Minister Backs Down on Prize Education Minister Limor Livnat on Tuesday night retracted her decision to deny Daniel Barenboim the prestigious Wolf Prize after she heard the maestro tell Israel Radio that he apologizes to anyone who might have been offended by anything he had done. Livnat, who chairs the Wolf Foundation in her capacity…
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female,” informally known as the Kinsey Report on Women. For those of us born in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, it’s hard to imagine the shock waves this book created. Back in 1953, sex wasn’t discussed in polite company, and…
Recent moves by the White House make it increasingly evident that what makes George W. Bush run is his run for re-election in 2004. Consider his ambivalent antics on steel tariffs. The president imposed tariffs on imported steel. Why did he do it? The universal answer is that he did it to woo the votes…
“Is there a doctor in the house?” NBC’s “Today” anchor Ann Curry joked at the November 18 Lenox Hill Hospital “Fantastique” ball at the Waldorf-Astoria when she presented the Medal of Distinction to her co-host Al Roker and to ABC’s “20/20” regular Deborah Roberts, who is married to Roker. “I’m embarrassed at seeing all the…
Several rabbis are being urged to drop out of an anti-gay marriage coalition because it includes a Muslim organization with alleged ties to terrorist groups. One rabbi, Marc Gellman, a Reform clergyman best known for co-hosting the interfaith television program “God Squad,” has already severed ties to the Alliance for Marriage, citing unwillingness to join…
Yosl and Chana Mlotek’s classic compilation “Mir Trogn a Gezang” is chock-full of “folk songs.” Like in all such cases, the author is unknown. Yet somehow, these creations are passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the next. And, equally interesting, despite their humble earthy origins, they often address profound questions about…
By a two-to-one margin, 62% to 31%, Americans believe their government should back Israel even if it leads to an increased probability of terrorist attacks against this country, according to a new survey of American attitudes toward the Middle East sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. The poll, conducted from December 1- 4, shows strong levels…
Jacob’s return to Canaan inaugurates the beginning of the Joseph story, which reprises many of the repetitive motifs of the Genesis saga. Almost immediately, for example, the motif of casting out — this time of Joseph — is highlighted. But the story of Joseph also bears a resemblance to the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac,…
HERZLIYA, Israel — In a rare public appearance, the director of the Shin Bet security service this week called Iran the “No. 1 terror state in the world,” urged the government to build the West Bank fence as quickly as possible and admitted the security services, “including the Shin Bet,” had not provided the Israeli…
One of my oldest and dearest friends has an 18-month-old baby. She has decided to put her daughter in day care for eight hours a day, even though she does not work. There are 17 children and three child-care providers in the center. Every aspect of her decision appalls me, and I have been avoiding…
JERUSALEM — In a move intended to deter Israelis from entering Palestinian-controlled areas, Israeli state prosecutors have filed charges against a group of Bratslav chasidim who illegally went to pray at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus last week — and were attacked by Palestinian gunmen as they left the site. Eight of the 16 Jews who…
