Why more liberal Americans don’t, but should, support Israel
Last year, my high school’s Israel advocacy group (Students Engaged in Pro-Israel Advocacy) tried to obtain the signatures of leaders of the Student Democrats on a pro-Israel leadership statement. I...
View ArticleSelling Israel to a liberal audience
Far too often, staunch liberals withhold their support from the State of Israel because they feel that Zionism is inconsistent with their other views. As a liberal Zionist, I frequently find myself...
View ArticleNot a lion: why support for Obama’s Syria resolution is still relevant and...
I took lessons in Arabic language at the Arabic Summer Academy in Boston, and one of my teachers was Syrian. He didn’t like to talk about the Civil War, and generally refused to answer any questions...
View ArticleSupporting LGBTQ rights is a Jewish value
When I toured the Hillel Center of Brown University recently (as part of my senior year college search), I noticed a sign that pointed to a “gender-neutral bathroom.” When I asked a student about it, I...
View ArticleFellow Americans: use this post to help me protect Israel
Last night, an interim “Joint Action Plan” was reached between the P5+1 powers (The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany) and Iran. It details minor sanctions relief in...
View ArticleCalling all every-day current events analysts: Don’t let your ideas go to waste!
Being the diplomacy-junky that I am, I sometimes can’t help but ponder global conflicts, and especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in search of solutions. I know that I am not alone in this. I...
View ArticleIf only there were more people who were really pro-Palestinian. . .
There is no widespread international movement to support the Palestinians. It’s a difficult reality to accept, because we see so many protestors, from Australia to the United States, hoisting...
View ArticleWestern activists must stop hurting the peace process
Watching negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority deteriorate has been more than disheartening for me. Somehow, I feel an intimate and personal connection with the talks. Seeing them...
View ArticleDon’t let Passover die
Passover is an enormously significant holiday for the Jewish people. Its story winds its way through our prayers and literature in every season and through every context, from the daily services to Yom...
View ArticleEat a piece of matzah
This week, I have started pressuring my Jewish friends to eat matzah. I do it not for religious reasons – I certainly do not intend to push my religious practices on others – but for cultural ones....
View ArticleHamas must recognize: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolvable
For as long as Israel has been a state, and for years prior to its declaration of independence from the British Mandate, there has been conflict between members of the Zionist movement and Palestinian...
View ArticleHamas’ Partner for War
I read an article in the New York Times the other day about the “aggressive” Israeli crackdown in the West Bank. IDF soldiers “ransacked” peace activists’ headquarters and engaged in “collective...
View ArticleBreaking the cycle of violence
A very close friend of mine, an American, is in Israel right now working with children who struggle with developmental disabilities. Her program had her evacuate her starting point south of Tel Aviv...
View ArticleA lunch-break history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
On Friday afternoon, I attended a rally in Boston organized by the Israeli-American Council (IAC), in coordination with several other pro-Israel groups, to support Israel’s right to defend itself....
View ArticleIsrael must be a priority for American citizens
At a recent student leadership conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), I heard repeated mention of an idea called the 5-90-5 rule. It states that on any given college...
View ArticleFree Gaza . . . from Hamas
Just a few days ago, in response to my last blog post, I received three photographs of dead Palestinian children, their bodies mangled and bloodied. Their deaths are unacceptable, and I am beyond sorry...
View ArticleDefending Israel’s Gaza policy
A couple of weeks ago, I met with a coworker from my summer job for ice cream and a friendly debate about Israel, Gaza, and Operation Protective Edge. I took note of the arguments that he used most...
View ArticleSupporting Israelis, Palestinians, and peace
Earlier this week, a friend confessed that, when he first met me, he assumed me to be conservative because of my pro-Israel opinions. The revelation startled me, but in truth it should not have come as...
View ArticleNicki Minaj’s glorification of the Holocaust is worse than insensitive
Of everything that I have learned about the Holocaust, nothing has struck me more than a line from one of Hitler’s speeches that I first heard in the sixth grade. My Hebrew school teacher, Ms. Adler,...
View ArticleI support neither settlement construction nor terrorism
I don’t support the settlements*, but this is ridiculous. I’m referring to the ever-increasing manipulation of the settlement issue to justify hatred of Israel, and even to legitimize terror attacks...
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