An interview with Alex Ryvchin, author of "Zionism: The Concise History"
(Originally posted on The Jewish Press)
Q: What do you see as the purpose of your new book, Zionism: The Concise History, and who is it for?
A: The whole concept of Zionism has been politically and strategically trashed by her enemies. The danger is that future generations will only know Zionism as an evil to be fought and the young people, whom we count on as the next advocates to tell the story of Zionism and defend it, today are generally apathetic or ignorant of this story. We hear people saying Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism or being Jewish, but I think Zionism is inextricably linked to Jewish history.
The story of Zionism is the story of the Jewish people. And if Jews don’t know that story and don’t take part in it, we will see greater rates of intermarriage and loss of identity.
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 03, 2019
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Is There A Pattern of New York Times Bias Against Israel?
Last week, The Algemeiner held a discussion about The New York Times and its coverage of both Israel and of Jews in general.
Entitled, "The New York Times and the Jews," it was hosted by Dovid Efune, the Editor-in-Chief of the Algemeiner and featured Ira Stoll, Laurel Leff and Dovid Goldman. Ira Stoll writes a regular column for the Algemeiner, where he critiques the New York Times coverage of both Israel and of Jews. Laurel Leff is the author of Buried by the Times: The Holocaust and America's Most Important Newspaper. Ari Goldman was a journalist with the New York Times for 20 years, from the 1970's to the 1990's and now teaches journalism at Columbia University.
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| Dovid Efune, Ira Stoll, Laurel Leff and Ari Goldman discuss "The New York Times and the Jews" |
Monday, January 25, 2016
When Will Facebook's Zuckerberg Apply His Pro-Muslim Statement To Jews?
On December 9, 2015, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg posted on the need for Muslims to feel welcome on Facebook:
I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world.It is hard to argue with Zuckerberg's sentiments -- but his double standard is an issue.
After the Paris attacks and hate this week, I can only imagine the fear Muslims feel that they will be persecuted for the actions of others.
As a Jew, my parents taught me that we must stand up against attacks on all communities. Even if an attack isn't against you today, in time attacks on freedom for anyone will hurt everyone.
If you're a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you.
Having a child has given us so much hope, but the hate of some can make it easy to succumb to cynicism. We must not lose hope. As long as we stand together and see the good in each other, we can build a better world for all people.
Friday, July 03, 2015
Arlene Kushner on Reason For Hope -- While Reasons for Concern During "Ramadan Rage"
From Arlene Kushner:
July 2, 2015
July 2, 2015
Facing Down Violence
As has become my practice of late, I’m going to start with a good news item, saving the somber stuff for later. Here we have a brief video that should put a smile on your face and a touch of hope in your heart:
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We had better hold fast to that hope, because there’s a whole lot that is very ugly facing us at the same time. In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of attacks in Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem:
