Adam Penkin, at The Blogs

Adam Penkin

Jun 20, 2025, 6:14 PM

It is no easy feat, walking the tightrope of critical support. Chaim Weizmann described the world in 1936 as ‘divided into two parts — those places where the Jews cannot live and those where they cannot enter.’ The liberal...

Mar 1, 2025, 10:35 PM

To care for Palestinians you must care for Israelis

There is something notably lacking in a broad subset of the discussions held on the protracted conflict raging in the Holy Land; particularly by people who claim to champion the Palestinian cause. Its absence makes it very difficult to...

Oct 5, 2024, 9:47 PM

Making Sense of Rhetoric, or Is ‘Zionism’ a Slur?

The events of October 7th 2023 have catapulted the discourse around the ‘legitimacy’ of the existence of the state of Israel to the forefront of public consciousness. There is far more talking than listening and discussions are conducted for...

Jan 23, 2024, 5:08 PM

The Absurdity of War

These last few months I’ve been really having trouble putting what I’m feeling into words. This is especially odd for me as I have always been very verbose. Absurdity always defies verbalisation. And it is absurd, this war-torn period,...

Dec 8, 2023, 7:21 PM

Being Jewish at a University with Five Colleges Named Jesus

A month into my first term, my sister sent me two texts one after another. “How’s Cambridge have you found a wife?” And then immediately “any nice Jewish girls on campus?” I laughed. No, I responded, being still distinctly...

Nov 10, 2023, 11:16 PM

War Away From Home

My flight from Tel Aviv touched down at Heathrow on Monday the 2nd and I took the Jubilee line to Kings Cross before switching for my journey to Cambridge. I was nervous, starting third year, but excited to catch...

About Me

An international Jew that came to make a home in Israel. Studied philosophy at Cambridge and trying to apply what I learned to understanding the world, my country, and the future. To quote Amos Oz: 'The... essays that follow were written not by a scholar or an expert, but by a person living through and grappling with the situation. The essays' common thread is my desire to take a personal look at a number of extremely controversial issues, some of which strike me as matters of life and death. This book does not purport to describe every aspect of every disagreement or to elucidate all features of the landscape, and certainly not to have the last word. Rather, it seeks the listening ear of those whose opinions differ from my own.' The views expressed represent only my personal perspectives.