We were driving southeast in Lebanon, from Beirut back down towards Marjayoun, when the shelling started. Our Jeep driver was in a near panic. He was not part of our regular unit; he was a … more

The famous 19th century blood libel in Russia that came to be known as the Beilis Trial was much more than the trial of just one man. Judaism as a whole stood accused, and its faithful defenders … more

They had only been in the army for eight months, and had only recently completed basic training, but on the books they were paratroopers. The youngest of the units sent into one of the toughest … more

Many years ago, when I was in high school, my mother arranged for me to get a ride to school once a week with one of the teachers. We lived in Manhattan, and as the high school I attended was in … more

I once gave a lecture on the ethical challenges of the seventh commandment (“Thou shalt not steal”). Afterwards, I was approached by a fellow from Vienna who was a Shoah … more

Recently, on a Pesach program, an elderly gentleman named Yaakov Gross asked a few of us if he could speak before the Yizkor service. He wanted to share the story of his bar mitzvah in the … more

What makes a leader? The question consumes countless books, seminars and leadership training programs in countless universities and business training models. But it’s worth noting that … more

Is there a point when a person can no longer change? On the one hand, Jewish law teaches that for some transgressions, such as murder, a person is put to death, suggesting that such a person … more

A number of years ago, I had an uncomfortable experience. I ran into an old friend who, like me, is an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion in the Gush. He had started a cutting-edge program for women … more

In 1948, things did not look promising for the Jews. The armies of Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, prepared to attack the new State of Israel as soon as the British pulled out, vowing to push the Jews … more