הרפורמציה הפרוטסטנטית החלה במאה ה-16 ונמשכה גם למאה ה-17.היא החלה כמחאה ואי קבלה של הכנסיה הקתולית ומרותה שכן רבים הרגישו כי האליטה השלטת אופיינה בשחיתות וריקבון. המנהיג הבולט ביותר של הרפורמה הזו היה הכומר מרטין לותר שיזכר לדורות כפורץ דרך אמיץ. בתקופה ההיא, היו המון נוצרים שהאמינו באדיקות בדתם, אך לא הסכימו לשחיתות ולטרור שהושלט ע״י הכנסייה הקתולית (מסעות הצלב והאינקוויזיציה בין היתר). כך החל תהליך של שינוי שגרר גם תגובת נגד מצד הזרם הקתולי. הזרם הקתולי הבין שאם לא תהיה רפורמה גם שם, הם יאבדו את כל המאמינים שלהם לטובת הפרוטסטנטיים.ככה התמתנה הדת הנוצרית והפכה סובלנית יותר כפי שאנחנו מכירים אותה היום.בדיוק את אותו התהליך גם האסלאם צריך לעבור.כשנתקלים במישהי מדהימה כמו שרה זועבי, זה מחזק את האמונה שהתהליך הזה בוודאות יקרה.השינוי יכול להגיע רק בזכות אנשים אמיצים כמוה, כמו הבן שלה וכמו רבים שאוהבים את דתם אבל סולדים מהשחיתות והטרור שהשתלטה עלייה.מי שסובל בעיקר היום מהטרור המוסלמי, הם המוסלמים עצמם. במזרח התיכון הם סובלים ממשטרים טוטאליטריים שמענים את עמם ואף מוציאים להורג ללא משפטבמדינות ערב מתחילה להתעורר איסלאמופוביה שפוגעת גם במוסלמים שלווים.המוסלמים הם הראשונים שאמורים לצאת נגד האיסלאם הקיצוני.לגבי המציאות הישראלית,הגאולה לא תבוא מארגונים קיצוניים שרצים לפרלמנטים אירופאיים בשביל להציג מצגי שווא ולהתחנף ע״י הלשנה מסולפת על מנת להכריח את עמם לפעולות לא הגיוניות על פי דעת הרוב. הגאולה גם לא תבוא מגזענים חשוכים שחושבים שהפתרון הוא סילוק כל מי שלא חושב כמוהם או נמנה ביו בני דתם המונעים משנאה בוערת. הגאולה תבוא אך ורק מאנשים אמיצים ופורצי דרך כאלו שהדבר המהותי שמניע אותם היא גאווה ואהבה לכל הזהויות שלהם.הדו קיום היפה הזה ששרה זועבי מציגה בצורה מושלמת, לא אומר לוותר על הזהות שלך. יש פה עיקרון של שפע. שרה זועבי מצליחה להעביר מסר חד וברור של אהבה וגאווה ללאום שלה עם היכולת לקבל את האחר, להכיל אותו ולמזג בין התרבויות בלי לגרוע מאף אחת מהן.היא ערבייה מוסלמית בהוויתה ויחד עם זאת ישראלית ציונית גאה. אין פה שום סתירה בין הזהויות. יש פה מיזוג מרהיב של שתי תרבויות יפות והבסיס הוא אהבה לשתיהן.העולם המערבי בכלל והחברה הישראלית בפרט צריכה ללמוד לאזן בין חמלה לכוח.אנחנו חייבים מצד אחד לאמץ לחיקינו את האנשים המדהימים האלו ולעזור להם להתמודד עם הקשיים הנוראיים שהם עוברים בשל היותם פורצי דרךומהצד השני אנחנו חייבים להראות אפס סובלנות לטרור ותומכיו.חלק מהעיקרון של אפס סובלנות לטרור בין היתר כולל לא למסור שטחים לטרור ולא לאפשר לו להשליט את המשטרים האפלים והמדכאים שלהם שם. ישראל חייבת לשמור על גבולותיה הרמטיים ולחנך את האזרחים בגבולות האלו מהי אהבת חינם. אין לי ספק שהשינוי הזה יקרה. אי אפשר לדעת כמה זמן זה יקח, אבל זה בוודאות יקרה וזה יקרה הודות לאנשים כאלו.Sara ZoabiMuhammad Zoabi
Posted by Miri Lavi on Wednesday, June 24, 2015
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We had better hold fast to that hope, because there’s a whole lot that is very ugly facing us at the same time. In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of attacks in Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem:
Monday, June 29, 2015
Arlene Kushner on Flotilla -- And The Palestinian Perspective on Boycotting Israel
From Arlene Kushner:
June 29, 2015
June 29, 2015
Never do I relinquish hope, my friends. Not even in the midst of growing horrors. And so I begin here with something we did right: the way we handled the “threat” of the “Freedom Flotilla.”
The flotilla, carrying a total of 47 passengers, was comprised of four boats, lead by the largest – the Swedish-registered “Marianne of Gothenburg,” with some 20 passengers aboard. When all diplomatic efforts to re-route the flotilla failed, a political decision was made to stop it at sea. During the night last night, three Israeli navy boats approached the “Marianne” in international waters – some 100 nautical miles from shore - and in accordance with international law, repeatedly advised the lead boat to change course. When there was no compliance, the “Marianne” was surrounded; Navy commandos from Shayetet 13, the special forces unit of the Israeli Navy, boarded, seizing control of the boat without violence or incident.
The other three boats in the flotilla turned back. The “Marianne” will be brought to the port in Ashdod. After its crew and passengers are questioned, they will likely be deported via Ben Gurion Airport.
