Author Archives: Victor Rosenthal

Jewish peoplehood in Israel and America

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

I am an American-Israeli, an American-born Jew who has lived about 17% of his life in Israel. I made aliyah back in 1979, lived on a kibbutz for nine years, and then returned to the US for 26 years, before … Continue reading →

Posted in American Jews, The Jewish people | 1 Comment

On Palestinians

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

I’m only going to write this post once, so pay attention. I use the word “Palestinian” a lot. It refers to those Arabs who call themselves that. It does not refer to Jews, who do not live in Palestine, because … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, The Jewish people | 2 Comments

What to do about the kites?

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

As you probably know, Gaza Arabs have been launching kites and helium balloons across the border with fiery payloads, and they have set huge blazes in nearby agricultural fields, nature reserves, and even the campus of Sapir College (just south … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, War | 3 Comments

Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Bloomgarten

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

When we moved to our new home in Rehovot, one of the first things we noticed was how often we heard sirens. It turned out that we live down the block from a facility shared by the ambulance services Magen … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli or Jewish History | 2 Comments

A predicament or an opportunity?

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

Here it is Wednesday midday, and some 180 mortar shells and rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza in the last 48 hours, including rockets that reached farther north than any since 2014. The IDF responded in the usual … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, War | 5 Comments

How multicultural, intersectional postcolonialism is taking us back to the Middle Ages

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

Identity politics demands special status not by virtue of fundamental human rights (which necessarily must be based on something other than distinct national, racial, sexual, or other identities) but of grievances. And it constricts its ethical claims by refusing to … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | 2 Comments

How an ignorant blogger became a pro-Palestinian activist

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

Jaspreet Oberoi is a blogger who recently had an article published in Ha’aretz, entitled “From Punjab to Palestine: Why young Sikhs like me are becoming pro-Palestinian activists.” I read it with interest, because I would like to know too. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Information war, Israel and Palestinian Arabs | 1 Comment

Israel’s media problem

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Victor Rosenthal

If endemic irrational hatred of Israel is viewed as a disease, then its primary vector is the Western mainstream media. Although social media have been gaining in importance recently, the traditional media organizations are still the Xenopsylla cheopis spreading this … Continue reading →

Posted in Information war, Media | 5 Comments