Author: atara

Dear friends, It’s been a whirlwind few days here in Israel, nationally and personally. The Israeli news feed is overwhelmed with hypotheses on whether PM Netanyahu will encourage new elections here. The Knesset would have to vote to dissolve itself in order for that to happen, but it’s pretty much up to the PM as […]

Friends, An impressive show of force from AIPAC this week included an unprecedented break from its previously stated policy: Full support for the policies of the Israeli government. We’ve seen this stand whittled away but never has Israel been so blatantly provoked as this week when its executive director called for a palestinian state to be […]

Friends, It’s the Jewish holiday of Purim, where everything’s upside down! From King Achashverosh’s decree to kill the Jews of Persia to Esther saving her people. From Haman the evil to Mordechai the righteous. From somber to joyous, from serious to downright raucous. We gather in synagogues and communities tonight to read the story, Megillat […]

Friends, Is this a little girl scared by a threatening soldier, or ​rather ​a soldier threatened by a menacing girl? Without context it might be hard to tell. But the Tamimis, a palestinian arab family, have been providing that context for us ad nauseum, in their own words, from every possible platform. What started as […]

Friends, Never a dull moment here in Israel. What we’d call ‘routine’ is more like a high-adrenaline adventure, new each time. Last week began with a high-profile, pomp-and-circumstance​ visit by Vice President Pence, member of what might be the most pro-Israel US government ever. Our team was invite to attend his Knesset speech both by […]

Friends, A simple thought from Jerusalem: If you lived in Judea at the time of the Second Temple, what would your day look like? It seems that there were a few dissenting opinions in response to that, namely some who believed in wholly spiritual acts, while others lived a pretty normal routine, peppered with the […]

Thank you, Vice President Pence. What a day! The opportunity to hear the Vice President of the United States address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament – a truly historic moment, and a great privilege. This has followed a series of significant moments that this administration has initiated in the last year from President Trump’s visit to […]

Friends, Local diplomacy: Rumors are flying that the White House has a peace plan. We welcome ideas with open arms, of course. Ideas that are responsible and protect the lives of those under discussion. The Oslo Accords seemed like a good idea at the time (not to all of us naysayers) but brought devastating terrorism […]

Friends, Closure Sunday, I sat in Ofer Military Court with Eli Borochov and his family. Eli, an American tourist visiting Hebron had been shot in 2015 along with another visitor to the holy Cave of the Patriarchs. While waiting for the judges to convene, we reminisced about our days as neighbors in Cedarhurst, New York. […]