Ira Sharkansky

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Somewhere in the American side of my brain is a memory of hearing that America is safe only when Congress is on vacation. The feeling may not be appropriate this week, when Members of Congress are trying  to do something along with the White House to loosen their collective hands […]

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It should be no surprise that we are hearing another round of Israeli oy gevalt about Jews who leave the Promised Land, and thereby endanger the Zionist dream. The subject erupts every so often, currently provoked by yet another former Israeli who has won a Nobel Prize, at least partly

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The police had estimated that half a million would participate in the funeral procession of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. When it was over, the police estimate was that 800,000 jammed the streets alongside the yeshiva where the ceremonies began as well as along and near the route of the funeral procession.

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Palestine is not yet a state, except in its own propaganda and the proclamations of enthusiasts. If born, with or without the agreement of Israel, it may be a failed state from the get go. Signs are that it won’t be able to support itself economically, especially if those who choose themselves

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Politicians lie, do not tell all the truth, or exaggerate. One of the first lessons that a child in a politically alert family may learn is not to believe campaign promises. Years later that child may learn that politicians have to stretch the truth, or hide their intentions, in order to

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — We are at one of those junctions in policymaking–and maybe at a larger place in history–when officials and commentators are filling the inner offices and the media with their predictions about what is going to happen. Some of you may think I am talking about the financial hang-ups between Barack

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s been almost 40 years since I moved from the US to Israel. I still write about the country where I was born, had my formal education, and spent about one-third of my professional career. Internet friends, some of them not so friendly, attack me from both left and right,

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Politics is not an arena for participants or observers who insist on clear decisions. It requires judging the quality of grays, rather than  the clarity of black or white, or demanding one’s concept of the good. The condition reflects the complexities of interests and perspectives. Shifting alliances are more likely

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –It is too early to comment with any certainty about the policy of the United States, or any other country with respect to Syria’s chemical weapons or its civil war. There are likely to be twists and turns before us heavy thinkers can pass on to other topics. Nonetheless, there are

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–SThere has been a flurry of items coming to my in-box describing the latest under the heading of anti-Semitism. It is, alas, a very long story, going back at least to the beginning of the Common Era. For those who aren’t familiar with Jewish ways of recording the dates of the goyim,

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — From an Israeli perspective, it won’t be possible to judge the Obama-Putin (or the Putin-Obama) deal on Syria until we see what happens with Iran’s nuclear program. (A pessimistic view is that we won’t be able to judge until we see how Israel and Iran deal with each other’s nuclear

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There has been a new development in the difficult history of French Hill and Isaweea. A trench has been dug, and its dirt piled in the field separating the neighborhoods, alongside a French Hill street that abuts the field, and has suffered more than its share of the difficulties. We