Virus surges to over 7,500 daily cases as Israel set to enter full lockdown

The Health Ministry said Friday morning that a record high 7,527 new virus cases were diagnosed a day earlier, as Knesset lawmakers continued to...

Hours before full lockdown set to begin, Knesset yet to give final okay

With less than seven hours to go until sweeping new limitations meant to curb a runaway coronavirus outbreak were set to go into effect, Knesset...

US slaps sanctions on Iranians over execution of wrestler

WASHINGTON — The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on an Iranian judge who sentenced a wrestler to death over his role in protests —...

Hundreds of protesters gather outside PM’s residence, vow to keep demonstrating

Hundreds of people took part in demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation around the country Thursday, as...

Coronavirus crisis tests resilience of Europe’s dwindling Jewish communities

JTA — With 20 years of experience as a professional singer, Petra Ernyei had enjoyed a reasonable level of job security. During the High Holidays...

Never mind the China hawks, Xi Jinping actually seems interested in global governance

When it came to portraying Asia’s biggest economy as a torch-bearer for multilateralism, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s United Nations speech...

NYC authorities warn of crackdown as infections mount in Hasidic areas

JTA — After days of warning about rising COVID-19 cases in Orthodox neighborhoods, New York City is threatening drastic enforcement measures...

(POGLED) Pod masko odgovornosti

Bržkone je v človekovi naravi ali preprosto v naravi stvari, da nekate- re reči resnično dojamemo šele, ko se nas neposredno dotaknejo in jih...

‘The Buck Stops Here,’ Words That Don’t Connect for Netanyahu

Closer look called for before taking action to lower cellphone bills

When a market fails to function properly, the government may have to step in. But the decision to take such a step should be preceded by a careful...

Inside the Jewish Fundamentalists’ Joyous, Deadly Strategy for COVID-19

Praying as usual, playing with death: Ultra-Orthodox Jews will shape the Jewish future. That’s why their response to coronavirus is our problem too

Poets capture abnormality of daily life during the pandemic

A poem written back on April 12 brings back the sense of bewilderment and unease felt around the nation six months ago, when a state of emergency...

As Sabah poll looms, why some East Malaysians are calling for secession

Unity is a common theme every year on Malaysia Day, the holiday celebrated last week that marks the day the country became a federation in...

Italy’s ring-wing alliance blows up, with Salvini under fire

Analysis. Salvini is not budging. No self-criticism. No admission of wrongs. The Lega will create a secretariat. written by Andrea Colombo Topic...

Global climate strikers take on inactive leaders

In the first global strike of this pandemic year, citizens the world over will be shouting in unison for bold climate action. It's time for leaders...

Save Yourself

You need to write 500 words a day, six days a week, through December 31, 2020. You, yes you reading this right now. You ended up here because you...

Yom Kippur: The Delicate Dance Between Life & Death

Inherent in a rabbi’s job description is to provide pastoral care for those whose lives are at coming to an end. It is a solemn duty to attend to...

The Battle to Replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court

As most of you know, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing has left a vacancy on the Supreme Court to be filled. As I predicted in my last blog a fierce...

A DIY Sightseeing Tour Along Israel’s Borders

Just before Israel’s second lockdown began last week, I had the opportunity to take a trip up north for some peace and quiet before being confined...

Ruth’s Song

In early 2016, I heard my colleague Cantor Sheera Ben-David sing a song. The song was about an unexpected, yet real fact regarding the life of...

Come and drink

In the opening passage of Haazinu, Moses compares his words with the different natural events, all somehow connected with water. He speaks about...

Playing Hide and Seek on Yom Kippur

Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, describes the High Holidays as a game of hide and seek. It feels like God is hidden, so we seek.  We try...

Teach me how to fail

The people of Israel have messed up awfully. Not long after hearing the 10 Commandments, they have built an exotic golden calf, an alluring idol...

Parshat Ha’azinu: Finding the Right Torah

Rabbi David Aaron once shared a thought that was so radical, so profound, that it initially came as an alien concept; in truth, its depth describes...

