The country’s current reality doesn’t merit the panicked reaction to a recent wave of attacks. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel Anytime Israel endures a spate of terrorist attacks the country seems to digress into a sad, visceral ritual. The latest manifestation has just played out in response to the three deadly attacks that killed 11 people within a … Read More
Naftali Bennett is an entrepreneur, a product of Israel’s vaunted high-tech startup nation. It’s a culture where high-risk and high-reward ventures are encouraged and where only the most daring score big. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s stunning weekend gambit in Moscow, where he became the first Western leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin since … Read More
With the world trending authoritarian, will Trump turn out to be the first of his kind while the moderate Biden in fact be the last of his? Op-ed published in The Times of Israel For much of Donald Trump’s chaotic, dysfunctional and norm-defying four-year presidency, traditional liberals comforted themselves with the belief that he was, essentially, an aberration. Trump’s election, … Read More
Published in The Canadian Jewish News on Remembrance Day 2021 For most of his life, my grandfather, Mickey Heller, tried to put the memories of the Second World War behind him. After two years in Europe as a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he returned home to Toronto in 1944, married his sweetheart, started a family and a … Read More
America’s national sport has tried unsuccessfully to make inroads in the Holy Land for decades. Perhaps a successful showing in Tokyo will finally win the game some fans at home. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel On paper, it should go down as one of the greatest feats in Israeli sports history: a high-profile team that not only qualified for … Read More
The US president’s mix of support and restraint enabled Israel to bring the Gaza fighting to an optimal close. Israel must now heed his call to return to peacemaking. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel Imagine for a moment if someone like Bernie Sanders had been president of the United States during this recent round of fighting in Gaza. The White … Read More
With an unprecedented barrage of rockets, and an unexpected assist from Arab and Jewish thugs meting out vigilante justice on the street, Hamas again upends Israeli politics. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. Where have we seen this before? Oh, yes. It was early 1996. Shimon Peres was prime minister, vowing to continue the peace agenda of the recently … Read More
Time is running out: Few survivors with strong memories remain – most of the firsthand stories we hear nowadays are from the perspective of children, maybe teens. Column published in The Times of Israel. Holocaust Remembrance Day is perhaps the most solemn on the Israeli calendar. It’s a day when the country literally comes to a standstill to honor the … Read More
Israel desperately needs electoral reform so that election day can once again become a celebration of democracy. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. Israel’s election on March 23 will be the fourth since my youngest daughter was born. She’s not even two. Teenaged American girls can celebrate their Quinceanera at 15, and French teenagers can turn 19 and be … Read More
Israel’s great Faustian bargain with the ultra-Orthodox has been a colossal failure. The upcoming election may be the last chance to fix it. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. It was a historic night. Benjamin Netanyahu had been defeated and Ehud Barak was standing on the balcony of Rabin Square promising “the dawn of a new day.” But what … Read More
Israelis can count on the US president to have their country’s most significant interests at heart, even if it comes with a dose of tough love. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. When Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992, his familiarity with the African American community prompted some to fondly call him the “first Black president.” According to … Read More
The virus and its consequences have focused a spotlight on fault lines that have been ignored for years. But instead of providing a wakeup call, few in power seem willing to seriously confront it. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. COVID-19 is a deadly virus. It can target our vital organs, choke our flow of oxygen and slow down our … Read More
The prime minister’s unmatched zest for ruling has beaten down and worn out anyone with even a hint of potential to succeed him. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. Seated in a plush conference room of a Lisbon hotel in late 2019, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was fielding questions from his traveling press entourage. He detailed his meetings … Read More
Israeli politics are moving in the opposite direction to America: the demographics play to the right. A Biden-style victory could simply never happen here. Op-ed published in Haaretz. With Israel seemingly headed toward another election, many long-languishing opposition forces are hoping that Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the United States can be a harbinger of the Israeli version of … Read More
Published in The Forward. Can be found here. TEL AVIV, Israel _ With his motormouth monologues and poignant punchlines about the absurdities of Israeli life, Shahar Hason has established himself as one of the country’s most popular stand-up comics. But when he drops his native Hebrew for the risky gambit of entertaining crowds in English, the words sometimes escape him. … Read More