The Israeli-American alliance rests on traditional geopolitical considerations but also, as Walter Russell Mead’s new book shows, on much more than that

Posted on September 30, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

AMERICAN PURPOSE
As American as Apple Pie
Michael Mandelbaum
September 30, 2022

…By these standards, the model American ally is the state of Israel. It has supported American initiatives, and opposed the adversaries of the United States, since its founding in 1948. During that time, it has retained an impeccably democratic political system. As for burden-sharing, Israel’s defense budget as a percentage of the country’s overall output far exceeds what other American allies spend; Israel provides valuable intelligence to the American government; and Israel forswears the use of American troops for its defense, relying entirely on its own soldiers. READ MORE

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“Iranian feminism has stood the test of time; it hasn’t been corrupted. If only the same could be said for the West”

Posted on September 30, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

UNHERD
What Western feminists can learn from Iran
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
September 28, 2022

…This is part of the reason why Iran is so unique: not only are men standing publicly with women, but women must also be aware that they are under no threat from their husbands and male relatives, otherwise they would not dare put themselves on the front lines like this. Consider, for example, the beautiful, inspiring videos of women tossing their headscarves into bonfires before dancing joyously away, for all the world to see. If they thought their fathers or brothers were waiting back home to punish them, I doubt we would see such sights on this scale…As America’s feminist movement collapses under the weight of it its own divisiveness, I can’t help but find its Iranian counterpart far more inspiring: men and women standing together, speaking up for each other’s rights. READ MORE

JERUSALEM POST Iran fires at students as Mahsa Amini protests continue to escalate Security forces were seen in footage shared on social media firing directly at crowds of protesters, including students.

THE HILL Treasury sanctions 7 Iranian leaders over violence against protestors, internet shutdown The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned seven Iranian government and security leaders on Thursday for their suppression of women’s rights protests using violence and censorship.

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“Universities should be expected to provide the conditions within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgment, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions, can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom” 

Posted on September 30, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
Restoring Free Speech at Our Universities
Charles Lipson
September 30, 2022

Now that the autumn semester is well underway, it is worth asking whether students have a chance to participate in free and open debate. The short answer is “No, they don’t.” They don’t have a chance to explore unpopular ideas and controversial opinions. They are “protected” from ideas that might make them uncomfortable. What’s being stifled here is more than speech. It’s their education and, with it, their preparation to live in a tolerant society, where fellow citizens hold different views. As Hanna Holborn Gray, one of America’s finest university presidents, once observed: “Education should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think. READ MORE

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“The once prosperous Greek city-state, Roman Empire, Renaissance republics, and European democracies of the 1930s imploded – as civilization went headlong in reverse. We in the modern Western world are now facing just such a crisis”

Posted on September 30, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

TOWN HALL
The Thinnest Veneer of Civilization
Victor Davis Hanson
October 2, 2022

To be able to eat, to move about, to have shelter, to be free from state or tribal coercion, to be secure abroad, and safe at home – only that allows cultures to be freed from the daily drudgery of mere survival. Civilization alone permits humans to pursue sophisticated scientific research, the arts, and the finer aspects of culture. So, the great achievement of Western civilization – consensual government, individual freedom, rationalism in partnership with religious belief, free market economics, and constant self-critique and audit – was to liberate people from daily worry over state violence, random crime, famine, and an often-unforgiving nature. READ MORE

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EVENT StandWithUs Midwest Annual Gala Sunday November 6 !

Posted on September 30, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

The Campus Champions gala is StandWithUs‘ annual celebration of Israel in the Midwest, this year honoring Chicago businessman Ted Schwartz. The evening will include remarks from Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan and Noa Tishby, The State of Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization of Israel as well as a delicious dinner by renowned chef Carlos Resendiz. Sunday, November 6 at 5:30 PM at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort.

To purchase tickets go to http://www.standwithus.com/campuschampions2022

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“Attempts to shoehorn European political leaders into a neat equation about fascists, authoritarians and democrats doesn’t advance Jewish interests or make sense”

Posted on September 28, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni a friend or a foe of the Jews?
Jonathan Tobin
September 28, 2022

The latest parliamentary elections in Italy have sent many in the chattering classes in both Europe and the United States heading for their smelling salts. The victory of Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy Party means that the right-wing bloc is likely to lead the next government. Since the Brothers of Italy traces its origins to supporters of Benito Mussolini’s Fascists and postwar successor groups, the assumption on the part of many, if not most, commentators is that her success is part of a general trend in which democracy is being threatened by a new generation of authoritarians. In this way, Meloni is lumped together with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as, in some versions of this thesis, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL Italy’s Meloni portrays herself as strong supporter of Israel, rejects fascist past Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who is on track to become the country’s first far-right leader since Mussolini in World War II, has long tried to distance herself from her party’s fascist past and indicated she would be a strong supporter of Israel, even boasting of ties to the Likud party.

