Category: Other

When I visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), one exhibit stopped me in my tracks. It described European traders arriving in Africa to exchange goods with African rulers and merchants. This surprised me,…

The Two-State Illusion Will Never Work — All of Israel Is Destined for Redemption

For decades, the two-state illusion has been the centerpiece of international diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It’s been proposed, debated,…

At one of the October 7th commemoration ceremonies I recently attended, I ran into an old friend. We greeted each other the way Jews greet each other now: Nu, when do you think the deal will pass? Are you optimistic?

We imagined what Simchat…

Today, in the heart of Amsterdam, the Rav Aharon Schuster Synagogue opened its doors for a solemn and emotional commemoration of October 7th, which was the darkest day in recent Israeli history.

The Rav Aharon Schuster Synagogue, located on…

In order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt—I, Hashem, your G-d.

לְמַ֘עַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י…

Each year on Succot, Jews around the world take up the Arba Minim — the Four Species — and wave them in six directions. It’s a striking ritual, ancient in form yet timeless in meaning. The etrog, lulav, hadassim, and aravot are more…

Growing up in London, I lived the old joke: you wait hours for a bus, then five arrive at once. So it goes with the Jewish High Holidays (Chagim) in September and October. This year’s schedule is relentless — Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,…

The Succah is known as דירת עראי, a temporary dwelling. This is why the main part of the Succah is the roof, known as “Schach.”

The walls are able to be thick and strong. But the roof is meant to represent its temporary nature. It…

Accused of being the problem, he still won’t say he’s part of the solution

Why do you think that Netanyahu immediately agreed to ‘Trump’s’ peace plan? Of course, Bibi wrote it himself. Trump didn’t write The Art of the Deal, and…

Reflecting on the holiday we just observed, we will recall that on the eve of Yom Kippur, as the sun sets and the congregation gathers in white, the service begins when a single verse pierces the air: “Light is sown for the righteous, and…