Zev Bell

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Jan 4, 2024, 11:37 AM

To Peter Beinart: A Jewish state is crucial

Peter Beinart is a well-known fierce Jewish critic of Israel. A few years back, he wrote an article about why he went from a liberal Zionist into a believer in a one-state solution. I wrote to him directly to...

Mar 24, 2023, 10:49 AM

To Zev Chafets: ‘Othering’ Jews is the opposite of the Zionist dream

Bnei Brak residents welcome the protestors with snacks, drinks, and good cheer. (Tal Schneider via Twitter)

When you badmouth Israel's Haredim, you display your prejudice against this segment of the population. You're also wrong

Feb 16, 2021, 1:49 AM

The poison of Kahanism

Most positive things, if misused, can dually serve as a grave danger. Our Sages (Shabbat 88b) tell us that the Torah, the dynamic constitution of the Jewish people, is no exception to this phenomenon: if used responsibly and with...

Jan 20, 2021, 10:33 AM

Jewish lessons to be learned from the Trump era

Well, good riddance -- it's just about over. Four years of unprecedented, tumultuous politics. Here are five things to be learned from Donald John Trump's presidency that we can apply to our lives to make ourselves better people. 1. Mistakes...

Jan 12, 2021, 6:25 PM

The worlds we build — and destroy — with words

Words have long been humanity's most useful tool. Few have described this more eloquently than Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l, the former Chief Rabbi of the UK, who passed away last year: With words God created the universe: “And God said, Let...

Nov 8, 2020, 11:27 PM

A teen’s tribute to Rabbi Sacks, z”l

The Jewish people - and the world writ large - have lost a giant. After a beautiful outside and masked slow shira I took part in, I was regrettably informed that Rabbi Sacks had passed away on Shabbos morning....

Oct 2, 2020, 11:12 PM

Humanity first, politics second

US President Donald Trump leaves the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the South Lawn of the White House on October 2, 2020 in Washington, DC (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP)

Sure, you can continue to criticize Trump's handling of the virus, but Judaism teaches us to not rejoice at the fact that the US president is sick

Jun 29, 2020, 1:58 AM

A teen’s perspective: Israel is much more than falafel and Waze

Falafel balls, cherry tomatoes, Waze, and USB sticks. To some, these objects represent the aspects of modern Israel we know and love: its great taste in cuisine, its resilience, and its high-tech ingenuity. But these symbols don't tell Israel's...

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About Me

Zev Bell is a 20 year-old student who studied in Israel at Yeshivat Har Etzion, and currently attends Yeshiva University. His affinities include Talmudic study, classical philosophy, and law.