Menachem Mendel

I want to wish a Hag Sameah for Shavuot. Below are some sources for a talk that I am giving tonight which examines whether there is a commandment to believe in God. Are We Commanded to Believe in God

Posted on May 18th, 2010 under Talmud Torah. Comments Off

Allon Gal has written a lot about the relationship between American Jews and Israel. A quick look at the contents of these two books which he edited shows that there has been much serious and frank discussion of this issue in the past. 1. Envisioning Israel: The Changing Ideals and Images of North American Jews [...]

Posted on May 18th, 2010 under Israel, Zionism. Comments Off

There has been much discussion about Peter Beinart’s article in the NYRB, The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment, which discusses what he understands to be the failure of the American Jewish establishment to make room in the conversation for those who are critical of Israel. I highly recommend Beinart’s article, even without agreeing with [...]

Posted on May 17th, 2010 under Israel. Comments: 7

An interesting dialogue of sorts has developed between two well-known figures in the religious-zionist camp, Rabbis Hayyim Navon and Yisrael Rosen. The catalyst for this most recent dustup was a booklet which Rabbi Navon wrote for the liberal religious group Ne’emanei Torah ve-Avodah called אתחלתא דתקווה, “The Beginning of Hope.” This is a modification of [...]

Posted on May 17th, 2010 under Israel, Jewish Thought, Zionism. Comments Off

Prof. Moshe Greenberg z”l, one of the most important Jewish scholars of Bible in our time, has passed away in Jerusalem. The funeral will take place on Sunday May 16 , 3 Sivan at Bet Hahesped at 5:00 PM. Shiva at Sokolov 18 until Tuesday afternoon May 18, 5 Sivan, Maariv: 8:00 PM

Posted on May 16th, 2010 under Bible Studies, In Memoriam. Comments Off

I found it a bit ironic that Andrew Sullivan, a professional angster and screecher over Israel’s barbarism and lost soul, linked to an article from Harper’s about a Spanish investigation into CIA activities on its soil. What caught my eye in the article was the following sentence. El-Masri’s CIA abductors entered Spanish territory using forged [...]

Posted on May 13th, 2010 under Israel, Miscellaneous. Comments Off

Thamar E. Gindin has a post (Hebrew) all about the name Yerushalam/Yerushalayim. She has some nice linguistical tidbits and a theory about how Yerushalam of the Tanakh, this is how it appears almost every time-see here for details, became Yerushalayim.

Posted on May 11th, 2010 under Hebrew, Israel. Comments Off

In Tablet Adam Kirsch reviews David Ruderman’s new book Early Modern Jewry: A New Cultural History.

Posted on May 11th, 2010 under Book Reviews, Jewish History, New Books. Comments Off

For some reading on Yom Yerushalayim, David Cook’s translation of Eliyahu Porush’s EARLY MEMORIES (Zikhronot Rishonim) is a good way to see what life was like in Jerusalem in the first half of the 20th century.

Posted on May 11th, 2010 under Israel, Jewish History. Comments Off