By RONN TOROSSIAN In Israel, as in America, giving to charity is a fact of life. You may not hear the Kars For Kids car donation charity jingle on Israeli radio, but otherwise, giving is widely done. For quite some time, Israel has ranked second in charitable giving, with America coming in at first place. According to the Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project [...]
By ALAN VAN CAPELLE I am grateful that the Senate Judiciary Committee successfully passed a bill that, for millions of aspiring Americans, will create a path to citizenship. But the bill is incomplete and unjust. I am gravely concerned that Judiciary Committee members failed to stand up and fight for immigration equality for LGBT couples. [...]
By NANCY K. KAUFMAN The best anti-poverty program we have ever had just turned 78, and many in Congress as well as the president want to cut its essential benefits. At a time when millions were near starvation during the depths of the Depression, the U.S. adopted the system of social insurance we know today [...]
By JONATHAN WOLFMAN My readers know that I admire the Jewish itinerant performance artist whom scholars identify as Jesus, the first-century Galilean agitator for Hebrew prophetic social justice demands in the face of increasing Roman occupation-oppression, forced urbanization, and Jewish priestly collaboration. My readers know, as well, that I separate the person-who-lived from the object [...]
By JONATHAN WOLFMAN I’ve shared here how some historians articulate three historical stages of European antisemitism, covering the past 1700 years from the time christianity became antagonistic and then lethal to Jews; that is, from the point when Rome adopted christianity. In brief: Stage One I called religious antisemitism. Jews were told: you may not [...]
By RON TOROSSIAN The unsung heroes in our midst are those who go out every day and do the tough work that needs to be done. Whether for our safety, like the police and military, or teachers who educate our children to give them the background needed to generate future leadership and success, so many [...]
By ALAN ELSNER Now that some time has gone by since President Obama delivered his historic speech to the Israeli people, we can look back and reassess some of the messages he intended to convey In the immediate aftermath, there was some debate on how to interpret the address. Was it a “win” for Israel [...]
By RONN TOROSSIAN As CEO of a PR firm, we often brief clients prior to major communications endeavors, and with President Obama embarking upon his much-awaitedIsrael trip which is sure to attract major attention, wanted to offer ten tips to ensure his trip to Israeli is a success: 1: It is not necessary to bow to elected [...]
Two recent headlines may be more deeply connected than one would think at first glance. The New York Times proclaimed two weeks back, “Academic Study Weakens Israeli Claim that Palestinian Schools Teach Hate.” And earlier this week, Ynet reported “Obama Wants Timetable for Pullout from the West Bank.” The Ynet report claimed that President Obama [...]
From the second one arrives at the Washington Convention Center, the AIPAC spectacle is all-encompassing. From the anti-Israel demonstrators clustering around the entrance to the sparkling, multi-screen plenaries in the main hall, there is a both a sense of showmanship and a sense that this is, for two days, the only show in town. Even [...]