In Those Days, At This Time
byHow do we extricate Israel from Roman rule without bringing the Jewish state to ruin in the process? Can this be the next great challenge of Jewish history?
Edom
Toldot: The Prophetic Destiny of Rivka’s Twins
byHow do the personal traits of Esav and Yaakov find expression in the rival civilizations they produced?
Trump isn’t Cyrus, He’s Nero
byWhile some rightwing Israelis and Israel supporters have cast Donald Trump as the Persian Emperor Cyrus, his personality and behavior are actually more reminiscent of the Roman Emperor Nero.
US Working to Block Israel-China Ties: Lessons from Edom
byIsrael mustn’t let itself be dragged by Trump and Pompeo into their escalating conflict with China. In any new Cold War between the powers, Israel should work to maintain neutrality for the Semitic region.
Ḥanukah
byThe pure cruse of oil shone brightly, permeated the collective soul of the Hebrew nation and bestowed upon Israel the strength to fight on.
Israel, the West & the Conflict with Edom
byJust as Roman citizenship guaranteed the rights of personal security and safe travel at the cost of submission to Roman imperial culture and later Roman Christianity, the cost of inclusion in Enlightened Europe’s “liberal” society was always a cultural assimilation – an identification with the state above all, at the expense of more particular communal affiliations.
Z’khor Y’mot Olam: Edom
byThe association of Edom with Rome & the ensuing Roman destruction of Judea has marked Edom-Rome in our people’s national consciousness as the central antagonist in Israel’s collective story.