Tags: israel
J Street: Mainstream on Foreign Policy, But Are the Rabbis Listening?

Sarah Posner.

Breaking down the messaging and calls for change.

Hawk Attack on Liberal Pro-Israel Conference

Sarah Posner.

As its inaugural conference approaches, conservatives aim to discredit J Street.

Why Obama for the Nobel? A Nudge? A Reminder?

Louis A. Ruprecht.

You can either trust Rush Limbaugh or look at past awards for clues. 

Racing Toward Armageddon: The Three Great Religions and the Plot to End the World: An Excerpt

Michael J. Baigent.

Finally, something Christians, Jews, and Muslims can agree on: Apocalypse. But as the theological end-time visions of the three Abrahamic faiths converge, it is not the wrath of heaven that threatens life on Earth, but all-too-human fundamentalism and fearmongering.

The Revolution Will Be Whispered: An Excerpt From Everywhere a Guest, Nowhere at Home: A New Vision of Israel and Palestine

Kim Chernin.

In this lyrical excerpt, author Kim Chernin envisions a new solution that rises up from the Sinai desert nurtured by two little girls.

Huckabee in the Holy Land: A Christian Zionist Campaign

Shalom Goldman.

The religious right’s preferred presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee recently returned from a visit to Israel. What prompted Time to call it his first campaign stop in the 2012 race?

Jewish “Women of the Wall” Defy Law to Pray

Kelly Hartog.

A powerful documentary, “Praying in Her Own Voice,” chronicles twenty years of struggle for religious equality at one of Judaism’s most sacred sites and asks: How can there be unity when half the population is silenced?

Air Kissing the Mezuzah: Religion and Science Collide in Fight Against Virus

Shalom Goldman.

In both Israel and India, religious rituals governing purity and health are clashing with efforts to stop the “swine flu” virus from spreading and killing more citizens.

Israeli Jesus: More Popular Than Ever

Shalom Goldman.

The staging in Jaffa of a controversial play with Jesus as central character is shut down by protests—but not for the reasons one might imagine.

Of Zionism and Anti-Zionism: The Ultra Orthodox and the Settler Movement in Israel

Shaul Magid.

Israel’s Ultra Orthodox, or Haredim, do not share the theological assumptions of the settlers—but in recent years a purely pragmatic alliance has formed. What does this mean for Israel as a society?

Cafeteria Cockroaches and Synagogue-State Relations in Israel

Shalom Goldman.

Set against the backdrop of the recent closure of a Knesset cafeteria due to an unkosher cockroach, Shalom Goldman takes an entertaining and meandering look at the state of affairs in Israel. Touching on topics as disparate as the alliteration-happy Israeli media and racist policy proposals, Goldman brings into sharp relief some of the tensions in Israeli religious and cultural life, much of which remains at the mercy of the Orthodox rabbinate.

Diplomatic Suckerhood: Why Israel Is Fighting Toward its Own Demise

Ira Chernus.

A new study reveals that the majority of Israelis view the conflict with Palestine through the lens of fear, throwing their support behind a parade of bellicose and paranoid leaders. Until the cycle of victimhood and aggression is broken no amount of pressure from the U.S., vain military adventures, or Labor Party victories will alter the tragic stalemate in the region.

Dilemmas of American Empire: Can Obama Pull Off a Game-Changer in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan?

Gary Dorrien.

For Obama to steer us back to the softer side of Empire, withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan (and negotiating with Iran), he’ll have to overrule his key officials, Hillary Clinton and Dennis Ross, risk alienating Israel for its own good, and stand up to bracing public attacks. And he'll need a hand from a strong, anti-imperial religious and secular peace movement.

Time for Jews to Abandon the Old Foundation Myth of Israel?

Ira Chernus.

Beneath the violence and inability to find peace in Israel/Palestine lie a series of narratives and myths American and Israeli Jews employ to understand the situation. One such narrative has shifted toward hope recently, but does it go deep enough?

The Double Blessing: Obama, the Bible, and Outreach to Muslims

Charlotte Gordon.

From a religious and biblical perspective, the sons of Isaac have long viewed the sons of Ishmael as potential enemies, and vice versa. Each side sees the other as the opponent in a battle for God’s single blessing. But—in fact—God invented the two-state solution in Genesis 21.

Transforming America’s Israel Lobby

Dan Fleshler.

In an excerpt from a new book Dan Fleshler, an American Jewish activist from “the pro-Israel left,” explains the reluctance of Jewish liberals to criticize Israel on the human rights front, even when they share the rest of the world’s objections to Israeli behavior.

All You Had to Do Was Express Regret: Pope Benedict XVI’s Rocky Visit to Yad Vashem

Adam Gregerman.

Benedict’s visit to Israel was marked by his refusal to acknowledge the history of Catholic anti-Judaism and its relationship to Nazi antisemitism. Politicians, rabbis, and journalists were indignant that the pope offered no apology while a cardinal was surprised to learn that an apology was expected.

Suffering Olympics: Is There Any Point to Comparing the Holocaust to Gaza?

Jonathan L. Walton.

A Jewish professor is under fire for comparing the suffering of Jews in WWII to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Do these comparisons serve any purpose?

RDPulpit: Ahmadinejad Gives Another Victory to the Israeli Right

Rabbi Michael Lerner.

When representatives of many Arab and Muslim nations publicly applaud Ahmadinejad’s racist rant, the real losers are the Palestinians.

Bearded Soldiers: Religious Tension in Israel

Benjamin Weiner.

Giving free rein to their follicles, a Conservative group of IDF soldiers defies powerful, state-sanctioned Orthodox Rabbinate.

Gaza Play Sparks Mixed Reaction Among Jews

Benjamin Weiner.

Seven Jewish Children, which tells the story of the recent Israeli war in Gaza, stirs up discomfort among some Jews, and support from others.

New Poll Reveals Jews May Be Open to Change in Israel Policy

Benjamin Weiner.

Don't break out the Ram's Horn just yet, the Devil's in the details.

Jewish State, Islamic State: All States are Religious

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd.

All nations contribute to the management and definition of religion so it’s neither necessary, nor possible, to identify any state as definitively “religious” or “secular.” To choose is largely political.

Jerusalem Countdown: Christian Zionists and the New Israeli Government

Bill Berkowitz.

Three of the top Apocalypse-watchers of the Christian Right have big love for Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.

Christianity Denial: Israeli Comedian Strikes Back at the Vatican

Joel Schalit.

An Israeli late show host's skit denying the virgin birth caused a furor among evangelicals and the Vatican. He had his reasons.