Clinton’s remarks two weeks ago, singling out Russian immigrants to Israel as the primary obstacle to peace made me cringe. Literally. Classifying ethnic groups into policy or regime supporters and troublemakers is so reminiscent of Stalin-era “resettlement programs,” that I am starting to wonder whether there might be some truth to the Republican rhetoric of [...]
Posts Tagged ‘israel’
If it weren`t so sad..
Chief Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels is credited with saying that if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. His dubious success must be the inspiration behind Hamas-proxy “peace activists““ attempt to deliver “humanitarian aid,“ while in search of enough blood to cause a PR sensation. [...]
Gaza Flotilla – Just the Facts
As the world condemns Israel for exercising its right to self-defense in boarding the so-called Free Gaza flotilla, three claims are made: 1. Israel has violated the international law by boarding peaceful ships in international waters. 2. Israel ambushed the ships. 3. IDF troops used excessive force to kill peace activists. For anyone with even [...]
Do We Value Children?
A month ago, I visited my relatives in Russia. From the few TV programs I watched while there, it appeared that children are the number one issue on the Russian agenda. Yet, there seemed to be a cognitive dissonance between the declarations about the importance and the value of children and the fact that Russians [...]
TSA Security Measures
When I was a kid back in Russia, my family would spend all our summer vacations in Yalta, a seaside resort on the Black Sea. One year, as we were driving to the airport for our flight back home, we were stopped by the police and diverted into the local botanical gardens. Together with several [...]
The Gilad Shalit Deal as a Mirror of the Israeli Society
The discourse over the anticipated deal with Hamas to free Gilad Shalit has become the center of Israel’s public agenda in recent weeks. Although I oppose the release of some one thousand terrorists, which will only serve to whet Hamas’s appetite and encourage additional kidnappings, the very fact that the Israeli government would even consider [...]
The financial sense of aliyah
This week, our close friends are coming on a pilot trip in preparation for their planned aliyah in the summer. Although the move will involve many challenges, there is one thing they’ll be glad to leave behind – spending over one half of their annual income on kids’ education. While visiting family in the US [...]
Is Israel a High Trust Society?
Lately, I’ve been reading about Francis Fukuyama’s idea of social trust. Fukuyama argues that the degree of social trust between people (beyond family or immediate social networks) in a society has sweeping consequences on its economic prosperity. To demonstrate this, Fukuyama compares countries with high levels of social trust, such as Japan, Germany, and the [...]
Is Israel Good Enough for Your Charity
Several days ago, Mother in Israel asked her readers to compare American and Israeli parenting styles. In response, someone mentioned Israelis’ lack of social graces, which has led one reader to make the following comment. …let’s look at the effects of this aspect of Israeli culture. When tourists return from Israel with a bad taste [...]
The great hummus war
A group of 300 Lebanese chefs got together to beat the Israeli Guinness record for the largest hummus plate in the world and prepared a 2,056 kg (4,523 lb) plate, complete with a Lebanese flag on top. If you think this is a simple celebration of national cuisine, think again, According to the AP report, [...]
