Recent Blogs

• Appreciating President George H.W. Bush’s Contributions to Diplomacy in the Middle East

  George H.W. Bush was one of the great foreign policy leaders of the 20th century. Anyone who cares about Israel and Middle East peace owes him a debt of gratitude.

• The Two-Way Street: Entering Kislev, A Bright Light in the Darkness

  Earlier this week, a bright light shone through the recent darkness. We celebrated an electoral breakthrough as talented leaders who boldly oppose anti-Semitic rhetoric, hate and warmongering won across our nation. And yet, we cannot forget what else is happening in our country. Violence and hatred are exploding in many directions, and despair can seem like a rational response. In today’s America, bombs arrive at the doorsteps of former presidents and current office-holders, and the President worries only about the implications for his political prospects. Anti-Semites are empowered to spew their rhetorical venom and, unbearably, to take the lives of dear souls in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Racist language and imagery is increasingly accessible in public discourse. Democratic institutions, norms of decency, core principles of Jewish ethics and truth itself are all under attack in today’s America. The successes we saw in the midterms this week provided some much needed rays of hope, but the road ahead remains long and challenging.

• Bringing Home the Win

  As long as my family has lived in Dallas, I’ve felt unrepresented and unheard in Washington, both by our Representative and our two Senators. It is thrilling to be on the cusp of a moment when that could all change.

• Note from a political frontline

  Greetings from Bangor, Maine, where the New England fall is at its magnificent height and where the temperatures are falling but the political heat index is red hot. I’m spending the week volunteering to help elect Jared Golden, a Democrat endorsed by J Street fighting to win Maine’s Second Congressional District from Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin.

Netanyahu Warns Hamas That Israel Won’t Have Gaza Truce Alongside West Bank Terror, Senior Official Says, Haaretz

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas on Thursday that Israel won’t have a Gaza cease-fire alongside terrorism in the West Bank continues, a senior official said. Netanyahu also announced that he will legalize thousands of Jewish homes in the West Bank, hours after two IDF soldiers were killed and two others wounded in a shooting attack. The Prime Minister’s Office said it would promote the construction of 82 new housing units in the settlement of Ofra, as well as two new industrial zones near the settlements of Avnei Hefetz and Beitar Illit. Netanyahu, who is also defense minister, ordered the Israeli military to expedite the demolition of terrorist homes to within 48 hours following attacks.”

This man says there’s a crisis between Israel and Jews. But he’s causing it, Washington Post

Gershom Gorenberg writes, “Bennett and his party call for annexation of the West Bank settlements and land around them amounting to more than half the West Bank. Bennett and Jewish Home have also been at the forefront of anti-democratic changes inside Israel. They pushed for the recent Nation-State Law, which harms the status of non-Jewish citizens. They’ve led attempts to hamstring the Supreme Court to prevent it from overturning laws that violate human rights….I want Israel to be a country where diaspora Jews can again feel pride. And when Western society is showing that it has not cured itself of hatred toward Jews, it would be best if we all had each other’s back. But Naftali Bennett isn’t the man to explain the crisis in Israel-diaspora relations, or to solve it. He’s the walking, loudly talking embodiment of why it’s happening.”