Steve Sheffey, at The Blogs

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Sep 27, 2024, 12:55 AM

An interview with former Congressman Steve Rothman

Steve Rothman’s new autobiography, Congressman Steve Rothman: A Political History with Photographs, is a fascinating account of Rothman’s life in politics. Rothman represented New Jersey’s 9th congressional district from 1997 to 2013, where he distinguished himself as one of...

Sep 11, 2024, 5:44 PM

Your Republican friends need to know the facts

Only 25% of Jewish voters support Donald Trump. The question is why any Jewish voter would vote for Trump, especially considering the records Harris and Walz have compiled on Israel and antisemitism. At last night’s presidential debate, Harris reminded...

Nov 26, 2023, 3:38 PM

Perfect Enemy: A Book For Our Time

As Israel continues to battle Hamas in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 massacre, and as the ramifications of the war continue to reverberate around the world, why should you read a suspense thriller about an Israeli scientist...

Apr 21, 2023, 7:58 PM

Book Review: Impossible Takes Longer

“The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.” Daniel Gordis takes the title of his new book, “Impossible Takes Longer,” from a saying popularized in Israel by Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion (the saying predates...

Mar 27, 2023, 6:41 PM

Horizon of Hope

These are difficult times for Israel’s dreamers. It’s hard to believe in our dreams when the political situation in Israel is so dire. But despondent as we are, abandoning our dreams is not an option, so I sought advice from...

Feb 14, 2023, 12:06 AM

How Not to Define Antisemitism

Studies show that amateurs and professionals rate older, more expensive wines higher than lower-priced wines yet rate wines differently in blind taste tests. They are not lying when they rate higher-priced wines higher--knowing the price makes it genuinely taste...

Dec 16, 2021, 5:12 PM

Twelve tribes, two peoples, one land

You cannot begin to understand Israel and the Palestinians without understanding the diversity of Israeli and Palestinian society and the divisions within each society. A good place to start would be by reading Twelve Tribes, Promise and Peril in...

Oct 4, 2021, 9:04 PM

When Rabbis Bless Congress

The Constitution guarantees separation of religion and state, so what is God doing in Congress? Howard Mortman answers that question and more in his fascinating and entertaining compendium of Jewish prayers on Capitol Hill, When Rabbis Bless Congress. Congress opens...

Jun 24, 2021, 7:01 PM

Combating BDS? Not really.

The Combating BDS Act, recently reintroduced by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), is both inconsequential and dangerous: inconsequential because it is an unnecessary, toothless attempt to counter the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel,...

Feb 20, 2021, 12:17 AM

The conflict over the conflict

College students, parents, anyone concerned about the Israel/Palestine campus debate, and anyone wondering about the IHRA definition of antisemitism owe it to themselves to read The Conflict Over the Conflict, by Kenneth S. Stern (New Jewish Press, 2020). Stern is...

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About Me

Steve Sheffey is active in the national Jewish and pro-Israel political communities. His weekly Pro-Israel Political Update is read by thousands of subscribers across the country and around the world. The views he expresses on this blog are solely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organizations he is or has been associated with.