By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — On December 21, 1935, the German writer and publicist Kurt Tucholsky passed away in the Swedish Gothenburg. He was 45 years old. Kurt Tucholsky, a satirist writer, the owner of a brilliant pen, a songwriter, did not write a single line during the last four years of his stay […]
Heinrich Heine’s Doppelganger Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Opinion
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Nashville’s political version of Bull Connor must have been too busy plotting the expulsions of Justin Jones and Justin Pearson to learn of Republican misfortunes in the preceding two days. Donald Trump was indicted in Manhattan on Tuesday (April 4) for financial crimes sans the “death and destruction” that
CRY RACISM!..And Let Slip the Brand Onto the Republicans Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA
By Jerry Klinger Julius Rosenwald was a first-generation Jewish American. He was born in 1862 in Springfield, Illinois, just a few blocks from where Abraham Lincoln lived. Rosenwald grew up and achieved the American dream. He became very wealthy through hard work, skill, and luck. He was a modest man with a philanthropic bent shaped
Touching the Past, for Today: Louisiana’s Rosenwald Schools Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion, USA
By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — It’s Pesach. And Ramadan. It’s also Easter, but the Christians here are below the line of violence, and all is peaceful as far as they are concerned. There has been some killing. Two sisters gunned down in the Jordan Valley, with their mother in a very serious condition. And
Israel Operating on Less Than a Full Tank Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Israel, Opinion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — This year’s Passover festival began under the cloud that has enveloped Israel ever since the mass demonstrations protesting the so-called “legal reform” began. Yet preparations for the festival went ahead in the customary fashion, with spring cleaning and food purchases and preparations much as usual. By a quirk
Difficult Times During Passover in Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Opinion
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — Israel’s political, social, and military prospects have all taken a hit this year following the installation of the current government coalition, headed by the redoubtable Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. While the right wing, religious, and nationalistic parties won a decisive electoral majority, the difference in the popular
Surmountable Challenges Read More »
Israel, Opinion, Steve Kramer, USA
By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. Dear readers, This is the last column I will be writing. I have been writing to you for over 40 years. You may not know it, but I will be 97 and I think my time has come to put down my pen. Thank you for all your comments and
Our Beliefs Impact Our Brains Influencing Our Behaviors Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, OpinionBy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — After news broke that three children and three adults were gunned down in Nashville, I spent some time perusing the Anti-Defamation League’s lengthy report on antisemitic incidents last year. It covered much ground, and one could say that nothing about it disturbed me. There was nothing about gun-safety laws
Jewish Community Must Assume a Stronger Role Lobbying for Gun-Safety Laws Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA
By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — I had mixed feelings about watching the movie Jesus Revolution because I remembered how our Jewish press reacted to Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ back in 2004. Writers who didn’t normally comment on movies had a lot to say about how this movie would surely be bad
Jesus Revolution: Why it Won’t Work Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Opinion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USABy Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended new judicial reform legislation until after the holidays. That means until close to the end of this month. Meanwhile, demonstrations continue around the country, with tens, if not hundreds of thousands gathering to protest what may happen when the suspension ends. Criticism continues, focused
Waiting and Wondering in Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Israel, Opinion
By Doron Krakow Over the past few days, a series of remarkable gatherings took place across the continent—gatherings of hundreds of Jewish Community Center professionals from dozens of JCCs, centers, and camps representing different regions of our movement. Programs and settings varied, but each one focused on skill-building while addressing emerging challenges around programs, operations,
Strength in Adversity Read More »
Doron Krakow, Lifestyles, Opinion, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The echoes of events that happened in Germany just a few decades ago are continuing to disturb my peace of mind and give me sleepless nights. We all know that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position is precarious and that his main goal is to avoid having to stand
Worrying Echoes in Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, OpinionBy Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — In “Yesterday’s World,” Stephan Zweig wrote: “For the Jews, being attached to the spirit of the people or country in which they live has become not only a means of external protection, but also a deep inner need. Their desire for a homeland, for peace, for refuge, for security,
The ‘Torch,’ or Anti-Freud, of Karl Kraus Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Opinion
Published by The Philadelphia Inquirer The urgent threat to Israeli democracy that brought that entire country to a halt on Sunday is far from over. True, there is a lull. Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was compelled to delay passage of legislation that would have dramatically weakened Israel’s Supreme Court because of opposition by hundreds
Israeli Democracy is Still Under Threat, Even if Netanyahu Has Hit the ‘Pause’ Button Read More »
Opinion