The Ahad Ha’am once said, “More than the Jewish People have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” Today, Jews continue to keep and maintain the Shabbat. However, not everyone interprets what it means to keep and maintain Shabbat in the same way. What does Shabbat and its observance look like in the State of Israel? Can every individual enjoy…

What do the two candidates for the American presidency — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — have in common? Almost nothing at all — except that their children are married to Jews. So while it is not yet clear how the future leadership of the Free World will look, there will most definitely be toddlers running on the White House…

Shavuot, celebrated June 12-13, is the “Rosh Hashanah of conversion.” On this holiday, we read the story of Ruth the Moabitess, the first and most famous Jewish convert. As such, in Israel, in the days leading up to the holiday, there is a proliferation of events, conferences and public debates on conversion and Jewish identity. Unfortunately, while all of these…

Two weeks ago we memorialized those lost in the Holocaust, last week we remember the soldiers who have fallen in battle, Israelis and Jews from all over the world who sacrificed their lives to secure Jewish sovereignty in the land of our forefathers. It’s no coincidence that these dates were aligned by the State. It’s a trajectory of history, but…

Despite these problems, and without minimizing their importance, the overall picture of the Jewish nation-state, as it prepares to celebrate its 68th birthday, is one of tremendous success. Israel is a place where blessings abound, a dream-come-true for every Jew throughout history. If I could choose where and when to be reborn as a Jew, I would pass up all…

What is the difference between these two situations? Are there any connections between them? The story of the Exodus from Egypt is driven by miracles — a burning bush, a river of blood, flaming hail, a sea split asunder. The natural course of reality is suspended and the stage of history is given over to forces that are propelled by…

Just this month, the student government at a campus in my home state of Indiana, Indianapolis University, voted to divest from Israel. This joins one of 23 BDS campaigns this year on campuses across the country, and dozens over the past few years. Outside observers, and even lay-activists on either side, would be forgiven for thinking the BDS movement is gaining…

The Supreme Court’s decision to recognize conversions performed by private Orthodox rabbinical courts in Israel is nothing less than a historic drama. The immediate significance is the loss of the Chief Rabbinate’s Orthodox monopoly over conversions, but it’s also a milestone in the privatization of religious services on the road to the Chief Rabbinate’s loss of relevance. Until now, anyone…

Accusations against Israel, both in Israel and abroad, allege that a democratic country cannot have a particularistic identity. Some believe that a state must be neutral and that preferential treatment of any national group unjustifiably compromises the equality of citizens of other nationalities. These voices contend that in order for its large Arab minority – some 20% of the population…