Author: David Rutman

The Jewish new year is the ideal time for reflection and making changes in our lives that can positively impact not only ourselves and our families, but also our Jewish community, and beyond.  Today, lots of people are asking today, “What will Jewish America look like in the coming decades?” Although we cannot say for […]

“I am very much a fan of free speech,” Rabbi Daniel Levine said. And on his YouTube show, the 32-year-old San Diego native and professor at UC Irvine practices what he preaches. He interviews people from both the right and left; .his goal each time is to spread light on their views, whether you agree […]

This week, the world watched as Einav Zangauker cradled her son, Matan, returning from captivity in Gaza, her arms locked around his neck. His face sank into her shoulder. In the seconds before their embrace, Einav could be seen stomping her feet as she ran toward her son, a movement like the jumping we’ve seen […]

I am known to have unrealistic expectations. For instance, once the Gaza 20-Point Peace Plan was signed, I naïvely, facetiously, imagined that Mark Ruffalo, Dua Lipa, Emma Stone, the Hadid sisters, Javier Bardem, New York City’s mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and legions of pink-and purple-haired antisemites would all ecstatically dance the hora in celebration. After […]

I lie awake thinking of Italy, love and broken illusions. And even the news of the return of the Hamas-held hostages to Israel does not dispel all my sadness. I visualize some of the happiest times in my life. My parents and I, former refuseniks, coming to Rome in the summer of 1987 and tasting […]

The Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit of October 13, 2025, concluded with over twenty world leaders signing the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity,” celebrating a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas after more than two years of devastating conflict in Gaza. Yet the most striking feature was not who attended, but who did […]

Many know Brock Lesnar, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. But not as many are familiar with Mark Kerr, for a time one of the toughest men on the planet. Kerr went from winning an NCAA wrestling championship to winning to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournaments. In “The Smashing Machine” Kerr is masterfully played by Dwayne […]

A story is told about a day when motion picture director Otto Preminger, who sought a safe haven from the Nazis and achieved fame and fortune in the American movie industry, overheard a conversation that was conducted in Hungarian. “Don’t you guys know you’re in Hollywood?” he quipped. “Speak German.” The point is made in […]