A quick comment on Newt Gingrich’s rise in GOP presidential sweepstakes: I interviewed him several times while editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times in the 90s and in early 1995 wrote a 4,000 word cover story on him. He is deeply paradoxical: He has a truly flawed ethical past regarding his marriages, had a number of close Jewish supporters,… read more

Among the frightening scenarios facing Israel these days as the Arab Spring sputters and spurts along is the uncertainty of the Israel-Egyptian relationship, which some fear could ultimately result in Cairo tearing up its famed 1979 peace treaty with Jerusalem. Only yesterday (Thursday) the important natural gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel was purposely exploded by anti-Israel radicals for… read more

Long-time Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Correspondent Herb Keinon had some interesting words at a lunch meeting today, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and the Baltimore Jewish Council. Only days after President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were heard – when they thought the microphone was off—insulting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Keinon gave a “so what” response.… read more

A new Anti-Defamation League national survey finds that 31 percent of Americans still agree that “Jews were responsible for the death of Christ.” (See more on the report here: http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/6154_12.htm ) On the one hand – sadly – this is progress. After all, until 1965 the Roman Catholic Church (whose policy still sets the pace for a huge swathe… read more

In what might be seen as a stunning revelation, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has told Israel TV that the Arab rejection of a separate Palestinian Arab and Palestinian Jewish state (yes Jews there were Palestinians, too, until May 15, 1948) was wrong. “It was our mistake. It was an Arab mistake as a whole,” the Palestinian Authority president… read more

Here’s a brief review of the new book by Shimon Peres on David Ben-Gurion called: Ben- Gurion: A Political Life, 2011, (Shocken Books). A link to it is here: http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Gurion-Political-Life-Shimon-Peres/dp/0805242821/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319741451&sr=1-1 David Ben-Gurion has rightly entered the annals of modern Jewish history as a prophet in his time (and perhaps for all time), and Shimon Peres can rightly claim the… read more

For many of us, this morning (Tuesday) it is difficult to explain the emotions of seeing Israeli Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit salute the Prime Minister of Israel, embrace his parents and speak to the citizens of the world’s only Jewish state. Why in particular does it mean so much to so many of us who live outside of… read more

When a house of worship is firebombed, a cemetery is vandalized or protestors call for deportations, it’s vicious hatred. And it must be aggressively combated. When it happens in the State of Israel – to Jews, Christians and Muslims within a few days – it represents incendiary agents tossed upon the region’s proverbial gunpowder of inter-religious, inter-ethnic conflicts. So… read more

So I’m sitting in synagogue on a recent Shabbat morning, the familiar and comforting prayers being chanted and my joining in as scripted. Then I get up and leave. Like I do every single week. And as I do so, no matter what I tell the person sitting next to me, I know it might be some time before… read more

When Texas Gov. Rick Perry jumped into the GOP presidential sweepstakes this week, he overtly spoke of his desire to enter the Oval Office with his savior, Jesus of Nazareth, leading the spiritual way. In fact, last week alone the elected official said that he was “called” to the presidency. Then at a massive prayer rally he appealed to… read more