Author Archives: Rabbi Kaufman

The Growth of Israel Advocacy in the Reform Movement

The dramatic increase in active advocacy for Israel in the Reform movement was obvious at the URJ’s recent Biennial Convention held in Washington DC. That convention featured a number of speakers whose speeches primarily focused on Israel and a number … Continue reading

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Iowa Caucus Update

This article is cross-posted on the We Are For Israel blog. There are many of you around the country wondering, “Why Iowa?” One of the main reasons is that in Iowa people can actually meet the candidates and interact with … Continue reading

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Obama, Sarkozy, and Bibi

My own take. It is problematic that the media chose to keep this secret or frankly that they were asked to do so. That said, let me offer what I think would be the pro-Obama angle on this conversation just for … Continue reading

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Signs of Wanting Peace

According to a recent New York Times article: The Palestinian decision to apply for full United Nations membership at the Security Council, announced Friday by President Mahmoud Abbas, was the most viable of the only options possible: surrender, return to violence or appeal … Continue reading

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Where Negotiations Begin

I have never wondered why negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians are so difficult. There are many obvious reasons. You can probably name a half-dozen without much thought. Yet, there is one reason that they have gotten more difficult in … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, United Nations | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

They Shout “Justice” but There is No Justice

I have spoken to more people about potential Palestinian action in the United Nations over the past month than I can remember. Some argue for the United States to take the UN to the woodshed and teach it a lesson. … Continue reading

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Casus Belli

PM Erdogan of Turkey said, speaking of Israel’s raid on the Mavi Marmara, in an interview on Al Jazeera last week: The attack that took place in international waters did not comply with any international law. In fact, it was … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Turkey | 1 Comment

Israel is Sorry – An Apology to Turkey

Shalom, Salaam, blessings be upon our friends the Turkish people. We in Israel are sorry for what occurred in regard to the episode of the Free Gaza Flotilla. We are sorry that lives were lost because militants on board attacked … Continue reading

Posted in Israel Derangement Syndrome, Middle East, Turkey | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What is Wrong with 67 Lines with Swaps?

What is wrong with “the 1967 borders and mutually agreed upon swaps?” As a stand alone statement, it is problematic for a number of reasons. First, the pre-1967 lines are actually armistice lines, not borders. This means that they were … Continue reading

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What No One Seems to Be Mentioning

When President Obama spoke last week at the State Department, he said something, different things, that upset virtually every Middle Eastern nation or group. Pissing off the Mullahs does not bother me. Calling out Bahrain while not mentioning Saudi Arabia … Continue reading

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Rabbi Kaufman on Pres. Obama’s Mideast Policy Speech

I have been reading through the various analyses of the President’s speech on Thursday and have found most to miss quite a bit while picking out one or two things either to highlight as wonderful or to criticize as awful. … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | 9 Comments

Who’s Going Under The Bus?

President Obama is going to lay out his new Middle East policy this week including a new attempt to force a start to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. We can discuss later a fact which we have discussed many times before, namely the … Continue reading

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Rick Jacob’s Speech to the Religious Action Center

Both the video and the text of Rabbi Rick Jacobs speech to the Religious Action Center’s Consultation on Conscience are available by permission on the We Are For Israel Blog. Rick is the designated successor to Rabbi Eric Yoffie as … Continue reading

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Tornadoes and the Jewish Community

There is a lot going on in the Jewish world these days. There is more to talk about concerning Israel and the Middle East than I have time to write about. Tomorrow is Yom HaShoah, a day when we remember martyrs … Continue reading

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Non-Violence as a Military Tactic

In Mark Perry’s recent article in Foreign Policy, he wrote: In Cairo, in June of 2009, President Obama linked the Palestinian quest for freedom to the American civil rights movement. “Palestinians must abandon violence,” he said. “Resistance through violence and killing … Continue reading

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