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Jun 9, 2026, 11:15 PM

The Israel I Heard on a Mountaintop

John Boyd Thacher Park in New York's Helderberg Mountains. (Photo Credit: "Discover Albany"--https://www.albany.org/listing/john-boyd-thacher-state-park/1967/)

In June 1967, a high school friend and I spent six consecutive nights driving from our homes in Albany, New York, to the top of John Boyd Thacher Park in the Helderberg Mountains. We arrived just before midnight carrying...

May 27, 2026, 11:24 AM

The Indisputable Zionism of the Black Panther Party and Why it Matters Now

(Part I: The Jew boy fight, the JDL, Zionists, and the Black Power Party’s Zionist-inspired platform) I was introduced to the Black Panthers in the eighth grade by my friend Gene—I think that was his name. We were walking...

Apr 25, 2026, 11:53 AM

Treasure Trove: Leon Blum-Socialist, Zionist, Survivor, Prime Minister of France

From the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (www.herzlcollection.com). Photograph by David Matlow.

In 1943, Leon Blum was a prisoner in the Buchenwald concentration camp when the Leon Blum Colony (Kfar Blum in Hebrew) was dedicated. This poster stamp raised funds, ten cents per stamp, for the establishment of this town which...

Eliezer Avraham

Apr 5, 2026, 10:19 AM

Herzl: The Man Who Imagined a Nation Before It Existed

A journalist with an impossible dream sparked a nation; a journey of vision, audacity, and the question of whether it was prophecy, genius, or simply relentless hope. The Paradox of Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl remains one of the most enigmatic figures...

Arnon Rubinstein

Mar 31, 2026, 1:14 PM

Next year in Jerusalem

לשנה הבאה בירושלים This expression, traditionally recited at the conclusion of both the Passover Seder (the Jewish festive feast to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt) and the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) service, represents the enduring aspiration of the Jewish...

Mar 27, 2026, 6:13 PM

Treasure Trove: From Herzl to Moses to … who?

From the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (www.herzlcollection.com). Photograph by David Matlow.

There are many similarities between Moses and Herzl. Each grew up outside the mainstream Jewish establishment: Moses in Pharaoh’s home and Herzl in an assimilated environment. Each had an experience that caused him to dedicate his life to the Jewish...

Mar 8, 2026, 11:36 PM

Treasure Trove: ‘The Promise’ Medal and the Second Verse of Ezekiel’s Prophecy

Postcard with fascimile of the Second Congress Medal printed around the time of the Congress (1898). From the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (www.herzlcollection.com). Photograph by Kevin Viner, Elevator Digital, Toronto used with permission.

This medal is considered to be one of the most important Jewish medals ever struck. “The Promise” is a commemorative bronze medal designed by Samuel Friedrich Beer and minted in Paris for the Second Zionist Congress held in Basel in...

Feb 14, 2026, 8:16 PM

Treasure Trove: Jean Beliveau, Montreal’s Hockey Playing Mensch

Herzl Cup philatelic cover signed by Jean Beliveau. From the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (www.herzlcollection.com). Photograph by David Matlow

As a fan of Theodor Herzl, I know that dreams can be fulfilled. As a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I am not as certain. Growing up in Toronto, I confess to being jealous of the Montreal Canadiens...

Raphael Cohen-Almagor

Feb 6, 2026, 7:59 PM

Quantum Theory & the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict

I recently found myself in an exchange with a distinguished physicist about Israel, Zionism, and the war in Gaza. A colleague I long regarded as a thoughtful interlocutor had undergone a profound transformation in his views. What began as...

Feb 1, 2026, 5:05 AM

Herzl's tree is dead, long live Herzl's tree

From the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (www.herzlcollection.com). Photograph by Kevin Viner, Elevator Digital, Toronto. Used with permission.

During his one visit to Palestine in 1898, the Zionist dreamer planted a cypress. It was destroyed. So why is he depicted standing next to a fully grown tree?

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