Martin J. Levine

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Jul 10, 2015, 7:00 PM

Oren and Obama: Let’s hear it for ‘daylight’

Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren accuses President Obama of departing from the traditional U.S. posture toward Israel, that of “no daylight” between the allies. Aside from the fact that this posture is by no means a tradition...

Apr 27, 2015, 9:41 PM

On March 16, before the Israeli elections, an Israeli news site asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to confirm that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch. “Indeed,” he replied. After the election, he said he does support the...

Oct 24, 2014, 11:16 PM

A Narrow Bridge

The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The important thing is not to be afraid. --Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav Rabbi Nachman’s narrow bridge is, of course, a path we walk at all times and in all situations, but there...

Aug 14, 2014, 11:27 AM

There is an old story about the rabbi who is asked to settle a dispute. After hearing the first party’s argument, the rabbi says, “You’re right.” Then he hears the other party’s argument and responds, “You’re right, too.” A...

Jul 10, 2014, 8:01 PM

The Day Before and the Day After

Three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered. This was a terrible crime and it must be punished, as must the similar kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian youth. Nothing can excuse or mitigate these crimes. These things are a...

May 28, 2014, 6:50 PM

Truth, Lies, Settlements, and the Need to Talk

There is a series of logic puzzles that are based on the idea of two tribes, where the members of one tribe always lie and the members of the other always tell the truth. In the real world, there...

Jan 24, 2014, 6:59 AM

The peace process: Plan A guys and Plan B guys

Ari Shavit’s book My Promised Land has been widely discussed, but I think an important point has been largely ignored. The discussion focuses mostly on Shavit’s view of Israel’s history, but it his conclusions about Israel’s future that I think need...

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About Me

Martin J. Levine is a volunteer leader at J Street, serving on the Steering Committee of its New Jersey chapter.