#kramer
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Steve Kramer – How we are doing in Israel
Steve Kramer – How we are doing in Israel My friend Jeff, whom I’ve been friends with since at least kindergarten asked, “How are you doing?” Below is a slightly longer version of my answer. Jeff, Michal and I are agitated, distraught,
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Steve Kramer – What if New Jersey were Israel?
Steve Kramer – What if New Jersey were Israel? All my readers know that Israel is undergoing a major assault, which in its first day was the most horrific in Jewish history since the Holocaust. And this in one day! It’s hard for Israelis to get ou
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Steve Kramer – Succot Adventure in Jerusalem
Steve Kramer – Succot Adventure in Jerusalem Michal and I rarely travel during the holidays of Succot and Passover because of overcrowding on the roads and at tourist destinations. This year we made an exception and had a wonderful day trip in Jerus
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Steve Kramer – Time for Reflection in Israel & U.S. Too
Steve Kramer – Time for Reflection in Israel & U.S. Too We’ve just celebrated Rosh Hashanah here in Israel. For the next year, our individual destiny has been decided, but nevertheless, the serious time for introspection continues. According to th
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Steve Kramer – Escaping Humidity in Jerusalem
Steve Kramer – Escaping Humidity in Jerusalem It’s summer in Israel and that means hot, sunny, and no chance of rain. So you can be sure that you won’t be caught in a rain shower – but you’ll be hot. What’s “hot” in the Sharon area
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Steve Kramer – Hidden Heroes – the Refuseniks
Steve Kramer – Hidden Heroes – the Refuseniks Earlier this year I met Pamela Braun Cohen (Pam) who told me that she had written a book about the “refuseniks” who were refused permission to leave the Soviet Union, starting in the 196
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Steve Kramer – Trouble in Israel
Steve Kramer – Trouble in Israel I am writing this on the eve of Tisha B’Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. It’s a day of fasting and prayer in remembrance of the destruction of the Holy Temple and the expulsions of Jews from our holies
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Steve Kramer – Summertime films in Jerusalem
Steve Kramer – Summertime Films in Jerusalem Michal and I recently returned from a mini-vacation in Jerusalem, which featured the annual Jerusalem Film Festival. While much of Europe and the US is sweltering, Israel is “enjoying” its usua
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Steve Kramer – Israel: “Good for the Gander”
Steve Kramer – Israel: “Good for the Gander” Some of my readers are no doubt upset by Jewish Israelis’ recent attacks on Palestinian villages. Though I admit that there may have been some overreaction by Israeli villagers living beyond the 194
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Steve Kramer – On the trail of the Sanhedrin
Steve Kramer – On the trail of the Sanhedrin Michal and I had a wonderful tour in the beautiful Lower Galilee recently with friends. We had booked a two night stay at a Lake Kinneret (aka Sea of Galilee) Gomeh resort hotel, part of the large Isrotel
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Steve Kramer – Israel: Time for Reflection
Steve Kramer – Israel: Time for Reflection If you ever wondered how the US would react should another Nazi Germany threaten the democratic world, stop wondering. You’re seeing it right now in the Middle East… Let’s jump back to 1932, when the
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Steve Kramer – Israel’s Surmountable Challenges
Steve Kramer – Israel’s Surmountable Challenges Israel’s political, social, and military prospects have all taken a hit this year following the installation of the current government coalition, headed by the redoubtable Benjamin (Bibi) Netan
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Steve Kramer – Four Days in Tel Aviv
Steve Kramer – Four Days in Tel Aviv Michal and I recently had a novel trip to one of the world’s liveliest cities – without having to hassle with an airport! It was a four-day/three-night excursion to Tel Aviv. under the auspices of the AAC
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Steve Kramer – Israel, a Democracy
Steve Kramer – Israel, a Democracy There’s way too much hysteria from the left wing over proposed legislation in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Where do world leaders like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron
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Steve Kramer – Hanukah – An Overview
Steve Kramer – Hanukah – An Overview Hanukah starts on Sunday night, December 18. Hanukah is usually celebrated during the “Christmas season.” This coincidence makes the Jewish holiday very significant in the US, probably more so than in I
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Steve Kramer – The Syrian-born Jew who built a banking empire
Steve Kramer – The Syrian-born Jew who built a banking empire I received a pre-publication copy for review of A Banker’s Journey: How Edmond J. Safra Built a Global Financial Empire by Daniel Gross from the publisher’s representative. It’s
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Steve Kramer – Sustainability in Israel
Steve Kramer – Sustainability in Israel Colleges began offering “majors” and “minors” in sustainability in the first decade of the 21st century. Sustainability is taught as a multi-disciplinary program to approach complex problems, usually e
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Steve Kramer – A Presidential Visit to Israel
Steve Kramer – A Presidential Visit to Israel President Biden’s recent visit here in Israel was hardly extraordinary. President Nixon visited in 1974, the first American sitting president to do so. That was the year after the Yom Kippur War when N
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Steve Kramer – Touring Israeli Historical Places with ESRA
Steve Kramer – Touring Israeli Historical Places with ESRA Michal and I recently enjoyed a day trip organized by ESRA, the English Speaking Residents Association. ESRA provides numerous social activities for Israelis who are comfortable speaking Eng
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Steve Kramer – Forget the Two State Solution Already!
