Rachel Gottlieb, at The Blogs

Jan 5, 2024, 7:15 AM

Israel at War: The Fight of Our Lives, Part II

Let me let you in on a little secret of mine. Come close. Lean in. You ready? I hate Socrates. There. I said it. Now, when I say I hate Socrates, I mean I hate Socrates. With an undying passion. I grant,...

Dec 25, 2023, 10:02 AM

Israel at war: Shouldering the burden

Fourteen. It hits like a gut-punch. Fourteen soldiers killed over Shabbat. I believe that marks the deadliest day of this war since day one (which, it needs to be said, was nearly a thousand times deadlier than this one). And...

Dec 19, 2023, 4:42 PM

Israel at War…Still

Hey there. I’m back. Not just back as in back to writing, although that, too, is true, and now that my semester is over and the last of my assignments are submitted (three cheers for me), I do hope to get...

Nov 27, 2023, 11:16 AM

Israel at War: The Sound and Fury of Everything

Okay. It’s time to come clean. They say the first step to solving an issue is admitting that you have one, right? So I am here to admit it: I have a problem. This is one of those problems,...

Nov 24, 2023, 8:39 PM

Israel at War: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Gunpowder

You may have heard about the American holiday that happened this week. Its eponym is also its most important feature, and the item that truly characterizes the day for what it is. It’s called Turkey Day. Because, well, turkey....

Nov 19, 2023, 11:02 PM

Israel at War: Breathe a Little

It was Shabbat morning. 6:30 AM. I was woken up, jumped out of bed, threw something on over my pajamas, and ran out. Believe it or not, I am not referring to October 7, although all of those details...

Nov 14, 2023, 12:25 PM

Israel at War: We, Too, Have a Dream

Three score years ago, a great American stood at the podium on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and addressed a crowd of some 250,000 strong. That watershed moment in history became a great beacon light...

Nov 13, 2023, 8:12 AM

Israel at War: Hey, Quick Question

To all of the organizations that have been involved in arranging our upcoming March on Washington: Thank you. This needed to happen. American Jewry needs to be doing more, showing up more, coming out more, sacrificing more to show its...

Nov 12, 2023, 9:12 AM

Israel at War: My Current Anthem

I’ve had a song stuck in my head for quite a few days. In fact, I’ve been listening to it on repeat. One of my soldiers sent it to me right before he went into Gaza, as though it...

Nov 11, 2023, 2:54 PM

Israel at War: This Land is Our Land

Bik'at Hayarden, as viewed from Maaleh Gilboah, October 2, 2023
Credit: Author

It was the very first showdown over the land. Rife with tension, flooded with drama, the two sides facing off, one against the other. Kind of like now, right? Wrong. It was tense. It was dramatic. It was also a business...

About Me

As a combination logophile and Israel-o-phile, Rachel's fingers itch whenever something needs to be shared about Israel, particularly as it relates to the Diaspora. Her credentials include a Master's in English and many years experience as a high-school English teacher, which covers the writing part, and being a card-carrying member of the Jewish nation, which covers the Israel part. Although she currently resides in Suffern, NY, her heart has long since been stolen by Israel herself, and her mind is constantly preoccupied with the capital of the Jewish people.