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…

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This article was originally published in The Washington Post on March 16, 2016   At a moment of impasse over President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Antonin Scalia’s death, it would be useful to remember this example: A…

Ludicrously, we are talking about the “Mikveh Bill,” which was advanced earlier this week by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation. The bill calls for forbidding the use of public ritual baths by anyone who is not prepared to acquiesce to the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate, and immerse in accordance with its strict edicts. The bill seeks to cleanse the ritual bath…

This article was originally published in Forward. American Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro recently charged that Israel employs a doublelegal standard in the West Bank: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians. No one can question Shapiro’s friendship toward Israel. His worrying observation reflects the frustration of many Americans who are true friends of Israel and yet deeply concerned about its…