Steve Kramer – Forget the Two State Solution Already! On May 18, the Jerusalem Post published an editorial entitled “Israel cannot abandon the two-state solution.” https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-707053 I maintain that Israel must leave th
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Steve Kramer – Run-up to Israel’s Independence Day
Steve Kramer – Run-up to Israel’s Independence Day Israel recently commemorated its 74th year of independence, preceded by the memorial day for military and terrorist casualties. To celebrate Israel’s birthday, which follows Passover by two week
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Steve Kramer – Whither the United States in the Middle East – and Israel?
Steve Kramer – Whither the United States in the Middle East – and Israel? In the period following WW2 the US became the undisputed leader of the Western democracies. It was challenged in its position as world leader only by the USSR, whose rul
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Steve Kramer – Two Peoples, Two Problems for Israel
Steve Kramer – Two Peoples, Two Problems for Israel Israel is faced by two dangerous peoples, each presenting Israelis with an implacable enemy which strives for Israel’s destruction. The rulers of Iran are Persian Shi’ite religious fanat
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Steve Kramer – Follow the Salad Trail in the Negev Desert
Steve Kramer – Follow the Salad Trail in the Negev Desert As you know, Israel is a very small country in area, roughly the size of New Jersey, with a similar long, narrow shape. Recently Michal and I went on a tour with the ESRA group (Englis
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Steve Kramer – The US and the West Fund the Jihadists. Really?
Steve Kramer – The US and the West Fund the Jihadists. Really? The West abhors terror attacks for good reason, whether in their country or an ally. Except when it comes to Israel. Not having learned the lesson that Islamist terror doesn’t a
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Steve Kramer – The West Dances to Iran’s Tune
Steve Kramer – The West Dances to Iran’s Tune Iran has requested a new pause in the talks in Vienna, negotiations which purportedly aim to bring the US back into the 2015 agreement and roll back Iran’s nuclear activities. Too bad that that agree
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Steve Kramer – The Kinneret, aka the Sea of Galilee, Beckons
Steve Kramer – The Kinneret, aka the Sea of Galilee, Beckons Like in many countries, Israel’s tourism business has dropped dramatically. In fact, currently (12/12/21) all tourism traffic is restricted because of the fear of the latest Covid varian
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Steve Kramer – Israel Report: Can You Trust What You See?
Steve Kramer – Israel Report: Can You Trust What You See? Do you believe me or your lying eyes? That’s a relevant question when it comes to today’s news “reporting”. I’ve often mentioned that what is left out of reporting (or analysis) is
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Steve Kramer – US Orders Israel to Desist
Steve Kramer – US Orders Israel to Desist The United States, France, Germany, the UK, the EU, Russia, and China are about to resume “negotiating” the JCPOA, better known as the “Iran Deal,” concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons capability, W
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Steve Kramer – Undivided Jerusalem Must Remain So
Steve Kramer – Undivided Jerusalem Must Remain So Israel and the United States are at odds over the Israeli capital of Jerusalem. You may not remember that Congress passed – by more that a 10:1 margin – the ‘Jerusalem Embassy Act of 19
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Steve Kramer – Finally, a Government in Israel
Steve Kramer – Finally, a Government in Israel A friend in the US recently asked me what I thought about Israel’s new government. My replay: It’s a government! Finally, after four elections in two years, the victory of a wide-ranging coalition g
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Steve Kramer – Israel and the Problem of Homicides
Steve Kramer – Israel and the Problem of Homicides Yes, there’s gang violence in Israel, but not nearly on the scale of American gang violence. Violent crime in Israel is predominantly found in Israeli Arab towns and in mixed Arab-Jewish ci
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Steve Kramer – Israel’s Northern Getaway
Steve Kramer – Israel’s Northern Getaway If you were going away by car for a few days, could you have lunch at a 2,000-year-old seaport, once the most modern in the world? Or, could you spend a few days in a Holy City which once was – an
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Steve Kramer – Succot Travels in Samaria
Steve Kramer – Succot Travels in Samaria With a number of fellow members of Hod Ve Hadar, the Masorti (Conservative in the US) synagogue that we belong to in Kfar Saba, we recently visited Mt. Gerizim, Har Bracha, and Shilo, all in the Biblical hear
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Steve Kramer – Israel: How Safe Do You Feel?
