Dousing Iran’s Ring of Fire

Thirteen years after the opening shots of the Syrian Civil War rang out on March 15, 2011, the devastating conflict came to an abrupt finale—against all odds and all in just over a week. Damascus fell to a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8, 2024,

The Officers of the IDF

My first encounter with an officer of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was in 1985 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, home of the US Army Field Artillery. Assigned there for the Officers Advanced Course, I was privileged to sponsor one of the allied nation officers in attendance: Captain Nir Granot from Tel Aviv. My wife and

To Life!

Jenan Matari wrung her hands uneasily as she peered bravely into the camera. “This is a very heavy, uncomfortable video,” she began. Matari paused briefly, as if bracing under the burden of the message she was about to deliver. “We’re going to talk about the existence of Israel as a sadist entity as a whole,”

Check in on Your Jewish Friends

A flight from Tel Aviv landed in Dagestan—a southeastern region of Russia bordering the Caspian Sea—on October 30, 2023, just weeks after Hamas’s devastating massacre on October 7. Videos of the incident show a mob from the Muslim-majority region, knowing a plane was arriving from Israel, storming through the airport, searching for anyone Jewish. Some

Widows and Orphans: The Group No One Wants to Join

January 15, 2025

My mother was a widow for twelve years. I saw in my own family the sorrow a widow feels when she loses her spouse. I witnessed the loneliness and the ongoing pain as every holiday rolls around. Even though my mother wasn’t destitute, she was emotionally wounded for the rest of her life because she

They Never Forgot Jerusalem

In the rugged, mountainous region spreading over parts of northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran and northernSyria lies Kurdistan, the home of an ancient Iranic people group. Dwelling among them in isolated communities were Jews who had lived there since the Assyrians brought them from the northern kingdom of Israel in the eighth century BC.

Fighting on the Front Lines of Freedom

Everyone seems to have an opinion on why the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wages war. In the midst of International Criminal Court arrest warrants, ceasefires and UN resolutions, it’s easy to forget that at the heart of this complex conflict are the Israelis who serve as soldiers. These men and women, often depicted in the

Spiced Tu BiShvat Date Cake

Every holiday in Israel comes with its own special food customs. Tu BiShvat, or the New Year for Trees, is no different. Celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Shevat (usually in February), the holiday originated as a way to calculate the age of trees. Leviticus 19:23–25 prohibits eating fruit from trees during

Reclaiming Zionism

Israel and the Jewish people were thrust into the international spotlight more than one year ago in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre by the Hamas terrorist organization. For the first few days, as the world watched Israel weep over her 1,200 victims and the 251 hostages swept away to Gaza, the Jewish

Taking Our Place in the Tsunami of Antisemitism

The world has witnessed a different kind of tsunami in the 11 months since Hamas attacked the people of Israel on October 7. This is not a tsunami of ocean waves caused by an earthquake, but a tsunami of hatred—hatred of a nation, Israel and of a people group, the Jews. Logically, we should

Beep, Beep, Boom!

Since the reestablishment of the Jewish state in 1948, Israel has faced existential threats from hostile neighbors, terrorist militias and non-state actors. Central to the preservation and security of the state has been Israel’s excellence in military innovation, mastery of intelligence gathering and covert spy missions—with plots only Hollywood could imagine. To the host

Faith in Abundance

Just over one year ago, Israel was plunged into the dark night of war. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a horrific terror attack, sparking a war that continues to wage on. Nearly one year later, on October 1, 2024, I was in an airplane flying to Israel when Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic

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