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Michael Segal

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Jan 10, 2023, 7:32 AM

Save Kan TV to save the Diaspora

Incoming Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi added to the rumblings that the new government will close down the taxpayer-funded Kan broadcaster. That is a bad idea, but not for the reasons people think. Karhi has a point that Kan's news programs...

Sep 15, 2022, 6:40 AM

The Akeda from an Ancient Perspective

We read about Akedat Yitzkhak (the Binding of Isaac) on Rosh Hashanah. People are uncomfortable with this for two reasons. One is that Tshuvah (repentance) is central to Rosh Hashanah, but the Akeda does not seem to be much about Tshuvah. The...

May 5, 2021, 10:35 PM

Israel to Diaspora: Stay away

3 key ways the Jewish state could streamline the process of welcoming vaccinated visitors from abroad

Dec 31, 2020, 9:37 AM

Pause booster shots. Don’t pause first shots.

Israel has astounded the world by vaccinating against the coronavirus at the fastest rate on the planet: more than 10 times the rate per capita in the United States. But according to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Israel may pause...

Dec 16, 2020, 1:40 AM

Israel could be the first to stop the coronavirus

FILE - This Wednesday, Sept, 2, 2020, file photo shows University of Miami Miller School of Medicine lab tech Sendy Puerto processing blood samples in the specimen processing lab from study participants who volunteered to take part in testing the National Institutes of Health-funded Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Miami. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is participating in a COVID-19 vaccine study, hoping to encourage others to volunteer to take part in testing. (AP Photo/Taimy Alvarez, File)

Israel could become the first country to stamp out the coronavirus, but only if it lives up to its reputations for innovation and science. As I detailed last week in the Wall Street Journal, the United States didn’t order enough...

Sep 21, 2020, 10:10 PM

Fasting for Yom Kippur: A Medical Perspective

Each year on Yom Kippur, Jews wish one another a khatima tova (a good seal in the Book of Life) and a tolerable fast. The route to a khatima tova is beyond the scope of this article; the route to a tolerable fast...

Sep 21, 2020, 8:54 AM

Zoom shul-goers: a field guide

Many shuls struggled with the question of whether to stream High Holiday services or use the interactive approach of a Zoom session in which members of the “kahal” (congregation) are visible. To support Zoom davening for the festivals, the company...

Sep 15, 2020, 11:35 PM

The beauty of the Abraham accords: undermining intersectionality

The peace deals with the Emirates and Bahrain made little impression with the American public. True, the media is reluctant to credit President Trump with an achievement. But the main reason for the low interest is that the agreement...

Aug 11, 2020, 5:45 AM

Let’s all watch the Arik Einstein memorial concert

On 7 October 2014, some 40,000 people packed Tel Aviv’s Ganei Yehoshua for the concert in memory of Arik Einstein. It was a magical moment, with whole generations of performers on stage, stunning visual effects, Shimon Peres welcoming the...

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About Me

Michael Segal is a neurologist and neuroscientist in the United States.