israel Archives – Page 42 of 42

Preparing for War

David Margolis April 5, 2001

A time for peace and a time for war. Most talk, for years, has been about peace, but there\’s war talk in Israel now. At least one independent intelligence agency is predicting a regional war this spring, and nobody is offering credible deniability. The Palestinians have been smuggling weapons into the country — mortars, anti-tank weapons, heavy machine guns, who knows what else. The stuff comes into Gaza through tunnels from Egypt or sneaked past Israeli naval patrols along the coast. It\’s not Jordan they\’re gunning for, at least not to start.

Familial Forgiveness

Rabbi Susan Laemmle January 4, 2001

The syllabus for my USC general education class includes both Shakespeare\’s \”The Tempest\” and chapters 37-50 of Genesis — the Joseph story or \”novella.\” These two narratives share themes that commend themselves: forgiveness and reconciliation. Both Prospero and Joseph were set upon by their own brothers and narrowly escaped death. Both protagonists contributed to their victim role — Prospero through neglecting governance and Joseph by insensitive boasting. In the end, though, both forgive those who abused them — enabling their family circle to be repaired and the next generation blessed. Just as Prospero realizes that \”the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance,\” so too does the instinct for reconciliation surge through Joseph.

Yom Kippur II

Eric Silver October 12, 2000

I first met Maurice Singer on the far bank of the Suez Canal during the second week of the Yom Kippur War, soon after Israel had counter-attacked across the waterway. The British-born, 28-year-old machine-gunner was grimy and sweating on his clanking, dust-encrusted half-track, the forerunner of today\’s armored personnel carrier. Like all his comrades, he scribbled a phone number and asked our group of reporters to let his family know he was okay.

Finding Fault

Rabbi Daniel Brenner July 27, 2000

\”And these were the journeys of Israel from the time they left the land of Egypt at the hands of Moshe and Aharon.\” (Numbers 33:1)

Netanyahu’s Day in L.A.

Jewish Journal October 14, 1999

The Israeli prime minister crams in meetings, a pressconference and a gala dinner before shuttling off to London.

Parents As Pillars

Rabbi Janet Ross Marder January 21, 1999

My daughter has always been the squeamish type. Once, when she was about 4 years old, we were talking about the exodus from Egypt — the dark night of watching, when God told the Israelites to slaughter lambs and smear the blood on the doorposts of their houses so that the Holy One would \”pass over\” and spare their firstborn from destruction.