Today: Experts Provide Alternative Voice to UN Gaza Report: Events and Interviews
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Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Human Rights Voices: UN Report Denies Israel's Right of Self-Defense, Advocates Arrest of Israelis Instead
| For Immediate Release: June 23, 2015 | Contact: info@humanrightsvoices.org Follow us on Twitter |
Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu and any other “suspected” Israeli war criminals wherever and whenever you can get your hands on them. That is the shocking bottom line of a scandalous report released today from the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
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Monday, May 04, 2015
Arlene Kushner on a Conference on Redefining The Laws of War
From Arlene Kushner:
May 4, 2015
May 4, 2015
Towards a New Law of War
This is the subject of a conference currently being held by Shurat Hadin, the Israeli Law Center, founded and run by the amazing Nitsana Darshan-Leitner.
Credit: Wikimedia
Current laws of warfare are outdated, she explained in her introductory remarks. The Geneva Conventions never envisioned the asymmetrical warfare that is waged today. We must redefine the laws of warfare, so that democratic states can adequately fight back. Today, terror groups attack civilians, and when democracies fight back, their defense is referred to as a war crime. Terrorists should not be able to apply to international courts as if they were victims when they are the perpetrators.
Current laws of warfare are outdated, she explained in her introductory remarks. The Geneva Conventions never envisioned the asymmetrical warfare that is waged today. We must redefine the laws of warfare, so that democratic states can adequately fight back. Today, terror groups attack civilians, and when democracies fight back, their defense is referred to as a war crime. Terrorists should not be able to apply to international courts as if they were victims when they are the perpetrators.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Arlene Kushner on Israel and Yom Haatzmaut
From Arlene Kushner:
April 23, 2015
April 23, 2015
See the Miracle!
Credit: Jpupdates
Today is Yom Ha’azma’ut – Israel Independence Day. It is 67 years since Ben Gurion announced the establishment of the State of Israel, on the Hebrew date of Iyyar 5, which that first year corresponded to May 14. (Today is only the 4th of Iyyar – celebrations were moved up to avoid Shabbat desecration).
See here the full reading by David Ben Gurion of the Declaration of Independence:
Thursday, March 19, 2015
United Nations Claims Israel Is #1 Violator of Women's Rights
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| For Immediate Release: March 19, 2015 | Contact: info@humanrightsvoices.org Follow us on Twitter |
Guess who is the number one violator of women's rights in the world today? Israel. Violating the rights of Palestinian women. At least that is the view of the UN's top women's rights body, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). CSW ends its annual meeting on Friday, March 20 by condemning only one of the 193 UN member states for violating women's rights – Israel. Not Syria. Where government forces routinely employ rape and other sexual violence and torture against women as a tactic of war. Where in 2014 the Assad regime starved, tortured and killed at least 24,000 civilians, and three million people – mostly women and children – are refugees. |
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
MEQ Summer 2015: Daniel Pipes on Why Americans Can Be More Anti-Israel Than Arabs / More Zionist Than Israelis
The following by Daniel Pipes is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:
When, in the midst of the 2014 Hamas-Israel war, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration briefly banned American carriers from flying to Israel, Sen. Ted Cruz (Republican of Texas) accused Barack Obama of using a federal regulatory agency "to launch an economic boycott on Israel, in order to try to force our ally to comply with his foreign policy demands."[1] In so doing, Cruz made an accusation no Israeli leader would dare express.
This is hardly unique: Over the years, other American political figures, both Republican (Dan Burton, Jesse Helms, Condoleezza Rice, Arlen Specter) and Democrat (Charles Schumer), have adopted tougher, and sometimes more Zionist, stances than the Israeli government. This pattern in turn points to a larger phenomenon: The Arab-Israeli conflict tends to generate more intense partisanship among Americans than among Middle Easterners. The latter may die from the conflict but the former experience it with greater passion.
Texas senator Ted Cruz meets with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Israel, January 11, 2013. A week after taking office, Cruz traveled to Israel on a congressional delegation trip, led by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.
