Home
In this issue
June 19, 2013

Peter Grier and Harry Bruinius: In the end, NSA might not need to snoop so secretly after all

Howard LaFranchi: Taliban peace talks hold glimmer of hope, but also unanswerable questions

Warren Richey: Supreme Court: For right to remain silent, a suspect must speak
Meredith Cohn: Leeches are making a comeback as medical helpers

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to pick the healthiest breakfast cereal

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: Spicy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

June 17, 2013

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein: Black to the Future: American Apparel Gets Biblical

Patrik Jonsson: Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?

Kate Irby, Ali Watkins, Trevor Graff and Kevin Thibodeaux: All the ways you're being watched
Don Lee: G-8 meeting will test NSA leaks' effect on U.S. influence

Patrik Jonsson: Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?

Stacey Burling: Why the stigma for migraine sufferers?

The Kosher Gourmet by Lisa Abraham: Does it work? 5 new kitchen gadgets put to the test

June 14, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget: Religious economics and being a ruler

John P. Martin: Hitler insider's missing diary found

Matt Pearce: NSA surveillance disclosure could affect court cases
Peter Tinti: US bounties changes strategy on (Wild, Wild) West African jihadis

Daniel Pendrick, M.D.: Memory loss? Old age may be the least of it

Lauren F. Friedman: But it's all natural! Should we have an instinctive preference for herbal remedies?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Streisand and Alicia Keys in Israel; "Girls" Stuff; Mel Brooks, Another TV special; Superman (who is Jewish) returns --- Israeli plays his mom

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon K. Ghag : Bored with salad? Bling it up a bit (4 effortless recipes that will result in a 'WOW!')

June 12, 2013

Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect

Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: What's so special about Omega-3 supplements?
Morgan Housel: What newspapers were saying when you should have been buying

Pete Spotts: How cockroaches evolved so as to bypass 'roach motels'

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: Deep-dish cookie: Warm, gooey and a little over the top

June 10, 2013

Joseph A. Slobodzian: Faith healing and third degree murder: Thorny legal case
Lindsay Wise: Few options for online users to avoid spying, experts say

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: There are plenty of nutritional food bargains out there
Harvard Health Letters: Can bariatric surgery control diabetes?

Zach Murdock: Superglue helps doctors save infant's life

The Kosher Gourmet by Celebrated chef Mario Batali : As good as grilling gets: Rib eye with dry mushroom spice rub

June 7, 2013

Rabbi David Aaron: Beating jealousy

Caroline B. Glick: Wounded . . . and dangerous

Clifford D. May: Al Qaeda vs. Hezbollah
Harvard Health Letters: Fighting back against allergy season

Kimberly Lankford: Grandparents who use FSA to cover grandkid's braces and other must-know info

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom:J ewish Tony Nominees/Tony Awards; Jewish Teen Actor In Sci-Fi Flick; Jewish singer in "Voice" finals

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust

June 5, 2013

John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less

Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Mushrooms Have Medicinal As Well As Culinary Value
Morgan Housel: Why you never learn from your investment mistakes

Don Lee: In China, kindergarten rivalry takes deadly turn

The Kosher Gourmet by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan: 30-Minute Coq au Vin isn't a dream

June 3, 2013

Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself

Richard A. Serrano: Pvt. Bradley Manning's WikiLeaks trial also a test for government

Mark Trumbull: Have degree, driving cab: Nearly half of college grads are overqualified
Kim Lankford: What to do when long-term care insurance premiums rise

Deborah Netburn: Study: Adults' mouth bacteria may help babies

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Contestant on 'The Voice'; Will Smith's 'Jewish movie family'; Bravo Gives Long Island Jews the Jersey Shore Treatment; Magicians and More

The Kosher Gourmet by Bill Ward: How to be as refined as the wines at a wine tasting

May 29, 2013

Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die

Dennis Prager: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie

David Clark Scott: Open war on teachers?
Morgan Housel: If you know only five things about investing, make it these

Sara Reardon: AGenome detectives change the donation game

Deborah Netburn: A one-way ticket to Mars? 78,000-plus and counting apply by video

The Kosher Gourmet by Bev Bennett: CHEDDAR AND CHERRY MUFFINS --- your mouth is already watering

May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting


Jewish World Review July 20, 2006 / 24 Tamuz, 5766

Drawing Lines in the Sand

By Jonathan Tobin



Printer Friendly Version

Email this article



Fatigue has set in. It must be vanquished


http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | The latest chapter in the State of Israel's nearly 60-year-old War of Independence continues, as fighting between the Israel Defense Force and terrorist groups along its northern and southern borders continues at breakneck speed.


