Author Archives: Victor Rosenthal

Israel’s Political Zoo

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

The greatest danger to Israel from the coronavirus is not a collapse of the healthcare system and a massive increase in the body count, as happened in Italy. It’s not impossible, but most groups – with the notable exception of … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics | 2 Comments

The Haredi Disconnect

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

About 12% of Israel’s population are Haredim, often referred to as “ultra-orthodox,” an expression which they strongly dislike. The Haredi population is growing rapidly with a birthrate of about 7 children per woman, and if this growth rate continues, Haredim … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Society | 1 Comment

A Short Political History of Israel

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

In the pre-state period, the socialist Left dominated the yishuv. They created the institutions that would form the basis of the state, and ran them according to their ideology. The Histadrut labor federation dominated the economy; its closely allied kibbutz … Continue reading →

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Bibi Derangement in the Age of Corona

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

If there is one theme that PM Netanyahu’s opponents are banging away at – and that includes not just his political opposition, but most of the mainstream media in Israel and a small army on social media – it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Arabs, Israeli Politics | 1 Comment

Israel and the Pandemic

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

Is COVID-19 a blip or is it the apocalypse? It seems to me that unless humans do something stupid, like start wars, it will be a blip (this post is based on statistical and other data on the pandemic from … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Society | 1 Comment

Israel at War — with Corona

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

Good morning from locked down Israel. I was hoping to write that the Corona virus (called COVID-19) had accomplished what three elections failed to do, and forced the forming of an emergency unity government, as Netanyahu proposed. His main opponent, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics, Israeli Society | 2 Comments

Mao comes to Michigan

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

Read this article. If you are not completely horrified, read it again. Benjamin Gerstein is the president of the student body at the University of Michigan. He wasn’t beaten with sticks or carried through the streets with a dunce cap … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, American Jews, American society | 2 Comments

Too Much Democracy?

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Victor Rosenthal

The idea that there should be an independent sovereign Jewish state in the world is, to understate the fact, controversial. Much of the European-oriented West and certainly the Arab Middle East opposes it. Even many diaspora Jews either don’t see … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Arabs, Israeli Politics | 2 Comments