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When, in the midst of the 2014 Hamas-Israel war, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration briefly banned American carriers from flying to Israel, Sen. Ted Cruz (Republican of Texas) accused Barack Obama of using a federal regulatory agency "to launch an economic boycott on Israel, in order to try to force our ally to comply with his foreign policy demands."[1] In so doing, Cruz made an accusation no Israeli leader would dare express.
This is hardly unique: Over the years, other American political figures, both Republican (Dan Burton, Jesse Helms, Condoleezza Rice, Arlen Specter) and Democrat (Charles Schumer), have adopted tougher, and sometimes more Zionist, stances than the Israeli government. This pattern in turn points to a larger phenomenon: The Arab-Israeli conflict tends to generate more intense partisanship among Americans than among Middle Easterners. The latter may die from the conflict but the former experience it with greater passion.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Anne Bayefsky: UN: Turning Back the Clock to Pre-1948 is the Real Endgame
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| For Immediate Release: December 17, 2014 | Contact: info@humanrightsvoices.org Follow us on Twitter |
Incitement against the Jewish state is directly related to the stabbings, raping and killing of Jews inside and outside of Israel. But doing something to stop it requires confronting a very troubling fact: the global epicenter for incitement is the "human rights" leviathan, the United Nations. From November 24, 2014 until December 5, 2014, UN human rights headquarters in Geneva mounted a public exhibit that was pure incitement. UN-driven antisemitism that takes the form of seeking to demonize, disable and ultimately destroy the Jewish state. |
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Steven J. Rosen: Will Mahmoud Abbas Reject Israeli Protection?
The following by Steven J. Rosen is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:
Shortly after the death of Yasser Arafat on November 11, 2004, and the election of Mahmoud Abbas to the Palestinian Authority [PA] presidency in January 2005, the U.S. Department of State increased its security assistance to the PA and began to promote Palestinian security cooperation with the Israeli security services. The motive was not personal support for Abbas, but a belief that Fatah under Abbas could become a more reliable partner for maintaining order and keeping peaceful relations with Israel.
Will Mahmoud Abbas Reject Israeli Protection?
President Bush had declared in 2002, "The United States will not support the establishment of a Palestinian state until its leaders engage in a sustained fight against terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure. This will require an externally supervised effort to rebuild and reform the Palestinian security services." To establish his leadership, Abbas was determined to have a monopoly over the use of force. So in 2005, the office of the United States Security Coordinator [USSC] for Israel and the Palestinian territories was created to train Palestinian Authority security forces, especially the Palestinian National Security Forces [NSF] and the Presidential Guard.
Monday, October 20, 2014
David P. Goldman: Why Europe Is Irrational About Israel
The following by David P. Goldman is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:
Why Europe Is Irrational About Israel
Why Europe Is Irrational About Israel
Coming soon after Sweden's recognition of a non-existent state of Palestine, the British Parliament's 274-to-12 resolution to recognize "Palestine" flags a sea-change in European sentiment towards Israel.France is thinking of following suit. The European Community bureaucracy, meanwhile, has readied sanctions against Israel. One remonstrates in vain. The Gaza War should have taught the world that Israel cannot cede territory to Mahmoud Abbas, now in the 10th year of a 4-year term. Hamas has the support of 55% of West Bank Palestinians vs. just 38% for Abbas, and Hamas openly bragsthat it could destroy Israel more easily from firing positions in the West Bank. Only the Israeli military keeps Abbas in power; without the Israelis Hamas would displace Abbas in the West Bank as easily as it did in Gaza; and a Hamas government in the West Bank would make war on Israel, with horrifying consequences.
To propose immediate Palestinian statehood under these circumstances is psychotic, to call the matter by its right name. The Europeans, along with the United Nations and the Obama administration on most working days, refuse to take reality into account. When someone tells you that Martians are transmitting radio waves into his brain, or that Elvis Presley really is the pope rather than an Argentine Jesuit, one doesn't enquire into the merits of the argument. Rather, one considers the cause of the insanity.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Poll: Israel Not to Blame for Failure of Middle East Peace Talks
The Daily Beast reports that a new poll by The Israel Project shows that most Americans blame the Palestinians for the failure of the Israeli - Palestinian peace talks:
Over twice as many Americans agree with Israel’s claim that they are not primarily to blame for the failure of the Middle East peace process than those who agree with the Palestinian claim that moving toward a unity government with Hamas is a step toward peace, according to a new poll by The Israel Project.Among the findings of the Israel Project poll:
The poll was conducted May 2-4, 2014, among a national sample of 1595 likely voters in the 2014 midterm election. The interviews were conducted online by Survey Sampling International.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Arlene Kushner on Palestinian Water Shortage Myth
From Arlene Kushner:
February 25, 2014
February 25, 2014
Facing Challenges Strong
There is no end to the challenges we are facing here, but I believe I am seeing greater resilience on the part of Israelis – in both official and unofficial positions - with regard to dealing with them. Let this be a trend that continues and grows.