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Zelensky: “I am stating the facts. My conversations with the Israeli leadership have done nothing to help Ukraine”

Posted on September 23, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
Zelensky Says He Is Shocked by Israel’s Failure to Give Ukraine Weapons
Reuters
September 25, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “in shock” at Israel’s failure to give Kyiv anti-missile systems to help counter Russian attacks, according to an interview made public on Saturday. Zelensky has been asking for the weapons since shortly after the war started in February. He has mentioned Israel’s Iron Dome system, often used to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza. “I don’t know what happened to Israel. I’m honestly, frankly – I am in shock, because I don’t understand why they couldn’t give us air defenses,” he said. Zelensky made the remarks in an interview with French reporters on Wednesday. READ MORE

I24NEWS Ukraine asks Israel for intel on Iran’s support to Russia Ukraine asked Israel to share intelligence on Iran providing support to the Russian army, Israeli sources told the media. American and Ukrainian officials have previously accused Tehran of selling hundreds of drones to Moscow that are being used in its attacks on Ukrainian targets.

COMMON SENSE Ukraine Can Win This War The experts said Ukraine was was ill-prepared, ill-equipped, and Russia’s military was simply too powerful. They were wrong. Since Ukraine’s counteroffensive began nearly three weeks ago, the country has reclaimed more than 3,400 square miles. By contrast, Russia’s offensive in the east gained only 2,000 square miles in the past five months. 

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Glick: Rather than stand with Israel against Hezbollah, the Biden administration is siding with Hezbollah—Iran’s Lebanese foreign legion against Israel

Posted on September 23, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Israel’s Choice: Independence or Appeasement
Caroline Glick
September 23, 2022

Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid and his supporters in the media went berserk Tuesday after Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out against the gas deal the Biden administration is mediating between Israel and Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon. Since Hezbollah launched two drones against Israel’s Karish gas platform in July, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly threatened to blow up Karish if Israel brings Karish online without first surrendering to Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon large swathes of sovereign Israeli land underneath Israel’s recognized maritime economic zone, including the Qana gas field. READ MORE

FDD BRIEF Hezbollah and Iran Are Destabilizing the West Bank The Iranian proxy Hezbollah has quietly been sending arms to the West Bank in a bid to strengthen Palestinian terrorist organizations. Tehran’s goal is to undermine the authority of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and to provide terrorist groups with the means to attack Israel. This tactic is proving successful. Since the May 2021 Gaza-Israel conflict, the West Bank has experienced a major uptick in militant activity from Tehran-directed groups, while PA security forces have either joined this violence or looked the other way.

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How PM Lapid plans to block Iran’s path to a bomb

Posted on September 23, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
‘Does Israel have the ability to stop Iran from becoming nuclear? The answer is yes’
Yehuda Shlezinger
September 25, 2022

…Asked if “Israeli children are safe from Iran,” Lapid said, “From day one, we have been telling the Americans that we will engage behind closed doors in the most heated debate they have ever seen and will make them see intelligence they would have preferred not to see. But we also said that we will not deliver speeches in Congress against them; we will not get into the US political fray, we have already seen how ineffective this is [in 2015, referring to then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to derail the nuclear deal]. But we also said that we will reserve the right to act without clearing this with them or giving a heads up; we are not going to commit to informing anyone.” READ MORE

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Kol Nidrei, one of the most awe-inspiring and misunderstood parts of Jewish liturgy, dramatizes the power of repentance

Posted on September 23, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

AISH
Three Ways to Make Yom Kippur Meaningful
Slovie Jungreis-Wolff
September 28, 2022

Yom Kippur is a day unlike any other. The energy of the day is the power of teshuvah – returning to become the person you were created to be. One of the most painful moments a human being can have is the realization that “I’ve messed up my life. I haven’t changed. The same things trigger me. I still lose it with the people I love. I haven’t grown spiritually. What’s my life about? Why am I here? What defines me?” Think about it. After you strip away all the externals – your home, your favorite possessions, your bank account – who are you? READ MORE

WALL STREET JOURNAL Meir Soloveichik: The Meaning of a Yom Kippur Prayer For this rea­son, Kol Nidrei speaks pro­foundly to our own time. In the age of the in­ter­net, every im­petu­ous post­ing, every mis­guided tweet, every re­gret­ted ut­ter­ance sur­vives for­ever, and of­ten no amount of re­gret is suf­fi­cient to undo the stain on some­one’s rep­u­ta­tion. Kol Nidrei re­minds us to can­cel mis­takes, rather than peo­ple, ac­cept­ing gen­uine re­gret and em­brac­ing the pos­si­bil­ity of change and growth. Af­ter cen­turies of de­bate, the fu­ture of Kol Nidrei in Jew­ish liturgy is se­cure, but its lessons need to be learned once again.

BON APPETIT How Are You Breaking Your Fast for Yom Kippur? We Asked 16 Jewish Cooks and Writers “Yom Kippur break fast is one of the most delicious and satisfying meals of the Jewish calendar,” says Shannon Sarna, editor of Jewish food website The Nosher and author of Modern Jewish Comfort Food. “You have been fasting for 25 hours, you are tired, it’s nighttime, and all of a sudden you are shoveling bagels, lox, kugel, and mimosas into your face.”

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