2004 Takes Some Unexpected Turns
December 30, 2004
There\’s nothing as risky as end-of-year predictions, as 2004 so painfully demonstrated.
James D. Besser
U.S. Wavering on Mideast Democracy
December 9, 2004
Last week, President Bush said it plainer than ever before: Palestinian democracy, not just an end to terrorism, is the essential precondition for any new U.S. peace efforts in the region.
Israel Can’t Ignore Divestment Threats
December 2, 2004
American Jewish leaders see it as a dire threat, but in Jerusalem, the current push for divestment by mainline Protestant groups eager to punish the Jewish state is a nonissue — so much so that at a recent conference, Israel\’s foreign minister admitted he didn\’t have a clue about the raging controversy.
Israeli officials may be making a big mistake — one more complication for Jewish leaders here who see divestment as a full-fledged emergency.
Gay Marriage: A Real Threat?
November 25, 2004
The intersection of religion and politics became a talk show hit after Nov. 2, when the religious right played a huge, and perhaps pivotal, role in the re-election of President Bush.
Jews are not of one mind about the new focus on faith in politics, but many in the large non-Orthodox majority remain uncomfortable with that trend and are downright scared of new threats to the church-state wall posed by the religious conservatives.
Peace Opportunity Requires U.S. Action
November 18, 2004
With Yasser Arafat in his Ramallah grave and President Bush promising to renew efforts to create a Palestinian state, speculation is mounting about exactly what the administration\’s next Mideast moves might be.
Stakes Loom Big in Future of High Court
November 11, 2004
Almost nothing President Bush does during his about-to-begin second term will affect the American future as profoundly as his appointments to the courts.
Mixed News for GOP Jews
November 4, 2004
Republican hopes for a big Jewish surge in this year\’s presidential contest were dashed on Tuesday when President George W. Bush, in his successful bid for a second term, claimed only about 24 percent of the Jewish vote nationally, according to exit polls published by major news outlets.
ELECTION 2004
October 28, 2004
In some ways, it\’s political business as usual in the Jewish community as a critical national election approaches.
Candidates Blow Campaign Smoke
October 21, 2004
It\’s crunch time in the presidential campaigns. With less than two weeks to go and most polls pointing to a photo finish, both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are pulling out all the stops — as long as those stops are in a tiny handful of swing states.
The spin machines are in overdrive; the campaigns are pouring out ads, position papers, talking points and press releases. But they\’re mostly blowing smoke when it comes to some of the top issues of the day.
Should Jews Oppose Evangelical Help?
October 7, 2004
In Israel this week, televangelist Pat Robertson inveighed against giving territory to the Palestinians, claiming that the goal of Islam is to \”destroy Israel and take the land from the Jews and give East Jerusalem to Yasser Arafat.
[authorpage]
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.