As was the case when, on the first day of its modern existence, Israelis witnessed assaults on its borders from more than one direction, the threat is grave, and casualties — both military and civilian — have been high. But just like in 1948, the mood of Israel's people remains resolute.


Through the ups and downs of six decades of warfare and failed peace overtures, much has changed, but this much has not: The goal of Israel's enemies remains its destruction; the duty of Jews everywhere remains supporting Israel at all costs and in every way possible.


Yet a certain fatigue has set in when it comes to such matters. While rallying to Israel's defense, and creating campaigns to raise money to assist the state and the Jewish victims of terror once proved second nature, for all too many of us, such a swift and resolute response is something to be, at best, debated.


The images conveyed by television broadcasts or reports in newspapers do little justice to the horrors of war, and there is no doubt that both Arabs and Jews have suffered in the last week as the fighting has escalated. In the face of such terrible events, the impulse to turn away — or merely sigh and place the blame for the struggle on all those involved — is felt by many onlookers. After decades of media coverage that vilified Israel and airbrushed Arab terrorists into "freedom fighters," some American Jews have joined the blame-Israel-first crowd of activists, who've sought to delegitimize Israeli self-defense or even questioned Israel's right to exist as a nation.


The question is: How will we respond to this new phase of war, in which rockets have replaced suicide bombers?


Will we dither and equivocate while Jewish men, women and children are bombed out of their homes by Lebanese terrorists, backed and armed by the criminal regimes of Syria and Iran? Will we stand back and argue — as so many of us are inclined to do — about the rights and wrongs, and the details of Israeli military operations, whose purpose is to defeat these terrorists?


Israel's enemies — who are not only the foes of the Jewish people, but also those of the United States and other Western democracies — hope that that is exactly what we'll do. They think years of propaganda have obfuscated the simple truths of the conflict in our minds. In their arrogance and hate, they think we are foolish enough to fall for their tactical goal of creating a conflict so horrendous that the world will turn away in disgust, and effectively abandon Israel and handcuff its armed forces.


In the coming weeks and months, it will be our obligation to prove them wrong.


Friends of Israel and the Jewish community as a whole make up a diverse population that holds a variety of political and religious views. But in wartime, with the deadly intentions of Israel's foes made clear even for those whose illusions often prevent them from seeing clearly, this is not the time for division on the basic question of Israeli self-defense.


We must act to aid Israel materially as it cares again for the latest families of the victims of terror and those displaced by the current fighting.


We must speak loudly, and with as united a voice as possible in support of Israel's justified military campaign, which seeks to end the status quo whereby would-be killers cross Israel's borders with impunity, and then bargain in s afety for the release of other killers.


We must say clearly that while Israel's goal remains peace, its Lebanese neighbors, as well as the Palestinians, have no right to harbor killers, and to allow them to use their territory and then pretend as if they had nothing to do with them.


We must insist to the U.S. government — and to our European "allies" — that Israel's response not be interrupted. Even more, we must demand that the diplomatic focus of the world not be on Israel's reaction, but on the actions of the terrorists, and their state-sponsors in Damascus and Tehran.


We must remind our fellow citizens that these terrorists are no different from the Al Qaeda hijackers who attacked America in September of 2001. The only answer they should get from democracies is full-fledged support for bringing killers to justice.


Hezbollah, Hamas and their murderous allies have made no secret of their goal. Our answer to them — and to the people of Israel — must be just as clear.


This is a moment for renewed activism and philanthropy aimed at shoring up Israel's defense and the welfare of its people. Israel's leaders have vowed that Jewish blood will not be shed with impunity again. We applaud their resolution, and the courage and determination of the Israeli people day after day, month after month, year after exhausting year.


We grieve for those lost and lament the undiminished willingness of Israel's foes to sacrifice their own people's lives. But together, we must stand behind Israel's soldiers and its government.


May their efforts be blessed and rewarded with victory.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. Let him know what you think by clicking here.

Jonathan Tobin Archives




© 2005, Jonathan Tobin