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Why It Is So Important for Jews to Follow the Rule of Law
Remains of a 2000-year-old building recently excavated near the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Photo: Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority
This week’s Torah reading of Eikev, follows the pattern of the previous three weeks.
Moses continues his review of the history of the previous 40 years. He retells certain events, such as smashing the Tablets of Stone and making a second set, and repeating the theme of the importance of following our Divinely-inspired way of life.
This week, we read the second chapter of the Shema, in which it says, “If you really listen to the commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve with all your heart and all your soul, then I will give the rains at the right time, the first rain and the latter rain and you will gather your corn and your wine and your oil and there will be grass in the fields for your animals to eat and be satisfied” (Chapter 11, verse 13).
This raises one of the controversial issues of the Torah, and indeed all religions — reward and punishment. It implies that in physical terms, the rains come and go based on how we behave, and that God’s relationship to us is dependent on our relationship to God. Yet, if we are rational and look at history, we can see that it doesn’t always appear to be the case. The whole issue of why good people suffer, and bad people seem to thrive, has always presented a major theological challenge to every religion.
One way of dealing with this challenge is to say this is not about each one of us individually and what we go through in life, but it’s about the nation and whether the nation survives or not. There is no guarantee that there won’t be warfare. After all, the invasion of Canaan was warfare. But we have been and are engaged in an existential struggle for survival. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. But even in this existential struggle for survival, we are still bound by the laws of the Torah.
I have always tried to balance different moral positions both as a Jew and as a citizen of the world. I’ve accepted the principle of “doing as you would be done by,” and always making sure that whatever I do is ethical and can be justified by halacha. One of the biggest problems we have had morally, both in the Torah and to this very day, is the question of zealotry. When can you break laws? And indeed, there is much debate and confusion over retaliation and conflicting religious positions, absolute and moderate.
With all the pain and suffering that Israel has gone through this past year, we have prided ourselves on the fact that our war record is far superior to any other example of a country facing an existential threat and invasion. If there are non-combatant casualties or human shields, these are the painful and reluctant result of the way our enemies have fought us.
Once upon a time, Israel was united in rejecting the extremism of Kahanaism. In recent years, that ideology has made a frightening comeback as attacks on civilians have increased by Arab nationalists. So, it was with great relief this week that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, came out forcefully condemning the attitude of those outwardly religious young men who rampage through Arab villages killing people.
Even so, that’s a matter of shame to me — that people calling themselves religious Jews, act in a way that I cannot morally accept. Thank God they are a minority. Of course, the world press wants to make them out to be the majority, but that’s the perversity and bias of most of the world’s press.
But I don’t want to be associated with people who act outside of the law. The issue of how prisoners are treated is not for mob justice or mob violence, but the law. As the Torah and the Talmud tell us, God cares about all God’s creatures. We all came from the same source, and should be treated as such. If we ignore the Torah, we suffer the consequences.
Jews have been lynched by mob justice. And so, I repeat, do as you would be done by.
The author is a writer and rabbi, currently based in New York.
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Israeli West Bank Leaders Visit UAE on Historic Trip to Strengthen Economic and Political Ties
Yesha Council representatives meet with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi in UAE. Photo: Israel Ganz’s X account
A delegation of Israeli leaders from the West Bank visited the United Arab Emirates this week on their first trip organized by the Yesha Council—an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank—to a Muslim country, in an effort to foster new alliances, the organization announced Thursday.
During the visit to Abu Dhabi, Yesha Council chief Israel Ganz, CEO Omer Rahamim, and Hebron Hills Regional Council head Eliram Azulay met with government officials, business leaders, influencers, and the Jewish state’s envoy to the country, Yossi Shelley.
According to local media, the Yesha Council representatives engaged in “direct discussions about economic and political opportunities in the region.”
“Our visit to the UAE is proof of the regional shift and the need for fresh thinking,” Yesha Council chief said in a statement.
“A new world order requires new alliances and out-of-the-box thinking,” Ganz continued. “Cooperation between nations, based on mutual respect and recognition of reality, is the key to strengthening our communities and securing a strong future for both countries.”
