Joey Bendah

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Oct 26, 2016, 4:18 PM

If only the Romans could see UNESCO today…

If Vespasianus Augustus Titus, the Imperial Roman commander who destroyed the Second Jewish Temple and burned Jerusalem, were alive today to see recurring United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) resolutions ignoring the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, he...

Sep 28, 2016, 9:21 AM

Let’s Be Shimon’s Friends for Peace

I'm shattered after waking up to the early morning news that Shimon Peres passed away, just two weeks after the stroke that put him in the hospital. On the other hand, I can’t help but smile as I remember his...

May 13, 2016, 11:31 AM

Term limits for the prime minister, bad idea

Another bill is being introduced to the Knesset to enact term limits on the prime minister in less than two years. It’s very clear that the bill is aimed directly at Prime Minister Netanyahu, supported by both the opposition...

Jan 25, 2016, 3:52 PM

Herzog is moving Labor into the center

By saying that peace prospects are dim, the opposition leader wisely affirmed what most Israelis feel

Nov 25, 2015, 2:13 PM

Take the fight to BDS on campuses

I’m tired of reading reports of students complaining of anti-Semitism on campus. I’m tired of Facebook posts of Jewish students being threatened because of their ‘Jewish agendas’. And I’m especially tired about hearing about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions...

Sep 24, 2015, 11:13 PM

Next Yom Kippur don’t send me your mass-mailed apologies!

As Yom Kippur approached this year I read tons of mass-mailed text messages and Facebook statuses asking forgiveness for their wrongdoings. They go somewhat like this, "if I have done anything wrong to you... blah, blah... please forgive me." These are...

Aug 18, 2015, 2:34 PM

Welcome to the family, future lone soldiers!

To the fifty-nine future lone soldiers that arrived in Israel, I want to thank each and every one of you for the service that you're about to embark upon. It’s going to be one of the hardest but most rewarding...

May 26, 2015, 12:06 AM

It wasn’t the truth that put the Israeli soldier in jail

Today I was intrigued by an opinion editorial on HaAretz entitled “How telling the truth gets an Israeli soldier thrown in jail.” The article is about a lone soldier named Shachar Berrin that was punished by his commander for...

Mar 21, 2015, 11:24 PM

Overseas Jews on Israel’s elections: da’i, maspik, halas!

Da’i, Maspik, Halas— Hebrew and Arabic for ‘enough’. This is what I am telling my fellow Jews residing overseas on both ends of the spectrum that blast their condescending opinions with regards to Israel’s recent elections through social media. If you...

Feb 23, 2015, 7:03 PM

Zionism is dead

Just a few generations after Israel’s birth, his secular army peers are cut off from the idea of a Jewish Israel

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About Me

Joey is a writer, social activist, and new immigrant to Israel. He works as a program manager for an international Israel education organization, where he trains students from around the world in Israel activism. Before immigrating to Israel, Joey received a BA in Middle Eastern studies and political science at the University of Arizona. He served as a lone soldier in the IDF with the Paratrooper Brigade.