Red Wine Jerusalem

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Red Wine Jerusalem

Jerusalem of Gold

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Jerusalem of Gold

Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome.

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome."

Israel’s recent military achievements show the extraordinary courage, skill, and resolve required to defend a people surrounded by enemies committed to its destruction—but they cannot guarantee that danger will disappear. The horror of October 7 showed, at terrible cost, that even a strong and technologically advanced country must never allow confidence or complacency to replace vigilance. Through Moses standing at the Jordan, the article reminds readers that we may not control the future or see the final results of our efforts, but we are never excused from doing what is right and necessary today. This Rosh Hashanah, it calls on Jews everywhere to stand with Israel, protect Jewish life, care for those carrying the wounds of terror and war, confront antisemitism without fear, strengthen Jewish unity, and join prayer to courageous action.

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Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome.

The Work of Living After October 7

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Work of Living After October 7."

Reading Tuesdays with Morrie after October 7 made me think differently about fear, loss, and what it means to keep living. Morrie’s lessons reminded me that we cannot ignore danger or grief, but we also cannot let them take over our hearts, homes, or communities. I believe Israel must face its failures honestly, protect its people, and rebuild with strength and care. Most of all, I came away believing that the answer to terror is not only survival—it is choosing love, connection, purpose, and Jewish life again and again.

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The Work of Living After October 7

Israel Needs a Drone Army—Before the Next War

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israel Needs a Drone Army—Before the Next War."

Israel helped pioneer military drones, but a recent exercise in Germany—where Ukrainian drone teams rapidly exposed US troops and armored vehicles—shows that even advanced militaries must adapt faster and field drone capabilities at scale. Ukraine has demonstrated how drones can help a smaller force find attackers, slow advances, protect troops, and learn more quickly than a larger adversary. Israel needs both a drone sword to identify and disrupt confirmed threats before they strike, and a layered, affordable shield to protect soldiers, communities, and critical infrastructure when prevention fails. That requires a permanent joint drone, counter-drone, and electronic-warfare effort; AI-enabled command systems; domestic production; trained operators; and the ability to field, sustain, and replace drones at scale across the IDF—before the next warning becomes another tragedy.

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Israel Needs a Drone Army—Before the Next War

Shalom Yisrael

Shalom Yisrael

We Will Dance Again - Thank You Boy George!

We Will Dance Again - Thank You Boy George!

Old City Jerusalem

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Old City Jerusalem

Jews Never Quit

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Jews Never Quit."

Throughout Jewish history, every generation has faced challenges that seemed impossible to overcome, yet the Jewish people have endured by adapting, rebuilding, and remaining faithful to their mission. From Moshe’s lessons in Devarim to Job’s unwavering faith, Judaism teaches that perseverance does not mean avoiding hardship—it means continuing forward despite it. Today, as Israel faces security challenges and Jews worldwide confront rising antisemitism and shifting alliances, the answer remains the same: we adjust, strengthen ourselves, and continue. The Jewish people have survived because we never surrender our hope, our values, or our determination to build the future.

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Jews Never Quit

The Abyss Taught Me That Connection Is Everything

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Abyss Taught Me That Connection Is Everything." 

A terrifying dream of being cut off from everyone and everything I love became a powerful meditation on what it means to belong. Through the ideas of karet, exile, and Zion, I came to see that the deepest human fear is not pain but disconnection from G-d, from people, and from purpose. The dream also reminded me that life is meant for relationship: to cleave, to build, to return, and to create continuity rather than isolation. In the end, it left me with a renewed gratitude for belonging and a deeper conviction that connection is what makes life meaningful.

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The Abyss Taught Me That Connection Is Everything

"זן נדיר" (We Are a Rare Breed) By Corinne Allal

We fear our own shadow

We cling to the walls of the houses
And most of the time are ashamed of our bodies
Digging bomb shelters

We are fleeing from a crazy party
Pushing our way into rowboats
Every dry land is a sinking ship
When digging bomb shelters

We are a rare breed
A strange bird
Dreams in the air
Head in the ground

We deceive mostly ourselves
Not blind but we do not look
And it’s unclear what we will leave behind
Except for the fears

We are a rare breed
A strange bird
Dreams in the air
Head in the ground

"זן נדיר" (We Are a Rare Breed) By Corinne Allal

Don’t Fall for the DSA Branding Machine

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Don't Fall for the DSA Branding Machine."

Something significant just happened in New York — and most people missed what it really means. A political movement is selling affordability and social justice on the surface while systematically inverting moral reality underneath, recasting terrorists as victims, democracies as villains, and Jews as obstacles to progress. This isn't a policy disagreement or a generational shift in the Democratic Party — it's a branding operation designed to make radical ideas sound compassionate, and it's working. The question is whether enough Americans will see through the packaging before the moral rot becomes permanent.

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Don’t Fall for the DSA Branding Machine

JD Vance: A Korach for Our Time

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "JD Vance: A Korach for Our Time."