Steve Kramer – Israel: How Safe Do You Feel? Do you worry that Jew-hatred might affect your comfortable American life? Do you think that Jew-haters will ignore you because your “Jewishness” is unimportant for you? If not, why not? Does this worr
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Steve Kramer – Iran’s Strategy Works
Steve Kramer – Iran’s Strategy Works While the US and the Europeans dawdle and vacillate at the JCPOA (Iran Agreement) meetings – or non-meetings – in Vienna, Iran gets ever closer to nuclear weapons capability. This situation is very
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Steve Kramer – Whither Jewish Identity 5782
Steve Kramer – Whither Jewish Identity 5782 Do you believe that our universe, and all other possible universes, was created by an everlasting supreme force? Or, do you believe that our universe, and all other possible universes, was created ex nihil
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Steve Kramer – Israel Goes It Alone
Steve Kramer – Israel Goes It Alone Can Israel rely on any other country to support it when it’s critically endangered? First of all, Israel has never asked any other country to fight on its soil; but, Israelis hope and expect that other Western d
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Steve Kramer – Might Iran Implode? An Israeli Perspective
Steve Kramer – Might Iran Implode? An Israeli Perspective Iran has never caused more trouble than it does today. It has successfully completed its “crescent” road eastward to the Mediterranean through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. It’s proxy milit
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Steve Kramer – Two Burning Questions About Israel
Steve Kramer – Two Burning Questions About Israel There are many “important” discussions going on in the Western world, such as, can a man who says he’s a woman walk around naked in a women’s dressing room; is it racist for a white person to
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Steve Kramer – Jew-hatred Now Acceptable in the US
Steve Kramer – Jew-hatred Now Acceptable in the US Recently, Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America and former CEO of Hillel International, reported that a new level of antisemitic intensity has been reached. Wh
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Steve Kramer – The wolves are circling around Netanyahu
Steve Kramer – The wolves are circling around Netanyahu An old saying is that politicians are like fish: the longer they hang around, the more they stink. That seems to be the case with Bibi Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, at l
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Steve Kramer – Israel’s 36th Government in 73 years – What’s Next?
Steve Kramer – Israel’s 36th Government in 73 years – What’s Next? Now that the Lapid-Bennett government (aka Change government) has replaced the Netanyahu-Likud government, which “reigned” for 12 years, what’s next? From the above t
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Steve Kramer – The West’s Fantasy about Peace with Jihadists
Steve Kramer – The West’s Fantasy about Peace with Jihadists In 2020 the Trump administration decoupled the Palestinian Authority (PA) from the process of achieving peace elsewhere in the Middle East. It happened when Trump emissary Jared Kushner
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Steve Kramer – Israel v Hamas – Again
Steve Kramer – Israel v Hamas – Again Here’s a quick response to those of you who are concerned about what’s going on in Israel right now. Among a number of emails/messages regarding the current warfare in Israel, we received this one from
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Steve Kramer – Will Israel Go to a 5th Election
Steve Kramer – Will Israel Go to a 5th Election Israel has held four elections in the last two years. Prime Minister Netanyahu set the stage for this farcical and unprecedented cycle of elections by dissolving his government with the mistaken idea t
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Steve Kramer – Iran Hangs Tough (on Conforming to JCPOA)
Steve Kramer – Iran Hangs Tough (on Conforming to JCPOA) One of the important points that candidate Joe Biden emphasized during the presidential nomination sweepstakes was that the US would return to the JCPOA [Iran deal] and negotiate with the Iran
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Steve Kramer – The Street of the Prophets
Steve Kramer – The Street of the Prophets Israel is coming back to life slowly. (Unfortunately, this doesn’t pertain to air travel, which may be in hiatus until after Passover – but we don’t know anything for sure.) To celebrate coming out
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Steve Kramer – The Media Is Not Trusted
Steve Kramer – The Media Is Not Trusted According to the respected yearly survey of mass media reliability available at edelman.com, the majority of people don’t trust the media. Can you blame them? Watch one TV channel, or read one article, or se
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Steve Kramer – Don’t Cry for the Poor Palestinians
Steve Kramer – Don’t Cry for the Poor Palestinians Once again Israel is being asked questions about its decisions that no other country need explain. This one was written by an American woman to an Israeli American friend of mine, who asked me to
