Ira Sharkansky

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM– The New York Times deserves its place as one of the best newspapers of the world. Like the actions of some of American presidents, however, its commentary on the Middle East seems to reflect more ideology than cogent analysis. Thomas Friedman and Roger Cohen have been blathering on for years about […]

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A friend forwarded to me a sermon that Rabbi Schlomo Lewis of Atlanta delivered a year ago on Rosh Hashana. A bit of Googling showed that the sermon has circulated widely. It is as strong a statement as I have seen comparing Radical Islam to Nazism, and comparing the widespread

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Nothing new or dramatic in the highly touted speeches by Abbas and Netanyahu, and nothing promising or threatening in the prodding to negotiations announced after the speeches by the Quartet of minders: US, UN, Russia, European Union. Abbas repeated himself time and again, and Netanyahu seemed tired and off the

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Barack Obama demonstrated once again that he knows how to speak. In the process, he may have regained some of the Jewish money and votes that he lost by his earlier tilts toward Palestinians, and demanding an end to construction in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Israeli commentators called it the warmest speech

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This is an auspicious time and place, appropriate for the awarding of two commendations. To employ the language of Genesis, this is first day (יום ראשון). It begins a week that will have the natural wonder of the autumn equinox, and the political wonder of the United Nations General Assembly.

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For anyone inclined to think of the Jews as inordinately concerned about their past and future, Israel is currently providing all the reinforcement necessary. It’s not quite the case that the country is in full panic. There are two items–quite different from one another–that are taking large shares of media 

By Ira Sharkansky Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel is best known for its chronic problems with Arab neighbors. And now there are demands from middle- and upper-middle income young Israelis about the cost of living. Yet what is arguably the country’s most serious problem is somewhat under the surface as seen by overseas observers, i.e.,

By Ira Sharkansky Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It was not a day for a Schlafstunde. Soon after lunch on Thursday, Varda called from the other room that I should turn on the radio. That generally means something unpleasant. This was the onset of a terror attack. As is typical in such events, early reports were

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Some time  ago, a Texas friend wrote to ask how Glenn Beck’s pending mission to Israel was  being received here. My response: it wasn’t. A few days ago, I wrote to him again with the news that Israel Today, the most  conservative of the daily papers, had a story about Beck’s upcoming visit

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It would be an extreme rejection of what is politically correct to claim that the Palestinians are not a people. Palestinian intellectuals expressed a sense of nationhood about a century ago. Most governments of the world are willing to grant them statehood. Doubters may point to the incomplete process of

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –There is no doubting the success of those who organized demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and elsewhere in behalf of social justice. Activists and their friends in the media are reporting that more than 300,000 participated. Police estimates are 200,000. Whatever the accuracy of one or another, the pictures were impressive.