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.
Rome
The Vilification of the Zealots
byWhy was the Judean freedom movement vilified in rabbinic literature and in the writings of Josephus?
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.
Z’khor Y’mot Olam: Between Washington & Tehran
byWhen assessing Israel’s role in a conflict between the United States and Iran, we must determine Jewish interests not only according to Israel’s immediate defensive needs but also according to our own sense of history and national mission.
Understanding the Zealot Movement
byWhile the Zealot movement fought a class struggle alongside its national struggle for independence, it would be wrong to understand the Great Revolt solely through the prism of Marxist theory.
Entering the Month of Tammuz
byThe month of Tammuz should be dedicated to learning about the Zealot movement, its leading personalities, ideology & struggle for freedom.
Mourning Days of Tevet
byThe fact that Jews still fast on this day thousands of years later speaks volumes about the length, depth and power of Israel’s collective memory.
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.
Masada
byDuring these days leading up to Tisha b’Av, we invite you to learn the story of the Sicarii’s heroic struggle for freedom against Rome.