I found myself on an emotional roller coaster this week following the Court's sentencing of Ehud Olmert, former mayor of Israel's capital and former prime minister of Israel, being tossed from side to side by sadness, pride, and apprehension. My sadness was on a personal level. I know Ehud Olmert. We are not friends, but we embrace when we meet.…

Israel is celebrating 66 years of independence, an independence acquired with the blood of thousands of young men and women who gave their lives for the nation while serving in its armed forces and other security agencies. This is why we observe Israel's Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Israel's Independence Day on two—consecutive and very emotional—days. Every year on…

This year, as in other years, the highest rated event in Israel will not be a contemporary event, whether a political event, a sports event, or a cultural event. Rather, it will be a traditional event that commemorates the past: the Seder. Like dozens of previous generations, on the eve of Passover, some 85% of Jews in Israel will gather…

Should the State of Israel recognize "Israeli" as a nationality rather than defining citizens as Jewish, Arab, and Druze? In an article published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, II Vice President Prof. Yedidia Stern and Jay Ruderman assert that it is imperative for the State of Israel to continue distinguishing between citizenship and nationality. For Americans, the definition of national…

On the surface, we could be indifferent: these are the domestic broils of a foreign country beyond a hostile border. Some may think that Assad and the rebels are both enemies of Israel; the more they shed each other’s blood, the less of a threat they are to Israel. The truly heartless might even welcome the Arab slaughter as “doing…

Throughout the year, the Israeli clock adjusts itself to the global clock and joins the rest of the world, abandoning all that is unique, local, and traditional. But it never abandons Jewish time completely. In fact, the greatest moments of life in Israel are based on the Hebrew calendar. This year, the fifth of September is cloaked in the raiment…

Few issues have occupied Israeli society for as long and with as much passionate debate as the ultra-Orthodox draft.  The intensity and tenor of that debate has grown to a deafening roar over the past year, resulting in the downfall of the last government, serving as a central issue for voters in the last elections, and occupying the heart of…

The Special Committee for the Equal Sharing of the Burden Bill, a parliamentary committee headed by MK Ayelet Shaked, is currently preparing the government's proposed legislation on the issue of Haredi military service for its second and third readings. This is the last, decisive stage in a historical process of repairing the relationship between ultra-Orthodox Jews and the State of…

In 2010, the 18th Knesset enacted a law requiring a referendum on any peace treaty with the Palestinians that includes concessions of sovereign Israeli territory. The current Knesset is now in the midst of efforts to upgrade the referendum law to the status of a Basic Law, with the apparent intention of protecting the legislation from judicial review or repeal…