During the second Intifada, after a wave of violence broke out in Israel, our unit was called up for nearly forty days as part of an emergency draft order. It is difficult to describe how challenging it is to be completely uprooted from your life, literally overnight, with no idea of how long you will be needed, or when you will be able to get back to the routine of job and family. It was more than a challenge; it was often overwhelming. more

Last month witnessed a steep uptick in the number and frequency of terrorist incidents in both Jerusalem and the country at large. These acts of terror are true to their title, terror, in terms … more

It was a glorious Shabbat morning, but truth be told, if I had been left to my own devices, I might have slept all day. But there at the edge of my bed was Benji with his older sister Abigail, … more

When I was an elementary school student growing up in Israel, I was part of a strong, idealistic, nationalist Zionist community known as Merkaz Harav (referring to the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of … more

As I sit down to write this week’s column, I’m thinking about what I will eat before and after the fast (I’d rather not think about the fasting part). Jerry, on the other hand, … more

In sefer Ovadiah, this week’s haftarah for parshat Vayishlach, the final verse is particularly well-known, since it is recited every day immediately prior to Yishtabach in tefilat … more

It’s never wise to get into an argument about the Holocaust with Yad Vashem. That’s the moral of the story of Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to resolve a quarrel with … more

Ignorance is bliss.” There was a time not too long ago when these three words would engender a long and interesting discussion, perhaps even debate. There would have been speculation about … more

This week, Priority-1 will host its 23rd annual Motzei Shabbos Tanach shiur on Psalms 46 and 47, with its veteran maggid shiur, Dr. Alex Bruckstein. Psalm 47 should be familiar to most of us as … more

He has engaged in “crude anti-Semitism,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. He has “consistently impugned the loyalty of American Jews,” said the American Jewish … more