Ben Sales
By Ben Sales
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Life Why Women of the Wall Drama is a Big Deal — and Isn’t
(JTA)- A man was trampled. A raucous protest broke out, restrained only by police. The Western Wall’s mechitza — a partition between men and women considered sacrosanct — was breached by those who ostensibly care about it most. The brouhaha that erupted yesterday at Women of the Wall’s monthly service brought back memories of the…
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Fast Forward Jesus, Herod and the Irgun — All in One Jerusalem Room
(JTA) — When Amit Re’em embarked on a 1999 excavation of an abandoned Ottoman prison in the Old City of Jerusalem, he didn’t expect anything revolutionary. The dig was primarily aimed at inspecting the site before it was transformed into an event space for the nearby Tower of David Museum, and Re’em, then just 28, hoped…
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News Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s ‘Obama Is Haman’ Rant Reflects Growing Israeli Anger Over Iran
(JTA) — For years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has compared Iran to the biblical Persia, the ancient kingdom where the Jewish people were nearly annihilated through the evil designs of the arch-villain Haman. But when an American-born rabbi, widely seen as a religious moderate who built one of the most innovative Orthodox synagogues in…
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Fast Forward Wave of Ukrainian Immigrants Arrive in Israel
(JTA) — Tatyana Orul would have moved to Israel years ago if not for her job as a television journalist in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which interested her too much to give up. But when bombs started falling next to her house last year, she reconsidered. The war between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatist forces…
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Fast Forward Israel Ex-Generals Challenge Bibi on Security
(JTA) — Against a soundtrack of dramatic music, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lists his government’s security accomplishments, declaring over the shouts of opposition lawmakers that his Likud Party has stopped terrorists, stood up to Iran and secured Israel’s borders. Released Wednesday, the video is the latest in a string of Likud campaign ads to hammer…
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Life Haredi Parties Embrace Taboos for Campaign Ads
Screenshot via Youtube (JTA) —In an Israeli campaign ad released Monday, a secular Israeli husband and wife stress about housing prices, until a member of Knesset pops onto their iPhone screen, touting his party’s economic policies and accomplishments. It’s a common trope in this campaign — where voters’ top concern, according to polls, is Israel’s…
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Fast Forward Why Israel’s Election Is All About Bibi
However much they disagree with his policies, opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would surely admit he was right about one thing: These elections are all about him. When he called for new elections in December, Netanyahu said the vote would enable him “to gain the trust of the nation.” Since then, the campaign’s…
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Fast Forward Why Is Religious Pluralism Not Issue in Israel Vote?
(JTA) — A flyer published in late February declared that liberal Jews — whether liberal Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or otherwise — account for more than 600,000 Israelis. That many votes, the flyer said, could account for 10 seats in Knesset, a substantial party. The flyer’s message was clear: liberally religious Jews are a significant constituency…
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