For the first time, we were invited as heads of the Yesha Council for an official meeting in a Muslim country.
The meeting with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi in UAE was fascinating and opened a window to a genuine partnership based on principles of truth, thank you Dr. Rashid!
pic.twitter.com/IiTWGBYkS3
— ישראל גנץ – Israel Ganz (@israelganz) March 13, 2025
They also met with Ali Rashid al-Nuaimi, a member of the Emirates Federal National Council and chairman of its committee on defense, interior, and foreign affairs.
“This is a first step toward fruitful collaborations that will benefit the entire region,” Ganz said.
Upon returning from the trip, Hebron Hills Regional Council head said it was “incredible to see courageous leaders” who are interested in the development of Judea and Samaria.
“I met leaders who share our fight against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, including their civilian arms operating in Judea and Samaria,” Azulay said. “These leaders are not afraid to say openly that we must combat the Palestinian Authority’s education system, which promotes evil and hatred of Jews.”
“The direct connection established between our communities and senior figures in the UAE opens new opportunities for implementing the Abraham Accords in Judea and Samaria,” he continued.
Despite the war in Gaza, both diplomatic and economic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained strong.
Last year, annual Israel-UAE trade was reportedly projected to reach a record $3.3 billion compared to $2.95 billion in 2023.
Trade is mainly centered on diamonds, with precious stones being the largest exports between the two nations in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, Israel strengthened its defense ties with the UAE by agreeing to sell the SPYDER air defense system, made by the Israeli company Rafael.
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‘Shtisel’ Prequel Series ‘Kugel’ Attracts Viewers From More Than 100 Countries, Says IZZY Streaming Platform
Sasson Gabai sas Nuchem Shtisel in “Kugel.” Photo: IZZY
“Kugel,” the prequel to the international hit Israeli television series “Shtisel,” is already a success a mere two weeks after its first season premiered worldwide exclusively on the global streaming platform IZZY.
Written by “Shtisel” co-creator and award-winning writer and director Yehonatan Indursky, “Kugel” premiered on Feb. 28 on IZZY, which specializes in bringing Israeli content to audiences around the world. The show focuses on the charming but also scheming jewelry dealer Nuchem Shtisel, played by Sasson Gabai, and his 22-year-old daughter Libi, played by Israeli actress Hadas Yaron of Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones.”
“When we realized we had an opportunity to be the exclusive global home of ‘Kugel,’ we knew this series could potentially be transformational for IZZY,” Nati Dinnar, the co-founder and CEO of IZZY, told The Algemeiner. “And it has already been just that for us, and it’s only been two weeks. Since we first announced that the prequel to ‘Shtisel’ was coming to our platform, we have seen our subscriber growth skyrocket with people signing on from more than 100 nations around the world. And the best part of this, truly, is that this is bringing further exposure to all the other great films, series and documentaries that we have on the service coming out of Israel.”
Unlike the Jerusalem-based “Shtisel” show, “Kugel” takes place in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Antwerp, Belgium. Nuchem is the brother of “Shtisel” patriarch Shulem Shtisel. “Kugel” is set years before Nuchem and Libi travel to Israel, where Libi falls in love with her future husband, Shulem’s son Akiva Shtisel, played by Michael Aloni.
In the first three episodes of “Kugel,” viewers see Libi’s life as she works as a teacher while aspiring to be a successful writer and hoping to get married. She also gets mad at her parents for divorcing and is worried about how it will affect her chances at finding love.
“She devotes all of her energy and resources to becoming a successful writer. But then, a chance encounter with an orthodox man on the Antwerp tram throws a wrench into her plans,” according to a synopsis of the series, provided by IZZY. “Libi must decide whether the path to success for her lies in marriage, love, or pursuing her dream of being an author.”
In the first three episodes, viewers also understand why the show is called “Kugel” and the significance of the Ashkenazi potato-based dish. Nuchem loves visiting a local husband and wife-owned restaurant that serves kugel and his favorite part is the burnt sections. When the restaurant’s owner suddenly dies, Nuchem befriends his widow Pnina Baumbach, played by Israeli comedian Rotem Abouhab. She inherited the restaurant and Nuchem partners with her to reopen the establishment. He finds a new passion helping with the restaurant but also gets romantically closer to Pnina while navigating his divorce.
