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February 1, 1885 Russian Jewish novelist, editor and early Zionist Peretz Smolenskin dies of tuberculosis at age 43 in Italy. Smolenskin was born in the Mogilev province of White Russia in 1842 and had a traditional Torah education. At 22, he started teaching Hebrew in Odessa, where he wrote a book of literary criticism in […]

Scholars and policy experts Jonathan Schanzer, Todd Stein, Alan Makovsky and Professor Ken Stein discuss the evolution, successes, and challenges of the US-Israel relationship.

In the coming years, Syria will focus on tending to its war wounds while continuing to serve as a springboard for strategic threats posed by Iran and its proxies against Israel. It is in Israel’s interest that Syria rebuild its infrastructure, experience economic recovery, and benefit from a stable central government. However, there is inherent tension in Israel’s position.

On Tuesday, January 15, 2019, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi assumed his position as the 22nd IDF Chief of Staff. From a security perspective, his tenure begins in a stormy, unstable period, when the IDF’s strategic and operational environment continues to be marked by vast uncertainty.

(10 January 2019) https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2019/01/288410.htm Ten Years after President Obama spoke at American University in Cairo, Secretary of State Pompeo intentionally uses the same venue to deliver a Trump administration rebuke of the former’s policies in the region. Obama spoke of using ‘soft power;’ his predecessor George Bush II used military force in Iraq and Afghanistan; […]

Profesor Kenneth W. Stein Universidad de Emory y Centro para la Educación de Israel israeled.org Fuente: Anna y Max Nordau, Max Nordau: A Biography, Nordau Institute, Nueva York, 1943, pp. 132-136. El contexto y la perspectiva son elementos clave para entender la historia. El motivo principal que impulsa el sionismo en el siglo XIX fue […]

A look into Israel’s growth and success as a technological titan and its evolution into the Start Up Nation.

If in the past, we tended to speak about tensions in Israeli society in terms of Arabs and Jews, religious and secular, or Right and Left, the findings of the Israel Democracy Institute’s 2018 Israeli Democracy Index, released last week reveal a major new split: the split over Israeli democracy. In today’s Israel, the fundamental question that defines the state—what is democracy?—is becoming an increasingly significant bone of contention.

Obama, to improve America’s image with Muslim public opinion, stresses that Islam is not that of the ideological radicals. His advocacy of ‘soft power’ distinguishes his administration from Bush II’s use of force. He did not state directly that Iran should be stopped from developing a nuclear weapon. He said that US commitment to Israel is ‘unbreakable.’ Nine years later Trump’s Secretary of State, also in Cairo heavily criticized Obama’s ‘soft power’ approach.

Israel has solved its water crisis! That’s a typical headline about Israel’s world-leading smart water management and advanced water technology. As I sipped freshly desalinated Mediterranean water at the world’s largest seawater desalination plant, the brilliance of Israel’s many-pronged approach was as clear as the H2O in my paper cup. But if residents, farmers and tourists in the Holy Land never worry about the tap running dry, that’s only because Israel invests huge amounts of money and brainpower to stay one step ahead of a worsening worldwide water crisis.

Since 2017, relations between the Visegrád Group (V4) and Israel have been changing. Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are increasingly developing shared views and values on international politics and show a greater willingness to cooperate economically. This coincides with growing European Union (EU) criticism of the Israeli government’s stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Six Day War, which broke out on the morning of June 5, 1967, was a formative event that changed the face of the State of Israel and, to a large extent, the entire Middle East. Prior to the war, Israel had been under existential threat and in six days, the Israel Defense Forces succeeded in removing the threat by achieving a decisive military victory and positioning Israel as a significant force in the region.

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Major General (res.) Yaacov Amidror, “The Withdrawal of the US from Syria in Broad Perspective,” JISS, December 26, 2018. https://jiss.org.il/en/amidror-the-withdrawal-of-the-us-from-syria-in-broad-perspective/ Hady Amr, Ilan Goldenberg, Kevin Huggard, and Natan Sachs, “Ending Gaza’s perpetual crisis: A new U.S. approach,” Brookings Institute, December […]

Scholars and policy experts Yitzhak Reiter, Joel Singer, Jonathan Schanzer and Rachel Fish discuss potential resolutions to the Israeli Palestinian Conflict.

The majority of the public (53%) sees Israel’s situation in a positive light and is proud to be Israeli (88% of Jews and 51% of Arabs); For the first time the #1 tension in Israeli society is the tension between Right and Left; Israel ranks high on international indicators of political participation.

The CEO of a fast-growing American software company needed a professional assessment of his management team before taking the company public. Productivity was declining and he wanted to know what changes should be made before the IPO. Seeking swift answers, he turned to two extraordinarily accomplished Israeli women, Inbal Arieli and Shirley Schlatka.