Israel is fighting an existential battle for survival against a radical Islamic Iranian regime dedicated to the total destruction of the Jewish state. True moral clarity requires standing firmly with allies under siege, not lecturing a democracy from a distance while treating its enemies with diplomatic indulgence. Israel does not need sermons from Washington about restraint; it needs allies who understand that national security is the first duty of government, and that the fundamental threat to peace is not Israel’s defense, but the terror apparatus in Tehran—and the Western leaders who fail to see the difference.

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JD Vance: A Korach for Our Time

Be Bold and Settle Our Entire Land of Israel

 

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Be Bold and Settle Our Entire Land of Israel."

As Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government boldly allocates $350 million to establish 61 new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, he acts as a modern Caleb and Joshua—faithful and courageous in claiming our biblically mandated and historical land despite international condemnation. We must be clear: we cannot and will not let Hamas and its terrorist affiliates steal our Jewish ancestral land or erase our indigenous connection to it. The Bible reinforces this imperative, teaching that fear blinds us to God’s promise while faith empowers us to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles, just as the spies once trembled before the giants of Canaan. Just as the rabbi today courageously corrected a congregation drifting into herd mentality during Shabbat Mussaf, so too must we—especially today’s B’nai Mitzvah, celebrating on the symbolic date of 6/13 (613 mitzvot)—reject secular conformity and stand firm in Jewish responsibility. We are commanded not to blend into the global herd but to break from it, sanctify our actions, and move forward with unyielding faith to build and secure the Land of Israel.

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Be Bold and Settle Our Entire Land of Israel

Eyes That Do Not See: The Moral Vanity of Anti-Zionism

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Eyes That Do Not See: The Moral Vanity of Anti-Zionism."

A blind woman regains her sight only to reject the man who loved her, and the story becomes a metaphor for the deepest moral failure: refusing to see the truth once it is in front of you. The piece argues that much of the world treats Israel the same way, condemning the Jewish state through distorted morality while ignoring its history, its self-defense, and the reality of the war it faces. It says critics apply double standards, overlook October 7, and dismiss Israel’s contributions and repeated efforts toward peace. The central message is that the world’s problem is not lack of information, but a refusal to recognize truth, history, and Jewish sovereignty honestly.

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Eyes That Do Not See: The Moral Vanity of Anti-Zionism

Tattoo of Peace

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Tattoo of Peace

Israel Must Win the Information War

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israel Must Win the Information War."

For over three thousand years, the Jewish people have maintained an unbroken connection to the Land of Israel, making the modern Jewish state a restoration of an indigenous people to its ancestral homeland rather than a colonial anomaly. Today, however, this historical and legal reality is obscured by a powerful campaign of narrative inversion that frames Israel’s defensive actions as oppressive aggression while portraying terrorist groups as “resistance” movements. Lasting peace requires not only security and political compromise, but also a clear global recognition that Israel’s existence is legitimate and permanent, and that ideologies calling for its destruction must be rejected in favor of coexistence. To meet this challenge, Israel must transform its hasbara into a proactive, sophisticated, and morally grounded effort that tells its story clearly, confidently, and compellingly in the digital age.

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Israel Must Win the Information War

The Illusion of Safety Is Fading Fast

 

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Illusion of Safety Is Fading Fast."

Jews in America have long lived with the mistaken belief that comfort equals security, but rising antisemitism is exposing how fragile that assumption really is. The threat now cuts across every kind of Jewish identity, because hatred targets Jews as Jews, regardless of observance, politics, or views on Israel. Jewish history warns that danger grows when people delay taking warning signs seriously, which is why Israel stands as the one sovereign homeland where Jews can protect their future. Aliyah should therefore be seen not as panic, but as a responsible and courageous act to secure Jewish continuity for the next generation.

(AI generated image via ChatGPT)

The Illusion of Safety Is Fading Fast

Israel at 78: The Future It Must Build

 

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israel at 78: The Future It Must Build."

Israel’s 78th Independence Day serves as a powerful reminder that Jewish sovereignty is a lived reality, balancing the unrestrained joy of the next generation with the steady resolve of those who defend it. This restoration of dignity and agency defies centuries of displacement, asserting a permanent right to self-determination that persists despite modern challenges and critics' double standards. Rooted in the ethic of teshuvah, the nation embraces a culture of self-reflection and responsibility rather than a claim to perfection. As Israel looks toward its 80th year, it remains committed to a future defined by regional cooperation, global innovation through Tikkun Olam, and an unyielding security that protects its moral purpose.

(AI generated image via Gemini)

Israel at 78: The Future It Must Build

The Hatikva

🇮🇱 The Hatikva for anyone who wants to learn to sing it:

Kol od ba'le'vav p'nima

(As long as in the heart within)

Nefesh Yehudi ho'miyah

(The Jewish soul yearns)

Ulfa'atei mizrach kadima

(And forward, to the ends of the East)

Ayin le’Tziyyon tzofiyah.

(An eye gazes toward Zion)

Od lo avdah tikva'tenu

(Our hope is not yet lost)

Hatikva bat sh'not al'payim

(The hope of a two thousand years)

Lihiyot am chofshi be'artzeinu

(To be a free nation in our land)

Eretz Tziyyon v'Yerushalayim.

(The land of Zion and Jerusalem)

The Hatikva