MirYam’s Commentary
Israel is entering an unprecedented third election cycle in less than a year. In the face of this robust demonstration of an overactive democracy, the population has been worn down by bitterly divisive politicians. Instead of debating issues, our would-be leaders are engaging in rank character assassination in order to rise in the polls.
On the 20th of December 2019, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, announced that a criminal investigation into the “situation in Palestine” should be opened. Bensouda acknowledged that on the basis of an “independent and objective assessment of all reliable information available,” the criteria for opening the aforementioned criminal investigation had been fulfilled.
Just recently, foreign dignitaries arrived in Israel for the historic commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp, arguably the most notorious of the camps active during World War II. The event, hosted by Yad Vashem and the World Holocaust Forum, drew presidents and princes, prime ministers and clergymen from around the globe, and was the largest gathering of international dignitaries Israel has ever seen.
As we enter the new decade, the time is right to ask how Israel can amend ties with the mostly liberal American Jewish community, while safeguarding strong relations with the White House. This is especially urgent in light of the recent killing of Qasem Soleimani and its reverberating impact across the globe and region.
The Iranian reaction to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, which some news reports tied to critical intelligence provided by Israel, has thus far been a textbook example for how Iran responds asymmetrically to threats. First, Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles against two air bases in Iraq where coalition troops reside.
This past Shabbat, we read the story of Vayigash – And He Drew Near, the penultimate portion of the book of Genesis.
It recounts the tale of the brothers reconciliation with Joseph, the sibling they sold into slavery, who rose to become viceroy of Egypt. He’d been separated from them for so long that they no longer recognized him.
As has been covered extensively by American and international news media, General Qasem Soleimani’s death on Friday, January 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq, was a history-altering event. The legal and justifiable strike of an arch-terrorist leader in a United States military theater of operations was in response to the recent attacks on the United States Embassy in Iraq and Soleimani’s history of unprecedented influence and violence within Iraq and the greater Middle East. Jews, the question bears mentioning, should Jewish Americans be worried for our future in the United States?
Presented by the MirYam Institute: Col. Eli Baron (IDF Ret.) - Former Deputy Military Advocate General, in conversation Benjamin Anthony, Co-Founder & CEO, the MirYam Institute
As a new year on the Jewish calendar begins, we are well served to reflect on the year that was 5779. For the American Jewish community, it was unfortunately a year marked with trouble. Without question, the most devastating event that will be remembered this year was the terrorist attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
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