Smotrich’s outrageous conspiracy claims * Europe has a God problem * Pres. Herzog: How to save the planet * Judaism doesn’t do theocracy * Kristallnacht in Dubai

[Times of Israel]( [The Blogs Weekly]( Thursday, November 10, 2022 [Where’s the outrage over Smotrich’s outrageous Shin Bet conspiracy claims?]( By [Lior Akerman]( [As a former Shin Bet agent, I know the claims are baseless. So do our political leaders, but they’re too busy handing out jobs to condemn the falsehoods]( [Naftali Rothenberg]( [There is no ‘halachic state’ in Jewish law]( [Theocracy is simply not a Jewish legal concept – the halachic legal system applies its authority only to those who accept it]( [Phyllis Greenberg Heideman]( [Kristallnacht in Dubai: Finding hope despite a rising tide of extremism]( [As more and more people know less and less about the Holocaust, new allies in the fight against hate and antisemitism are emerging in the lands of the Abraham Accords]( [Antisemitism and Europe’s God problem]( By [Erik Ross]( [When a Kristallnacht commemoration documented the rising violence against Jews in Europe but didn’t explain it, I had no choice but to figure it out myself]( [CRM]( [Isaac Herzog]( [To save the planet, encourage Middle Eastern partnerships]( [The global climate crisis spells disaster for the Middle East, but like all crises, it also offers an opportunity. As COP27 begins in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, world leaders will be arriving in a Middle East in the grips of a positive realignment: a new regional alliance is forming between Israel, its Arab neighbors, and the broader Eastern Mediterranean in response to the climate emergency. The ninth president of Israel, Shimon Peres, spoke of his vision of a New Middle East; I call this the Renewable Middle East. The Renewable Middle...]( [The transcendently humble neighborhood rabbi]( By [Zack Rothbart]( [An ultra-Orthodox rabbi in a mixed area of Jerusalem, Rabbi Zemel treated everyone with respect and good humor. He will be missed]( [Todd Berman]( [Choosing a kinder, gentler religious Zionism]( [With the ascent of parties that uphold a harsh version of Judaism, I worry for the soul of my religion and seek a Torah whose ’ways are ways of pleasantness’]( [Rivka Ravitz]( [It’s time to promote advancement of ultra-Orthodox working women]( [The government encourages Haredi men who are absent from the employment pool to join it, but what if it offered incentives for training to the women instead?]( [Why I find Kanye West’s hate speech exhausting]( By [Kendell Pinkney]( [To live as a Black Jew in America means to live with an awareness of just how precarious group belonging can be]( more choice voices [Elliott Abrams]( [What to think about Religious Zionists, Netanyahu, and tales of doomsday]( [Predictions about the consequences of Israel’s election are overwrought. Some of the proposed legal reforms would bring Israel’s system closer to the US model]( [Avi Rockoff]( [Were things bad for Jews in Poland? Who’s to say?]( [Well, you know, everybody suffers. Everyone has their own narrative. I have mine. You have yours.]( [Barry Rosen]( [Blood money: Western countries should expel the kids of Iran’s elites]( [Why are the scions of those who held me hostage allowed to study and work in the US, Canada and Europe? Visas should go to the Iranian regime’s victims]( [Sara Shapiro-Plevan]( [Your co-workers should know your salary. You should know theirs too]( [Americans are private about their earnings, but that sensitivity perpetuates unfair incomes and discrimination. With shared numbers, we can all be better off]( [The Blogs Weekly]() [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2022 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved