Sheldon Kirshner's Latest Posts
The Glorious Ruins Of Jerash
The glory that was ancient Greece and Rome reveals itself in the ruins of Jerash, the largest Greco-Roman archeological site in Jordan. Forty eight kilometres north of Amman, Jordan’s capital, Jerash was founded as a Greek city by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC and was conquered by the Romans in 63 BC. […]
Racism In Afula
What if a landlord in Toronto, New York City or Paris refused to rent or sell a condo to a Jewish person? Pundits and bloggers would vent their indignation. Politicians would denounce the racism. In short, the outrage would be heard around the globe, especially from Jews and their supporters. Several days ago, the mayor […]
A Master Of Partisan Rhetoric
During his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate two and a half years ago, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the post of ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, vowed to refrain from making partisan comments while on duty. “Partisan rhetoric is rarely, if ever, appropriate for achieving diplomatic progress, especially in a sensitive and strife-torn region […]
Israel’s Supreme Court Must Be Independent
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking from both sides of his mouth. A few days ago, after newly-appointed Justice Minister Amir Ohana claimed the government is not necessarily obliged to respect Supreme Court verdicts, Netanyahu slapped him down. On his Twitter account, he wrote, “Court decisions are binding on everyone.” But since the inconclusive […]
U.S. Bill Enhances Mideast Peace Prospects
At a time when an Israeli rapprochement with the Palestinians has never been dimmer, the Trump administration would do well to declare its unreserved support for a bipartisan congressional bill that would enhance the prospects for peace. The bill would restore funding for Jewish and Arab coexistence and dialogue groups, endorse a two-state solution, and encourage […]
Back To The Fatherland
Thousands of young Israelis have immigrated to Germany and Austria in the past decade. By some estimates, upwards of 20,000 have made that move. It’s a deeply ironic development, given what happened in these countries during the 12-year Nazi interregnum. In most cases, the Israelis who’ve forsaken their homeland are the grandchildren of German and […]
The World Of The Cairo Geniza
By the end of the 19th century, the venerable Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo was falling apart and was in dire need of repair. During the restoration, workmen stumbled upon a massive cache of mouldering documents in the dusty attic ranging from the sacred to the mundane. For approximately 1,000 years, the attic had been […]
Volkswagen Meets Its Historic Responsibility
Having announced that it will join forces with the Anti-Defamation League to fight the rising tide of antisemitism in Europe, Volkswagen, the German car manufacturer, has taken yet another step to make amends for its role in the Holocaust. Last week, Volkswagen said it will fund the operations of an Anti-Defamation League office in Berlin […]
Visiting A Coffee Plantation In El Salvador
As you savor a full-bodied cup of espresso coffee in your home or in a cafe, spare a thought for El Salvador. Ranked 11th among 55 coffee-producing nations and accounting for two percent of world production, El Salvador — the smallest republic in Central America — is synonymous with that crop. First cultivated in El Salvador […]
A False Analogy
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the U.S. Congress, should accept an invitation from Holocaust survivor Edward Mosberg to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland. Mosberg, the honorary president of the Holocaust commemoration group From the Depths, issued the invitation on June 21, several days after Ocasio-Cortez falsely compared U.S. detention centres holding […]
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