ISIS is different from other terrorist groups but perhaps not in the same way it is being reported. Some say it is unprecedented in its level of violence, pointing out that its leaders were thrown out of al Qaeda for being too violent. That is a special kind of crazy. Truth is they weren’t thrown out for being to violent but for not submitting themselves to the al Qaeda leadership. more

Michael Brown was buried last week. Some criticize the family for asking Al Sharpton to speak at Michael Brown’s funeral. That’s wrong; the Brown family is enduring a pain that no parent should endure and should not be criticized for any choice they make to ease their pain. more

I remember the look of shock on his face like it was yesterday. It was, I believe, the summer of 1984, and we were on patrol in Beirut. Technically, the Lebanese stores were off limits to us and we weren’t even supposed to go into them, but it was a really hot day, and we were really thirsty, so, using “initiative in the field,” a couple of us went in to a market to get a couple of six-packs of Coke for the guys. more

From the one time in Re’eh to the three times in Shoftim to the five times in Ki Tetze, the Torah tells us nine times to eradicate evil – “Uvi’arta hara” – from either amongst you, or amongst all of Israel. It would seem that in most of these cases, as well as others in our parsha, the Torah is advocating for a death penalty kind of punishment for those who are either guilty of a crime, or are in violation of a mitzvah. more

With Labor Day now safely behind us, it is time to give serious thought to the upcoming High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. For this week, I will focus on the importance that music plays in the liturgy of this sacred season. more

On Aug. 30, Palestinian terrorists set a Jewish man on fire in Jerusalem, and on Sept. 1, other Palestinian terrorists tried to set an entire bus full of Israeli Jews on fire. Yet I couldn’t find any mention of these horrific attacks in the New York Times, the Washington Post, or any other major American news outlet. more

Although his background was suppressed while he was captive, after his murder, news reports mournfully acknowledged that Steven Sotloff, a”h, was Jewish ­— an American raised in Miami who attended a Reform day school and made aliyah in 2005. A fellow captive, who was released, reported that Sotloff surreptitiously fasted on Yom Kippur and prayed facing Jerusalem. more

On July 25, Brett Stevens (not to be confused with Bret Stephens) wrote on amerika.org that the Israel-Hamas conflict shows the true nature of liberalism. more

With the increasing concern over worldwide violence against Jews, and of the political defense of such behavior, much debate has focused upon the origins of such conduct as well as to numerous strategies aimed at quelling it. This week’s column will survey the historical and theologically-based origins that are behind these actions. more

The pundits are confused about President Obama’s strategy for fighting terrorism. He seems to say one thing and then a few days later something quite different. As a service to readers of The Jewish Star and the political punditry of America, I will explain the President’s terrorism-fighting strategy, which in his administration seems to be “except when the terrorists are targeting Jews.” more