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Luiz Gandelman

Jewish, Latino, American, Israeli, and Liberal.

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Sep 7, 2024, 10:26 AM

Frustrations from a Distantly Close Friend

I was at my college’s late-night diner preparing to order food when out of boredom, I checked my phone for the first time in a few hours. When I opened Instagram, the sight I had been dreading for months...

Aug 19, 2024, 9:06 AM

Netanyahu: our new Zedekiah

This Tisha B’Av served as a stark reminder of the tragedy befalling the Jewish people and Israel since October 7, with antisemitism peaking, hundreds of Israeli soldiers and thousands of civilians having been murdered by Hamas, and these victims...

Jul 5, 2024, 8:02 AM

Why Israel must recognize Palestine at the UN

The horrifying war Israel is currently engaged in, the captivity of the hostages, the international condemnation of Israel, and the diplomatic recognition of Palestine by Ireland, Spain, Norway, and Armenia serve as a stark reminder. The days of Oslo,...

Apr 16, 2024, 4:30 AM

Today, restraint is strength for Israel

Objects in the sky are intercepted after Iran attacked Israel. Amir Cohen/Reuters

I, like millions of Jews and diaspora Israelis around the world watched in horror as the Islamic Republic of Iran launched their offensive on Israel, indiscriminately targeting civilians of all backgrounds and faiths. I was driving to Utica, New...

Jul 6, 2023, 11:10 AM

Understanding Israel’s Judicial Reforms, and why you should oppose them too

With hundreds of thousands of Israelis, Religious and Secular, Arab and Jewish, and Left and Right, all coming together, Israel has been in chaotic political turmoil for the past few months, mainly over one issue: Bibi Netanyahu's proposed Judicial...

Jan 23, 2023, 6:42 AM

Israel: It’s Time For A Wake Up Call

Likud Head MK Benjamin Netanyahu surrounded by MKs after a vote for the new Knesset speaker at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on December 13, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The most recent election in Israel is bad news for millions around the world, but it is anything but shocking. Benjamin Netanyahu and his cult-like following, alongside a mildly chaotic opposition, made this election a somewhat smooth one for...

Dec 22, 2022, 1:49 PM

Visiting Israel’s Circassian Community

My father and I at the Circassian Heritage Center in Kfar Kama, Israel in April 2022. (Luiz Gandelman)

Almost anyone can tell you that Israel is a Jewish state. As a matter of fact, roughly 75% of Israel’s population is Jewish. The next largest group is Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, followed by Druze Israelis. One group...

Aug 5, 2022, 6:13 AM

How We Can Learn From Criticism of Israel

Israel is perhaps one of the most complicated countries on earth. After all, how many countries have their mere right to existence questioned? Besides Kosovo and Taiwan, among other small nations that may not receive recognition from other nations,...

Mar 3, 2022, 5:34 PM

Meeting a Palestinian Man From Hebron

Me with the Palestinian man I met from Hebron in the Jerusalem Rooftops on February 24, 2022. The Old City and Dome of the Rock are visible in the background. (Credit: Luiz Gandelman)

I am a Brazilian-Israeli living in the United States, and currently doing a semester of High School in Israel. I have always been Israeli, but this experience of living in Israel for an extended period of time is completely...

Feb 24, 2022, 12:21 AM

Traveling to Dubai as an Israeli

For winter break of 2021, I got the chance to visit Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. I am an Israeli citizen, meaning that until 2020, I was not allowed to even enter the UAE, making a vacation to...

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About Me

Luiz Gandelman is a student at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, he now lives in Miami, Florida.

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