Dovid Efune

Have you ever witnessed a bird trapped inside a room with glass windows trying to escape? It's an agonizing sight. Unable to identify the point of obstruction, inevitably the poor feathered creature rams repeatedly into the glass until it knocks itself unconscious. This was how I felt watching last Sunday's...

Passover, billed as "The Festival of Freedom," is upon us again. When one observes the way it is practiced today perhaps another apt label could be, "The Festival of Communication." We ask questions and we answer them, we sing, we engage in query inducing practices and we tell the historic...

Following its merger with Newsweek, The Daily Beast may be on its way to becoming something of an American news media institution. It was therefore a simultaneous source of wonder and pride to me that the paper would launch a blog entitled "Open Zion," recently changed from "Zion...

Amid the din of self-congratulatory pronouncements regarding his administration's relationship with Israel, the most significant line conveyed by President Obama to an Audience of 13,000 at AIPAC's annual policy conference this year was: "Israel must always have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat." Although...

"You shall neither wrong a stranger, nor oppress him: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." --Exodus 22:21

Through the ages, the above verse has served as a guiding Jewish principle. This call for enhanced sensitivity to oppressed minorities placed Jews at the forefront of a variety of...

After filing to go public on the 1st of this month, Facebook's highly anticipated offering is expected to be the largest in history, as the company is valued at up to $100 billion. The largest tech IPO since Google, market and technology focused outlets have been buzzing with comparisons between...

A day after low level 'peace talks' - with even lower expectations - collapsed; Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged the Arab world through his official Facebook page. Responding to questions from the Palestinian Authority linked Ma'an News Agency, he declared that he was ready to "go to Ramallah" for...

On the 26th of Nov. 2008 the world recoiled in horror as the infamous Mumbai terror attacks unfolded. Three days later, unthinkable death and devastation remained. For the Jewish community the brutal murder of Chabad emissaries Gabi and Rivka Holtzberg highlighted the vulnerability of many that stand at the forefront...

Convention says that the upcoming Presidential election is all about jobs and the economy. If employment is up and the markets are steady, the pundits say President Obama will be a formidable candidate. If not, he is highly vulnerable. But as the threat of Iranian nuclear belligerence becomes more pronounced,...

Ron Paul has never been this popular. Now in the throes of his third presidential race, it is apparent that in many ways his Libertarian ideals reflect the collective mood of the nation. Times are tough, and just as families, businesses and communal institutions have been forced to hunker down,...

A hint at Hamas 'reconciliation' this week with rival group Fatah, sent some commentators scuttling to roll out the civilized world's red carpet.

A report by the Associated Press last Thursday indicated that Hamas had agreed to join the PLO umbrella group that has represented the Palestinian Arab voice...

In a November 12 interview with The Algemeiner, ADL National Chairman Abraham Foxman declared that when it comes to positions on Israel, "With the exception of Ron Paul, there is not much difference between the parties." I cannot imagine how he arrived at this conclusion, as in fact,...

"If we elect Barack Obama, Iran will have nuclear weapons. If you elect Mitt Romney, if you elect me, they will not," said Mr. Romney during Saturday night's Republican primary foreign policy debate in South Carolina. A simple enough statement, and yet it is the first concrete guarantee from a...

It is still unclear and appearing increasingly unlikely that the popular Arab uprisings of last spring will amount to any significant progress towards the creation of free and open societies. The elementary mistake that so many seem to make is that 'elections equal democracy,' but, as Natan Sharansky

Last week I wrote about the need for renewed focus on Jewish solutions as opposed to Jewish problems. Addressing requests for more thoughts on this subject, I would like address the matter as it relates to people and leadership.

Recently, Commonwealth Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, one of the...

Have you ever wondered what goes through a black man's mind when he reads about slavery, apartheid and oppression? How Muslim women in the United States react when they see images of their counterparts in Saudi Arabia or Iran being lashed, mutilated or stoned? What does a young free Jew...

While there has been some confusion as to what exactly they stand for, paraphernalia handed out by Occupy Wall Street activists at Zuccotti Park sums it up in a piece entitled "Declaration of the Occupation." In one line, they feel "wronged by the corporate forces of the world." The piece...

For Jews, the holy day of Yom Kippur being celebrated this weekend is recognized as a time for introspection and reckoning. Both individually and collectively, it is the time of year where we strive to right the wrongs of the past 12 months and perhaps even summon the inner strength...

For many Jews this time of year provides an opportunity, not just for personal renewal, but for the revival of thinning bonds and the reestablishment of relationships that have withered. A pervasive mood of collectivism descends upon Jewish communities around the world and a numerous variety of well-wishing expressions are...

Last Thursday I attended a luncheon, organized by The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, to honor departing Moroccan Ambassador H.E. Aziz Mekouar. The usual pleasantries were exchanged, and the Ambassador spoke of his country's new constitution and warm relationship with domestic and International Jewish communities.

When...