Occurrences described below touch upon significant issues; my goal is not just to report, but to provide some clarity.
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Friday, February 14, 2014
David P. Goldman on Israel's Religious Jewish Majority
The following by David P. Goldman is resposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:
I should like to advance a conjecture which I lack the qualifications to adequately develop: The global Left, and the Israeli Left most of all, perceives that the clock is running out, and has worked itself up into a froth of hysteria against Israel. The world of John Lennon's "Imagine," where there are no countries and no religions, is about to dissipate like last night's marijuana fumes. The demographic time bomb that worries the Left is not the relative increase of Arab vs. Jewish populations between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, speciously cited by John Kerry and a host of other errant utopians: it is the growth of the Jewish population itself, and Israel's transformation into the world's most religious country.
Israel at a Point of No Return - In the Right Direction
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| David P. Goldman |
Israel now has a religious majority, as Times of Israel blogger Yoseif Bloch observes:
"According to our Central Bureau of Statistics, 43% of Israeli Jews are secular, 9% are haredi, and the remaining 48% are somewhere between masorti (traditional) and dati (religious): 23% the former, 10% the latter, and 15% smack in the middle. These five groups do not parallel the five groups identified by Pew, e.g. Orthodox is a denomination, while dati is a declaration."
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
The Palestinian Red Line
The following by Efraim Inbar is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:
The media reported that Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), rejected the peace proposals submitted by US Secretary of State John Kerry. The Palestinians leaked that Abbas sent a letter to Kerry reiterating his complete opposition to the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. This was declared a "red line" that the Palestinians will not cross.
Palestinian Red Line
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| Efraim Inbar |
This "red line" is not just about semantics, but rather the essence of the conflict. The Palestinian position amounts to denying the Jews the right to establish their state in their homeland. It also indicates without any doubt that the Palestinians, despite the conventional wisdom, are not ready to reach a historic compromise with Zionism, the Jewish national revival movement. Therefore, a stable peace based on mutual recognition and ending all demands is not in the cards. The weak PA seems to accept partition of Mandatory Palestine into two states – perhaps in accordance with the PLO's stages approach – but it still refrains from accepting the legitimacy of the Zionist enterprise.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Daniel Pipes: Obama Turns on Israel
The following by Daniel Pipes is reposted here with permission:
Obama Turns on Israel
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Barack Obama's March 2013 trip to Israel had a too-good-to-be-true feel about it. While barely pressuring on Israel, he instructed Palestinians not to set preconditions for negotiations and admonished them to "recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state." It felt out of character, suggesting a price to be paid later.
Well, that price has now, eight months later, been revealed and it has two components.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Arlene Kushner: More Proof Obama Is Not An Ally Of Israel
From:Arlene Kushner
November 5, 2013
November 5, 2013
A Tangled Affair
When I returned to my postings recently after a two-week hiatus, I joked about not being sure what "normal" was. Well, I have since discovered that there is no "normal" for me right now, and that -- with the on-going attention to be devoted to the Levy Report Campaign -- it will be necessary for me to post less frequently than has been my custom for some time now. First things first...
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That said, what I want to look at here are some of the facts, rumors and speculations circling around the "negotiations," and the positions of our prime minister. Prepare for a convoluted ride:
When the terrorist prisoners were released some days ago, Netanyahu -- in the face of enormous national protest -- insisted that he had to do this because we had promised (as part of the deal for entering negotiations), and because it was ultimately in our best interest. Minister of Defense Ya'alon made a statement about security that echoed the "best interest" theme.
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