‘JEWS COGENS’: One rule for me, another for thee
There is a legal term, jus cogens , that refers to a category of norms — peremptory norms — that govern international law. The term speaks to a body of law from which no exemption is …
Media
Pro-Israel at the Times? Fuhgeddaboudit! A Timesman for 35 years, he’d never be hired there today
JERUSALEM — After working for the New York Times for 35 years (and now, almost 20 years after I retired as managing director for creative services), this and a related post on Facebook is my …
Tu B’Av
Matchmakers help couples find love during war
This Shabbat, the 15th day of Av, is Tu B’Av, the Jewish Day of Love. Shrouded in mystery, this romantic holiday, which is primarily celebrated in Israel, has roots that go back to the …
Airline Antisemitism
Kosher ‘Free Palestine’ meals served on Iberia
Jewish passengers aboard a flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid encountered the phrase “Free Palestine” scribbled on their kosher meals on Tuesday, an Argentine Jewish group said. …
media
Fighting media bias: Bibi’s mission impossible
The contrast was glaring. A week after the New York Times put a horrifying yet completely misleading picture of a Palestinian Arab child in Gaza on its front page to illustrate a story that lent …
History
Tu B’Av: Rabbis’ gentle reminder to nation in strife
I’ve been waiting all year for Tu B’Av to arrive. Like a hapless romantic who refuses to believe that life is now summed up by tragedy and discord, I’ve refused to give up on the …
Political History
It’s ok to ask: Is Trump a modern-day Cyrus?
The Midnight Hammer operation against Iran, successfully orchestrated by President Trump in June, has invited comparisons to Koresh, the ancient Persian King Cyrus. Prime Minister …
Jewish America
Gei essen! Boston learning with a side of fries
The German-Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig led the Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus (Free Jewish House of Learning), which Tablet magazine describes as “a revamped beit midrash …
Torah
Reframed story: What it means to be comforted
Shabbos Nachamu is a turning point. After three weeks of mourning and reflection culminating in Tisha B’Av, we are suddenly invited to hear a new message. The Haftorah begins with the …
Political Antisemitism
Jew-hate: Rest stop assault, parliament ovation
Just days after a Jewish father and his six-year-old son were assaulted by a mob at a Milan-area rest stop simply for wearing kippot, the Italian Parliament rolled out the red carpet for …
kosher kitchen
Don’t rush winter. Enjoy these summer tarts!
When I think of pies, I think of a warm winter kitchen and the cozy perfume of a cinnamon spicy apple pie. Pies remind me of cold, short days and longer, cold nights warmed by the hot …
Political History
The enduring Zionist legacy of Ze’ev Jabotinsky
With these words, historian and pundit Victor Davis Hanson began the essence of his 2025 commencement address at Hillsdale College in Michigan: “So, today, I would like to reflect …
Antisemitism
69% of religious hate crimes in US target Jews
Of the 2,942 religion-based hate crimes that were reported to the FBI in 2024, 2,041 (69%) offenses targeted Jews, according to new data that the federal law enforcement …
Torah
After woes, we find strength that brings solace
Transformation! It’s a popular word used today in many different contexts, and we are now experiencing it in our Jewish calendar. On Sunday, we marked Tisha B’Av, the national day …
Political History
The enduring Zionist legacy of Ze’ev Jabotinsky
With these words, historian and pundit Victor Davis Hanson began the essence of his 2025 commencement address at Hillsdale College in Michigan: “So, today, I would like to reflect …
Gaza War
The world gangs up to deal with a ‘bad’ Israel
Let’s start with a simple truth: If humanitarian organizations truly cared about Palestinians, there would have been one unyielding demand every single day for more than 600 days: Release …
SCHOOLS
SAR HS graduation in Riverdale
This week in Torah
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Do we really know what is truly important?
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In the parsha, ‘eikev’ means more than ‘heel’
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Always with us: Lies, damn lies and statistics
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The morality of love in the Jewish tradition
Something implicit in the Torah from the very beginning becomes explicit in the book of Devarim. G-d is the G-d of love. More than we love Him, He loves us. Here, for instance, is the beginning of …
Jonathan Tobin
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Why teachers’ unions are at war with Israel
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Fighting media bias: Bibi’s mission impossible
The contrast was glaring. A week after the New York Times put a horrifying yet completely misleading picture of a Palestinian Arab child in Gaza on its front page to illustrate a story that lent …
Ben Cohen
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Backroom politics behind Starmer’s ‘Palestine’
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Art world’s hatred of Jews, from Wagner to Vylan
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30 years later, we should ask, ‘Et tu, Bosnia?’
In March 1992, as a young journalist eager to make his mark with an exciting foreign assignment, I visited the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, on the eve of the brutal three-year war that tore this …
Kosher Bookworm
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Liberty Bell and this week’s Torah connection
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Sefiros: A Jewish morally-based math lesson
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A Jewish perspective on the Fourth of July
In his preface to a sourcebook on the biblical origins of the American republic, “Proclaim Liberty” (Toby Press, 2019), its editor, Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik informs us of the …
On Campus
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Trump joins US colleges in selling out to Qatar
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Wake up, Harvard U: Woke will make you broke!
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Antisemitism surges. Islamist threat is real.
You don’t need to read the latest FBI hate-crime statistics to know that there has been a surge in antisemitism in the United States since Oct. 7, 2023. The evidence that a global wave of …
More Opinion Columns
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The real lesson of the attack on Josh Shapiro
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To explain Zionism, you need to explain Palestinians
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At LI museum, butterflies link Shoah and Oct 7
While most people today know something about the Holocaust, future generations will not have the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from survivors. Nevertheless, we’ll need to keep the …
Food: Dining In
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Don’t rush winter. Enjoy these summer tarts!
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Almost time for Labor Day BBQs and picnics
It’s hard to believe that Labor Day is just around the corner. (This year, it’s as “early” as it gets — on Monday, Sept. 1.) The summer, as usual, has flown by in …
Travel
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On your next trip, check modern Israel’s history
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It’s time to travel to Jerusalem
“Jerusalem has become probably the safest city to be in Israel,” said Steve Rubin, director of Tourism in the Jerusalem Development Authority, and “this is actually the best …
Health
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Rabin Medical reports genetic disease breakthrough
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Hadassah taps development and marketing excs
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St. John’s in Far Rockaway opens new maternity unit
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has officially opened its new Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum unit, marking a milestone in maternal care for families in the Rockaways and the Five Towns. …