Opinion

Olim: Israel’s living covenant of hope - opinion

As we mark Aliyah Day, may we recognize our olim not only as those who have joined us but as those who continually teach us what it means to choose Israel – to choose life, covenant, and destiny.

|ByKENNETH BRANDER
RELEASED HOSTAGE Edan Alexander is reunited with members of his family in May. Rather than retreat from the trauma he endured, he expressed his wish to rejoin his unit and continue serving in the IDF, says the writer.
AMER GHALIB speaks at a rally for then-presidential nominee Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the eve of US Election Day last November. Diplomatic appointments must transcend campaign considerations, the writer asserts.

The troubling case of Amer Ghalib: Trump's Kuwait pick raises red flags - opinion

If dozens of Muslim states are acceptable, if Christian state churches are traditional, then why is one Jewish state too many for Mr. Ghalib to acknowledge?

|BySTEVEN BURG
CHINA’S PREMIER Li Qiang attends the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday. China’s diplomatic evolution in the Middle East reflects a gradual but deliberate broadening of scope and ambition, says the writer.

Beijing watches, Washington acts: The war and China’s quiet diplomacy - opinion

While China increasingly occupies a prominent stage in global affairs, it remains reluctant to assume the political burdens that accompany genuine mediation.

|ByMORDECHAI CHAZIZA
Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, shakes the hand of a cab driver while campaigning in Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhood during early voting, in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2025

Jews from the Middle East know Mamdani is a threat to Israel – opinion

When Jews who survived the Middle East say, “Pay attention,” it is not hysteria. It is experienced individuals trying to prevent history from repeating itself.

|ByLINDA ARGALGI SADACKA

No to Mamdani: Vote for Andrew Cuomo rather than antisemitism and anti-Zionism - opinion

Not voting for Cuomo – the only realistic alternative to Mamdani – is voting against every innocent slaughtered, raped, maimed, and traumatized on October 7.

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByGIL TROY
ANDREW CUOMO speaks at a news conference. ‘I’ve never endorsed an American political candidate from these pages... but these are not normal times,’ says the writer.

Anyone saying Jews face a simple choice in NYC mayoral election is not paying attention - opinion

As a congregational rabbi and now the head of the largest Jewish movement in North America, I’ve never told congregants for whom they should vote.

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByRABBI RICK JACOBS/JTA
Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, shakes the hand of a cab driver while campaigning in Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhood during early voting, in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2025

Jews are right to be alarmed about Zohran Mamdani - opinion

While I will not tell people who I think they should vote for, I will continue to examine, through a Jewish lens, issues of concern I hope my congregants will consider when they vote.

OCTOBER 27, 2025ByJOSHUA M. DAVIDSON
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx on Friday. The writer asks: Does Mamdani still not understand that anti-Israel rhetoric has generated a sharp spike in antisemitic violence?

Turkish troops in Gaza must be Israel’s redline - opinion

If the international community is serious about peace, it must recognize this truth: Turkey under Erdogan is not a stabilizing force but a destabilizing one.

OCTOBER 27, 2025ByPESACH WOLICKI
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha last week. Erdogan sees Gaza as the next front for projecting Turkish power, the writer argues.

Trump’s Middle East triumph marks Europe’s ideological defeat - opinion

European leaders came to Sharm el-Sheikh and partook in what was described in Europe as a “humiliation ceremony”: Trump all but ignored them while making peace directly with Arab leaders.

OCTOBER 23, 2025ByGOL KALEV
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks as other world leaders look on at a summit on ending the Israel-Hamas War in Sharm el-Sheikh last week. Trump might have ended Europe’s 2,300-year-old intervention in the Middle East, the writer argues.

Ceasefire or not, hatred of Israel continues - opinion

The ceasefire proved what many suspected but few wanted to say aloud: For a significant and vocal portion of this movement, peace was never the goal.

OCTOBER 23, 2025ByMARINA ROSENBERG
DEMONSTRATORS MARCH with a banner reading, ‘Let’s bring down the State of Israel. Stop genocidal imperialism,’ during a general strike called by Spanish unions in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza in Barcelona last week after a Gaza ceasefire had been called.

It’s time to treat heart disease like the preventable crisis it is - opinion

We need to do something about the next possible victim of heart disease.

OCTOBER 23, 2025ByALAN FREISHTAT
THE MAYO CLINIC headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota: Though being overweight or obese is certainly a risk factor and increases one’s odds of suffering a cardiac event, the Mayo Clinic cites data that 15-30% of thin people will get heart disease, the writer notes.

Going it alone: Israel’s healing won’t come from the world—it must come from within - opinion

We must press on in the face of this adversity because, if need be, we can dance out of the stairwell on our own.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByHAYIM LEITER
PEOPLE MARK the conclusion of Simchat Torah at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv last week, even as the clock continues to tick, still awaiting the return of hostages killed in captivity in Gaza. Simchat Torah was a mix of emotions this year, the writer notes.

Victim-blaming erodes Western society - opinion

Civil societies erode through small concessions that gradually compromise fundamental principles of equality.

OCTOBER 22, 2025BySTEVEN BURG
EMILY DAMARI speaks via video at a match between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa in February after her release from captivity in Gaza. On the Aston Villa ban, she says it’s like putting a sign on a stadium that reads, ‘No Jews allowed.’

The DIY ally: Israel’s victory is America’s too - opinion

Once again, Israel’s decisive win has boosted America too.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByGIL TROY
US SPECIAL ENVOY Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner clasp hands while being recognized at the Knesset last week during the special session marking the hostage and ceasefire agreement. Once again, Israel’s decisive win has boosted America too, the writer asserts.

Qatar’s air force modernization and its ramifications for Israel - opinion

If the current trend of deepening US-Qatari relations continues, driven by economic interests, among others, Israel's qualitative military edge may be erased.

OCTOBER 20, 2025ByNOA LAZIMI
US WAR SECRETARY Pete Hegseth meets with Qatari Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon earlier this month. Israel must consider the potential erosion of its qualitative military edge, the writer asserts.