Opinion

• Opinion

  Treating J Street With a Little Respect

  What happens when candor collides with civility? These days, discussions of contentious subjects routinely begin with a caution: We should be civil in our disagreements. But if we are to be courteous and respectful toward those with whom we disagree, how do we avoid lapsing into the anemia of political correctness? Respect? I am happy…

  By Leonard Fein

  3 min read
• Opinion

  Jewish Mothers, Tiger Moms, Immigrant Geniuses

  Immigration advocates don’t get much of a break in the great national policy debate these days, so there’s an understandable buzz surrounding a new study with some astounding numbers on immigrants, their achievements and their contribution to America. The study, “The Impact of the Children of Immigrants on Scientific Achievement in America,” covers a very…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 1, 2011 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Wash Post Op-Ed Writer: What If Torture Is Morally Wrong — but Effective?

  A recent op-ed essay in the Washington Post dissects torture / “enhanced interrogation” and presents evidence that as repugnant as it is, it might work — that is, yield usable intelligence that otherwise wouldn’t have been forthcoming. The writer, M. Gregg Bloche, is a psychiatrist and teaches law at Georgetown. He was a health consultant…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jun 1, 2011 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Jay Michaelson What can really be done to prevent antisemitic attacks like Bondi Beach?

  

• Rob Eshman Australia shooting terrifies Jews worldwide — and strengthens the case for Israel

  

• Nora Berman Did crypto-Jews invent the modern tarot deck?

  

• Dan Perry The 3 responses to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack that could make Jews safer

  

• Emily Tamkin The fundamental miscalculation behind the GOP’s antisemitism crisis

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Searching for Normalcy in the Holy City

  In June 2009, the Gymnasia Rehavia High School in Jerusalem celebrated its centennial. The school was founded in 1909 and became one of the landmarks of Zionist education, preparing graduates for the heady task of building the modern state of Israel. At this gathering, some 3,000 alumni filled the school’s courtyard ranging from recent graduates…

  By Elan Ezrachi Jun 1, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  What Is Really Happening in New Square?

  Eighteen years ago, as a Hasidic student at the yeshiva of New Square, I found myself swept up one morning in the frenzy of a mob. I, along with around two dozen young men, ransacked the private dormitory room of a fellow student. We broke open the door, smashed the lock on the bedside cabinet,…

  By Shulem Deen May 30, 2011 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Bank of Israel Governor Stan Fischer Mulls IMF Run

  The Wall Street Journal reports that Stanley Fischer, governor of the Bank of Israel, is examining a formal bid to head the International Monetary Fund, said an official familiar with his thinking, and figures he has an outside shot at the job if there is a deadlock in the voting. Mr. Fischer, a former deputy…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 27, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Mofaz Calls Bibi Out on Ynet (Hebrew Only — Why Isn’t It Translated…?)

  Shaul Mofaz, the chairman of the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee, wrote an op-ed essay on the Ynet Hebrew website on Wednesday May 25, savagely summing up Netanyahu’s American visit. Strangely, it doesn’t appear on the English site. In fact, it’s not so strange—the English site’s opinion section carries mostly right-wing material (Obama vs….

  By J.J. Goldberg May 27, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  As Bibi Slouches Toward September

  Benjamin Netanyahu had ample reason to congratulate himself on a job well done as he headed home from his five-day visit to Washington, D.C. He received thunderous hero’s welcomes from Congress and the pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which greeted him with its biggest-ever display of muscle. All this will serve him…

  By J.J. Goldberg May 25, 2011 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Is it 1948 or 1967?

  One way to understand the Israel/Palestine impasse: Either it is 1947/8, or it is 1967. If it is 1947/48, the argument is about narratives and refugees; if it is 1967, the argument is about borders and an end to the conflict. In 1947, the United Nations endorsed a two-state solution to the Palestine question. In…

  By Leonard Fein May 25, 2011 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Don’t Make Us Choose

  When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress May 24, his first audience was the assembly of federal lawmakers and other government dignitaries seated before him. His second audience was President Obama, who was off hobnobbing with the Queen of England, but who only days earlier had set out his vision for…

  May 25, 2011 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  What Is the Wording?

  This fall, the Palestine Liberation Organization will ask the 192 member states of the United Nations to declare an independent state of Palestine. In my view, this is a bad idea; if I could, I would stop it. But since the peace process (apparently) is dead and it is unlikely that anything will occur to…

  By Kathleen Peratis May 25, 2011 | 3 min read