Over the past six months, cyber security firms and technology companies have exposed extensive Iranian cognitive-related activity in cyberspace aimed primarily at the American public, with Iran’s seeking to exacerbate internal US debates between different social groups. Iran’s influence efforts in cyberspace reflect the importance Tehran attributes to the ideological struggle at home and against its external enemies, first and foremost the United States.

Head Chef and co-owner of Philadelphia’s Zahav Restaurant, Michael Solomonov has become a celebrated figure in American fine-dining. Solomonov, a James Beard Award winning chef, brings many classic Israeli dishes to Philadelphia. Zahav, opened in 2008, with its nearly 2-month wait for a table on a weekend evening is not the only location in Philadelphia to taste his mastery of Israeli cuisine. He has opened other restaurants, including Dizengoff Hummus. Solomonov’s food barrows from many flavors and dishes that have become integral to Israeli cuisine and culture over the decades.

The relationship between Israel and Europe is something even deeper than friendship, dearer than the affinity between Israelis and Europeans. It goes beyond economic, scientific, medical, technological, and security interests. It is also a relationship that involves a shared interest in the history of humankind itself, intertwined with historical, moral issues based on the fact that many Israelis are also of German, Italian, French, or British origin.

The US-Israeli relationship is complicated, dynamic, multidimensional, and enduring. From initial American governmental opposition to the present, Washington has become Israel’s most trusted ally. Rooted in common bonds, entrenched military sharing, and valued strategic interests, the association has also greatly influenced the shaping and sustenance of American Jewish identity.

The second video in our new Israel on Board series focuses on a brief overview of Israel’s economy. The video emphasizes how Israel turned challenges in the country’s early years into opportunities for economic growth and investment. Additionally, we look at Shimon Peres’ role in helping Israel transition from an agricultural based economy to become the start-up nation.

Context and perspective are key elements in understanding history. Zionism emerged in the 19th century because there was a unique Jewish identity built around belief, Torah, ritual, and community concern for one another. And second, the presence of wretched anti-Semitism. Nordau gave an impassioned speech about the Jewish condition at the First Zionist Congress in 1897 in the late 19th century making the case for a Jewish national home. Nordau energized the audience and the Zionist movement.

Aveva Dese, an Ethiopian-Israeli singer & songwriter, is a rising star in Israel’s music scene. Many of her songs are in Amharic (official language of Ethiopia) and represent a greater trend of Israeli musicians performing in various diasporic-Jewish languages spoken by members of their families and communities.

In recognition of the anniversary of the United Nations’ passage of Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947, we present our newest three-part whiteboard videos providing context to this historical moment in Jewish history.

Quizás más que cualquier otra festividad judía, Janucá tiene un significado y un vínculo tan valiosos para el antiguo Israel como para el Estado judío moderno. Con su enfoque en el concepto de autodeterminación judía en su tierra, esta celebración sirvió como inspiración a los fundadores del estado; y sus símbolos todavía se mantienen presentes […]

Perhaps more than any other Jewish holiday, Hanukkah has valuable significance and connection to both ancient Israel and the modern Jewish State.  With its focus on Jewish self-determination in its own land, the holiday served as an inspiration to the founders of the state and its symbols still permeate Israeli society. Remembering the story, how we persevered, deepens the memory for the next generation.

December 5, 1949 Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declares in a Knesset speech that “Jewish Jerusalem is an organic, inseparable part of the state of Israel” and that Israel rejects any attempt by the United Nations to declare Jerusalem, Israel’s “eternal capital,” an international city outside Israeli sovereignty. Ben-Gurion speaks amid U.N. debates about how to […]

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Hicham Alaoui “Failed Dream of political Islam,” LeMonde Diplomatique, November 2018. https://mondediplo.com/2018/11/02arab-world Anadolu Agency, “Israeli saz player gives Jerusalem the sound of Turkey,” Hurriyet Daily News, November 30, 2018.  www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israeli-saz-player-gives-jerusalem-the-sound-of-turkey-139307 Irad Atzmon Schmayer, “Locust Schnitzel? Israeli High-tech Firms Cooking […]

Israeli NGO, IsraAID, is sending an emergency response team to California to help communities affected by the unprecedented fires that have killed 80 and destroyed over 13,000 homes and buildings. More than 1,300 people are still listed as missing. After a request from local communities, IsraAID is to conduct a needs assessment of the population in affected areas, promote community resilience and recovery, and distribute relief items to families currently staying in temporary accommodation after losing their homes in the fires.

Over recent weeks, a serious debate has taken place on the pages of Mosaic Magazine on Israeli-Chinese relations. First came a detailed study by Arthur Herman, a respected scholar on aspects of Israeli foreign policy. Then came stern warnings from one of America’s best “China hands,” Dan Blumenthal, that “Israel’s Embrace of China is Sorely Misguided,” and from a strong and steady friend, Elliott Abrams, who wrote that “Israel mustn’t let its economic relationship with China threaten its political relationship with America.”