Media References
Triumphalist Zionism and Jewish Identity
The right wing of American Orthodox Judaism, those who align themselves with various factions of chareidi and Yeshivah Judaism, are committed to what might only be called “triumphalist Zionism” (my locution, as far as I can tell). Triumphalist Zio...
Livni’s Rise Sparks Debate on Whether Orthodox Would Back a Woman
Haifa, Israel - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert managed to hang on to power by his nails last week, after persuading the Labor Party to drop a bill to dissolve parliament just hours before the scheduled vote.
The Death of Liberal Zionism in America?
Well, perhaps not. But you gotta wonder when the only panel of "intellectuals" speaking about Israel at the AIPAC convention consists of…three neocons and a liberal hawk!
Human Rights, Human Wrongs
We were lucky to get an invitation to a recent thought-provoking conference at Israel's first private, non-profit academic institution, the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. The IDC, as it's known in English, also offers separate English-langu...
Legal Analysis / Friedmann lays his cards on the table
Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann's announcement that he is freezing a bill to bar the High Court of Justice from hearing certain types of cases is good news. From the days of the British Mandate until today, the legislator has always refrained fr...
Snap Judgment: A more judicious approach
Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann is a "demagogue" whose "incitement against judges" poses a "danger against democracy" that threatens to turn Israel into a "Third World nation."
Analysis: What is the definition of moral turpitude?
Now that the High Court of Justice has handed down its ruling and the uncertainty over the legality of the plea bargain has been removed, there are two questions that remain to be answered regarding the investigation of former president Moshe Katsav.
A gay kid? No problem
Shas MK Nissim Zeev is doing a good job of maintaining his impressive record of attacks on gays, arguing about a month ago at the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee that Gay Pride parades "give legitimacy to the self-destruction of th...
Yehezkel Dror and The Winograd 5
"I'm an elitist. Eighty percent of the critical decisions affecting Israel are shaped by maybe 100 or 200 people, 300. These are my clients. These are the people I want to read the report and discuss it. The other people, I also want them to read ...
Contemporary confession
Description: The act of confession has become popularized with the aid of digital communication. We’ve all seen the “private” scrawls in public washrooms, or the comments of an anonymous user in a forum, late night call centers that cater to a wid...
The Tide Turns
Dorit Beinisch, the current Court President of the Israeli Supreme Court, is proving to be no Aharon Barak in more ways than one. For starters, she has not succeeded in stifling all public debate over the overreaching of Israel's Supreme Court or ...
After Protests, Think Tank Taps Women
A prestigious Israeli institute, responding to a flap that erupted last summer when it failed to include women at a high-powered parley on the future of the Jewish people, has appointed three women to its board of directors.
Grapevine: No bad news? Read on...
DIFFICULT THOUGH it is for him to function properly after publication of the recommendation by the police this week that he be indicted, and the sensationalized detailed reasons for that recommendation, President Moshe Katsav is carrying out his d...
Olmert announces formation of governmental war inquiry
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert nixed the idea Monday of setting up a full-blown state commission of inquiry to probe the recent war in Lebanon, opting instead to establish three committees - with lesser powers - to examine the political and military a...
Conference Circuit
International Holocaust Day will be marked at Yad Vashem with a symposium beginning at 9:45 a.m. Speakers will discuss guilt, sin and punishment. It will be held in the lecture hall of Yad Vashem's School for Holocaust Education.
What They Are Saying
Excerpts from international writers with commentary on issues relating to the Middle East, Israel and world Jewry:
No Women Speakers at Democracy Institute Conference
The Israel Democracy Institute, considered by many to be a progressive body and the standard bearer of democracy in Israel, held a first-of-its-kind conference yesterday on the subject of Hebrew law. Fifteen people participated in the conference -...
MKs hear proposals on changing lyrics to national anthem
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in the past month debated a number of proposals to change the lyrics to the national anthem so that it will also apply to non-Jewish citizens of Israel, particularly the state's Arab citizens. Th...
Center, We Have Come Back to You Again
For a few moments, when you blink in the strong light, it looks as though a new political movement is once again in view on the horizon. The right is contending with its rupture in Gaza and is losing control. The alternative of Labor, or what is l...
An Anthem for All Nationals
In the future, will the national anthem "Hatikva" include the line "nefesh Yisraeli homia" (the Israeli soul is aflutter) instead of "nefesh Yehudi homia" (the Jewish heart is aflutter)? It will if the Knesset accepts the proposal discussed last w...