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Students walk by graffiti saying 'Death to Israel' near the office of the President at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, June 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Taryn Thomas

Why my antizionism didn’t survive a Houthi missile

I spent two years protesting Israel without ever speaking to an Israeli. Then I went there

Cash seized by the IDF in the Gaza Strip is seen being counted before being deposited at the Bank of Israel, April 18, 2024. (Defense Ministry)

Tamar Landau

Hamas can always hire another accountant

Taking out the group’s financiers buys time. But breaking its grip on Gaza’s money requires a strategy built around reconstruction

Members of the "Star Trek" crew, from left, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, and Nichelle Nichols, toast the newest "Star Trek" film at Paramount Studios on Dec. 28, 1988. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)

Leah Stern

Live long and prosper: The Jewish boys who imagined a better galaxy

The death of Walter Koenig – Star Trek’s Chekov – sent me back to a galaxy where the sons and grandsons of Jewish immigrants offered hope in a perilous time

Hiking in nature in the Lower Galilee, northern Israel, December 20, 2025. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Noah Efron

These elections are not a fork in the road

As we fret that the wrong outcome could spell catastrophe for Israel, it’s worth remembering what has happened here over the past 3 years

Samaritan pilgrimage on Mount Gerizim. (all photos, courtesy)

A midnight adventure into antiquity

PHOTO ESSAY: My wife and I joined the Samaritans for their 8-station pilgrimage on Mt. Gerizim, finding spirituality in the mist, amid white robes and silver-clad Torah scrolls

Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks from the podium, right, and opposition members shout at him from the side, in the Knesset, on March 22, 2023. (Noam Moskowitz/Knesset)

Keith Brooks

Happy Election Day. May the best coalition you hate win

Staying sane through Israel’s political chaos means accepting that no party is going to govern the way you want. Not even close

Selfie courtesy of Eli and the author

Sarah Tuttle-Singer

Four secular teens, a Haredi family, and a place at the table

The disagreements over religion and military service didn’t disappear, but for one holiday meal, they simply mattered less

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Oct 30, 2026, 7:02 AM

The “I Am” in Hineni (Vayera)

Divorce has taught me how to count. I count days with my sons and days without them. I count flights, school breaks, costs, and the hours spent in conversations about where they will live and who will bring them...

Oct 30, 2026, 7:02 AM

Zichron Ya’akov: A Small Town That Tells the Story of Israel

Photo Credits: Sabine Sterk

A history of courage, sacrifice, determination and the lessons the world has yet to learn There are places in Israel where history is not simply preserved in museums or written in books, but lives in the streets, the houses and...

Sam Lehman-Wilzig

Oct 30, 2026, 6:53 AM

Israel Moving Sharply Rightwards? It’s Been There For Decades

Were you surprised by Israel’s election results? You shouldn’t have been. And if you think that the returns are a reflection of burning domestic issues (cost of living, rampant crime in the Arab sector, haredi draft exemption, Court “Reform”),...

Marc J. Rosenstein

Oct 30, 2026, 6:49 AM

The Jewish Power Blog: Zionism and Choice

Growing up in a Chicago suburb in the 1960s in a Reform synagogue, I imbibed a sympathy for Zionism, an attachment to Israel, and a gut-level disapproval of the other synagogue in our community that belonged to the anti-Zionist...

Oct 30, 2026, 6:48 AM

Difficult Midrash

There is an interesting Midrash brought in Rashi, related to the banishment of Hagar and Yishmael. The question was why did Hashem send an angel to save Yishmael, when he was dying of thirst. The angel called out to Hagar...

Oct 30, 2026, 6:45 AM

After the Elections: Time to Rebuild the State

Every election cycle in Israel promises stability, governability, responsibility, and hope. Yet time and again, the public discovers that the problem is not merely the government of the day or the politicians who lead it. The problem runs much...

Oct 30, 2026, 6:44 AM

Ain’t Life Grand!

The author pictured with her granddaughters Eva Mazon, 13, (left) and Jordan Mazon,11, (right). Photo courtesy of the author.

As we all know, the word “grand” means big in stature or impact. To me, being a grandparent fits that description perfectly. Having children opens one’s heart in inconceivable ways. When they are all grown up, parents can reflect...

Oct 30, 2026, 4:36 AM

The Music of Ambivalence (Vayera, Covenant & Conversation)

The Torah does not have a word for ambivalence (the nearest is Elijah’s question to the Baal-worshipping Israelites: “How long will you waver between two opinions?”). It does, however, have a tune for it. This is the rare note...

Oct 30, 2026, 4:29 AM

L’eila U’l’eila: Higher and Higher

For this entry, I’m handing my blog to a student on our second high-altitude mission team. He also happens to be my son. Here is his account of HAB2 in his own words. By Gavi Aviv, 11th grade, The Leffell...

Oct 30, 2026, 2:10 AM

Arab Citizens Reached Out. Will Israel’s Leaders Reach Back?

In these elections, Arab society reached out for true partnership, with voter turnout over 80 percent, nearly 3 percent higher than the national average. After four years of a government that persecuted them, destroyed homes, halted budgets, and showed...

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