Author: David Rutman

Let’s talk about hindsight, about expectations and actuality, about adaptation, about adjustments. Let’s talk about three theaters of war: Gaza, Lebanon, Iran. And let’s admit that an uncomfortable situation is still very much the reality in all three theaters. Two months after the Gaza war ended, the Israeli public is well aware that total victory […]

Does Paul Simon have a soft spot for killers? The iconic singer-songwriter this week signed a petition demanding freedom for the Palestinian Arab terrorist Marwan Barghouti, a convicted multiple-murderer. Barghouti is currently in an Israeli prison for his role in five murders. In 2001, he sent terrorists to ambush motorists on the outskirts of Jerusalem; […]

In 1944, in her final act of defiance, Hannah Senesh refused to be blindfolded. She wanted the men who executed her to look her in the eyes. Before that, she could have likely saved her life had she asked for a pardon or been apologetic, yet she brazenly criticized the Hungarian judges presiding over her […]

Frank Gehry, the Los Angeles-based architect whose buildings became iconic landmarks, died on Dec. 5 at his home in Santa Monica. He was 96. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Gehry designed concert halls, museums, academic buildings and public spaces that shifted how people talked about architecture, Los Angeles and sometimes city planning […]

It’s that time of year again: you have to start thinking about what to get your loved ones for Hanukkah. Thankfully, the Jewish Journal is here to help, even if you’re making a last-minute purchase. Remember, Hanukkah starts the evening of Sunday, December 14 this year and goes until Monday, December 22 this year. Check […]

I recently spoke in the U.S. about the “red-green alliance” — the growing cooperation between Islamists in the West and the radical left, which has become a major driver of Israel’s delegitimization and rising antisemitism. I argued that its most damaging effect is the creation of an imagined anti-Israel majority, a perception that leaves many […]

The headline read like a Hollywood movie pitch: “As Israel Readies Invasion, Charter Plane Carrying Reservists Heads to Tel Aviv.” But it wasn’t a script, it was reality. Just days after Hamas invaded Israel, a few friends gathered in a Los Angeles hotel room, joined by others over FaceTime, creating a makeshift “situation room.” Their […]

The incoming mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, has assembled his Rotisserie League team of political advisors, all of whom, not surprisingly, are certified antisemites with minors in anti-Zionist, pro-Hamas advocacy. New York Jews should ready themselves to get roasted. Surely not in the manner of the Third Reich, or Hamas on October 7, but […]