The fact that AJ+, the social media wing of Al Jazeera, is vehemently anti-Israel, is not really surprising. But even by their standards, AJ+ managed to stoop to a new low this week, by using the murders of four Israelis in a terrorist attack, to demonize the Jewish state even...
Where cultures meet: Christmas in Jerusalem
Coming from a traditional Jewish family, I have never celebrated Christmas at home. While I have always had friends who celebrated the holiday, I never had the opportunity to experience it firsthand back in New York. Moving to Jerusalem, a city sacred to three major religions, brought with it the...
Israeli Students Fight Anti-Israel Campus Activity From Jerusalem
As Israelis, we take our reality for granted. It is full of paradoxes; an unattended bag can stop traffic, yet we are more preoccupied with the thought of being stuck in traffic than the fact that there might be a bomb in their vicinity. Getting a beer with friends among the ancient...
The Life of a Teenage Advocate
I wake up and look at my phone. Two Israeli men were stabbed and killed in Jerusalem. I turn on my computer, trying to make sense of this attack, but the first news article from the BBC that pops up, headlines that a ‘Palestinian [is] shot dead after Jerusalem attack...
Lessons from an Israeli Photojournalist
He lives in Israel and fell in love with Alaska: Gil Cohen-Magen, Israeli photojournalist. He came to speak at our University; he came to tell of his experience documenting the horrors of last years’ Gaza War. He came to share his passion for photographing the ceremonies and lives of Israel’s...
Building a Better Fence: A Firsthand Look at Israel’s Security Barrier
As I laid my hand on the wall portion of Israel’s security barrier I heard Colonel (Reserve) Danny Tirza say, “I want to be the first one to take down this wall.” Moved and a little startled, I turned to look at him. The man who engineered Israel’s famous security...
The Man Behind the Incitement
Recently, at his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the PLO, opened his speech ‘raising the alarm’ to the world as to his version of the facts on the ground as they stand in relation to the most disputed piece of real estate in the...
In defense of self-determination: The Parallels between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Israel
In mid-September, I received the news. I would finally be going to Israel. A longstanding dream of mine was being realized. I will soon be in the holy land. I am a native of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (having lived here since I was about four years of age). As...