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Jacob B. Ukeles

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Apr 20, 2026, 10:46 PM

Stop Extremist Jewish Violence Now

Every day we act out our determination to survive and flourish in our homeland. Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, and others are determined to destroy us. At this time when we so desperately need solidarity, strength, and resilience, we also...

Aug 20, 2025, 2:24 AM

Perplexed, Disappointed, and Angry

I have been committed to the Zionist vision of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people since my youth. Even a cursory glance at our scriptures and prayer book makes it obvious that Zionism is an essential element...

Dec 25, 2023, 7:42 PM

Gaza: What next

October 7th was a black day for Israel, a catastrophe in every sense of the word. Now we are in a terrible war with a vicious, hateful foe. Yes, we have rallied to an extraordinary degree, and yes, we...

Dec 6, 2022, 9:30 PM

Raising the flag of authentic religious Zionism

Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Avi Maoz represent an existential threat to the survival of the State of Israel. Actually, their ideology, policies and programs that they are very likely to have the power to implement represent two threats:...

Jan 13, 2022, 3:30 PM

Remembering a Great Man

Yesterday was the yahrzeit of my beloved teacher, Rav Yehuda Gershuni Z”L. My rebbe was a passionate man. Most of all he was passionate about Torah: he personified תורה לשמה -- he loved Torah for its own sake. He was...

Dec 16, 2021, 10:32 AM

Jewish extremist violence against Arabs: End the denial and act!

Masked men, allegedly Israeli settlers, wield clubs during what eyewitnesses and police called an attack on Palestinians seeking to harvest olives near Surif, on November 12, 2021. (Credit: Shai Kendler)

So what if 'only' a minority of settlers commit acts of violence. Where are the voices of condemnation from Israeli leaders in the territories?

Sep 17, 2020, 5:17 PM

Haredim in Israel: Lessons from the COVID-19 Disaster

The COVID-19 disaster in Israel should be a stimulus to rethink the entire relationship of Israeli society and Haredim. The Haredi population in Israel today numbers 1,170,000 – 13% of Israel’s population. With about 4,000 new cases a day, Israel...

Jun 23, 2020, 9:33 PM

Annexation is a Terrible Idea

David Horovitz is right: “Netanyahu’s annexation bid is bad for Israel. Our ally the US should just say no.” Times of Israel (June 22, 2020) All of the recent survey data is unanimous – most Israelis are opposed to annexation....

Feb 26, 2020, 3:13 PM

Kachol Lavan: Business as Usual or a New Paradigm?

The latest polls show that Kachol Lavan now trails Likud. Some have speculated that the announcement that Bennie Gantz’s former company, the Fifth Dimension, is the subject of a police investigation, caused the downward slide of Kachol Lavan. I...

Feb 14, 2019, 2:46 PM

Beyond Slogans: Making Israeli Elections More Meaningful

The campaign for the election of the next Israeli Knesset has begun in earnest. So far, we have old parties struggling to hold on, new parties flailing to establish an identity, a confused electorate, gyrating polls, and the usual...

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About Me

Prior to retirement in 2018, Jack Ukeles was the president of Ukeles Associates Inc., a planning, policy research, and management firm for Jewish communities and organizations in the US, Israel, and world-wide.