For about an hour or two, you’re asked to absorb centuries upon centuries of kings, armies, religions and empires taking turns trying to control the center of the world.
There are moments in my own life that I would not have overcome without what my father gave me. His resilience became mine. His mindset became my foundation.
While I continue to personally believe that a two-state solution is preferable to sacrificing Israel’s Jewish or democratic foundations, I would never attempt to impose my priorities from 7,500 miles away.
Maybe it’s because our 250th birthday is right around the corner. Or maybe it’s a statement of defiance, a way of telling Jew-haters I’m giving them the very opposite of what they want.
Israelis seem to have a special affinity for that electric energy of the here and now. Maybe that is how the country has made it this far— millions and millions of “What do we do now?”
Memory is essential for our sense of self. We rekindle our experiences through our memories. Without memory, who are we, and how can we make sense of the world?
While both political parties have a vested political interest in pretending that there are only a scattered few antisemites in their respective ranks, the Jewish community does not have the same luxury.
I was no longer on my laptop writing about Israel-hatred. I was on a street corner confronting that hatred. If I could write in my columns about the need for a winning attitude, this was now my chance to show it.
The fear of acting on uncertain threats can itself become distorting when it evolves into a demand for near-perfect certainty before any meaningful response is considered. History rarely grants that luxury.
Israel must act with determination in convincing the European Union to cancel these detrimental sanctions.
