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Aug 10, 2026, 3:18 PM

Saturday morning at the Basimta protests

Overseen by police, young Haredim sit in an alley outside Cafe Basimta, Shabbat morning, in protest of the cafe being open, August 8, 2026. (courtesy of my wife)

PHOTO ESSAY - A flashpoint for debate about Israel's future: The Haredim object to an open cafe on the day of rest and secular activists arrive to ensure their Shabbat coffee

Aug 10, 2026, 8:13 AM

When Niceness Is Not Enough

Jews like to joke that wherever there are two Jews, there are three opinions. We tell the joke proudly. Disagreement, we believe, is one of our great strengths. But I am beginning to wonder whether we are better at celebrating...

Aug 6, 2026, 6:49 PM

Re’eh: The Danger of Becoming Separate Tribes

This week’s parasha contains a prohibition whose significance, according to the Sages, reaches far beyond its original context: בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, לֹא תִתְגֹּדְדוּ"”, “You are children of the Lord your God; (lo titgodedu) you shall not cut yourselves” (Deuteronomy...

Aug 5, 2026, 9:43 AM

Seeing the Good Society We Are Called to Build

"See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse." (Deuteronomy 11:26) This week's parsha begins with one remarkable word: Re'eh—See. Not simply hear. Not merely believe. See. See reality clearly. See the consequences of our choices. See the society we are building. Judaism...

Aug 4, 2026, 2:39 PM

As Religious Zionism moves to the fringe, one politician stands to gain

Minister of Finance and Head of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich attends the Religious Zionism party primaries ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections, in Jerusalem, July 26, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

The party's narrowing appeal could reshape the battle for Israel's religious-nationalist voters

Aug 3, 2026, 12:22 PM

Before Asking Israelis to listen, the Israeli Left Must Learn to Listen

If the Israeli Left wants to govern and strengthen Israeli democracy, it needs a different political culture - one that listens more, broadens representation, and builds relationships across social divides. It is election season in Israel, and there is a...

Chana Hirschowitz

Aug 2, 2026, 6:51 PM

Why Does Israel Exist? What Does It Mean To Be Israeli?

The room fell silent before anyone realised why. My professor at Reichman University had asked what should have been one of the easiest questions of the semester. "What does it mean to be Israeli?" Around me sat students who had been born...

Aug 2, 2026, 12:18 PM

What would it take to be a light unto the nations?

The phrase “a light unto the nations”—אור גויים—comes from the prophet Isaiah. G-d tells His servant that restoring the tribes of Jacob is “too small a thing” on its own: “I will also make you a light of nations,...

Andy Blumenthal

Aug 2, 2026, 4:57 AM

Don’t Wait Until Death to Learn How to Live

Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel about Eddie, an aging amusement-park maintenance worker who dies trying to save a child and then meets five people in heaven. Each encounter helps him understand a...

Jul 30, 2026, 1:08 AM

How Did We Get Here?

The massacre of October 7th and the ensuing wars that have exploded around the Middle East as a response, have brought to the surface a deep chasm that has been brewing within Israeli society for some years now. They...

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