Daniel Lubetzky

Read the full piece after the jump. On Sunday, after it was cleared for publication that six suspects had been arrested in the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, the youth from Shuafat, harsh condemnation statements were issued by the ministers of Bayit Yehudi party and other right-wing politicians. Bayit Yehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett took one step further than [...]

Two painfully poignant articles came across my email box indicating the resentment Palestinians have towards President Abbas for participating in a peace conference in Israel amidst the war with Hamas in Gaza, and Hamas’s fury that Abbas has not done more to support them. It is true that Abbas is stuck in between, and weakened [...]

“My many years of involvement in the peace process teach me that the approaching decision is unlike previous ones. This is a watershed moment after which Israel will face a completely different situation – one which will be governed by new realities much less favorable than those Israel faces today. If Kerry’s mission fails, Israel [...]

This article (shared below in full) talks about a Saudi man who takes holidays to go fight the Shiites in Syria. It is a compelling read. I initially pondered if a silver lining of the Syrian war was that the extremists on both sides would deplete each other – with Iranian proxies like Hezbollah and Assad’s [...]

Iranian journalist, Amir Taheri offers his thoughts and suspicions of President Hassan Rouhani. Only time will tell how the new Iranian President will fare. Read Taheri’s full piece after the jump. Opinion: The Dangers of Double-talk for Rouhani Written by : Amir Taheri on : Friday, 11 Oct, 2013 Since 1979, when the mullahs seized power in Iran, [...]

I read about efforts by the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism to revise the way Bar Mitzvahs are being conducted and to explore how the rite of passage can deepen the bond with the B’nei Mitzvah and their families. It is the type of refreshing idea that is so obviously on target that in [...]

A nice thought for the new year from Aish after the jump. Jews Don’t Say Happy New Year by Rabbi Benjamin Blech What’s the best wish for the new year? Ever notice that Jews don’t traditionally wish each other “happy new year”? Instead we say the Hebrew phrase “shanah tovah” which — in spite of [...]

…but we are just having so much fun picking tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and the rare carrot from our garden. The kids love eating the tomatoes and the cucumbers now that they harvested them themselves. And it is just amazing to see what we are yielding.  I thought that last week would be the peak with [...]

This is yet another pitiful example of extremists disparaging one another. Moderates must vocally stand up to extremism on both sides of the divide. Otherwise, we are stuck with a relentless zero-sum fight between anti-Israeli and anti-Palestinian groups trying to delegitimize the identity and the humanity of the other. Any group that does not accept [...]