For all those of you who think that only war poses risks for innocent people, I would like to tell you of our experiences here in Israel. Nine years ago, we in Israel, encouraged by our own Peace-Nowers, signed a Peace Accord with a known terrorist, pulled our army out, handed him land and then […]

When the Americans were planning their campaign in Iraq, they reckoned the forces that would try to prevent the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime would be the Republican Guard divisions, special forces and the secret police. They were contemptuous of the regular Iraqi army, and practically didn’t take into account the popular militias. Now, it […]

Introduction Iran’s attitude towards the war in Iraq is complex. Iran repudiates Saddam Hussein, holding him responsible for the eight-year Iran-Iraq war (1) and for gassing Iranian citizens with chemical weapons. Nonetheless, Iran regards the U.S. presence on its borders as an even greater threat to the security of its regime and its national interests. […]

This past Shabbat, the one preceding Purim, we added to the regular Torah reading the commandment to blot out the memory of Amalek. And then we read from the prophet, Samuel, how King Saul lost his kingdom for failing to fulfill that commandment. Saul was a good King. He fought against Amalek valiantly. He began […]

I n an abrupt change of course, several Saudi-financed charities and corporations targeted by the Department of Justice in a terrorism investigation have asked the government not to unseal a federal search-warrant affidavit, after originally demanding that the affidavit be made public. In a filing on Friday with the U.S. District Court for Eastern Virginia, […]

The so-called “road map” for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord hastily unveiled by President Bush last Friday may have been a politically timely effort to help British Prime Minister contend with mounting domestic opposition to his courageous stance in favor of war with Iraq. If so, it will join a long list of putative prescriptions for […]

I’m mad as hell! After the feeling of helplessness engendered from jumping from sleep at 2 in the morning into a gas mask in a plastic-sealed room, that is the primary feeling. What does it feel like? Visualize a scene from a science fiction or George Orwell movie. Mothers and fathers sit in a small […]

“Just wars,” said Hugo Grotius, the 17th Century founder of modern international law, “arise from our love of the innocent.” Recognizing this, President Bush is approaching war with Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from unleashing massive crimes of war, crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. Identified in the 1945 Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, […]

I suppose everyone has seen lists of the “World`s Shortest Books.” Since I think we Jews could use our own special list, I have, as a public service and in the spirit of Purim, prepared the first annual Official Jewish List of the World`s Shortest Books. 1. “The Laws of the Torah We Follow and […]

A few months ago, a great deal of tut-tutting and dignified outrage emanated from much of the civilized world over the broadcast of a series on Egyptian television which sought to dramatize the “truth” of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. But, as the debate over President Bush’s rightful determination to pursue war against […]