Michael Oren on America after the Taliban debacle * Mourning Rabbi Richard Hirsch * How to do better for Jews of color * Politicians should not design cities

[Times of Israel]( [The Blogs Weekly]( Thursday, August 19, 2021 From the Blogs [The Taliban win forces the question: What’s next for the US?]( By [Michael Oren]( [Will America bounce back from this debacle by reclaiming its role of peacemaker or will it continue isolationist policies, and pave a path for Iranian hegemony?]( [Samuel Heilman]( [5 Afghan lessons (‘the US as unreliable ally’ is not one of them)]( [Any nation expecting another to protect and save it, even when its citizens are unwilling to do so themselves, does so at its own peril – a truth Israel knows very well]( [Nina B. Mogilnik]( [Kaddish for Afghanistan]( [America’s exit from Afghanistan has been messy and embarrassing, but it has not been wrong. How long were we going to pretend we were accomplishing something?!]( [Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll]( [Fundamentalism never dies]( [Fight extremism the moment you see it, for unless you are as fervent in your beliefs as the fundamentalists are in theirs, they will eventually come for you too]( [Paulo Casaca and Maurizio Geri]( [Saudi-hosted Islamic forum defangs Iran’s regional influence]( [The Saudi-based Muslim World League brokered an agreement between Iraq’s top Sunni and Shia religious leaders, establishing a bulwark against cross-sectarian hostilities]( [Moriah Richman]( [Ben & Jerry’s recent decision is not antisemitic]( [Three weeks ago, Ben & Jerry’s, a major ice cream company originally founded by two Jewish entrepreneurs, announced that it will stop selling ice cream in the occupied West Bank. In a statement, the ice cream company, which has long been a champion for a number of progressive causes, wrote that the decision developed after an analysis that operation in illegal Israeli settlements is “inconsistent with our values.” Not only is the decision by Ben & Jerry’s principled and commendable, but it is also the result of an external...]( [CRM]( [Our community can and must do better for Jews of color]( By [Ilana Kaufman]( [The vast majority have faced discrimination in Jewish settings, yet they aren’t giving up their sense of shared history, collective memory, or Jewish values]( [Jenni Rudolph]( [I feel empowered as an Asian-American Jew — but it sure took a while to get here]( [Growing up, I used my Jewishness as a stepping stone to whiteness, and berated myself for a jumbled collage of Asian stereotypes and failed expectations]( [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]( [Pandemic travel: Brave or foolish?]( [Getting away meant we were able to ‘wind down’ in a powerful way, we enjoyed each other’s company, and we read our books at a speed we cannot achieve at home]( [Gerard Heumann]( [When the politicians start designing the city, we’re all in trouble]( [The delicate balance between the public good and the private individual was shattered long ago, in favor of private, short-term greed]( [David Sedley]( [All the king’s horses]( [We are easily tempted to rely on whatever strategies have served us well already, but if we cannot adapt to new ideas and better technology, we are sure to fail]( [Susannah Schild]( [8 accessible nature walks everyone will love]( [When a hike is more challenge than you want to undertake, don’t worry: you can experience the magic of the great outdoors on Israel’s flatter, shorter trails]( [Rabbi Richard Hirsch z”l brought Reform Judaism home to Israel]( By [John L. Rosove]( [He was the driving force pushing the Reform movement to shift its focus toward the Jewish state, beginning with moving its headquarters there]( Choice voices [Shmuly Yanklowitz]( [Got a nanny? You’re an employer – and the Torah has a message for you]( [It’s time for Jewish bosses to uphold the teaching in this week’s portion: You are responsible for the well-being and dignity of your domestic workers]( [Gil Lewinsky]( [The Kabul moment of American decline]( [Anyone who wanted America’s backing should take a look hard look at what is happening and determine whether US support means anything at all]( [Leah Aharoni]( [Repentance without the anxiety and guilt]( [Every Jewish year ends with the same regrets: too much time at the office, not enough at the gym. Too much screen time, not enough play. Again. I needed a change]( [Rivka Nehorai]( [I used to judge ex-Orthodox Jews. Then I started listening to them]( [If we dismiss those who are critical of the Orthodox world, we miss out on our greatest means of improvement. Those voices are our checks and balances]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? [View in browser]( © 2021 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved