10 precepts for a new Israeli center * Heschel’s audacity, Hamlin’s injury * No, this isn’t a judicial apocalypse * How long will Mahmoud Abbas rule me?

[Times of Israel]( [The Blogs Weekly]( Thursday, January 12, 2023 [10 precepts for a new Israeli center]( By Micha Odenheimer The principles uniting a solid majority of citizens would need to speak fluent Jewish, reflect patriotism, and uphold the primacy of democracy and human rights Ilana Fodiman-Silverman [What the thieves left behind]( The holy Torah scrolls lay strewn around the room. Their silver ornaments were gone, their coverings torn. But the community got busy, and I knew we would endure Joshua Hammerman [Heschel’s audacity and Hamlin’s injury]( With a young black player nearly dying in the ’blood sport’ that is NFL football, might this be an hour that ’calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity’? Jeremy Issacharoff [Israeli politics must not be allowed to override Iran policy]( [The fierce debate in Israel on critical domestic issues could dramatically weaken our diplomatic ability to deal with the external threat of Iran in a coherent and coordinated manner. Questions regarding the appropriate balance between the Knesset and Supreme Court, the relations between secular and religious Jews, the delicate situation in Jerusalem, the status of the West Bank territories, are divisive and controversial and run counter to the imperative to relate directly to the rapidly evolving Iranian threat. This does not imply that Iran is more important than these...]( [Lessons for Israelis from the turbulent Trump years]( By Yehuda Kurtzer Outrage fatigue is real, unlikely partnerships are possible, and other hard-won insights from an American Jew who’s been here…and there [CRM]( From the blogs [The judicial apocalypse is not upon us]( By Yonatan Green The real democratic deficit is in decades of judicial supremacy, in which the Supreme Court may ‘override’ the Knesset and has final say on any matter it chooses Naomi Chazan [Law without order]( Israel’s new government is working hard to equate the common good with its own goals, while it redefines governance to suit its immediate, narrow focus Bassem Eid [Mahmoud Abbas: The perpetual dictator and the missing peace]( How did millions of Palestinians like me fall under the control of this tyrant – and how can we regain our freedom? [Ben Gvir’s fight for ‘equal rights’ at the Temple Mount]( By Evan Gottesman The claim that restricting Jewish prayer at the sacred spot infringes on civil rights is a hard sell, when Palestinians don’t even have citizenship rights more choice voices Francine M. Gordon [Of birds, words, tables and turds]( If different politics puts a wedge between you and your lifelong friends, I suggest laughing together at poop jokes, and avoid the BS that drives you apart Avi Gil [Today’s Israel is no ‘light unto the nations’ – or unto the Jews]( The deepening anti-liberal spirit is not going to disappear anytime soon and Diaspora Jews can no longer rely on Israel as a symbol that unites them [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 © 2023 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved