Dear people of Sutherland Springs, I am writing to you, from Israel, to tell you that I see you. Halfway around the world, with enough worries of our own, it was heart-breaking to hear of the devastating shooting in your community. We know what it means to have our loved ones ripped from us. I … More An open letter to the people of Sutherland Springs from Israel
Me in the middle of a sea of Indians. I had never seen so many Indians together in one place but that is because I haven’t been to India. Yet. Some 8000 Indians gathered in Tel Aviv’s exhibition grounds (according to the Indian Embassy in Israel). Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India invited the entire … More India and Israel: this is a love story
George E. Marcia Jr. lied about his age so he could enlist. It’s almost shocking to write the word “lie” in the same sentence as my grandfather’s name because he was the most honest, accurate man I have ever met. My grandfather, my Saba was a stickler for details, a man with the mind of … More My Grandfather Was Semper Fi
Achinoam Nini was invited to perform on May 18th in the Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. Pressure from a local group in the Jewish community caused the performance to be canceled. An article was written about this in The Detroit Jewish News – this is my response to that article. Dear Detroit Jewish … More The place where Achinoam “Noa” Nini and free speech collide: an open letter to the Detroit Jewish community
Syria is now in the news due to the latest atrocity – chemical weapons being used on civilians. Due to the prevalence of fake news, I’m seeing a lot of confusion regarding the attack: Who did it? Why? Is it real? Many people don’t know what source to trust and/or do not know where to … More Syria 101: the simple version
Tel Aviv, British Mandate Palestine: Heart pounding, a 12 year old girl Jewish girl runs down the street. Her legs pumping as fast as they can go. She looks behind her. Fear gripping her stomach, she sees that the gang of Arab men is gaining on her, their knives flashing in the sunlight. If they … More Civilized savages and the lessons they teach
Two weeks ago I found myself in Washington DC, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Contemplating but not silent, the 19 foot tall form of Lincoln looks out through the columns of the temple where his memory is enshrined, towards the towering monument honoring the father of the nation, George Washington. This was the … More Restoring honor to America: with malice toward none, charity for all and firmness in right
The latest Islamic State video is entitled “to the sons of Jews”. It is a message directed not at Jews in general but specifically at Israelis. It begins with a child surfing the web, images of a soldier stopping a child at a checkpoint, the Israeli flag and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Then Facebook – … More To the sons of Jews (and the White House)
It amused me to listen to Donald Trump on “The Apprentice”. Sometimes listening to his rationale,his explanation of his choices was interesting. The current interest and supposedly growing Trump following is not at all amusing. Could a significant number ofAmericans actually be considering this man to be a good choice for office of the President … More The cult of Trump
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve found myself sitting in front of the news with tears rolling down my face. Israeli reality is that of sharp contrasts and strong emotions. There is no apathy here. Tears of heart-rending grief, tears of helplessness against horror and sometimes tears of pride and joy. … More Against all odds
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 