Gedalyah Reback, at The Blogs

Apply for a Blog

Apr 17, 2019, 7:18 AM

Laïcité and Notre Dame: France Mourns a Relic as It Quashes Religious Expression

(L) Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on April 15, 2019, in the French capital Paris. (Fabien Barrau / AFP) / (R) People sit near a French flag as they attend a ceremony for the victims of a series of deadly attacks at the Grande synagogue de la Victoire on November 15, 2015. (Loic Venance/AFP)

Just to clarify because a lot of people seem not to have realized this judging by their statuses, but Notre Dame has not burnt down. The firefighters acted quickly and probably with some degree of a contingency plan and...

Apr 11, 2019, 1:28 AM

Likud PR firm’s admission cameras were to intimidate voters should reopen polls

Hidden cameras at polling stations confiscated from operatives of Kaizler Inbar, who had been retained by Likud (Screenshot, Twitter, @samiaah10)

The disgraceful boast by a Likud PR firm that their hidden camera ploy cut voting in half should prompt an extraordinary response

Dec 8, 2017, 4:00 PM

If now is not the time to talk about Jerusalem, when is?

Donald Trump is the quintessential broken clock. For all his follies, deliberate or imbecile, Trump's formal recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a morally, ethically and legally sound maneuver. Contrary to statements from world leaders that this will...

Jun 26, 2017, 2:37 PM

I do not agree with Reform or Conservative Jews, but let them pray

Sixteen years ago, brought up on only Christmas and Chanukah, I came to a decision that would completely change the direction and purpose of my life: I committed fully to Judaism and told my Catholic mother I did not...

Jul 7, 2015, 6:58 PM

A Chief Rabbi that can battle the Pope

The Jewish people need a Chief Rabbi that can be a global religious leader who can stand on the same stage as the popes and bishops of the world. The Rabbanut, for all the complaints I and several thousand others...

Jun 23, 2015, 11:13 AM

Why even use the word “terrorism?”

Last week's massacre in South Carolina was an act of terrorism, and the propensity for so many people not to see it that way indicates there is a major flaw in objectively using the term "terrorism" at all. I keep seeing all...

May 6, 2015, 10:45 AM

Why I Didn’t Vote Jewish Home

I am a registered member of Jewish Home, but I did not vote for them on election day. I like Naftali Bennett. I see in his politics a mix of Religious Zionist priorities and forethought that prioritizes education and development...

Feb 17, 2015, 2:20 AM

A Retort to Netanyahu, a Message to European Jews

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might have the job to reinforce the notion of Aliyah among Diaspora Jews, but the mistake he makes is that he is actually sounding a different call: retreat. Aliyah is a critical component of Israel's future...

Feb 16, 2015, 11:10 PM

I am a Centrist. I am a Religious Zionist.

I don't want my Israeli political identity defined by defense. I don't want ot to solely depend my views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - I care about all political issues in this country, and don't care to be boxed in by...

Jan 21, 2015, 10:42 PM

Europe’s Jews Have a Civil Rights Fight on their Hands

Antisemitism in Europe is a civil rights issue. Discrimination against Jewish religious rites is a civil rights issue. It doesn't matter if the source is a secular one aiming to make religious affiliation subservient to the state. It doesn't...

Load more

About Me

Gedalyah Reback is an experienced writer on technology, startups, the Middle East and Islam. He also focuses on issues of personal status in Judaism, namely conversion.