Jeff Seidel, at The Blogs

Nov 30, 2023, 10:04 PM

In history, there are moments so profound that they reshape our world. The aftermath of 9/11 is perhaps the starkest example from our lifetime. It was a time when the phrase ‘the world will never be the same’ resonated...

Nov 22, 2023, 11:52 AM

The Battle Beyond Borders: Israel and the PR War

Last week, the BBC issued a public apology on-air for a misreported story which falsely stated that IDF forces were targeting medical staff at a hospital in Gaza. The original report, it turns out, dangerously misinterpreted the IDF’s actions,...

Nov 12, 2023, 4:37 PM

Social Justice For All…Except for Us

Over the last month, Jews around the world faced a stark reality check. Antisemitism, a longstanding issue exemplified by events like the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting, BDS, and harmful rhetoric on campuses, took a more alarming turn with...

Jul 19, 2023, 3:10 PM

Israel’s Protests: A Test of Democracy

Israel, known as the only successful democracy in the Middle East with a complex political landscape, is currently witnessing a revolutionary moment in history. The much-discussed judicial reforms, aiming to dramatically shift the balance of power within the government,...

Jul 29, 2022, 5:13 PM

The New Antisemitism

“Jewish man assaulted in Crown Heights,” “Texas synagogue cancels services after threat to Jewish community,” and “Swastika spray-painted on elementary school playground in California,” were just a few of the dozens of frightening antisemitic incidents that were reported in...

Jul 14, 2022, 12:07 PM

A Summer of Opportunity

The streets of Israel are looking drastically different than they did a year ago. Markets, beaches, and restaurants are bustling with people every day. Trains and buses are packed to the brim with travelers from around the world. Cities...

May 3, 2022, 12:33 PM

Israel at 74 – How Relevant is a Jewish State?

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We are at a very poignant time in the Jewish calendar. With Passover and Holocaust Remembrance Day behind us, we now look towards Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel...

Apr 13, 2022, 7:45 PM

A Jew’s Search for Safety in an Unsafe World

As I stepped into my Jerusalem home last Thursday night, I was overcome by some all-too familiar feelings. For the fourth time in just two weeks, fear, heartbreak, anger, and disappointment struck our entire Jewish nation as the news...

Jul 15, 2021, 1:10 PM

Nothing unorthodox about ‘My Unorthodox Life’

At a time of rising antisemitism across America the last thing American audiences should be exposed to is a television show that promotes negative stereotypes about Jews. Netflix, evidently, disagrees. In yet another (yawn) show about an Orthodox Jew...

Jun 6, 2021, 2:12 PM

It’s Time to Play Offense in Israel Advocacy

In almost 40 years of introducing thousands of students to Judaism and Israel I’ve learned a few things along the way. Jewish students face new and different challenges than they did in 1982, but some of the same challenges,...

About Me

Since 1982, Jeff Seidel has introduced thousands of Jewish college students to their first Shabbat experience as well as offered free tours and classes through his Jewish Student Centers at Hebrew U in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, and IDC in Herzliya. He has lived in Jerusalem’s Old City for over thirty years and connected tens of thousands to the Land of Israel. He has also authored “The Jewish Traveler's Resource Guide,” which lists Shabbat placement programs around the world.