#kramer
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Steve Kramer: Israel’s two major conundrums
Steve Kramer: Israel’s two major conundrums For a year and a half, Israelis have suffered from two disputes that have divided the population, one a change in the power of the High Court (Hebrew acronym: Bagatz), and the other the rescue of our hostages
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Steve Kramer: Nobody Wants the Gazans
Steve Kramer: Nobody Wants the Gazans “Those who have called for ceasefires, who have demanded negotiations with Hamas, must now ask themselves: How do you negotiate with monsters? How do you make peace with those who murder babies and celebrate their d
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Steve Kramer: Tel Aviv-Jaffa Sojourn in Two Days
Steve Kramer: Tel Aviv-Jaffa Sojourn in Two Days During our older son Moshe’s recent visit of 10 days, we decided to spend two of them in Tel Aviv-Jaffa (Yafo). Of course, we took the train from our local station, a 20-minute walk from our apartment. Bu
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Steve Kramer: Eternal Refugee Status? – No problem
Steve Kramer: Eternal Refugee Status? – No problem In addition to the many news sources I tap here in Israel, I often check on the US via the New York Times or the Washington Post. Recently I was surprised to read in the Post that being an eternal r
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Steve Kramer: The United Nations Against – Israel
Steve Kramer: The United Nations Against – Israel It’s hard to be an Israeli today. Perhaps it’s because Israel is being militarily attacked on many fronts, while Western countries have turned their backs on it. Israel is a member of the OECD co
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Steve Kramer: Netanyahu as Israel’s leader
Steve Kramer: Netanyahu as Israel’s leader Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-standing Prime Minister, having served from 1996–1999, 2009–2021, and 2022 to the present. In this, he has surpassed the redoubtable David Ben-Gurion, who ser
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Steve Kramer: Visiting the Gaza Envelope
Steve Kramer: Visiting the Gaza Envelope My readers are quite aware of the heinous attack 13+ months ago (1,200 Israeli fatalities, many wounded, and the kidnapping of 251 others, dead and alive) which is dramatically changing the Middle East. Long before
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Steve Kramer: UNWRA Barred by Israeli Parliament
Steve Kramer: UNWRA Barred by Israeli Parliament Israel, which has been fighting Hamas in Gaza for more than a year, is finally willing to drastically reduce the power of the Jew-hating United Nations in this conflict. The UN’s “creature” in the f
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Steve Kramer: Diverse Days in Israel
Steve Kramer: Diverse Days in Israel The High Holidays just finished, with Simhat Torah (a religious observance held on the last day of Succot when the yearly cycle of Torah reading is completed and the next cycle is begun.) being celebrated on Thursday,
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Steve Kramer: Israel finally takes the initiative
Steve Kramer: Israel finally takes the initiative Israel has achieved remarkable success against Hezbollah and other enemies in the last few weeks. Hezbollah is reeling, with its top leadership assassinated, including its charismatic chief Hassan Nasralla
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Steve Kramer: Israel – Cooking Together
Steve Kramer: Israel – Cooking Together Stephen periodically receives new books (in English) to read and review from Gefen Publishing, located in Jerusalem. But the day he received “Cooking Together – The Israeli Pantry; Recipes Originating
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Steve Kramer: Cooling it in Jerusalem
Steve Kramer: Cooling it in Jerusalem Israelis are sweating out the expected rocket offensive from either Iran or Hezbollah – or both – while going about their business, vacationing in Israel or elsewhere, or cooling off in their air-condition
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Steve Kramer: Israel: A crisis in the West is at hand
Steve Kramer: Israel: A crisis in the West is at hand If I weren’t a very optimistic guy, I’d lose sleep every night over the situation that Israel and the West are in today. We’ve been at war for nearly 10 months with the terrorist Hamas movement w
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Steve Kramer: Will Israel accomplish its war aims?
Steve Kramer: Will Israel accomplish its war aims? Since Hamas barbarously attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the West has insisted that Israel be responsible for the health and well-being of the Gazans, despite the fact that, even now, the majority stil
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Steve Kramer – Jews – the Eternal People?
Steve Kramer – Jews – the Eternal People? Beha’alotecha, a recent parsha (Torah selection), prominently mentions the Menorah, with its seven gold branches on a large lamp stand. The Menorah is the most prominent symbol of Judaism and Israel;
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Steve Kramer – You don’t get objective news
Steve Kramer – You don’t get objective news Israel supposedly has a public relations problem. But the underlying reason for this perception is that mass social media maximizes anti-Israel events and barely reports incidents from a non-biased persp
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Steve Kramer – Can Israel Win?
Steve Kramer – Can Israel Win? Can Israel win against Muslim terrorists, that is the question. The last time that Israel won such a war was the Six-Day War of June 1967. During that war, Israel defeated all five neighboring Arab armies that had inva
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Steve Kramer – Western leaders are throwing their brains out the window
Steve Kramer – Western leaders are throwing their brains out the window Why are today’s political leaders in Washington, and others outside of the US, against Israel’s imperative to wipe out Hamas? The US, Germany, et al are strongly discouragin
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Steve Kramer – How Israel is Vilified
Steve Kramer – How Israel is Vilified President Biden, a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” insists that Hamas must be rewarded for its genocidal war against Israelis with a state of its own, a State of Palestine. [See
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Steve Kramer: Israel’s position in the world
Steve Kramer: Israel’s position in the world How are we doing? As good as one could expect under the circumstances (See Note below.) Feeling paranoid about Israel’s current position in world affairs? If so, that paranoia may be appropriate. Jus
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Steve Kramer – The tenor of Israel’s youth
Steve Kramer – The tenor of Israel’s youth For the last five years, I’ve enjoyed volunteering for conversational English with students at Kfar Saba’s Herzog High School, named for Chaim Herzog, Israel’s sixth president. Herzog is one of four
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Steve Kramer – Israel’s Current Objectives in Gaza
Steve Kramer – Israel’s Current Objectives in Gaza In the months before October 7, Israel was severely wracked by huge protests against changes in the judicial system. Disunity among Israelis was so rampant that a large contingent of Israelis were
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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