The Idea of a Bridge

One August morning, anticipating the whirlwind of the high holidays and the return to school in our pandemic-altered world, I walked by myself along...

Being Complete with G-d Doesn’t Mean Having to be Perfect

Que Sera Sera[i] was a popular song in the late 1950s that my mom and dad z”l would often sing to us when we were young, whenever we worried too...

Why Doctors Go To Gehinnom and What That Means For The Rest Of Us

Over the last six months the plight of medical professionals struggling against the coronavirus has been a tragically reoccurring headline....

Steps to Healing

I always hate it when people preach forgiveness.  Don’t misunderstand me — I do think they’re right on every point. The main idea behind...

A Zionist ‘Al Chet’

For the sin we have committed by diminishing the sanctity of Jewish lives And for the sin we have committed by diminishing the sanctity of Arab...

Fearing Death, Choosing Life

“It is fitting for every person who has fear of Heaven to be anguished and concerned regarding the destruction of the Temple.”  So goes the...

Present Tense

It is incredibly hard for me to remain present. I am constantly tempted by distractions, worrying about the future, trying to balance attention to...

How Trump fell out of love with his generals, and why the feeling is mutual

U.S. President Donald Trump picked retired generals for some of his most senior national security posts when he took office and boasts of heavy...

Haaretz Cartoon

Teze za strategijo zelene in digitalne prihodnosti

Od tiste strategije iz leta 2005 in izvedbenega paketa reform slovenska država praktično nima več strategije razvoja. Če seveda zanemarimo razne...

Ko ledeniki jočejo

September se še ni končal, končali pa so se septembri iz prejšnjih let. Od zadnjih desetih jih je bilo v Sloveniji kar šest pretoplih. Najbolj je...

Science minister backtracks on plans to quit over lockdown

Science and Technology Minister Izhar Shay backtracked from plans to quit the government in protest over lockdown rules late Thursday. The Blue and...

The election of Biden: Anything new for the Palestinians?

It is clear that the election of Joe Biden, the Democratic Party candidate for president of the US, would bring changes to the US domestic scene,...

Trump said what???

Here are three questions one might ask former V-P Joe Biden: (1) Mr. Biden, after the election, will you be attending Trump’s inauguration? (2)...

Paradise Lost — The Ashkenazi-Mizrachi Fault Line

My childhood village is so far away these days, yet I never really left it. I’ve been aware of this notion, this conundrum for a long time, yet...

Normalizations Less Normal: Israel, Kosovo, UAE

The “Abraham Accords” among Israel, the UAE and Bahrain came hot on the heels of mutual diplomatic recognition between Israel and Kosovo earlier...

Lately, I’ve been in this weird place where I’m crying in the supermarket

Lately, I’ve been in this weird place where I’m crying in the supermarket. Like, emotionally I’m in a weird place, and also, I’m LITERALLY in...

The Law for Declaring War on Protests

Doubts whether protest, prayer limits will pass on Friday as MKs bicker over law

With hours to go until the start of a lockdown, lawmakers on Friday continued to haggle over a controversial legal amendment, casting doubt over...

Democrats Must Finally Play Hardball

BERLIN – Around the world, right-wing populists are hollowing out democracy and the rule of law. But unlike many twentieth-century dictators,...

China’s Inevitable Low-Carbon Future

BEIJING – In mid-January, a group of senior Chinese officials and executives representing 28 influential industry associations gathered at an...

The continuing crackdown on press freedom in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is threatening its democratic future.

The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has long enjoyed a reputation as a safe haven for the persecuted from all over Iraq and a place...

Deplorable act

Firm response to the North's actions must follow The government gave a shocking announcement on Thursday that North Korea killed and burned the...

The ethics storm brewing over Chinese government bonds

Alluring returns come at cost of facilitating Beijing's repression

The economic impacts of the coronavirus are devastating communities in the world’s poorest places.

In March, we predicted that the 70 million people fleeing violence and persecution across the world would be hit hardest by the coronavirus...

South Africa lifts spirits with ‘Jerusalema’ dance amid virus

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africans of all walks of life are dancing to “Jerusalema,” a rousing anthem to lift their spirits amid the battle...