http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php en nrubin@jewishtimes.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-10T19:04:19+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/under_the_boardwalk/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/under_the_boardwalk/#When:19:00:09Z If you’ve visited Jerusalem lately, you’ve surely noticed a few striking architectural innovations. There’re the Mamilla mall, connecting the Old City and New, and the Calatrava bridge at the entrance to town, meant to resemble a biblical harp. Opinions differ on these two, but most folks like them — which cannot be said of the atrocious Holyland… Opinion - Op/Ed 2012-02-09T19:00:09+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/israelan_endangered_democracy/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/israelan_endangered_democracy/#When:19:00:13Z One of the great ironies of the Arab Spring is that, with the elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, the Arab world, however imperfectly and however haltingly, is moving toward democracy as Israel appears to be moving away from it. For a very long time, Israel was the only genuine democracy in the Middle East, and the… Opinion - Op/Ed 2012-02-02T19:00:13+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/vanishing_decency_and_dignity/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/vanishing_decency_and_dignity/#When:19:00:27Z Our ancient sages insisted that “derech eretz kadmah laTorah,” “basic human decency is the precursor to Torah.” Despite all the talk about civility these days, its practice seems to be increasingly on the wane. A few months ago, I saw an obviously identifiable member of our Jewish community park in a reserved handicapped parking spot at the… Opinion - Op/Ed 2012-01-26T19:00:27+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/here_i_am/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/here_i_am/#When:03:00:40Z Many Republicans reflexively view Barack Obama as arrogant, out of touch, or socialistic, and are unimpressed with his rhetorical skills, coolness under pressure and essential civility. But a growing number of Jewish voters think he has been intellectually dishonest in applying American values toward Israel. Last month, the president, appearing before the biennial of the Union for Reform… Opinion - Op/Ed 2012-01-20T03:00:40+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/protecting_the_temple/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/protecting_the_temple/#When:19:00:48Z The famous photo of Theodor Herzl on the hotel balcony in Basel, Switzerland, is a classic of Zionist iconography. Leaning on the railing, the seer of the Jewish state strikes a pensive pose. In mid-December, there appeared on the op-ed page of Ha’aretz a parody of the Herzl picture by Amos Biderman, one of Israel’s sharpest political cartoonists.… Opinion - Op/Ed 2012-01-12T19:00:48+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/gingrich_poor_historian/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/gingrich_poor_historian/#When:19:00:53Z One of the more outrageous statements coming out of the hotly contested Republican race for the party’s presidential nomination was made when former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich asserted that the Palestinians were an “invented people.” He not only misunderstands the dynamics of nationalism, but pushes the Palestinians further from accepting the concept of Israel as a… Opinion - Op/Ed 2012-01-05T19:00:53+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/a_new_israel/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/a_new_israel/#When:19:00:35Z When I arrived in 1971, the country was open and fairly liberal. Although there were conflicts between the Haredi Orthodox and secular populations, in general an attitude of live and let live prevailed. During the past few years, the ultra-Orthodox have imposed segregation between men and women on buses in Jerusalem, and sought to enforce separate pathways… Opinion - Op/Ed 2011-12-29T19:00:35+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/good_and_great_a_truce/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/good_and_great_a_truce/#When:19:00:28Z It is hardly innovative to say that situations arise in which justice and mercy collide. The same is true about truth and compassion. But did you ever see a conflict between good and great? Or good and perfect? In his popular book, “Good to Great,” Jim Collins writes, “Good is the enemy of great.” Conversely, Voltaire once said,… Opinion - Op/Ed 2011-12-22T19:00:28+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/raven_nevermore/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/raven_nevermore/#When:19:00:57Z The Ravens are making a big mistake by abandoning their training camp in Westminster.  Except for the storied Colts marching band, those warm summer family junkets to the bucolic Western Maryland campus were one of the few fond memories remaining of that era when fans could watch the team practice. To Baltimore’s football faithful, this was our… Opinion - Op/Ed 2011-12-15T19:00:57+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/chanukahs_lasting_gift/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/chanukahs_lasting_gift/#When:15:58:06Z Chanukah, which ends at sundown after Shabbat, is a joyful holiday. It is our festival of light, a time to rejoice over the miraculous feat our ancestors accomplished in saving Judaism from Hellenist paganism and aggression. We sing of the Maccabees, light the menorah, eat seasonal delicacies and shower gifts large and small upon loved ones and friends.… Opinion - Op/Ed 2009-12-17T15:58:06+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/reform_jews_on_film/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/reform_jews_on_film/#When:18:51:44Z It has been 21 years since I landed in Israel, in December 1988. I say “landed” and not “ascended.” I use the word aliyah as freely as the next Jew, but one way I’ve come of age as an Israeli is that this is mostly a place where I fight traffic and pay exorbitant water bills. In other… Opinion - Op/Ed 2009-12-10T18:51:44+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/when_things_fall_apart/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/op_ed/when_things_fall_apart/#When:03:00:04Z “Pogrom!” roared the old man. “Do you know what a pogrom is?!” We were standing in front of a makolet — a neighborhood grocery — on Ben-Shushan Street in Akko (also known as Acre). This was in the eastern part of the city, not the scenic old town by the sea where tourists visit Crusader ruins. It’s a… Opinion - Op/Ed 2008-11-14T03:00:04+00:00