Author: David Rutman

The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) has named Adam Katz as its new president.  He joins the organization at a time when FCAS’ research indicates 45% of Americans are unaware of antisemitism, even as Jew-hatred continues to be on the rise. “Unfortunately, Jewish hate has become normalized for us,” Katz said in a recent phone […]

These past few weeks have been a surreal experience. Wednesday night, June 11, Peni and I boarded an El Al flight from Israel to Miami, followed by a flight to Panama. We travelled to celebrate the wedding of Isaac and Perla. I was at Isaac’s Brit Milah, I officiated his Bar Mitzvah, and he was […]

President Trump’s proposed “Big, Beautiful Bill” has faced strong opposition from Democratic leaders and most major media outlets. Critics have portrayed it as extreme and harmful. But a closer look shows that not everyone on the left sees it that way. In fact, some Democrats—even those who don’t support the bill overall—are willing to admit […]

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire and an end to the war between the two countries. Trump said the ceasefire would begin in about six hours, at approximately midnight Eastern time, when both sides would conclude any ongoing military operations. “It has been fully agreed […]

I realize there’s a lot going on in the world right now, so it’s easy to get distracted, but would someone please check in on former President Barack Obama. I fear that he must be seriously unwell. Israel’s pre-emptive attack against Iran nine days ago, and the knock-out punch delivered by the United States early […]

The U.S. military attacked Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump stated. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan,” Trump wrote. “All planes are now outside of Iran air space.” “A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, […]

The first siren caught me barefoot in Jerusalem, standing in a rented apartment from which I didn’t yet know how to flee. As a trauma psychologist, I arrived in Israel in late May, treating survivors of the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, Nova Music Festival attacks by Hamas, as they came to a retreat center in […]

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of North America has named two Los Angeles residents to leadership positions in its western and southern regions. Rachel Charnick, a former Jewish Journal reporter who published under the name “Rachel Brand,” has been appointed the managing director of Hadassah West, while Lauren Rothman has been hired as managing director […]

A lachrymose river runs, like the Tigris, through Samantha Ellis’s new book “Chopping Onions on My Heart: On Losing and Preserving Culture.” In almost every chapter, Ellis mourns the loss of yet another aspect of Iraqi Jewish culture, chief among them, the Judeo-Iraqi Arabic language, but also the nabug fruit, and the ability to fit […]

Since Oct. 7, 2023 my early morning routine has looked like this: reciting Modei Ani, the traditional prayer Jews say when they first wake up, and then hopping on my cell phone to scan what I had missed over the past six hours. All of us have become way too accustomed to being greeted daily with […]