Masa Israel Opening Event

By bbarer October 28, 2010

I was invited to live-blog the event in addition to offering some thoughts afterwards, and while it was tempting for someone of my generation to withdraw from the experience that I was a part of and dispassionately describe it for those who could not be there, I felt like it was a really great opportunity…

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Hatikvah

By bspagat October 26, 2010

Bailey Spagat is participating in Career Israel, one of Masa Israel’s 180 programs.

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Land, Birthrights, and Ownership

By bbarer October 21, 2010

My post-secondary education has consisted of a couple years of this and that, followed by two years of almost exclusive (Western analytic) philosophy. Just speaking for myself, I have learned to ask pertinent questions, but articulating answers of a similar quality has not been part of my education. This is because philosophy teaches you how…

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With all my heart

By bspagat October 18, 2010

Bailey Spagat is participating in Career Israel, one of Masa Israel‘s 180 programs.

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The Limits of Acceptable Democratic Legislation

By bbarer October 14, 2010

Browsing New Voices today, I see that I am not the only one that is seriously concerned by the legislation that passed the Knesset on Sunday. Since BrandonSpringer delved into the issue already (and it’s worth a read), I will skirt the politics as much as I can, and will instead focus on a more…

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Questioning the Objectivity of Text Interpretation

By bbarer October 7, 2010

I would like to position my post as following in the footsteps of the theme outlined by another post here on New Voices, by Max Moncaster on October 5th: exploring Judaism on my own terms. Much of the new positive thinking that I have engaged in since beginning my semester at Pardes -– that, on…

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Careful Surgery (Baba Ganoush)

By astrick August 22, 2010

Baba Ganoush is one of those things that has made its way from Arab culture to Israeli culture to Trader Joe’s. It’s also one of those things, though it is available world wide, that will always be better in the Middle East. I always kind of liked it and I always kind of wondered what…

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On the World Cup

By smelamed June 15, 2010

This week, the 2010 World Cup kicked off in South Africa. The biggest sporting event in the world, the monthlong slate of games is being hailed as the greatest thing to hit Johannesburg since democracy. Organizers have promised boosts in jobs and tourism, and promoters are convinced that this event will raise the profile and…

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The Punishment of Gazans Must End

By smelamed June 8, 2010

I know we’ve all heard enough about a certain clash on a certain boat in the waters off a certain strip.  So forgive me for once again using this space to talk about the Mavi Marmara melee.  If it’s any consolation, the bulk of this post won’t focus on the early morning events of last…

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Idiocy at Sea: The Bigger Picture

By smelamed May 31, 2010

I spent my entire day huddled over my computer, constantly refreshing Ha’aretz and JPost, periodically checking the Gaza flotilla trending topic on Twitter, and generally just trying to make sense of last night’s flotilla fiasco.  And twelve hours into it, I’m still at a loss. Thus far, here’s what we know: early Monday morning, 130…

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Israel Offered Nuclear Arms To Apartheid South Africa

By smelamed May 25, 2010

Didn’t see this one coming. Though it was never in any real doubt, we now have official evidence that Israel at one point possessed nuclear weapons, thanks to researcher and author Sasha Polakow-Suransky.  And given the country’s continued ambiguity regarding its nuclear arsenal, its refusal to enter into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, its hawkish leadership,…

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The Cab Ride Through Hell

By smelamed May 17, 2010

Drawing swastikas. Committing arson. Rioting en masse. Just another day in the Palestinian Territories, na’chon? Sadly, no.  In fact, we can’t blame these latest developments on terrorists, at least not in the traditional Arab sense of the word.  Nor can we pinpoint these heinous acts to Gaza or the West Bank or even East Jerusalem….

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THE WAIT IS OVER…

By smelamed May 10, 2010

And we’re off!  The proximity talks have officially begun. That’s right: the discussions-before-the-discussions are underway.  The Palestinian Authority, after receiving assurances from the U.S. and Israel, has finally agreed to sit down to the American-brokered indirect negotiations.  Special envoy George Mitchell’s shuttling back and forth between the two parties now, and all onlookers agree that….ummm……errrrr……..well,…

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The Road To Apartheid Is Paved With…License Plates?

By smelamed May 3, 2010

Growing up, my family used to take a lot of road trips.  During these journeys through America, my siblings and I would whittle away the hours by cataloging the various license plates we encountered along the highways and biways of our nation. There was a points system that I won’t get into here, but suffice…

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2020 Vision for Jerusalem?

By smelamed April 26, 2010

Last week, Udi Sommer wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor (normally one of my favorite news sites) with a somewhat radical proposal.  In his piece, he suggested that the International Olympic Committee award Jerusalem the 2020 Summer Olympics, albeit with one very important stipulation. Sommer argues that this privilege – if one dare call…

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