I once interviewed former Israeli Ambassador to the US Zalman Shoval, who was in his 90s (he is approaching 94 this month). He had lived the entirety of Israel’s history, often in high … more

In a speech given on the cusp of Israel’s creation in January 1948, future Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, “There can be peace in Palestine in five minutes. It depends entirely … more

This is not how I grew up. My children are living a very different life than I had. When I was growing up, the only funerals that I attended were those of my elderly grandparents. In England, it … more

F or several years now, my media consumption habits have been guided in part by what I call my “escape routes.” As someone who spends his days immersed in reports and analysis of … more

Perhaps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t blowing smoke. After the announcement of a withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from southern Gaza, he pledged that a … more

T he primary focus of our parasha, Tazria, is the illness known as tzaraat . In his commentary on the Torah, the Rashbam presents the unique nature of this disease: All of the sections dealing … more

W ith the onset of Pesach, I find the study of the historical and philosophical side of our religious tradition to be of great inspiration in getting myself into the “holiday mood.” Thus, … more

This is one of my favorite times of year, the time I get to clean out the pantry and start all over again after Passover. It is the time to use up all the half bags of rice and pasta and cans of … more

I created a program several years ago called ParshaDrama, in which I go to a school and present the weekly Torah portion to different grades through a combination of storytelling and dramatics, … more

There was a time when I would only go out of my way to listen to speakers who were older and more experienced than I. Recently, however, I changed my preferences and began to seek out rabbis and … more