Author Archives: Victor Rosenthal

Who will cut off the head of the snake?

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Remember the Cold War? In particular, do you remember when both sides had consistent ideological positions? Washington was always acting to stop soviet expansionism, preventing the dominoes from falling, while the Soviets fought to end American Imperialism. I miss the … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Middle East politics | 1 Comment

What’s the problem with Reform Judaism?

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Today I came across an article by Rabbi Baruch Efrati in which he opposes cooperation between Israelis and the Reform Movement. So what, you say. Another Orthodox attack on the heretical reformim. Perhaps so, but here is what caught my … Continue reading →

Posted in American Jews, Israeli Society | 2 Comments

How to talk to Jews about Israel

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Quite a few years ago, I went to a meeting in San Francisco about Israel advocacy, sponsored by the ADL (when the ADL was still interested in Israel advocacy). One of the speakers suggested a form of triage: there are … Continue reading →

Posted in American Jews, Information war | 3 Comments

Hasbara: why it’s harder and more important than you think

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Everyone says Israel does a poor job of hasbara, but the question is “what is the job?” Hasbara is information, propaganda, public diplomacy, clarification of policies, telling the truth about Israel or telling lies. It depends on whom you ask.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Information war | Comments Off on Hasbara: why it’s harder and more important than you think

Etgar Keret’s missing piece

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Israeli writer Etgar Keret recently received an award for “work conveying Jewish values across cultures and imparting a humanitarian vision throughout the world.” The word ‘humanitarian’ is a tipoff that the award is given to someone who espouses a left-wing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Information war, Israeli Society | 2 Comments

Why we can’t just get along

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

This happened on Tuesday: Palestinian terrorists spilled oil on highway 443 between Jerusalem and Modi’in and threw rocks and firebombs at passing vehicles, as they do on a regular basis. The IDF responded and opened fire at what they thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, Israeli Politics, Terrorism | 1 Comment

Ten propositions

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

I am a nationalist, Zionist, tribalist and hawk. Here are ten things I believe: ‘Israel is the Jewish state’ has a concrete meaning: the owners of the land of Israel are the Jewish people, not all its citizens. Arabs who … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics, Israeli Society | 3 Comments

Bad analogies and bad politics

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Analogical reasoning is basic to human survival. If you can eat a peach, it’s probably safe to eat an apricot. Those of us who favor profiling for security believe that future terrorists will probably be a lot like past terrorists, … Continue reading →

Posted in American politics, Jew Hatred | Comments Off on Bad analogies and bad politics