Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
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…
I know we’ve all heard enough about a certain clash on a certain boat in the waters off a certain strip. Â So forgive me for once again using this space to talk about the Mavi Marmara melee. Â If it’s any consolation, the bulk of this post won’t focus on the early morning events of last…
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. Â And given the country’s continued ambiguity regarding its nuclear arsenal, its refusal to enter into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, its hawkish leadership,…
Drawing swastikas. Committing arson. Rioting en masse. Just another day in the Palestinian Territories, na’chon? Sadly, no. Â In fact, we can’t blame these latest developments on terrorists, at least not in the traditional Arab sense of the word. Â Nor can we pinpoint these heinous acts to Gaza or the West Bank or even East Jerusalem….
And we’re off! Â The proximity talks have officially begun. That’s right: the discussions-before-the-discussions are underway. Â The Palestinian Authority, after receiving assurances from the U.S. and Israel, has finally agreed to sit down to the American-brokered indirect negotiations. Â Special envoy George Mitchell’s shuttling back and forth between the two parties now, and all onlookers agree that….ummm……errrrr……..well,…
Growing up, my family used to take a lot of road trips. Â 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…
Last week, Udi Sommer wrote an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor (normally one of my favorite news sites)Â with a somewhat radical proposal. Â 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…
In South Africa, there’s a conspiracy theory that has spread among the white population since the fall of Apartheid. It goes by many names: Uhuru, Operation Vula, Operation White Clean-up, and – in a nod to Nazi Germany – Night of the Long Knives (in Afrikaans, Die Nag van die Lang Messe). Â What it says…
Forgive me for my late post. You see, like my ancestors before me, I too had an arduous exodus from Egypt. Â And although mine involved less wandering through the desert and more riding in buses through the desert–not to mention waiting in security lines, enduring a ‘random’ bag search, and withstanding a heart-stopping bomb scare–I…
Barack Obama: Arrogant. Barack Obama: Despicable. Barack Obama: Muslim? The other day, as I do every day, I rode to work on Jerusalem’s bus #28. Â The commute is usually long and tedious, and only made palatable by the sounds of my iPod. Â On this specific morning, I found myself sitting behind two elderly women. Â Normally…
For years they wandered, desperate to be at home in their God-given land. Â Despite constantly being at the mercy of cruel, tyrannical leaders, they tried to live lives of dignity. Â Above all else, they were certain that they were God’s chosen people and that eventually, the land they loved would belong to them. Â The trials…
As Israel Apartheid Week finally winds to a close across campuses around the world, allow me to take a look back at the demise of the original Apartheid in South Africa. Â Though South Africa’s Apartheid and Israel’s occupation are two wholly different animals, at their core they are very much alike. Â In both, the government…
To start, let me apologize for the delay. I was in the midst of a move and was unable to access the Internet until now. Fortunately, this gave me the opportunity to further grapple with Israeli Apartheid Week–and my editor Ben’s response–and hopefully formulate a coherent defense of my position. First off, let me acknowledge…
Today, the sixth incarnation of Israeli Apartheid Week gets underway. Â Aiming to amplify international calls for the BDS movement–that is, the boycott of Israeli goods, divestment from the Israeli economy and placement of sanctions on Israeli imports, respectively–organizers have planned various demonstrations in more than 40 international cities over the next 14 days. Â And though…