hoping they return in a better mood. After a fall semester defined …
More Opinion Columns
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Facing a disaster that is Schumer’s 2-state fix
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At the end of the day, will Hamas be the winner?
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Reminder: Beware the Ides of March (redux)
B eware the Ides of March. Not that Ides! This past Ides of March — give or take a few days. The infamy of that earlier Ides lives on, 2,068 years later, with a similar drama of betrayal, …
Food: Dining In
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Preparing for a joyous Pesach, despite it all
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It’s that time again! (to use up the chametz)
This is one of my favorite times of year, the time I get to clean out the pantry and start all over again after Passover. It is the time to use up all the half bags of rice and pasta and cans of …
Travel
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Caymans cuisine: Caribbean ‘culinary capital’
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Moroccan Jews on future: ‘Not country we knew’
“This is not the Morocco we knew,” said Kobi Ifrah, co-founder of Kulna, an organization that aims to preserve and promote Jewish Moroccan heritage. Since moving from Dimona in …
Health
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Parker: Creating dementia-friendly communities
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Israel’s role in international health diplomacy
Israel and Morocco are promoting a declaration on “Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response” which is an excellent example of “health diplomacy.” Health diplomacy …