THE JERUSALEM POSTMAY 28 2010In October 1994, several days after kidnapped IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman was killed in a failed attempt to save him from his terrorist captors, I was scheduled to teach my weekly graduate seminar at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. But given the horror of what had just transpired, I couldn't even imagine simply teaching as planned. I no longer recall what had been scheduled for that day. But what I do remember is that I decided to scrap the usual fare and that I taught a text in memory of Wachsman.
As the seminar drew to a close, it was obviously quiet in the room. ...
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The Storm Ahead
THE JERUSALEM POSTMAY 28 2010In October 1994, several days after kidnapped IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman was killed in a failed attempt to save him from his terrorist captors, I was scheduled to teach my weekly graduate seminar at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. But given the horror of what had just transpired, I couldn't even imagine simply teaching as planned. I no longer recall what had been scheduled for that day. But what I do remember is that I decided to scrap the usual fare and that I taught a text in memory of Wachsman.
As the seminar drew to a close, it was obviously quiet in the room. ...
If This is Our Future
Imagine this, if you can. A prestigious university in the United States, with deep roots in the American Jewish community, invites Israel's ambassador to deliver its annual commencement address. But instead of expressing pride in the choice of speaker and in the country that he represents, the university's students, many of them Jewish, protest. They don't want to hear from the ambassador.(See this Facebook page.) He's a divisive figure, the student newspaper argues, and the students deserved better.
Tragically, of course, there's nothing hypothetical about the scenario. Brandeis University recently decided to award honorary degrees to Michael Oren, Dennis Ross and Paul Simon, among others, at its May 23 commencement, and Ambassador ...
Tragically, of course, there's nothing hypothetical about the scenario. Brandeis University recently decided to award honorary degrees to Michael Oren, Dennis Ross and Paul Simon, among others, at its May 23 commencement, and Ambassador ...
Settlement Whiplash
By DANIEL GORDIS
The Jerusalem Post
19/03/2010
It was only a matter of time until settlement construction the issue that the Obama administration has chosen to situate at the very core of its Mideast
policy, as if settlements have anything at all to do with decades of Palestinian recalcitrance reared its proverbial head once again. But now that the issue is back, it's time for some honesty on both sides of the political divide: The wisdom or folly of settlement construction is substantially less obvious than most observers are willing to acknowledge.Barack Obama, Joseph Biden and Hillary ...
policy, as if settlements have anything at all to do with decades of Palestinian recalcitrance reared its proverbial head once again. But now that the issue is back, it's time for some honesty on both sides of the political divide: The wisdom or folly of settlement construction is substantially less obvious than most observers are willing to acknowledge.Barack Obama, Joseph Biden and Hillary ...
Those Who Destroy You Will Come From Amongst You
Jerusalem Post
February 21, 2010
Few biblical verses are more commonly misquoted than Isaiah 49:17, in which the prophet promises Israel that they have not been forsaken, that the day will come when your destroyers and despoilers shall leave you. But the Hebrew words that mean shall leave you "mimech yetzei,u" can also be easily translated as "will come from among you." Taken out of context, therefore, Isaiah's promise of a secure future can be read to mean, "Those who destroy and despoil you will come from amongst you." And though it's not at all what Isaiah meant, the mistranslation still rings true.
Much has been written ...
Much has been written ...
Anything You Say Can And Will Be Used Against You
Nov. 5, 2009
DANIEL GORDIS , THE JERUSALEM POST
It's been one of those months, with its renewed call for "balance" and "honesty" in discussion of Israel. First there was the Goldstone report, with its accusations that Israel committed war crimes during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Goldstone was followed by the J Street Conference, celebrated by many as an opportunity to demonstrate their devotion to Israel by encouraging the US to get tough with it, to force it out of ...
It’s a new world, Bibi
Posted by Daniel Gordis in Uncategorized on July 19, 2009 | 1 Comment
Jul. 2, 2009
Daniel Gordis , THE JERUSALEM POST
I wouldn't be surprised if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu were thinking of Tevye these days. Tevye was, after all, a quasi-pathetic character simply trying to make sense of a world changing far more quickly than he might have ever imagined possible. Having granted his daughter, Hodel, permission to marry Perchik the pauper, he wonders, "What am I going to tell your mother?" He didn't choose Perchik, and he doesn't really approve. But he is powerless. And when his wife expresses her dismay, the best explanation he can offer is "It's a new world, Golde."
"It's a new ...
Protecting the Zionist Narrative, At Last
In Perspective: Protecting the Zionist narrative at last
Jun. 4, 2009
Daniel Gordis , THE JERUSALEM POST
Imagine that Germany, embittered by incessant reminders of what happened during the Holocaust, passed a law forbidding German Jews from publicly marking the destruction of European Jewry. Or that the US Congress, tired of hearing Native Americans recite their tales of woe, made it illegal for them to mention their losses on July 4. If Turkey passed legislation like that, directed at Armenian memories of 1915, we would hardly blink an eye. But if a genuine democracy followed suit? We would scarcely believe our ears.
So why are we not more distressed by legislation before the Knesset that would criminalize marking the "Nakba" ...
Israel’s Holocaust ‘Obsession’? — A Radio “Debate” With Avrum Burg
Interfaith Radio (http://interfaithradio.org) recently interviewed Avrum Burg, former speaker of the Knesset, on his recent controversial book. They then interviewed me for an alternate perspective. The interview (along with an audio file that can be downloaded) is available at http://interfaithradio.org/node/892. Burg's interview begins at 22 min 56 sec, while the segment with me begins at 37 min 12 sec.
In a controversial new book, Avraham Burg argues that Israel is “stuck in Auschwitz,” using the Holocaust as the defining experience of Jewish identity. This former speaker of the Israeli Parliament says his country's preoccupation has led to an unhealthy nationalism that mourns the past, fears the future and feeds violence.
Daniel ...
For the Sake of Clarity – A Thought Experiment
Posted by Daniel Gordis in Uncategorized on May 17, 2009 | 42 Comments
In Perspective: For the sake of clarity, a thought experiment
May. 14, 2009
Daniel Gordis , THE JERUSALEM POST
He was in his 20s, the young man with the question after my lecture. He couldn't have asked it more kindly or gently. Without a hint of cynicism or anger, he expressed what was clearly on the minds of many of the people his age in the crowd: "Can you justify a Jewish state," he wanted to know, "when having a Jewish state means giving up on so many of Judaism's values?"
Here's what he didn't say: Israel is the root of evil in the Middle East. It's the cause of checkpoints, of roadblocks, of a big ugly wall that runs ...
Erev Yom Ha-Atzma’ut – A Brief Reminder About Purpose
There's a certain look to a widow who's in her mid-twenties, whose husband was killed in Gaza in January. Eyes swollen with tears, yet with steely determination at the same time. A certain vulnerability on her still very young face, and a face that seems too old for her age, all at the same time. An image of pain and of unspeakable sadness, but not asking for pity. Was it just me, or was it clear that even in the midst of her unbearable burden, she knew full well that she - like the young husband who was taken from her far too early - is part of something much larger than she is? Is that why, looking at her, I had a sense ...
Dr. Daniel Gordis is Senior Vice President of the Shalem Center, where he is also a senior fellow. The author of numerous books on Jewish thought and currents in Israel...
The Jewish State must end, say its enemies, from intellectuals like Tony Judt to hate-filled demagogues like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Even average Israelis are wondering if they wouldn't be better off somewhere else. 