“Kugel is a show that wants to tell a story — a funny, heartbreaking, human story—to remind us how each person is
unique, a once-in-a-lifetime noodle in the great sea of noodles that makes for one big, brown, Jerusalem-style kugel. A bit spicy, a bit sweet,” said Indursky.
“Shtisel” followed members of the Shtisel family living in an ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem. All three seasons of the show were previously available for viewing in the US on Netflix but earlier this year Amazon Prime Video acquired the series.
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Humanitarian Organizations Operating Within Israel Are Spearheading Efforts Against Jewish State, Report Finds
Youths take part in the occupation of a street in front of the building of the Sciences Po University in support of Palestinians in Gaza, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Paris, France, April 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Anti-Israel non-govermental organizations (NGOs) are exploiting the Israeli visa law to spread propaganda within the Jewish state, according to an analysis by NGO Monitor.
NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based research institute which scrutinizes the activity of international non-governmental organizations, compiled a report which alleges that hundreds of NGOs within Israel are promoting political advocacy under the guise of “humanitarianism.” NGO Monitor argues that Israel should “thoroughly vet” organizations that apply for visas to operate within the Jewish state.
“Israel must thoroughly vet organizations applying for humanitarian visas. This assessment was understood as necessary to ensure that visa recipients implement projects in accordance with the stated purposes of their visas and that their activities serve humanitarian objectives – as opposed to furthering politicized agendas and campaigns.”
Many organizations registered under Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs enact programs under the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)—an agency which purports to “mobilize aid, share information, support humanitarian efforts, and advocate for crisis-affected communities.” Although the UNOCHA lists its objectives in other beleaguered, war-torn countries as “saving lives” or “overcoming hunger,” the agency declares that its mission in Gaza is to secure, “The rights of Palestinians living under occupation, including those living under the blockade and other restrictions, are protected, respected and promoted in accordance with IHL [International Humanitarian Law] and IHRL [International Human Rights Law].”
For instance, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Diakonia, prominent humanitarian organizations that mostly operate within the West Bank, have spent the 16 months following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 slaughters, “almost entirely focused on condemning Israel for its response in Gaza,” according to NGO Monitor. Despite presenting themselves as an unbiased humanitarian organizations, they have spearheaded a litany of legal efforts against Israel, including “ filing thousands of cases in Israeli courts, causing gridlock, as well as furthering joint [Palestinian Authority and European Union] goals to expand Palestinian control in [West Bank Area C]” and publishing legal briefs encouraging other nations to “exert pressure on Israel to end ongoing violations of [International Humanitarian Law].”
In addition, these organizations also encourage the implementation of international sanctions against Israel, oftentimes backing efforts such as the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. The report alleges that NRC produced a publication in 2023 which suggested “utilizing strategic measures like sanctions in trade relations or attaching conditions to trade agreements” against Israel in hopes of forcing the Jewish state to authorize Palestinian construction in Area C of the West Bank. In addition, the report states that Diakonia funds the Swedish chapter of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), which allegedly “sends activists to the West Bank, where they document alleged Israeli human rights violations.” The data compiled by EAPPI is then “ incorporated into UN reporting” and also referenced in campaigns which call for the implementation of economic sanctions against Israel.
Furthermore, several NGOs mentioned in the report allegedly fostered ties to internationally-recognized terrorist organizations and terrorist members. NRC has collaborated with other NGOs which are linked to terrorist groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), according to NGO Monitor. Mohammed Al-Halabi, an employee of World Vision—a humanitarian organization which works alongside “local church and community leaders” in Gaza—was accused of “diverting funds and materials to Hamas for terror purposes.”
The report suggests that Israel “formulate a clear and comprehensive definition of what constitutes humanitarian activity” for NGOs wishing to operate within the boundaries of the Jewish state. In addition, NGO Monitor states that Israel should build a database to track and observe humanitarian efforts within Israel. Moreover, the group argues that NGOs must be forced to “improve transparency” by outlining project goals, revealing partnerships, and disclosing grants.
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