Observation ·
Israelis Have Three Different Words for “Hostages”
By PhilologosAnd one has a historical background that is not unrelated to the plight of the hostages in Gaza.
Israel & Zionism
Latest Mosaic Content for Israel & Zionism
Observation ·
No, James Carville, Israelis Are Not Whiter Than Palestinians
By PhilologosAmericans like the veteran Democratic strategist should not project their problems onto peoples who already have enough of their own.
Observation ·
The Hebrew Language’s Wildly Unpredictable Gender System
By PhilologosAll nouns and adjectives in Hebrew are gendered. Why do those genders keep switching?
Observation ·
Do Jews Have Martyrs?
By Aton HolzerThe idea of martyrdom is an uncomfortable one for Jews. Yet respect for religious self-sacrifice finds its very origins among them, as I saw on Mount Herzl this summer.
Response ·
Watch and Read Scott Abramson and Haviv Rettig Gur Discuss Israeli Commissions of Inquiry and October 7
By Scott Abramson, Haviv Rettig Gur, Jonathan SilverCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
An October 7 Commission of Inquiry Could Exacerbate Israel’s Civic Tension
By Evelyn GordonCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
An October 7 Commission of Inquiry Would Help Israel. Electoral Reform Would Help Much More.
By Neil RogachevskyCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Response ·
What Awaits Israel in Space: A Discussion
By Andrew Koss, Arthur HermanCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Monthly Essay ·
How Israelis Probe Their Failings
By Scott AbramsonSince its birth, the Jewish state has convened unusually powerful commissions to investigate its own mistakes. Will the same happen now, and if not, why?
Response ·
What Israel Can Do in Space
By Rand SimbergCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Monthly Essay ·
Israel in Space
By Arthur HermanIn the shadow of October 7, the story of Israel's rapidly growing space industry is easily overlooked. But it holds many of the keys for the nation's future survival.
Observation ·
The Day of the Barbecue
By Aton HolzerIs the surprisingly furious debate over how religious Jews should celebrate Israeli Independence Day nearing an end?
Observation ·
How the Eurovision Censors Helped Make Eden Golan a Star
By PhilologosIn trying to take references to October 7 out of the Israeli singer's now-famous song "Hurricane," the competition both accidentally improved it and made her a cause célèbre .
Monthly Essay ·
The Exodus Project: A Jewish Answer to the University Crisis
By Eric CohenAmerican Jews feel betrayed by the very institutions they helped build. It’s time for young Jews to go to colleges and universities that welcome and embrace them.
Observation ·
Why Are the Anti-Israel Chants So Dull?
By PhilologosCompared to the wit of the anti-Vietnam slogans of the late 60s, the anti-Israel chants of today are aggressively tedious. What does that say about the chanters?
Observation ·
What the Demographics of Israel’s Fallen Soldiers Reveal about the Country
By Rafi DeMoggeMany on the Israeli right claim that the soldiers who fight and die for the country no longer belong to the old secular elite but to a rising national-religious one. Are they correct?
Monthly Essay ·
Is War With Lebanon Imminent?
By Raphael BenLeviAs both sides escalate by the day and as the fighting in Gaza simmers down, many Israelis are growing convinced that full-scale war with Hizballah is unavoidable. Are they right?
Observation ·
Tit for Tat Is a Bad Way of Arguing about Gaza
By PhilologosTwo or three thoughts on the “dehumanizing” discourse.
Response ·
The Man Who Inspired American Jews to Embrace Zionism and Americans to Fight Hitler
By Rick RichmanCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
The Linguistically Challenged International Court of Justice
By PhilologosIt is apparently too much to expect fifteen expert jurists to understand how human language is commonly used.
Observation ·
The Irony of “Genocide”
By PhilologosA Jewish lawyer coined the term because there was no word that described the murder of a whole people. But the definition he favored is so loose it can apply to almost any conflict.
Observation ·
A Special Dictionary for Israel
By Shany MorWhen it comes to describing Israel’s actions in war and peace, the world invests established terms with new meaning, and simply invents others.
Monthly Essay ·
What Would Ben-Gurion Do?
By Neil RogachevskyIsrael’s founding father argued for a conception of politics uniquely tailored to the Jewish state. Fifty years after his death, his country could use it more than ever.
Observation ·
The Hebrew Language’s Expression of the Year
By PhilologosRarely heard in the speech of most Israelis in the past, b’sorot tovot, an ironic “good news,” has suddenly become a common way of saying goodbye.
Response ·
Watch Shany Mor, Haviv Rettig Gur, and Hussein Aboubakr Discuss “Ecstasy and Amnesia in the Gaza Strip”
By The EditorsCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
What Invoking Amalek Means Today
By PhilologosThe name of the biblical tribe of murderers, the arch-rivals of ancient Israel, has been much discussed in the wake of October 7. Is that appropriate?
Observation ·
Where Are We Now?
By Leon R. KassWhy do we suddenly care so much about Israel or Jewish survival? Is it only the Jew as eternal victim that we cherish? Hardly—it is the Jewish way of living that matters.
Observation ·
The Logic of Jewish History
By Dr. Ruth WisseLacking freedom, Jews once developed an ethic of martyrdom. Now, they don’t need martyrs, they need to stand and fight.
Monthly Essay ·
Ecstasy and Amnesia in the Gaza Strip
By Shany MorThree catastrophes, all marked by euphoria at the start and denial at the end, have shaped the Palestinian predicament. Has the fourth arrived, and is the same dynamic playing out?
Response ·
In the Yom Kippur War, Strategic Vision Mattered Most
By Michael DoranCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
